Chapter 115 – The Joy of Finger-Licking

Just then, Xiang Taifu and Madam Xiang, who had been out pulling up radishes, returned to the village.

From a distance, they could already smell an enticing aroma coming from Ji’s family home.

“Dear, That smell is so good, whew did it come from” Madam Xiang asked.

Xiang Taifu took a deep sniff. “It smells like rendered lard, but somehow, it’s even more fragrant than what we make at home. Just the scent alone is mouthwatering.”

“I thought the same—it’s incredibly fragrant.”

“Could it be Yao’er and the others rendering lard?”

“Very likely. Have you noticed, even though Ji’s family butchered a wild boar, the meat tastes better than our usual farm-raised pork? Normally, wild boar meat should be tougher.”

Xiang Taifu nodded. “I wondered about that too. Let’s go! It’s freezing out here.”

The closer they got to the Ji household, the stronger the aroma became.

By now, everyone gathered in Ji’s courtyard had swallowed their saliva countless times.

Especially Third Brother Ji, who was standing guard at the stove while the lard rendered. The smell drifted straight into his nostrils, and he could hardly resist the temptation.

Xiang Xinyu swallowed hard for the Nth time. “Sister, I can’t take it anymore! The smell is too tempting—go check if it’s ready yet!”

“Patience, Sister. You know, ‘a watched pot never boils.’ Just a bit longer.”

“I’ll go check.” Xinyu put down her cleaver and hurried toward the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped inside, the aroma intensified.

Xinyu stared at the bubbling pot of lard, gulping audibly. “Brother Ji, is the crackling ready to eat?”

As she spoke, she lost control, and drool started to trickle from the corner of her mouth. She quickly raised her sleeve to wipe it away.

Thank goodness Third Brother Ji didn’t see that—or else she’d be mortified.

Or so she thought. In reality, he had caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye.

But knowing girls valued their pride, he dared not laugh or mention it.

Third Brother Ji simply shook his head, staying silent, afraid that his own drool might end up in the pot if he started talking.

Seeing his silent response, Xinyu quickly left the kitchen, worried she might start drooling again.

Even Xiang Xinyao was struggling to resist the aroma of the rendering lard.

In her two lifetimes, she’d never encountered a scent this alluring while rendering lard.

Oh my goodness!

This was pure torture.

When Xiang Taifu and his wife arrived in Ji’s courtyard, they couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Oh heavens! It smells amazing; we could smell it from way down the road.”

“This wild boar is something special—the aroma of the rendered lard alone makes it hard not to salivate.”

Uncle Ji added, “It is remarkable. Over the past year, we’ve butchered several wild boars, but none of them had meat this fragrant. We never got a lard scent like this before either.”

By now, the aroma from the lard pot had spread throughout the village, and everyone who was home could smell it.

Especially the families closest to the Ji household, who struggled to resist the urge to come out and investigate.

However, everyone in the village knew that the Ji family was butchering a pig today. After receiving their share of pork earlier, they forced themselves to stay put, hoping the smell would pass soon.

The longer the lard cooked, the stronger the aroma became.

As the cracklings were finally about to come out of the pot, everyone kept their heads down, focusing on their tasks, afraid their drool might escape and embarrass them.

After enduring the scent’s tantalizing temptation, everyone finally waited out the rendering process.

Third Brother Ji removed the firewood from the stove, letting the oil cool down gradually.

Aunt Ji brought over a clay jar for storing the lard. She ladled a scoop of the hot lard into the jar, then swirled it around to warm up the clay jar.

To avoid cracking, she first poured a small amount of hot oil into the clay jar, swirling it to distribute the heat evenly. After the second scoop, she continued to shake the jar to warm it up uniformly. Then, she could continue without further shaking.

Aunt Ji held a strainer in one hand to separate the cracklings and a ladle in the other, scooping the hot oil into the clay jar bit by bit. When she reached the end, she had Third Brother Ji bring a clean wooden basin. She scooped the cracklings into the basin, then poured the remaining oil from the pot into the clay jar.

This time, the hefty wild boar had yielded enough lard to fill three full jars.

Aunt Ji called out loudly, “Yao’er, would you like some cracklings?”

Xiang Xinyao jumped up to wash her hands. After drying them, she grabbed some salt and sprinkled it over the cracklings.

She mixed it well with chopsticks, then scooped a large bowlful and set it aside in the pantry for the Ji family children.

After adding another sprinkle of salt and giving it another stir, she carried the basin into the courtyard.

“Cracklings are ready!”

By now, everyone had washed their hands. Everyone but Xiang Xinyao and Xiang Xinyu grabbed chopsticks.

The two sisters exchanged a grin, opting to dive right in with their hands, grabbing the cracklings and popping them into their mouths.

“Wow! So delicious!” Xiang Xinyao closed her eyes in pure enjoyment. “I’ve never tasted cracklings this good.”

Xiang Xinyu beamed, savoring every bite. “So fragrant, so satisfying. I’ve never had cracklings this tasty before—it’s pure bliss.”

The others joined in with their own praises.

“This is incredible,” said First Brother Ji. “It’s rich but not greasy at all. Usually, cracklings get heavy after a few bites.”

Uncle Ji added, “In all my years, I’ve never tasted wild boar or cracklings this delicious. What on earth did this boar eat?”

Xiang Yanlin joked, “Maybe this wild boar found some legendary herbs in the mountains!”

Mo Jinnan chuckled, “With a boar this large, that might not be so far-fetched. When we lifted it, its fur was practically shining.”

Xiang Xinyao laughed to herself at her brother and Mo Jinnan’s wild imaginations.

Everyone continued eating and complimenting the food. Soon, half the basin was gone.

Since cracklings are rich, they held back a bit, worried about overindulging. Everyone but Xiang Xinyao and Xiang Xinyu reluctantly set down their chopsticks.

The two sisters continued to grab the cracklings with their hands, savoring each bite.

They’d pick up a piece with their left hand, transfer it to their right hand, and pop it in their mouths before sucking their fingers.

Xiang Xinyu pulled her fingers from her mouth, laughing. “Turns out finger-licking adds a whole new flavor to these cracklings!”

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow. “Exactly! Licking your fingers is the essence of crackling-eating. It’s the joy of childhood!”

The three Xiang brothers and Mo Jinnan watched the finger-licking girls, unable to stop their own smiles.

Just then, Old Scholar Ji returned with the Ji children, who’d caught the scent and rushed all the way home.

The children raced to wash their hands, while Chunhua darted into the kitchen to fetch Uncle Ji a pair of chopsticks.

And so, there was the old scholar, leading two older kids and a bunch of younger ones, all gathered around the crackling basin.

The old scholar used chopsticks, while the children followed Xiang Xinyao and Xiang Xinyu’s example, eating and licking their fingers with glee.