The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Tong Huaqiong, Zhao Shi, and Aunt Qin were busy in the kitchen.

First, render lard.

Zhao was very efficient at her work and was in charge of the kitchen.

Aunt Qin sat by the stove, tending a large fire. The lard quickly rendered, filling the entire courtyard with an enticing aroma.

Zhao sniffed, wondering if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that her in-laws' lard smelled better than the lard they usually rendered at home.

Zhao said, "Indeed, pigs that eat corn are different; this lard is more fragrant than the lard we usually render."

Aunt Qin nodded and said, "I thought I was the only one who thought so. Since we both smelled it, it's clear that this lard is fragrant. But even if it's fragrant, I wouldn't be willing to feed the pigs corn."

Zhao said, "Who says otherwise? Only my in-laws would be willing to do that."

Tong Huaqiong thought to herself that the pig had been castrated very successfully, and that foul smell had been removed.

The lard was rendered quickly, and Zhao scooped out the cracklings, drained the oil, and placed them in a clean basin.

In the countryside, pork cracklings are a great snack to satisfy cravings. They are used in dumplings, steamed buns, stews, and some families even give them to their children as a treat.

In this era of material scarcity, even ordinary families cannot resist the temptation of pork cracklings.

Man'er, Yaozu, and Liu Yanhong smelled the aroma and peeked into the kitchen, their mouths watering at the sight of the large basin of pork cracklings.

The three children, ignoring the heat, picked up the pork cracklings and ate them while blowing on them.

Tong Huaqiong filled two bowls and handed them to Zhao Shi and Aunt Qin respectively.

"I'll just have one piece to satisfy my craving."

"Leave it for Peach Blossom and the others to eat."

Aunt Qin and Madam Zhao refused repeatedly.

In the village, who would be willing to give away a big bowl of pork cracklings?

Such delicious pork cracklings should be saved to satisfy cravings slowly.

Tong Huaqiong said, "You two helped me cook, can't you even have a bowl of pork cracklings? There's plenty of that."

Zhao and Aunt Qin accepted it.

Tong Huaqiong then asked Man'er to bring some white sugar and pour it into a dish so that Zhao Shi and Aunt Qin could dip their food in the sugar.

Pork cracklings dipped in white sugar were a treat that only nobles in Shengjing (Mukden) could afford, according to Zhao Shi and Aunt Qin.

Now, thanks to Tong Huaqiong, they are also able to enjoy it.

If this were modern times, Tong Huaqiong wouldn't dare to give people pork cracklings dipped in white sugar; what would happen to their stable blood sugar and blood lipids?
Only in an era when ordinary people rarely ate meat throughout the year would she dare to let Zhao Shi and Aunt Qin eat like this, just to replenish the oil in their stomachs.

Tong Huaqiong filled two more bowls and had Yaozu take them out to the villagers who were helping to slaughter the pig.

Tong Huaqiong ate one piece and then dared not eat any more, even though she also loved pork cracklings.

Unlike Aunt Qin of the Zhao family, Tong Huaqiong eats meat every day and has plenty of oil in her body, so she is afraid of developing high cholesterol.

Zhao and Aunt Qin ate half a bowl and then put it down, planning to take the rest home to make dumplings.

"These pork cracklings are delicious!"

Following the aroma of pork cracklings, Han entered the kitchen.

This startled Zhao Shi and Aunt Qin, who stood up.

What kind of status does the county magistrate's mother have that allows her to live in a rural earthen kitchen?

The golden-yellow pork cracklings, glistening with an oily sheen, looked incredibly tempting.

Han's eyes were glued to him.

Now that the family is better off, her son will get her whatever she wants to eat, and she hasn't had pork cracklings in a long time.

Tong Huaqiong picked up the pork cracklings and handed them to Han Shi, saying, "Try them, they're fresh out of the pot and still hot."

Without any hesitation, Han picked up her bowl, pulled up a stool, and sat down by the pot to eat.

Zhao and Qin Da Niang were startled and looked at each other.

"It smells so good." Han Shi said, wiping the grease from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.

“Grandma, if you want some, ask my dad to have someone render lots of it for you,” Liu Yanhong said. Madam Han smiled and said, “You have no idea how hard your dad’s life was when he was a child. It was a blessing if he could eat pork cracklings. When I was a little over two years older than you, I borrowed money to buy a pound of pork lard to render cracklings for dumplings during the New Year. But the neighbor’s cat ate them all. Your dad cried his eyes out.”

These words brought Zhao and Aunt Qin closer together.

Lady Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Lord Liu, did you also come from a poor background?"

Once Han started talking, she said, "His father died early, and I raised him in the village. The clansmen took over our land, so I supported him by washing clothes and doing odd jobs in the county. Life was very hard."

Aunt Qin clicked her tongue and sighed. She never expected that Lord Liu had such a poor background. She exclaimed, "It must be very difficult for Lord Liu to have studied and succeed despite his poor background."

When talking about her son's studies, Mrs. Han was very proud.

Of the Liu family, only her son was able to read it.

Taking the opportunity, Zhao said, "No wonder Lord Liu cares so much about our crops. He comes to the fields from time to time to check on the farming. Sometimes when we meet, he even talks to us about the work in the fields. It turns out that Lord Liu also comes from a farming family."

Tong Huaqiong said, "That's also because of the good education from the mother."

Zhao and Aunt Qin nodded in agreement, praising Han for her excellent education.

Flattery will never fail you, and upon hearing this, a smile spread across Han's serious face.

Han thought of Gu Jingzhe in the courtyard because of her son, the county magistrate. Judging from Tong Dajiao's character, Gu's youngest son would surely be as successful as her son.

Han looked into the courtyard.

After Gu Jingzhe finished cutting the large intestine and meat, he continued cutting vegetables.

Lu Zhaozhao stood in front of the chopping board and smiled brightly at Gu Jingzhe.

Gu Jingzhe laughed, feeling quite embarrassed.

“My brother gave you a box of books, and I brought them to you,” Lu Zhaozhao said.

Gu Jingzhe thanked him.

“My brother asked me to tell you that Wanliu Academy is now recruiting students and can waive part of the tuition fees. Do you want to take the exam? The quality of students at Wanliu Academy is better than that of the private schools in town,” Lu Zhaozhao said.

Gu Jingzhe politely declined, saying, "Let's talk about this after I pass the imperial examination next year."

"Do we need to wash these vegetables?" Lu Zhaozhao pointed to the vegetables next to Gu Jingzhe and was about to roll up her sleeves to get to work.

"I'll do it, you don't need to lift a finger." Gu Jingzhe brought the dish to his side.

Gu Jingzhe thought to herself, how could the eldest daughter of the Lu family be working in the Gu family?

Han looked at Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaozhao talking, her eyes full of a motherly smile.

They're a perfect match!
Tong Huaqiong straightened up and naturally saw the two people in the courtyard.

Alas, fate cannot be stopped, it simply cannot be stopped!
Overjoyed, Han rolled up her sleeves to help with the cooking.

Zhao and Aunt Qin waved their hands repeatedly.

Han said, "What's the big deal? It's not like I haven't done this kind of work before."

So he sat down next to Tong Huaqiong and started kneading dough to make steamed buns.

Even though she hadn't touched water for so many years, Han still hadn't lost her old work skills. She deftly shaped the buns and put them into the steamer after the water boiled.

With an extra person working in the kitchen, the speed of work increased significantly.

Two large pots of stewed pig's blood and offal were quickly prepared.

Tong Huaqiong also wrapped the buns in pork cracklings.

Everyone enjoyed the large bowl of meat and vegetables, along with the steamed buns.

"The pork from the Dashu family tastes better than what we usually eat. Can you tell?" The village chief asked with a satisfied look on his face as he ate a large bowl of meat and vegetables.

"It definitely smells better. Just look at Aunt Tong's skills. She even bakes pastries better than Su Shi Yuan, let alone cooks." A young laborer said.

“No, last time when your Aunt Tong hung up the plaque, we ate the same big pot of stew, but the pork we bought didn’t taste as good.” The village chief felt that it couldn’t be explained by Tong Huaqiong’s good cooking skills.

After listening to the village chief's words and tasting the food carefully, everyone found that it was indeed true.

Today, the stew cooked in the Gu family's pot was noticeably more fragrant and delicious.

So everyone concluded that Tong Huaqiong's pigs were good because they were fed corn. (End of Chapter)