Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 322: Eating Roast Pork

"Oh my, why did you buy so much? Such a waste!"

"Some big bone soup and pig’s blood aren’t enough to eat."

Liu Cuilan, feeling pained, reached for the pig’s face on the table, "Let’s save this for when your big brother and second brother are back. Today, we’ll just eat pig’s blood."

"Mom, I want roasted meat! The roasted meat smells so good."

Su Jianwu stared longingly at the half pig’s face on the table, the aroma was so enticing that it awakened his cravings.

At this moment, Su Jianwen also came out, giving Liu Cuilan a pitiful look.

"Mom, what does roasted meat taste like? I’ve never had it before, is it good? Is it better than braised pork?"

As soon as he finished, Liu Cuilan froze in place, her eyes instantly turning red.

These kids have suffered so much with her, they’ve never even tasted roasted meat.

Her heart softened immediately and she said, "Let’s eat, tonight we’ll eat our fill. We’ll buy more when your big brother and second brother come back. Now I earn money, I can afford it."

After saying this, she turned to Su Xiaoxiao, "Third, go get two pickled cucumbers, let’s eat them with the roasted meat."

The two little brothers perked up immediately upon hearing about the cucumbers, eagerly following behind, "Third sister, we’ll go with you to get them."

With that, the three sisters went into the back room to fetch cucumbers from the cellar.

Watching their retreating figures, Liu Cuilan sighed, lifting her hand to wipe her eyes forcefully.

Back then, there were no greenhouses, so cucumbers, a summer vegetable, were rarely seen in winter.

But Liu Cuilan had her own preservation method.

When cucumbers were plentiful, they’d be cleaned and sun-dried, then put into a brine with salt, sugar, vinegar, star anise, peppercorns, and other seasonings, tightly sealed in a rough pottery jar, and stored in the cellar, preserving them for several months.

This was akin to today’s pickled cucumbers.

The pickled cucumbers were salty, not as crisp as fresh ones.

But in those days without greenhouses, eating cucumbers in winter was a luxury, even pickled cucumbers were in high demand.

Liu Cuilan would never bring them out casually, only when guests arrived or on important days would she indulge in them.

Most of their meals consisted of potatoes and cabbage, which were common dishes on northern tables in winter.

The cellar was dug beneath the kang in Liu Cuilan’s bedroom, opening it up revealed a reasonably sized space.

Su Xiaoxiao glanced at the pitch-black cellar, hesitating to go down.

The darkness was creepy, and who knew what might be lurking inside?

Watching Su Xiaoxiao hesitate at the entrance, the two little brothers grew impatient for the roasted meat.

Su Jianwu eagerly spoke up, "Third sister, if you don’t dare to go down, let me, I can do it."

He was like a little mud monkey, having gone down to the cellar many times.

Understanding that his third sister, being a girl, might be timid, he was very considerate.

"Alright, you can go down then."

With someone volunteering, Su Xiaoxiao was only too happy to let him take over, quickly stepping aside to make room for Su Jianwu.

The entrance was equipped with a rudimentary wooden ladder, which creaked as one stepped on it.

Watching Su Jianwu descend, Su Xiaoxiao promptly took out a flashlight to help illuminate.

The ladder creaked and swayed alarmingly with Su Jianwu’s movement.

She couldn’t help but remind him, "Fifth, slow down, don’t rush."

The ladder seemed a bit rickety.

But Su Jianwu moved quickly, reaching the bottom in no time at all, calling out, "Third sister, toss the flashlight down, I can’t see clearly."

The space below wasn’t small, but the flashlight only illuminated a small area under the ladder.

Su Xiaoxiao evaluated the distance, thinking the height was safe enough not to damage anything.

"Alright, wait a moment, I’m tossing it down."

Aiming carefully, she tossed the lit flashlight down next to Su Jianwu.

With a thud, the flashlight landed with a dull sound.

Su Jianwu quickly picked it up and, using it to scan around, soon locked onto a spot.

In the corner stood a large pottery jar, over half a person’s height, its mouth wrapped firmly with several layers of white cloth and tied securely with a band.

Su Jianwu’s eyes lit up and he dashed over, "Got it!"

Recalling her mother’s parting instructions, Su Xiaoxiao hurriedly said, "Take out just two, and quickly reseal it."

"Got it, third sister."

As he replied, Su Jianwu placed the flashlight on the ground and started to untie the string.

Soon, he appeared at the entrance with two pickled cucumbers in hand.

On their way down, Su Xiaoxiao had given him a piece of oil paper, perfect for wrapping the cucumbers.

Climbing the ladder while holding the flashlight left no spare hands, so he tucked the cucumbers into his waistband.

He rubbed his hands together, nimbly climbing up like a monkey.

The Su Family’s dinner was rather sumptuous tonight.

Golden corn porridge, coarse-grain mixed steamed buns, a large plate of pig’s head meat mixed with cucumbers, and a small bowl of cabbage stewed with tofu.

The two little brothers couldn’t tear their eyes away from the pig’s head meat as it was placed on the table.

As soon as Liu Cuilan put down the dish, they eagerly reached out with their chopsticks to grab meat.

Su Xiaoxiao used to dislike pig’s head meat, finding it too greasy.

But perhaps since coming to this time, she was sorely lacking in oil, she found the pig’s head meat exceptionally fragrant.

One bite, tender and not greasy, it was delicious.

The family buried themselves in their meal, particularly the two little brothers, their chopsticks danced energetically.

The family of several finished an entire basket of buns along with the two dishes.

Even the soup was mopped up by the little brothers using the buns.

After dinner, everyone was so full their stomachs were round.

Patting her rounded belly, Su Xiaoxiao let out a satisfied burp.

The food was too delicious, and she accidentally ate too much.

After the meal, Liu Cuilan busied herself deciding how to handle the two large bowls of pig’s blood and bones.

With the weather being cold, leaving them outside for a day wasn’t much of an issue.

Su Xiaoxiao counted the days; tomorrow was Liu Cuilan’s birthday, it was time to bring out the sewing machine.

Once she had decided on the surprise for her mother, she fell asleep into a fuzzy dream.

The next morning, she got up early, waking to the aroma of meat perfuming the air.

Following the scent, she found a large bowl of steaming bone soup on the table.

The soup must have been simmered for a long time, its color a creamy white, dotted with emerald scallion pieces, looking exceptionally appetizing.

A large bowl like this on a winter morning warmed the heart and stomach, offering immense comfort.

Su Xiaoxiao gulped down a large bowl, feeling a wave of warmth spread through her, her mood delightful as she headed to work.

However, her joy didn’t last long. As soon as she entered the department store, she ran into Liu Changjiang, looking jubilant.

Though she wasn’t fond of him, he was her immediate superior, so Su Xiaoxiao greeted him courteously, "Good morning, Manager Liu."

Upon hearing her voice, Manager Liu abruptly stopped, turned to look at her, his expression somewhat smug.