The verdict for Lin Sisi was quickly decided. Given the severity of the situation, she was ordered to compensate the victim's family with 3,000 yuan plus an additional 200 yuan in damages and sentenced to one year in prison.
Si Nian received the news immediately.
The compensation and damages were swiftly delivered to her by the police.
Naturally, she also learned about Lin Sisi's imprisonment.
Though it was just a year, in this era, such a sentence was quite devastating.
This meant that even if Lin Sisi managed to get into university later, she would lose any chance of entering civil service—her future generations would also be affected for three generations.
It was uncertain whether the Fu family would still accept such a daughter-in-law.
In any case, once Lin Sisi was released, she would have a mountain of troubles waiting for her, and for the time being, she wouldn’t be able to cause Si Nian any problems.
As for whether Lin Sisi would seek revenge later, Si Nian wasn’t concerned.
After all, in her eyes, Lin Sisi wasn’t particularly clever—certainly not someone she couldn’t handle.
At least the 3,000 yuan was finally recovered.
In high spirits, Si Nian spent the evening with Lin's mother and the others, preparing a large batch of braised sauce.
Since Lin Feng had to make deliveries early the next morning at around four or five, they had to start braising the meat the night before.
This way, by dawn, the meat would be perfectly infused with flavor, reaching its peak taste.
Early in the morning, villagers rushed to the pig farm to grab meat.
Zhou Yueshen never kept too much in stock, as unsold meat would lose its freshness by the next day.
So it was first come, first served.
People usually started gathering as soon as the butchering began.
As soon as they stepped into the pig farm, an irresistible aroma of meat overwhelmed their senses, making the early-rising aunties straighten up in surprise.
"Goodness! Where is that smell coming from?"
"It’s so fragrant—what is it?"
"I’ve smelled this before when passing by Director Zhou’s house! It’s that braised meat aroma, incredibly rich. Every time we walked by, my husband would linger for ages!"
"Braised meat? Isn’t that what Si Nian said she’d teach her mother to make and sell?"
Snapping back to reality, everyone hurried toward the source of the smell and soon spotted Lin's mother and Zhou Suisui.
The two were slicing meat for the farm workers to taste, and the scent alone was enough to make mouths water.
It was unbelievably delicious!
Where on earth had Director Zhou’s wife learned such skills?
Envious drool practically dripped from the corners of their mouths—
"Hey there, is this the braised meat you’re selling? How much per jin? Can we try some?"
Lin's mother replied warmly, "Of course! Taste it first, and if you like it, you can buy."
"Pork intestines are 1.3 yuan per jin, other cuts like ears and trotters are 1 yuan."
The braised selection wasn’t extensive—mostly offal, pig ears, trotters, and such.
Since quality meat was expensive, with prime cuts in the city selling for 1.5 yuan per jin, she focused on trotters and shanks for braising.
"What? This is just offal! And pig ears and trotters barely have any meat. How can you charge 1.3 yuan? That’s practically robbery!"
Here at the farm, meat was cheaper than in the city—1.2 yuan for fatty cuts compared to 1.5 yuan in town.
Yet Lin's mother was asking for a whole yuan for these scraps? That was way too steep.
Having gained experience in business, Lin's mother no longer panicked when faced with skepticism. Calmly, she explained, "The spices are expensive too. Only buy if you’re comfortable with the price."
Her daughter had advised her not to lower prices just because people complained—it would only make them think she was desperate.
Besides, they were honest people. Just like when they sold pastries, they used top-quality spices.
With so much effort and ingredients going into each batch, the modest profit was well-earned.
Hearing this, the crowd fell silent.
Some still grumbled, but the tantalizing aroma made their stomachs growl. Unable to resist, one finally caved.
"Fine, let me try a bit. If it’s good, I’ll buy."
Without another word, Lin's mother sliced samples for the group.
At first, they were skeptical, assuming the flavor came from an overload of spices.
But the moment the food touched their tongues, their eyes widened in shock.
The pig intestines, unappealing as they looked, were rich and savory—utterly free of any gaminess or greasiness. Each chew released more depth, and the aftertaste lingered long after swallowing.
The pork itself was tender, melting on the tongue without a hint of greasiness.
This was leagues better than their usual stir-fried dishes!
They exchanged stunned glances.
"This is amazing! How is it so flavorful? How do you make it, dear?"
Swallowing hard, they wanted more samples but felt too embarrassed to ask in front of everyone.
Lin's mother smiled. "It’s not hard, but it requires a lot of spices and effort."
Hearing this, they didn’t press further.
Their knowledge of spices was limited anyway—no way they could replicate it.
Now torn between desire and the price, they hesitated.
But Lin's mother wasn’t worried. Meanwhile, the farm workers, after tasting, clamored for portions to take home for drinks.
Her son-in-law had already secured sales channels for the meat, so village sales were just a bonus. Whether these folks bought or not made little difference.
After weighing portions for the workers and seeing the pork packed up, she began tidying up to head to town.
Lin's mother and Zhou Suisui were also selling pastries.
With both braised meat and pastries, they had their hands full.
Supporting so many children meant every bit of income counted.
As they prepared to leave, the crowd grew anxious.
"Wait, dear! Let me get some!"
"Me too! I’ll take some back for my husband’s drinks."
"..."
The Lin family’s business thrived. Once word spread about the braised meat, people from neighboring villages flocked to try it.
Many had been doubtful at first, but in the end, they all became converts.
Lin's mother couldn’t keep up with demand.
Eventually, they divided tasks—Zhou Suisui handled pastries while Lin's mother focused on braised meat, streamlining their workflow.
Though Lin's father had limited mobility, he pitched in with washing and prep work.
The whole family was busy, but their exhaustion was laced with joy.
Even if this year’s harvest was poor, they’d at least have a comfortable winter.
...
Winter arrived late this year, but the chill had finally settled in.
After dinner, Zhou Zehan sidled up to Si Nian.
"Mom, the teacher said tomorrow is New Year’s Day. We get a day off!"
Si Nian raised an eyebrow. "New Year’s Day? Then let’s have dumplings tomorrow."
"Dumplings? You mean those round ones?" Zhou Zehan’s eyes sparkled.
"Silly, those are tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls)."
