Looking Old

Xiaoguo was stunned. There were big and small fairs for this?

No matter what, Xiaoguo thanked the old man.

When she got home, Xiaoguo packed up everything. Those that should be kept in the fridge were kept in the fridge. Those that should be kept out of the light were placed in the shade.

She only felt safe when the kitchen was well-stocked.

The pig’s head, lungs and liver that she had bought were not kept in the fridge. She deliberately made sure to soak them in a large basin.

To be honest, looking at the pig head in the basin, Xiaoguo shivered inexplicably. She even had goosebumps all over her body.

She didn’t feel anything when she bought it. Now that she had brought it back and placed it at home, it looked really scary.

The pig’s head was too eye-catching. It was hard to ignore it. Every time she turned around, she would subconsciously think of the pig’s head and every time she saw it, she felt very affected by it.

Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, she used a machete to cut it. After much effort, she managed to cut it in half, not until her hands turned numb. At least now, the head wasn’t positioned upright in the basin and she could at least soak it fully in water. Out of sight, out of mind.

Without taking a second look, she carefully washed the machete and returned to the house.

The pig’s head, liver, and lungs were soaked in water to remove the blood. They would be cooked in the afternoon and smoked until they were beautifully browned.

After lunch, Xiaoguo began to boil water. The pig head was not too big, and the big pot at home was just big enough to contain it. It would save her the trouble of finding another pot to boil the head separately.

After blanching two halves of the head, she placed them in a large pot and added the spice bag. She covered the pot and let it simmer over high heat for half an hour. After that, it was left to simmer over low heat for two and a half hours.

Making use of this time, Xiaoguo returned to the house to rest for a while.

After estimating that it was about time, she returned to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the pot. When the hot steam had dissipated, she took out a pair of chopsticks and poked at the pig’s face. The meat had turned soft and tender. The chopsticks penetrated the meat very easily.

After the fire was extinguished, the soup in the pot was as thick as glue. The pig’s head and lungs were placed on a bamboo rack.

Then, she cleaned the big pot and lit the fire. She placed a handful of brown sugar and tea leaves in the pot. After which, she quickly placed the bamboo rack over the pot and put on the lid.

After a while, white smoke came out of the pot lid, followed by yellow smoke. The room was filled with a smoky scent and Xiaoguo could barely open her eyes. In a daze, she opened the kitchen window and the door. The smoke instantly billowed out from the open vents.

After standing outside for a while, Xiaoguo quickly returned to the house when her eyes felt better. Meat would taste bitter if it was smoked for too long. She went to the pot and listened carefully. If there were any sizzling sounds coming from the pot, it meant that the sugar had completely melted and the lid could be lifted. By then, the meat would be done to perfection.

As she was too focused on listening to the pot, she subconsciously blocked out any sounds coming from outside.

Someone was pounding on her door.

The door, which was not thin to begin with, was on the verge of collapse under the exceptionally violent impact. Finally, with each heavier blow that landed on it, the door fell to the ground with a bang, raising a cloud of dust.

Immediately, there was a commotion. Dogs barked and chickens and ducks crowed. The donkeys and cows also added to the chaos.

Xiaoguo was about to lift the lid when she was startled by a sudden noise. She lost her grip on the lid and it fell to the ground.

In her panic, Xiaoguo felt a gust of cold wind. In the next instant, a big hand covered her mouth and nose. Her body was lifted up by a strong hold on her waist, and the person ran out carrying her in that position.

Xiaoguo’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t know who it was. Was this person after money or her life? She forced herself to calm down and looked around quickly. In the end, at the moment her body exited the house, she picked up the sickle on the wall and held it tightly in her hand.

When the person stopped moving, the grip on her waist and mouth loosened. Xiaoguo took the opportunity to break free. She closed her eyes, picked up the sickle, and slashed at the person behind her.

The person subconsciously dodged the lethal scythe and grabbed the hand that was about to slash at him again. He shouted in shock, “Xiaoguo?!”

Hearing a familiar voice, Xiaoguo forced her eyes open and panted as she looked at the man.

She was stunned for a few seconds before putting down her sickle. She called out hesitantly, “Jiang Danhe?”

“It’s me!”

Xiaoguo opened her mouth and was momentarily speechless. She sized up the man in front of her in disbelief. This travel-worn and unshaven man was actually Jiang Danhe?

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Danhe suddenly touched his face. His cheeks, which were hidden under his beard, were a little flushed “Do I look strange?”

Xiaoguo shook her head decisively. “Not at all!”

Not only was he handsome, he also looked very charming. He looked cool and mature! But…

“You look a little old.”

After Xiaoguo gave her honest opinion, Jiang Danhe felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Just now, when he heard her say that he didn’t look strange, a trace of joy rose in his heart. But when he heard her say that he looked old, his heart instantly turned cold. If not for the fact that he was afraid of scaring her, he would have plucked out his beard with his bare hands on the spot!

“…”

Seeing that he was silent, Xiaoguo felt that she might have been a tad too truthful. She thought for a moment and was just about to comfort him when she saw what had happened to the door behind him.

The door, which was supposed to be upright, was now lying flat on the ground. Xiaoguo blinked in disbelief. She thought that her eyesight had become blurry from the smoke. However, no matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, the door remained lying on the ground.

Seeing that Xiaoguo was not saying anything, Jiang Danhe followed her gaze and saw the door that was on strike. He felt guilt wash over him immediately.

“The door… didn’t I give you the key…?”

“Yes… but I forgot because I was in a hurry…”

Jiang Danhe gently took Xiaoguo’s hand and stroked it ingratiatingly.

“What’s the hurry?” Xiaoguo asked in confusion.

“I just got back when I saw the billowing smoke coming out of the house. I thought there was a fire.”

Jiang Danhe explained everything in a few words. No one knew how afraid he was just now. It was great to see that she was fine!

At this moment, the smoke in the room had completely dissipated to reveal the kitchen in its glory. Only then was Jiang Danhe able to see that the kitchen had not caught fire as he had imagined.

Xiaoguo wanted to say something more, but looking at his worried bloodshot eyes, and his bleeding fist from smashing the door, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she said, “Boil some water and wash up.”

Seeing that she was not going to pursue the matter, Jiang Danhe felt relieved. He smiled happily and nodded. “Yes!”

Xiaoguo snickered and turned to walk towards the kitchen. She thought to herself how silly he looked just now…

When she returned to the kitchen, she brought out the meat from the pot. Fortunately, she had lifted the lid. Otherwise, the meat would have become too bitter.

Seeing her walk away, Jiang Danhe followed closely behind. When he saw that the culprit was actually a pot of black meat, he felt extremely puzzled. Smelling the unique fragrance, he quietly took a gulp.

Xiaoguo, who had been paying attention to him, noticed his movement. “Didn’t you eat?”

Jiang Danhe shook his head gently and looked at Xiaoguo shyly. In his heart, he was thinking to himself, “I was too busy thinking about you to be in the mood to eat.”

Xiaoguo couldn’t hear what he was thinking, but she still blushed under his gaze.

Feeling uncomfortable, she turned away from his gaze. “Go back to the house and pack up. I’ll boil water for you so that you can wash up first.”

“Yes, whatever you say.”

Xiaoguo pursed her lips shyly and turned around. She waved casually at him, telling him to go quickly.

Jiang Danhe chuckled and returned to his room happily.

Xiaoguo put away her thoughts and quickly went to start the fire.

After the water boiled, Jiang Danhe went to take a bath. Only then did Xiaoguo have the time to check on the situation at home. It was a tragic sight. Wood shavings were strewn all over the ground.