Transmigration: The Peasant Gourmet Chef (穿越之农妇食娘)

Chapter 11 - Braised Pork (2)

In the main room, Zhang Lin was sitting by the door sewing clothes. When she saw Li Hehua putting a plate of meat on the table, doubts flashed in her eyes. She didn't ask her however, apparently unwilling to take the initiative to pay attention to her.
　　
Li Hehua took the initiative to explain: "Mother, this is the pork I bought at the market today. I made it specially for you to eat. Later, you just need to cook some vegetables and rice."

Surprise flashed in Zhang Lin's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disgust. With a cold snort, she lowered her head and continued to sew clothes, but also didn't directly refuse. This poisonous woman is greedy and has taken so much money from her son. She (Li Hehua) couldn't make up for it just by preparing them some food to eat. So why refuse?
　　
Li Hehua didn't care about Zhang Lin's attitude. After putting down the braised pork, she returned to the woodshed.
　　
Seeing Li Hehua closing the door, Zhang Lin glanced at the braised pork on the table. She stood up and walked to the table. A seductive scent hit her instantly, making her swallow involuntarily.
　　
When did this poisonous woman have such good cooking skills? Whether the pastries made yesterday or the braised pork now, the colors, flavors, and aromas are so complete that people can't take their eyes off them. When she and Tieshan got married, she couldn't do anything. The food that she cooked was even more unpalatable. Could it be that she deliberately cooked it like that? Or is it that she had practiced cooking in the past few years? But it isn't right. With this woman's laziness, how did she hone her cooking skills?
　　
Zhang Lin couldn't figure out what was going on. Seeing that it was getting late, she hurried into the kitchen to cook dinner.
　　
When Zhang Tieshan and Zhang Qingshan came back from the mountain, Zhang Lin's meal was just ready.
　　
Seeing the two pheasants and two hares on the ground, Zhang Lin's eyes lit up and she hurriedly asked, "You have so much harvest today?"
　　
Zhang Qingshan was a little excited, "Mother, brother's skills are really too great! Every single shot will hit one. I want to learn from him and be as good as my brother."
　　
Zhang Linshi smiled proudly, "Of course, your brother is very good. Learn from your brother well and you will be as good as your brother in the future."
　　
Zhang Qingshan nodded vigorously when he suddenly smelled the fragrance of meat. His eyes subconsciously searched and saw a plate of braised pork on the table. His eyes immediately lit up, "Mother, you bought some meat today? It smells so good!
　　
Zhang Lin's smile subsided and she said angrily: "What kind of meat am I going to buy? It was made by that woman. I don't know what she's thinking."

Zhang Qingshan's eyes flashed with surprise, "Her? When did she became so kind? Is there some kind of conspiracy?"
　　
Just as Zhang Tieshan took Shulin out of the kitchen, Zhang Qingshan hurriedly said to him: "Brother look, that woman actually made us a plate of braised pork. You say, what do you she's thinking about?"
　　
Zhang Tieshan followed Zhang Qingshan's hand and looked at the dishes on the table. Without saying anything, he sat down and said to Zhang Lin and Zhang Qingshan, who was standing, "Don't worry, let's eat."
　　
Zhang Lin wanted to say something more, but seeing that Zhang Tieshan was already feeding Shulin, she gave up and sat down to eat with Zhang Qingshan.
　　
Although Zhang Qingshan was very disgusted and disdainful of Li Hehua, the chopsticks involuntarily reached out to the plate of braised pork. He comforted himself that that woman owed their family so much, and it was nothing to eat her braised pork.
　　
The moment he ate it, Zhang Qingshan felt a sense of pleasure flooding his brain instantly. He was very sure that this plate of braised pork was the best braised pork he had ever eaten. It was definitely better than the meat in the restaurant in town. Although he has never eaten the food in the restaurant, he doesn't know why but that's how he feels.
　　
Seeing his mother's expression the same, Zhang Qingshan was deeply puzzled, "How could that woman have such good cooking skills? Why do I feel it is abnormal?"
　　
Zhang Lin expressed the same doubts.
　　
Zhang Tieshan glanced blankly at the closed door of the woodshed, and a trace of inquiry flashed in his eyes.
　　
After the meal, Zhang Tieshan simply cleaned up the prey and went directly to the town to sell it at dawn the next day.
　　
There is Home Fulfillment Restaurant* in town which requires a lot of wild goods to cook every day. Anyone who can hunt wild goods can sell them directly to this restaurant. However, because hunting is difficult and dangerous, most people can't do it at all. There are very few people who can hunt wild game, so the price of the goods is not low.

(T/N: *家福满楼酒楼 - Jiafu Manlou Restaurant. Not really good at translating. Don't if this is really what it meant, so I'll just put it here. I'll be happy if you guys can give some advice hehe.)
　　
Zhang Tieshan began to hunt in the mountains when he was a teenager. Since then, he had sold every prey that he caught to this restaurant, so he is very familiar with the shopkeeper. After a few years, this is the first time he'll sell wild goods after returning.
　　
Zhang Tieshan walked directly into the restaurant and greeted the shopkeeper who was standing behind the counter, settling accounts, "Shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper raised his head and saw that it was Zhang Tieshan. He was surprised, "It's you Tieshan. Where have you been in the past few years?"
　　
Zhang Tieshan showed a faint smile, "I went to serve as a soldier and just came back."
　　
The shopkeeper suddenly realized. A few years ago, the imperial court was at war with the Liang people and ordered conscription. Each family has to send one soldier. If a family didn't hand one, they will need to pay 10 taels of silver. Most ordinary people can't afford this amount of money so they can only let the men in their family go. Presumably, Zhang Tieshan must have gone to the battlefield to fight. Seeing him here, the shopkeeper is very happy that he safely came back.
　　
The shopkeeper put away the ledger and walked out from behind the counter. He saw the prey in Zhang Tieshan's hands at a glance. He was even more happy and patted Zhang Tieshan's stronger body.

"Someone finally send me wild goods again. You know...when you haven't been here in these past few years, no one sent me some. Quests have to pay a high price just so they can buy it."
　　
Zhang Tieshan smiled lightly.
　　
The shopkeeper reached out and took out a small piece of silver from the counter and handed it to Zhang Tieshan, "Come on, Tieshan. This is the payment for your prey today."

Then he turned around and called Xiao Er, "Take this prey to the kitchen for Master Wang to cook. Tell the guests that there are wild goods today."
　　
"Okay." Xiao Er walked over happily.
　　
Zhang Tieshan was not polite. He accepted the money and then gave the prey to Xiao Er.

The shopkeeper had another conversation with him before Zhang Tieshan left.