Chapter 17 Braised Pork Sandwich

Lu Zhao found his meal tasteless, while the Qiao family next door found it increasingly delicious.

The taro is soaked in the rich, oily flavor of the fatty pork, making the meat flavorful but not greasy. The preserved mustard greens at the bottom of the bowl are also soaked in the oil, making it a perfect dish to eat with rice.

Qiao Jiaxing had already eaten two bowls of rice, let out a satisfied burp, and looked at the meat in his bowl. "Fifth Sister, how come ordinary dishes taste so much better in your hands?"

"Aunt Zhou said that in order to make delicious dishes, the heat is very important. You can't overcook them, and the seasonings must also be appropriate."

Qiao Mianmian, having finished eating, stood rubbing her stomach to prevent a tummy bulge. "Second brother, why don't you learn from him? Maybe you'll have more talent?"

"I can't. You can ask me to calculate the wages of each dockworker, but I really can't cook." Qiao Jiaxing waved his hands repeatedly. "I'll go chop wood. I'll eat my fill and then I can get back to work."

Qiao Mianmian went to the backyard to stir-fry the braised meat, taking her fourth sister with her. "Stir it every 15 minutes so that it's evenly seasoned and won't stick to the pot. Fourth sister, did you remember all the spices I told you about?"

Today, she taught her fourth sister how to make braised food. In ancient times, recipes were closely guarded secrets, passed down even within a family, and not everyone could learn them.

But Qiao Mianmian didn't care about any of that. As long as they were her family, she was willing to teach them. In the future, any of her older brothers and sisters could make a living this way.

Lin Xiahe said she remembered.

"Then you can handle the second batch, and I'll watch from the side. Don't be nervous. You've watched me braise it for several days, so you must remember the process. Tomorrow is the first day of the prefectural examination. Xu Tongsheng said that the prefectural examination will have three sessions. The food in the examination hall is not good. Let's wait until they finish the examination and then carry our loads to sell braised food and steamed buns."

Qiao Mianmian has already made an appointment with the steamed bun vendor. She wants to buy a hundred steamed buns tomorrow and will sell them along with braised dishes.

"Mianmian, you're amazing! You can come up with all sorts of business ideas." Lin Xiahe praised sincerely.

Qiao Mianmian thought to herself that she had gained a lifetime of experience, which gave her the ideas she had now. If she were an ancient native, she might not have been able to come up with these methods.

However, she was still very happy to be praised. "Fourth sister, you are also very capable. You have never formally studied embroidery, but you can make clothes for others, which shows that you are also very smart."

The two sisters praised each other. When Lin came over, she felt even more guilty looking at her two daughters' diligent appearance.

She turned and went inside. She counted the money she had saved. Now that things had come to this, she had to show some courage. She wasn't going to fight for a meager living, but for the sake of pride. She had to make sure that her life was prosperous!

Just then, Widow Wang's voice came from the front hall. Lin locked the small wooden box, but before she could go over, she heard Widow Wang's loud voice.

"The end of the month is my second son's special day, your family must come." As Widow Wang spoke, she saw Lin Shi come out and, remembering that Lin Shi had previously looked down on her family, she deliberately boasted, "I've spoken to the matchmaker and asked her to find a match for my eldest and third sons as soon as possible. I've already rented another house, and we can move there after my third son gets married."

The eldest son is the one who will take care of her in her old age, so naturally he will live with her.

Lin thought to herself that it was just renting a house, not buying one, and seeing the smug look on Widow Wang's face made her uneasy. However, she still smiled and congratulated her, "Just call me if you need anything, and I'll definitely come to help."

When neighbors host a banquet and the family is too busy, they will ask others to help out. The banquet will be held on the street in the alley, with each family contributing their own bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs. For more than ten years, no one has gone to a restaurant to host the banquet.

"Of course, we can't do without you, no matter who else is missing."

Widow Wang leaned closer as she spoke, "But I have a problem that's giving me a headache, aunties and sisters, can you help me make a decision? A new family moved into the house across from yours, and I only see those two people once every three to five days, so I don't know them at all. But when there are events in our alley, everyone gets invited. Do you think I should go and send out invitations?"

"Well..." Madam Lin also felt it was a difficult situation. They were indeed unfamiliar with the area, and if they suddenly sent out invitations, and the recipients were unwilling to come, there would definitely be gossip behind their backs. However, all the other families had sent invitations, but their family was the only one left out, which would not look good later.

Lin looked at her mother-in-law, who was a woman of strong opinions, and said, "Mother, what do you think?"

Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Since that's how it's always been, even if we're not close, we should still go and greet them out of courtesy. Whether they come or not is their business, but since your family is here, if we don't say hello, it'll be easy for them to gossip about it later."

"Oh dear, I don't have any elders in my family, so I have no one to discuss these things with. Luckily, my aunt is a kind person and is willing to give me advice. I'll go over and say hello, you all can rest now." Widow Wang said and left.

Once Widow Wang was out of sight, Lin muttered to herself, "She said that on purpose for me to hear. It's really impressive to buy a house."

“She’s had it tough too, raising so many children all by herself. It’s only because her second son is so understanding, otherwise, who knows when her sons would get married.” Zhang could understand Widow Wang. “Alright, let’s go and rest. You’ve been busy all day, and you’re still sick.”

Madam Lin hummed in agreement and turned to go back into the house.

The aroma of braised food wafted from the backyard. Making braised food wasn't difficult, and Lin Xiahe quickly got the hang of it. The two sisters ladled out the cooked braised food and then went to rest together.

The next morning, Qiao Mianmian first went to the market to set up a stall. When there were fewer people in the market, she then had her older brother carry the load to the vicinity of the examination site.

She had inquired with Manager Sun and learned that one could set up a temporary stall near the examination hall, and if government officials came looking for them, they could simply give them a few coins as a bribe.

She went to find Wu Ermao herself.

Qiao Mianmian called him to a secluded riverbank and said directly, "Brother Er Mao, Aunt Wu went to see my fourth sister and my mother. Do you know how much Aunt Wu dislikes my fourth sister?"

"I don't know, what's going on?" Wu Ermao frowned.

"It's exactly what I said. Aunt Wu is afraid that my fourth sister will cling to you, so she wants my fourth sister to be her niece-in-law. I'm here today to say a few words for you on behalf of my fourth sister. She tells you to listen to your mother and go find a good match. Even if she becomes a nun, she won't marry you."

Qiao Mianmian confirmed several times that her fourth sister indeed had no feelings for Wu Ermao.

Wu Ermao was stunned when he heard this. Seeing Qiao Mianmian puffing out her cheeks in anger, he hurriedly explained, "My mother is my mother. I will persuade her to agree. I've liked your fourth sister since I was little. Can you put in a good word for me?"

"Don't say such things. You and my fourth sister have nothing, and Aunt Wu is already talking about her affairs with the matchmaker. If something really happened, wouldn't Aunt Wu be making a huge scene and cursing everyone?"

Qiao Mianmian took a deep breath. "Marriage is about mutual affection. Since my fourth sister is unwilling, you can give up on that idea. Even if you force Aunt Wu to agree, my family will not agree. My mother also said that even if she raises my fourth sister for the rest of her life, she will not let her marry you."

Seeing Wu Ermao stunned, Qiao Mianmian emphasized, "Brother Ermao, you should know how important a young lady's reputation is. You only came to see my fourth sister a few more times, and Aunt Wu is already so anxious. If you really care about my fourth sister, then don't come to see her anymore. You and she are not meant to be."

"How could there not be?"

Wu Ermao felt a tightness in his chest. "I thought I came back too late, but it turns out Yuan Qiang and that woman are still entangled. Mianmian, please talk to your fourth sister for me. As long as she marries me, I will treat her well for the rest of my life."

"But Er Mao, will Aunt Wu treat my fourth sister well? When you're not home, Aunt Wu can do whatever she wants to my fourth sister. She just doesn't care about our family, and that's a fact you can't change. Aunt Wu only has you as her son. Are you going to abandon your mother after you get married? That's impossible."

Now that she's here, Qiao Mianmian will make things clear: "Most importantly, my fourth sister has no feelings for you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to the marriage with the Yuan family, but would have waited for you to come back quietly."

"I……"

"Brother Er Mao, let go. You can't force feelings. Just live your life. It's better for you and Fourth Sister. Don't make things too ugly. It's really hard for everyone to feel comfortable living so close to each other." Qiao Mianmian sighed earnestly. Actually, Wu Er Mao was a decent person. The problem was that Aunt Wu looked down on her family.

Marriage is not just a matter between two people. Qiao Mianmian is not love-struck and doesn't fantasize about time revealing true character. As long as she treats Aunt Wu well, she will eventually win her over. She can endure hardship, but she will never endure the hardship of being love-struck. Besides, Fourth Sister really has no feelings for Wu Ermao.

Seeing Wu Ermao standing there dumbfounded, Qiao Mianmian asked again, "Did you write it down?"

"Your fourth sister said it herself, she doesn't like me?" Wu Ermao was devastated when he heard this. "Why?"

"She said she remembers all the embarrassing things you did when you were little, like climbing trees, pooping in your pants, and so on. Er Mao, you can't force things. My fourth sister said that if her reputation is ruined, she'll fight Aunt Wu to the death. You don't want to see that happen, do you?" Just thinking about that scene made Qiao Mianmian feel disgusted by Wu Er Mao, and she subconsciously wanted to back down.

Wu Ermao's face flushed instantly. "She...how could she tell you everything? Those were things from when she was just a few years old!"

That's so embarrassing.

At the same time, I am heartbroken.

They say men don't easily shed tears, but Wu Ermao really wanted to cry right now. "Is it because of this?"

"And your mother too," Qiao Mianmian replied coldly. "I can't talk to you anymore, I'm going to set up my stall. Er Mao, give up on my fourth sister, we'll both be better off from now on."

Knowing her older brother wasn't good with words, Qiao Mianmian hurriedly ran off. There would definitely be a lot of people outside the exam hall, and if she didn't seize the opportunity to sell the braised meat, the taste would be much worse the next day, especially since the weather hadn't turned cold yet.

She ran all the way to the stall and saw that her fourth sister and eldest brother were already selling braised meat sandwiches, and business seemed to be going quite well. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Big brother, fourth sister, I'll help too." Qiao Mianmian squatted down to get lotus leaves, then looked at the examinees behind her, "Do you want it spicy?"

I want just a little bit!

"I don't want spicy food!"

"I want it extra spicy!"

...

The broth on the stove was bubbling and bubbling with a delicious aroma. There were many people around at that time. A steamed bun with braised meat cost twenty coins, and pork offal cost ten coins. Many people were attracted to it.

The students, exhausted from a long day of exams, hadn't eaten or slept well and were now starving. The aroma of the food caught their attention. Others, drawn by the lively atmosphere at Qiao Mianmian's stall, came over for a peek and were captivated by the fragrance.

"Fourth Sister, is business this good right from the start today?" Qiao Mianmian asked while cutting braised meat.

"How could that be?" Lin Xiahe said. "You know, neither my brother nor I are as good at attracting business as you are. At first, we even forgot to open the earthenware pot, and the customers didn't know what we were selling. It was one of Xu Tongsheng's classmates who recognized my brother and, upon learning that we were selling braised pork sandwiches, immediately ordered two. When someone saw him enjoying them, they came to ask us what we were selling, and that's when business started to pick up."

"Is his name Wang Chuang?" Qiao Mianmian remembered that among Xu Mingxuan's classmates, Wang Chuang was the one who loved her family's braised meat the most.

Lin Xiahe said, "He kept praising how delicious it was and helped us promote it for a long time. He's such a good person."

“Next time he comes, we’ll give him more braised meat.” Qiao Mianmian said, glancing at the earthenware jar, which was almost empty.

She was also a little hungry at this point, and thought she would keep a few steamed buns for her own family to eat. She told the people gathered behind her that they were sold out, "Everyone, don't line up anymore, there are only two left. We will come back to sell them again another day."

"Why is it all gone?" someone asked regretfully, rubbing their stomach.

"Yes, I waited quite a while. You should prepare more, young lady."

"Exactly! You made me wait for nothing!"

"I'm so sorry, I'll definitely prepare more after your second round. I wish you all the best in your exams and hope you all get good rankings!" Qiao Mianmian said some nice words, and the students were happy to hear them, so they weren't angry anymore. However, several of them asked Qiao Mianmian to prepare more next time because it smelled really good.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Qiao Mianmian and her older siblings prepared to pack up their stall. Just then, another person ran up, excitedly saying, "Give me two braised pork sandwiches!"

Qingjiu and his master went out to patrol and saw several people eating braised pork with steamed buns. The broth from the braised pork soaked into the buns, and even the usually well-mannered students didn't care about their table manners, their cheeks stuffed full. Just watching others eat made Qingjiu's mouth water.

He pleaded and begged his master to give him the money to buy it, and now, smelling the aroma wafting from the earthenware jar, he couldn't wait any longer.

Qiao Mianmian recognized the green wine. "I'm so sorry, we're sold out."

"What?!"

Qingjiu was like a bolt from the blue. His master had finally decided to give him money, and he was thinking that he wouldn't have to cook today. How could it be sold out?

Seeing that Qingjiu was about to cry, Qiao Mianmian thought, "It can't be that bad, it's just braised pork with steamed buns." "It's really sold out. Why don't you come again next time? If you want to eat braised pork, I also have a stall in the market. I even saw you when you caught the thief last time."

Qingjiu looked at Qiao Mianmian and thought for a moment before realizing that Qiao Mianmian sold braised meat at the market. He looked aggrieved and said, "But I really want to eat some right now. I haven't had any for days..."

"Shut up, let's go home!" Before Qingjiu could finish speaking, Lu Zhao came over, grabbed Qingjiu by the back of her collar, and left.

If Lu Zhao were to shed tears in the street over a meal, he would be utterly disgraced!

But as he was speaking, his stomach rumbled twice, and he was hungry too.