The pork skin was undoubtedly fatty, but after being pressurized during the cooking process, it had become soft and tender.
The thick braising liquid, specially concocted from various spices and soy sauce, was perfectly sealed within the pork skin.
Once in the mouth, the moment one’s teeth touched it, before one could even perceive the richness of the pork knuckle, the entire piece of skin melted into a thick sauce and flowed down the throat into the stomach.
And when the pork skin was torn open, the lean meat within was fully revealed.
The soy sauce color had permeated it perfectly.
The entire knuckle was stewed until it fell apart. The lean meat had become loose, breaking into shreds that soaked in the sauce, making one’s mouth water.
Old Man Li couldn’t wait any longer and picked up a piece of lean meat with his hand to eat.
Pure lean meat isn’t greasy, but if not handled well, it can become very dry. However, with the pork knuckle Lu Wu made, there was no need to worry about this problem.
With just a few chews, the pressure in the mouth caused the fats absorbed by the lean meat to flow out again, shamelessly revealing the hidden fragrance within.
The entire pork knuckle not only lacked any gamy taste but instead carried the unique, faint fragrance of spirit pigs.
This fragrance blended into the whole, becoming the best catalyst.
A single bite could make one’s soul ascend.
Compared to Old Man Li eating it layer by layer, Lu Wu was more experienced.
She picked up the pork knuckle and took a deeper bite.
A large piece was torn off. Eating it with a good balance of fat and lean was the best way to enjoy a braised pork knuckle.
Old Man Li copied Lu Wu’s method, and his expression instantly lit up.
The lingering aroma unknowingly drifted from the kitchen out into the courtyard.
In the small alley, a few children who had woken up early were playing and chasing each other.
As they ran after one another, they happened to arrive at the gate of Lu Wu’s courtyard.
Although the gate was shut tight, the rich fragrance made the children stop in their tracks.
“Meat, there’s the smell of meat.”
A little fatty with a keen nose was salivating like crazy.
He was the only son in his family, so all the good food at home was given to him first. He loved meat the most, which was how he had eaten his way to a robust physique that towered over his peers.
Now, with just one sniff, he knew that the people in this house were eating meat.
What puzzled Little Fatty was that this meat smelled far more fragrant than what his mother made.
Just by smelling the aroma, Little Fatty’s stomach began to rumble loudly.
The other children were no different.
They gathered in twos and threes at the gate, no longer playing, and unwilling to leave.
“Fatty-gege, I’m hungry.”
A cute little girl walked up to Little Fatty, tugged on his clothes, her expression pitiable.
The two were childhood sweethearts, and Little Fatty often fed the little girl.
This had led the little girl to develop the mindset that if she wanted something good to eat, she should find Fatty-gege.
“I’m hungry too.”
Little Fatty rubbed his belly.
He remembered that when he left home, his mother had said they were having braised pork today. But now, tempted by this fragrance, he didn’t want to wait at all.
His mind was completely filled with the thought of eating meat right now.
“Come on, I’ll take you to eat meat.”
Little Fatty walked to the gate and raised his hand to knock.
Knock, knock, knock. No one answered.
This was truly because the gluttonous Old Man Li had forgotten to deactivate the Formation on the gate.
Normally, with Old Man Li’s Cultivation, he would have been able to sense the situation outside. But right now, his heart and eyes were completely filled with the large pork knuckle in his bowl.
He couldn’t spare any energy to observe his surroundings.
After knocking a few times with no response, Little Fatty’s cheeks puffed up with anger.
“Darn adults, trying to eat it all by themselves.”
Little Fatty, who was used to being lawless at home, fumed inwardly.
The fragrance was clearly wafting out from inside, which meant there were people in there. But they wouldn’t open the door. Wasn’t it because they didn’t want to share?
Good things should be shared.
Little Fatty, who at a young age had already grasped the true essence of moral blackmail, puffed out his chest after seeing the disappointed look in the little girl’s eyes.
“Follow me.”
He observed the area for a moment, then walked to a corner of the wall and squatted down.
“Ya Ya, you step on us. We’ll make a human pyramid for you to climb over the wall.”
A true man must keep his word.
He would be the base; he was stable enough.
“Is this a good idea?”
One of the children hesitated.
His mother had told him to be good when he was outside and not to do bad things.
“Don’t you want to eat it?”
Little Fatty put on a stern face. As he spoke, drool trickled from the corner of his mouth, which he then wiped away with his sleeve.
Faced with this question, the child touched the wet spot at the corner of his own mouth, unable to refute.
Just like that, the children formed a human pyramid and sent the little girl, Ya Ya, onto the top of the wall.
The wall wasn’t very high.
In the Qing Yuan World, this kind of wall could only keep out gentlemen, not villains.
And this time, the ones who had come were truly “little people.”
Lu Wu dipped a piece of lean meat into the sauce.
Just as she was about to eat it, she looked up and saw a little girl on her courtyard wall.
When the little girl saw her, her eyes darted around, her face flushed red in an instant, and her big eyes filled with tears.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was being bullied.
“You…”
Lu Wu was stunned.
Were the children of the Qing Yuan World this wild? Learning to climb walls at such a young age.
Just as she was about to say something, she saw the little girl get a fright. Her body swayed, and with a scream, she fell from the top of the wall.
“Careful!”
Lu Wu stood up, but before she could even get there, Old Man Li reacted faster.
With just a flick of his sleeve, an invisible gust of wind caught the little girl and set her down safely.
“Ya Ya, did you fall?”
Outside the courtyard wall, Little Fatty called out anxiously.
He had heard Ya Ya’s scream just now and was very worried.
After waiting a while and hearing no response from Ya Ya, Little Fatty’s face turned pale.
“Ya Ya couldn’t have been captured, could she?” a companion muttered.
“Maybe a bad person lives in there. My mom said that some bad people like to lure children with good food. After they trick the children inside, they skin them, steam them, and eat them with dipping sauce.”
This horror story scared the already guilty children out of their wits.
“I don’t want to be eaten!”
One of them turned and ran.
With this child taking the lead, the others quickly followed.
Compared to meat, they wanted their lives more.
In a matter of moments, only Little Fatty was left outside the courtyard wall.
He looked at the companions who had abandoned him, then thought of Ya Ya who had been captured by a bad person, and large tears began to fall from his eyes.
“Waaah, Mommy, I’m scared!”
Little Fatty’s voice trembled, but he remembered he had sworn to protect his little sister Ya Ya.
He swung his short, chubby legs and started ramming the door.
His expression was one of tragic heroism.
Unfortunately, after a few rams, the door still didn’t budge. Instead, Little Fatty’s own body ached.
He wiped away his tears, then his snot, and bravely continued his efforts.
“Ya Ya, wait for me!”
“I’ll definitely save you.”
Saying this, Little Fatty mustered his courage and, with all his might, charged at the wooden door.
“I’m the best!”
He cheered himself on. The instant his body was about to make contact with the wooden door, the door opened from the inside.
Little Fatty had not expected things to develop this way at all. Unable to stop his momentum, he lost his balance.
Splat!
Lu Wu held her bowl up high, avoiding the dust that splashed up from the ground.
Facing Little Fatty who had fallen flat on his face, Lu Wu pressed her lips together tightly. In the end, she couldn’t hold it in and broke into a grin.