"I don’t want this." Tian Sangsang shook her head with a smile, pointing at the pile of pig offal. When she got closer, she could even sll the stench. "I want these: pig liver, pig lungs, pig heart, pig stomach, pig kidneys, and that large bunch of intestines."
The butcher snorted, clearly surprised that she would want such unsellable items. Typically, when people ca to buy pork, they would choose the fattiest and greasiest at, or if they had a bit more money, they’d pick pork bones to make soup and nourish the body.
"How much do you want?"
"I’ll take it all. Sell everything to —can you give a bit of a discount? I have money but no tickets," Tian Sangsang said.
"Alright, these things just sit here without anyone buying them. If you want them, I’ll calculate them for you. Pork is six mao eight per jin, these pig offal, I’ll charge you six mao per jin." The butcher gathered the heap of goods and weighed it: "A little over three jin. How about it?"
Tian Sangsang thought about the price; it was indeed reasonable. She nodded, "Deal."
Giddy with excitent, Tian Sangsang thought about how many dishes she could stir-fry for lunch, while carrying the pig offal.
"Ouch!" Her foot got struck by a sharp stone, and it hurt a lot. She bent down, placing her things on the ground, leaned against the large banyan tree nearby, lifted her foot, and pulled out the stone that pierced through her shoe. She didn’t realize it at first, but now her foot felt burning with pain; surely, there were many blisters.
By now, she had walked halfway, all on mountain roads, uneven and muddy. Transport wasn’t convenient in those days, with no vehicles.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop..."
"Moo..."
The sound of cattle filled the air.
Coming from afar, approaching.
Excited, Tian Sangsang looked back, perhaps she could catch a ride and save so money. Her foot genuinely couldn’t take much more walking. If she were to exchange in space, she might also not find simple shoes, which could lead to trouble.
"Sangsang, little Sister Sangsang!" The person on the ox cart was none other than Widow ng.
The person driving the ox cart...
Li Zhengxiong stopped the ox cart with a bright gaze, "Sangsang, did you go to the market? Co on up, I’ll give you a lift back."
Widow ng patted the plank beside her warmly, "Yes, Sister Sang, co on up. I happened to et Brother Li, and he offered a ride."
Tian Sangsang didn’t refuse, smiling gratefully, "Then I’ll take Brother Li’s free ride, thank you."
"No need to be polite," Li Zhengxiong said naively, "We’re from neighboring villages; seeing you, how could I not give you a ride ho?"
There was only Widow ng on the cart, now with Tian Sangsang joining them. Unlike others, Widow ng was more outgoing; she imdiately started a conversation, "Sister Sang, you bought fabric too? This fabric’s color is pleasing to the eye, so bright. Oh, is this genuine?"
Tian Sangsang casually found a spot to place her things on the plank, "I sold so items when I went to town for the market, got so fabric tickets, and thought of making clothes for my son."
"Making clothes is good, but sister, you have to learn to manage living expenses," Widow ng advised kindly. "Genuine fabric feels nice to wear, but kids, while playing outside, can easily get holes in the clothes. It costs more money and isn’t worth it." Life wasn’t lived very carefully like this.
"No worries, sister-in-law." Tian Sangsang didn’t really mind, "It’s just about letting the child wear the best. Money can always be earned again; it’s endless. As the saying goes, ’one should enjoy life fully when they can,’ making yourself happy occasionally."
This kind of thinking was rare, as others didn’t dare. Who would dare?
Sister-in-law Li laughed, "Sister Sang is quite blessed, actually enjoying life."
"Sister-in-law, you jest. Blessed, not really—it’s just life, after all, is lived by people. It’s how you live it well. Seek comfort after all," Tian Sangsang said with a smile in her eyes.
In front, Li Zhengxiong, listening to her voice, for so reason thought of her smile, that kind of calm smile, lifting one’s mood... Just thinking about it made his face flush.
Unnaturally, he raised a hand to pat the ox, and the cart sped up a lot.
Due to the sudden increase in speed, Widow ng’s body swayed. Curiously, she asked, "Hey, what did you buy for it to sll like this?"
"It’s pig offal."
"Pig offal? This stuff doesn’t taste good and isn’t easy to clean, Sister Sang, why would you still buy it?"
"You don’t know, sister-in-law, it’s a good thing." Tian Sangsang smiled mysteriously.
Seeing her serious tone, Widow ng asked, "How is it a good thing?"
"If you put your heart into it, pig offal can make delicious dishes. Guys, when drinking, love to have this alongside, plus so peanuts; it’s sheer bliss like no other."
Widow ng paused, seemingly glanced at Li Zhengxiong shyly, then asked, "Is it really as aweso as you say?"
"When I make it, you can try it," Tian Sangsang replied.
"It’s not exaggerated," Li Zhengxiong chipped in, "Sangsang’s cooking is excellent. My mom and I couldn’t stop thinking about the crab buns she made last ti."
Noticing Widow Li’s subtle expression, Tian Sangsang said, "Before, I got scared by a snake in the mountains and was lucky to have Brother Li’s help. This ti, I can’t forget Brother Li."
"Sister Sang, do you know how to make clothes? Not having a sewing machine at ho is inconvenient. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to visit my ho. Your sister-in-law is not good at much, but making clothes is my specialty." The conversation was pleasant; Widow ng didn’t find it taxing. Although she was dark and chubby, her personality was good, so she proactively extended an olive branch.
After all, she didn’t have many friends in the village. Though people dared not offend her, neither did they easily befriend her. Perhaps because they were the sa kind, Widow ng always felt a sympathy when she saw Tian Sangsang. The old Tian Sangsang would stay indoors, rarely showing up, but now she was easy to get along with.
Sewing machine!
Tian Sangsang’s eyes lit up, "Then I’ll bring over the fragrant pig offal later to visit Sister-in-law Li and also ask you for so tips on making clothes."
After getting off the ox cart, Tian Sangsang bade farewell to Li Zhengxiong and Widow ng, carrying her things back ho.
ng Shuyan was feeding the chickens bugs, which made Tian Sangsang almost unable to take her eyes off him. Not seeing him for a day, her angelic son was truly her favorite, washing away all her fatigue.
"Yanyan, guess who I am?" Quietly walking up behind him, she picked up little ng Shuyan’s body.
"Ah." ng Shuyan turned back joyfully, wrapping his two little arms around her neck, rubbing against her shoulder, "Mom, mom, you’re back."
"Yes, I’m back." Tian Sangsang carried him into the main hall to sit on a chair. "What did you do this morning?"
ng Shuyan rattled off his morning’s activities like a stream of chatter.
Tian Sangsang listened while tidying things, realizing that her need for control was too strong. Whenever she left her son, she always wanted to find out what he was doing while she was away.
After listening, she gave him a smack on the lips, patted his little curly hair, and went off to prepare a al silently.
Pig offal, while a good thing and delicious when eaten, was a hassle to clean.
Especially pig intestines, they were one stinky string after another, with fat clinging to the outside. Fortunately, Tian Sangsang had a lot of strength to pull apart the fat piece by piece. After stripping the fat, she found a chopstick; from the open part of the pig intestines, she pushed the outer skin inward, and when it ca out, it even had pig droppings in it. Naturally, so pig feces stuck to Tian Sangsang’s hands...
But for the sake of good food, Tian Sangsang gritted her teeth and endured the tedious task for a long ti.
Good and delicate things usually demand more energy during preparation. Without effort, how could one enjoy exquisite delicacies?
She added a total of five tablespoons of salt into a basin, poured in flour and water, and Tian Sangsang kneaded the pig intestines diligently until she cleaned them thoroughly after five or six washes, then poured out the dirty water and added a little vinegar. Fortunately, the bottle of white vinegar she exchanged in space remained unopened, and she poured in four or five spoons. After carefully kneading it again, the pig intestines were finally fresh.
This ti, she bought over three jin of pig offal, too much to cook, stir-fry, use as rice accompanints, or give away. Speaking of pig offal, Tian Sangsang thought of one more thing, braised food.
Thinking of braised food, she couldn’t help but drool.
Swear it wasn’t intentional; her drooling wasn’t controlled; the original host’s obese body overly induced physiological hunger.
Clearly, she was just planning to lose weight, and now...
Delay the plan.
She cleaned the rest of the pig stomach, pig lungs, pig heart, and other items one by one.
Adding a spoon of oil, until it turned piping hot and fragrant, Tian Sangsang then skillfully added green pepper, ginger slices, onion slices, scallion segnts, onion, garlic, and stirred everything with fragrant oil, vigorously stir-frying before adding the pig kidneys for a quick stir.
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