Chapter 34 Part 1: The Genius’s Reputation and the Family’s Pride (1)

“Brother, is it ready?” Xiang Chen, like a hungry little chick, fluttered around Xu Hengzhou, chirping with anticipation.

Xu Hengzhou lifted the lid, peering at the simmering chunks of meat within. He gently prodded them with chopsticks, sensing they needed a little more time, then gave them a slight turn with his spatula before replacing the lid.

Xiang Chen watched his brother’s actions with eager anticipation. The moment the lid lifted, the rich aroma of braised pork erupted, filling the entire space.

As the lid settled back down, the scent retreated, leaving just a lingering hint of meat that made Xiang Chen’s nose twitch involuntarily.

Xu Hengzhou found it amusing. The child, not even as tall as the stove, looked pitifully yet adorably greedy. After a moment’s thought, he lifted the lid again.

He speared a braised potato with his chopsticks and brought it to Xiang Chen’s lips. “Blow on it, then try the taste.”

Xiang Chen quickly puffed out his cheeks, blowing several forceful breaths before eagerly swallowing the potato whole.

Stewed with the meat, the potato had absorbed all the rich braised pork juices. With a single bite, the soft, yielding potato melted in his mouth, filling it with a creamy, flavorful mash that carried the distinct aroma of meat.

Xiang Chen’s eyes narrowed in pure delight as he savored the slightly hot braised potato. He gave his brother a thumbs-up.

Xu Hengzhou nodded, satisfied. It seemed his first attempt at braised pork was a success, a testament to the many recipes he had meticulously cross-referenced.

“Hey, that smells amazing!” Song Wenbin entered, carrying a bucket, which he casually placed by the door. He had just been chopping bones; the large bones they had bought were truly massive and couldn’t be stewed whole.

He walked over to the stove and lifted the lid himself.

The skin-on pork belly, purchased that afternoon, had been cut into small cubes as per Xu Hengzhou’s instructions. Now, it had transformed into a deep brown, bubbling enticingly in the pot. The glistening, fatty chunks looked incredibly tempting.

Song Wenbin had been chopping bones outside, inhaling the scent of meat wafting from other homes, but none had smelled as fragrant as theirs.

He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and, unafraid of the heat, popped it directly into his mouth. With a few deep breaths, the braised pork sauce immediately coated his entire palate.

His teeth gently bit down, and the meat separated effortlessly; the fatty parts were delicate, the lean meat tender, a perfect combination that was rich without being greasy.

Song Wenbin quickly swallowed the meat, then ate another piece before finally putting down his chopsticks. He praised, “Delicious, truly delicious! My dear nephew, you’re incredibly capable.”

Xu Hengzhou smiled without speaking. Seeing that the meat was ready, he ladled it into a small basin. The portion, with both meat and potatoes, was quite substantial.

He carried the meat out, while Song Wenbin brought the warmed steamed buns. Xiang Chen quickly carried out the three sets of bowls and chopsticks.

The family of three sat around the small table, with two basins placed in the center: one of braised pork and potatoes, and another of yellow steamed buns. The meal looked incredibly hearty.

At Song Wenbin’s command to eat, the three immediately dug in. A bite of meat, a bite of bun—it was so fragrant they almost swallowed their tongues.

At that moment, the entire factory housing area was filled with the aroma of meat. Laughter echoed from every home, as a single meal of meat brought people simple joy.

They devoured a large basin of meat and half a basin of buns. In the end, only two buns remained, and not a single shred of meat was left. Even the sauce at the bottom of the basin was wiped clean by Song Wenbin with a bun.

Xiang Chen’s eyes were bigger than his stomach; though his mouth still craved more, his belly was full. He could only watch as his uncle devoured half a basin of meat and several buns, making him wonder if his uncle had ever eaten enough before.

“This way of cooking is truly delicious,” Song Wenbin said, setting down his bowl and taking a drink of water to aid digestion. “We must make this braised pork again.”

Xu Hengzhou stood to collect the bowls and chopsticks. Hearing his uncle, he replied, “It was my first time, and I feel it could still be improved. Plus, we didn’t have all the ingredients today. Next time, we can prepare better in advance.”

After that meal, Song Wenbin was thoroughly convinced of his nephew’s culinary skills.

When Xu Hengzhou first mentioned making braised pork himself, Song Wenbin had thought, ‘Let him mess around, as long as the meat is cooked, it’ll be tasty.’ But he never imagined it would be *this* delicious!

“Alright,” Song Wenbin said decisively. “I’ll give you money and ration coupons. You can buy whatever you need yourself, or tell me, and I’ll get it.”

Xu Hengzhou considered for a moment. “Actually, we still need some spices for the braising liquid. If you have time, could you help me find them? I didn’t see any at the factory’s supply store.”

Apart from the spare ribs, it would be better to braise the remaining ingredients. It would make them convenient to eat and enhance their flavor.

Song Wenbin agreed, “Okay, write down what you need later, and I’ll go look for it.”

After cleaning the table and dishes, Song Wenbin helped Xu Hengzhou pour the washed large bones into the pot to boil. Bones required a longer cooking time, so they could be boiled tonight and reheated when needed.

The bone broth was boiled in the large pot, skimmed of foam, and then had green onions, ginger, and garlic added to remove any gamey odor.

Once it looked almost ready, it was transferred to an earthenware pot and slow-simmered over a half-burnt coal briquette.

After most of the night, the coal briquette would burn out, but the bone broth would be perfectly cooked.

***

The next morning, as Song Wenbin had decided, there was no corn porridge. Instead, he served bone broth, along with a few steamed buns.

When the two children woke up, the aroma of bone broth already filled the kitchen.

Each had a bowl of bone broth, which, though seemingly plain, was incredibly flavorful and delicious. They quickly finished their bowls.

Song Wenbin had enjoyed two delicious meals, and his young nephew, despite his age, handled everything with competence.

After breakfast, Song Wenbin left for work.

Everyone’s faces were adorned with smiles that day. The long-awaited meat from last night had satisfied their bodies’ need for fat, bringing with it an atmosphere of joy.

Upon arriving at school, Xiang Chen found that the topic of meat still lingered. However, the focus of the conversation had shifted to what kind of meat everyone had eaten at home last night.

Xiang Chen secretly listened in, then compared it in his mind, concluding that his brother’s cooking was the best. He felt utterly content.

After dinner that evening, Song Wenbin and Xu Hengzhou processed the remaining meat at home. The fatty cuts could be rendered for lard, which could be used in many delicious ways.

Meanwhile, the crispy pork cracklings, when sprinkled with a little sugar, made a rare treat for children and were even suitable for guests.

As for the remaining ingredients destined for braising, they also needed to be prepped. Once the braising liquid was ready, they could be added directly to the pot.

While rendering the lard, the oily fumes wafted high, smelling somewhat greasy, yet for people of that era, it was indistinguishable from an enticing fragrance.

Xu Hengzhou took a small bowl and served Xiang Chen some freshly rendered, crispy pork cracklings. He then sprinkled some white sugar over them, mixed them, and handed the bowl to Xiang Chen, telling him to go eat outside.

Xiang Chen sat in the main hall with his small bowl. Just as he began to eat, he heard what sounded like another argument from next door.

He paused, slowly eating a few pieces. After hearing the sound of a door slamming and then silence from next door, he waited a little longer. Then, clutching his bowl, he peered out from behind the door.

The Chen family’s house was eerily quiet; not even a single light was on. Xiang Chen thought for a moment, then stealthily crept to the window outside their house, stepping on a wooden stump to look inside.

Sure enough, only Chen Xiaohua remained in the dark room. The little girl was squatting on the ground, doing who-knew-what.

Xiang Chen softly called out twice. Chen Xiaohua looked over at the sound, and upon seeing Xiang Chen, her face immediately broke into a smile as she ran out.

“Have you eaten yet?” Xiang Chen asked as soon as he saw her, probably because in his memory, Chen Xiaohua always seemed to be hungry.

Chen Xiaohua nodded, her eyes curving into crescent moons. “Yes, I ate over half a bowl today.”

Xiang Chen was somewhat surprised. Had Cai Zhen suddenly had a change of heart and decided not to starve Chen Xiaohua? But that was clearly impossible; Chen Xiaohua had simply gotten lucky today.

Yesterday, when the factory distributed meat, Cai Zhen had argued with Chen Guoliang and then gone back to her maiden home to borrow meat ration coupons. After the cornmeal incident, the outcome was predictable.

Cai Zhen hadn’t managed to borrow any coupons. If she had simply returned home, it wouldn’t have been a huge issue; divorce was a serious matter, and while Chen Guoliang might have considered it, he wouldn’t have divorced her so readily.

However, Cai Zhen felt it would be too humiliating to return empty-handed. So, she took some of her own money, secretly exchanged it for meat coupons, and then bought meat. When she returned home, she claimed her family had given it to her.

Chen Guoliang suspected she was lying, but the meat was right in front of him, and he couldn’t very well go ask his in-laws. The children in the house all stared at the small piece of meat with longing eyes.

Chen Guoliang sighed, saying nothing more, and told Cai Zhen to cook the meat.

Cai Zhen cut a small piece from the already tiny portion of meat, then cooked a large pot of porridge. The few thin slices of meat in the porridge were divided among the family, with Chen Xiaohua and Chen Fang each getting only one piece.

The two younger girls immediately stuffed the meat into their mouths. Fortunately, this time Chen Fang was busy fending off Chen Fen from snatching her share, which allowed Chen Xiaohua the chance to eat her meat.

Eating meat should have made them happy, but that evening, while Cai Zhen was preparing dinner, she casually checked the meat she had locked in the cupboard.

To her dismay, half the meat was gone! Only she and Chen Guoliang had the cupboard key, so she immediately suspected Chen Guoliang, presuming he had cut the meat to give to Old Lady Chen.

When Chen Guoliang returned home from work, he was met with Cai Zhen’s furious roar. He was bewildered by the shouting, completely unaware of what Cai Zhen was upset about.

The couple almost came to blows. It wasn’t until Chen Guoliang swore an oath that Cai Zhen, still doubtful, finally believed him.

That raised a problem: if not Chen Guoliang, then who had stolen the meat?

Cai Zhen’s suspicious gaze swept over the children, and Chen Fen’s unsightly expression immediately gave her away.

Although Cai Zhen really didn’t want to believe it was her favorite daughter who had done it, given Chen Fen’s personality, if it hadn’t been her, she would have long since joined in the shouting.

Chen Fen had exploited Cai Zhen’s trust, first secretly taking the cupboard key, then stealthily cutting off half the meat.

In the afternoon, she wrapped it in paper and took it to school. After school, she found a spot to roast the meat, sharing a little with a few admiring classmates, who practically put Chen Fen on a pedestal.

Chen Fen’s vanity was satisfied, and she completely forgot about her family. Cai Zhen, enraged, disregarded that this was her beloved child and grabbed her, ready to hit her.

After just two slaps, Chen Fen’s eyes turned red with hatred. She shrieked, exposing to her father the fact that her mother had used money to buy meat coupons.

Now, the battle escalated. Chen Guoliang was so furious he could barely stand. Cai Zhen, feeling guilty and betrayed by Chen Fen, chased after her, intent on beating her.

As she tried to hit Chen Fen, Chen Guoliang intervened. The back-and-forth ignited their tempers, and the couple nearly came to blows.

Finally, Chen Guoliang stormed out in anger, and Cai Zhen also ran off, covering her face, leaving Chen Fen behind. With no adults home, the two older children couldn’t sit still and soon ran off after them.

Xiang Chen gasped. This family was incredibly chaotic; it felt like they were destined to fall apart sooner or later.

He shared some pork cracklings with Chen Xiaohua, and the two children huddled together, chatting.

He asked Chen Xiaohua, “What were you doing squatting on the ground just now?”

Chen Xiaohua ate the pork cracklings with reverence; she had never tasted such a delicious treat. Hearing Xiang Chen’s question, the little girl whispered, “I was learning to write. I want to go to high school.”

Xiang Chen paused, surprised. Chen Xiaohua hadn’t even started elementary school; how could she have such an idea?

He voiced his question, and Chen Xiaohua explained, “I often hear Mama and Big Sister say that she should study hard and go to high school to get into the factory. I want to get into the factory too.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Chen felt the little girl was quite ambitious. At that time, school was hard to get into; high school graduates were rare, and Chen Guoliang himself only had a middle school education.

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