At home, there’s a plate of braised pig intestines, a few small pieces of braised pig trotters, no red-braised meat left, just a bit of pork belly, which he stir-fried into a twice-cooked pork. Before leaving, he made corn and bone soup, picked a couple of handfuls of green vegetables from the garden, and cooked a couple of simple dishes, so lunch was all set.

He took out the wine he got from the Shen Village yesterday.

Everyone except Liu Guixiang, who was nursing and couldn’t touch alcohol, raised their cups and sipped the wine with the braised snacks.

“It’s both numbing and spicy. This is way better than the sauced pig trotters that Ping Ger made before. It’s quite satisfying,” Chen Yuandong thought he could handle spicy food, and the braised pig intestines were to his taste. He thought about how his father and brother also liked spicy food. Compared to red-braised meat, the pig intestines might suit their tastes better.

As the saying goes, “People who are not family don’t enter the same door.” Liu Guixiang could also eat spicy food, but she was nursing, so she had to eat lightly, which was a bit hard for her.

“It’s a bit numbing,” Chen Yuanqiu gasped, taking a sip of wine. “Delicious!” He stuffed some rice into his mouth and mumbled, “I think it’s better with rice, the wine is just too spicy.”

Old Chen really enjoyed the braised pig intestines, eating leisurely, alternating between sips of wine and bites of food, hardly touching the rice, his expression one of complete enjoyment.

“Don’t eat too much, it’s spicy, and you’ll wear yourself out,” Dad Chen said softly.

Chen Yuping, having tried spicier braised dishes in modern times, thought this wasn’t particularly numbing or spicy. It was really fragrant, and he was moved by his own cooking skills. It was really great.

“Let’s make some mung bean soup to drink tonight.”

Chen Yuping added, “Tomorrow, let’s make some honeysuckle and chrysanthemum tea, it’s getting hotter, and some cool tea would be nice.”

“I dried a lot of honeysuckle and chrysanthemum last year, there’s still plenty. A couple of days ago, I dug it out and dried it again, it’s all good. I’ll send some over later.” Liu Guixiang’s mother loved to dry these little things when she was at home, she rarely went to the pharmacy for what she could do herself. Liu Guixiang wasn’t as diligent as her mother and would only go into the mountains to gather some when she had free time.

Dad Chen is a ger but you can say that he’s also a man, and compared to women, he lacked a bit of delicacy.

He didn’t care much for these little details, and he wasn’t very good at needlework. When Qiaoniu was born, he asked the neighbors to help make clothes and hats, but later his second daughter-in-law wouldn’t let him spend that money anymore, saying she could do it herself, and she slowly managed on her own.

To sell braised pig intestines at home, relying only on the intestines from Third Uncle’s family wouldn’t be enough, he needed to buy some in town.

Going to town was a bit far, and they didn’t have an ox, let alone an ox cart. Borrowing someone else’s ox cart often didn’t align with the time needed.

They needed to buy an ox. With an ox, the family would find farming easier, and having an ox cart would make trips to town more convenient.

“Dad, how much silver do we need for an ox?”

Old Chen thought for a moment. “I’m not sure.  Last year, your uncle bought an ox for nearly six taels. A calf would be cheaper. Ping Ger, are you thinking of buying an ox? We don’t need one with so little land.”

“I thought the braised pig intestines would sell well, so I could set up a stall at home, but I’d need to buy the intestines in town. It takes too long to walk back and forth, and borrowing someone’s ox cart is inconvenient, especially with the busy farming season approaching.”

“If you want to buy an ox, we have enough money, but it’s not just about buying it, we have to see if there are any for sale,” Dad Chen replied. “Let’s ask relatives and neighbors to keep an eye out, and let us know if they find one.”

Chen Yuping nodded. “Let’s hold off on selling the pig intestines for now. Dad, I’ll cover the money for the ox.”

“You shouldn’t be the one to pay.”

“I’ll pay half.”

Dad Chen glanced at his third son. “Fine, half it is.”

When Liu Guixiang learned that her father wanted to buy an ox, she discussed it with her husband. “Dad wants to buy an ox, and I think it’s a good idea, it would make things easier. But should we contribute some money for it? We only have a little over ten acres of land, so one ox should be enough.”

“Let’s cover half.”

“I think that works.”

The next day, Chen Yuandong approached his father about buying an ox, saying his family would also like to contribute some money.

Dad Chen immediately smiled. “Your third brother wants to chip in too. Fine, I won’t say anything more. Let’s divide it into three shares.”

“Do I need to contribute?” Chen Yuanqiu was a bit confused.

“What money do you have? You don’t have any land or farming to do with an ox,” Father Chen replied.

“Oh, right.”

They couldn’t sell the braised pig intestines for now and the profit from the braised meat and pig trotters was limited. They were currently selling about a hundred shrimp paste buns a day, which was profitable but needed to be shared among four people. Even though he got the largest share, Chen Yuping still felt that saving money was a bit slow.

He pondered how to come up with something new to sell, something he could make without running to town.

As he walked into the garden to pick some vegetables, he looked at the lush greenery and immediately thought of a suitable snack.

How perfect it would be to make vegetable skewers!

Vegetable skewers are quite similar to spicy hotpot and also resemble skewered food, but they are slightly different from both.

The key to vegetable skewers is the broth, whether the flavor is good and enticing depends on the authenticity of the broth.

On the twenty-sixth, Chen Yuping, having some extra money, bought a variety of spices in town, ensuring he had everything he needed.

For the vegetable skewers, he didn’t even need to go to town, he could gather everything right at home.

Besides the spices, the broth was also crucial.

Chen Yuping went to Third Uncle’s house in advance to specify what bones he needed and to leave some meat on them without cleaning them too thoroughly, while also paying for them.

They didn’t raise ducks at home, but his uncle’s family did, so he bought a duck.

The next day, just as the sun began to rise, Dad Chen and his husband had just stepped outside when they saw their third son, still groggy, coming out of the house.

“Up so early?” Dad Chen was surprised, he’d never seen him get up this early for market day.

Father Chen said, “Probably to use the bathroom.”

“Good morning, Dad, Father,” Chen Yuping said while yawning as he walked out. “Dad, save a spot on the stove for me, I need to simmer some broth.”

Dad Chen asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to Third Uncle’s to pick up the bones and meat.”

“I’ll go instead,” Dad Chen said, worried about his son wobbling as he walked. “Stay at home, I’ll go.”

By the end of the morning, the sun hung high, radiating heat.

Chen Yuping’s broth was ready, and he set up a small stove in the shade. The fragrant broth was placed on the stove, and the table next to it held neatly prepared vegetable skewers, covered with clean cloths.

“What’s this, Ping Ger? It smells amazing,” Liu Guixiang couldn’t help but swallow.

Chen Yuping took a few vegetable skewers. “Sister-in-law, just try them and you’ll know. I didn’t make the broth too spicy, I focused on freshness and fragrance.” He also prepared some chili oil, making that little bowl of chili oil took him quite a bit of effort, adding various spices to make it fragrant and spicy, very appetizing.

“Okay, sister-in-law, you try.”

Liu Guixiang took two skewers, savored them carefully, and said, “Delicious! So refreshing and fragrant.” She quickly finished the two skewers, smacked her lips, and exclaimed, “Ping Ger, how do you plan to sell these?”

“One wen for two skewers.”

Although these were common vegetables found everywhere, Liu Guixiang felt that Ping Ger’s new vegetable skewer business would definitely be very popular.

It was so tasty that once you started, you didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t eat too many since these were meant to be sold.