"Okay," she said to no one. "Okay, that's good."
She worked quickly after that, adding the seasoned pork slices in batches, pressing them flat against the bottom of the pot and listening to the way the sizzle changed as the meat made contact. She turned them when the edges went pale, let the other side catch colour, moved them aside and started the next batch.
The broth was rolling gently now, a low steady simmer, the bones giving up everything they had into the water. She added crushed garlic to that too, and pepper, and let it keep going.
The air filled with the smell of it.
Lin Wan stirred the broth, turned the last of the pork, and was tasting a small piece off the end of her wooden spoon to check the seasoning when she heard it
More than two sets, footsteps.
She looked up.
