Chapter 36 Ham and Tofu Stew

Lin was in a daze all morning while setting up her stall, and it took her a while to come back to her senses.

Qiao Mianmian saw this and, after the midday rush when no guests came, she pulled Lin Shi to sit down.

"Mother, are you thinking about raising money?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

Madam Lin sighed, "If it's a hundred or two hundred taels of silver short, I can borrow it from someone and scrape it together. But where am I supposed to find six hundred taels of silver?"

But if we miss this opportunity, we don't know when we'll get another chance.

There was only some meat left on Qiao Mancang's meat stall, so he sat down next to him. "I'll go talk to Manyu and the others and see if we can borrow some money."

Asking for money is a difficult thing to ask for. In his entire life, Qiao Mancang had only asked his brothers for money when he bought a house last time, and had never asked anyone for money since.

But for the sake of the children at home, no matter how embarrassing it is, I have to go.

"My second brother has some money, but my third brother probably doesn't. It's past September now, and he hasn't come to deliver the tangerines yet. I guess the harvest was bad. Don't go looking for him; he's having a hard time."

Lin said, "I'll find a day to go back to my parents' home to see Wangchun and also ask my elder brother and sister-in-law if they can lend us some money."

Even if it's difficult, I have to borrow some money first. If all else fails, I'll have to go to a money lender.

The couple looked worried. Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment, took off her apron, took two taels of silver to buy pastries from Songhelou, and went to Chunxilou to find Manager Sun.

"Oh, you've come here for something?" Manager Sun spotted Qiao Mianmian carrying pastries. Qiao Mianmian usually wouldn't come over unless there was nothing wrong. He then gestured for her to enter the private room. "There's no need for formalities between us. Just tell me what's on your mind, and we can discuss it."

Thanks to the Qiao family's braised food, Chunxi Restaurant could earn an extra forty or fifty taels of silver each time. The Qiao family was reliable, and Manager Sun trusted them completely. He didn't want to lose the Qiao family as a partner, so when he guessed that Qiao Mianmian was in trouble, he took the initiative to befriend them.

"Then I'll get straight to the point." Qiao Mianmian told us about her family's desire to buy a house. "My older brother is getting married next year, but we only have three rooms. Now that our neighbors are moving, we don't want to miss this opportunity."

She took a small sip of tea. "But my family is still short of money. I wanted to ask you if we could sign a contract for a longer period first. I can give you a 95% discount so you can give my family the money to get through this difficult time."

Qiao Mianmian's cooperation with Chunxilou was settled monthly, but now that Chunxilou was asking for an early settlement, Manager Sun was in a bit of a predicament.

Qiao Mianmian knew this was a difficult matter, so she took the initiative to concede, "If it's difficult for you, just pretend I didn't say that, don't be embarrassed." She used a retreat as a tactic to advance, her tone still relaxed and gentle, without adopting a humble posture.

“It is indeed not easy, but I trust your family’s ability to get things done. Over this period of time, your eldest brother has been very punctual every day, and you have also remembered the things I mentioned. Miss Qiao, I am willing to help you with this matter because I value the character of your family.”

Manager Sun looked at Qiao Mianmian sincerely, "However, we are a business, and we have our own difficulties. Besides, I'm not the one in charge of Chunxi Restaurant. I can talk to the owner and see if we can settle accounts for a few more months. But don't worry, we can definitely pay you for three or four months first."

"Thank you very much." Qiao Mianmian stood up and bowed. It was good that they were willing to help. Even if it took three months, she could still get a little over a hundred taels of silver, which was better than borrowing from a money lender.

"Don't mention it, I'll give you an answer tomorrow. You're a very capable young lady, you should handle this kind of thing yourself." Manager Sun liked Qiao Mianmian more and more, thinking that she would definitely achieve great things in the future. It was a pity that his son was not old enough, otherwise he would definitely go to the Qiao family to propose marriage.

"I'm not a child anymore." Qiao Mianmian smiled and waved to Manager Sun. "I have to say thank you again. Tomorrow I'll ask my grandfather to save a fish for you. I'll braise it and you can take it home to eat and try a different flavor."

She left as soon as she finished speaking, not giving Manager Sun a chance to refuse. To get help, you always have to offer something in return for a long-term relationship; besides, if Manager Sun ate her fish, he'd be more willing to work harder.

After returning home, Qiao Mianmian told her family about it.

Madam Lin was stunned. "You...you have quite the idea, why did you think of going to Manager Sun?"

"I think Manager Sun is a nice guy, so I'll give it a try. Whether it works out or not is secondary; it won't hurt for me to ask." Qiao Mianmian looked around but didn't see her father. "Did Dad go to Uncle's house?"

"Yes, not long after you left, he took the remaining meat to your second uncle's house." Lin said while washing clothes, "Although your father is a butcher, he is usually not afraid of strangers and is very talkative, but when it comes to borrowing money from others, he is very embarrassed."

Thinking of this, Lin scrubbed the clothes even harder, knowing that when she returned to her parents' home, she would probably find it just as difficult to speak.

Indeed, just as Lin said, Qiao Mancang had been in the courtyard for half an hour and had not yet mentioned borrowing money.

At first, it was because Qiao Manyu hadn't returned that he couldn't bring himself to say those words to Zhou Shi.

When Qiao Manyu returned, he stammered and rambled on for a while, but didn't get to the point.

In fact, Qiao Manyu had already seen through his elder brother's intentions. However, he knew his elder brother well; if he offered to lend him money, his elder brother would instinctively say no, no.

Seeing that Zhou was preparing to cook and came over to invite Qiao Mancang to eat, Qiao Mancang waved his hand and said no, "I...I'll eat at home."

His palms were sweating with nervousness. After a while, he still couldn't bring himself to ask for money. He stood up and said, "I'll go back now. You guys are busy. Jiacheng, you can visit your uncle's house when you have time. Your grandparents miss you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Mancang left without looking back, afraid of being called back.

Zhou noticed something amiss and frowned slightly. "Do you think my elder brother's family has encountered some difficulties?"

“Most likely, it was the same when I borrowed money last time,” Qiao Manyu said.

"You knew your brother-in-law was here to borrow money, why didn't you say so first?" Zhou had a good impression of her brother-in-law. They were all brothers in the same family, and if her brother-in-law was in trouble, it was no big deal to help each other out.

Qiao Manyu curled her lips, "What do you know? If it were just a small amount of money, he would grit his teeth and save it himself, and wouldn't come to us. He must have borrowed a lot of money to make this trip. He's so concerned about saving face that he'd rather suffer than ask me for money."

He clicked his tongue twice, sighed, and told Zhou to bring out all the money in the house. He counted it; there were a total of sixty-odd taels of silver. Thinking of his brother-in-law who was barely alive, he only took fifty taels. "Never mind, I'll go find him myself."

Qiao Manyu ran out with the silver, and along the way, afraid of missing her elder brother, she had to turn back to look for him.

As he approached his elder brother's house, he finally saw his brother's tall figure.

The two brothers were four years apart. When Qiao Manyu was old enough to remember things, Qiao Mancang was already six or seven years old. He not only had to help the family mend fishing nets, but also had to take care of Qiao Manyu, who had just learned to walk.

When Qiao Manyu was a child, she spent more time with her older brother than with her parents.

"Big brother!"

Qiao Manyu caught up with her elder brother and stuffed the money pouch into his hand. "You really are something. We're brothers. Just say what's on your mind. You're already at my house, and you haven't mentioned it yet. My brother-in-law might pass away at any time. I need to leave him a dozen taels of silver for his funeral arrangements. Take this. Don't rush to pay me back."

"Manyu, I..."

"Don't be so awkward. It's a loan, not a gift." Qiao Manyu saw her brother's hand trembling slightly, and her heart trembled as well. "You must have encountered some terrible trouble, otherwise you wouldn't have come to my house to borrow money. I know you're embarrassed, so I won't say any more. It's getting dark, so you should go home early."

He didn't dare look his older brother in the eye, patted his brother's arm, and turned to run home.

Qiao Mancang's money bag felt heavy, as did his heart. As the eldest brother, he should have been helping his younger brothers, but in the end, he was the one relying on them for help.

Qiao Mancang felt uneasy. Looking at the money bag in his hand, he silently headed home.

As the eldest brother, Qiao Jiawang was also feeling bad.

Why was the family in such a hurry to buy a house? It was because Qiao Jiawang was getting married. Otherwise, if they had waited another year or two, why would his parents have had to beg for money?

Hearing his mother and sister's conversation, Qiao Jiawang felt a tightness in his chest and returned to his room in silence.

After Qiao Jiaxing entered the house, he immediately saw through his elder brother's worries. "Brother, don't take this on yourself. Even if you don't get married next year, with such a good opportunity, Father and Mother will find a way to buy the Wu family's house. You know Mother has long wanted to move to a bigger house."

"That was for our sake, that's why I wanted to change it." Qiao Jiawang lowered his head, looking at the back of his tanned hands. "Second brother, do you think I'm stupid?"

Having sold pork with his father for so many years, many customers still only trust his father. Now, when he runs errands for the family, he has to constantly recite the instructions in his mind to remember them.

He felt that as the eldest brother, he should do more and help out more at home. But it turned out that his fifth sister was much more capable than him, and he couldn't compare to her in any way.

A ray of sunlight shone in from outside the door and slowly moved onto Qiao Jiawang, but the beam of light was too narrow to illuminate Qiao Jiawang's tall body.

Qiao Jiaxing looked at his eldest brother in the sunset, his thin lips slightly pursed, "Big brother, do you think I'm greedy, or that Fifth Sister was too lazy before?"

“I didn’t,” Qiao Jiawang immediately replied.

“Look, you don’t think badly of us, so naturally we don’t think you’re stupid. And you always remember the customers’ needs, which is amazing. Your knife skills are also very good; you’re the best at carving vegetable flowers.” Qiao Jiaxing reached out and let the sunset fall into his hand. “You and I are brothers, family. Why think about anything that might be a burden? We’re working together now to buy the Wu family mansion, not just for you.”

Buying the Wu family mansion would be a good thing for the whole family, and Qiao Jiaxing would also benefit.

Just as she finished speaking, Lin Xiahe knocked on the door, "Big brother, could you help me lift this meat?"

"Ah...okay, I'm coming right now." Qiao Jiawang stood up abruptly when he heard that his family needed him.

After putting the meat into the pot, Lin Xiahe said, "Big brother, could you fetch some water for me? I'm going to use it to braise the second batch of meat later."

Qiao Jiawang went without saying a word.

Qiao Jiaxing watched his eldest brother's busy figure, then looked at his fourth sister and shook his head with a smile.

His fourth sister is also someone who doesn't know how to express her feelings verbally.

Lin Xiahe also noticed her brother's low spirits, but she didn't know how to comfort him. Mianmian said that her brother might doubt himself and think he was useless. She thought about it and tried to find some things that her brother could do.

A little while later, Qiao Jiawang returned with water. Qiao Mianmian poked half her body out of the kitchen, "Big brother, go see if Dad is back yet, I'll be cooking soon."

"Okay, I'll go take a look."

Qiao Mianmian received instructions from Lin today that the family needs to raise money to buy a house, so they should be more frugal and not buy chickens and ducks to eat anymore.

But she wasn't one to go hungry. Since she wasn't allowed to buy it outside, she searched the house and found the ham she hadn't finished before, cutting it in half.

The tofu is pan-fried in lard in a clay pot until golden brown on both sides, then hot water is added and brought to a boil. The soup quickly turns milky white, with golden oil floating on top.

At this point, add the ham slices and let it sit with the tofu for about 15 minutes. Since the ham is naturally salty, there is no need to add extra salt.

After covering the casserole with the lid, Qiao Mianmian picked a handful of goji leaves to wash. The goji leaves in autumn are not as tender and have a more fibrous texture.

She carefully picked the stems from each leaf, intending to use them to make egg drop soup. It's a refreshing and simple dish that you never get tired of. The main reason is that there's a free vegetable growing in the yard, so she can eat it often.

When the lid of the casserole was opened again, the bubbling soup released a rich aroma of beans and the salty savory flavor of ham.

Qiao Mianmian scooped up a little soup to taste the saltiness. The umami flavor spread between her teeth and mouth, and a warm feeling slid down her throat to her stomach, making her want to have a bite of rice.

"Fifth Sister, what are we having for dinner today?" Qiao Jiaxing arrived in the kitchen right on time, looking expectantly at the casserole. The tofu, after being stewed for a while, had developed many air pockets, and the broth seeped through them; it was hard to imagine how delicious it would taste.

"We're having ham and tofu stew. Mom won't let us buy any vegetables, so we'll just have to eat whatever we have at home." Qiao Mianmian put the lid back on the clay pot and then ladled out the goji leaf and egg soup from the pot.

Hearing his parents' voices coming from the front yard, he knew his father had returned. "Second brother, help me carry the casserole out and tell Mom and Dad that dinner is ready."

"Hmm!" Qiao Jiaxing carried the casserole to the front hall.

Qiao Mancang handed the money bag to Lin Shi. He remained silent, only saying, "It was borrowed by my second brother." Then he scooped up a ladle of water, squatted in the yard, and washed his face with cold water.

Madam Lin weighed the money pouch in her hand; it was about fifty taels, which should be most of the second branch of the family's savings.

She took the money back inside, and when she came out again, the whole family was in the front hall, preparing to eat.

"Dad, this ham is a good mix of lean and fat, and I sliced ​​it very thinly. Please try it." Qiao Mianmian saw that her father was only focused on eating, so she picked up some ham and then some tofu. "You are the pillar of our family. We rely on you for everything, so you should eat more."

Qiao Mancang: "I..."

"Yes, Mancang, you need to eat more." Zhang Shi could see that her eldest son was worried, and said with a smile, "You need to eat well to have the strength to work. Jiacheng is still young, and Manyu doesn't need to worry about the children getting married now. In a few years, when Jiacheng and Jiaxi get married, we'll definitely need your help as their uncle. Brothers should support each other. We don't have many family members. I only had three sons, don't you think?"

"Yes, Mother, we should all eat more!" Qiao Mancang and his mother forced a smile and shoveled rice into their mouths.

The tofu casserole had ham added, and the whole family ate it all, leaving not even a drop of broth; they used it all to mix with rice.

Qiao Mianmian was burping after eating when her mother pulled her to a pillar by the roof beam to compare their heights.

“You’re a bit taller, I’ve been saying you’ve gotten a bit bigger lately, you need to eat more. But you can’t eat too much, you can grow, but you shouldn’t get fat.” As she spoke, Madam Lin started thinking about her youngest daughter’s marriage again.

She's a worrier; whatever comes to mind, she can't help but overthink.

Qiao Mianmian pinched her face; it was smooth, a little chubby, and felt wonderful. "Mom, I do so much work every day, I won't get fat."

"I understand." Madam Lin turned her head and said, "Xia He, you should also compare. I always feel that you have all grown a bit taller."

The family chats, does chores, and goes to sleep after dark. Life goes on as usual, peaceful yet warming everyone's hearts.

The next day, after breakfast, with Lu Zhao and his servant present, the Qiao family tacitly avoided mentioning the matter of raising money.

Just as noon approached, Qiao Mianmian spotted Manager Sun from afar and began cleaning the fish. By the time Manager Sun entered, the fish was already cleaned. "Manager Sun, you've come at the perfect time! I was just about to make you braised fish. Please have a seat, it'll be ready soon!"

Before Manager Sun could reply, Madam Lin pulled him down to sit, brought him a bowl of braised food, and said with a smile, "Thank you for your continued cooperation with our family. Mianmian is young, and she came to you to discuss settling the accounts in advance without our knowledge. Please don't hold it against her. It's not good to make things difficult for you. If it doesn't work out, it's okay. Just pretend Mianmian never mentioned it."

These were the words her youngest daughter had instructed her to say. It was a favor that Manager Sun was willing to help, and it wasn't appropriate to pressure him. Even if this deal fell through, they should continue to cooperate in the future and not damage their relationship.

Before Manager Sun could utter a word, the braised dishes were laid out in front of him, and the braised fish was already in the pot. He thought to himself, "The Qiao family is truly something else." If he couldn't persuade the owner to pay for a few more months, would he still be able to eat with peace of mind?

"You're too kind." Faced with the Qiao family's hospitality, Manager Sun was very accommodating. He picked up a few pieces of braised meat and ate them. After Qiao Mianmian put the cooked braised fish into the food box, he said, "The boss really appreciates how well your family handles things. He said that since your family is in trouble, he can settle your wages for ten months in advance. He also asked you to be understanding. This matter must be kept secret, otherwise if word gets out, other people will come looking for us, and we won't be able to do business."

Lin couldn't hide her joy, and the corners of her lips instantly turned up.

Qiao Mianmian reassured Manager Sun, "We definitely won't tell anyone."

“If anyone asks, you can say you borrowed it from me. You need a reason to make it seem reasonable,” Manager Sun said, taking out another money bag. “The money you owe Chunxi Restaurant for the advance settlement will only be given to you after you sign the contract there. This one is a loan for your urgent needs. Although we haven’t known each other for long, I trust your family’s character. It’s not much, but I hope it can help.”

He said he had thirty taels of silver, and now Madam Lin didn't know what to do. She turned to look at her daughter.

"Mother, please accept it. Since Manager Sun trusts us, let's give him an IOU." Since Manager Sun has done us a favor, Qiao Mianmian accepted it. She would also do her best to help Manager Sun in the future.

"Well... thank you." Lin was very touched. She got up and packed some braised food for Manager Sun. "Don't be shy. You must take these. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep peacefully at night."

Qiao Mianmian nodded and said, "Yes, my mother is most afraid of owing favors. You are such a kind person, you are a great benefactor to my family."

Manager Sun couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to accept it with a smile. "Then I'll shamelessly take it back to eat. I'll go back and get busy first, you guys get busy too."

Watching Manager Sun's departing figure, Madam Lin sighed again, "Manager Sun is such a good person."

"Yes, he is indeed a good person." Qiao Mianmian had just nodded when a customer came to order food. She hurried over and greeted them enthusiastically, "What would you like to eat? The fish is very fresh today, and we also have braised pork ready."