Chapter 14

Shen Lin had grown accustomed to hiding valuable items as soon as he acquired them. However, Zhou Jing’s home was too small to have any suitable hiding places. Therefore, he could only hold the items tightly in his arms.

“Brother, where did you get the money to buy so much meat?”

Zhou Jing and Shen Mo had discussed that they would not tell Shen Lin about Zhou Jing not being from this world.

They agreed to keep it a secret between the two of them. As for the items they had found, they also decided not to mention them to Shen Lin.

It wasn’t that they didn’t trust him; rather, they worried that Shen Lin’s straightforward nature might lead him to inadvertently reveal their secrets to outsiders.

Zhou Jing replied vaguely, “Actually, I dug up some things on the mountain yesterday and sold a few today.”

“Ah, right,” Shen Mo replied somewhat uncomfortably.

Noticing Shen Mo’s odd behavior, Shen Lin chose not to press further. He unconditionally trusted Shen Mo; if his brother wasn’t sharing something, there must be a reason. He didn’t want to pry—he was just happy to be able to eat meat.

So, Shen Lin cheerfully asked, “Shall we cook meat for dinner tonight?”

Shen Mo looked at Zhou Jing with hopeful eyes.

Zhou Jing smiled and said, “Tonight, we’ll have meat—let’s make a dish that’s all meat, so you both can eat your fill.”

“That’s great!” Shen Lin exclaimed, jumping up with joy.

Shen Mo also chimed in happily, “I’ll go prepare the meal.”

But Zhou Jing stopped him. “I’ll handle it today; you just wait to eat.”

“Can you cook?” Shen Mo asked in surprise.

“Whether I can or not, you’ll find out soon,” Zhou Jing replied.

He turned and went into the kitchen, retrieving some sugar and handing it to Shen Lin.

“Go, make two bowls—one for you and one for your brother.”

Shen Lin’s eyes lit up with joy; this was a sugar, after all, and it was a precious treat.

“Brother, today we have both sugar and meat! Is it New Year’s at our house? No, we’ve never eaten this well even during the holidays!”

Shen Lin exclaimed as he prepared the two bowls of sugared water. He eagerly took a sip but nearly spat it out because it was too hot. Yet, thinking about the sweetness, he swallowed it despite the heat.

Shen Mo watched him, stifling a laugh, but inside, he felt a deep sadness.

The years had been so hard for him and his brother that they had almost forgotten there was sweetness left in the world.

If it weren’t for Zhou Jing, how could he and his brother be so joyfully sipping sweet soup and waiting for meat? No man, no matter how much he loved his wife, would cook for him while telling him to sit and drink sugared water. If he had heard such a thing from someone else, he would have surely thought they were lying.

How could there be such a good man in this world?

If it were the old Zhou Jing—no, that person had always claimed his name was Wang Jing—if he were still alive, he would likely be bossing them around, while he lounged on the bed like a king, nitpicking at everything they did.

“How sweet!” Shen Lin’s voice interrupted Shen Mo’s thoughts.

He had already downed a whole bowl of sweet soup in one go. “Brother, you should hurry and drink it; it’s so delicious! No wonder other families serve sugared water to their guests—it really is that good!”

Shen Mo snapped back to reality, looking at his brother and the quietly working Zhou Jing. Suddenly, he felt a warmth he had never experienced before.

He lowered his head and took a sip of the sugared water; it was truly delightful, a sweetness that filled his heart.

When he lifted his gaze from the bowl, he noticed Zhou Jing busy in the kitchen.

Feeling a surge of affection, he brought the bowl to Zhou Jing’s lips.

“It’s really sweet; you should take a sip.”

A ring of watermarks lingered at the corners of his little wife’s mouth, and Zhou Jing couldn’t help but notice the tiny, pink tip of her tongue that peeked out to lick her lips.

His gaze darkened as he leaned in to taste the spot where she had just sipped.

“It really is sweet!” he said, though Shen Mo wasn’t sure if he was referring to the sugared water or something else entirely.

Shen Mo’s face quietly flushed.

Seeing the two of them acting as if he weren’t even there, Shen Lin felt a twinge of displeasure.

Determined to insert himself, he squeezed between them and declared, “Brother, let me help you gather some firewood!”

Zhou Jing was pushed far away from Shen Mo.

He was standing at the stove with his lips twitching. ‘Interrupting others’ romantic moments—what a lonely fate!’

Shen Mo couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. He stole a glance at the edge of the bowl that still bore Zhou Jing’s lip marks. He secretly took a sip himself.

It was indeed delicious!

Under Shen Lin’s watchful gaze, Zhou Jing resigned himself to preparing the meal. He took out the meat, rinsed it thoroughly, and cut about a pound into pieces. Using a knife, he scraped off the pig hairs along with a thin layer of skin, ensuring that the remaining pork skin was not only clean but also glistening and translucent.

He then diced the meat into neat, square cubes, each piece consisting of three layers: the first layer of lean meat, the second layer of fatty meat, and the third layer of tender skin.

The water in the pot boiled, and the chunks of meat were blanched for about five minutes to remove the blood. At this point, the meat was lifted out and rinsed with clean water to wash away the remaining blood.

The scallions were cut into sections, and the ginger was sliced, all neatly arranged at the bottom of the pot. A small amount of dried tangerine peel and star anise was added, followed by the arranged meat chunks. Once the twenty pieces of meat were placed in the pot, soy sauce was gently poured over them, followed by a bit of yellow wine purchased for seasoning. Finally, a spoonful of white sugar and an appropriate amount of salt were sprinkled on top before the lid was placed on.

The heat was turned up high until the pot was boiling, and then it was switched to a low flame to simmer for half an hour.

“Go, bring me a plate,” Zhou Jing said.

Half an hour later, the braised pork was ready. The meat pieces were carefully picked out and arranged on the plate, and finally, the sauce was drizzled over them. The braised pork, with its vibrant color and fragrant aroma, was complete.

Next, he made an egg pancake. He mixed the chopped green onions with the egg mixture, adding salt and a little soy sauce. Soon, a golden, shiny pancake was ready.

The rice was also perfectly steamed; it was a pot of fine white rice.

“Eat up, try my cooking,” Zhou Jing said.

Shen Lin was the first to pick up a piece. He discovered that the braised pork was not only visually appetizing but also had a tender texture. It melted in his mouth, being rich yet not greasy, soft yet not falling apart, with a deep, flavorful sauce.

“Delicious, delicious!” Shen Lin exclaimed, eagerly picking up another piece.

Shen Mo was already craving meat, and seeing Shen Lin eat so heartily made him even hungrier. Once he tasted it himself, he realized the meat was indeed incredibly delicious; Shen Lin wasn’t exaggerating at all.

“What’s the recipe for this? I’ve never heard of it,” Shen Mo asked.

“This is called braised pork. There’s a similar method called red-braised pork, which is quite similar. I’ll make it for you in the future.” Zhou Jing replied, joining in on the meal. “If you like it, eat more.”

For a moment, the dining table was filled with silence, except for the sounds of bowls and chopsticks clinking and chewing.

—o—o—o—

All three of them had eaten their fill. Zhou Jing had prepared plenty of rice, and he finally had the chance to eat his heart out, finishing three big bowls on his own. Shen Mo and Shen Lin each had two large bowls.

Shen Lin let out a burp, while Shen Mo rubbed his round, full belly.

“Brother Jing, your cooking is really delicious. Even the egg pancake is different from what other people make,” Shen Lin remarked.

“Of course,” Zhou Jing said proudly. “To win a man’s heart, you must first capture his stomach. Tomorrow morning, I’ll show you another trick.”

“Then I’ll come over early,” Shen Lin quickly replied.

“Why come so early? You don’t have a husband, but your brother does. Come over later; you won’t miss a meal,” Zhou Jing teased.

“You… Xiao Di is still young; don’t say such things in front of him,” Shen Lin protested, feeling embarrassed by the comment.

Zhou Jing scoffed, “Getting married at fourteen or fifteen is common. He’s already seventeen—what’s so young about that!”

Shameless! Shen Lin wanted to plaster those three big characters on Zhou Jing’s face, but in reality, he simply stormed off in a huff.

Zhou Jing even called after him, “Remember to come over later tomorrow!”

Shen Lin：“……”

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Lucia: Helloooo~ I unlocked Chapter 14 – Chapter 20!! After this, I will come back with my original schedule (⌐■_■) Occasionally, I will mass unlock chapters just like this time hehe. See you on Thursday! (✿◡‿◡)

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