Chapter 82: Always An Yinan

She cut the pork intestines, which she had long since washed clean, into segments, then prepared the scallions, ginger, and garlic.

"I'm going to stir-fry the pork intestines in Zhang Qian's room," An Yinan said.

"Stir-fry pork intestines?" Second Aunt Xie looked up, somewhat puzzled.

She understood every word, but put together, she didn't know what it meant.

"Do you want to learn? It's very delicious," An Yinan recommended.

"Alright then, Second Aunt will go help you tend the fire." Second Aunt Xie was a brisk person; she brushed the dirt off her clothes, helped An Yinan carry the items, and they went to Zhang Qian's room together.

Since they hadn't moved in yet, Zhang Qian's room wasn't locked; they pushed the door open, scrubbed the pot clean, and began to stir-fry the pork intestines.

"I already washed the pork intestines and blanched them in hot water, so now I'll just start the oil pan," An Yinan said as she worked. Pig offal was cheap, but it had the most fat; stir-fried pork intestines were great with rice or alcohol, and they tasted soft, springy, and rich when eaten.

"Add the garlic and ginger, then put in some chili." As she put the prepared ingredients into the oil pan, the aroma of the aromatics hitting the hot oil immediately wafted out.

"The garlic has turned golden; put the pork intestines in the pan and render out the excess fat."

With a "Sizzle—" sound, the pork intestines were in the pan.

"Add the seasonings: chopped scallion heads, green chili segments, and carrot segments."

"Stir-fry until just cooked."

"Add the sauce, turn up the heat, and reduce the liquid." An Yinan set the spatula down, and once the sauce had reduced, she immediately plated it.

"Second Aunt, hurry and eat a piece to taste it." An Yinan took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece of pork intestine, and handed it to Second Aunt Xie.

Second Aunt Xie opened her mouth with a smile; it was very tender, smooth, and had a rich, savory fragrance upon entering her mouth.

"Delicious." As a villager, she didn't know how to offer flowery praise, but it was truly delicious.

An Yinan smiled, "Pork intestines have a lot of fat, so making them this way is very tasty; they are great as both a snack with alcohol and a dish with rice."

The two chatted and laughed as they cleaned everything up, poked the fire in the stove, and closed the room door.

By the time the cooking was done, the whole courtyard was full of people.

Ershu Xie was in the courtyard, having set up a large table. Seeing his wife and the Educated Youth An arrive, he stood up and explained, "I figured you wouldn't have enough tables and benches here, so I pulled these from the Daduibu."

During the spring planting, there was too much work to get away, so they would eat together at the Daduibu to skip the lunch break and get back to work immediately after eating.

"That's perfect. I was just thinking that I didn't have enough tables and benches and didn't know how to arrange things; you already thought of it for me, Ershu." An Yinan put the dishes down first, then waved for An Xiangbei and the other children to come over.

"I have a task for you all: go wipe the tables and benches clean."

The children accepted the task and immediately got to work.

The Captain sat on a bench, smoking his Tobacco Pouch, looking at the busy courtyard; honestly, it hadn't been this lively in a long time.

"The stove is lit?" An Yinan gave Zhang Qian a thumbs-up.

Zhang Qian realized that being with An Yinan, he was almost learning how to roll his eyes; when they first met, he hadn't thought this girl was so infuriating.

She was about to use the stove; how thick-headed did he have to be not to know to light it?

"Since everyone is here, let's all lend a hand and bring out the dishes I prepared in the kitchen." An Yinan clapped her hands and immediately assigned tasks.

"These dishes aren't cooked?" Aunt Li had just gone into the room and seen them; the food was plated, dish by dish, but they were all raw—were they just going to serve them like this?

Cold tossed dishes? But she didn't see any salt? And they hadn't been tossed; what kind of way to eat was this?

Xie Yuanyuan, Li Xiue, and Zhao Qiuhua didn't hesitate; they had all eaten An Yinan's cooking, and her skills were beyond reproach.

"What else needs to be brought out?" Zhao Qiuhua smelled the fragrance in the room and somewhat understood why Xie Yuanyuan was reluctant to leave.

"Should I go bring the rice over first?" The rice was still being kept warm in the pot, with the remaining rice water from the boiled rice simmering underneath.

"Bring it over, and Yuanyuan, bring the steamed buns too." An Yinan nodded.

She went back into the room, cut the pig's head into two large platters, and placed them in two different directions so that people wouldn't feel embarrassed if they couldn't reach them.

She also put the braised meat broth into a small iron pot; only a third of the broth had been used.

She divided the remaining braised meat broth, which contained a few pieces of braised pig's head meat, into two basins, intending to let the Captain and Ershu Xie's family take them home when they left.

Seeing this novel way of eating, everyone stared at the coal stove bubbling and steaming.

"Qiu Hua, put the stewed pork with pickled cabbage into two basins." After she returned from stir-frying the intestines, she had put the vermicelli into the pot; now the vermicelli was transparent, clearly ready to eat.

Qiu Hua was very nimble and immediately went to serve the food, dividing all the dishes into two large basins, which, along with the two large platters of pig's head meat, occupied the four corners.

"Finished? Everyone sit down." At the Captain's invitation, everyone sat on the benches.

An Yinan looked at the table, feeling like something was missing, then suddenly slapped her forehead, "Wait for me."

She went into the storage room, closed the door, entered her space, and found three bottles of wine and two bottles of strong sorghum liquor.

She poured the strong sorghum liquor into tea mugs, and the labels on the wine bottles were peeled off clean.

"Wine—how can there be food without wine?" An Yinan placed the wine on the table.

She could clearly see the Captain and Ershu Xie's eyes light up; the two had just been lamenting that with such good meat dishes, they couldn't drink, and life felt incomplete.

But since the young girl was the host, having so much meat was already great; they hadn't expected wine.

Yet they hadn't expected this!!!!

"Fill them up!" An Yinan waved her hand and handed the white liquor directly to the Captain and Ershu Xie.

She filled the wine for the female guests, and seeing the four little ones, she thought for a moment before going to get the hawthorn juice she had boiled earlier.

"You all drink the hawthorn juice; it's sweet and sour, the taste should be quite good."

The four children were also happy, feeling like they were part of it.

"Cheers! May our days get better and better." An Yinan stood up, her flushed little face carrying a unique confidence and a hint of defiance.

She had never been a "good girl"—not in the past, and not now.

At the time, she had almost entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; whether it was the Dean or those around her, everyone had urged her that it was her future.

But she had resolutely refused, entering a field she loved but was unfamiliar with, starting from scratch.

Her appearance was obedient, even carrying a deliberate air of compliance, but deep down she had a firm sense of autonomy and was more willing to give everything for her choices.

This was her: an An Yinan with flesh and blood, but one who cared more about her soul.

No matter the environment, no matter the person, she still only wanted to be herself, and could only be herself.

"Well said, life is getting better and better." The Captain also raised his wine glass, looked at the people at the table, and thought, aren't the days now much better than before?

Everyone was happy and cheerful, their faces glowing with health.