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Chapter 71: The First Birthday After Rebirth
Chapter 71: The First Birthday After Rebirth
At noon, the Zhang family prepared a lavish feast to entertain Deng Shirong.
The main dishes included the pork and braised pork belly Deng Shirong had brought, along with a stewed hen that Zhang's mother had specially killed for the occasion. There were also fried peanuts for drinking and several bowls of homegrown vegetables. The table was brimming with dishes, surpassing even what they would have during the New Year's celebrations.
Unfortunately, Zhang's mother was not a skilled cook. Her dishes, while not terrible, were far from matching Deng Shirong's standards, or even those of his eldest daughter, Deng Yunzhen. The only dish that was somewhat decent was the stewed hen soup.
Thus, Deng Shirong only tasted the pork and braised pork belly, but he drank two bowls of the hen soup.
However, what Deng Shirong found lacking, the Zhang family relished, savoring every bite as if it were a rare delicacy.
After a satisfying meal, Deng Shirong didn't linger long at the Zhangs' house. After a few puffs of his pipe, he bid them farewell and left.
By the time he returned home, it was already past two in the afternoon.
"Father, you're back. What did your future sister-in-law's family prepare for you?" Deng Yunzhen asked with a smile.
Deng Shirong chuckled, "They did prepare a grand meal, but the taste was a bit lacking. Mother's cooking isn't great, and I suspect her daughter's cooking isn't much better. Once your sister-in-law joins our family, we'll have to teach her how to cook and improve her skills."
Deng Yunzhen nodded, "That's easy. My cooking used to be average too, but after learning from you for a while, I've improved a lot. Your future sister-in-law seems quite intelligent; if she puts her heart into it, her cooking will surely improve quickly."
Deng Shirong hummed in agreement. He noticed a bowl of pig's blood soup on the table and asked, "Who slaughtered a pig last night?"
Deng Yunzhen replied, "It was Brother Yunquan's family. His wife sent over this pig's blood soup."
Indeed, the people in the village during this era were very considerate of each other. Since everyone struggled to afford meat, they would share when they had it. Whenever a family slaughtered a pig, they would cook a large pot of soup with a bit of pork and a lot of pig's blood, then distribute a bowl to each nearby neighbor.
Each bowl usually contained a couple of pieces of pork and some pig's blood, which was a rare treat for those who rarely had meat.
This custom continued until the late 1980s, when people's lives improved, and the practice of sharing pig's blood soup gradually faded away. By the 1990s, it was almost non-existent.
Deng Shirong nodded, noting the gesture in his heart. The family had hired several carpenters to craft furniture, and they would need to provide meals for them. As for the dozen or so people working on the orchard, the seven villagers didn't need meals, but the relatives certainly did.
Including his own family, they had to prepare meals for about twenty people each day.
In the past, buying meat every day had been a significant expense. Now, with the gift of meat from the Deng Changwang family and the stockpile in his system space, they could sustain themselves for a long time.
As Deng Shirong and his daughter started preparing dinner, Deng Changmei also came over to lend a hand.
Deng Changmei and Zhang Kangmei had already obtained their marriage certificate, making them legal spouses. However, in the rural areas, a marriage was considered official only after the wedding banquet, so they hadn't moved in together yet.
But since Deng Shirong had invited the Zhang family to help with the furniture, it was only natural for Deng Changmei, as a Zhang family member, to show her best. After finishing her daily chores, she would come over to help, whether it was passing tools and wood to the Zhang family or washing vegetables in the kitchen.
Dinner still revolved around the same three main dishes: stir-fried pork, braised carp, and dry-fried frog legs. Thanks to the generous portions and Deng Shirong's exceptional culinary skills, accompanied by a few carefully prepared vegetable dishes, it was another meal that left everyone wishing they could swallow their tongues.
Even after Deng Shirong's demonstrations, almost everyone in Naye Village knew how to cook fish and frog legs to make them delicious. However, very few people actually went to the river to catch fish or hunt for frog legs. It wasn't that they didn't like to eat them, but these dishes required a lot of oil and various seasonings, which most families couldn't afford.
Apart from the Deng family, no one else in the village was willing to use so much oil.
...
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
On the 24th day of the ninth lunar month, it was Deng Shirong's 44th birthday.
The day before, Deng Shirong had already talked to Deng Changwu, the pig butcher, and asked him to set aside all the offal from the pig he was slaughtering.
Additionally, he had someone bring back a few hornet nests that had been collected over the past few days.
Today, he planned to show off his skills and prepare a grand feast to celebrate his first birthday after his rebirth.
In the modern world, many places advocate eating a good breakfast, a hearty lunch, and a light dinner. However, in Shuangwang, whether in the past or the present, the evening meal was always the most important. Therefore, Deng Shirong's birthday celebration naturally centered around the dinner.
Around two in the afternoon, Guan Yongying, Deng Changmei, and Chen Xiaohua (Deng Changping's wife) came over to help. Along with Deng Yunzhen and her sister, the five of them divided the tasks and, according to Deng Shirong's instructions, cleaned the pig offal, ginger, scallions, garlic, and vegetables.
Deng Shirong, meanwhile, was responsible for cutting the ingredients.
To make a dish taste good, knife skills were crucial.
By the time everything was ready, it was nearly four in the afternoon.
"Yunzhen, start the fire!"
"Coming!"
Deng Yunzhen responded and eagerly went to the stove to start the fire.
Once the fire was going, Deng Yunzhen asked, "Dad, which dish should we start with?"
"Let's start with the pig lung soup," Deng Shirong said.
Deng Yunzhen nodded and watched her father's every move. While her cooking skills had improved significantly over the past few weeks, it was only for the dishes she cooked regularly. She had no idea how to make dishes she hadn't tried before.
Today, her father was planning to show off his skills, and this was a rare opportunity for her to learn.
Deng Shirong, intending to cultivate his eldest daughter's culinary skills, explained as he cooked, "The key to a delicious pig lung soup is the ginger and wine. First, saute the blanched pig lungs with plenty of ginger in oil until fragrant. Pour in half a cup of white wine around the edges of the pot, then add hot water and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for about seven to eight minutes to extract the flavors of the pig lungs and ginger. Then, add a little soy sauce and an appropriate amount of salt, and your pot of delicious pig lung soup is ready to serve."
"Wow, it smells so good! Let me taste it."
Deng Yunzhen scooped a small spoonful of the soup into a bowl, blew on it to cool it slightly, and eagerly took a sip. The flavor was so good that she was immediately won over and exclaimed, "I never thought such a simple dish could taste so delicious."
Deng Shirong chuckled, washed the pot, and said, "Home-cooked dishes don't have to be complicated. Next, we'll make stir-fried pig liver."
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(End of Chapter)
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