Chapter 41

Zhang Sanzhuang looked at the picture drawn by Miao Wan and it took him a long time to understand it. He was stunned.

This kang was a family affair, and he had never heard of anyone using a kang in a restaurant.

He asked, "Awan, if we're going to entertain guests in the backyard, then they have to take off their boots when they get on the kang, right?"

The family at home has nothing to worry about, but the problem is for the diners who go to the restaurant. Even if they don’t mind sleeping barefoot on the kang, who knows what the smell will be like... ahem, will it affect their appetite?

Miao Wan hadn't really thought of this and was stunned for a moment. "Then why not dig a hole in the middle of the kang? Make the table legs longer and raise them above the kang so it looks like a low table. That way, you don't have to take off your boots, and it can also prevent any drunk guests from overturning the table or something."

Yes, she is so smart!

In the northwest, there is almost no spring and autumn. These two seasons are cold in the morning and evening, and only get warm at noon, and then it will soon enter the summer and winter seasons.

It can be said that the northwest is very cold in three seasons of the year. The sun stores up its light and heat in the summer and then releases them all at once.

Therefore, people in the northwest love to drink strong liquor to warm their bodies.

There are always people who can't drink much. She thought of the farmhouses in Northeast China in the past. The kangs surrounded by red floral cloth had tables hollowed out in the middle.

Maybe other people think the same way.

Zhang Sanzhuang: “…” That makes some sense.

He was too lazy to praise Miao Wan, so he just ran away with the map. Anyway, if he didn't understand anything, he could just come back and ask.

With Mrs. Zhang's fire stick in front of them, they just had to do their work obediently.

At night, Sun Yaozu came to Qiao's house, and Geng and Qiao Rui came to sleep with Miao Wan.

To be honest, Miao Wan was relieved to see Qiao Ruichen return to the camp.

She felt really uncomfortable having Qiao Ruichen sleep in the same room with her. She couldn't just treat him as a companion.

It was winter, and she was pregnant. It was a pipe dream for her to get up at night by herself.

Qiao Ruichen has been sleeping in the same room with her these days at home.

As soon as she made any movement in the middle of the night, Qiao Ruichen would get up first. He didn't feel cold even though he was only wearing underwear. He would take out warm clothes from the quilt and put them on her. He would half-help and half-hold her to sit steadily in front of the night incense barrel.

Afraid that she would be embarrassed, he wrapped himself in clothes and stood outside the door, waiting for her to finish using the toilet and cool down by the stove before coming in.

In just five days, she, a tough girl who was rejected by Sister Chenxi, felt Qiao Ruichen's thoughtfulness and gentleness.

The problem was, she had no idea how to return his affection.

She couldn't tell whether Qiao Ruichen's feelings for her were love, responsibility or gratitude, or whether this feeling was towards his original self or towards her.

She was greedy for the warmth of her family and couldn't let go of her nine-month-old baby, so she wanted to stay.

Would she have to take a concubine for her husband to disgust her in the future? She didn't want to do that either.

We can’t let Qiao Ruichen keep it in from now on. He has only slept with his wife twice since they got married... right?

This was what scared her the most.

Even if she could get over the fact that she had stolen something from someone, the only memories left in her original body were resistance and shadow towards that incident.

How painful must it be to put the whole process behind you and forget it completely?

The heavy pressure made her unable to even flatter Qiao Ruichen. The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

She was due to give birth in less than a month, and with Sun's mistake, Geng and Aunt Geng were now staring at Miao Wan like she was the apple of their eye.

Noticing Miao Wan's frown, Geng quickly asked, "What's wrong, Wan? Are you feeling unwell?"

Miao Wan quickly shook her head, "No, I'm just... I'm about to give birth, and I'm a little scared."

How do I tell my mother-in-law about this? Will she say that I'm worried about your son's poor life?

After giving birth, she has to go through the confinement period and breastfeed the baby, which will take about half a year. So, Qiao Ruichen can only continue to bear it and wait. We'll talk about it later!

Geng understood Miao Wan's fear, as she had also been afraid before giving birth to her son.

She patted Miao Wan's head to comfort her, "Mother and your mother will be with you then, and your sisters-in-law will be there too. We've all given birth to several children, and there's a midwife here, so don't be afraid.

Your belly isn't too big, so you'll definitely be able to give birth safely. It's just that for this month, I'll be doing the food tasting... or I'll do it for you, so don't eat too much."

Miao Wan was stunned: "..." No, she is being treated the same as her father-in-law?

She still wanted to struggle, "I definitely won't eat too much. How about I eat less at other times? I still want to know what my in-laws' recipe tastes like. I'm sure the baby wants to know too."

Geng: “…”

Seeing her daughter-in-law holding her belly with a pitiful look on her face, she was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and couldn't tell whether her daughter-in-law was afraid of having difficulty giving birth or not.

She didn't say no, "Then you try it first. When your mother looks at you and doesn't allow you to eat, don't cry."

"Yeah!" Miao Wan nodded wildly.

Because she wanted to open the business on February 2, the day when the Dragon raises its head, Miao Wan didn't plan to research all the recipes for the whole year in one go.

She saw that the things done on the live broadcast app were too diverse, and with her pregnant brain, she was afraid that she could not think of so many suitable things in a short time.

In February, there are not many vegetables and the weather is cold, so I made crystal meat in a jar. The longer it is warmed, the more it melts in your mouth. It goes well with rice or noodles.

The weather will warm up in March, and easy-to-mature vegetables such as lettuce and shepherd's purse should be available. Pairing the vegetables with grilled meat, and asking Sun Ada to make some Baiji steamed buns and crystal roujiamo, will be enough to retain diners.

Wait until April when the weather is warm and flowers are blooming. Spring and autumn are suitable for health preservation. At that time, hot pot will be served with a full range of side dishes and various soup ingredients. Even barbecue in later generations cannot take away the popularity of hot pot.

As for barbecue, perhaps influenced by later generations' thinking, she always felt that it would be more enjoyable to have it with refreshing cold drinks and various thirst-quenching quenchers when the weather gets hot.

So in the first quarter of opening the shop, barbecue was done once every ten days, just like Qiao Ruichen's day off, to attract new merchants coming to the town.

As for drinks, warm milk tea is the right drink in this season.

The tea can be paired with the Sun family's spring herbal tea recipe, which is perfect for reducing internal heat and warming the stomach.

Miao Wan can do all these things except barbecue. Why?

Of course it’s because she loves to eat!!

I love you so much that I subconsciously drool just thinking about it.

Miao Wan thought, what’s the difference between not letting her taste the food and giving cigarettes to a heavy smoker without lighting them?

Too cruel!

So, while Sun Laohuo was preparing the crystal meat according to the recipe she had memorized, Miao Wan only drank brown rice porridge in the morning and had two small bowls of dumpling soup at noon, waiting for the crystal meat to come out of the pot.

Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, as soon as the crystal meat was covered in the clay pot and started to be stewed, the rich aroma of the sauce just came out, and no one stopped her from eating it, but Miao Wan wanted to cry.

"I'm so hungry! So hungry!" She held her stomach, feeling very aggrieved.

Actually... she should eat more, right? Otherwise, wouldn't she eat too much when trying the food?

Looking at her speechless parents-in-law, Miao Wan whimpered aggrievedly, "Woo woo... Baby is so hungry, baby is so hungry!"

Geng: “…” She just knew it.

"First, have a bowl of Tremella soup and some fried dough cakes that Ruichen brought back. Take a small piece. I'll help you eat your portion of crystal meat later."

Geng paused, looking at the smirking Qiao Shengwen, and perhaps recalling the past, she couldn't help but laugh, "Mom ate with her back to you."

Miao Wan: “…”

Of course, although Geng didn't want Miao Wan to eat more, she was just teasing her, so it was okay for her to eat less.

During the food tasting process, Geng sometimes had to go to the human traffickers to help the shop select people.

Since she was not at home, Qiao Shengwen couldn't stop his daughter-in-law, but Aunt Geng couldn't bear to do it, so she let her steal a lot of food.

A satisfied Miao Shiren gave Sun Laohuo many thumbs up, indicating that the food tasting went very smoothly.

The shop renovation went smoothly.

In just seven or eight days before the New Year, the Lin family earned several thousand strings of cash by making toothpaste. Why are they still not active after tasting the sweetness? What are they waiting for?

Members of the Lin family would come to the Zhang family every day, and would come to help with the work even when they had nothing to do.

When the three Lin brothers learned that the Zhang family wanted to clean up the shop, they came with their tools and son without even asking for wages.

Let the Qiao family see it, and it will especially give Madam Zhang honor.

When taking the Lin family to the shop, Madam Zhang walked with such force that Zhang Sanzhuang laughed secretly several times along the way, and only stopped when Madam Zhang kicked him.

Zhang Dazhuang was busy slaughtering and collecting pigs as before.

Zhang Erzhuang wanted to open a pig farm, but the piglets had not been born yet after the Chinese New Year, and the pig farm could not be built until spring. He could only suppress his thoughts and continue to run his stall in Washi.

As Qiao Shengwen said, Xining Town was just a dilapidated village when the previous emperor first ascended the throne. It was later formed because the Gubei Army was stationed here.

Merchants were also happy to do business where the Gubei Army was stationed. At least they didn't have to worry too much about bandits, which is why Xining Town was so lively.

After the fifth day of the New Year, the merchants packed up their horses and camels, counted their goods, and gradually left Xining Town.

The town suddenly became much quieter, and it had a bit of the feel of a small border town.

In the restaurants and eateries along the street, many of the waiters and chefs squatted at the door with their hands in their pockets, chatting casually.

Occasionally, when the sun is shining, I take out a handful of melon seeds from my pocket and spend some time relaxing with them while drinking some strong tea.

It will be almost time for the Dragon to rise before things get busy again. This is the case in most of the tile markets and streets - except for the butcher's spicy skewers stall.

"Give me a hundred skewers of spicy hot pot and a hundred skewers of oden. Put them all in a pot, add plenty of soup, and cook them on the way. You can even soak them in steamed buns!"

"Have the promised 200 jin of gold ingots and 200 jin of noodles with the character for "Fu" been delivered? The owner asked us to load them onto the truck. Here's the silver, Boss Zhang, please count it."

"Give me twenty pounds of braised pork, twenty pounds of offal, and a whole Hongyun Dangtou. Can you make it by tomorrow? What? I don't want the ones from the street restaurant. They smell bad and are fried in too much oil and are greasy."

…

Many open-air stalls did not rush to the tile market, and most of the vendors with eaves only opened after the fifth day of the New Year.

Everyone just stood there with their hands in their pockets, watching people coming and going in the Zhang family's tent. It was as lively as before the New Year, which made them feel sad.

Some people's eyes were about to pop out, and they were talking about Yu Maocai who was standing not far from the entrance of the block to bask in the sun.

Even the sun could not dispel the gloom on his face. When others greeted him, he would just smile forcefully and curl the corners of his lips.

"Hey, Boss Yu, your restaurant business is so good that you look down on us old neighbors?" Some people couldn't stand Yu Maocai's behavior and said a few sarcastic words.

"Why are you so proud? Without Sun Laohuo, I wonder how your business will be able to perform next year."

Yu Maocai was so angry that he wanted to go up and spit in the man's face, but the air leaked out when he opened his mouth.

The slap caused him to bite his tongue, which bled a lot. It hasn't healed yet and even drinking water hurts.

He continued to glare at the Zhang family's tent.

Zhang Sanzhuang came out of the tent and saw it. He sneered in his heart and deliberately walked towards where Yu Maocai was standing.

In fact, the spicy skewers business is not as good as it was before the New Year.

The common people were poor and were not willing to spend a dozen or twenty copper coins to eat skewers. In the past, the main customers were not those who came to Wa City to buy things.

The snow had not melted yet, and many vendors did not set up their stalls. The traveling merchants only made one-time deals and left the northwest after making the purchase.

It looks very busy, but at most only half of the ingredients for the New Year are sold every day, and sometimes they are not sold out at all.

Since most of the orders are takeout, Uncle Geng and Zhang Erzhuang are enough to man the stall.

Zhang Sanzhuang comes here every day to deliver the goods that the merchants have ordered in advance, and he mainly goes to the street to watch the shops being renovated.

Walking up to Yu Maocai, Zhang Sanzhuang smiled and bowed, "Isn't this my former boss? My father-in-law is gone, so the restaurant must be too busy, right? How come you still have time to bask in the sun outside?"

Yu Maocai turned around and left with a dark face. When his mouth recovered, he would curse this little bastard to death.

Zhang Sanzhuang didn't wait for him, he also went to the street and was on the same route as Yu Maocai!

Yu Maocai could only listen to Zhang Sanzhuang's rants. "What are you talking about? Are you mad at me, boss? My father-in-law and I are two different people. I've brought a lot of business to the restaurant in the past. Even though customers don't want to go to our tent, my heart is still with the street."

Yu Maocai was so angry that he saw stars before his eyes, "Get out of here right now!"

Zhang Sanzhuang's eyes were sharp, and his smile became even brighter. "Hey! Boss, are you letting anyone know? Are you getting beaten? Who is it? Tell me, and I'll take care of it... Tell my father-in-law, and make him happy."

Yu Maocai paused and looked at Zhang Sanzhuang coldly, "You little bastard, you've finally stopped pretending. Do you really think I can't do anything to your stall? I'm not leaving a way out for you to take advantage of me."

"Oh, where did you keep that clue? Did you use it to ask people to come to our house and rob the money of the noble man?" Zhang Sanzhuang was still smiling, but his eyes were cold and a bit cruel.

"So you know, if some bastards insist on being unhuman, they should consider whether their thighs are as thick as your arms!"

After using the tiger's power to bully others and scolding them, Zhang Sanzhuang quickly slipped away.

The waiters and the servants of the Yu family are all in front of the restaurant. If I don't slip away, it would be like letting the wealth smoke out. Will I get beaten up?

He is not a fool like Yu Maoyaner.

Yu Mao was so angry that he was trembling and pointing at Zhang Sanzhuang. The servant came over quickly and said, "Boss, how about I go and beat him up?"

Yu Maocai snorted coldly, "What's the point of beating them up? The merchants are all gone, and there's no one queuing in front of their stalls. If I go and destroy their tents at night, I wonder who will keep an eye on them!"

The servant thought so too. Everyone was rushing to cross the border before the Lantern Festival. Most of the merchants had left, so there would definitely be no one guarding the place at night.

That night, the servant's operation went very smoothly. When he came back, he told Yu Maocai about it and was so happy that Yu Maocai gave him a pot of good wine.

He didn't dare drink too much, and he couldn't wait to get up early the next morning. He asked his wife to clean him up, and then he took the servants and Chang Ze and strolled to the entrance of the neighborhood, waiting to see the Zhang family make a fool of themselves.

He has been waiting for this day for too long!

But no matter how much they waited, Zhang Sanzhuang still didn't come. The sun was already high in the sky before Zhang Erzhuang and Uncle Geng came.

He didn't push the stall cart, but came with the Yu family, driving a mule cart.

Chang Ze couldn't help but ask, "Where's Zhang Sanzhuang?"

"Eh? Master Chang, Boss Yu?" Zhang Erzhuang just saw them and was a little confused. "My third brother is busy."

After Zhang Sanzhuang had finished arguing with Yu Maocai, he no longer wanted to argue with him. If you have the guts, go to the street and fight it out. Who has the time to argue with you?

Zhang Erzhuang was also busy. The Yu family had to transport a lot of things to the shop, and he had to follow them to transport the goods. The last batch of goods from the merchants was delivered yesterday.

Seeing that there were too few people, Miao Wan simply suggested that they dismantle the stall today and take a break for half a month.

When things get busy again, I guess we will be very busy again.

The shop was big enough and there was plenty of work to keep them busy for a while. There was no need to tie up both the home and the shop for a few coins.

When hearing this, Zhang Erzhuang was the first to nod, and then he was immediately stunned.

In the past, when he heard that there were a few strings of money, he was afraid that he would work himself to death to earn it. Now, after hearing what Miao Wan said, even he felt that she was right. This was really amazing.

While sighing, he asked the Yu family to dismantle the tent.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the Yu family started, the tent collapsed with a loud bang.

Yu Maocai was so angry that he ordered his servants to chop a few more times with axes.

Yu’s family: “…This, do we need to take it apart?” Just fold the oilcloth directly.

"Hey, we met a kind-hearted person. He knows that we are going to close the stall and open a shop on the street next time, right?" Zhang Erzhuang was not stupid. He glanced at Yu Maocai and smiled innocently.

"It really saved us a lot of trouble. When we find out who it is, we'll have to let my third brother thank him properly."

Yu Maocai: “…”

"Boss, boss, what's wrong with you?" As Zhang Erzhuang and his men drove the mule cart out of Wa City, they heard someone shouting from behind.

Yu Daqiang, the eldest brother of the Yu family, glanced back and asked, "Why are you still dizzy?"

"He's just immoral." Zhang Erzhuang only said this and chuckled for a long time.

After returning home to look after Miao Wan and the others, he told the story in vivid detail, making the Zhang family laugh so hard.

While Geng was not at home, Miao Wan secretly ate the lamb skewers, pork ribs and honey-glazed chicken wings grilled by Sun Laohuo.

Sun Laohuo got a jar of wild honey from somewhere and brushed it on the chicken wings. It smelled so good that she even licked her greasy fingers clean.

At this moment, she was also laughing, "When our Jufu Restaurant opens, maybe he will faint again."

Because the shop doesn't have a building, Miao Wan and her friends don't plan to run it on the scale of a street restaurant from the beginning.

Because Qiao Ruichen needed them to keep a low profile, the shop was simply renovated in the style of a farmhouse, making it simple and comfortable, and no one was asked to come up with a too high-sounding name.

Based on the principle of being catchy, Miao Wan subconsciously muttered the name Ju Fu.

Jufu, the homonym of "jufu", is full of her most simple wishes for the future and is also the name of her pig farm.

Others may not have thought of this, but it brings together good fortune and long-lasting blessings, and has a good meaning, so everyone agrees.

The name was decided in this way, and Qiao Shengwen wrote it with a stroke of his pen and invited a special craftsman to make a plaque.

Just wait for the shop to be tidied up and then cover the plaque with red cloth and hang it up.

"On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head, the big warehouses are full, and the small warehouses are flowing." This is an old saying passed down from the northwest.

Even the poorest families would make some steamed buns and bow towards the direction of the Azure Dragon in the east, praying for good weather in the coming year.

Most of the merchants from Dayue, Northern Mongolia and the Western Regions also arrived in Xining Town at this time and began to sell their goods from street to street.

First, they would process the various goods they brought, and then exchange them for various fresh goods from the northwest, and then go their separate ways.

In the northwest, the Lantern Festival is not very lively, but days like the Dragon Raising its Head must be celebrated.

Rich families would invite performers to perform dragon dances, although they could only use four-clawed red dragons. However, this was the only chance for ordinary people to come into contact with dragons throughout the year.

Fireworks and firecrackers are not an option here, but local people still have their own unique ways to liven things up.

Early in the morning, every household threw the prepared old tiles on the ground, and there was a crackling sound everywhere.

It is said that it can repel pests and ensure a good harvest this year.

Ju Fu Restaurant demolished so many old houses and prepared a lot of old tiles, just waiting for the auspicious time to come and open for business.

Originally, Miao Wan was not allowed to participate in such activities. She was about to give birth and that was no joke. What if she got hurt by someone's tiles?

But she really wanted to go and see the excitement, and her due date had not yet arrived, and her belly had no movement at all.

I heard that Zhang Sanzhuang gritted his teeth and spent five strings of cash to invite a dragon dance team to circle in front of the shop. Miao Wan really wanted to see it, after all, she wouldn't be able to leave the house for a long time.

Her family refused to take her with her, so she could only focus on Qiao Ruichen, who had returned home after taking a break.

Even though she didn't know how to face Qiao Ruichen's feelings, it was probably human nature to feel fearless when being favored.

She found that pretending to be pitiful in front of the Qiao family was so embarrassing that it gave her goosebumps, but it did not hinder her performance at all.

Because she was about to give birth, Qiao Ruichen specially sent gifts to the centurion. He did not take a day off, but came back every day and rushed back to the military camp before dawn.

Although he could only sleep in the main room, no one in the family objected. It was only natural for a father to want to see his child being born.

Miao Wan's eyes were red as she held onto Qiao Ruichen's hand. "Husband, I've never seen a dragon dance since I was a child. My baby and I both want to share in the blessings of the dragon dance and the shop."

Qiao Ruichen couldn't stand Miao Wan's gaze at all.

Miao Wan held her mother-in-law's hand again and said, "Mom, the baby really wants to go too. Feel it, the baby is jumping around."

She blocked her mouth with a handkerchief and sobbed a few times, feeling miserable in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion. Even Qiao Shengwen and Geng Shi could not say no.

Helplessly, Geng could only repeatedly remind Miao Wan that she had to stay within the circle of everyone and must not act rashly.

Miao Wan was so happy that she almost jumped three feet high. "I will definitely be obedient. Let's go now? The baby can't wait!"

Everyone: "..." If you were really obedient, you shouldn't go out.

As soon as I walked out of the door, Goudan and Changshou were throwing tiles at the door. Because the mud ground couldn't break them, the two of them fell on the stone steps in front of the threshold.

Miao Wan was startled, and then her whole body froze.

That familiar feeling of liquid flowing down... well, this time it flowed directly down my legs.

Her face fell all of a sudden. It was rare for her to be willful, but the baby was even more willful than her. Eh, wuwu…

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Qiao Ruichen looked carefully and asked immediately when he saw that Miao Wan's expression was not right.

"Well, the baby probably wants to come out and see for himself?" She held her belly and cried, "Are you stupid? If I come out now, I won't be able to see anything!"

Everyone: “…”

The author has something to say:

This is the first time I write about such a miserable kid's father. In the next chapter, I will give him a chance to become a regular. Although he is just a tool, it will be a happy ending~

The information related to Dragon Raising its Head is from Baidu.