Chapter 57 : Earth Pot Chicken Pancake

Zhou Tingyue handed her the chicken.

“When I got there, the meat at the service point was already sold out. I figured you wanted to improve the children’s meals, so I went to the army canteen. Zhang, who was in charge of purchasing food for the kitchen, happened to be making a delivery. I saw a few chickens there, so I bought one!”

He spoke casually, but Song Shiwei knew it hadn’t been easy. After all, meat was hard to come by in those days. Even for the canteen’s purchasing agent, each trip outside was difficult. Who knew how many favors he had called in and how many polite words he had spoken to get it?

He had gone to such lengths to make this stew, just because of something she had said. It was impossible for Song Shiwei not to be moved.

Moreover, the chicken had already been plucked, so she didn’t even need to clean it.

Feeling grateful for his kindness, Song Shiwei decided  

“Since we have this chicken, we’ll have clay pot chicken for lunch. Clay pot chicken with pancakes is absolutely delicious!”

She put on an apron and started cooking.

Zhou Tingyue took charge of tending the fire.

She chopped the chicken into small pieces.

Cut the green onions into sections and sliced the ginger.

She heated oil in a pan, added dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and various spices, and stir-fried them until fragrant.

Then, she added the chopped chicken and stir-fried it until the moisture was released and an irresistible aroma filled the air.

This scent attracted Zhou Lin, Zhou Wei, and Zhou Xinxin, who lay outside the window watching eagerly.

Zhou Wei sniffed the air and said, “It smells amazing! Mom, why does your chicken always smell so good?”

Xinxin raised her hand and patted his head. “What dish doesn’t Mom make delicious?”

Zhou Lin nodded in agreement.  

“Even the soles of shoes would taste good if she made them!”

Hearing this, Song Shiwei burst into laughter.

Zhou Tingyue lightly tapped Zhou Lin’s head with a small stick.

“Oh? Then why don’t you make me a shoe sole to try?”

Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin instantly burst into laughter.

Zhou Lin chuckled and scratched his head.  

“I wasn’t trying to exaggerate! Mom’s cooking is just that good!”

Hearing him call her “Mom” for the first time, Song Shiwei was instantly touched. She looked up and met Zhou Lin’s gaze.

Perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly looked away.

Song Shiwei smiled warmly.

“Today, Mom will make you clay pot chicken pancakes and brown sugar steamed cakes! In the future, just tell Mom what you want to eat, and I’ll make sure you all grow up plump and healthy!”

Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin cheered.  

“Yay!”  

“That sounds amazing!”

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Wei asked, “Mom, I saw Brother Qiangzi eating candy today. It smelled really good. I want some too!”

Song Shiwei was in a great mood and agreed with a smile.  

“Alright, when Mom goes to town, I’ll buy you some! I’ll get a big bag of White Rabbit candy so you can eat as much as you want!”

“Really?!”

Zhou Wei’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Seeing Song Shiwei nod, he nearly jumped for joy.

When Zhou Xinxin saw that her mother had agreed to her brother’s request, she quickly chimed in.  

“Mom, then I want canned fruit!”

Song Shiwei immediately responded, “That’s easy. Go to Sister Xiao Cui’s house and pick some peaches. Mom will cook them for you! Let Sister Xiao Cui and Brother Xiaojun have a taste too!”

Hearing this, Zhou Xinxin was overjoyed.  

“Yay! That’s great! I can have canned fruit!”

The two of them hugged each other and jumped around excitedly, but Zhou Lin gave each of them a light tap on the head.

“Don’t just think about food all the time! School is starting soon, so you two better focus on studying! Otherwise, how can you…”  

He wanted to say, “How can you live up to our mother?” but when the words reached his lips, he hesitated, perhaps still unaccustomed to calling her “Mom.”  

So, he quickly changed his words.  

“Otherwise, how can you live up to all this delicious food!”

Song Shiwei naturally understood what he meant. She glanced at Zhou Tingyue and laughed.

Zhou Tingyue was also very pleased that the children were willing to accept the little girl. The harmony they shared at this moment was something he had never dared to dream of!

But he still said, “From now on, if you want to eat something, tell Dad. Don’t always bother your mom. What if she gets tired?”

Zhou Wei and Zhou Xinxin pouted.  

“But Dad can’t cook!”  

“Yeah, Dad’s cooking isn’t as delicious as Mom’s!”  

Zhou Tingyue: “….”  

Song Shiwei laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.

Amid all the laughter and chatter, the chicken had finished stewing.

She noticed that the dough by the stove had almost finished rising.

It was time to start steaming the cake.

She took a clean bowl, spread oil evenly on the inner walls so the steamed cake could be easily removed later, and poured in the fermented batter.

Then, she removed the pits from the red dates, cut them into quarters, placed them evenly on top of the batter, and started steaming.

She let it steam for fifteen minutes and then let it sit for another five minutes before it was ready to eat.

By the time the steamed cake was done, the clay pot chicken was also nearly finished, and the rich aroma filled the air.

While steaming the cake, Song Shiwei quickly mixed some corn flour.

Now, she could press the cornmeal pancakes onto the edge of the clay pot to cook them.

Zhou Wei couldn’t hold back any longer, and his mouth started watering.

“Mom, when can we eat?”  

Song Shiwei chuckled as she placed the last pancake on the pot and covered it with the lid.

“Just wait for another seven or eight minutes, and then we can eat!”

Finally, the steamed cake was ready. Just as Song Shiwei took it out of the bowl and sliced it, the clay pot chicken with pancakes was done!

She found an especially large bowl and served the chicken and pancakes together.

“Dinner is ready!!”

As soon as the children heard this, they cheered excitedly. The fragrance had already captivated them, and they could hardly control themselves!

Everyone quickly grabbed their chopsticks and sat at the table, eagerly waiting.

Zhou Tingyue carried the pot of chicken pancakes to the table. The aroma rushed to his nose, making him feel light-headed with anticipation.

Just then, voices came from outside the yard.

“Whose cooking smells so good?”  

“Yeah, it smells amazing!”  

“My mouth is watering. Now that I see my own food, I don’t even want to eat it anymore!”

Hearing this, Zhou Lin, Zhou Wei, and Xinxin all covered their mouths, laughing. Even Zhou Cheng, who limped out of the bedroom, had a smile on his face.

It wasn’t that Song Shiwei was being stingy. The main issue was that the stewed chicken might not even be enough for her own children. If she shared a bowl with each neighbor, there would be nothing left.

And if she gave some to one family but not another, people would complain.

So this time, they would eat it in secret at home!

She decided she would invite everyone for a nice meal on her birthday in a few days.

Actually, the birthday Zhou Cheng had seen was the original owner’s birthday. Her real birthday was during the Chinese New Year, on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month!

In times like these, no one would probably even remember.

Smiling, she brought the steamed cake to the table and told the children to eat.

This was the most enjoyable meal they had ever had.

Even Zhou Cheng, whose mouth was covered in oil, had a smile on his face the entire time.

At one point, someone even served Song Shiwei an extra dish.

Zhou Tingyue noticed this and curled the corners of his lips.  

Wasn’t this kind of peaceful, simple life the very definition of happiness?

Please, let this happiness last forever.

After dinner, Zhou Lin and Zhou Wei rushed to wash the dishes.

Zhou Tingyue had to return to his unit. After he left, Song Shiwei packed up a set of fishing tools.

Seeing this, Zhou Lin quickly ran over.

“Mom, are you going to the beach?”