Chapter 72 Cooling Dishes

"It's just some leftovers, nothing much." After watching the old man leave and closing the door, Qiao Jiaxing wondered where the old man would be staying that night.

When he went to open the door again, the other person was nowhere to be seen.

After calling out twice at the door without receiving a response, Qiao Jiaxing had no choice but to close the door and go back inside.

It was the first time Qiao Jiaxing had ever stayed away from home on his own, and he felt quite uneasy. He checked himself over three times before going back to sleep.

He also placed a machete by the bed, determined to keep a close watch on the family's property.

However, he had barely lain down when he quickly fell asleep, and he could no longer hear the sounds outside.

Meanwhile, the Qiao family hadn't rested yet.

The whole family takes turns washing up, which takes a bit more time.

Lin had just finished washing her feet and was sitting in the living room waiting for Qiao Mancang to wash up when she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Do you think Jiaxing can manage? Why don't you go stay at the shop tomorrow and keep Jiaxing company for a few days?"

"Is everything alright?" Qiao Mancang wanted to cuddle with his wife that night. "He's a young man in his twenties, what could possibly go wrong? Don't worry so much, he's quick-witted, nothing will happen. Didn't you hear Qingjiu say that most of the petty thieves in the city have been caught, and the city is very peaceful now. Besides, you've already brought all the money back, there's no cash in the shop, so if anything happens, Jiaxing can just run away."

The father wasn't that worried. After washing his face, he yawned and said he was going back to sleep.

Lin was pulled back into the house by Qiao Mancang.

Inside Qiao Jiawang's room, the young couple were also awake. Qiao Jiawang looked at Hu Qianqian's still flat stomach and asked curiously, "Why is it still so flat?"

"It's only been three months, how could it be so fast?" Hu Qianqian touched her lower abdomen and asked with concern, "Are you tired from opening today? You seem to be in a good mood, is business good?"

"Well, it's not full, but it's much better than when we were setting up a stall before." Qiao Jiawang wasn't a talkative person; he answered whatever Hu Qianqian asked.

It was his first time being a father, and he was very excited about the baby, visiting him every day when he came home.

"That's good," Hu Qianqian said. "I've been thinking about you all at home, hoping the day will end soon."

She had things to do at home, starting by making clothes and shoes for the children, and cooking braised dishes with her grandmother in the afternoons, but all she could think about was Qiao Jiawang coming back soon. However, she was too embarrassed to say it aloud. They had been engaged for a long time and had known each other since childhood, but their close relationship only began after their marriage.

"Jiawang, go to sleep, you're tired." She patted Qiao Jiawang's arm.

Qiao Jiawang nodded, then remembered something else. Thinking that Hu Qianqian hadn't been at the shop during the day, he quickly told her his mother's plan, "The family business relies entirely on Mianmian. I'm thinking of leaving her a large share..."

“I understand.” Hu Qianqian saw Qiao Jiawang hurriedly explaining, and thought the man was quite adorable. “You don’t need to say so much. I’ve been married into the family for a few months now, and I know what my family is like. It’s only right that my mother-in-law does this. My mother said that being a stepmother is the hardest thing. My mother-in-law has had a very difficult life, and she has tried her best to treat everyone equally. If you can be more understanding, then our life together will be better. I’m not an unreasonable person. I’m very happy that you specifically told me this.”

The Hu and Qiao families had been business partners for many years and knew each other very well. The Hu family wanted their daughter to have a good life after marriage, so Hu's mother repeatedly taught Hu Qianqian how to be a good person.

Hu Qianqian herself was reasonable. Everyone in the family was busy, and it was already quite a relief that she could stay at home. Moreover, she would be able to earn money and have her own expenses in the future, which was a wonderful thing.

The young couple blew out the candles and quickly fell asleep.

The next day, before dawn, Lin was the first to get up again, but Qiao Mianmian didn't go out so early today.

Not many people eat stir-fries in the morning, so Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment and decided not to make any stir-fries this morning. She wouldn't go to the shop anyway. There wouldn't be much to do in the kitchen if she went there now, so she might as well rest a little longer.

When Qiao Mianmian got up, her grandmother had already cooked porridge and fried eggs and brought them to the three of them to eat together.

"Mianmian, when you go out later, take this bottle of chili oil to the Wang family." Zhang put a fried egg on her granddaughter's plate and then on her granddaughter-in-law's plate. "Eat more, so you can make it to noon."

"Grandmother, what made you think of sending chili oil to the Wang family?" Qiao Mianmian asked casually.

Zhang said, "Dazhu's wife has one too. Widow Wang came over yesterday and mentioned that our chili oil is delicious. Her daughter-in-law hasn't been able to eat anything lately and has been eating chili oil with her rice. Since they said that, we can't pretend we didn't hear it. We'll send a small bottle as a token, that's all we have."

"Wang's eldest sister-in-law is pregnant too!" Qiao Mianmian gossiped. "I haven't seen her leave the house since she married into the family, I've even forgotten what she looks like. Sister-in-law, have you seen her?"

Hu Qianqian thought for a moment, "Now that you mention it, I realize I've never seen her before."

Wang Dazhu's wife married into the family before the Lunar New Year, while Hu Qianqian married in after the Lunar New Year. Since Hu Qianqian married into the family, she has never seen Wang Dazhu's wife.

This made Qiao Mianmian even more curious. After finishing her porridge, she stuffed a fried egg into her mouth, grabbed the small earthenware jar, and immediately went out.

Zhang called out from behind, "Slow down, the morning dew is heavy, watch your step!"

Qiao Mianmian replied with an "okay," and ran to the Wang family's house, calling out, "Aunt Wang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped into the Wang family's gate and saw Wang Dazhu's wife hurriedly sit down. "Hello, Sister-in-law Wang, this is chili oil that my grandmother asked me to bring. I heard you like it."

Chen's cheeks flushed red. She glanced at Qiao Mianmian, then looked towards the backyard, hoping her mother-in-law would come out soon.

"Oh, Mianmian, your family is too kind." Widow Wang said this while wearing an apron, but her hands said it was true: "Thank you very much. I will deliver the pottery jar to your house after dinner."

As she spoke, she looked at her daughter-in-law and said, "There are poached eggs boiling in the pot. The Qiao family just sent over some chili oil, so you can eat your fill later."

Ms. Chen nodded shyly, sitting upright and very reserved.

Just as Qiao Mianmian looked towards Chen Shi, Widow Wang came over and said, "Mianmian, doesn't your family run a food shop? Didn't you go today?"

“Not many people eat stir-fried dishes in the morning. Now my mother makes noodles and my second brother stir-fries the toppings, so I don’t need to go that early.” Seeing that Widow Wang was seeing the guests off, Qiao Mianmian wasn’t so gossipy and tactfully took her leave. “But I’ll still go first. I can go and help greet the guests. Auntie, when you have time, you can come and take care of my family’s business. I’ll give you extra portions then.”

"Of course I'll take her." Widow Wang watched Qiao Mianmian walk out the door, go to the kitchen to get some poached eggs, and then hand them to her daughter-in-law. She couldn't help but sigh, "I know you don't like going out. Right now, I can run and jump, and I can go out to buy groceries and do laundry every day. But one day I won't be able to walk anymore."

Chen lowered her head and said, "Mother, I will take care of everything at home."

"I'm not asking you to do more work, I'm just telling you not to care so much about what others think. If anyone talks nonsense, just slap them across the face. If you can't win the argument, let me do it. Your husband has four brothers, do you think our family is afraid of anyone?"

Seeing her daughter-in-law's eyes redden and she was about to cry, Widow Wang quickly stopped her, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Quickly eat the poached eggs while they're hot, we'll talk about the rest later."

Her family had known about her daughter-in-law's situation for a long time, so she had never criticized her for it. However, as time went on, seeing her daughter-in-law's gentle nature, Widow Wang felt somewhat resentful; she still preferred someone more outspoken and assertive.

Speaking of being outspoken and having a temper, Widow Wang thought of Zheng Sanhua next door. That girl was quite formidable; she was eloquent and could endure hardship.

She has two unmarried sons who have recently become closer to the Zheng family.

At this moment, Qiao Mianmian encountered Zheng Sanhua in the market.

Zheng Sanhua was discussing business with the woodcutter. "I'm talking to you specifically because I think you're honest and the firewood you bring is always good. Think about it, you get the same price at the firewood shop, but they make you carry it there and stack it yourself, and you have to be all smiles to their employees. But you don't have to do that with me. I only care about the quality of the goods, how hard the firewood is. And I can guarantee you, you can bring me as much as you want, and I will never make you carry it back."

She spoke at length, paused for a moment, and then immediately continued, "You can certainly make more money by going door to door selling your wares. But how tiring is that? With that time, you could go home and rest, or chop more firewood to sell, wouldn't you earn more? Besides, you might not even be able to sell anything yourself."

Seeing that the other party was still a little hesitant, Zheng Sanhua held up three fingers again, "How about this, I'll give you more benefits. If you send me firewood three times every ten days, I'll give you ten more coins a month, okay?"

Hearing that there was extra money, the other party was tempted.

"However, I charge according to the price here. Good firewood and bad firewood are not the same price, and so is charcoal. I have to say this upfront: if I find out that you are selling inferior goods as superior ones, we will not cooperate in the future." Zheng Sanhua was so engrossed in discussing business that she did not notice Qiao Mianmian passing by.

Qiao Mianmian greeted Zheng Ming first, and seeing that Zheng Sanhua hadn't noticed her at all, she smiled and said to Zheng Ming, "Uncle Zheng, Third Sister is really amazing."

Zheng Ming turned to look at his daughter and sighed, "She just can't stop working."

"This is a good thing. You'll have more energy if you can make money. You should be happy." Qiao Mianmian was genuinely happy for Zheng Sanhua when she heard that the deal had been finalized.

Zheng Sanhua carried firewood home. "We need a stable source of firewood so that our business won't stop. Otherwise, even if we go to the city gate every day to wait, we might not be able to get any. If we don't have firewood, even if customers come to buy, we won't have any to sell."

"But what if we can't sell them?" Zheng Ming was worried about this.

"Don't worry, with me here, we definitely won't fail to sell. I've discovered that as long as I'm willing to be willing to lose face when negotiating, I'll eventually succeed. If it doesn't work the first time, I'll try ten times. If it still doesn't work after ten times, it means there's something wrong with my method, and I should reflect on myself."

Zheng Sanhua had already figured out the tricks of the trade. Carrying firewood to the alley entrance, she happened to run into Chunsheng's family carrying planks. She put down the firewood and hurried over, "Auntie, Uncle, if you do carpentry, you can sell us any leftover pieces. They're not worth much, but they can at least help with a meal."

"Oh, Sanhua, you're such a good businesswoman!" Chunsheng's mother laughed heartily. "We don't even have enough of those scraps for our own cooking, so we can't sell them."

"It's alright, I just suddenly thought of it and came to let you know. You probably don't know about things that can be sold." Zheng Sanhua saw that there were many wooden planks in the Meng family's yard and then talked about where the Meng family bought them.

Seeing Zheng Sanhua's enthusiasm and knowing that the two families were in different businesses, Chun Sheng's mother didn't hold back and chatted with Zheng Sanhua for quite a while.

When Zheng Sanhua left, she praised her husband, "Sanhua is really capable, but she was forced into this situation. She has no brothers, so she can only work hard on her own. I think given her family's circumstances, they should let her find a husband to marry into the family. If they don't, I think Sanhua is quite good."

Although Chunsheng's mother had more than one son, she did not want her son to become a live-in son-in-law and serve others in their homes. She felt that it was far better to marry a wife.

Shaking her head and sighing, Chun Sheng's mother said it was a pity. She turned to look at her eldest son, who always buried himself in his work as soon as he got home, and began to worry about his marriage again.

"The sun is getting stronger, I'll go cook some refreshing dishes for you." Chun Sheng's mother went into the kitchen, boiled some herbal tea, and then took two bags to deliver to the Qiao and Xu families.

At this moment, in the Qiao family, Zhang was teaching Hu Qianqian how to make children's shoes and hats. When she saw Chunsheng's mother come in, she hurriedly invited Chunsheng's mother to sit down.

"I won't sit down. There are some refreshing dishes cooking in the kitchen. These are ones I picked last year, and there will be fresh ones soon. Here, have a taste." Chun Sheng's mother put them down and left.

Looking at the refreshing dishes, Zhang thought it was getting hot and took them to the kitchen to cook.

After the cold dishes are cooked, they need to settle and solidify, turning into a black jelly, which some people also call black tofu. Cut them into small pieces and soak them in water. Before eating, chill them in well water for a while, add some syrup or honey, and it's the best summer snack to cool you down.

When Zhang prepared the refreshing dishes, her grandsons came to carry the braised food in the afternoon. She told them to eat first, saying, "I soaked them in well water for a while, so they tasted cool and refreshing."

Qiao Jiawang said there was no rush to eat, but Qiao Jiaxing couldn't wait to serve himself a bowl. "Grandmother, in previous years they were only available in May or June. Why are they so early this year?"

“Chunsheng’s mother sent over a bunch, and I was wondering where to store it, since I might want to eat it sometime, so I decided to make it first.” Zhang smiled and served a bowl to her eldest grandson as well. “This is simple to make, it doesn’t require any special skills. I can’t make anything else for you, but this is fine. We can save the rest for Mianmian and the others when they come back.”

Qiao Jiaxing finished a bowl of food at Sanjiangkou, his mouth still sweet. "Mmm, let's go over there first. It's almost dinner time, and we'll be serving our guests soon."