Chapter 27 Bonus Chapter: Requesting Nutrient Solution for Pickled Mustard Greens and Shredded Pork Noodle Soup

Hearing that Lu Zhao was still unmarried, Madam Lin's smile widened, and she pressed on, "Come to think of it, at your age, you should be engaged by now. Lord Lu, your family..."

Before Lin could finish speaking, Lu Zhao fell backward. If Qingjiu hadn't caught him quickly, Lu Zhao would have rolled onto the ground.

The rest of the Qiao family were so shocked that they stood up.

Qiao Mancang asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Zhang said he must be drunk. She glanced at her son and said, "You shouldn't have poured so much wine for him!"

"I asked him if he could drink, and he didn't say he couldn't," Qiao Mancang said, somewhat aggrieved. "Jiawang and Jiaxing, you should carry Lord Lu back."

He figured young people were too shy to admit they couldn't drink, so he wouldn't pour so much alcohol.

However, Lu Zhao had excellent drinking manners; he had fallen asleep and made no noise.

Qiao Mianmian instructed Qingjiu, "Come over tomorrow morning and bring me a bowl of hangover soup, otherwise Lord Lu will have a headache all day."

Now it was Qingjiu's turn to feel that his master had embarrassed himself. Before everyone had even left the table, his master had already gotten drunk. All he did was praise him a little, but what he said was true!

"Uncle, Aunt, and Grandpa and Grandma, we're heading back now. Thank you so much for your hospitality today; it's the best meal I've had since arriving in Lin'an!" Qingjiu said before leaving.

As the Qiao family watched Lu Zhao being carried away, Qiao Youfu asked, "When Lord Lu wakes up tomorrow, won't he feel ashamed and refuse to associate with our family anymore?"

Lin said it wasn't that serious, "It's just being drunk, it's nothing. When you were young, you often did this kind of thing too, and your drinking manners were even worse than Lord Lu's. Father, there are still some dishes left, let's finish them together."

Qiao Mancang blushed and refused to admit it, "Where did I do that?"

Lin ignored Qiao Mancang and continued eating. There was so much good food; she couldn't let it go to waste.

Qiao Youfu asked Qiao Mancang to bring Lu Zhao's wine glass over, so as not to waste the wine.

After a while, the Qiao brothers returned from the Lu family. Qiao Jiaxing said with a smile, "Lord Lu is just like usual when he's drunk. He doesn't talk much. It's rare to find someone with such good drinking manners."

“That’s true,” Lin replied with a smile. “Your father likes to talk nonsense when he’s drunk. You two sit down and continue eating. The fish is very good today. Mianmian’s cooking skills are getting better and better.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, Qiao Youfu added, "It's really good. You should learn from Mianmian so she can have some rest. Otherwise, she'll get so tired from setting up her stall every day that she'll lose weight."

This time, Zhang didn't change the subject, which is indeed true. It's always best if more people in the family are good at cooking.

“Yes, I set up my stall every day, and there are times when I want to slack off.” Qiao Mianmian followed her grandfather’s words and said, “Second brother, don’t you love to eat? Why don’t you learn from me so you don’t have to work hard at the docks.”

She had no intention of hiding her skills. Her second brother worked hard carrying goods at the docks, and didn't earn much money. Besides, having more people who could cook meant that even if they all started their own families and didn't do business together anymore, it wouldn't matter. Since they had already opened Qiao's Restaurant, there couldn't be a second one. Lin'an City was so big, with dozens of restaurants of all sizes. They could make money together.

Qiao Jiaxing was taken aback when he was mentioned; he hadn't thought about it.

Qiao Mianmian added, "Fourth Sister and Eldest Brother can learn together too. Mother, you watch me do it every day, so you should improve the fastest."

"I...I can't do it." Lin shook her head vigorously. "Father, Mother, you know that I've been cooking like this all these years."

In the end, she was too embarrassed to even look at others. Before, there was no comparison, but now, after eating her youngest daughter's cooking, she knew exactly what to expect.

"Then may your family prosper and your studies flourish." Qiao Youfu put down his chopsticks after saying that. "I'm full. You guys eat quickly, it's getting dark."

When it got dark, candles had to be lit. The Qiao family still maintained many frugal habits. After finishing a few bites of food, Qiao Mianmian took her fourth sister to make braised dishes.

In the past few days, Lin Xiahe has become increasingly adept at handling things and no longer needs Qiao Mianmian to watch over her. However, Qiao Mianmian had something to say to her, which is why she came along.

"Fourth Sister, do you think Grandfather is biased?" Qiao Mianmian had noticed earlier that her fourth sister was always unusually silent when the whole family was talking together.

"No, not at all. I'm not surnamed Qiao, so it's normal that my grandfather doesn't favor me. It's already quite good that my grandparents are like this now. Mianmian, don't overthink it, I really didn't mean any harm." Lin Xiahe was just used to being silent. She wasn't surnamed Qiao, and her grandfather and the others were talking about the Qiao family. What would it mean for her to interrupt?

Qiao Mianmian said, "The fact that you said that shows you've thought a lot about it. When Grandfather said he was learning to cook, he only asked my eldest and second eldest brothers to learn. I'm not trying to blame Grandfather. I'm trying to tell you that I'm the one who knows how to cook, and I'm your younger sister. You can learn if you want; it's entirely up to you. Fourth sister, don't put yourself down like that. You said Grandfather and Grandmother didn't need to treat you as well as I did. Well, over the years, you've done much more for the family than I have. You can feel more at ease about that."

She held her fourth sister's hand and said, "It's not easy being a woman. Having more skills to make a living means more options in the future. That's why I taught you how to make braised food, so that we can all have a better life in the future."

Qiao Mianmian doesn't like to glorify suffering. She will work hard, but she will avoid hardship if possible. She also doesn't like the spirit of selflessness; she will only be kind to others if they are kind to her.

“Mianmian, I…” Lin Xiahe cried with emotion, “I’m so happy that you can think so much for me.”

She thought her younger sister wouldn't understand, after all, her sister had been spoiled by the family and always put her sister first. But her sister did understand, and at this moment, she felt that having Qiao Mianmian as her sister was her greatest fortune.

“We’re sisters, so of course I’ll do my best to help you. This is your home, so don’t overthink things. Just do what you need to do, and ask for what you want, okay?” Qiao Mianmian was acting like an older sister, instructing Lin Xiahe. In fact, she was much older than Lin Xiahe in terms of maturity. “Like what happened today, if you casually mentioned yourself, would Grandfather have said no?”

Lin Xiahe shook her head. Her grandfather just didn't think of her, but he would never treat her badly or with a bad attitude.

“That’s it. You grew up in this family, and your father treats you like a daughter. He was angry for a long time about what happened with Yuan Qiang.” Qiao Mianmian comforted her fourth sister, trying to persuade her to be more easygoing and live a more carefree life.

The two sisters were talking, while Lin, with red eyes, did not come out from behind the door.

She heard everything.

My heart aches terribly.

The children are all very sensible, but she has no real skills.

Back in the house, Madam Lin, with a stern face, said unhappily, "Qiao Mancang, I have to say a few words to you today. Since I married you, haven't you done anything wrong to make the family prosperous?"

Normally, Madam Lin wouldn't call Qiao Mancang by his full name directly, but hearing her call him that now, Qiao Mancang's heart skipped a beat. "You...you're still angry about me getting Lord Lu drunk?"

"Who said that to you?" Madam Lin was even angrier. "I wanted to talk to you about Xia He. Over the years, Xia He and her sister have been quite sensible and hardworking, haven't they? And about learning to cook, Father doesn't mention it, and neither do you?"

Qiao Mancang still didn't understand, "Isn't it enough that Mianmian mentioned Xia He?"

Lin felt a lump in her throat. Thinking about how sensible her daughter was, she wanted to get angry and start a fight. "Is it that you didn't think of it, or that you didn't care?"

"Heaven and earth bear witness, how could I not have cared? You've wronged me terribly. Over the years, haven't I done everything you said? I've treated all the children the same, Jiawang and Jiaxing are the same, and so are Wangchun and Xiahe. I know that Mom and Dad might treat each other differently, but haven't I secretly taken Wangchun and Xiahe out for snacks in private?" Qiao Mancang knew that being a stepfather was difficult. He was a man and not that meticulous, but sometimes when his parents secretly gave Mianmian snacks, he would think of paying attention to Xiahe and the other two.

The couple fell silent for a while. Qiao Mancang asked, puzzled, "What's wrong? Why are you so angry? We're husband and wife. Even if there's something I haven't done well, you have to tell me so I can correct it."

Lin's thin lips moved, but before she could speak, she covered her face and began to cry, "I..."

Her crying made Qiao Mancang even more panicked, and he hugged her and kept asking what happened.

After a long while, Lin recounted her conversation with her two daughters, sobbing, "They are so sensible, which makes me feel even worse. I would rather Xiahe and I had a fight, and she asked me for something." Lin knew that Qiao Mancang had done a good job over the years, but she still felt distressed.

"Alright, stop crying." Qiao Mancang understood now. After many years of marriage, the two were very familiar with each other's emotions. "It was my fault today. I should have brought up Xia He. She and Mianmian have worked hard at home. No matter where they marry in the future, we should provide them with just as much property."

"At least you have some conscience." Mrs. Lin felt a little better. "My daughter, I will definitely love her the same. Anyway, I will make preparations. If you dare to show favoritism, don't come to my bed again."

"How could that be?" Qiao Mancang said no, and suddenly kissed Lin Shi while hugging her.

Lin turned around and glared at him, "You rascal, I'm talking to you about serious matters!"

“Kissing you is a serious matter too.” Qiao Mancang chuckled. “Speaking of which, Mianmian and her siblings have a really good relationship. It’s all thanks to your good upbringing that our children can stay united.”

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but think of his third brother. The three brothers had apprenticed under different masters to learn their crafts, and thus led different lives. He and his second brother made a living in Lin'an City, while his third brother tended fruit trees and potted plants on a manor, rarely venturing into the city. He was lucky to see him three or four times a year.

Hearing Qiao Mancang sigh, Madam Lin knew that Qiao Mancang was thinking of Qiao Manhua. "Speaking of which, every autumn after the third brother comes to the city to deliver tangerines to our parents, has he sent any message this year?"

"Not yet. The orchard doesn't yield a harvest every year. Look, the year before last, the harvest was bad, so my third brother couldn't come. His life depends entirely on the harvest."

With no harvest, Qiao Manhua received less money, but he was a proud man and rarely complained. Every New Year's Eve, he would bring a lot of gifts to visit his brother's family. Qiao Mancang felt more concern and worry when he thought of his younger brother.

“Those who make a living by tending to flowers, plants, and trees all depend on the weather.” As she spoke, Lin sighed, “My eldest brother’s health has deteriorated in recent years. After his two nephews got married, they wanted to live their own lives and were unwilling to work hard. So my brother had to bury himself in the work. Alas, every family has its own troubles. I won’t say any more. I have to get up early tomorrow. You should go to bed early.”

Lin blew out the candles. Zhang, who lived next door, stared at the gold ring on her hand for a long time before punching Qiao Youfu lightly. "Why did you buy this? Do you think we have too much money?"

"I earned this money myself, what's wrong with buying you a gold ring?" Qiao Youfu rubbed his arm. "You old woman, haven't you been saying you wanted a gold ring since you were twenty, and you've been saying it all the way up to your sixties? If I don't buy it for you now, won't you dig me out of my coffin and start cursing me?"

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you spouting now?"

Zhang became anxious, "I was just saying it, I didn't really want it. Besides, where did you get so much money?"

Zhang would collect the money from selling fish every day. Thinking of this, Zhang's eyes widened. "You! You've been secretly hiding money all this time!"

"Don't get agitated. I hid the money so I could buy you a gold ring. I've been saving it for over thirty years! I saved one or two coins every day, but even when I had enough, I didn't dare to buy it because I was afraid something might happen at home that would require the money. So I kept it all this time."

Qiao Youfu shrank his neck and said, "Now, I'm only buying it for you because my family business is doing well and we don't need this little bit of money."

“Even if business is good, and we haven’t even changed our house, you shouldn’t have bought it. Return it tomorrow.” Zhang looked at the gold ring on her hand; it was indeed one of her obsessions.

When she was young, her family was struggling financially, so her dowry was very small. Her sister-in-law, on the other hand, only had a gold ring as part of her dowry. Before they separated their households, whenever there was a quarrel, her sister-in-law would compare their dowries, and she could never win an argument with her sister-in-law.

At first, Zhang was angry that her family was incompetent. Later, after becoming a mother herself, she realized how difficult it was to be a parent, so she thought she would work hard to earn money and buy herself a gold ring someday. But as life went by, the family grew, and money was needed for their children's education, weddings, and other expenses. She could never save any money.

When he was twenty, Qiao Youfu said he would definitely buy it for Zhang Shi in the future, but it has been delayed until today.

At this age, Zhang usually doesn't think about the past, let alone buy a gold ring. But sometimes when she does, she'll pause and sigh for a while.

Tears streamed down her face without her realizing it, and she didn't realize she was crying until snot blocked her nose.

"I won't return it," Qiao Youfu insisted. "I'm practically half-buried myself. If I buy it for you, I'll buy it for you. Otherwise, you'll remember me for the rest of your life."

"How can I wear it? We haven't even moved into a new house yet, and Jiaxing and Xiahe's marriage hasn't been finalized. I, as the grandmother, am already showing it off. What will the younger generation think of me?" Madam Zhang took off the gold ring and placed it on the table.

"What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Qiao Youfu sneered, "When Jiawang and Jiaxing's mother passed away, Jiawang had a fever and fell ill, and you were the one who stayed by his side every night. Later, when Lin Shi came into the family, you were the one who was sensible enough to let her manage the household. Over the years, I've been fishing to earn money, and even after we separated the family, I've continued to support my three sons. As for the grandchildren, which one haven't you taken care of? I'd like to see any heartless person who dares to speak ill of you, and I'll beat them to a pulp!"

When he got excited, Qiao Youfu raised his voice, which startled Zhang Shi, who told him to keep his voice down.

"What are you afraid of? So what if you hear it? I, Qiao Youfu, dare to buy it, and I'm not afraid of people finding out."

Qiao Youfu placed the gold ring in Zhang's hand, his tone softening with earnestness, "Whether you wear it or not, I can't return it now that I've bought it. Anyway, I kept my promise to you when I was young. Don't think too much about it. We've worked hard all our lives and haven't wronged anyone. What's the point of this life if we can't even fulfill a wish at the end?"

After saying that, Qiao Youfu lay down to sleep, deliberately snoring to signal Zhang to stop talking.

Zhang looked at the gold ring in her palm, then looked at the bed. She realized that the once tall and strong man had become hunched over.

That night, Zhang didn't sleep well. The next day, when she went to the kitchen, her granddaughter asked her why her eyes were swollen.

Qiao Mianmian immediately noticed that she had just cooked a hangover soup and asked her older brother to deliver it to the neighbor across the street.

"Perhaps I ate too much yesterday and have indigestion that keeps me awake," Zhang offered an explanation.

"Then you should move around more today, it will help with digestion," Qiao Mianmian said.

"Hmm." Seeing that her granddaughter didn't think much of it, Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and went to fetch water to wash up.

Actually, Qiao Mianmian overheard some of it last night. The two rooms weren't soundproof, and her grandfather's excited words woke her up.

It seemed that her grandparents had said something that made them both emotional. But since her grandmother said it was indigestion, she didn't press the matter further, because from what she overheard, her grandfather was concerned about her grandmother. As for the specific reason, elders have their own little secrets, and sometimes digging too deep is a very inappropriate thing to do.

Instead of eating porridge today, Qiao Mianmian mixed some flour paste and prepared to make noodle soup.

Cut the shiitake mushrooms into thin strips. After the water boils, add the mushroom strips first, then use a spoon to scoop the batter into the pot. The dough balls float and sink in the boiling soup. At this point, add the marinated shredded meat and greens, and simmer together for a few minutes.

When the lid was opened again, the dough dumplings had absorbed the savory flavor of the broth, their edges glistening with a golden sheen. Qiao Mianmian picked up a dumpling to taste it; the outer layer was soft and fluffy like cotton, while the inside was chewy and firm. The aroma of mushrooms and shredded meat enveloped the dumpling, making it simply "fresh."

Qiao Jiaxing was the most eager to arrive, asking, "Fifth Sister, is there anything you need me to do?"

"Help me take the bowls and chopsticks out. The noodle soup is ready. Go and call everyone to eat." Qiao Mianmian ladled out the noodles and then stir-fried yesterday's pickled mustard greens with lard.

The leftover pickled mustard greens, after being cooked with lard and at high temperature, become even more flavorful and tangy, making them an absolute perfect match for noodle soup!

"Alright!" Qiao Jiaxing carried the bowls and chopsticks to the front hall. Smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen, he swallowed hard before shouting, "Grandparents, parents, eldest brother, fourth sister, breakfast is ready!"