Chapter 86 Braised Lion's Head Meatballs

Is life any different after coming of age?

At first, Qiao Mianmian didn't notice anything special. It was only after Qingjiu mentioned that she was a grown woman and Lu Zhao instructed her not to get too close when speaking to her.

She then noticed that when Xu Xiucai saw her, he would take a half step back to keep his distance, and when her cousins ​​who were helping with delivery talked to her a few more times, they would come over.

Qiao Mianmian then realized that, in everyone's eyes, she was already a graceful and beautiful young woman.

On the tenth day of the ninth month, after receiving her wages, Qiao Mianmian found Zheng Sanhua on the street. "This is two months' wages, and this is all I have. Here you go."

Zheng Sanhua was so moved she almost cried. "You've given it all to me, so what are you going to do? You need the money, right?"

“I eat and live at home. If I really need money, I just need to say a few nice words to my mother, and she will buy it for me,” Qiao Mianmian said. “You must work hard, especially now that the weather is cold. Many families will stock up on firewood and charcoal, which is a good time to make money.”

"Yes, yes, I will definitely do my best!" Zheng Sanhua had been carrying firewood for a long time and her strength was getting greater and greater. When she saw a carriage coming from a distance, she pulled Qiao Mianmian back. "It looks like a carriage from out of town."

Qiao Mianmian was shocked. "How did you know you were from out of town?"

"To expand my business, I went door-to-door collecting firewood to sell, hoping to sell even one more bundle. I knocked on the doors of most households in Lin'an City, and thus memorized the styles of most of the carriages in the city," Zheng Sanhua said.

"You're amazing, you have such a good memory. But I'm pretty good too, I can remember the dishes that regular customers order after coming here a few times. Okay, I won't talk to you anymore, I have to go back and prepare dinner."

Recently, the dinner business has been getting better and better, and Qiao Mianmian has been staying at the food stall for several days.

When she returned to the food stall, her older brother had already chopped the meat. She added sweet potato starch and cooking wine and patted it down to make the meat in the lion's head meatballs firmer.

After the minced meat is shaped into balls, it is deep-fried over low heat until the surface is golden and crispy, yet still retains some elasticity. Once each meatball is fried, it is placed in an iron pot to simmer, allowing time to bring out its full flavor. Only then will the braised lion's head meatballs reveal their most enticing taste.

Qiao Jiaxing watched with his mouth watering, "Fifth Sister, how much longer do we need to stew this braised lion's head?"

"About half an hour ago, I heard Qingjiu mention it yesterday, and I've been wanting to eat it ever since. This is something we eat at home." Qiao Mianmian doesn't update her signature dishes often. They're just a small eatery now, and if they have too many different dishes, it's not only tiring, but it's also difficult to build a good reputation.

Every now and then, we'll offer a seasonal dish, and occasionally add a signature dish to pique the interest of our regular customers.

"Have you noticed that Qingjiu has gained weight recently?" Qiao Jiaxing asked.

Qiao Mianmian nodded and said, "He has indeed gained weight. I secretly asked Lord Lu, and the two of them eat and drink the same things, so why did Qingjiu gain weight?"

"What did Lord Lu say?"

“Lord Lu said that Qingjiu goes back to sleep after eating every day, while he practices martial arts and boxing. That’s the difference.” Qiao Mianmian shook her head as she spoke. “Yesterday I told Qingjiu to move around more, otherwise he won’t be able to run.”

Qiao Jiaxing burst into laughter, and Cao Yuan laughed along with him.

Seeing that no one else was in the kitchen, Qiao Mianmian leaned close to her second sister-in-law and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, didn't you want to look at a shop earlier? How did it go? Did you find one?"

Uncle Cao gave Cao Yuan a dowry of eight hundred taels of silver, which stunned Qiao Mianmian. For the villagers, this was a huge sum of money. Moreover, this eight hundred taels was not the publicly disclosed amount; Uncle Cao also gave Cao Yuan the betrothal money given by the Qiao family as part of her dowry.

It can be said that Cao Yuan is now the richest person in the Qiao family.

However, only Lin Shi, Qiao Mancang, and Qiao Mianmian knew about this.

Qiao Mianmian overheard her brother and sister-in-law talking by accident.

Cao Yuan looked troubled. "At first I thought the money my father gave me would be enough, but it turns out it's not. A shop like ours would cost around 1,500 taels. Even if we don't buy one that big, it would still cost a little over 1,000 taels. There are also shops that can be bought for 700 or 800 taels, but the location is remote, and your second brother thinks it would be difficult to rent out, and it would also be difficult for the family to do business. I've been hesitating and haven't been able to make a decision."

Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, a shop needs to be bought in a place with high foot traffic so that you won't have to worry about finding tenants. For a restaurant as big as ours, we really don't have enough money. But you can buy a shop for 1,000 taels. If you don't have enough, you can borrow it from your parents. They will deduct it from your wages. Your parents will definitely lend it to you."

She paused, then added, "Moreover, once you buy the shop and rent it out, you can use the rent to pay off the debt. According to my calculations, I don't have much money right now, probably less than a hundred taels. You can look at it now and buy it next month, then I'll have the money."

Qiao Jiaxing hesitated, "If I borrow money, my older brother and the others will think too much, won't they?"

“This is my second sister-in-law’s own property, and it has nothing to do with you, second brother. The shop was bought in my second sister-in-law’s name, and the money was borrowed from our parents in her name as well. Actually, it doesn’t matter if my eldest brother and sister-in-law know about this, but the main thing is that this matter must be kept secret, and the fewer people who know, the better.”

Qiao Mianmian said, "If you really can't bring yourself to ask, and you're worried about troubling your parents, you can borrow money from a money exchange. The monthly rent is more than the interest, so it's not a bad deal. I heard from Sanhua that housing prices in Lin'an have risen again recently, so you should buy as soon as possible if you want."

Their house has appreciated by twenty or thirty taels of silver since they bought it, in less than a year, and the price has increased so quickly.

Cao Yuan was tempted by what she heard, mainly because she had so much money and thought about this every day.

She looked at Qiao Jiaxing, waiting for him to make a decision.

Qiao Jiaxing thought for a moment, "I think it's better to borrow money from the money shop. My parents have worked hard all their lives, and they finally have some money. I don't want to worry about the money in their pockets."

Qiao Mianmian nodded. Anyway, her second brother didn't have much money, so there wouldn't be much interest. Overall, she would still make a profit.

Moreover, buying a shop was Cao Bo's last wish for his second sister-in-law, and also her guarantee.

As the three were talking, Qiao Mancang came to deliver the menu. "The customer ordered sweet and sour pork and wolfberry leaf lean pork soup. Jiaxing, cut a bowl of braised pork. The customer wants it spicy, so can you help mix it?"

"Okay, Dad." Qiao Mianmian and Qiao Jiaxing said in unison, and the two of them got busy together.

Qiao Jiaxing's knife skills are not as good as Qiao Jiawang's, but they are still quite good. He cuts the braised meat into even slices, then adds chili oil, chopped green onions, a little soy sauce, and sugar, and mixes it all together as a cold dish.

At the same time, Qiao Mianmian was making sweet and sour pork. The deep-fried pork tenderloin was coated with a thick layer of sweet and sour sauce, and the aroma of sweet and sour filling the entire kitchen made them all hungry. "Second sister-in-law, the food is ready," Qiao Mianmian said.

Cao Yuan went to serve the dishes, and everyone busied themselves in an orderly manner.

As dusk fell, the Qiao family was about to eat. Qiao Mianmian served the braised lion's head meatballs. When she touched them lightly with her chopsticks, the outer skin trembled. Qiao Mianmian didn't dare to use any force, afraid of breaking the meatballs.

She served Lu Zhao and Qingjiu four cups, and kept the rest for herself.

"Try this Qingjiu. Is the one from Bianjing better, or the one I made?" Qiao Mianmian said with a smile as she served the dishes. "I added extra broth for you. You can use it to mix with rice."

A braised lion's head meatball is placed between a glass of rice wine. The meatball is stewed until tender. When you take a bite, you first taste the unique savory flavor of the broth, followed by a rich and satisfying texture.

The fat had long since melted into the lean meat and other side dishes, and the sauce glistened with oil. Paired with a big mouthful of rice, the broth overflowed from the corners of his mouth, and Qingjiu hurriedly licked it off with the tip of his tongue.

"Delicious, so delicious!"

Qingjiu sincerely praised, "Miss Qiao, you are really amazing. It tastes so good on your first try. If you put this dish on the signboard, I'm sure many people will love it."

Qiao Mianmian thought it was feasible because braised lion's head meatballs are a dish that can be prepared in advance. When guests come, they can just be heated up and served, which is very convenient.

"It's delicious, eat more." Qiao Mianmian had already eaten a bowl of rice, and if she had another bowl of wolfberry leaf and egg soup, she wouldn't eat anymore.

Lin looked over and said, "Mianmian, why don't you eat more?"

"Mom, I'm full." Qiao Mianmian rubbed her stomach. Ever since she realized that Qingjiu had gained a lot of weight, she hadn't dared to eat as much as she wanted at night, afraid that she would end up like Qingjiu.

“You usually serve the rice, are you tired today?” Zhang asked.

Qiao Mianmian said, "Grandmother, I ate a little less rice today. You saw me eat a bowl, but I actually ate about the same as usual. Think about it, how could someone as fond of food as me starve myself?"

Zhang nodded. "That's true."

Seeing that no one was asking any more questions, Qiao Mianmian finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, after the meal, her grandmother secretly slipped her a piece of rice cake.

"We'll eat it when we get back. We can't save it for tomorrow, or it won't taste as good then." Zhang patted her granddaughter's arm. "Your grandfather bought it for me this afternoon. It's soft and sticky. I thought you liked it, so I saved a piece for you."

"Grandma, I just finished dinner," Qiao Mianmian said.

"So what? When I was your age, even after a full meal, I could still eat two big steamed buns. I didn't have much to eat back then, but you guys have plenty now, so enjoy your life!"

Zhang glanced back at you. "I'm not talking to you anymore. If your mother sees this, she'll accuse me of favoritism. Remember to take it out to eat when you get home, understand?"

Watching her grandmother jog away, Qiao Mianmian felt helpless. She just wanted to maintain her figure, so why was it so difficult?

However, to be fair, the rice cakes sold at that stall in the market are indeed delicious. Every time I pass by, I can smell the rich aroma of rice. They taste slightly sweet and are delicious even when they're cold.

She subconsciously swallowed. Okay, I'll eat rice cakes for today and talk about maintaining my figure tomorrow.

"What are you doing? Why are you so scared when you see me?" Madam Lin suddenly appeared from behind the door. "Have you done something wrong?"

"What wrong thing could I possibly do?" Qiao Mianmian chuckled, then went over and hugged her mother. "Are we going home now?"

"Oh dear, she's such a grown woman, and I still had to come all this way to find her." Lin took her daughter's arm and went out. "It's getting dark, let's hurry back."

The family was heading home when they saw a carriage parked at the alley entrance. Qiao Mianmian thought it looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, she recognized it as the carriage she and Zheng Sanhua had seen during the day.

Qiao Jiaxing asked, "This carriage is quite impressive. Is it going to the Xu family's house?"

In their alley, only the Xu family were scholars, and they were most likely to know someone who could make such a carriage.

Everyone looked towards the Xu family's house, but they didn't hear any noise from inside. They walked into the alley, and when they were almost at the door, they heard a loud voice.

"My dear grandson, where are you? Come out and let your grandmother see you!"