“It’s because of An’er. Aunt Xiao Sun likes pork intestines too. In a while, I’ll have to take advantage of An’er and eat a little more. An’er, don’t be stingy,” Aunt Xiao Sun said gently, worried he might feel upset, trying to comfort him.
Liu An knew everyone had misunderstood him, but he didn’t explain. Instead, he smiled and said, “Then later, Aunt Cuihua, Aunt Sun, and all my sisters must eat more.”
The girls all nodded enthusiastically at their younger brother’s words, promising to eat plenty. About half an hour later, the rich aroma of braised intestines drifted through the farmhouse kitchen, filling the air.
“Oh wow, it smells so good! I’m going to eat a huge bowl today,” said Qi Ya, practically drooling. Liu Ya nodded eagerly in agreement.
Breathing in the mouthwatering scent, Liu An tried hard to restrain himself but still couldn’t stop swallowing. “See? I told you—our An’er is capable. He can even make pork intestines smell this delicious,” Aunt Cuihua said with a smile as she and Aunt Xiao Sun steamed buns nearby.
Xiao Chen had originally made the dish thinking it would be a waste of the family’s precious seasonings. But when the enticing fragrance rose from the pot, she was stunned. Staring at the simmering intestines in disbelief, she muttered to herself, “This… it actually smells this good?”
Snapping back to her senses, she quickly followed her youngest son’s earlier instructions and added soy sauce and salt to the pot. As the seasonings blended in, the pale, bland intestines transformed into a glossy, richly colored dish, no longer dull but irresistibly appetizing. Looking at the beautifully colored and fragrant stew, Xiao Chen couldn’t help swallowing in anticipation.
“Mother, let it simmer for another half hour and it’ll be ready. I’m going inside to keep Grandma company,” Liu An said before running off to find his grandparents.
Xiao Chen didn’t stop him. She knew he was still young and wouldn’t be much help in the kitchen anyway.
Once inside, Liu An sat beside Grandpa Liu. The old man smiled warmly and gently patted his grandson’s head. “Oh? An’er finally decided to come in?”
“Grandpa, once it’s ready, you have to try the pork intestines Mother made. I promise you’ll be satisfied,” Liu An said with a mischievous grin, pride shining in his eyes.
“Good, good. Grandpa will look forward to it,” the old man chuckled.
Just then, Liu Dazhuang came back from pouring out some water. “Father, the rain has stopped,” he announced.
“Good. That shower came at the perfect time,” Grandpa Liu said happily. “It quenched the crops without delaying your trip up the mountain tomorrow to gather wild vegetables.”
“Yes, Father. We’ll head out early in the morning,” Liu Sanzhuang replied eagerly. “After we finish picking, it’s only about an hour’s walk to town. I can carry the basket there myself. That way, no one will notice—for now—that we’re selling longevity greens.”
Grandpa Liu nodded. “Have your older brother go with you. If the two of you each carry fifty jin, it’ll be easier and quicker.”
He added, “While you’re there, ask around about the private academies in town. See which one would be suitable for A’er to attend.”
“That would be great. With Big Brother going too, we can come back faster. Oh, Father—should we buy more grain? The grain I bought yesterday has already gone up in price compared to before. Coarse rice is eight copper coins per jin now.”
“Let’s wait and see,” Grandpa Liu said, tapping his pipe. “If we get a few more rains, this year’s harvest should be fine and grain prices won’t rise too much. But if it stays dry after a few days, then we’ll buy more to store.”
“Yes, Father. We’ll listen to you,” Liu Sanzhuang said obediently. Grandpa Liu felt satisfied. Though his sons didn’t possess great talents, they were dutiful and respectful.
Liu An, curious about what an ancient private academy looked like, chimed in, “Father, I want to go with you too.”
Liu Sanzhuang looked troubled. “An’er, you’re still too small. I’ll be carrying wild vegetables, and it’s too far to walk without taking the ox cart. You won’t manage.”
Liu An fell silent, visibly disappointed. Grandpa Liu spoke up, “What’s the problem? Let your brother Erzhuang go tomorrow too. He can carry An’er.”
“But Father, if so many of us go together, we might run into villagers,” Liu Sanzhuang said worriedly.
“You don’t need to worry,” Liu Erzhuang, who had been quiet until now, said. “Most of the farm work is nearly done, and many villagers have already left to take temporary jobs. We’ll just say we’re going out for day labor too.”
“Right, Brother Erzhuang—you’re clever!” Liu Sanzhuang said excitedly. “If we go back and forth to town every day like that, no one will suspect anything.”
“What are you all shouting about so happily? The meal is ready. My dear grandson must be hungry,” Grandma Liu called out when she saw the food was done.
“Time to eat,” Grandpa Liu said immediately.
The intoxicating smell of the braised intestines had long since whetted everyone’s appetite. At the elders’ call, the family quickly gathered around the tables. There were too many people for one table—children sat at one, adults at another. Because Liu An was a boy, he ate with the adults.
Today’s meal was especially rich: steamed buns filled with lard and braised pork intestines. Grandpa Liu even brought out his treasured wine and poured himself a cup. The whole family ate heartily, thoroughly satisfied.
“I never imagined pork intestines could taste this good! I almost bit my tongue. Our An’er really is smart,” Uncle Dazhuang praised with a laugh.
“If longevity greens can be sold for money,” Xiao Chen suddenly said, “couldn’t we also sell the recipe for these delicious pork intestines and make some money?”
“It definitely would sell. These braised intestines are so delicious—an inn or restaurant would surely buy the recipe,” said Aunt Cuihua and Aunt Sun, still savoring the flavor. “Why don’t we sell it to a restaurant?”
Everyone turned to Old Master Liu, but he looked instead at his youngest grandson. “An’er, what do you think?”
Liu An shook his head. “Mother, tomorrow morning please braise the remaining set of pork offal. I’d like to take some to the young master of the restaurant for him to taste. If he likes it, I want to give him the recipe for free.”
“An’er, why would you give it away? We could earn money from it,” Xiao Chen asked, confused.
Liu An looked at her seriously. “Mother, this braised intestine dish is simple. Even if we sold it, the restaurant would figure out the recipe in a few days. The young master from Heyun Lou gifted me two books—they’re worth several taels of silver. I’d like to give him this recipe as a token of thanks.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Old Master Liu nodded. “My grandson is right. I know all of you, especially Liu Sanzhuang Son’s family, want to earn money quickly. But the young master didn’t just give An’er books—he also gave our family a long-term business opportunity with the longevity greens. We shouldn’t be greedy.”
Old Madam Liu beamed as she served food to her grandson. “My clever little darling. If we keep a good relationship with the restaurant owner, we’ll earn plenty each year just from selling longevity greens.”
Since the household was ruled by the two elders, and both agreed, no one objected further.
The next morning, at dawn, the entire Liu family rose early and ate breakfast before heading up the mountain to dig longevity greens. Xiao Chen stayed home to braise the pork intestines again using the method from the day before.
The eldest granddaughter and second granddaughter changed into work clothes to go along, but Old Madam Liu stopped them.
“Yi Ya, Er Ya, you don’t need to go up the mountain anymore. Yi Ya will be married in three months, and Er Ya in six. Let the adults handle the digging. You two stay home and take care of yourselves.”
Xiao Cuihua felt deeply grateful. A few years ago, because the family had no sons, her daughters’ engagements had been delayed. Only after An’er turned three were marriages arranged— Eldest granddaughter to a nearby village, and second granddaughter to the Zhang family in the same village. They weren’t wealthy families, but the girls wouldn’t suffer, and living nearby meant they could look after one another.
The two girls lowered their heads shyly. Yi Ya, more outgoing than her sister, smiled and said, “Thank you, Grandma. Then Er Ya and I will stay home and cook.”
Old Madam Liu smiled warmly at her capable eldest granddaughter. “You silly child. Spend some time with this old woman of mine. Before long, you’ll belong to someone else’s household.”
Yi Ya joked, a little reluctant, “Grandma, then I won’t get married. I’ll stay with you forever.”
Old Madam Liu glared playfully. “Nonsense first thing in the morning! What girl doesn’t marry? Hurry and get married so you won’t clutter up my sight.” In truth, she had worked hard to secure a good match and didn’t want any more delays.
Even Xiao Cuihua lightly scolded her daughter for speaking carelessly. Xiao Chen stepped in kindly, praising Yi Ya’s filial heart.
Soon, Old Madam Liu urged the others to hurry before more villagers went up the mountain. That day, six adults went—no children—to avoid drawing attention. After the rain, the adults worked faster; each person carried a manageable load, and within half an hour they had gathered nearly a hundred jin.
When Liu An woke, his grandmother had saved him a bun from the day before and filled him with a bowl of pork intestine soup.
“An’er, eat up. Your mother finished braising the intestines. How much do you plan to bring to the young master?”
“Thank you, Grandma. Just fill a small jar. You should eat too—I can’t finish it all myself.”
“I’ve already eaten. Hurry up. We still need to visit the tutor in town. My clever grandson will certainly be liked.”
Liu An smiled confidently. “Grandma, the teacher will definitely like me. I’ll study hard, pass the imperial examination, and become the top scholar. Then I’ll make you a titled lady!”
Old Madam Liu laughed heartily, knowing he was just trying to please her. “Alright, I’ll wait for my precious grandson to become champion.”
Though he knew she didn’t truly believe him yet—after all, he hadn’t even begun formal study—Liu An secretly made up his mind. Once he began studying and passed the county examination, they would see. Yes, that would be his first small goal.
After he finished eating, his grandmother handed him two boiled eggs for the road. He accepted them gratefully and ran off.
Xiao Chen sighed to Old Madam Liu, “Mother, you spoil An’er too much.”
“He’s so sensible. If I don’t spoil him, who should I spoil? Why don’t you give me another grandson to dote on?”
Xiao Chen immediately fell silent. It had been five years since she gave birth to her son, and she hadn’t conceived again.
Old Madam Liu felt secretly satisfied. Her grandson was hers to protect. She knew very well that her husband’s so-called good third brother, Liu Dahu, had designs on adopting her grandson to inherit his land. The rest of their household depended on them—she would guard her grandson carefully and make sure he grew up safely to establish his own branch of the family.
Unaware that his scheming had already been seen through, Liu Dahu believed his plans were flawless.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen carefully packed the braised intestines into a clean small jar and covered it with fresh cloth. Just then, Old Master Liu and the others returned from the mountain with their harvest of longevity greens.