Chapter 545: Chapter 545: Finale
The cook was instructed to steam a small bowl of egg custard just for Wen Yi.
The aunt’s cooking skills were excellent, and she steamed the egg custard to be tender, smooth, and delicious, with no trace of eggy taste.
Wen Yi took one bite after another, eating with great relish.
Old Mrs. Song saw his enjoyment and praised, "This child eats without needing attention, that’s really nice."
"Ever since he started eating solid foods, he’s been very interested in regular meals. He’s quick with his hands; one time, while eating conch, we weren’t paying attention and he grabbed a shell and put it in his mouth, nearly scaring us to death."
Wen’s mother, who was feeding Wen Yi the egg custard with a small spoon, happily revealed the little one’s mischievous past.
Mr. Ma sipped his little drink and sluggishly reminded, "You have to be careful, at this age, kids are curious about everything and want to put everything in their mouths to taste it, salty or not. If he chokes or gets something stuck, it’ll be bad."
It wouldn’t just be bad; if a child actually chokes and isn’t dealt with in time, they could die.
"So, we don’t serve any dangerous foods at home anymore."
Just in case the child quickly grabs something and puts it in his mouth and they don’t notice it in time.
It’s not just shells; even peanuts are no longer served at the table.
Mr. Qin highly praised this, "Adults can skip a treat for a while; the child’s safety is most important. When he grows up, if you’re the parent, you can eat whatever you want."
Qin Jiu, who was about to dig into a piece of fish, looked up quickly, "Great-grandpa, am I grown up enough to eat whatever I want now?"
The old man looked at the array of dishes on the table, paused for a second, and asked him, "What, aren’t there enough dishes for you to eat?"
"I want to eat beef tripe!"
Qin Jiu declared firmly, probably thinking about the taste of beef tripe, and even swallowed his saliva.
Yi Chichi immediately, sheepishly, hugged her bowl of rice; the beef tripe was her doing.
But it’s really hard to buy, just like beef.
To get some, you have to rely on luck.
So, it’s better to stay hidden.
The old man, who was about to speak, saw her expression and helplessly said, "You gave him new food again."
Yi Chichi, "..."
She couldn’t pretend to be oblivious anymore. She could only awkwardly explain, "It was a coincidence, grandpa, don’t mind him. Next time, if we come across some, we can buy a bit, but don’t let him spoil it."
Mr. Ma was also a foodie. Hearing about the taste of beef tripe, he became very curious, "Is beef tripe really that good?"
If he remembered correctly, it’s generally not easy to cook well.
Cook it too long and it’s tough, and it doesn’t absorb flavors, so it’s hard to understand what’s so good about it, not even better than pork liver.
"Delicious!"
Yi Chichi is a loyal fan of beef tripe, a must-have ingredient for hot pot; it’s just that in these times, getting beef tripe is really difficult.
"Too bad it’s hard to buy; otherwise, we could get some to try."
Ding Changwei, who was focused on eating, looked up, "You could check with the slaughterhouse to see if there are any cows being slaughtered."
The old man made the final decision, "Xiao Ding, go and have a look tomorrow; wear plain clothes, don’t reveal your identity. If there is some, buy a bit back, if not, just let it be."
Wen’s mother’s mouth twitched slightly; he’s just another one who spoils the child without thinking.
Luckily, their family’s Chichi became a mother and is already a mature adult. Otherwise, with the old man’s way of indulging the child’s craving for beef tripe and sending people to the slaughterhouse to try their luck, who knows how the child would turn out.
She opened her mouth ready to argue, but Ding Changwei cheerfully agreed, "I’ll go first thing in the morning."
This one is also action-oriented; since he said he’d go to the slaughterhouse, he actually went the next day.
However, luck wasn’t on his side; he didn’t find any cows but bought a pig’s head, four sets of pig feet, one pig heart, two sets of intestines, a three-pound slab of pork belly, and half a lamb.
Without going home, the visiting Mr. Ma, along with the Old Song couple, took Wen Yi and Qin Jiu for a stroll and returned in the evening. They saw Yi Chichi, Wen’s mother, and the cook huddled together cleaning the pig organs and were surprised, "Why is it all organs?"
"It’s delicious when braised!"
Yi Chichi didn’t even lift her head as she meticulously worked with a knife to remove the membrane off the pig heart; this part can affect its taste if not cleaned thoroughly.
"You’re cooking?"
"Mom’s cooking."
Wen’s mother nodded, "Yes, I’m cooking with Chichi guiding verbally."
She wasn’t new to braising food, but it was her first time with pig heart.
"You should’ve bought more."
Ding Changwei brought a bucket of water and happened to hear Mr. Ma’s words, offering an explanation with a helpless tone, "It’s not that I didn’t want to buy more, but the slaughterhouse wouldn’t sell it."
He had to slip a pack of cigarettes just to get these odds and ends; otherwise, they wouldn’t have given him any.
The lamb they were willing to sell, but the weather was too hot, it wouldn’t keep, and half a lamb was enough.
"How much did you spend?"
Mrs. Song was concerned not with anything else but that they were eating and staying at the Qin Family’s house and thought about contributing a bit.
