"Is it delicious?"
"Delicious!" Yang Zhaodi nodded heavily, "Sweet and sour and appetizing."
She handed over the candied haws and said, "Father-in-law, you have some too."
Zhao Zheng didn't hesitate and took a bite, "Not bad."
"Father-in-law, eat mine!" Zhang Xiaoe also reacted and handed over her candied haws.
Zhao Zheng smiled, took another bite, and then took out some wild hawthorns from under the bamboo basket.
"This is enough for the two of you to make ten strings of candied haws. If you're feeling craving for more, use rock sugar to make the icing. Don't skimp."
"By the way, after eating candied haws, don't eat canned persimmons. They will be indigestible and will cause stomachaches. Do you understand?" Zhao Zheng reminded.
The two girls took Zhao Zheng's words as an imperial decree and nodded continuously, "I understand, father-in-law."
Zhao Zheng rolled up his sleeves and said, "Well, it's getting late. I'll go and use the pig skin to heat the iron pot. I'll cook in the evening."
Yang Zhaodi hurriedly said, "Father-in-law, let me do it."
Zhao Zheng waved his hand, "Don't argue, you can't cook the dishes I cook."
Zhang Xiaoe, "I'll burn firewood."
"You go play, I'll do it." Yang Zhaodi touched her sister-in-law's head, "It's best to guard the door. I'm afraid the meat will smell too good and attract others."
"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will guard the door and will never let anyone in." Zhang Xiao'e said, patting her chest.
The iron pot Zhao Zheng bought was not big. If it was too big, it would easily attract attention and would have to be placed in the cellar when not in use.
Put the pot on the opening, it's just the right size, neither too big nor too small.
He took out a bamboo brush handle, which is basically used in rural areas.
When the pot was heated, Zhao Zheng took out a piece of pig skin and wiped the surface of the pot.
After the lard is fried, it is not easy to stick to the pan.
Iron is a controlled product and it is difficult for country people to buy it.
Moreover, a pound of pig iron costs eighty cents, which most people cannot afford.
Now, the price of a pound of iron has skyrocketed to 120 wen, which makes it even more unaffordable for ordinary people.
He didn't know whether Dakang cooked any food, but in Fugui Township, all the food was stewed or cooked. There were no good seasonings, so it tasted just like that, like chewing wax.
While watching the fire, Yang Zhaodi memorized every step of her father-in-law's steps.
"Okay!" Zhao Zheng poured out the water from the pot and placed it on the stove. "Zhao Di, turn down the heat a little."
"good."
Zhao Zheng cut half of the pork belly into slices and the other half into pieces.
He plans to make pork belly and braised pork.
Although twice-cooked pork made from pork belly is not as good as twice-cooked pork, it definitely tastes better than stewed meat.
Chop chop!
Zhao Zheng prepared all the ingredients before dark.
Then pour the oil into the pot.
Sizzle.
A fragrance instantly filled the kitchen.
Zhang Xiao'e, who was standing at the door, was so drunk by the aroma that she leaned against the door, thinking, "What delicious food did my father-in-law make? It smells so good! It smells even better than what my sister-in-law makes!"
Yang Zhaodi was shocked.
Since she married into the Zhao family, she had never seen Zhao Zheng cook, and she didn't expect that he could actually cook.
Judging from his posture, he seems quite skilled.
What she didn't know was that her previous father-in-law was indeed not capable, but her current father-in-law was a good father-in-law with all-round development in moral, intellectual, physical and aesthetic aspects.
Stir-fry some oil, then add bean paste, ginger and garlic, and finally add a little peppercorns to add spiciness, and the pork belly is ready!
Following this, Zhao Zheng boiled water to blanch the meat and used large pieces of rock sugar to make the soup brown.
When the pork belly is put into the pot, the rock sugar and meat are fully wrapped together, and the aroma is fragrant.
Zhao Zheng put the ingredients he had prepared in advance into the pot, added water and simmered for more than 20 minutes, then turned the heat up to reduce the sauce. "Xiao E, wash your hands and get ready to eat."
Xiao'e, who was guarding the door, quickly closed the door and lit the oil lamp.
Looking at the two steaming dishes on the low table, I was so greedy.
Zhao Zheng washed the pot and put it in the cellar, then said to Yang Zhaodi, "Put it in the cellar when you're not using it, so the neighbors won't see it and get jealous. It's best to focus on stewing. If you're feeling craving it, we can secretly stir-fry it at night."
Yang Zhaodi nodded. Iron is very expensive. Such a big iron pot would cost at least two or three hundred coins.
I'm not afraid of thieves stealing, I'm just afraid of thieves eyeing it. This iron pot must not be seen by others.
Zhang Xiao'e filled three bowls of rice, took a closer look, and exclaimed, "This rice is shiny and glistening. How come it looks so good?"
"Oh, this is called pearl rice. It is said that it is loved by dignitaries, so I bought some to try." Zhao Zheng explained.
"Father, this rice is expensive, isn't it?" Although he was happy, he still had a long way to go, so he had to save money even if he had money. "Let's just eat ordinary rice, no, corn will be fine..."
"It's okay to eat occasionally." Zhao Zheng sat cross-legged on the kang and said, "Besides, I went to the market today and made some money."
He took out a silver ingot from his bosom and placed it on the low table.
Both women were stunned.
"Father-in-law, is this... a silver ingot?" Yang Zhaodi asked in disbelief.
"Yes, this one or two taels of silver is what I earned today, and if nothing unexpected happens, I will be able to earn this much every few days. It will definitely not be a problem to earn three or five taels a month."
Zhang Xiao'e was shocked. "What kind of business is so profitable?"
"I'm buying hides and selling them." Zhao Zheng told the two women what he had prepared. "Well, I used to love gambling, and I happened to meet a local hide merchant who specializes in buying hides and mountain products. But he's going to the county town to develop his business, and he can't bear to give up his business in Fugui Township, so he asked me to buy hides so I can earn some hard work fees!"
"So, father-in-law is a businessman now?"
Zhao Zheng nodded, "You can say that. So, our family will get better and better in the future. It's just pearl rice. From now on, you will eat tribute rice every day!"
Zhang Xiao'e was excited, and Yang Zhaodi was also happy. With her father-in-law being so capable, they had more hope for the future.
"Stop talking and eat the food quickly. It won't taste good if it gets cold." Zhao Zheng urged the two women to get on the kang, and then put food into their bowls until it piled up into a small mountain.
Zhang Xiao'e had been craving for the dish for a long time. She took a bite of the twice-cooked pork and exclaimed, "This twice-cooked pork is so delicious!"
Although there is no shortage of meat and oil at home these days, stews are still far inferior to stir-fries.
Moreover, Zhaodi is very frugal and doesn't like to use oil, so Zhao Zheng is never satisfied with his meal.
Zhao Zheng's cooking is mainly characterized by heavy oil and sweet taste.
Yang Zhaodi also started eating and was immediately amazed by the delicious food.
"Isn't this delicious?"
She didn't understand why the taste was so different when they were all dishes.
Although my own cooking is okay, it can't compare to the dishes cooked by my father-in-law.
She was shocked and a little discouraged, "I'm not as good as my father-in-law..."
It's not jealousy, but discouragement and a feeling of being useless.
Zhao Zheng consoled him, "Stir-frying and stewing are different. If you want to learn, I'll teach you. You're so smart, you'll definitely figure it out quickly. It's only a matter of time before you surpass me. Besides, I really enjoy the stews you make!"
Hearing this, Yang Zhaodi also became happy.
Just when the father-in-law, daughter-in-law and others were having dinner, the gate of the courtyard rang at an inopportune time!