Reborn in 1985, starting from the mountains of Northwest China

Lin Xiu saw that the price was reasonable, so she decided not to haggle anymore.

She smiled, took out some money from her pocket, counted out fifty cents, and handed it over: "Okay, fifty cents it is. Give me a pair."

The woman took the money, threaded the large intestine through a straw rope, and handed it to her.

"Hey girl, are you making braised pork intestines?"

Lin Xiu was taken aback: "How did you know?"

The woman laughed: "Nine times out of ten, people who buy pig intestines are going to make braised dishes. Who bothers to prepare them for their own family?"

Lin Xiu also smiled: "Big sister has good eyesight."

The woman waved her hand: "It's not that I have good eyesight, it's that I've seen a lot. Just do a good job, and I'll come back to buy from you again next time."

Lin Xiu nodded, picked up the large intestine, and left the meat market with Chen Feng.

After buying the large intestine, the two went to buy spices.

The shopkeeper recognized Lin Xiu and greeted her with a smile, "Xiu'er, you're here? What do you want to buy?"

Lin Xiu squatted down in front of the winnowing basket and picked out some star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, spending two cents on it.

After buying these items, the two strolled around the streets again.

Lin Xiu stood in front of the fabric stall for a long time, touching the fabrics and looking at them again and again, but in the end she still couldn't bear to buy them.

"I'll come back after I sell the braised intestines," she whispered to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng looked at her, his heart aching with a bittersweet feeling.

"Buy it, there's more if you don't have enough money."

Lin Xiu shook her head: "Let's not buy it yet, there's no rush."

Lin Xiu would only buy things for the two children and Chen Feng occasionally, but she was always reluctant to buy things for herself.

Chen Feng understood, and secretly memorized the design, thinking of buying it next time he made money.

The two then bought some salt, some matches, and some needles and thread on the street.

Lin Xiu even bought two ounces of brown sugar, saying it was to sweeten Xiao Shan and Xiao Yue's mouths.

By noon, the market was getting less crowded.

The couple found a food stall and each ordered a bowl of wontons.

The wonton wrappers are thin and the filling is generous. The soup is sprinkled with scallions and dried shrimp and is steaming hot.

Lin Xiu was eating wontons when she suddenly smiled.

"Fengzi, do you think we can eat wontons every day from now on?"

Chen Feng was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

"able."

He paused, then said, "Not only can we eat wontons, but we can also eat meat, we can buy cloth to make new clothes, and we can support Xiaoshan's education, all the way to high school and then to university."

Lin Xiu's eyes reddened again as she listened.

She lowered her head and continued eating her wontons, not letting Chen Feng see.

After finishing their wontons, the two walked back.

Lin Xiu carried the large intestine, and Chen Feng carried the cloth bag. The two walked slowly, talking as they went.

"I'll wash the large intestine when I get back and soak it first."

"Um."

"Let's try braising half of it tonight. If it's good, we'll braise the other half tomorrow."

"OK."

Lin Xiu took a few steps and suddenly asked, "Fengzi, do you think our braised large intestine will turn out alright?"

Chen Feng, unperturbed, said, "Let's give it a try. We'll only know if it works after we try."

By the time we got back to the village, it was already dark.

The two went to the old house to pick up the child first.

Liu Xia was playing with Xiaoshan and Xiaoyue in the yard when she saw them return and came to greet them.

"Bought it?"

Lin Xiu picked up the large intestines to show her: "I bought them, five cents a set."

Liu Xia glanced at it and nodded: "It looks alright. Go back and clean it properly; it'll taste better when it's braised."

She looked at Chen Feng again.

"Do a good job."

Chen Feng nodded.

The two led the child home.

When it was completely dark, an oil lamp was lit in Chen Feng's kitchen.

Lin Xiu was washing the large intestine, while Chen Feng was boiling water beside her.

Xiaoshan and Xiaoyue lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), gazing longingly towards the kitchen, waiting to smell the aroma.

Liu Xia also came over. She didn't know how to braise intestines, but she was good at removing the fishy smell from large intestines.

She stood at the kitchen door, watching Lin Xiu busy herself, her mouth never stopping.

"Turn it over, yes, peel off that layer of oil inside... No, be gentle, don't tear it..."

Lin Xiu's hands were covered in oil, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Following the method she remembered and what Liu Xia had told her, she turned the large intestine inside out and carefully removed the excess fat bit by bit.

Chen Feng tended the fire nearby, glancing up every now and then.

Liu Xia looked at it for a while, then suddenly asked, "Where's the salt?"

Lin Xiu was stunned for a moment: "Huh?"

"Salt. You have to use salt to scrub the large intestine; rinsing it with water alone won't get it clean."

Lin Xiu quickly went to the stove to get the salt jar.

Liu Xia took it, sprinkled a handful of salt on the large intestine, and then sprinkled a handful of flour on it.

"Salt kills the flavor, flour absorbs the dirt. Rub it like this, yes, rub it hard..."

She taught her step by step, and Lin Xiu learned diligently.

Chen Feng felt a warm feeling in his heart as he watched this scene.

He recalled his past life, when he was alone far from home and had to figure out how to find a taste of home on his own.

Unlike now, with my mother by my side to guide me.

After rubbing for a full quarter of an hour, Liu Xia finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, rinse it thoroughly with clean water. Rinse it several times to remove all the salt and flour."

Lin Xiu scooped up ladle after ladle of water and rinsed the large intestine clean.

The cleaned large intestines were white and glistening with moisture, completely different from before.

Looking at the cleaned intestines, Liu Xia nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk into the house.

"Alright, I'll go watch the kids. You can take care of the rest yourself."

Lin Xiu was taken aback: "Mother, aren't you going to keep an eye on things?"

Liu Xia waved her hand: "Your mother taught you this, I don't know how. I've already taught you everything I needed to. How well it turns out depends entirely on your skill."

After she finished speaking, she lifted the curtain and went into the house, where Xiaoshan and Xiaoyue's laughter could be heard.

Chen Feng and Lin Xiu were left in the kitchen.

Lin Xiu stood in front of the cutting board, looking at the bowl of white intestines, and suddenly felt a little nervous.

Having come this far, it's not that I'm afraid of the 50 cents or 1 yuan, but since we've made such a big fuss, we have to put on a good show.

Lin Xiu didn't show it on her face, but she was also very concerned about her reputation.

Chen Feng looked at her and said nothing more, then followed her to carry the basin to the stove.

Blanch the intestines and boil them to remove any unpleasant odor.

In his previous life, Chen Feng had briefly learned to make caramel colorings, but when it came to it for him and his wife, they could only take it one step at a time.

"Next is to caramelize the sugar," Lin Xiu said softly.

Chen Feng turned the fire in the stove down a little.

After Lin Xiu poured some oil into the pot, she added a few pieces of rock sugar.

She stirred slowly with a spatula, her eyes fixed on the bottom of the pot.

The rock sugar slowly melted, turning into amber-colored syrup, and began to bubble with tiny, fine bubbles.

"alright!"

Chen Feng quickly poured a bowl of hot water over.

With a hiss, white steam rose from the pot.

Chen Feng felt a surge of secret joy upon seeing this.

To be done!

I never expected this, I really never expected it!

Suddenly, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a series of banging sounds.

"Chen Feng! Is Chen Feng home?"

Chen Feng paused in his movements. The white steam in the pot hadn't dissipated yet, but his brows furrowed.

Lin Xiu was also stunned, still holding the spatula in her hand, her smile frozen on her face.

"Who is it?" she asked softly.

Chen Feng didn't say anything. He put the bowl of hot water on the stove, wiped his hands, and walked out.

The banging on the door continued, each bang louder than the last.

"Chen Feng! Open the door! I need to speak with you!"

Chen Feng walked into the courtyard and, by the moonlight, could make out the figure outside the door.

All five of them were Zhao Desheng's brothers!

Good job!

If a dog comes to your door, you might as well beat it!