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Hand in hand, the siblings went to Madam Wang’s house.
Their own home was in a remote area, rarely passed by anyone, so they weren’t too worried about someone stealing their food supplies.
When they arrived, Madam Wang’s son, Wang Dazhu, was repairing tables and chairs at home.
Yang Li had taken their son Wang Tiedan into the mountains to collect pigweed, and the elder Wang couple had gone to work in the fields, so only Wang Dazhu was at home.
After Su Qingqing explained why they came, Wang Dazhu didn’t hesitate. He put down his tools and followed the siblings back to help them fix their stove.
Back at the house on the east side of the village, Su Qingqing helped by handing him tools while Wang Dazhu worked seriously on repairing the stove.
Su Zijin happily played with mud nearby. He’d never had the chance to play with mud before and found it unexpectedly fun.
After an hour, the collapsed stove was completely repaired.
Looking at the renewed stove, Su Qingqing sighed with emotion — some tasks are best left to professionals.
In her mind, she called out to Yuanbao.
A soft, cutesy voice replied, “Qingqing, you finally remembered me. I’m so sad, but I won’t complain!” Of course, only Su Qingqing could hear this.
“Shut up. I need ten copper coins,” she replied mentally to Yuanbao, used to its need for attention.
Right after speaking, she felt the pouch at her waist become slightly heavier. She opened it to find — not too much, not too little — exactly ten copper coins.
This was the payment she had prepared for Brother Dazhu. He had worked for a whole hour — she couldn’t let him go unpaid.
After a bit of polite back and forth, and with help from Su Zijin acting as the tiebreaker, Wang Dazhu finally accepted the ten copper coins with a conflicted look.
Before leaving, he reminded Su Qingqing to come find him if she ever needed help.
Su Qingqing cheerfully agreed.
By now, the sun had dipped low in the sky.
Su Qingqing carried a large iron pot filled with the pork she had bought yesterday and called her brother, who was still playing with mud, to go with her to the Lucky River.
She wanted to clean the pork there.
Carrying the heavy iron pot, Su Qingqing walked ahead, while Su Zijin followed closely behind with his hands behind his back, mimicking a little adult.
By this time, the riverbank was deserted; the villagers had all gone home.
After thoroughly washing the pork, Su Qingqing used the empty riverside space to slice it all.
She cut the fatty pork into thick pieces, while the lean and streaky meat was sliced thin.
As for the kitchen knife… well, let’s just say it was “acquired” from the Su family!
By the time everything was ready, half an hour had passed.
Back home, Su Qingqing used a low fire to dry the newly repaired parts of the stove, then cranked up the heat to begin rendering the fat.
As for firewood — it came from their old, broken tables and chairs.
Su Qingqing was quite proud of herself — a true little expert in turning waste into treasure.
Su Zijin didn’t just sit idle either; he helped watch the fire.
After a short while, the rich aroma of meat filled the kitchen. Su Zijin sniffed the air greedily, his eyes full of anticipation.
Your handsome and adorable little brother is ready for snacks!
Su Qingqing smiled helplessly but warmly at his hungry look.
She picked a few half-dry cracklings from the pot and placed them on the cutting board. “They’re still hot. Wait a bit before eating.”
Su Zijin’s eyes sparkled as he nodded eagerly.
With such a great sister, he truly felt happy.
After another hour, Su Qingqing had finished rendering all the meat. She dashed to the river with their large stone vat, washed it clean, and dashed back again — she intended to store the rendered pork in it.
Besides the crispy cracklings, she packed the lean meat, pork belly, and lard into the stone vat. The lard was just enough to submerge all the meat.
In her previous life, her mother used to do the same — rendering meat with lard helped preserve it longer and made it more flavorful. Su Qingqing had helped her mom with it before, so she was pretty skilled.
As for cooking over a clay stove — thanks went to her grandparents, who lived in the countryside. During school holidays in her past life, she’d often stay with them, and they had taught her how to cook with one.
So all those seemingly useless lessons in her past life were proving incredibly helpful now.
Su Zijin munched happily on meat while watching his sister busy about, feeling joy bubbling in his chest.
He didn’t remember much about their parents, but he had the best sister in the world.
Su Qingqing used the clay pot Su Zijin had brought back yesterday to fill it with crispy cracklings. She planned to give them to Madam Wang’s family the next day.
Given their limited setup, that night’s dinner was simple.
She cooked some rice porridge using the rice from yesterday’s market trip, fried the four wild duck eggs Su Zijin had found, and served it with the freshly rendered pork — a humble but satisfying meal for her and her brother.
The next morning, Su Qingqing woke up to the chirping of birds. The sky was already pale with light.
They still had leftover porridge from the day before. Su Qingqing went out and gathered some wild greens growing near their home to stir-fry as a side dish.
Their area was mostly wilderness, and in the rainy summer season, wild greens grew lushly. Even villagers sometimes came to gather from here.
She had just finished making breakfast and was about to wake her brother when she saw the little guy already standing at the kitchen entrance, smacking his lips.
He had been woken by the aroma of food. After all, his sister’s cooking smelled too good to sleep through.
“Zijin’s so good — you woke up on your own! Did you wash up?” Su Qingqing asked gently.
“Hehe, I already did!” he replied proudly, strutting over like a little old man and lifting his face to show her his clean cheeks.
He almost held out his hands too, but remembered they were covered with small scars — injuries from doing chores back at the Su house. He didn’t want to upset his sister.
Su Qingqing bent down and kissed his little face.
Su Zijin’s cheeks instantly turned red. He covered them with both hands, leaving only his sparkling black eyes peeking out.
Wuwuwu~ So shy being kissed by sis! But I like it! Hee hee!
“If you don’t come eat soon, I’ll eat all the goodies myself!” Su Qingqing teased, picking up a slice of pork belly to tempt him.
The moment he smelled the meat, his embarrassment vanished, and he transformed into a little foodie.
Indeed, meat is the best way to bribe children. And if they’re not moved by it — your meat probably just isn’t tasty enough!
After breakfast, Su Qingqing packed the cracklings into the clay pot and held it in one hand while leading her brother with the other to Madam Wang’s house.
Today, she planned to take the wild rabbits and chickens she had caught and sell them in town. But her little brother couldn’t go with her, so she needed to leave him with Madam Wang.
When they arrived, Madam Wang’s family was still eating breakfast. The courtyard gate was open, so Su Qingqing led her brother straight in.
Seeing her arrive, Madam Wang gave her a playful scolding look.