Chapter 12 Braised Rabbit

“Quick, catch the drool with your hand; if it drips onto the rabbit, how will we eat it?”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”

Liu Guifang sat there, chuckling softly without turning her head, continuing to pick at the mushrooms in her hand.

“Sister, you deliberately brought this rabbit to tempt me, to make fun of me.”

Ruan Xiaohai turned around in surprise at the sound, glancing at Ruan Xiaotang leaning against the door frame. She was hugging her arms, her upper body leaning against the wooden frame, looking lazy and unkempt, her eyes fixed on him, her lips slightly upturned.

A look of gleeful mischief.

Judging by her expression, she must have been standing there for a while.

She’s so wicked!

Ruan Xiaohai’s face immediately fell, and he turned away angrily. Making fun of people is so much fun!

“If you want to eat rabbit, go gather firewood.”

Hearing the command, Ruan Xiaohai’s eyes lit up.

A smile of anticipation spread across his lips, and he trotted out the door.

Ruan Xiaotang rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, picked up the wooden cutting board with one hand, went into the yard, and placed it on a stone.

Picking up the cleaver, she went to the black water jar, gripped the handle tightly, and sharpened the blade along the rough texture of the jar.

“I got this cleaver two days ago, and it’s really sharp.”

“Okay, I got it.”

Ruan Xiaotang, holding the cleaver, half-squatted beside the wooden basin, picked up a skinned, tender rabbit from the water, and placed it on the board. With a few swift strokes,

“Dang dang dang”

The whole rabbit was chopped into even small pieces.

The scallions, ginger, and dried chilies were cut into small pieces and set aside.

Ruan Xiaohai squatted by the stove to stoke the fire. Ruan Xiaotang bent over, one foot resting on the edge of the stove, scooped out a small amount of milky white lard from a jar beside her, and poured it along the edge of the hot pot. The lard melted instantly, sizzling.

She added rock sugar and stirred with a spatula to ensure even heating.

As the temperature rose,

The rock sugar gradually melted into a clear syrup, rising transparent white bubbles. Continuing to stir the bottom of the pot with the spatula to prevent burning, the white syrup gradually changed color, turning into an attractive amber hue, and the bubbles became smaller and denser, gradually boiling.

She added the cut rabbit meat and quickly stir-fried it, ensuring each piece was coated with the alluring sugar glaze.

The cold and the hot.

The hot caramel color collided with the high-quality protein.

In an instant, the aroma filled the entire yard.

Fragrant, so fragrant.

Liu Guifang put down her work, as if unable to control her nose, kept sniffing.

More and more saliva secreted in her mouth, she swallowed repeatedly.

“Gulugulu.”

The sound was a little loud.

Liu Guifang quickly covered her mouth, secretly glancing back at the kitchen, where the aroma wafted and white smoke billowed.

The last time she ate meat was during the New Year, when the brigade distributed two catties of meat to each household.

She cut off the fatty parts and rendered the lard, and on New Year’s Eve, she made a meal of mixed-flour dumplings with the leaner parts.

She only has Xiaohai as a son, and his legs are…

She, his mother, is weak and not that strong.

All the burdens of the family rest on Xiaotang’s shoulders.

This girl has always been very strong-willed; every time she works, she strives to be the best and earns the highest work points.

Most of the family’s rice, flour, grain, and meat are exchanged for her work points.

She has given so much to this family.

…………………………

She scooped two full scoops of water with a ladle and added it to the pot, covering the rabbit meat. She added scallions, ginger, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and the right amount of salt, then covered it with a wooden lid.

“Watch the fire, don’t let it burn.”

“Leave it to me, don’t worry.”

Ruan Xiaohai sat on a broken wooden stool by the stove, holding three twigs in his hands, resting them on his knees. With a snap, the twigs easily broke in two.

He threw them all into the blazing fire, staring intently at the steaming pot emitting fragrant steam.

His devout gaze at the food was like a child’s eyes gleaming with anticipation for the delicious food they longed for.

“Auntie, I came to bring you a skirt. Sister Xiaotang is slender, it should fit her well.”

Seeing the gate open, Ruan Xiaomei walked in, a black and white checkered skirt hanging on her left arm. As she walked, she spoke to Liu Guifang, who was busy in the yard.

Ruan Xiaomei is the eldest daughter of Ruan Xiaotang’s uncle’s family. Her family has five people, three sisters.

Liu Guifang followed the sound, quickly put down her work, stood up, and greeted her with a joyful smile.

She thought to herself: Xiaomei, this child, has become more and more beautiful in recent years. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also sensible and speaks eloquently. She is only 18 years old this year, and she is already one of the best workers in the production team. She will surely be able to live a good life with her own hands.

But Ruan Xiaotang didn’t agree with these views.

This younger sister, only two years younger than her, has always been a scheming woman.

What she shows is what she wants others to see.

What’s hidden is the real her.

As soon as Ruan Xiaomei entered, Ruan Xiaotang saw her.

She was in the house, but she didn’t want to meet her.

She listened to her and her mother’s conversation in the yard.

The pretense was sickening.

Ruan Xiaotang has always held a grudge against this sister.

The reason may go back to when she was six years old.

It was a summer after a rain, and she and Ruan Xiaomei were picking wildflowers by the river.

Because Ruan Xiaotang picked a flower with an extremely vibrant color, the jealous Ruan Xiaomei, taking advantage of her younger age, insisted on having the flower from Ruan Xiaotang.

She wouldn’t take no for an answer, her attitude very firm.

Ruan Xiaotang, with her stubborn temper, refused to give it up.

She stood there, clutching the flower tightly.

The next second,

Ruan Xiaotang inexplicably fell into the water.

But when she woke up,

Her mother told her that Ruan Xiaomei had found her in the water and rushed back to the village to call for adults, which is how she was saved.

Our family should thank her, especially Ruan Xiaotang, for saving her life, a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

At that time, she was still young and had been frightened by the fall. She was very unclear about the moment she fell.

It wasn’t until a nightmare at the age of 15 that the mystery was solved.

She hadn’t fallen accidentally; Ruan Xiaomei had pushed her.

She also pretended to be a good person.

A four-year-old child can be so vicious, showing how deep her scheming is.

Ruan Xiaomei always competed with her, always tried to surpass her, to be better than her.

As long as she could suppress her, Ruan Xiaomei would be happy.

Only once, when her goal wasn’t achieved, some unsightly, dirty, despicable, and low-down things began to surround her.

She could bet that the rumors after she was rescued from the water were her doing.