CFSMS -Chapter 24 A Battle Over a Pork Knuckle and a Brat at a Banquet

The Ten Thousand Poisons Valley was quite far away, and braised pork knuckles needed time to simmer until tender and falling apart.

Before dawn the next day, Lu Wu was already up.

Having stayed up late again the night before, dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and she looked rather listless.

But this was the Qingyuan World. After circulating the meager spiritual energy in her body through one full cycle, the dark circles faded noticeably and her spirits lifted.

Patting her fair, delicate cheeks, Lu Wu blew a kiss to her reflection in the mirror before heading for the kitchen.

The light shining through the darkness was especially conspicuous.

Next door, Grandpa Li, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing the light, he looked puzzled.

Assuming Lu Wu had merely gotten up to use the bathroom, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

In the kitchen, Lu Wu took out the pork knuckles Butcher Lin had delivered the day before. They were very fresh, still streaked with traces of blood.

After washing them clean, she soaked them in cold water for half an hour.

While waiting, she prepared the ingredients for braising.

Soy sauce, light soy sauce, and cooking wine were indispensable. She also gathered a variety of spices.

Ginger, star anise, and cinnamon bark were the perfect companions for pork knuckles. Bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried chilies also had to be included.

The entire spice family was assembling to work its magic.

Spirit stones fueled the fire, allowing her to control the heat however she pleased.

The soaking removed the blood from the pork knuckles. Butcher Lin had done a meticulous job; there wasn’t even a stray pig hair in sight.

Lu Wu placed the massive knuckles into a pot for blanching. These spirit pigs had hefty knuckles. Eating them later was bound to be satisfying.

Since it was only the first day, she planned to make fifty knuckles as a trial run.

One pot wasn’t enough, but she’d prepared for that in advance and set up another stove.

As the water began to boil and foam rose to the surface, Lu Wu skimmed it off.

When it was ready, she removed the knuckles, washed them clean again, and drained them thoroughly.

Ordinarily, making these knuckles would require a pressure cooker.

The Qingyuan World didn’t have pressure cookers, but a simple pressure-enhancing spell solved the problem.

At the last minute, Lu Wu searched the All-Realm Network and found the least energy-consuming version she could learn.

She gave it a try.

And guess what?

She learned it perfe—well, she learned it.

“I picked it up immediately. I’m such a genius.”

Praising herself shamelessly, Lu Wu hummed a tune as she placed the knuckles into clean water.

The water had to completely cover them.

She tossed in the entire spice family, added an appropriate amount of fine salt, and covered the pot.

Then she snapped her fingers.

A flash of spiritual light flickered, and the spell took effect.

All that remained was to wait.

With nothing else to do, Lu Wu sat on a little stool in the kitchen and nodded off.

She was so sleepy.

Yawning repeatedly, she drifted into a daze and fell asleep.

She dreamed that she had returned to Earth.

A relative was getting married, and she followed her mother to the wedding banquet to eat for free.

The banquet table was loaded with meat dishes, and Lu Wu ate happily.

Among them, her favorite was a giant braised pork knuckle.

It had been stewed until melt-in-the-mouth tender. With a gentle bite, the skin dissolved in her mouth.

The rich sauce had penetrated every layer of the knuckle. Even the lean meat wrapped beneath the fatty skin was packed with flavor.

The more Lu Wu ate, the more addicted she became.

For the sake of one pork knuckle, she nearly got into a fight with a child sitting at the same table.

In the end, she won.

The last piece of meat belonged to her.

She picked it up.

The aroma wafted from it in waves, drilling straight into her nostrils.

Her nose twitched.

Then she heard her stomach growling.

It was as if hungry wolves were roaring inside.

Strange.

Hadn’t she already eaten her fill?

While she was pondering this, the brat suddenly snatched the piece of meat just before it reached her mouth.

Having bitten into nothing but air, Lu Wu was so furious she cried.

And that anger woke her up.

Her head slipped from her palm, and she nearly fell off the stool.

Looking around blankly, she finally realized where she was and couldn’t help laughing.

“It smells amazing.”

She turned toward the stove, where steam billowed upward.

The fragrance that had driven her into battle in her dream was coming from that very pot.

Her pork knuckles were done!

Lu Wu hurried over and lifted the lid.

The burst of aroma made her take several deep sniffs.

But she knew the knuckles hadn’t yet reached their ultimate form.

She removed them from the pot, cleaned it out, and poured in oil.

The high heat released the rich fragrance of the cooking oil, reminding Lu Wu of the endless rapeseed fields back in her hometown.

That smell was unmistakable.

Rapeseed oil.

Once the oil was hot, she added the pork knuckles.

After stir-frying them briefly, she poured in the broth she had intentionally saved.

Next came the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce.

At this stage, all the seasonings had been added.

The next step, however, was the truly time-consuming one.

As the sauce gradually reduced, she had to continuously ladle the thick braising liquid over the knuckles to ensure every part absorbed the flavor.

As she worked, she could see the knuckles slowly changing color.

The pale cooked pork gradually transformed into a rich caramel-brown glaze.

Along with the color came an even richer, more enticing aroma.

Simply standing beside the pot was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.

The process was torture.

Only when the knuckles had absorbed most of the sauce did Lu Wu finally stop.

The pork knuckles were finished.

Before serving, she sprinkled chopped scallions on top.

The vibrant green scallions against the glossy brown knuckles made people want to forget all decorum, grab them with both hands, and devour them.

Meat always awakened the deepest desires of meat lovers.

Lu Wu was no exception.

As the creator of these braised pork knuckles, she naturally decided to take the first bite.

“Boss Lu, give me a pork knuckle!”

Suddenly, a voice rang out beside her.

Having spent so much time running a food stall, Lu Wu answered reflexively.

“Coming right up!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was wrong.

She was at home, not at her stall.

Turning her head, she immediately spotted Grandpa Li standing at the doorway, craning his neck inside and practically drooling.

Grandpa Li flashed an ingratiating smile.

“I knocked first. You probably didn’t hear me, Boss Lu.”

He really hadn’t intended to trespass.

He had been sleeping peacefully.

Then, in his dream, a seductive little demoness kept trying to tempt him.

Her belly dance had been mesmerizing.

He couldn’t resist at all.

Just as he was about to get to the exciting part, he suddenly woke up.

The moment he opened his eyes, he caught the aroma of meat drifting from next door.

At that instant, he understood.

The demoness in his dream had been the embodiment of this pork knuckle.

“Come eat me already!”

Those were the demoness’s exact words.

And Grandpa Li firmly believed people should listen to good advice.

So here he was.

After hearing his explanation, Lu Wu nearly choked.

Then, remembering her own dream, she found herself too embarrassed to criticize him.

Originally, she had planned to wait until Grandpa Li woke up before bringing some over.

Since he had already come, they might as well eat together.

She fished a pork knuckle out of the pot.

As the sauce dripped from the spatula back into the pot, Grandpa Li watched with heartache.

Every drop felt like the loss of precious essence.

“Little Lu…”

He hesitated.

The way he stared at the pot made his intentions perfectly clear.

Chuckling, Lu Wu ladled an extra spoonful of sauce onto his serving.

“Hehe, many thanks, Boss Lu.”

Rubbing his hands together, Grandpa Li carried his bowl and squatted by the kitchen doorway.

He didn’t even bother with chopsticks anymore.

Picking it up with his hands, he started eating immediately.

Lu Wu copied his unrestrained style.

One old, one young, squatted side by side.

Their eyes met.

Then they bit down at the same time.

“Oh my heavens!”

“Mmm!”

Grandpa Li’s eyes widened in shock.

Lu Wu narrowed hers in bliss.

At that moment, old and young were completely synchronized in thought.

There was only one conclusion:

This damn pork knuckle was unbelievably delicious.