Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s
Chapter 44 - 043 Xiang Piao Piao

Chapter 44: 043 Xiang Piao Piao

Made a dish of stir-fried pig kidney with green pepper, pan-fried pig liver, and a mixed stew with pig offal. Mung bean and pig large intestine soup was stewing in the special cooking space, and fragrant rice was cooked as well.

When Tian Sangsang brought the dishes made from pig offal out, she saw Meng Shuyan and Gou Sheng, two kids—one tall and one short—leaning against the door, their small heads barely visible.

Smelling the enticing aroma of pig offal, Gou Sheng sniffed hard through his nose, staring without blinking, suspicious drool hanging from his mouth.

"Ah, Gou Sheng is here!"

"Auntie~" Gou Sheng’s face turned slightly red as he scratched his head. He didn’t like this auntie before, but ever since she gave him some delicious dumplings last time, he had grown fond of her.

Children’s minds are simple—just some food can win them over.

Gou Sheng asked Meng Shuyan in a whisper, "Shuyan, what’s your mom cooking? Why does it smell so good?"

"I don’t know either," Meng Shuyan replied softly. "Mom said it’s pig offal. When she brought it back, it stank, but now it’s so deliciously fragrant."

"Your mom is amazing!" Gou Sheng swallowed hard, his mouth watering. "She can turn something smelly into something that smells irresistible."

Listening to his companion’s praise, Meng Shuyan proudly curled his lips. Yep, no one’s better than Mom!

"Gou Sheng, have you eaten yet? Stay and eat with Auntie today, and join Yanyan." Tian Sangsang moved back and forth as she spoke warmly.

"Yeah, Gou Sheng, my mom made something really tasty," added Meng Shuyan.

Though Gou Sheng was quite the little glutton, he knew better than to eat at someone else’s house casually.

He hesitated. "No, Auntie, I’ll go home. If I’m late, my grandma will scold me."

Despite his words, his inner desires betrayed him, as he continued standing still.

Tian Sangsang noticed his unwavering gaze fixed on the dinner table and shook her head with amusement.

She picked up a wooden bowl, scooped a little bit of each dish, and waved at him. "Come, Auntie will give you a bowl to take home and share with your family."

Blushing, Gou Sheng accepted the bowl and shyly looked up at her. "Thank you, Auntie Sangsang!"

"No need to thank me." Tian Sangsang gently patted his head. "If you finish it, come back for more, okay?" After enduring disdainful looks outside all day, seeing the bright eyes of children made her wounded heart feel soothed.

Holding the bowl, Gou Sheng left the house. He thought to himself, Shuyan’s mom really has changed. Before, he thought she was dark and chubby, but now all he could think about was her gentle voice, paying no mind to her appearance. The aroma of pig offal was just too captivating. Unable to resist, Gou Sheng grabbed a piece of pig stomach and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing it quickly before grabbing another piece and muttering indistinctly, "So-so-goo-ood!"

"Gou Sheng, what are you eating? Why does it smell so good?" Li Xiaoqin caught sight of her son eating some mysterious food and noticed it wasn’t their bowl. She went over and was immediately hit by its enticing aroma.

"Mom, it’s pig offal. Auntie Sangsang gave it to me," Gou Sheng replied, holding the food out for her.

"Nonsense! Pig offal smells awful!" Although she said that, Li Xiaoqin reached into the bowl and grabbed a piece of pig intestine. Eyes widening dramatically, she exclaimed, "It really is pig offal! How did Sangsang make it so fragrant?!"

Last time, Li Xiaoqin had tried steaming crabs to make crab roe dumplings, but the result was worlds apart from Tian Sangsang’s creations. She had given up then—some comparisons are just infuriating, and this was one she accepted.

Quickly taking the wooden bowl, Li Xiaoqin said, "Stop eating here; let’s go inside and eat this with rice."

After Gou Sheng left, Tian Sangsang went back into the house and to her special cooking space. She exchanged some points for tofu and a head of cabbage and made cabbage tofu soup. Pig offal wasn’t too greasy, but it was still oily, and having some light soup to balance the meal was the right choice. She also grabbed a grass carp, pan-frying it and serving it with dipping sauce.

Meng Shuyan sat obediently in the hall, waiting. When he saw his mother come out of the room with a few dishes, his dark eyes sparkled. But he wasn’t surprised—this was Mom’s little secret.

Tian Sangsang looked around the house, pondering how to earn money. The place was almost bare; she’d need savings to renovate it or find a better home. Plus, she needed stable income. She was planning to open a shop in town, but there wasn’t a property available for her yet, and buying one required funds. Tomorrow, she’d have to inquire about the prices.

As for long-term dreams, she hadn’t planned that far. For now, basic food, clothing, and shelter were still unresolved!

She served Meng Shuyan a bowl of white rice, and the table was now adorned with fish, soup, and the enticingly fragrant stir-fried pig offal dishes.

Both Tian Sangsang and Meng Shuyan had been starving; they quickly dug into the plump, grain-filled rice, devouring the richly flavorful pig offal dishes, their mouths gleaming with oil in no time.

"Here, son." Tian Sangsang ladled him a bowl of cabbage soup. "You can’t eat too much pig offal—it’s oily. Drink some soup to settle your stomach."

"Okay, Mom." Though reluctant to look away from the offal, Meng Shuyan picked up a tender piece of tofu and said, "Mom, your cooking is amazing."

"In the future, you’ll get to eat this every day." Tian Sangsang said happily.

Then she thought, her son must get used to eating delicious food daily so he wouldn’t make such a big fuss every time good food was served. This was what she called "making fine dining a daily routine."

Halfway through their meal, Aunt Zhong arrived, smiling. "Sangsang, Gou Sheng is so young and greedy—you really gave him a bowl of food. Is your family still okay on food supplies?" As she spoke, her eyes wandered to the dinner table, finally looking somewhat reassured: she had worried about Sangsang’s household not having enough for themselves, even while showing generosity to her nephew, Gou Sheng.

"Auntie, no worries. I still have plenty. Today, the butcher’s clearance sale was a steal—I bought loads of it, more than we can even finish. Do you want to sit down and join us?"

Having benefited from her food with the bowl she gave to Gou Sheng, Aunt Zhong politely declined staying for a meal. Waving her hand, she said, "You’re so generous—a whole bowl all at once. But to be honest, your cooking is impressive. I’ve already eaten, so you and Yanyan should enjoy more. I have to head to the fields now. Next time, teach me your recipes. Us younger folks these days have such clever ideas; you make everything so refined."

"Of course, no problem!" Tian Sangsang gladly saw Aunt Zhong out the door.

Meng Shuyan was nearly stuffed, rubbing his slightly rounded belly and smacking his lips in satisfaction.

To Tian Sangsang, he looked like a little dumpling. She teased him, tapping his head lightly: "Yanyan, sit tight for a while. Soon, Mama will take you out for a walk to digest."

Tidying up the dishes, Tian Sangsang gathered the blue pepper pig kidney stir-fry, pan-fried pig liver, and pig offal stew into a basin. She planned to deliver them to Widow Meng’s house, since she intended to borrow her sewing machine—generosity wasn’t without its reasons.

Thinking of when she recently got a ride in Li Zhengxiong’s car, Tian Sangsang also prepared a serving for him.

She had already envisioned the clothes she wanted to make and cut the fabric pieces; now the only thing left was sewing them together.