Chapter 48 Braised Winter Melon, Red Bean Buns

Qiao Mianmian is making braised winter melon. She cuts the winter melon into evenly thick slices, sautés it with minced garlic in oil until fragrant, then adds the winter melon slices and soy sauce and stir-fries.

She likes spicy food, so she adds some chili peppers, covers the pot, and simmers it for a while. Listening to the "glug-glug" sound in the pot, Qiao Mianmian gets hungry.

"Mianmian, what did you make? It smells so good!" Lin asked as she came in.

"Braised winter melon." Qiao Mianmian smiled as she chopped some scallions. "It tastes even better than meat!"

"How could that be?" Lin didn't believe that winter melon could taste better than meat, but the aroma coming from the pot was indeed tempting.

As the pot lid was opened, the winter melon inside was soaked in the broth, and with the bright green scallions, its color suddenly became vibrant. She subconsciously swallowed, "Wow, how did you make the winter melon smell so good?"

If Lin were to make it, she would add some oil, stir-fry the winter melon briefly, add a bit more smoke, and it would be ready to serve. It's quite juicy, but the flavor is either bland or too salty, making it always a bit of a compromise.

"It's simple, I just added some soy sauce for seasoning," Qiao Mianmian said. "Mom, there's still some winter melon left. Let's save some bones to make soup tomorrow. It's getting colder and colder, and the nights are chilly. Should I make some winter melon soup to get rid of the dampness?"

She clung to Lin's arm, having already figured out Lin's heart; as long as she coaxed her in a sweet and coquettish voice, Lin would agree to her requests.

"You silly girl, you're such a glutton. Alright, alright, then let your father save some spare ribs, but not too many, just enough for each person." Lin was thinking about paying off the famine quickly, and also about the money needed for her children's weddings after the New Year. Each sum of money weighed heavily on her mind, a responsibility.

Qiao Mianmian smiled and gave him a kiss, which startled Lin Shi, who jumped back. "You're such a grown woman, how come you're still like Erlong?"

Qiao Mianmian was subconsciously happy, forgetting that this was ancient times, so she could only pretend to be stupid and scratch her head, saying, "Maybe I've been spending too much time with Erlong lately. Speaking of which, how did the Xu family manage to raise Erlong to be so fair and plump?"

"Your sister-in-law Xu isn't very tall herself, but she's afraid her two children will be like her. So the couple doesn't eat much, and they give it all to the two children. Speaking of which, Erlong is indeed very cute and cuddly. Everyone in the alley who sees him wants to play with him." Lin said with a smile, "Hurry up and cook, I'll go call them for dinner."

Qiao Mianmian hummed in agreement, served the braised winter melon, and then sliced ​​a plate of braised pork offal.

Since my family started selling braised food, people used to eat it often out of curiosity. Now, people don't like it as much anymore. Sometimes when we don't have time to cook, we'll just cut up a plate of braised food as a side dish.

The days that followed passed quickly. Qiao Mancang accompanied Zhang to visit his third brother. After that, the family set up a stall, repaired the new house, made a new bed, and so on, which took another half month.

November arrived in the blink of an eye. The bed and bedding in the new house were ready, and the outhouse was also built.

After noon that day, Qiao Mianmian packed up her stall and hurried home because her fourth sister was coming back.

Qiao Jiaxing went to Linjia Village to pick up Lin Xiahe. He hadn't seen his daughter for almost a month, so Lin specially left a pound of small river shrimp for Qiao Mianmian to fry and eat that night.

"Mom, I just got back and heard the Wang family was having a lot of fun. What happened at their house?" Qiao Mianmian asked curiously as soon as she entered the house.

"Wang Dazhu is engaged. Finally, their wish has come true. He's engaged to Chen Xiucai's daughter." Lin took out a piece of malt candy and handed it over. "This was brought by your Aunt Wang this morning. They want you to cook for their wedding next month, and I agreed. We're all neighbors. Since they asked, it's a good thing to be able to help out and earn some money at the same time."

When business comes in, Qiao Mianmian is willing to take orders, but there is one thing she doesn't understand: "That Chen scholar's family seems to have some land. I heard from Aunt Wang that the Chen family is well-off. Why would the Chen family take a fancy to Brother Dazhu?"

Wang Dazhu worked as a porter at the dock, earning only a limited amount of money. Now that the Wang family had some money, it was rumored that Wang Dazhu planned to partner with someone to run a shipping business. However, this was just hearsay, and the Wang family did not take any actual action.

Madam Lin shook her head. "I don't know. If people like each other, they must have their own reasons. Let's just wait and enjoy the wedding. I'll go out and see why your fourth sister hasn't arrived yet. I told her to come back after breakfast and not to be too late."

Qiao Jiaxing went to Linjia Village yesterday. Although it is a peaceful and prosperous time now, there are still some bandits occasionally. Just thinking about it makes Linjia restless.

"Then you go wait at the city gate. If there are any red bean buns for sale, bring one back for me. I want to eat the red bean buns from the city gate." Qiao Mianmian admitted that she loved to eat and would be very happy to eat something delicious every day.

Lin pouted and said she wouldn't buy anything, but when they arrived at the city gate, she still asked the stall owner to leave four red bean buns for her.

She watched as people entered from outside the city, and even on tiptoe, she felt she wasn't high enough. Turning around to find a higher spot, she bumped into someone. "Sorry, but... my purse!"

Lin and the man exchanged a glance. Seeing the man take off running, she immediately gave chase, shouting, "Stop thief! He stole my money!"

She hadn't paid for the red bean buns yet, and she stared intently at the man. However, she couldn't outrun him. As the man ran further and further away, a surge of anger and despair flashed through Lin's mind. Suddenly, a person appeared at the street corner in the distance and kicked the man away.

Lin ran over in surprise, "Lord Lu...Lord Lu, he stole...stole my money!"

Lu Zhao was on patrol when he heard someone calling out, so he ran over and unexpectedly ran into Lin Shi.

He pulled several money pouches from the thief's sleeve pocket, placed one foot on the thief's back, and said, "Aunt Qiao, can you tell which one is your money pouch?"

"This red one." Madam Lin took the money pouch, and seeing the money she had lost and found again, she was so moved that she almost cried. "This is really wonderful, thank you so much, Lord Lu. Xia He is coming back tonight, and Mianmian has prepared several dishes. You must come and have dinner with us."

"No need to be polite..."

"It's settled then. I still have to go to the city gate to pick up Xia He. You absolutely must come, or I'll come to your house to find you." Lin shouted as she backed away, and after she finished speaking, she ran to the city gate.

She was afraid of missing her daughter, but thankfully, just as she caught her breath, she saw the brother and sister enter the city. "Xia He, Jia Xing!"

"Mom, what brings you here?" Lin Xiahe jogged over. "You already sent my second brother to pick me up, so I could have just waited at home."

"I just couldn't sit still." Thinking of the red bean buns, Lin went to the stall owner and got four steaming hot red bean buns, handing one to each of the two children. "You must be hungry after walking for so long, eat up. Xiahe, how is your third sister?"

She not only worried about Xiahe, but also about Wangchun. If it weren't for the many things to do at home, she would have stayed in Linjia Village.

Lin Xiahe took a bite of the red bean bun. The red bean paste was soft and sweet. She broke off half and handed it over. "Third sister and her daughter are both doing well. She has even gained some weight. My maternal grandmother asked me to bring some winter bamboo shoots. She said that you love to eat these the most. There aren't many winter bamboo shoots now. My maternal grandfather went to the mountains to search for them for several days before he found these few."

Winter bamboo shoots are fresh and tender; when sold in the market, their price is almost as high as that of meat.

The elderly couple remembered Lin's preferences. In their eyes, their daughter was their child, and they thought of her the most.

Lin felt a warmth in her heart. "Every year they try to send some over, they don't even eat it themselves." Speaking of this, she missed her parents in the village. Fortunately, after the New Year, her parents would come to attend Jiawang's wedding banquet.

The mother and her two daughters chatted and laughed as they walked home. When they arrived, Qiao Mianmian was cooking braised meat.

As the year drew to a close, Chunxilou's business improved even more, and both he and Qiao Mianmian ordered more supplies. Now they have to cook two full pots of braised dishes every day.

"Fourth Sister, you're finally back!" Qiao Mianmian went over and hugged her fourth sister. "You have no idea how much I missed you. When you were gone, my clothes were torn and no one would mend them for me."

She whimpered and clung to her fourth sister, refusing to let go. Lin Xiahe quickly asked which clothes were torn.

Lin interrupted, "It's not that no one mended it for her. Your grandmother and I both offered to mend it for her, but she refused and insisted on waiting for you to come back. She said you mended it beautifully. I think this girl is just asking for trouble."

Speaking of needlework, Madam Lin looked at her youngest daughter with a headache. "You don't know any needlework at all. What will you do after you get married? You can't just send her to your fourth sister's house and have her sew for you, can you?"

Mrs. Lin asked her fourth daughter to teach her youngest daughter.

Qiao Mianmian stuck out her tongue and pulled her fourth sister into the house. "Everyone has their strengths. I really can't learn needlework. These are earrings that I begged Mother to buy for me. They're white magnolia blossoms. I knew you'd like them as soon as I saw them. And this handkerchief is also something I left for you. Fourth sister, you have no idea how much I've missed you while you were gone."

She clung to her older sister affectionately. In her past life, she had no siblings, but now her older brother and sister were all good people, and she loved them all.

Lin Xiahe said it was too expensive, "I have to work every day, how can I wear earrings?"

“There are always times when you’re not working, so we girls should learn to dress ourselves up nicely. It’ll make us happier to look at ourselves in the mirror every morning.” Qiao Mianmian cheerfully combed her fourth sister’s hair. “I don’t know what I’ll do when you get married.”

"Then I won't get married, I'll stay with you forever," Lin Xiahe said with a smile.

"I'm fine with it, but I don't know if Scholar Wang will be willing." Qiao Mianmian had just finished joking when she saw her fourth sister blush from her earlobes to her neck.

As for Wang Chuang, he actually went to the Qiao family.

Wang Chuang's voice came from the courtyard, "Knowing that Xia He is coming back today, my mother asked me to bring some rice cakes. They are homemade rice cakes, which can be stir-fried or boiled."

Wang Chuang grinned, revealing his white teeth, and looked at his future father-in-law as he spoke, occasionally glancing elsewhere.

Qiao Mancang saw through his little scheme at a glance and shouted, "Xia He, how do you want to eat rice cakes?"

Qiao Mianmian pulled her fourth sister out of the house, "Dad, Fourth Sister said we can eat it however we want, it'll all taste good anyway."

Lin Xiahe secretly pinched her younger sister, "Dad, I'm fine with anything. I'll bring the rice cake in."

"No need, I can do it." Qiao Mianmian ran over quickly, picked up the wooden bucket, and said, "Brother Wang, please sit down and have some tea. I'll pour out the rice cakes and then give you the bucket."

When she arrived at the kitchen, she saw her mother flipping a wok. She leaned over and whispered, "Mom, your future son-in-law is here. Why don't you go and greet him?"

"Why wouldn't I go see him?" Madam Lin put down the spatula, glanced at the rice cakes in the wooden bucket, and said, "Good heavens, why did he bring so many? I'll make some tonight, and I've also invited Lord Lu to dinner."

She took off her apron and went to the front hall with a big smile. "Oh, it's Wang Chuang! Since you're here, please stay for dinner. You're in luck today; we have some river shrimp and some sliced ​​pork."

Wang Chuang wasn't shy, and since he loved to eat, he readily agreed, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle and Aunt."

"No need to be so polite, we're all family." Seeing Wang Chuang's straightforwardness, Madam Lin was pleased. She then called her second son, "Jiaxing, go to the Lu family and see if Lord Lu and the others return. Call them over as well."

A few people were chatting in the front hall. Lin Xiahe and Wang Chuang made eye contact a few times, and then Lin Xiahe blushed and went to help in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here? Just let my eldest and second brothers help me." Qiao Mianmian nudged her fourth sister with her elbow.

"Second brother went to the Lu family, and eldest brother went to fetch water." Lin Xiahe sat in front of the stove and added two pieces of firewood to it. "You're teasing me now. Next year, when you come of age, your husband will come to visit. Let's see if you'll be ashamed then?"

"Me? We'll see when the time comes, haha." Qiao Mianmian laughed loudly. "Mother said she wants to keep me for a few more years and won't let me get married so early. If the Wang family hadn't been so anxious, Mother wouldn't have let you get married so soon."

With the marriage arranged, Madam Lin felt at ease. It was completely different for a girl to be a daughter at home compared to her becoming a daughter-in-law after marriage. Madam Lin loved her three daughters dearly; even her eldest daughter, whose marriage was arranged, was kept until she was eighteen before being married off.

Lin Xiahe gave a soft hum, "Let's wait and see. When your husband comes over, I'll make sure Wang Chuang drinks him a lot."

"Oh my, you haven't even entered the family yet, and you're already ordering my future brother-in-law around," Qiao Mianmian teased, and her fourth sister then tickled her.

The two sisters were playing around in the kitchen, so much so that they were a little late for dinner. It was only after Lin came over to urge them that they started cooking seriously.

River shrimp are stir-fried with scallions and ginger to retain their original freshness. Rice cakes are stir-fried; they are sliced ​​thinly, eggs are stir-fried in a pan, then rice cakes are added, and finally a handful of scallion segments are added before serving.

Homemade rice cakes are chewy and smooth, with a thick sauce on the surface. You can eat them one by one without making a sound.

"Dinner's ready!" Qiao Mianmian carried out two large plates of stir-fried rice cakes. "Big brother, second brother, go and help me bring out the other dishes."

She put down the plate and sat down. There were three more people today, so it was a bit crowded. Looking at Wang Chuang across from her, Qiao Mianmian smiled at her fourth sister.

Lin Xiahe glared at her younger sister, not daring to look at Wang Chuang across from her.

"Everyone, start eating." Qiao Youfu ate first, and then the younger generation began to eat.

"Delicious!" Qingjiu picked up a bowl of stir-fried rice cakes. "It's so delicious, spicy and flavorful, and the rice cakes are so chewy."

Wang Chuang's mouth was also stuffed full. "It's so delicious! Fifth Sister's cooking is amazing!"

"Don't worry, Brother Wang, my fourth sister is quite a good cook now," Qiao Mianmian said with a smile.

"Huh?" Wang Chuang looked at Lin Xiahe.

The elders at the table were all secretly smiling, but Wang Chuang and Lin Xiahe lowered their heads even further. Young people are still shy after all.

Mrs. Lin served food to her youngest daughter, saying, "Eat quickly, don't talk so much."

"That's enough, Mother, I can't eat anymore!" Qiao Mianmian quickly moved her bowl away, and when she turned around, she saw Lu Zhao put down his chopsticks. "Lord Lu, is it not to your liking today?"

"No, they're all delicious," Lu Zhao said.

"Then why are you eating so little?" Qiao Mianmian only ate one bowl of rice, while Lu Zhao should have eaten about the same.

Lu Zhao said he ate a lot, "I really ate a lot." Because Qingjiu would put food on his plate whenever she saw something delicious.

Qiao Mianmian laughed and said, "You need to eat more. My mother said you looked very impressive and handsome today. Have you been practicing martial arts since you were little?"

She thought people who knew kung fu were so cool, but unfortunately she couldn't endure the hardship and was too old to practice martial arts. Otherwise, she could have practiced with Lu Zhao and the others.

“Yes, I started reading at the age of three and began learning martial arts at the age of five,” Lu Zhao said.

While busy eating, Qingjiu didn't forget to praise, "Among his classmates in Bianjing, my master is top-notch in both academics and martial arts. He has always been the most outstanding student in the academy!"

Wang Chuang looked over curiously, "Then why didn't Lord Lu continue to participate in the imperial examination?"

In the eyes of the world, scholars have the highest status. Even if Wang Chuang felt that he would have difficulty passing the imperial examination in the future, he would still continue to study and try, after all, he was young.

This sentence made Qingjiu, who was eating heartily, suddenly stop. He felt guilty and dared not look at his master beside him, blaming him for being talkative, which aroused Wang Xiucai's curiosity.

However, in his eyes, his master was indeed powerful, and he wanted to praise his master to everyone he met.

"Because of family reasons, I did not participate in the imperial examination." Lu Zhao's tone was indifferent, revealing no emotion. Seeing that the Qiao brothers had finished eating, he changed the subject, "Do you still remember the characters I taught you a few days ago? And Miss Xia He, you haven't learned to read for a month. Since you have some free time today, why don't you review them?"

When it comes to learning to read, both Qiao Jiawang and Qiao Jiaxing have a headache, but since they agreed to learn in the first place, and Lu Zhao hasn't said he wouldn't teach them, they have no choice but to bite the bullet and learn.

Lin Xiahe was more ambitious and nodded in agreement.

After the young people finished eating, they learned to read with Lu Zhao and Wang Chuang in the courtyard. Qiao Mianmian was progressing much faster than her older siblings. After learning for a while, she went to the backyard and overheard her mother and grandmother guessing about Lu Zhao's family affairs.

"I think Lord Lu's relationship with his family isn't very good," Madam Lin said while washing the dishes. "Several times I've mentioned the Lu family, but he hasn't given a direct answer."

"Whether he's good or bad has nothing to do with our family. Do you think you've taken a liking to him and want him to be your son-in-law?" Zhang said jokingly.

Madam Lin chuckled. "At first, I did consider it. Back then, Xia He wasn't engaged yet, and I thought either of my two daughters could marry Lord Lu. He's of upright character, and his looks are second to none. I've seen young ladies giving Lord Lu brocade pouches several times."

Zhang had never considered this matter. They were a commoner family, while Lu Zhao came from Bianjing and held an official position, so he might come from a wealthy family. "Speaking of Lord Lu's appearance, he is indeed outstanding. When the Xu family moved here, I thought Xu Xiucai was the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life, but when Lord Lu came, he immediately outshone him. It's a pity that our family is not destined to be with him. Xia He is already engaged, and Mianmian is still young."

In her eyes, her granddaughter is still a little girl, and it's too early for her to get married.

Madam Lin said it was too early, "She'll be of marriageable age after the New Year, then we can meet and discuss marriage. Our families live right across from each other, maybe it's fate. But if the Lu family isn't harmonious, I'm not willing to let this marriage happen. After a girl gets married, she'll spend most of her time busy with household affairs. If her in-laws are always arguing, there will be a lot of trouble, and life will be difficult."

Qiao Mianmian, who was walking to the door, was very surprised to hear this. She did not expect that her mother would want Lu Zhao to be her son-in-law.