Zhang Huan's memory is absolutely excellent.

She could recall every single word her father had said to her and her mother.

Seeing the little girl utter such highly insulting words with a blank expression, Zhao Sufang felt heartbroken and burst into tears, clinging tightly to Zhang Huan and refusing to let go.

Li Jin was furious, "Divorce this beast right now!"

No wonder my older sister lost contact with her family in her past life; it seems it was all because of Zhang Yusong.

Having barely interacted in either of their lives, Li Xiangdong squinted and carefully recalled Zhang Yusong's appearance. In his memory, Zhang Yusong was quite good-looking, about 1.78 meters tall, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and fair skin.

Otherwise, Li Lan would never have taken a liking to him.

Who knew he was a scoundrel who was all show and no substance?

Seeing that Li Xiangdong didn't speak, Li Ping sidled up to him and whispered, "Brother, we can't let Big Sister and Xiao Huan'er go back!"

Ever since Li Weijun's wedding, the little girl has insisted on calling him "brother". From now on, she only has one brother, so why bother with the distinction between "eldest brother" and "second brother"?

"Yeah, I'm not going back!"

With her brother's words, Li Ping finally felt relieved, and then eagerly asked, "Brother, why don't you take the axe and we fight our way to Yongxing! Let's vent our sister's anger!"

Her brother wielded an axe and showed off his prowess last month; he looked so cool!

Now when she goes to school, her classmates look at her with a mixture of envy and fear. Even the most arrogant fat boy in the class now avoids her!

There's nothing else to it, she's just afraid her brother will chop someone up with an axe.

Li Xiangdong was amused and patted her soft hair. "Silly girl, if you're going to fight, wait until he comes to our territory! Remember this: if you don't have absolute strength, you can't go to someone else's home turf to show off."

This illustrates the principle that even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake.

Li Jiabao asked worriedly, "But what if my brother-in-law doesn't come?"

"Don't worry, he'll definitely come in a month at most, or a few days at least."

This kind of man, who's a bully at home, doesn't listen to his sweet talk and claims he wants to find a virgin to have a son. If he had that ability, he would have done it long ago. Why would he wait until now?

Li Jin and Li Xiangdong tiptoed into the east room. Seeing that the adults and children on the kang (heated brick bed) were sleeping soundly with rosy cheeks, they came out with peace of mind.

At first, Zhang Huan would always wake up in a fright at night. Doctor Gu made Zhang Huan drink rhinoceros horn water for two days, and only then was he able to sleep soundly for one night.

Li Jin stuffed dry firewood into the stove, used dry grass as kindling, and the flames roared up, soon boiling a pot of water. The father and son used this pot of hot water to wash their faces and feet, and now, after lighting the fire, the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room could stay warm until dawn.

After everything was tidied up, Li Xiangdong couldn't sleep, so Li Jin told him the gossip about Yifengyuan that he had heard before.

Speaking of which, Yifengyuan in Huichuan County and Liubiju in Yanjing City do have some connection.

Li Jin slowly recalled, "When I was the factory director of Yongxing Winery, there was a technician who was quite familiar with me. We often ate together back then."

The technician's surname was Zhao. According to him, his ancestors were also from Huichuan County. Because they were from the same hometown, he became acquainted with Li Jin over time.

This technician, Zhao, is a very cautious person. He usually doesn't talk much, but he does become more talkative when he's had a few drinks.

Once, Technician Zhao drank a whole bottle of liquor produced by Yongxing Winery. He sat upright on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a stern face, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the table.

If someone who doesn't know him well saw him, they definitely wouldn't be able to tell he was drunk. Li Jin was the same; he even joked that he had a high alcohol tolerance.

To everyone's surprise, Technician Zhao completely ignored Li Jin and started talking to himself.

Because several years had passed, Li Jin couldn't perfectly repeat what was said, but he remembered the general meaning very clearly.

"Technician Zhao said that his grandfather was the master chef of Liubiju, a famous pickled vegetable and preserved meat shop in Yanjing City. He was skilled in making sweet sauce eight-treasure melon, sweet sauce black cabbage, and sweet sauce eight-treasure vegetables. However, Liubiju is a business run by people from Shanxi Province. Most of the people at the front counter are from Linfen and Xiangfen, and most of the master chefs at the back are also from Shanxi Province."

"Then how did his grandfather become the head chef of Liubiju?"

How could a master craftsman with such core skills be from another province?

Li Jin said, "Technician Zhao's grandfather was an orphan who was begging in Yanjing City. Later, he was taken in by an old man who had no children. This old man was the head chef of Liubiju."

Li Xiangdong suddenly realized, and Li Jin continued, "Later, the old man died, and Zhao's grandfather, who was young and in his thirties, was able to earn twenty silver dollars a month. Some people were not happy about this, so they set a trap and forced Zhao's grandfather to leave Yanjing City."

"Old Master Zhao may not have any other skills, but his pickling skills are absolutely top-notch. He took his wife and children back to his hometown and borrowed money to start Yifengyuan Pickled Goods."

"Sweet garlic, sweet sauce, sweet sauce eight-treasure melon, all kinds of pickled vegetables are bright in color, crisp and fragrant, rich in sauce flavor, and have a perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness. In just a few years, they have become rich again."

"In particular, Grandpa Zhao also improved the way of making preserved vegetables according to the standards of Liubiju. His preserved vegetables are golden in color and have a fragrant aroma. Compared with his, other people's preserved vegetables are like rotten cabbage."

"Why did Yifengyuan go bankrupt?"

Li Jin sighed, "Speaking of which, it still comes down to this: money can't buy a son or daughter's success. This old man Zhao was able to go from a homeless beggar to the master chef of Liubiju, and after being kicked out of Yanjing, he was able to make the new sauce shop thrive in just a few years. He's definitely a capable man!"

"But this capable man had three sons, each one of whom was utterly useless."

"The eldest son loves to eat and drink, which is not a bad thing for a rich family. However, the things that this old man Zhao likes to eat are strange and unusual. For example, tofu made with crucian carp brains and stir-fried duck tongues. In short, each meal is equivalent to the expenses of an ordinary family for a year."

"The second son loves opium, the third son loves gambling, and none of these three brothers are capable of taking over the family business."

"When Old Master Zhao was in his fifties or sixties, he was so angry with his three sons that he bought a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in the hopes of having another son and disciplining him properly."

"Who would have thought? Before his fourth son was even born, Old Master Zhao was driven to his death by debt collectors. It turned out to be that Third Master Zhao, who owed three thousand silver dollars in gambling debts in Bincheng!"

"Later, the three brothers divided the family property. Not long after, the once-thriving Yifengyuan preserved meat business was sold off, and the Zhao family became an ordinary family."

After finishing speaking in one breath, Li Jin coughed again, quickly got up, picked up the water from the bedside table, and drank a few mouthfuls.

Li Xiangdong asked, "Then which of Old Master Zhao's sons is this Technician Zhao a descendant of?"