Chapter 22 (Small Crispy Pork) 

After returning from the farm, Yan Qiushu’s life didn’t really change much. Apart from other things, the Xiao family still has enough manpower, and these things only need to be implemented and discussed by others.

Yan Qiushu was extremely envious. In her previous life, she did all these things by herself. Even if she was not of high status, she had to pay others for help. How could she be like them, where she just asked for help and a bunch of people would do everything they could to help her without any policy approval required?

Fortunately, she was smart enough to rely on the Xiao family; otherwise, she would still be struggling like in her previous life.

So within two days of returning, a set of breeding procedures and the necessary plans had been developed. Xie Qingyun invited her to come over and work with Xiao Huaiqi to check for omissions and fill in the gaps.

If everything goes well, we can start construction once the final plan is finalized.

During these few days, Yan Qiushu was not idle either. In addition to cooking something to satisfy her appetite every morning, she would go shopping with Shui Yan and two young and strong servants at other times.

There were too many spices needed for the braised marinade! 

The common ones like cinnamon sticks and star anise were easy enough to find, but there were also some rare spices. So, she had to search through various small and large pharmacies. If she couldn’t find something, she’d draw a picture and ask them to hire someone to locate it, even if it meant spending more money. 

Day after day, she continued collecting, aiming to gather all the spices as soon as possible.

While both the Xiao family and Yan Qiushu were busy, she caught wind of some news—it was said that the Third Prince really wanted Xiao Pingzhou from the Xiao family, who was also known as Dongdong, to be his son’s study companion! 

However, the Xiao family wasn’t willing.

This matter hadn’t been fully settled yet, but the Jiang family had come to visit several times, seemingly willing to agree. However, Dongdong’s surname was still Xiao, after all.

When Dongdong heard this, he was fuming. He immediately took leave and skipped class, running straight to Yan Qiushu to vent: “My uncle said he mentioned my birthday last time, but my dad refused. I didn’t think he’d still come! Who wants to be his son’s study companion?”

This usually carefree little boy now frowned deeply, his round face tightened with an expression of frustration and resentment.

Yan Qiushu couldn’t help but laugh, and Wan’er beside her also covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.

Dongdong got even angrier. “Stop laughing! I’m already so miserable, and you’re still making fun of me!”

“Why don’t you want to be the Second Prince’s study companion? Being a study companion to a prince sounds great,” Wan’er asked, curiously.

“Because he’s not better than me!” Dongdong huffed.

“Wow, are you that amazing?” Wan’er looked at him in surprise.

Dongdong proudly lifted his chin. “Of course! I come first in every exam, including archery and horseback riding, while he’s always second. The only thing he’s better at is his status. He even said that if I became his study companion, then why would I want to do that?”

Yan Qiushu rubbed the proud little face and praised, “Dongdong is truly amazing, but don’t worry, you won’t have to be his study companion.”

“Really?” Dongdong was both surprised and delighted, but still a little doubtful. “But his grandfather is the Emperor, and both my dad and uncle have to listen to him. Are you sure?”

“Of course,” Yan Qiushu said confidently with a nod.

Dongdong seemed convinced by her words. Other than Yan Qiushu, no one else had shared this with him. He hadn’t seen his favorite uncle, Xiao Huaiting, in days. Although his mother came home late every day, they still managed to meet, but she didn’t understand politics. Feeling comforted by Yan Qiushu, he was much happier.

He then eagerly pulled Yan Qiushu and said, “Sister Shu, since we have good news, we should celebrate with a cake!”

While milk was delivered daily and egg tarts were made occasionally, cakes were rarely baked because they were too complicated. Even hiring someone to make one left the cooks exhausted, which made her feel bad. Dongdong remembered this.

Yan Qiushu, shaking slightly from his excitement, pleaded, “Let’s not make a cake. How about something else instead?”

Dongdong looked a bit disappointed but was curious: “What?”

Yan Qiushu smiled and said, “Little crispy meat.”

“What’s that?” Dongdong asked, confused.

“Something delicious!” Yan Qiushu replied.

Dongdong got excited and offered immediately, “Then I’ll help!”

Wan’er happily raised her hand, “I’ll help too!”

“Alright…” Yan Qiushu agreed with a smile.

Before she could finish, someone came running over and announced, “Young Miss, Young Master, Young Master Ping Yu is back!”

Wan’er’s eyes widened with surprise as she blurted, “Brother is back?” Her face turned red, and she seemed eager to leave. But remembering her promise, she hesitated. Taking two steps, she turned back and said to Yan Qiushu, “Sister Ah Shu, my brother is back. I want to go see him first. Sorry for breaking my promise.”

Yan Qiushu smiled warmly, “It’s fine, go ahead.”

“Okay!” Wan’er lifted her skirt and ran off.

Yan Qiushu smiled, then turned to Dongdong, who remained by her side. She asked curiously, “Dongdong, why aren’t you going?”

Dongdong made a sad face and shook his head. “I don’t want to,” he sighed. He seemed scared and asked hesitantly, “Sister Shu, can you ask Shui Yu to block the gate? If someone comes looking for me, just say I’m not here, okay?”

Yan Qiushu was puzzled. “Why?”

Dongdong looked upset and didn’t want to explain further.

Yan Qiushu understood that even children have their secrets, so she didn’t press him. She simply followed his request and had Shui Yu wait at the gate while she and Dongdong headed to the kitchen.

It was almost dinnertime now.

In the kitchen, Yan Qiushu had already prepped the ingredients, marinating the pork belly. All that was left was to prepare the batter, coat the meat, and fry it.

Nanny Xu helped light the fire, and Yan Qiushu began preparing a porridge. It wasn’t just any porridge; she added eggs and fried chopped peppercorns to enhance the flavor.

Once the pan was hot, she added plenty of oil. She, Dongdong, and Nanny Xu stood by with chopsticks in hand, ready to coat and fry the marinated meat strips.

The meat strips, initially gray-brown, turned light yellow after being dipped in the batter. As they hit the hot oil, a sizzling sound echoed in the kitchen.

Within moments, the meat strips took shape, some curving, some staying straight, while the batter puffed up around them, creating a crispy outer layer. The pieces floated and rolled in the oil, gradually changing to a golden color.

The crispy meat was piled onto a large plate, each piece golden and crunchy. As more meat was added to the pan, it became harder to move around, so Yan Qiushu carefully took them out one by one to avoid breaking the delicate coating.

After removing them, she let the meat cool completely before frying it again in hot oil. This second frying made the crispy pork an even deeper yellow, making its crispiness obvious just by looking at it. Even though the aroma wasn’t too strong at this stage, it was a simple dish with great flavor.

Dongdong helped out the whole time, trusting Yan Qiushu’s cooking skills. When the food was finally done, he excitedly asked, “Can we eat now?”

Aunt Xu, trying to calm his excitement, reminded him, “It’s just been taken out. It’s still hot, so wait a bit.”

But she couldn’t stop Yan Qiushu from using her chopsticks to pick up one piece for herself. The meat had cooled slightly and wasn’t too oily, so she took a quick bite. Aunt Xu shook her head, muttering as she walked out with the plate, “Aren’t you afraid of getting burned?”

Dongdong watched with envy as Yan Qiushu slowly tasted the meat. The crispy coating made a light crunch sound, and warm steam escaped as she bit into it. Despite the cold weather, the crispy meat’s tenderness and subtle spice quickly warmed her up.

As she made her way to the dining area, Dongdong, with his chubby cheeks puffed up, blew on a piece to cool it down. He tentatively licked it, his face twisting in response to the peppercorns’ numbing sensation, but he kept eating. “Wow, this is delicious!” he said, quickly going for another piece.

Yan Qiushu stopped him gently. “Wait a minute. Eating just this will be too greasy. Let’s wait for the other dishes,” she advised.

Dongdong blinked his big eyes and pleaded, “Just one more bite, Sister Shu! Please?”

Unable to resist, Yan Qiushu sighed and let him continue eating. He happily took another bite when a stern voice suddenly came from the courtyard gate, “Pingzhou must be here. Move aside—I want to come in!”

Startled, Dongdong dropped his piece of crispy meat. In just a few seconds, a thin boy in a moon-white robe approached. He had a jade crown on his fair head and carried himself gracefully. Upon reaching them, he bowed respectfully and said in a clear voice, “Hello, Aunt Yan.”

Yan Qiushu felt a little awkward being called “Aunt Yan,” since Dongdong and Wan’er always addressed her as “Sister.” Nonetheless, she smiled warmly. She could already tell that this boy, Shen Pingyu, was going to be quite admired in the future.

“Pingyu, I made something to eat. Why not stay for dinner?” she offered.

Shen Pingyu politely declined, explaining, “Thank you for your kindness, Aunt Yan, but I just returned today and haven’t paid respects to Grandma yet.” He then added with a respectful tone, “I came to invite Aunt Yan and Pingzhou to join Grandma for dinner.”

Yan Qiushu smiled. “You two go ahead. I won’t join,” she said. Family gatherings often involved personal matters, and she preferred to stay out of those conversations.

Shen Pingyu nodded in understanding. He then turned to Dongdong, his dark eyes showing an expectation. Dongdong sighed and reluctantly agreed, “Let’s go.”

“You have to call me brother,” Shen Pingyu insisted sternly.

After a moment of hesitation, Dongdong finally mumbled, “Brother, let’s go.”

Shen Pingyu seemed satisfied and turned to leave, but Dongdong couldn’t resist reaching for more crispy meat. Shen Pingyu shot him a disapproving look and scolded, “How can you only think about eating?”

Dongdong, surprised, tried to defend himself. “It’s delicious! You should try it!”