Chapter 47: Stir-fried pork liver, osmanthus tea, scrambled eggs...

After the family finished eating, they went to bed early.

The next day, the Wu family moved into their new house. Although they didn't ask their neighbors for help, Qiao Youfu still sent his two grandsons over to lend a hand. "After all, we've been neighbors for many years, and they even sold us their house. You two stay here and help out. Don't go to the new house, or Er Mao will call you for dinner."

Lending a hand doesn't mean you have to eat someone's meal.

“I know my grandfather. I saw that the time was about right, so I said I would come back to help my fifth sister,” Qiao Jiaxing said.

Zhang nodded approvingly, "Go on, Mianmian and I will set up our stall. Remember to come and pick up your vegetables when it's time."

The Wu family ordered a table full of dishes, and their two grandsons had to deliver them.

After the Qiao brothers arrived next door, people from the Zeng and Xu families also came. The Xu family couldn't do heavy work, but Xu Mingxuan had already arranged with Wu Ermao to write couplets and plaques for his new house.

Lu Zhao wasn't on duty today, but seeing everyone going to help, he and Qingjiu also went to lend a hand.

The Wu family was bustling with activity, and Qiao Mianmian was also busy at her stall.

According to Wu Ermao, there were more than a dozen people eating lunch, all of them big eaters, so it couldn't be too meager. After discussing it with Wu Ermao, Qiao Mianmian prepared ten home-style dishes.

Braised pork and braised fish are a must. The loach was given to the Wu family by Xu Zhongyi, and Qiao Mianmian can use it to make a loach stew.

Lotus root is at its best this season. It's used to make pork bone soup. Qiao Mianmian made a big pot of it, and her family also saved some for lunch.

After simmering lotus root and pork bones, the broth is infused with the savory aroma of the bones and the subtle fragrance of the lotus root. One bite is both fresh and sweet.

Qiao Mianmian glanced at the soup on the stove, then went to cut the pork intestines and liver.

Pork intestines are stir-fried with vinegar, while pork liver is deep-fried. These ingredients, which are relatively inexpensive compared to meat, are all transformed into delicious dishes by Qiao Mianmian.

The key to stir-frying pork liver is controlling the heat. After heating the oil in the wok, add ginger, garlic, and chili to sauté until fragrant. Then add the marinated pork liver and stir-fry quickly for a few seconds until the liver curls up slightly. Drizzle with a suitable amount of cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce has thickened and completely coated the liver, it's ready to be served.

"Big brother, second brother, you take these dishes over first." Qiao Mianmian put the dishes into the food box. Because she often delivered dishes to the Luo family, Qiao Mianmian specially bought two insulated food boxes with two layers inside and out, so the dishes would stay warm for half an hour.

Zhang came over and instructed, "Be careful on the road, don't spill it. Come back when you get to the Wu family's new house, you'll have to make another trip."

Qiao Jiawang nodded vigorously, while Qiao Jiaxing cheerfully reassured his grandmother, "We've learned from experience; even if we two brothers fall, we can't drop the food boxes we're carrying. Fifth sister, this stir-fried pork liver smells so good today! When can we make some for our family?"

"If you want to eat it, I can make it again later. Hurry up and go, it will take quite a while to go back and forth."

First, five dishes and a soup were served. Qiao Mianmian also had to cut the poached chicken and prepare three kinds of green vegetables. The poached chicken had been cooked beforehand; it just needed to be taken out, cooled for a while, and then cut into small pieces before eating.

At that time, the chickens, ducks, and geese were all raised at home and fed with cordyceps and rice bran, so their meat was much better than that of later generations. Whether boiled or stewed in soup, it had a slightly sweet taste.

While Qiao Mianmian was chopping chicken, Luo Da came over to buy braised meat. "You weren't here yesterday, and I heard you're not free today either, so I had to come and buy some braised food."

"I've been busy with things at home lately. When you come tomorrow, please order whatever you'd like to eat. I'll definitely make it for your family first." As Qiao Mianmian spoke, she had already chopped the chicken. She knew that Young Master Luo liked lean meat, while Luo Da preferred it a bit fatter, so she picked out a piece of braised pork for each of them.

Seeing that all the tables at the Qiao family's house were occupied, Luo Da was genuinely happy for Qiao Mianmian. "A few days ago, Madam Jiang mentioned your family's restaurant to my wife, saying that you have excellent cooking skills and that many families will recommend you when they hold banquets at the end of the year. I think your restaurant will be able to expand soon."

"Thank you for your kind words. If that day ever comes, I will definitely invite you to dinner." Qiao Mianmian handed over the braised meat. She always gave the Luo family a larger portion, remembering the favor they had done for her by lending them money.

"Okay, I'll definitely come!" Luo said with a big laugh.

After seeing Luo Da off, her two older brothers returned. After they took the remaining dishes, Qiao Mianmian had to cook for the other guests.

Grandma is getting old and not as quick as her older brother and the others, so Qiao Mianmian has to do more things herself. She worked until closing time, and her back was covered in sweat.

However, when she got home, Qiao Mianmian didn't care about being tired; she was eager to see her new home.

In the past, when I visited the Wu family, I was always a guest. I would sit and play in the front hall, but I never went inside to see the house.

Now that this has become her own residence, Qiao Mianmian needs to take a good look at it.

The Wu family's residence had the same layout as the Qiao family's, with their walls forming a symmetrical axis, and the courtyards adjacent to each other, including the backyard.

All three rooms were empty; the furniture and furnishings had been taken away, and the doors and windows were old and worn.

When you get to the backyard, you can indeed smell a strong odor of chicken droppings, which explains why the house next to the Wang family's house was previously uninhabited.

Qiao Jiaxing pinched his nose. "When Aunt Wu argued about this before, I thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill. At most, there would be a smell in the summer, but how come you can still smell it in the winter?"

Qiao Youfu and Zhang Shi both frowned. The Qiao family had many members, and every room was needed; it was impossible to leave this room empty.

Qiao Mancang: "Can't the Wang family smell it themselves?"

“We can definitely smell it, but for the sake of making a living, we endure it for a long time and get used to it,” Zhang sighed. “Over the years, the Wu family and the family behind the Wang family have argued and argued, but they still can’t get the widow Wang to stop taking care of her. I guess we can’t force her to stop taking care of her either.”

As long as Widow Wang raises chickens, there will be a smell. So who lives in the house closest to Widow Wang's house?

Everyone fell silent at the same time.

Until Qiao Mianmian had an idea, "Dad, isn't Aunt Wang arranging marriages for her two sons? Her second son is going to marry into the family, and her third son will have to rent a house after he gets married, so only the eldest son will stay. Aunt Wang has been bragging that Dazhu is discussing marriage with the scholar's daughter. The Wang family can stand this, but the scholar's daughter probably can't, right?"

Qiao Mancang didn't understand. "Mianmian, what are you saying?"

Qiao Jiaxing immediately understood, "I understand, Fifth Sister. Scholar Chen definitely doesn't know that the Wang family has such a strong smell of chicken droppings. Let's think of a way to let Scholar Chen's family know. With Scholar Chen's involvement, Aunt Wang will definitely raise fewer chickens for the sake of this marriage."

"That's exactly what I mean." Qiao Mianmian didn't know exactly how many chickens the Wang family raised, but as she stood in the backyard, she could always smell chicken droppings. "Even if the Wang family continues to raise them, we can build a latrine here, block up the wooden windows of this latrine, and only leave the wooden windows in the front yard open, so we won't smell the odor inside."

We'll fight fire with fire then and see who can't take it. Anyway, her house has a kitchen, so she doesn't need to use this one. This kitchen can be used as a woodshed to store miscellaneous items.

Qiao Jiawang asked if it would be bad.

Qiao Mianmian said, "There's nothing wrong with it. Whether or not to raise fewer chickens is the Wang family's own choice. If they insist on raising them and feel that raising chickens is more important than Brother Dazhu's marriage, then they should continue. As for building a latrine, with so many people in our family, it's too tiring to carry the chamber pot so far every day. Now that we have land at home, building a latrine will be much more convenient. Grandfather and Grandmother, don't you think so?"

The Qiao family's house was some distance from the river, a 15-minute walk away. With so many people in the family, and not just one chamber pot, it took two people to carry it each time.

If there is an outhouse at home, it's different; you can just have someone come and clean it every now and then.

Generally, only houses like Wang Chuang's have outhouses.

The families in their alley had houses that weren't big enough to live in, so they didn't even have room to build outhouses. Now, the Qiao family mansion has doubled in size, with an extra backyard.

Qiao Youfu said he didn't care, "I've lived like this my whole life, whether you cover it or not is up to you."

After thinking for a moment, Zhang hesitated and said, "Let's wait until your mother comes back and discuss it together. Today, let's tear down the wall in the middle first, and keep the bricks for later use."

When it came to dismantling the wall, Qiao Jiawang and Qiao Jiaxing had already prepared. The two brothers found hammers and ladders and immediately got to work.

The thumping sounds echoed repeatedly, and everyone in the alley could hear them.

When Qingjiu arrived, he saw the Qiao brothers climbing a ladder to demolish the wall. He immediately said, "I'll help too. Is there anything I can do?"

When Lu Zhao saw that Qingjiu hadn't returned for a while, he went looking for her himself. He saw that Qingjiu was already cleaning up the bricks and had rolled up her sleeves to get to work, but Qiao Youfu stopped her.

"No need, no need, these few are enough. I wouldn't dare trouble you, sir." Qiao Youfu smiled warmly. "Please have some tea."

Lu Zhao had already rolled up his sleeves. "It's alright, I'll lend a hand." He had originally asked Qingjiu to come and ask if the Qiao family should go and learn to read earlier since he wasn't on duty today.

Seeing that the Qiao family was tearing down the wall, he joined in the work.

Soon, the Xu family and Chunsheng's family came to help. Although the wall was very high, with so many people coming, it was completely dismantled and repaired in no time.

Qiao Mianmian brought over osmanthus tea. She added some sugar, and the tea was infused with the fragrance of osmanthus. Holding it in your mouth for a while, the osmanthus fragrance could last for a long time.

"Everyone, come and have some tea." She first offered a bowl to her grandparents, and seeing that Lu Zhao didn't touch it, she took the initiative to hand over a bowl. "This is homemade osmanthus wine. My mother usually can't bear to eat it. She's not home today, so I'm secretly letting everyone have a taste."

Upon hearing this, Jin laughed and said, "Then I'll have to drink two more bowls. Your mother is frugal; I won't be able to taste it when she comes back."

“When you come during the first month of the lunar year, my mother will definitely make you some tea.” As she spoke, Qiao Mianmian poured another bowl for Jin Shi.

The osmanthus wine was sweet, and Erlong wanted more after finishing his. He wasn't even as tall as the table, so he held the bowl up, standing on tiptoe, his chubby little hands unsteady, and shouted, "Sister, I want some!"

After finishing their osmanthus tea, it was getting late, so the others dispersed and went home. Qiao Mianmian prepared to cook, saying, "Lord Lu, it's getting dark, so please don't go back. Just have something to eat at my place. I won't cook today, everyone's tired. I'll just make some fried rice with the leftovers from lunch. Please feel free to eat whatever you like."

Lu Zhao said there was no need to trouble himself, "We can just eat at home."

"That won't do!" Qiao Youfu came over and pulled Lu Zhao aside. "Since you've come to help, you should stay for a meal. If you had someone in your family who could cook, I wouldn't stay, but the smell of burning food has wafted over from your house several times, and it makes me lose my appetite."

Lu Zhao: ...Does everyone in the alley know that his family often eats burnt food?

Meanwhile, Qingjiu had already scurried off to help in the kitchen, and Lu Zhao had no chance to leave.

Qiao Mianmian made fried rice with eggs for dinner. First, she put the eggs in the pan and stir-fried them. The eggs, cooked with lard, had a meaty aroma. Then she added rice and soy sauce and stir-fried them quickly.

Each grain of rice is plump and full, and after being dyed a dark brown color, it has an enticing appearance. Finally, add a handful of chopped green onions before serving, and your simple egg fried rice is ready.

There was some lotus root and bone soup left over from lunch, so Qiao Mianmian heated it up and it was ready to eat.

During the meal, Qiao Mancang assigned tasks to everyone for the next day: "Tomorrow I will set up a meat stall. Jiawang, you and Mianmian will go with me. Jiaxing, you stay home and clean. It would be best to repair the roof tiles first, and then tidy up the house."

"Yes, Father," Qiao Jiaxing and Qiao Jiawang said in unison.

After the family finished eating, Lu Zhao taught Qiao Mianmian and the others to read at the Qiao family's house.

Today, Qiao Mianmian can recognize most characters, and Qiao Jiaxing can understand and write ordinary letters. Qiao Jiawang is a little behind; he can only read half of the hundred characters in a letter.

Qiao Youfu said to Zhang Shi with a smile, "I really never thought that the descendants of my Qiao family would be literate today."

"There are many things you can't imagine." Zhang glanced at the younger generation in the courtyard, then pulled her husband to the backyard. "Is the third son really alright?"

Qiao Youfu went to see his third son and learned that his son had fallen from a tree and injured his leg, which was why he couldn't come to the city to deliver the tangerines.

Speaking of his youngest son, Qiao Youfu sighed, "I left him some money, and he said he'd be fine after a while, but how would I know if he was serious? Go see Lin again when she gets back?"

"Fine, I won't feel at ease if I don't check on them." Zhang frowned as she went to wash the dishes, always worrying about something. Her eldest son's family was doing better and better, relieving her of her anxieties, but now she was starting to worry about her other two sons. "Sigh, children are just here to collect debts from a past life."

A sigh escaped until nightfall.

In the following days, the Qiao family finished tidying up their new house, and Lin returned as well.

Upon hearing her daughter mention wanting to build a latrine, Madam Lin immediately frowned and began calculating the cost. "Your eldest brother's room needs renovation; he's getting married, so this expense can't be skimped on. The beds you three siblings share can be made with a makeshift wooden plank bed, which will do for a while. But if you live separately, you'll need two more quilts. Do you know how expensive cotton and fabric are these days?"

Especially in winter, if your bedding doesn't have at least ten pounds of cotton, you won't be able to sleep at night because you're so cold.

Qiao Mianmian immediately knew that Lin was worried about the money. "The bricks left over from demolishing the wall are enough to build an outhouse. We only need to pay for a little bit of the tiles, and we can build the rest ourselves. It won't cost much. Just think, if we have an outhouse, we'll be the first in the alley!"

Qiao Mianmian clung to her mother, acting coquettishly. She wouldn't let go unless Lin Shi gave in. "Oh, my dear mother, please agree. It really won't cost much."

"You, you only know how to empty my pockets. Fine, fine, I'll listen to you, okay?" Lin couldn't persuade her youngest daughter, so she could only nod and agree, "As long as you don't mind the smell, then cover it up."

With no more worries about housing, Ms. Lin felt much more relaxed, her biggest concern gone.

With Lin's approval, the Qiao brothers immediately began digging the hole. At the same time, Qiao Jiaxing also tried to let the Chen family know that the Wang family's chickens smelled terrible.

While the Qiao family was digging a hole to build a latrine, the widow Wang next door grumbled and said that the Chen family was being pretentious.

"What's wrong with me raising a few chickens?" Widow Wang slammed her hand on the table. "If I don't raise chickens, how will you four brothers grow up with so many people in our family to eat?"

Wang Sanzhu sat silently on the side. His mother only hoped that his eldest brother would take care of her in her old age. After he got married, he would move out. He didn't care whether or not the family kept chickens.

Wang Dazhu was the most anxious. “Our family used to be poor, but things are different now. My brothers and I work to support the family, and the money my second brother brought back after marrying into the family is enough to make our family more comfortable. So please don’t support us anymore. It’s not that the Chen family is being pretentious, but I’ve smelled this smell for over twenty years, and I’ve had enough of it.”

“The Chen family’s daughter hasn’t even entered the family yet, and you’re already speaking up for the Chen family at every turn. How can I expect anything from you in the future?” Today, her eldest son suddenly brought back a message saying that it was the Chen family’s idea that Widow Wang could stop raising chickens, but from the Chen family’s perspective, she was unhappy.

In particular, the fact that her son always sided with the Chen family made Widow Wang feel a sense of forced resentment.

“Mom, let’s stick to the facts. You’ve argued with people a lot about raising chickens before, but our situation has improved now, so why are you still so serious? Raising just a few chickens won’t make our family rich.” Wang Dazhu just wanted to settle the marriage as soon as possible. His mother had visited the Chen family last time, but they hadn’t agreed yet.

Today, when Chen Xiucai came to him, his words were full of hints that he felt it was coming soon and he absolutely could not fail because of raising chickens. "If you don't agree, then after I get married, I will rent a house and let my third brother live at home."

"You dare!" Widow Wang slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

Seeing that the battle had turned against him, Wang Sanzhu quickly got up and coaxed, "Mother, my elder brother is clumsy with words. He's not siding with the Chen family; he's just worried about you. You've raised us with great difficulty, catching insects and picking wild grass everywhere to raise chickens. You've worked hard for half your life. Your elder brother wants you to rest and enjoy your retirement."

Upon hearing this, Widow Wang's expression softened considerably.

Wang Sanzhu continued, "And think about it, Lin Xiahe next door married a scholar. If you had a scholar's daughter as your daughter-in-law, you wouldn't be outdone by the Qiao family. Do you really want to be inferior to Aunt Qiao in the future?"

"Of course I don't want to!"

“That’s it then. You can deal with the chickens in the backyard and happily wait for your new bride to come home. Your elder brother and sister-in-law will take care of you from now on, and the good days are yet to come.” After Wang Sanzhu’s words, Widow Wang softened. He then patted his elder brother, “Brother, you should be more direct about caring for Mother. Why be shy? You married the scholar’s ​​daughter, not for yourself, right?”

Wang Dazhu gave a stiff "hmm" and looked at his mother again. "Mother, this is exactly what Sanzhu meant."

Widow Wang pouted. "I've been a hard worker all my life. At this age, I don't expect you to make me rich and powerful. I just want you to worry me less. Fine, if you don't want to raise me, then fine. But eldest son, I've already been to the Chen family twice, and they still won't agree to this marriage. I don't want to end up selling all the chickens before your marriage is even settled." That would be a huge loss.

Wang Dazhu was worried about this matter. The Chen family never said what they wanted, and each time they said that their daughter was still young and asked Wang Dazhu to wait.

But Wang Dazhu isn't young anymore; he's already twenty-six, and will be twenty-seven after the New Year. At his age, Xu the Mute across the street would already be a tiger running around.

"If the Chen family still won't agree by December at the latest, then we'll try another family!" Wang Dazhu made up his mind. He wanted to curry favor with the Chen family, but he was very unhappy about being led around. "But we should get rid of the chickens at home as soon as possible."

"I know," Widow Wang replied impatiently, then went out to ask her neighbors if anyone wanted to buy chickens; she had over forty of them.

When Widow Wang arrived at the Qiao family's house, Qiao Mianmian was shocked to learn that the Wang family raised more than forty chickens. No wonder her backyard smelled so bad. Such a small place, only three or four square meters, could actually raise so many chickens.

Widow Wang smiled as she looked at Lin and Qiao Mancang. "My son feels sorry for me and said that I've worked hard for most of my life and it's time for me to enjoy myself. They don't want me to be tired and insist that I sell the chickens. So I came over to ask the neighbors if they want some. I'll give you a discount and charge you ninety coins per chicken."

Lin often buys groceries. Although she doesn't often buy chicken at home, she knows the price of chicken at the market. "Sister-in-law, you didn't give me a discount. I saw that the chickens at the market are also selling for ninety coins. We're all neighbors, can you give me a discount? Eighty coins, I'll take three."

Widow Wang twitched her lips. Despite being exposed by Madam Lin, her years of life experience left her feeling no embarrassment whatsoever. She still smiled broadly, "Oh dear, my chickens are very fat, unlike those in the market. Eighty-five coins each, that's settled. Don't try to bargain with me. Your family is a wealthy household buying houses; you won't be short of five coins!"

As she spoke, she told Qiao Jiawang to go and catch the chicken.

But Lin wouldn't let herself be taken advantage of. If Qiao Jiawang went to the Wang family, Widow Wang would just grab whichever chicken she wanted. "Jiawang doesn't know how to tell the difference between fat and thin chickens. I'll go instead."

She walked over with a smile, stood next to Widow Wang, and praised her, "Sister-in-law, you are so lucky. Dazhu and the others are so sensible."

Widow Wang's smile was a little stiff, but she still nodded, "Yes, yes."

The two left the Qiao family's house and ran into Qingjiu, who was also catching chickens.

"Aunt Qiao, are you going to catch chickens too? My family ordered two. Can you teach me how to make chicken soup so my family can have some nourishment?" Qingjiu swallowed as she thought about eating chicken.

Lin smiled and said, "Your Aunt Wang is a good person, and her prices are good too. I'll catch you two of the fattest ones later."

Qingjiu said they spent 100 coins per bottle. "We don't know the prices in the market, but the auntie said it's good, it must be cheaper."

Hearing this, Madam Lin raised her eyebrows to look at Widow Wang, thinking to herself that this woman dared to cheat even Lord Lu out of his money; she was truly audacious.

Widow Wang figured that Qingjiu and Lu Zhao probably weren't familiar with the price, and since Lu Zhao was an official, he shouldn't care about the extra ten coins, so she charged him ten extra coins.

But she didn't expect that Qingjiu would say it so casually, and that Lin would overhear it.

Seeing the scrutinizing look in Lin's eyes, Widow Wang quickly pulled Lin forward, saying, "My old hens have laid so many eggs that I can't even eat them all. I'll give you some."

"Auntie, I'm so sorry," Qingjiu said, feeling she shouldn't accept it. "You should keep it and sell it for money."

Lin smiled and said, "It's alright. Your Aunt Wang has plenty of eggs at home. She's being generous like this, so just take them." Since Widow Wang was so sensible as to offer eggs as compensation, she didn't expose Widow Wang's little scheme.

Hearing this, Widow Wang's lips twitched, but she could only bite the bullet and go back to get the eggs. She had been greedy and ended up losing a lot of eggs instead of getting any advantage.

When Lin and Qingjiu came out, they each grabbed the fattest chicken and fifteen eggs.

The eggs Qingjiu took were used by Widow Wang to make up the price difference. The eggs Lin Shi took were used by Widow Wang to gag her.

"Are you going to eat it today, or save it for later?" Lin asked Qingjiu as they arrived at the door.

Qingjiu said it's getting dark, "There probably won't be enough time to stew it, right?"

“That’s true. By the time the chicken soup is ready, everyone in the alley will be asleep.” Lin was in a good mood after getting fifteen eggs for free. “My chicken will be slaughtered and eaten tomorrow. If you don’t know how to kill a chicken, you can come and learn when my family slaughters a chicken tomorrow.”

Qingjiu hesitated, "But I have to be on duty tomorrow, and I'm afraid it will be almost dark by the time I get home."

“Well then, if you trust your aunt, you can leave the chicken at my house to stew. It will be ready tomorrow, and you can just pick it up.” As soon as Lin finished speaking, Qingjiu’s eyes lit up.

"Of course I trust you, Auntie, you're so kind." Qingjiu carried the chicken and went to the Qiao family with Lin.

Lin entered the house and loudly called to her second son, "Jiaxing, you're fast. Before it gets dark, take this chicken to your second uncle's house."

She bought a new house but didn't hold a banquet. Her brother-in-law lent her money, so she should treat him to a meal. But she's been too busy at home these past few days, and since the Wang family is selling chickens, she thought of sending one to her brother-in-law's family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been willing to buy three chickens.

Along with the two chickens brought by Qingjiu, all four chickens were put in cages by Lin. She found her mother-in-law and said, "Mother, when you go to see my third brother, have Jiawang or Jiaxing go with you. Bring the chickens with you; he injured his leg and definitely needs some nourishment."

"It's alright, I can go by myself." Zhang didn't want to go through so much trouble. It was good enough that her daughter-in-law thought of sending chickens to her youngest son. "There are many things to do at home, so let them help out at home."

"That won't do. No matter how busy the family is, they have to accompany you. Otherwise, let Mancang go. We're worried about you going alone. It's settled then. Remember to bring the chicken with you." As she spoke, Lin smelled the aroma of food coming from the kitchen. "I'll go see what Mianmian has made today."