Li Zhouzhou is cooking meat.

　　This is the two kilograms of rice that Dad brought back from the pig slaughter the day before yesterday. He went to the town to buy things yesterday and didn’t have time to make it. Today, he came back early from Dongping Village, so Li Zhouzhou wanted to make it.

　　Dad also cut a piece of oil board, which is particularly good for boiling oil and produces a lot of oil, but it is only the size of a palm. The rest is fat, and there is some fat and meat. Li Zhouzhou took the lead and cut out the fat and meat, which was particularly fat, and used it to boil oil with the oil board.

　　Cut the remaining pound of meat into slightly thicker square slices. When it is almost fried, put it in a small jar and seal it. When you cook meat or stir-fry dishes, scoop out some with a clean spoon. It is convenient and can be preserved for a long time.

　　The villagers call it fatanzi meat.

　　Cut the oil board and fat into pieces, heat the iron pan, put these in, use less firewood at the bottom of the pan, cook slowly over low heat, wash and clean the ginger pieces the size of your little finger, put them in, and then pour half a bowl of water. This is what Li Zhouzhou figured out when cooking.

　　Pour some water to prevent the pork from being overcooked, the slag will be burnt, and the color of the lard will not be good. Don’t add too much water, add slowly, and the water will be refined. The freshly cooked lard is bright yellow, and the slag is crispy, fragrant, and brown.

　　Li Zhouzhou first scooped out the oil residue and put it in a bowl, then poured the lard into the oil tank. When the oil cooled, it became snow-white. Without washing the iron pan, he poured the fat and lean meat slices into it and continued to cook over low heat. This was the jar meat, which was used for cooking.

　　The meat in the jar is fried until half-cooked, and the oil from the fat is extracted. Pour the oil and meat into the jar together, seal it when it cools down, and then you can use it whenever you want to cook.

　　It was already dark when he finished. Li Zhouzhou hurriedly kneaded the dough, rolled it out, cut it into thin strips, boiled water in a pot, and cooked the noodles. He scooped half a spoonful of cold lard at the bottom of three large thick bowls, and when the noodles were ready, he scooped them out and put some chopped green onions and lard residue on them. He poured the boiling noodle soup on top, added some salt and vinegar, and a bowl of clear soup noodles was ready.

　　”It smells so good.” Gu Zhao came in following the scent.

　　Li Zhouzhou wiped his hands and said, “It’s time to eat now. It’s a little late today.”

　　”It’s not too late, don’t worry.” Gu Zhao handed over the bowl of noodles.

　　The family of three sat in the main room and ate under an oil lamp. Gu Zhao drank a mouthful of soup, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He leaned over and put his arm around his wife, saying affectionately, “Zhou Zhou, you are a good cook. It’s delicious.”

　　”This is simple, nothing.” Li Zhouzhou felt embarrassed by the compliment. Washing clothes and cooking can be done by everyone in the village, so there is no need to praise this.

　　Gu Zhao: “It’s amazing. Zhou Zhou’s food tastes better than the ones sold at the noodle stalls.”

　　Li Zhouzhou has hardly ever been praised since he was a child. Not to mention the humiliation of his appearance by the villagers, even when he lived in the old house before the separation, the elders always called him rough, clumsy, and dumb. Li Da is a rough man. He values ​​Zhouzhou in his heart, but he can’t express it.

　　The most praise I heard about him in the past was: Li Zhouzhou works quickly and is very strong. But then he was immediately followed by a comment: He eats a lot, so he doesn’t look like a brother, but like a man. It was another cycle of humiliation and criticism.

　　No one has ever praised someone as enthusiastically and sincerely as Gu Zhao.

　　There is no but following, no criticism.

　　Li Zhouzhou was shy, and glanced at his father who was still there. He just lowered his head and nodded, feeling extremely happy and excited, and also thinking, “It turns out that my cooking is delicious.” His husband would not lie to him, which meant that he was really good at cooking.

　　It was dark after the meal. Li Zhouzhou took the dishes and went to wash up. Gu Zhao followed him with an oil lamp to light the way. They entered the kitchen. There was some firewood left in the stove and some hot water from the residual heat. Li Zhouzhou used to wash dishes with cold water because he thought it would waste firewood.

　　But after his husband came, he washed the dishes with cold water the first time. The second time, after he finished cooking, he went to serve the meal to the main room and turned back to look for his husband. He saw that his husband had added some firewood and scooped water into the pot.

　　Seeing him looking over, he said pitifully and obediently, “Zhou Zhou, you won’t blame me for burning firewood, right? It’s so cold, I’m afraid your hands will be cold.”

　　Li Zhouzhou felt warm in his heart at that time, so how could he blame his husband?

　　Now, in just a few days, Li Zhouzhou has changed his habit with his husband. The water in the pot is warm, and it is fast to wash the dishes. Gu Zhao boils hot water for his father and wife to wash.

　　The husband and wife divided the work. After Li Zhouzhou had cleaned up the dishes, Gu Zhao also prepared hot water for his evening wash.