Chapter 126 (Bonus Chapter with 35,000 words of nutrient solution)

After Old Madam Lu left Lin'an, Qiao Mianmian slept until late morning on days when she didn't have to go to the food stalls.

Grandma Lu left behind two young maids, and Qiao Mianmian cooked with them. Now that she was a wealthy woman, she sometimes wanted to be lazy and just lie down and not cook.

Yesterday was Qingjiu's wedding, and there are still many leftovers at the mansion today. At noon, Cuizhi and the others heated up the dishes and served them on the table, jokingly remarking, "The mansion feels much quieter today."

Qiao Mianmian said with a smile, "If Qingjiu were here, he would definitely say that those people who ate at the banquet yesterday were really useless, leaving such a big pork knuckle behind. He would eat it all today!"

Lu Zhao smiled, but also felt a little uncomfortable. When Qingjiu was around, there was always noise in the house, but now that Qingjiu had gone to the Zheng family, it was indeed much quieter.

Qiao Mianmian invited Cuizhi and the others to eat as well, saying, "It's hot now, so everyone can eat as much as they want. We definitely can't eat tomorrow, and it would be a waste if we couldn't finish it."

Although the household has chickens and ducks, they can't eat too much, so the family still has to eat more themselves.

Cuizhi and the others ate at a different table from their masters, separated by a screen. They could hear any instructions their masters gave them at any time.

As for Qingjiu, he had already spoken with his master and agreed that he would continue to serve with him. Lu Zhao agreed and would pay Qingjiu his wages every month.

In the Zheng family's firewood business, Qingjiu only knows how to do manual labor; he's not good at negotiating prices or running business.

Qiao Mianmian ate a piece of braised pork knuckle skin, which was tender and flavorful, even better than lean meat. "I found a real estate agent, thinking that we still have money, so we should buy a property nearby. Property prices are rising every year, so it's better to buy sooner rather than later, otherwise the money is just sitting there useless."

In the past two years, housing prices and land prices have been rising. The paddy fields that Lu Zhao bought for six taels per mu have now increased to eight mu, which is equivalent to an increase of one tael of silver per year.

After the marriage, Lu Zhao handed the warehouse key to Qiao Mianmian and asked her to manage the household.

She calculated that, excluding her mother-in-law's dowry, she had tens of thousands of taels of silver in hand. Upon learning that she had become a rich woman, Qiao Mianmian's first reaction was that she was fortunate to have married Lu Zhao; otherwise, how could she have earned so much money on her own?

Lu Zhao had no objection. "I'll listen to you. As for the house in the alley, you can give it to my father-in-law. We're all family, so there's no need to worry about the money."

“That won’t do. Even brothers have to keep clear accounts,” Qiao Mianmian said. “Even if you’re willing to give it to them, my parents won’t accept it. Besides, my parents aren’t buying it for themselves; they’re doing it for their two older brothers.”

Her mother had asked her what would happen to the old house after they moved to the new one. Qiao Mianmian understood her mother's meaning and asked if she wanted it. Her mother said that once her older brothers had more children, even if they didn't separate the family, having another property would always be better. So she talked to her family and told them to bring the money to buy it anytime, and that they could live there first.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you then." Lu Zhao finished eating, put down his chopsticks, and watched Qiao Mianmian eat.

He now understands what Ouyang Yi meant when he said that having a wife at home makes even the most ordinary things like eating, walking, and reading enjoyable. He used to often forget to go home while on duty, but now he misses his wife as soon as he starts his shift.

With money in hand, Qiao Mianmian was free from the pressure of life, and she started cooking at the food stall out of interest.

She would sigh every day, "It's so good to have money."

After lunch, the broker arrived, and the couple followed him to see the house.

Qiao Mianmian doesn't want to buy a big one; a small three-bedroom house with a courtyard like the one Lu Zhao used to live in will do. That kind of house is easy to rent out and easy to resell.

In one afternoon, after viewing five houses, Qiao Mianmian finally settled on two, both of which were not far from the Lu residence, within half an hour's walk.

When I got home, Cuizhi had already prepared a steaming hot meal. She had stewed pigeon soup for dinner, and added ginseng and goji berries.

"Cuizhi, we just had a feast yesterday, why are you making such a nourishing dish again today?" Qiao Mianmian didn't have much of an appetite for the pigeon soup; she wanted something simpler.

Cuizhi was following the old lady's instructions and was thinking about giving her masters some extra nourishment. She calmly said, "It's too hot, and yesterday's leftovers have already started to taste bad. I'm thinking of cooking two new dishes. As for the pigeon soup, I haven't thought much about it; the Lu family used to eat it like that. If you'd like something else, I'll make something else."

Qiao Mianmian thought so too. Given the Lu family's circumstances, it wouldn't be surprising if they ate fish and meat every day.

But she wasn't born into a wealthy family. Since Cuizhi had already done it, she wouldn't be so pretentious as to ask Cuizhi to do anything else. "No need to trouble yourself. Let's leave it at that for today. We can make some more refreshing dishes the day after tomorrow." Tomorrow she was going to the food shop and wouldn't be eating at home.

Cuizhi agreed and served the pigeon soup and meat to her masters before sitting down to eat.

As soon as Qiao Mianmian took a sip of the pigeon soup, she knew that Cuizhi had put a lot of effort into stewing it. The soup was clear, yet you could taste the sweet aftertaste of pigeon and ginseng.

The pigeon leg was also very tender. Qiao Mianmian had just said it was greasy, but now she had eaten two pieces of pigeon meat. In the spirit of not wasting food, she made Lu Zhao eat the rest.

When Cuizhi came to clear the dishes, she was very happy to see that the pigeon soup had been completely eaten. "Tomorrow I'll make a winter melon soup so that Grandma can have a bowl when she comes back. Winter melon soup is the best thing to eat at this time of year. Add some dried scallops, it's simple and sweet. What do you think, adults and Grandma?"

Lu Zhao had no objection. He also ate at Qiao Ji's restaurant during the day. Cui Zhi wanted to make a winter melon soup. He could drink it or not.

Qiao Mianmian felt that being served so thoughtfully was really great. "Sure, just leave two bowls for me and my husband. You can eat the rest first. We just had dinner and can't drink too much."

"Yes, Grandma." Cuizhi thought to herself that besides dried scallops, she should add some other dried goods to continue to nourish her masters.

Qiao Mianmian didn't think too much about it, but by nightfall, she felt the effects of the ginseng and pigeon soup. She was already in good health, and now her hands and feet felt even warmer.

She went to look at Lu Zhao, whose forehead was slightly sweaty. She took out a handkerchief and wiped it for him. "It's still too hot. Open the windows more."

Lu Zhao didn't hear what Qiao Mianmian said; he pressed down on her.

"Lu...Lu Zhao, the lamp hasn't been blown out yet!"

"It's alright."

The cicadas chirped outside the window, and the candlelight inside flickered occasionally. This time, Qiao Mianmian was embarrassed, since the doors and windows were only covered with a layer of paper, and the candlelight was still burning, casting a faint shadow that could be seen from outside.

She was afraid of being... Waaah, her thoughts had barely drifted to the image of the shadow when Lu Zhao kissed her lips fiercely.

For some reason, Lu Zhao was more impatient tonight, and his attacks were...more intense.

"Lu...Lu Zhao!"

"Yes, I'm here."

"Lu Zhao!"

"I'm here."

"You...you...you be gentle..."

The room fell silent for a moment. A drop of sweat dripped from Lu Zhao's temple. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in and extinguished the candle.

Only a faint moonlight remained in the room. When Qiao Mianmian opened her eyes, she could only see Lu Zhao's general outline. She leaned back and bit down hard on Lu Zhao's chest.

"Hiss..." Lu Zhao groaned softly, then asked, "Can we continue?"

"You don't look like the usual serious Lord Lu at all," Qiao Mianmian snorted. "Luckily, no one else can see you like this."

“Indeed, no one else can see this. I only do this to you.” In the darkness, Lu Zhao leaned down and kissed him.

They indulged in a night of pleasure, enjoying the full pleasures of lovemaking.