considerate

"Their best-selling dish is Maoxuewang."

After sitting down in the restaurant called "Tu Chou Wang", Li Yuzhu hurriedly called the waiter to order food and casually introduced it to Zhao Mingyan.

Xiao Zhu, who was sitting across from her, nodded obediently, "Maoxuewang is delicious, spicy and chewy."

Zhao Mingyan curled her lips and said, "Hasn't this Chongqing local dish been popular here for a long time? The Tan family's east chef also makes it occasionally."

“The methods are pretty much the same.”

Hearing this, Xiaozhu also nodded.

"no the same."

Li Yuzhu waved her hand, looked around, leaned over and said to them in a low voice, "The owner of this shop is from Baiyanchang, Chongqing Prefecture."

"White Rock Field?"

Zhao Mingyan raised her left eyebrow. "You don't happen to live near Longyin Temple, do you?"

Li Yuzhu winked at her and said, "It is said that he is the descendant of that butcher."

"Oh..." Zhao Mingyan understood.

"What butcher?" Xiaozhu was confused. He looked at Zhao Mingyan, then at Li Yuzhu who was smiling mysteriously.

Zhao Mingyan covered her lips, leaned over, and whispered into her ear, "Legend has it that while he was living in seclusion at Baolun Temple in Baiyanchang, Chongqing Prefecture, he begged for food from a butcher. The butcher cooked up some leftover bones, pea soup, and fresh pig blood and offered it to him. This is how Maoxuewang came about."

"oh!"

Xiaozhu suddenly understood and asked, "But why is it called Maoxuewang and not Wangxuewang or Lixuewang? Could it be that the butcher's surname is Mao?"

She was puzzled by this question for a long time.

Zhao Mingyan scratched her head. Although she had a lot of knowledge and experience, she really couldn't answer this question, so she looked up at her mother.

Li Yuzhu had already put on a "teacher-like" expression, folded her arms on the table, and started talking: "It has nothing to do with the surname, it's just the dialect."

"'Mao' is a dialect from Chongqing Prefecture, meaning rough and sloppy. It not only reflects the cooking method of this dish, which uses a variety of ingredients and is eaten immediately after boiling, but also reflects the local people's work style and temperament."

"Mom is really knowledgeable!" Zhao Mingyan immediately gave her a thumbs up.

Xiaozhu also hurriedly agreed with a smile: "Madam is what people in that world call 'the talented scholar with sweeping eyebrows'."

"But is this boss really the descendant of that butcher?" Zhao Mingyan was a little skeptical.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "True or false doesn't matter."

Xiaozhu nodded, "As long as it tastes good."

Watching the steaming Maoxuewang being served on the table, she sniffed hard, "The boss's cooking skills are really good, it's really fragrant, and the ingredients are generous."

Zhao Mingyan picked up the chopsticks and stirred it, and immediately the spicy aroma filled the air.

This pot of Maoxuewang is quite generous. In addition to blood pork and bean sprouts, it also comes with side dishes such as eel slices and tripe. It is indeed more delicious and flavourful than the ones made by the locals.

Li Yuzhu gave Zhao Mingyan and Xiaozhu a piece of eel slice each. "Their Maoxuewang is selling well, not just because of that rumor, but more importantly, it's because the dish is really delicious."

“Mmmmm!”

Zhao Mingyan chewed the eel slices in his mouth and nodded rapidly.

Li Yuzhu looked at her carefully, her eyes twinkling. "I calculated that your period is coming soon. Please be careful about what you eat these days."

Zhao Mingyan was stunned for a moment before responding.

Li Yuzhu continued, "I've made some foot bath sachets. After dinner, come with me back to the shop to get them. Even though you're married, your period pain won't necessarily go away. You should continue soaking your feet."

"The Tan family only has one female member, the old lady. I don't think they would prepare something to treat menstrual cramps."

Zhao Mingyan grinned mischievously, "Mom, people say 'women stop having menstruation at the age of seventy-seven'. I see that this old lady has white hair and a youthful face, so she may not have reached menopause."

Li Yuzhu immediately glanced at her and said, "Old Madam Tan is almost 60 years old. If she can still have her period, I will take her last name."

Zhao Mingyan chuckled and continued, "Fan Yuzhu isn't as nice as Li Yuzhu."

"cough!"

Xiaozhu quickly pursed her lips, afraid that she would laugh.

Li Yuzhu glared at Zhao Mingyan again and asked tentatively, "Did you go to the Chastity Hall again today?"

Xiaozhu immediately buried her head in her food and pretended that she couldn't hear.

Zhao Mingyan chewed the tripe and nodded calmly.

"Is everything going well?" Li Yuzhu picked up a piece of cold-mixed purslane for her with chopsticks.

Zhao Mingyan swallowed the tripe in her mouth and then told her mother in detail about her experience in the Chastity Hall today.

After listening to this, Li Yuzhu just sighed deeply.

Zhao Mingyan and Xiaozhu looked at each other, picked up their chopsticks and continued to pick up food.

After a long while, seeing that only the red base of the Maoxuewang soup remained, Li Yuzhu spoke solemnly, "They...all had a hard time."

It was already night and the south wind was rising. The stars and the moon were vying to peek out. Lanterns on both sides of the street were lit one after another. Some places were as bright as day, while some places were darker, just like the second half of the lives of the chaste women that were locked away.

Li Yuzhu looked at the waiter lighting the lamp and continued, "Regardless of whether you are from a wealthy or poor family, once you step into the Chastity Hall, you will be forced to do whatever you want. They are not deliberately trying to embarrass you, but are expressing their dissatisfaction."

"Because they can't say no to the hall master who is in charge of them, nor can they say no to the family members who sent them there, but they can say no to you."

As she spoke, Li Yuzhu turned her gaze back to her daughter's face, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she felt the same way.

Zhao Mingyan put down her chopsticks and held her hand. "Mom, you can say no. You are different from them."

There was something else she said, but Li Yuzhu didn't seem to understand. She asked, "You knew it was a hot potato, so why did you insist on taking it?"

Zhao Mingyan straightened his back and said, "To get into the business as soon as possible."

"This matter is both a helpless act on the part of the old lady and a test for me. If I can handle it well, perhaps the next step will be to allow me to participate in the affairs of the business."

"Right now, she has no reliable descendants. Her vast family business has no one to carry on the legacy, and sooner or later it will be divided up by the side branches."

"And the sooner I take over the business, the better it will be for my future children."

"The purpose of the two families marrying together is to make them stronger and bigger, to bring blessings to the ancestors and to their descendants."

The last sentence reminded Li Yuzhu of her late husband, who had said the same thing before he died.

What a pity...

Li Yuzhu smiled with a complicated expression and murmured, "It would be better if you were a man."

Zhao Mingyan held her hand tightly and said in a loud voice: "I will definitely be better than men!"

After the meal, the three returned to the shop. Li Yuzhu and Xiaozhu sorted out the foot bath sachets, while Zhao Mingyan went straight to the backyard.

The backyard has not changed much. Bamboo strips, wooden strips, paste, paper, pens, ink and other materials used to make lanterns are placed everywhere in a messy but orderly manner, and two lantern makers are working hard.

As Qingming Festival is approaching, local people have the habit of lighting "prayer lanterns" to pray for the blessings of their ancestors and to avoid danger. They also light "remembrance lanterns" to express their remembrance and respect for their ancestors. They are currently making these two types of lanterns.

Whether it is the shape of a seven-petal lotus, a dock, or a sky lantern, it is not complicated, but it also requires careful craftsmanship.

Zhao Mingyan walked over and chatted with the two for a while, then talked about his idea of ​​using silk to make lantern covers for a revolving lantern.

"Great! This silk is very translucent, and the lanterns made from it will definitely look better than rice paper."

"You can give it a try."

They both agreed.

Zhao Mingyan rolled up his sleeves and said, "It's better to do it now than to wait for a better day. Let's try it now."

The flowing lights cast shadows on the wall, casting the figures of the three people making lanterns, like a huge revolving lantern.

When Tan Linshuang stepped into the backyard, what came into view was a picture of people and lights becoming one.

Seeing Zhao Mingyan with her sleeves rolled up, sitting on a mat and concentrating on cutting bamboo strips, Tan Linshuang really didn't want to disturb her, let alone "blow out" the "revolving lantern" in front of her.

He just leaned against the door frame, his hands folded, watching quietly, like someone admiring a lantern.

He had an appreciative smile on his face and a relaxed expression.

If it weren't for the marriage, she would probably still be the lantern maker, and he would be just a passer-by, passing by the lanterns, occasionally looking up, and if he thought they were beautiful, he would stop for a while, and he would never be curious about who made the lantern.

Who says a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent? Many wealthy families are headed by women.

Suddenly, the image of the mistress that had been blurred in my mind for a long time gradually became clear...

"My dear son-in-law, why are you standing here?"

Li Yuzhu's voice suddenly appeared, interrupting his thoughts and dispelling the images in his mind. He turned around quickly, "I don't want to disturb Mingyan's work."

"Hmm? Tan... Ahem! Husband, why are you here?"

Zhao Mingyan raised his eyes when he heard the voice, and suddenly caught a glimpse of the stars above his head. Then he realized that it was getting late, so he hurriedly put down the bamboo sticks and bamboo knife in his hands, stood up and went to meet Tan Linshuang.

When she approached, Tan Linshuang leaned over and patted the crumbs on her dress, saying slowly, "Li Si said you wanted to stay for dinner. I'm worried it's too late and it would be too much trouble for your driver to take you back. Besides, even though the two towns are close, it's not safe to travel at night. Why don't you come and pick you up myself?"

"Oh! My dear son-in-law, you are so thoughtful." Li Yuzhu patted his arm and winked at Zhao Mingyan.

Zhao Mingyan scratched his cheek, turned around to say goodbye to the two lampmakers, and followed Tan Linshuang out of Mingyuezhai.

When Li Yuzhu handed the packed foot bath sachets to Xiaozhu, she looked at the backs of her daughter and son-in-law, one fat and one thin, and covered her mouth with her hands, "Who knows? In two months, these sachets will not be needed!"

Xiaozhu lowered her head and did not respond. She followed the two of them and sat in the front room of the carriage.

"Will my grandmother be displeased if I return home so late?"

After setting off, Zhao Mingyan spoke first.

She rubbed her hands with an embarrassed look on her face.

Tan Linshuang did not answer, but asked with concern: "In the weaving room, have the bamboos been cut by the knife?"

Zhao Mingyan stopped rubbing her hands, folded them together, and her expression became calm. "There's no need to rush."

"oh?"

Tan Linshuang raised her eyebrows slightly.

Zhao Mingyan raised her lips calmly, "If this matter were too easy to handle, it wouldn't be called a hot potato."

"Grandma wouldn't think highly of my abilities either."

Hearing this, Tan Linshuang leaned forward, half leaning on the low table with one hand supporting her head, and bent one leg. "So, my lady has found a way to get rid of the evil spirit?"