Chapter 109 Mushroom Soup and Taro Cakes

Hejia Village

He Chujie lay on the bed, emaciated.

Han returned in the dark. He Chujie had already soiled the bed. She could smell the odor even before she entered the room, and her breath hitched. She pinched her nose, not wanting to go in.

"I'll do it, I'll do it." He Yuanzong skillfully fetched water and went inside to help his father wash up. He did this every day.

Han went to the kitchen to cook some porridge. Just as it was done, her younger brother, Han Jianchuan, arrived.

Han Jianchuan was in his mid-twenties but still unmarried. He picked up his bowl of porridge and started eating when he found sand in it. "Oh dear," he exclaimed, "Sister, couldn't you have bought better quality rice? This is all sand! How can I eat this?"

"If you can't eat, then don't eat. Put it down!" Madam Han said irritably. "Didn't I ask you to take care of your brother-in-law? What happened? Did you let him wet the bed again?"

"How could I possibly do this? Yuan Zong usually does it." Knowing he was in the wrong, Han Jianchuan chuckled and changed the subject, "Sister, so, how much did Lin Xiahe pay you?"

He desperately wanted the money, but seeing his sister's dark face, he thought, "You didn't give me a single penny, did you? This is her own father and brother, and she doesn't care?"

Han Jianchuan raised his voice, and Han told him to lower his voice, "Why are you so loud? Aren't you afraid someone will know?"

Madam Han grumbled about what had happened with Lin Xiahe, "That ungrateful brat! She said she had the letter of severance and had nothing to do with us anymore. And her sister, she's such a busybody. She's surnamed Qiao, not Lin or He, what business is it of hers?"

"Sister? Is the daughter Lin gave birth to in the Qiao family beautiful?" Han Jianchuan asked.

"Why are you so unserious? We're trying to be serious, and you're bringing up the young girl again." Madam Han snorted. "She is pretty, just like her mother, with the face of a vixen."

Han Jianchuan understood. "That's because she's beautiful. But Lin Xiahe has gone too far. How can she ignore her brother-in-law and Yuanzong? If word gets out, isn't she afraid of being gossiped about? You can threaten her by saying you're going to her in-laws' house and see what she does then!"

Speaking of the Wang family, Madam Han became even angrier. "Don't even mention it! I don't know if the Wang family members are stupid or not, but they actually protect Lin Xiahe, that unfilial daughter. They wasted my whole day, and I even have to pay two coins for the toll to get into the city!"

She got nothing in return and came back hungry. As she drank the bland porridge, she became even angrier.

"How about we go visit Lin Wangchun again tomorrow?" Han Jianchuan suggested. "My brother-in-law has two daughters, not just Lin Xiahe."

Mentioning Lin Wangchun made Han feel apprehensive. It wasn't that she was afraid of Lin Wangchun, but rather that she dared not enter Linjia Village. "You can go if you want, I'm not going to find Lin Wangchun. Have you forgotten? She lives in Linjia Village. Before, we were just passing through the village, and the Lin family chased and beat us."

Sending her to Linjia Village would be suicide, not to mention causing trouble on Linjia Village's territory; she wouldn't dare.

"So you're just going to live like this?" Han Jianchuan's face fell. "Sister, don't forget, Yuanzong has mental issues. If he were smart, you'd have someone to rely on in the future, but with him like that, what will you do if your husband passes away at any time?"

He paused, then added, "Besides, I'm not married yet. Before my parents passed away, they asked you to take good care of me."

Speaking of these troubling matters, Mrs. Han frowned. "Let me think about it."

Inside the room, He Yuanzong carefully cleaned his father's body, changed the bed to a dry one, and brought him some hot porridge. "Father, please eat."

He Chujie lost his appetite after a couple of bites. He was sick, not deaf. Intermittent conversations from the living room drifted in. Looking at his only son, he asked with a worried expression, "Yuanzong, what will you do from now on?"

"From now on? It'll be the same as now. I'll take care of Dad and feed you." When He Yuanzong heard his father say he wasn't going to eat anymore, he finished the bowl of white porridge in one gulp. He wasn't full, so he ran to the living room to ask for more, but his uncle scolded him.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating! Your two older sisters don't care about you, how can you eat like that? You're such an idiot! Go and go sleep with your dad!" Han Jianchuan said irritably.

Han glared at her younger brother. "Why are you scolding him? He doesn't know anything." She turned to coax her son, "Yuanzong, be good. Go to sleep first. Tomorrow, Mom will cook you some wild vegetable porridge."

He Yuanzong didn't like his uncle, but since his mother had said so, he obediently went back to his room.

He Chujie didn't even have the strength to clench his fists. His eyes were bloodshot. He could only blame himself for being so useless. If he hadn't injured his back, his family wouldn't be in this state.

Seeing his son lie down and fall asleep, He Chujie knew that his days were numbered. He thought to himself that this would not do, and he had to plan a way out for his son.

The early spring night was quiet, without the chirping of cicadas or the calls of birds, yet He Chujie remained sleepless all night until dawn.

Meanwhile, at the Wang family home, Qiao Mianmian had woken up but was still lying in bed.

"Don't rush, Fourth Sister. I always eat breakfast before going to the food stall. You don't need to get up so early. Let's lie down for a while longer."

Qiao Mianmian rolled over. Her fourth sister smelled wonderful, like scented soap. "I'll make you some taro cakes later, okay?"

Although spring has arrived, there are few vegetables in the fields. Bracken and bamboo shoots have just entered the market and are very expensive, so they won't buy them to eat.

Taro cakes are made by shredding taro, adding chili powder and other seasonings, wrapping it in dough, and then making pancakes.

Lin Xiahe was no longer sleepy, so she got up to start a fire, and Qiao Mianmian had no choice but to get up and wake up.

Qiao Mianmian yawned and waited for the rice soup in the pot to boil. She then made herself and her fourth sister a bowl of egg drop soup. The hot egg drop soup helped her wake up and refreshed her after a long day.

Once the congee was cooked and the dough had risen, Qiao Mianmian dipped her hands in rapeseed oil, then pinched a hole in the dough and stuffed in lots of taro shreds. "Yes, just like mine."

She taught her fourth sister how to do it, putting the dough in her hands into the pot and flattening it with a spatula. Soon, she could smell the aroma of rapeseed oil and flour.

The pancake is only a thin layer, and you can see the taro shreds and green scallions inside. After one side is fried until golden brown, it is flipped over. "I'll make a lot and send some to the neighbors later. Sister-in-law Wang is a nice person. If we get along well with her, you and your fourth brother-in-law will need her help a lot in the future."

She wasn't familiar with the men of the Wang family, having had little contact with them. Similarly, Fourth Sister didn't interact much with her husband's brothers, spending more time with her sisters-in-law.

As the taro cakes were fried one by one, Qiao Mianmian took a plate over first. As soon as she entered the door, the children of the Wang family's eldest branch stared at her expectantly.

However, Zhou was very well-mannered, and no matter how much the children craved the food, they wouldn't crowd around to snatch it. Instead, they followed Qiao Mianmian into the house.

"Good morning, Auntie. I made some extra taro cakes, so I brought them here for you to try."

Qiao Mianmian put down the taro cake and praised Madam Wang for her good complexion, "Thank you so much for supporting my fourth sister yesterday. You look so beautiful. How do you take care of yourself? I'll tell my mother about it later."

"I don't know how to take care of myself, I'm just easygoing and have a big appetite." Madam Wang laughed heartily. "You're such a sweet talker, thank you for your taro cakes. No wonder they smelled so good just now, it turns out you made them. Look at these children, they're all drooling."

She waved to her grandchildren, "Say thank you to everyone first, then each of you take a piece to eat."

The children thanked Qiao Mianmian in unison. Qiao Mianmian touched the youngest child's face before saying goodbye to Madam Wang.

After Qiao Mianmian left, Zhou brought in breakfast. She first served her mother-in-law a bowl of porridge, and when she saw the taro cakes on the table, she realized that Qiao Mianmian had come. "I was just thinking of having Heze send over some steamed buns. Mother, how about the taro cakes?"

Madam Wang tore it in half, and the taro shreds inside were steaming hot. The spiciness whetted her appetite, and with the aroma of scallions, she took a bite. The taro shreds were smooth and slippery. Paired with a mouthful of white porridge, she instantly felt energized. "Delicious! The fifth daughter of the Qiao family really does everything taste good."

Zhou also sat down to eat, took a bite of the taro cake, and said, "Hmm, it's really good."

Seeing the children staring longingly at the remaining two taro cakes, Zhou divided them among them. "Speaking of which, the fifth daughter of the Qiao family is of marriageable age, but I heard from my fourth sister-in-law that her marriage is not yet settled."

Zhou has a younger brother who is exactly twenty years old this year, and the family is also arranging marriages for him.

Madam Wang glanced at her eldest daughter-in-law. She generally didn't interfere in her daughter-in-law's family affairs.

If the eldest daughter-in-law takes a liking to the Qiao family's daughter, that's a matter between the Zhou and Qiao families. She won't interfere. At most, if both families agree, she can help propose marriage.

"Whether it's settled or not, I don't know. The Qiao family has been coming a lot lately, so I don't feel comfortable asking about this matter." Madam Wang left it at that, indicating her stance.

In her heart, she thought the fifth daughter of the Qiao family was quite nice; it just depended on whether they were destined to be together.

Having lived with her mother-in-law for so many years, Zhou understood her mother-in-law's meaning from just one sentence: "Yes, after all, it involves the girl's reputation."

After watching the children finish eating, Zhou cleaned up and took her son with her to the neighbor's house with the rice.

Qiao Mianmian had already gone to the food shop, leaving only Lin Xiahe at home. Zhou Shi directed her eldest son to pour the rice into the rice jar. "Alright, go back and teach your younger siblings to read. Your father said that if you still can't write, you'll be punished."

When his biological father was mentioned, Wang Heze quickly ran away.

Zhou went to see Lin Xiahe again. "Before my fourth brother left, he specifically told us to take good care of you. You are feeling heavy now, so don't do any of the heavy work like carrying water or chopping wood. I'll have Heze come and help you with that. Mother and I will also help with sweeping and cleaning the yard."

"Sister-in-law, thank you so much." Lin Xiahe expressed her sincere gratitude.

"We're family, no need for such formalities," Zhou said with a smile. "I should thank your fifth sister. If she hadn't come to keep you company, Mother and I wouldn't have been at ease. Did she go to the food shop after breakfast?"

"Yes, the food stall is busy, especially at noon when there are many deliveries. Mianmian is the main chef; we can't do without her."

Speaking of her younger sister, Lin Xiahe said with pride, "She's the most capable in our whole family."

Madam Zhou praised, "You're just as diligent. It's a blessing to marry a girl from the Qiao family. Speaking of which, your fifth sister is of marriageable age. What are your parents' plans?"

"We're looking into it now. Of all my brothers and sisters, only Mianmian's marriage is still undecided. My parents are worried about it every day." Lin Xiahe said, then realized that her sister-in-law was talking more than usual today, and couldn't help but look her over.

When Zhou asked what she wanted to know, she changed the subject from Qiao Mianmian's and started talking about making clothes for the children. "You're so skillful. The clothes you made for Heze and the others were very nice. I saw you were making some for my future nephew. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Lin Xiahe said it was nothing, "I had nothing to do at home, so I just slowly cut things out."

While the two sisters-in-law from the Wang family were talking, Qiao Mianmian was already busy at the food stall. The Luo family had ordered two tables of food today, and Qiao Mianmian and her brother and sister-in-law were so busy that they didn't even have time to drink water.

Only after watching the last dish of braised pork ribs being served did Qiao Mianmian take a big gulp of water.

Qiao Jiaxing was hungry and ate a pumpkin pancake with his hand. "Business has been getting better and better lately, especially the delivery business. Even the prefect's family orders food from us. Shouldn't we talk to our parents and hire a few waiters?"

After the New Year, Qiao Ji Food Shop's business is 20% better than last year, especially its delivery business.

Because Qiao's restaurant delivers to the Luo family's restaurant regularly, the wealthy people in Tongluo Lane who have eaten there once are willing to send someone to order from them, so much so that Qiao's restaurant has been quite busy for the past two weeks.

Good business is a good thing, but if it's too good, the restaurant has to be able to handle all that wealth.

Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment and agreed, "Especially, we need to hire more delivery people. Our delivery business is going to double this year. My cousin Yinshan and the others said they're always in a rush. There have been several times when customers have complained because they've been waiting too long."

"That's true." Qiao Jiaxing then looked at his elder brother. "Brother, what do you think?"

"Me?" Qiao Jiawang was cutting yams. He looked up as if he was thinking, but finally said, "I'm fine with anything. I'll listen to you. I'll let my parents decide."

Qiao Mianmian and her second brother exchanged a glance, both with expressions of "I knew it." Just as they were laughing, Qiao Mancang came to deliver another order.

"This is for Lord Lu and Qingjiu. Today, Lord Lu ordered mushroom soup and a serving of smoked goose." Qiao Mancang put down the order and had just entered the courtyard when he saw Lu Zhao move tables and chairs to sit down in the courtyard again. He hurriedly ran over and asked, "Aren't there seats in the main hall? Why are you sitting here again?"

It was still quite cold at the end of January, especially when it was windy.

Lu Zhao said it was fine, "We're all so familiar with each other, we don't need to take up a table and chairs, we can just sit here."

Qiao Mancang felt bad and said, "Please sit inside; you are a guest too."

"It's alright, you go ahead and get busy." Lu Zhao said he had already sat down, so Qiao Mancang had no choice but to go and attend to the other guests first.

Qingjiu lay sprawled on the table, his stomach growling with hunger. "My lord, are we really going to sit here?"

He still wanted to sit in the lobby. Although there was no wind today, he was already hungry, and the cold outside made him even more exhausted.

Lu Zhao looked at the wooden window opposite and confirmed, "Let's sit here. Every time we come, the Qiao family gives us more portions and frees up a table and chairs so they can take on one more table of business, you understand?"

"Okay, I'll bear with it." Qingjiu smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen and had to turn her head to another direction, but she could still smell the aroma. "My lord, I'm so hungry."

He tried to find something else to talk about to make time pass faster, "When did you meet the people from the Lin'an Escort Agency?"

It was only when his master went to the escort agency to ask someone to help buy rouge that Qingjiu realized his master knew the other party.

“We had a few business dealings back in Bianjing,” Lu Zhao said vaguely. “If you’re hungry, don’t talk, save your energy.”

"It's alright, I can lie down. I just didn't expect Lord Ouyang to be so thoughtful, to even think of asking you to help buy rouge." As Qingjiu spoke, she smelled the garlicky aroma of the smoked goose, swallowed hard, and looked over. Seeing Cao Yuan bringing over the smoked goose and rice, she excitedly asked, "Second Sister-in-law Qiao, is this ours?"

Cao Yuan smiled and said, "Fifth Sister knew you must be hungry, so she asked me to cut it up and bring it to you first."

She put down the dishes and said softly, "The mushroom soup is also cooking and will be served soon. If you need more rice, just call out to the kitchen and we'll bring it over."

"Alright, Miss Qiao really understands me so well. I'm starving." Qingjiu first served rice to his master, then served himself a full bowl. He first took a big mouthful of white rice, then a bite of smoked goose. The garlic was even more fragrant after being smoked, and the goose meat was tender and flavorful. He could eat three big bowls of rice.

Before long, Qingjiu finished a bowl of rice, and Lu Zhao had only taken two bites when Qiao Jiaxing brought over mushroom soup.

"The shiitake mushrooms are freshly picked; wild ones are especially fragrant. I've also added some shredded meat for you, which is something you won't find elsewhere." Qiao Jiaxing told them to eat slowly.

He drank half a bowl of mushroom soup with green wine, and the taste was so delicious it made his eyebrows fall off. He said, "Sir, don't you think the Qiao family treats us differently, much better than others?"

"Hmm." Lu Zhao buried his head in his food; he had already noticed.