Chapter 65.1

Knowing that Su Xiaoxiao had an agreement with the children. Before Han Cheng went out to buy groceries at the market, he asked Fantuan’s opinion first.

Xiao Fantuan said that it had been a long time since he had eaten intestines and that he wanted to eat the intestines made by his mother.

Fantuan didn’t know that his mother’s taste had changed. The intestines were greasy food, so Su Xiaoxiao definitely wouldn’t be able to eat them. Besides the intestines, Han Cheng then decided to use a meat ticket to buy a white crucian carp and also purchase a piece of tofu. He even managed to get quite a few eggs.’

On their way back, he saw an old lady selling tomatoes in the alley. Su Xiaoxiao has been fond of eating sweet and sour things recently, so Han Cheng bought all the tomatoes as well.

Afterward, he cleaned the intestines and placed them in a basket to drain before heading to work.

It takes about forty minutes to an hour to marinate the intestines, and Su Xiaoxiao immediately took the intestines out of the pot to marinate them. She used to love eating intestines, but now she even feels slight nausea when smelling them.

This is Han Cheng’s fault. If he hadn’t kept saying that she was pregnant, she wouldn’t have had any psychological effects. Su Xiaoxiao had read some news articles about psychological pregnancy in her previous life, which is called a fake pregnancy. It’s likely that someone really wants to have a child, and after adding psychological cues, they actually have physical pregnancy reactions, but in fact, they’re not pregnant at all.

Su Xiaoxiao tried her best to restrain herself from thinking about this matter. After taking measures, if the baby comes early, it would prove that the baby has a destiny with their family. She decided to let nature take its course.

The bean sprouts that Li Yufeng had been growing before she left had quietly sprouted, reaching the length of a finger. Xiao Doubao poked at the small bean sprouts and happily clapped his hands.

Su Xiaoxiao pulled out two roots and examined them closely. The entire root was as long as a little finger. The bean sprouts grown in the sand were thicker compared to the ones bought from outside. They had a bigger middle section and smaller ends, making them look very appetizing.

Su Xiaoxiao planned to pluck some bean sprouts for lunch. Since Xiao Doubao enjoyed finding them, she gave him a small bench to sit on and asked him to collect the top layer of bean sprouts and put them in a basket.

Xiao Doubao took his task very seriously. He scooped up the sand in front of him, grabbing a handful of bean sprouts and placing them in the basket. He repeated the process, causing sand to scatter everywhere. He found this activity really fun.

By the time he found all the bean sprouts, the ground, and basket were already covered in sand.

Su Xiaoxiao patted the sand off the cub’s body, separated the sand in the basket back into the bucket, and said to Xiao Doubao, “Can Xiao Doubao recognize the broom? Please go and get the broom. Mommy needs to clean up the sand here.”

Xiao Doubao obediently nodded and ran out with his short legs, but soon he really dragged a broom back and said, “Mama, broom.”

Su Xiaoxiao rubbed the baby’s head and said, “Xiao Doubao is awesome.”

After separating the sand, Su Xiaoxiao picked out the top mung bean sprouts, leaving the mung bean husks in the basket. She then handed the small basket to Xiao Doubao, saying, “Xiao Doubao, take this to feed the chicks.”

Xiao Doubao took the basket, and with his head swaying side to side, he said, “Feed Huahua.”

Su Xiaoxiao chuckled. Xiao Doubao has an unusual affection for Hua, so Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ask him, “Why does Xiao Doubao like Huahua so much?”

Xiao Doubao pointed at Su Xiaoxiao without hesitation and said, “Mama, Hua Hua, chicken mama~~~”

Su Xiaoxiao is always being healed by this cub. How could there be such an adorable cub in the world? She bent down and kissed Xiao Doubao’s cheek, saying, “Xiao Doubao likes Mama, so you also like chicken Mama, right?”

Xiao Doubao bent his big black eyes, nodded, and walked out with his small basket in his arms.

Su Xiaoxiao instinctively touched her lower abdomen and couldn’t help but think that if she could give birth to a caring and lovely girl like Xiao Doubao, it would make her life complete.

The mung bean sprouts that were sieved out of the sand can be rinsed with a little water. Su Xiaoxiao also cut a dried green pepper for later use, which may seem strange. When Zhuzi’s long green pepper is picked, it turns red after drying but is not spicy yet. It is very suitable for adding aroma and color to dishes, and it can also be enjoyed by children.

Su Xiaoxiao moved the stewed intestines to a clay pot and then moved a little charcoal fire from the stove to the charcoal stove, allowing it to simmer slowly.

Stir-fried bean sprouts are a quick dish that takes only about ten to twenty seconds from the time they’re put in the pan until they’re ready to be served. Otherwise, the bean sprouts won’t be crispy and won’t taste as good. Mix salt, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a bowl according to your desired taste and set it aside. Heat a small amount of lard in the pan, then add sliced garlic and shredded dried green chili peppers to stir-fry until fragrant. At this point, quickly add the bean sprouts to the pan and stir-fry for a few seconds. Pour the prepared sauce along the edge of the pan, stir-fry quickly to evenly coat the bean sprouts, and immediately remove from the heat.

The key to this dish is timing and heat. If you cook the bean sprouts even slightly longer, they will become soft instead of crisp.

As Su Xiaoxiao was stir-frying, her mouth was already watering, and she couldn’t resist taking a bite with her chopsticks as soon as it was done. The sour and refreshing taste, combined with the perfect crispness, made Su Xiaoxiao absolutely love this refreshing taste.

“Mom, we’re back!” That distant voice could only belong to Xiao Fantuan.

Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Zhuzi arrived home on time, enticed by the aroma of the meal.

Han Cheng arrived shortly after, and the whole family eagerly awaited mealtime.

After washing their hands, Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Zhuzi ran into the kitchen. Xiao Fantuan squatted next to the small charcoal stove, sniffing the aroma and leaning closer to listen to the bubbling sound inside. “Wow, Mom, did you really make my favorite braised intestines?” he exclaimed in excitement.

Su Xiaoxiao filled up all the rice and asked Xiao Zhuzi to take out a bowl: “Fantuan, don’t get too close. Be careful not to burn yourself. Let Dad take it out, and then we can start our meal.”

Xiao Fantuan was so happy that he quickly ran over to help with serving the meal.

Han Cheng walked in and saw Su Xiaoxiao rubbing her lower back. He approached her, took her hand, and asked, “Did you twist it?”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “No, it’s just that our iron pot is too heavy. It’s too difficult to clean it.”

In recent years, every household in rural areas has built an earthen stove and placed a large iron pot on top of it. In the city, high-rise buildings don’t have that much space, so most people use coal stoves or charcoal stoves. In larger cities, some people use gas cylinders, but the current adoption rate is still low. The military family quarters have a large area, and both the courtyard and the kitchen are built according to rural standards. Cooking with a large iron pot indeed creates a delicious and distinctive flavor, but it is also quite heavy. For Su Xiaoxiao, it is always a struggle to lift and clean the pot every time.

“Don’t use this large iron pot to stir-fry dishes in the future. Use the small pot on the coal stove instead. You can use a clay pot to cook rice on the charcoal stove. You have good cooking skills, and the taste won’t be affected. Be obedient. If you don’t listen, then you’ll have to follow me to the canteen to eat with me.” Han Cheng mentioned this last time, but Su Xiaoxiao didn’t listen and insisted that using the large iron pot was the only way to make dishes taste good.

Su Xiaoxiao knew that Han Cheng cared about her, so she smiled with her eyes and looked at him, and said, “Then I’ll have to eat more vinegar-stirred bean sprouts today. Otherwise, I won’t get to eat them anymore in the future.”

Han Cheng looked at his charming wife with hot eyes and gently pinched her waist, saying: “Can’t we still cook it if we switch pots?”

Su Xiaoxiao dodged him playfully and said, “It tickles…”

Xiao Doubao, who had entered without anyone noticing, was shocked to see his parents playfully “fighting,” and his mother successfully evading his father’s hands. 

This was unacceptable! Xiao Doubao rushed forward, patting his father’s leg with his small hand, raised his little head to glare at his father, and said: “Don’t touch Mommy, I’ll hit you!”

Han Cheng lowered his head and looked at the sulking little one. He bent down, picked him up, and gently squeezed his pouty little face. “I didn’t actually hit your mommy. We were just playing around.”

Xiao Doubao didn’t believe him, twisted his head, and flattened his mouth, reaching out for his mother to hold him.

Su Xiaoxiao reached out and hugged him, almost unable to laugh or cry. “Your Dad is playing with Mom, don’t take it seriously.”

Han Cheng felt that this little guy was getting stronger and heavier day by day. He said, “This little one already knows how to protect you. He even dares to stand up to me. No wonder he didn’t hesitate to kick Xiao Zhang.”

Su Xiaoxiao gently rubbed Xiao Doubao’s head and said, “Xiao Doubao, next time before you take action, ask Mommy first. If Mommy agrees, then you can do it, okay?”
She can’t please everyone; she’s not trying to win everyone’s approval. If this little one doesn’t change this habit, he’ll end up getting into fights every day in the future.

Xiao Doubao hugged his mother’s neck without speaking.

Su Xiaoxiao has no choice but to teach him slowly.

During this meal, the three little ones and Han Cheng ate to their heart’s content. Only Su Xiaoxiao didn’t eat much. However, she managed to devour the whole plate of vinegar-stirred bean sprouts, leaving her satisfied.