Chapter 58 Braised turtle, stir-fried garlic sprouts with cured pork...

Qiao Mianmian greeted them warmly, “So you’re Lord Lu’s colleagues. What would you like to eat today? I’ll have a generous portion. Bamboo shoots are in season right now. Whether stir-fried or stewed with salted pork, they’re delicious. We also have bamboo shoot cakes and fish cakes, all homemade. Lord Lu and Qingjiu often eat braised pork. Would you like a bowl? It’s one of our signature dishes.”

As she spoke, she opened the earthenware pot containing the braised pork. Instantly, steam and the aroma of the meat wafted up, whetting the appetites of everyone around.

"It smells so good!" several people exclaimed in unison.

Seeing their interest, Qiao Mianmian said, "Everyone who has tried our braised pork says it's delicious. Why don't you adults have a bowl and try it? Whether you eat spicy food or not, you'll all love the taste."

Lu Zhao said, "Give me a bowl, and a braised fish too. The rest they can order."

Qingjiu said she wanted to eat stir-fried braised pig's ears, "This dish goes best with rice, I like to eat it."

The others saw that Lu Zhao had ordered three meat dishes, but since he was paying, they felt embarrassed to order more and only ordered an egg drop soup and stir-fried vegetables.

There were eight people in total, and one small wooden table wasn't enough to seat them all, so they had to push two tables together to make room for them.

While the braised pork was simmering in the pot, Qiao Mianmian first fried the fish. The fish they caught themselves weren't enough to sell, so they had to buy fish from others every day. Fortunately, her grandfather had been fishing for many years and knew many fellow fishermen, so the fish he brought were always very fresh.

Qiao Jiaxing carried the braised pork to the table, saying, "Fifth Sister made you some extra broth; it's best to mix this broth with rice." He himself also liked to eat it that way.

As soon as the dish was served, several people stared at it, unable to look away. They had eaten braised pork before, but none of them looked as tempting as the braised pork in front of them. The amber-colored pieces of meat dripped with broth, and each piece looked delicious.

When the food was served, Lu Zhao said it was time to eat, and they immediately picked up some meat.

The braised pork belly is stewed until tender, the fat melts into broth in your mouth, and the skin and lean meat slide down your throat with a gentle touch, leaving only a faint sweet aroma.

"tasty!"

"I swallowed it in one gulp before I even tasted it!"

"Me too, it's delicious. Brother Zhou, I remember you don't eat fatty meat, so I'll eat yours."

"Get out of here! Who said I'm not eating!"

...

By the time the second dish of braised fish was served, the plate of braised pork was already empty.

The green vegetables and egg drop soup were made by Qiao Jiaxing, so they were served quickly. Finally, there was stir-fried braised pig's ears.

Cut the pig ears into long strips, first stir-fry them in oil until the skin curls slightly to release the aroma of the braising sauce, then add garlic and chili and stir-fry.

Before taking it off the heat, add some soy sauce. With a few sizzling sounds, before Hu Qianqian could react, Qiao Mianmian had already ladled out the dish. "Sister-in-law, take this to Lord Lu and the others."

A bowl of spicy stir-fried braised pig's ears is the perfect accompaniment to rice; one bite of pig's ear can go with two bites of rice.

Qingjiu is getting better at eating spicy food. "Don't starve yourselves, leave some for our adults!"

His master ate very slowly, so he had to pick up some food for his master before eating himself.

"Delicious! Give me this soup base, and I'll have another bowl of rice!"

We also had to have rice with the wine. We don't usually have that many dishes, but today it's the master's treat, so it's a very special occasion.

Lu Zhao finished eating first and then paid the bill.

"Lord Lu, are we packing up dinner again tonight?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

Lu Zhao glanced back and said, "No need." Even if it's packed up, it won't last until tonight.

"Okay." Qiao Mianmian continued working, and seeing that Lu Zhao's colleagues had finished eating, she smiled and said, "Come often in the future."

"Young lady, your cooking smells amazing! We'll definitely be a regular customer." A chubby man named Ouyang Yi was the first to speak. "I can pass by here on my way home. Are you still setting up your stall tonight?"

Qiao Mianmian said no, "It's not safe after nightfall. We're just a street stall, not a proper shop or anything, so it's not very convenient."

If you have a shop, you can stay open until dinner time.

"That's a pity, otherwise I was thinking of bringing some food for my wife," Ouyang Yi said.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Mianmian suddenly had an idea. "Is your home not far from here?"

Ouyang Yi said yes.

"Okay, then you can give me an address and order the food you want. I'll have my brothers deliver it before evening." Qiao Mianmian thought of the takeout service from her future life. Since it wasn't far, and her family was going to cook dinner anyway, having her brothers make the trip would earn them some extra money. Why not?

The same principle applies to the Luo family, who also deliver vegetables from time to time.

Upon hearing that groceries could be delivered, Ouyang Yi's eyes lit up instantly. "Great! I'll have braised pork belly and the stir-fried pig ears from earlier. My wife loves them just like me, and I wanted her to try them today since we've had something delicious."

Qiao Mianmian wrote down the address, "Don't worry, it will be delivered on time."

When others heard this, they also said they wanted to go, but since everyone lived far apart, it was possible to deliver to places that were on the way or within a half-hour walk, but not to places that were further away.

She wondered if she could charge a delivery fee, but she didn't have a clear plan yet, so she decided not to accept orders that were too far away for the time being. In the end, she wrote down three orders, including one for Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao wanted a bowl of pork soup. He still couldn't handle spicy food very well. The pork soup was fresh and flavorful, and he liked it very much.

Qiao Mianmian didn't have a pen at hand, and she was afraid she wouldn't remember it, so she repeated it to herself over and over again. After returning home, she quickly wrote it down in her notebook.

"Big brother, second brother, the Ouyang family and the Zheng family are on the same route, so you can go there, big brother. The other one is to the west, which is a bit farther, so you should hurry up, second brother. I'll prepare the dishes by Shenshi (3-5 PM), and you can deliver them and come back before it gets dark." Qiao Mianmian assigned tasks to her two older brothers.

Lin had an idea, "If we get a lot of these orders, we can deliver them at noon or night. Your father and I can both go. The family needs money right now. As long as we can earn money, we're not afraid of hard work."

Qiao Mianmian smiled, "We do deliver at noon, but not much. After all, the taste of the food is different when it's delivered to your home, so people usually come to the food stall to eat if they want it. In the evening, we don't set up a stall, and since everyone eats dinner, even if the food isn't as good as it is when it's fresh out of the pot, some people will still order it."

After a pause, Qiao Mianmian added, "If the delivery business gets better in the future, we need to have some rules. We need to figure out how much to charge for deliveries beyond a certain distance, and how much to pay others when we don't have enough manpower ourselves."

Lin didn't think that far ahead; she only thought about how the business would improve so her family could make more trips, ignoring the fact that time would pass and the sky would darken.

It's not a good time to deliver food after dark.

Even if you want to make money, safety should always come first.

There were few delivery orders today, so Qiao Mianmian could rest in the afternoon. When it was almost time, she started preparing the delivery dishes. Fortunately, her older brothers weren't new to delivery, so both trips went smoothly.

Qiao Jiaxing took out the money. "At first, that family didn't understand what was going on, but luckily Lord Zhou came home and explained the situation. This is for Lord Lu, right? I'll take it over."

Qiao Mianmian said, "We can start eating now, hurry back."

For dinner, we ate the leftover takeout food.

Since we've already placed the delivery orders, let's make a little extra of each item so that Qiao Mianmian doesn't have to cook, making things easier for her.

Qiao Mianmian likes to add a little vinegar to her meat soup, which makes it more appetizing.

After finishing a bowl of rice, another day has passed.

Two days later, Wang Chuang brought Lin Xiahe back to her parents' home. Qiao Mianmian sat at the door early in the morning, gazing longingly at the alley entrance.

Upon seeing the familiar figure, he immediately ran over.

"Fourth Sister, Fourth Brother-in-law!" Qiao Mianmian's shouts attracted other people in the alley.

Xu Kuan happened to be at the door and came out to greet Wang Chuang, "I heard from Mingxuan that you are also going to study at the academy. When are you leaving?"

Xu Kuan was friendly towards scholars, and even invited Wang Chuang to come in and sit down.

"I'll go in a couple of days. I'll come to visit you again later, and I need to greet my parents-in-law first." Wang Chuang's face was rosy, and he was carrying gifts in both hands.

Qiao Mianmian had already taken her fourth sister's arm, and the two of them walked ahead. "Fourth sister, did you miss me? I missed you so much. On the day you got married, I couldn't sleep because I missed you so much."

"Really?" Lin Xiahe's eyes softened. "I don't believe it. You're such a two-faced girl, you're definitely trying to fool me."

"You can ask Mom, I slept with her that day." The two sisters stepped over the threshold and entered the house. Qiao Mianmian shouted loudly, "Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother, Fourth Sister and Fourth Sister's husband are back!"

Just as she finished calling out, Madam Lin came running out wearing an apron. "You're back just in time! I was just talking to your grandmother about how it was about time you came back. Mianmian, go and make some tea. Take out the tea leaves that Xu Xiucai's family sent."

Lin was kneading dough, and her hands were still covered in dough. She looked down at her hands and quickly went back to wash them.

Qiao Mianmian gestured for her sister and brother-in-law to sit down, pouring tea as she said, "Yesterday, Grandfather caught a turtle, and Grandmother specially kept it for our family to eat. Fourth brother-in-law, why are you grinning like that? Are you very happy to have married my fourth sister?"

"Of course." Wang Chuang was also a very easygoing person. "Your fourth sister is so nice, oh... why can't I say anything?"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiahe pinched his arm.

Lin Xiahe blushed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Mianmian isn't engaged yet."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." Wang Chuang said, turning his head to ask his two brothers-in-law where they had gone.

"My eldest brother went to collect pig offal, and my second brother went to the Qiu family to get wine." Qiao Mianmian wasn't setting up her stall today, but she was still selling braised food, though her sister-in-law was doing it while she waited at home for her fourth sister.

Just as she told Manager Wang, she wasn't a genuinely hardworking person; she was only forced to be. Although she loved making money, her family was more important than money, so she didn't go to set up her stall.

At this moment, Qiao Mancang returned with the meat. After putting the meat down, he chatted with Wang Chuang.

While the men chatted, Qiao Mianmian carried the meat and went to the kitchen with her fourth sister.

"Oh dear, don't do it. Today is your homecoming, how can I let you do chores?" Madam Lin pressed her daughter's hand, preventing her from working. "Sit down, it's just the two of us at home today, no one else. Tell me, how has your son-in-law treated you?"

She looked at her daughter expectantly, eager to know.

"It's...it's very good." Lin Xiahe sat in front of the stove, her hands on her knees, her cheeks flushed. "My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are also doing well."

"Is it because Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law are not good?" Madam Lin frowned instantly.

"No, it's not that they're bad people," Lin Xiahe quickly explained. "It's not that I'm a bad person, it's just that I'm not familiar with them and I don't feel comfortable around them."

However, she understood the personalities of her sisters-in-law. Her eldest sister-in-law was upright, valued politeness and rules, and was strict in raising her children, always speaking her mind. Her second sister-in-law seemed quiet, but was very thoughtful; she mentioned that her family ate a lot of spicy food, so she cooked an extra bowl of spicy dishes. Her third sister-in-law didn't like to do housework, but she had a sweet tongue and often coaxed her third brother into helping her with chores.

The Wang family is a large family, and with so many people, everyone has their own ideas.

Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. We'll get used to it eventually. When will we separate the family?"

Before her daughter could answer, she spoke first, "In my opinion, it's better not to separate the family so early. Your son-in-law is going to study and won't be home most of the time. If you separate the family, won't you be living alone? Without a man in the house, life won't be peaceful."

“It still needs to be divided. My mother-in-law has already discussed it with everyone. The current house will be divided in two. Wang Chuang and I will live in the east side, separated by a wall. In the future, when Wang Chuang goes to school, if anything happens on my side, the neighbors will be able to hear it. My second and third brothers will be given separate houses. My mother-in-law has already given them the house deeds,” Lin Xiahe said.

"That's good, otherwise I'd be worried about you living alone." Madam Lin had always thought that Madam Wang was amazing, seeing through everything. No wonder her four sons were all capable. "When your son-in-law goes to school, you should visit the neighbors more often. Only if you treat people well will your sister-in-law and mother-in-law help you when you have children."

She chattered on and on about her life experiences to her daughter.

As Qiao Mianmian listened, she prepared the ingredients. Seeing that it was almost time, she started to stir-fry the turtle.

This turtle weighs about three pounds, not very big, but its skirt is quite thick. Because it's wild, it's exceptionally fresh.

Stir-fry the turtle with soy sauce and other seasonings, then pour a spoonful of hot water into the pot. The broth immediately starts to simmer and bubble, the oily sauce coating the fish pieces as they tremble and shake in the pot.

Qiao Mianmian transferred the turtle into a clay pot, added some hard-boiled eggs to the bottom, covered it with the lid, and poured some rice wine over the top of the pot. The aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen.

"Mom, are the noodles ready?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

"Alright, alright, is the food ready?" Lin was busy talking and hadn't paid attention to the stove.

"Almost there, in another fifteen minutes you can start cooking the noodles," Qiao Mianmian said. "Go see if your second brother is back yet. If he is, tell him to go to the market to help out. If he can't sell them all, he doesn't need to sell them anymore. Just come back and eat first."

Just as Lin was about to go out, she saw her second son coming to the door after smelling the aroma, so she quickly asked him to help pack up the stall.

Qiao Mianmian made a pork soup, stir-fried bok choy and bamboo shoots, and added a fresh dish today: stir-fried garlic sprouts with cured pork.

Before the Lunar New Year, the family hadn't finished the cured pork they made, and since it was the season for garlic sprouts, Qiao Mianmian cut off a small piece of cured pork.

After being smoked for a long time, cured pork needs to be boiled in water for a while before it can be cut. Garlic sprouts have their own spiciness, but they will turn sweet afterward; they only need to be cooked with soy sauce, cooking wine, and some chili powder.

Once the stir-fried garlic shoots with cured pork were ready, the turtle in the casserole was also cooked. The turtle's skirt was stewed until it was crystal clear, and even just a little bit of soup on the chopsticks was enough to make your eyebrows fall off from the deliciousness.

Qiao Mianmian sprinkled a handful of garlic sprouts with satisfaction, picked up the casserole, and said, "Fourth Sister, dinner is ready."

When they arrived at the front hall, Qiao Jiawang and the others had just returned from packing up their stall. Lin said loudly, "Don't clean up yet, wash your hands and eat!"

"Mom, it's all sold out!" Hu Qianqian was worried she wouldn't be able to sell anything before setting up her stall today, as her sister-in-law and mother-in-law weren't home, and she wasn't sure what to do. Fortunately, everyone saw the Qiao's Food Shop sign and bought without hesitation. She excitedly handed over her money bag, saying, "All the money is here."

Lin took the money pouch and put it away. "Go wash your face quickly, it's time to eat."

After the family sat down and the elders started eating, Qiao Mianmian immediately picked up a piece of turtle skirt.

The fish skirt was stewed until tender and the flavor was fully absorbed; one bite was bursting with collagen. Normally, the family wouldn't eat it, but today was special, so Grandma asked Grandpa to save some.

After finishing the skirt trim, Qiao Mianmian picked up an egg and made a few cuts in it to make it more flavorful.

The egg whites are crisp and bouncy, and the yolks inside are soaked in the soup, making it a perfect dish to eat with rice.

This noon, Qiao Mianmian ate two bowls of rice, which was quite unusual for her.

"Hiccup." Qiao Mianmian burped, rubbing her stomach, and sat down contentedly to the side, rinsing her mouth with tea.

In the afternoon, Xu Kuan came to visit. He was looking for Wang Chuang. When Lin saw him, she remembered the bamboo shoot cakes at home and asked Qiao Mianmian to send some to the Xu family.

In the Xu family courtyard, Madam Xu was embroidering a handkerchief. Qiao Mianmian was somewhat surprised when she saw it. Madam Xu was in poor health, so she shouldn't be doing such a thing.

She handed the bamboo shoot cakes to Yunzhu, saying, "My mother said you might not have tried them before, so she asked me to give you a few to try."

"Please thank your mother for me. She always brings me food, which makes me feel quite embarrassed." Madam Xu smiled gently, put down her handkerchief, and asked Yunzhu to make tea.

Qiao Mianmian quickly said no, "My fourth sister is returning to her parents' home today, so I won't sit down. I'll come back another day."

Watching Qiao Mianmian leave with a smile, Madam Xu sighed, "This young lady from the Qiao family is so full of energy; she makes one envious."

The family doesn't have much money now, and they don't have a stable income. She learned needlework from a renowned master when she was young, and now she does only what she can. "Yunzhu, you've embroidered it wrong, it should be like this..."

After Qiao Mianmian returned home, she told her mother that Madam Xu was embroidering a handkerchief. "I noticed that the fabric of the handkerchief was smooth, like silk, and the pattern was exquisite. It didn't seem like something she would normally use. Could it be that the Xu family is short of money, and Madam Xu has to earn some money?"

"That can't be," said Madam Lin. "Just now I saw that Xu Xiucai's father was wearing new clothes. If the family was short of money, why would they make new clothes?"

"Who knows?" Qiao Mianmian thought to herself that some people are so concerned with saving face that they suffer for it. She felt that Xu Kuan was such a person. He always spoke to them with a serious demeanor, but he was different with her fourth brother-in-law. He was very warm and friendly.

She was just chatting casually and quickly changed the subject.

When Lin Xiahe and Wang Chuang left, they chatted casually along the way, and Lin Xiahe also mentioned the Xu family.

"Do you know how much money my mother spent sending me to Songshan Academy?" Wang Chuang asked.

Lin Xiahe shook her head and said she didn't know.

“It’s almost sixty taels of silver,” Wang Chuang said. “If the Xu family didn’t have any income, they might indeed be struggling to make ends meet. No wonder Uncle Xu is hoping that Brother Xu will pass the imperial examination; he is the hope of their whole family.”

“But without a source of income, no matter how much wealth you have, it will eventually run out.” Lin Xiahe didn’t quite understand. “If it were me, whether it was copying books or writing letters for people on the street, I would always try to earn some money. As for face, that’s not important.”

Having enough to eat and wear, and ensuring the health of her family are the most important things, Lin Xiahe is very pragmatic.

Wang Chuang immediately replied, "My wife and I are a match made in heaven, and I feel the same way."

One sentence made Lin Xiahe's cheeks burn. She glared at Wang Chuang and said, "On the street!"

Wang Chuang followed with a smile. The young couple walked home in the afterglow of the setting sun, their steps light and sweet.