Chapter 55: Crispy Pork Belly

Lin Manzhi took the Headscarf wrapped around her shoulder off and set it aside, paid no heed to Hua Zheng's scrutinizing gaze, and continued speaking:

"Help me start a fire, Hua Zheng. Put the skin side of the fat animal directly on the fire until it's charred black, then take it out and scrape the skin clean with a dagger; that way it won't have any off‑flavor when we eat it."

Ah? What is this Dark Roast Meat.

Hua Zheng heard the order and felt deeply opposed to it.

Mo Lie, expressionless, obeyed the female's words, lit a fire in the Mud Stove, stepped back, sat on a fur blanket, propping his long legs, one hand supporting his cheek, his gaze fixed on Lin Manzhi.

Seeing Mo Lie beside him remain silent, Hua Zheng also kept quiet, lifted the fat animal and placed it on the fire.

He had already decided in his mind that, at worst, after the spotted female finished the dish, he could simply make another roast.

He would definitely not let the Young Master eat Dark Roast Meat.

Lin Manzhi washed her hands, went to the stove edge to pick ingredients, took out several pale‑yellow fruits resembling tomatoes, popped one into her mouth—it tasted powdery sweet‑sour, a bit sweeter than a tomato.

She tossed those fruits straight into the blazing fire, intended to shave a few Long Skewers, and said to Mo Lie beside her, "Watch for a moment; when the fruit skins are charred black like coal, you can pull them out."

Mo Lie gave a faint "Hmm."

After a minute, he pulled several pitch‑black fruits from the fire.

Hua Zheng, watching nearby, twitched his eye; he had never seen any fruit that needed to be charred black before eating.

Master, you're really spoiling this ugly female too much!

The more Hua Zheng watched his own Young Master interact with the spotted female, the more shocked he became about his Young Master.

Doing everything she says is a world apart from the cold, ruthless Young Master he once knew.

Amid Hua Zheng's inner turmoil, Lin Manzhi found a large bowl in the kitchen, poured the fruit that Mo Lie had peeled into it, the pale‑yellow flesh all together, added salt, and gently crushed it with a Wooden Spoon.

A charcoal‑scented sour aroma spread through the air; the keen‑nosed Hua Zheng caught it amid the smell of charred skin and twitched his snout.

Huh? This burnt fruit actually smells kind of good—what's going on??

Lin Manzhi glanced at the meat in Hua Zheng's hands, it was almost done, and told him to scrape and wash off the charred ash from the skin, debone it, then carve out the fatty meat near the belly.

Hua Zheng, now a bit curious, complied.

After a short while, a roughly thirty‑pound block of square Crispy Pork Belly was placed on the stove.

Lin Manzhi located the Deep-Mouthed Iron Pot Rack over a smaller fire opening behind the Mud Stove, tossed all the white fatty meat into the pot, stir‑fried it for a while, and the rich oily meat fragrance burst out.

She turned and said, "Next, keep an eye on the pot for me; stir it later so the fatty meat doesn't burn."

Hua Zheng: "Oh."

While stirring the fatty meat, he was extremely curious, turning his head to watch Lin Manzhi's movements.

She split the meat into ten pieces, took a sharpened Wooden Stick, swiftly pierced the skin of the fat animal, each piece of meat under the skin was dropped into the large pot over the Mud Stove's big fire, and just enough water to not cover the meat was added to simmer.

At this point, the fatty meat in the pot over the Mud Stove's opening had turned golden‑brown, a half‑pot of clear oil floated with browned oil residue, and Hua Zheng, smelling the roasted aroma up close, swallowed.

"The fat animal's meat is unbelievably fragrant; I've never seen or tasted anything like it."

He stood by the Mud Stove, staring straight at Lin Manzhi as she lifted the pot onto the stove, scooped the floating oil residue with a Wooden Spoon into a bowl, then sprinkled a bit of salt and mixed.

Hua Zheng lowered his head very low toward the bowl's edge, and even the usually aloof Mo Lie glanced at the bowl in Lin Manzhi's hand.

The meat still needed over twenty minutes to cook; seeing the tall one's pitiful stare at the bowl in her hand, Lin Manzhi smiled lightly, "Grab a bowl; you can eat this first to fill your stomach."

Hua Zheng, unusually craving, quickly fetched three bowls from nearby; Lin Manzhi split that bowl of oil residue into two portions, handing one to Mo Lie first, then to Hua Zheng.

She wasn't very hungry yet, wanting to save her stomach for the Crispy Pork Belly, so she didn't eat the oil residue.

Hua Zheng took his share, pinched the oil residue and popped it into his mouth.

"Crunch!" he bit down, the salty, golden crisp mingled with the oily, uniquely chewy gelatin, a richness he'd never experienced, making Hua Zheng's eyes sparkle.

He ate rapidly; the bowl of bubbling oil residue emptied after only a few bites, and he even tipped the leftover crumbs from the bowl's bottom into his mouth.

He felt… even hungrier…

Mo Lie, though eating politely, was also fast, and by the time Hua Zheng looked over, he had finished the bowl's oil residue.

Lin Manzhi reached out to take the bowl from Mo Lie, noticing a thin sheen of oil on his pale lips, making him look less sickly than before.

She was pleased, a smile curving her lips, placed the bowl on the stove, and Hua Zheng, carrying his bowl, hurried over.

At this moment his earlier contempt from an hour ago vanished; he only kept a watchful eye on the meat simmering in the pot, after all the roasted black fruit seasoning hadn't been added yet.

With the oil residue as a lead, Hua Zheng couldn't imagine how good the meat would taste!

Wanting to get the meat sooner, his tone even turned respectful as he stammered, "Is there anything else you need to do? I'll help."

Lin Manzhi: "…"

She felt she was being stared at by two hungry Hua Zhes, yet their gaze and aura resembled a house cat that's hungry and meows at its owner in the morning for food.

Lin Manzhi: "If you're very hungry, I'll make a simple version."

She gauged the time, used long chopsticks to skewer the simmering meat, nearly piercing through, lifted it onto a large plate, then used a clean cotton cloth to blot excess moisture from the meat.

She then squeezed the juice from the previously mashed fruit onto the meat pieces evenly, finally poured a thick layer of salt over the meat skin, and placed it at the courtyard's windward opening to air‑dry.

Normally it takes three to four hours for the meat's surface to lose moisture before deep‑frying, but now everyone was hungry, and Lin Manzhi didn't want to wait that long.

Fortunately the wind here is strong; after about half an hour, the meat's surface dried a bit more.

The retrieved meat pieces, skin side down, were dropped straight into the oil pot to fry; Hua Zheng, seeing the oil splash as the meat entered, instinctively took Lin Manzhi's place.

He didn't understand either; he just flipped the meat when Lin Manzhi told him to, and as the meat turned golden in the oil, its mouth‑watering scent, even stronger than the oil residue, enveloped the entire courtyard.

Seeing the Crispy Pork Belly was nearly ready to eat, she said, "Hua Zheng, now take the meat out and cut it into bite‑size pieces; I'll step out for a moment."