Chapter 69 Fried pork chops, river clam and tofu soup...

Qiao Mianmian didn't need to worry about the shop. Not long after returning home in the afternoon, Xu Mingxuan delivered four copies of the letter.

"Take a look, which one do you like? I'll go and enlarge it and write it again." Xu Mingxuan placed the words on the table.

Qiao Mancang couldn't read, so he let his children choose.

"I think they're all fine," Qiao Jiaxing said. "Mianmian, you decide. I really can't choose."

Qiao Mianmian picked out a piece of calligraphy, "They're all really good, but this one is the best looking at me. Thank you, Scholar Xu, I'll have to trouble you again."

"You're welcome. Are you still learning to read with Lord Lu?" Xu Mingxuan asked.

Qiao Mianmian said no, "It's not good to bother Lord Lu. We ordinary people only need to know a little bit, which is enough for our daily needs."

She did recognize most of the characters, but the Book of Songs and the like were of no use to her; there was no need for her to learn them, nor did she have the time.

Qiao Jiawang and Qiao Jiaxing breathed a sigh of relief that they didn't have to learn to read. The two brothers drank a cup of tea at home and then followed Qiao Mancang to tidy up the shop.

Qiao Mianmian was at home with her grandmother. She watched her sister-in-law cook braised dishes, and only made pork chops near dusk.

Cut the meat from the ribs into palm-sized pieces and repeatedly chop the fibers with the back of a knife so that it won't get stuck in your teeth when you eat it.

Since there was no bread available, she used breadcrumbs instead, which were just as fragrant and crispy.

"Sister-in-law, fried buns are too spicy, you shouldn't eat too many." Qiao Mianmian fried the extra buns first, and when she saw her sister-in-law take a second one, she carefully reminded her, "Let them cool down before you eat them."

"I feel like I've been eating a lot lately. Maybe it's because I didn't have an appetite before, but now I suddenly have a huge appetite." Hu Qianqian licked her fingers. "But fried mantou smells so good."

She thought it tasted good as it was, but it was too spicy and not good for her, as she was pregnant and couldn't afford to get sick.

"The fried pork chop will be even more delicious later."

Qiao Mianmian coated the pork chop with seasoned egg wash, then with breadcrumbs. The pork chop sizzled in the oil, and a rich aroma instantly filled the air. "I only dare to use oil like this today because Mom isn't here. If she were here, she would definitely feel bad about wasting all this oil."

Hu Qianqian felt sorry for the pork chop, but she was so attracted by the aroma that she didn't have time to think about how much oil was in it.

Once the pork chops are fried until golden brown and crispy, remove them from the oil and drain. You can hear a crisp sound when you touch them with chopsticks.

Qiao Mianmian fried a total of five pork chops. After all the pork chops were fried, the pork rib soup in the stove was also ready. Today's dish was lotus root and pork rib soup, a very simple dish.

While she was stir-frying the pumpkin, she heard her parents' voices coming from the yard. Qiao Mianmian asked Hu Qianqian to take the soup out first.

I bought the pumpkin last autumn. Yellow pumpkins can be stored for a long time as long as they are not gnawed by rodents or ants.

At this time of year, bamboo shoots are gone, bracken is nearing the end of its season, and the vegetables in the fields haven't flowered or fruited yet—it's the time when there are the fewest fresh vegetables available. The most common vegetables sold in the market are bean sprouts and chives; these two are available year-round.

After stir-frying the pumpkin, Qiao Mianmian cut up the fried pork chop.

The fried pork chop was cut into long strips, still dripping with juice. Qiao Mianmian tried a piece first; it was fragrant, tender, and juicy—very delicious.

"Fifth Sister, I smell something delicious! What are we having for dinner today?" Qiao Jiaxing rushed in impatiently. "What is this? Let me try it first!"

As he spoke, he reached out to take it, but Qiao Mianmian slapped his hand away.

"Second brother, you haven't washed your hands yet, go wash them quickly." Qiao Mianmian glanced at him with disdain. She put all the pork chops in a bowl. There was no ketchup or salad dressing available, so she could only sprinkle some chili powder on top.

Qiao Mancang was so tired that he sat in the chair and didn't want to get up. "If I wasn't thinking about the dinner Mianmian made, I would have gone to sleep right now."

He gets up before dawn to slaughter pigs and then cleans the shop in the afternoon. He is not only tired, but also has back pain.

Mrs. Lin was also sitting and drinking tea, but she was more energetic. "Just hang in there for a few more days, and when the shop opens, we'll be happy counting the money."

Qiao Mianmian called her family to dinner. After they sat down, she ate while saying, "Mom and Dad, don't rush things. The shop has already been rented, there's no way we can run away from it. I've already told every regular customer about it. If you work yourselves to death, who will count the money?"

"Don't worry about that. Even if I'm exhausted, I still have the energy to count the money." Lin finished eating quickly, washed herself quickly, and went back to her room.

Just as she was about to lie down, she saw her youngest daughter come in with a smile, and quickly closed her eyes. "Mom, I know you're not asleep."

"Just say what you need to say."

"Didn't you say I'm a young woman now? I'd like to dress up a bit, is that alright?" Qiao Mianmian said, while massaging Lin's shoulders. "How is it, comfortable?"

Lin laughed and said, "It feels good, but the way you're pinching me makes me nervous."

"Oh, what's there to panic about? I'm your most beloved youngest daughter, I certainly won't mention anything that would make things difficult for you." Qiao Mianmian lay down next to her mother. "I'm a grown-up now. A few days ago, my sister-in-law gave me some rouge. Just having rouge doesn't feel like something's missing. Could you buy me a hairpin? I don't want gold or silver, just copper will do."

"So this is where you were waiting for me." Madam Lin wasn't surprised. In the past six months, her youngest daughter had become much more sensible. But no matter how much she changed, she was still the same at heart. She yawned as she got up, found a small box in the wardrobe, and took out a silver hairpin. "You'll be coming of age soon. We bought a copper one now, but we'll need to buy another one later. You can wear this one for now, and we'll buy you a new one later."

The hairpin, adorned with tassels, was not particularly intricately crafted, yet it was Qiao Mianmian's first piece of jewelry.

"Keep it safe, this is my dowry!" said Madam Lin.

Qiao Mianmian looked at the hairpin in her hand with delight and leaned over to ask, "Mother, did you give this hairpin to my sisters too?"

"Do you think your maternal grandparents' family is that rich?" Madam Lin patted her daughter, not saying anything explicitly. Seeing Qiao Mancang come in, she started to shoo him away, "Go back to sleep now. Remember what I said. Wear what I gave you carefully. If you lose it, I'll beat you up!"

"Okay!"

Qiao Mianmian happily took the hairpin home. Her mother said she would buy her another one, and she definitely would.

I went back and looked at myself in the bronze mirror, but unfortunately the light was dim at night, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to come back and check.

Moreover, this silver hairpin should only belong to her. She knows her maternal grandfather's family situation very well; it's impossible for them to have given such a large dowry.

It seems her mother isn't always fair and impartial, as she claims.

She had a good night's sleep, and life went on as usual. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. The shop was almost fully repaired. When Qiao Mianmian ran over after closing up shop, the shop was hanging up the signboard.

"A little to the left, too much, a little to the right." Madam Lin stood below directing. "Alright, alright, that's it. May the family prosper and flourish. Be careful when you come down, watch your step."

The two brothers came down the stairs, and Qiao Jiaxing looked up at the plaque, "Mother, it's finally done."

Lin let out a long sigh of relief. "Yes, it's finally done. I've been looking forward to it every day, and I even dream about the food shop at night."

Thinking about the upcoming opening, she couldn't help but smile. "That's wonderful!"

Qiao Mianmian was also very happy, "I thought it would take a while, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. Mom, we will have our own shop in the future, and we won't have to set up a stall in the wind and sun anymore."

She walked into the shop. To the left of the entrance was the noodle-making stove, where customers cooked their noodles for easy delivery. Further inside was the counter, and to the right were tables for customers to eat at.

All the weeds in the yard were pulled out, and a place was built to feed the chickens and ducks. Further back were the kitchen, the woodshed, and a room where people could live.

Qiao Mianmian looked at it all, and could still smell the red paint.

Qiao Jiaxing followed him to the kitchen. "My parents told me that I should live in the shop and keep an eye on things from now on."

Qiao Mianmian replied, "If business is good in the evening, I'll cook here too."

We can't just let her go home by herself after dark, can we?

"Then what should we do?" Qiao Jiaxing asked.

“If I get back late, I’ll stay in a private room upstairs. Anyway, it’s hot, so I can just grab a mat and sleep on it,” Qiao Mianmian said. “When it’s cold, there aren’t many guests at night, so I don’t have to worry about that.”

"No way, I should stay upstairs and you can sleep here. I'm the older brother, how can I let you sleep on the floor?"

Qiao Jiaxing insisted, "Mother said the store will open tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it. At first, you just set up a small stove next to Dad's meat stall, and now you've opened a food shop. Although the shop is rented, our family's life is getting better every day."

The brother and sister smiled at each other, because they had a lot to prepare for the opening of the business.

Besides buying rice and vegetables, you also need to arrange for alcohol, chicken, duck, fish and meat to be purchased in advance.

On the first day of business, the Lin family did not dare to prepare too much. They bought three chickens and three ducks and left them in the backyard. The wine was delivered by Qiu Shaohui.

The Qiu couple arrived pulling a cart. Ning shouted at the door, and Qiao Jiaxing hurriedly ran out from the backyard.

"Uncle, Aunt, let me carry it." Qiao Jiaxing held the edge of the wine jar. "You two go inside for tea. My parents are here."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Shaohui said he wouldn't go in, "We'll leave after you unload it; we have a lot of things to do at the shop."

Ning pulled him inside, saying, "Oh dear, a little time won't make a difference. You're really something, asking three times a day when the Qiao family will open, and now that we're here, you're not even going in." She exposed him directly, and immediately greeted Qiao Mancang and his wife after entering.

When Lin saw the Qiu couple, she paused for a moment, then said she would find them some tea. "It's kind of you to make this trip. I'm just too busy today, Jiawang and Jiaxing couldn't come. Come, come, sit down and have some tea."

Ning glanced at Lin, thinking that it was fortunate that the family had met Lin. Now that the Qiao family had opened a restaurant, they would definitely need more wine in the future. The two families were starting to interact, and it wouldn't be good to remain as awkward as before.

She took a sip of tea and asked, "Where's Jiawang's wife? I haven't seen her. Is her appetite alright?"

"Her appetite is much better than before; she can eat and drink well," Lin said with a smile. "But since she's pregnant, I've had her stay home to rest. Sometimes when we come home late, she helps with cooking and tidying up the house. If you want to see her, you have to go to her house; there are too many people coming and going at the shop, so I haven't had her come over."

"Great, I'll go see her when I have time. It's wonderful that Jiawang is going to be a father." As she spoke, Madam Ning inquired about Qiao Jiaxing's marriage. These were all things Qiu Shaohui cared about, but he was too embarrassed to ask, so Madam Ning, knowing her husband's personality, asked instead.

Speaking of this, Mrs. Lin had a lot to say. "I've been having people look for someone, but none of them have met the right person. I get worried every time this comes up. Sister-in-law, do you know anyone suitable?"

The Qiu family is Jiaxing's maternal uncle's family; if they make an introduction, they'll definitely be a good one.

Unfortunately, Ning couldn't think of a suitable candidate. "There aren't any girls of marriageable age in our area. I'll keep this in mind for you. If there's a suitable one, I'll have someone pass on the message to you."

“Our family doesn’t have high requirements. As long as the girl is pretty and the family is harmonious, that’s fine. Also…” Madam Lin pulled Madam Ning aside and said a lot of things.

Qiu Shaohui and Qiao Mancang stared at each other, unable to find a topic to talk about, so they just kept drinking tea.

After downing several cups of tea, Qiu Shaohui walked home very quickly.

Ning couldn't catch up and ran all the way home. Before she could even say a word, she saw her husband rushing to the outhouse.

When the man came out, Ning said irritably, "He's so stingy, he even held his pee and came back. Couldn't he have gone to the outhouse at the Qiao family's house? I had to run all the way here, I'm exhausted!"

Ning was covered in sweat and sat in a chair fanning herself.

After relieving himself, Qiu Shaohui finally felt better. "You don't understand."

"Is it because I don't understand? Tell me, what would happen if you used someone else's outhouse?" Ning Shi was speechless for a long time.

Qiu Shaohui pursed his lips, didn't answer, and went back to work.

On the other side, Qiao Mancang was also about to burst. He came out of the outhouse and complained to Lin, "My brother-in-law doesn't need to go to the outhouse. He doesn't say anything, and I can't find anything to say either. I just watch him drink one cup after another, and he doesn't tell me to stop, so I can only keep him company. I'm really suffocating."

He was afraid that if he said he was going to the outhouse, Qiu Shaohui would overthink it and think that he didn't welcome Qiu Shaohui, so he could only hold it in.

Lin found it amusing. "Brother Qiu is a rather timid person. When you interact with him, the more direct you are, the better. But you are you. I, on the other hand, have a pleasant chat with Ning. She is a very cheerful person, and I like her very much."

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin looked out onto the street and, just as she was wondering what was going on, saw Zheng Ming and his daughter pulling a cart of firewood toward them.

"I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry." Zheng Ming's clothes were soaked through. As he untied the hemp rope, he said, "Something came up on the way and I'm late. Where is the woodshed?"

"It's alright, we just happen to have some things to do." Lin pointed Zheng Ming in the right direction, and Qiao Mancang helped carry the firewood into the backyard.

Watching the three of them stack the firewood, Madam Lin poured tea for the Zheng family father and daughter, saying, "You've really worked hard. The restaurant will need a lot of firewood in the future, and we'll have to trouble you again."

“It’s no trouble at all, Auntie.” Zheng Sanhua finished her tea in one gulp. “It’s you who’s been patronizing my business; we should be the ones thanking you. Yesterday you said you needed firewood, so my daughter and I went to the city gate early this morning to wait for you and specially picked out the best pieces to bring over.”

Seeing that Zheng Sanhua was a bit tanned, Madam Lin felt sorry for her. "Sanhua, you are a young lady. Wear a straw hat when you work, otherwise the sun will be even more intense when it gets hot."

She also has daughters, and she couldn't bear to see them do such physical labor; she felt somewhat reluctant.

"I'm fine, it doesn't matter if I get a little tanned." Zheng Sanhua's teeth looked even whiter when she smiled.

Zheng Ming smiled helplessly from the side. He had told his daughter several times, but she just wouldn't listen. These days, when it came to doing business, his daughter was the one in charge, and he had become her assistant.

The Zheng family father and daughter were also going back, so the four of them went together.

When they reached the alley entrance, Jiang and the others saw the Zheng father and daughter at their doorstep and immediately stood up straight.

"Mother, here's all the money for today!" Zheng Sanhua immediately ran over. "Count it, there are four hundred coins today!"

Delivering a truckload of firewood to the Qiao family was a big business deal, and with several other small transactions completed, today's income was quite good.

However, the four hundred coins were not pure interest; there was also principal involved. If calculated carefully, the daily interest would be around one hundred coins, enough for a family to live on with some left over.

Jiang, holding the purse, noticed her daughter's damp temples and pulled her towards the house. "I fried your favorite poached eggs today, and they've been keeping them warm in the pan. Why are you so late? It's almost dark."

She was worried about the father and daughter, and stayed at the door the whole time.

"We encountered soldiers arresting people on the road, and half of a cartload of firewood overturned, which delayed us for a while. But it's alright, I went out with my father. With him around, we're sure to be safe." Zheng Sanhua spoke with great energy after earning money.

Zheng Ming walked behind, saying, "Next time, don't use your body to block firewood. If it falls, it falls. It's just a matter of putting in more effort to pick it up again. Let your mother take a look; your shoulder is definitely bruised."

Hearing her daughter shield her from the firewood with her own body, Jiang, her eyes red, pulled her into the house. Seeing the bruise the size of a palm on her daughter's back, tears streamed down her face. "You...you child..."

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm not an ordinary little girl who can be fine after a good night's sleep. Oh, please don't cry, I'm really alright. Dad has been doing this for so many years, and he does the same thing. Why is it that when it comes to me, you only feel sorry for me and not for my dad?"

Zheng Sanhua jokingly said, seeing that her mother was still wiping away tears, she could only hug her mother and coax her, "Mom, I'm hungry, so hungry."

Hearing her daughter say she was hungry, Jiang quickly wiped away her tears and said, "I'll get you some rice and boil an egg for you."

As she reached the door, Jiang stopped, but couldn't bring herself to say she wanted to quit.

Life has to be lived with effort; that's true for everyone.

Meanwhile, at the Qiao family home, Qiao Mianmian prepared the meal and called her family to eat.

"Sister-in-law Xu brought some river clams. I used the clam meat to make tofu soup. I just took a bite and it was so delicious that it made my eyebrows fall off."

Qiao Mianmian brought the last bowl of food to the table, saying, "River clams have little meat and are troublesome to prepare, but at least they add some flavor, otherwise tofu alone would be bland."

Clams need to be pried open with a knife, which requires strength and patience. After removing the clam meat, it needs to be washed to remove the mud and sand, and all the inedible parts need to be removed.

A large basin of river clams yielded only a small bowl of clam meat, not enough to make a whole stir-fry; it could only be used to make tofu soup.

Besides river clam and tofu soup, there was a bowl of braised pork belly with soybeans. At this time of year, there weren't many other green vegetables; we didn't have that many vegetables at home. There was also fermented tofu made last winter; two pieces were enough for the whole family for a day.

Qiao Mianmian likes to eat the dried radish in fermented tofu; it's crunchy and chewy.

Holding a bowl of rice, she sipped some tofu soup, then had a piece of pork belly, along with spicy pickled radish, and quickly finished the bowl of rice.

"Everyone should rest early today. The food shop opens tomorrow, and we'll be busy." After saying this, Madam Lin looked at her eldest daughter-in-law. "Qianqian, you should stay home with your grandmother. Cook the braised food at home, and when it's done, have Jiawang and Jiaxing carry it over."

Zhang asked, "Are you sure you don't need me to come over and help?"

“Mother, we don’t need that many people. With me and Mancang, Jiawang and his two siblings, plus Zhou Shan and the others running errands, that’s enough. Besides, it’s the first day of business, and we don’t know how it will go. If we’re really too busy, I’ll let you know.” Lin didn’t want her parents-in-law to work so hard at the shop. They were getting on in years, and if they were to get sick from exhaustion, she wouldn’t be able to explain it to the Qiao family.

Fearing her mother-in-law might overthink it, she added, "Besides, we need to cook braised dishes at home, and you can help Qianqian while you're here."

“This is true too,” Zhang said. “Although I’m old, I can still cook some braised dishes. When your father comes back from the fishing, we can have him come over and help out, even as a waiter.”

"Okay," Lin replied with a smile.

The whole family was excited about the opening tomorrow, and everyone went to bed early, but they didn't fall asleep so soon.

The next day, someone's rooster crowed at dawn, and everyone woke up. They didn't even bother to cook porridge; they just tidied up and prepared to go to the shop.

"Qianqian, you all eat something at home. There are eggs by the rice jar. Don't be stingy with them. Cook them with the porridge." Before leaving, Madam Lin specifically instructed her eldest daughter-in-law.

Qiao Mianmian rarely woke up this early. She rubbed her eyes and when she arrived at the shop entrance, there were already two customers waiting.

"Oh, you've finally arrived! I was just thinking of having a bowl of noodles before heading to the dock."

"Me too! I came here specifically to have a bowl of noodles since it's your first day of business!"

Seeing that there were guests, Qiao Mianmian immediately perked up, "Alright, come in and sit for a while, we'll start a fire and cook noodles right away!"