Chapter 9 The Fierce

Aunt Wu's scream startled all the neighbors, who came out to see what was going on. The Lin family also came to the door.

"Auntie, it's Er Mao!" Lin recognized Wu Er Mao first and said happily for Aunt Wu, "It's good that Er Mao is back. You and your son are finally reunited."

Three years ago, Wu Ermao went to join the army. Since then, Lin Shi has seen Aunt Wu burning incense and praying to Buddha everywhere. Now that Wu Ermao has returned safely, it is a good thing.

"Yes, it's good news." Aunt Wu's voice trembled at the end. He was her only son, and she could only feel at ease seeing him return safely. Hearing others congratulate her, she wiped away her tears and smiled, "Thank you all. I'll treat you to duck eggs tomorrow."

After saying that, she pulled her son into the house. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Mom will make you some hand-pulled noodles. How many eggs do you want? Three or five?"

Wu Ermao said three would be enough.

Zhang, who lives next door, went to the kitchen and cut a bowl of hot braised pork offal. She asked her eldest grandson to take it over, saying, "Er Mao is the only male left in the Wu family. He's finally back, so he probably hasn't eaten yet. Put the bowl down and come back."

Qiao Jiawang agreed, but Lin looked at the large bowl of braised pork offal and whispered, "There are only two of them, can they finish it?"

“If we can’t finish it today, we can eat it tomorrow. Don’t be reluctant, we’re all neighbors, we should do our part.” After saying that, Zhang urged her eldest grandson to hurry up and then pulled her daughter-in-law aside to ask about the Yuan family in a low voice.

"Mother, don't worry, the Yuan family said they'll come to propose marriage tomorrow." Lin Shi's lips involuntarily curled up as she said this. "We can just wait at home tomorrow, and we'll go wash the pig offal this afternoon."

As she was speaking, she noticed her youngest daughter go into the kitchen, so she followed her to help.

Starting tomorrow, Chunxilou will need more braised pork offal, as they will also be selling it themselves. Since they can't cook it all in one pot, they will have to braise it twice, which will double the time required.

An oil lamp was lit in the kitchen. Qiao Mianmian put a new batch of braised pork offal into the pot, saying, "Mom, you go to sleep. I'll keep an eye on things here."

The dim light of the oil lamp made the wrinkles on Lin's face appear even deeper. She had toiled for half her life, and when there was still work to be done at home, how could she possibly sleep?

"I'll stay with you and watch it." She pulled her youngest daughter down to sit, and sighed softly, "It's your parents' fault for making you suffer through the night."

"What are you saying? When has my family ever made me suffer?" Qiao Mianmian leaned on Lin's shoulder, looking at the starry sky through the door frame. "Having you all by my side is the best thing."

The mother and daughter yawned as they waited for the pork offal to be about 80% cooked before taking it out to cook again the next morning.

He slept soundly until dawn. Qiao Jiawang was still the one delivering goods to Chunxilou. The Lin family elders were waiting at home for the Yuan family to arrive, so Qiao Jiaxing carried the load to set up the stall.

Qiao Mianmian had just prepared the stove when Luo Dabian arrived.

"My young master ate your pig offal and has been craving it ever since, so he sent me here again today. Little girl, serve me five bowls." Luo Da kept one bowl for himself, wanting his children to try it too. It wasn't expensive, much cheaper than eating meat.

Qiao Mianmian specially filled Luo Da's bowl to the brim, "You're a regular customer, so I'll give you a little more. Here, this is enough for five bowls. I've also given you some vegetables as a bonus. If you like them, you can buy them with other dishes next time."

"Well done, young lady, you're really good at business." Luo Da thought to himself, if only he had a son of similar age, it would be great. It's a pity that his son is too young, otherwise having such a capable daughter-in-law would be wonderful.

Business is busiest in the morning when it's not so hot. Once it's less busy, Qiao Jiaxing finally gets himself a piece of pig's heart. It has a chewy texture and, compared to pork intestines, it's less oily and has more of the spiciness of the braising broth.

"Fifth Sister, you probably don't know, but Brother Er Mao became a centurion." Qiao Jiaxing's eyes were full of envy as he said this. "If I had joined the army back then, do you think I might have become a centurion too?"

Three years ago, Qiao Jiaxing also wanted to go along, but he was beaten up by Qiao Mancang and gave up the idea.

Qiao Mianmian did not support her brothers joining the army. Medical care was poor in ancient times, and on the battlefield, swords and spears were indiscriminate; they would likely become crippled or even lose their lives. Wu Ermao's father was a bodyguard, and he had a foundation in martial arts from a young age; only by joining the army could he make a difference.

As for her two older brothers, forget it. The family would rather spend money than let them die on the battlefield.

"Have you forgotten Brother Zeng? He died after only three months. Your parents paid money for you and your brother, they didn't expect you to become centurions," Qiao Mianmian said directly.

"But I'm always carrying cargo at the dock, how much money can I make?" Qiao Jiaxing seemed carefree, only thinking about what to eat every day, but he was anxious inside.

With his eldest brother getting married and his fourth sister getting married, both events would cost money. Seeing that even his youngest sister could earn money, while he could only earn twenty or thirty copper coins a day, he felt very resentful.

Qiao Mianmian noticed her second brother's worries, patted him on the shoulder, and comforted him, "Second brother, you have great strength and are eloquent. These are your strengths. As long as you make good use of them, you will eventually have your day."

As they were talking, Qiao Mianmian saw Aunt Wu rushing over. She was wondering what was going on when she heard Aunt Wu say that a fight had broken out in her house.

"What?" Qiao Mianmian frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know either. Your mother was all smiles this morning, and I asked if something good had happened at home. Then someone came to your house, and soon they started arguing. If you've sold most of your stock, go back and check on things," Aunt Wu sighed.

Qiao Mianmian thought to herself, "This shouldn't be happening. Today is supposed to be the day of my engagement with the Yuan family. Why are we fighting?"

She stopped selling braised pork offal and had her second brother carry the load on a shoulder pole, and the two of them hurried home.

"Mother, who's causing trouble in our house?" Qiao Jiaxing shouted as soon as he entered the house, "Which bastard is so blind as to come and make a scene in our house?"

"What are you babbling about?" Qiao Mancang said unhappily.

At this moment, Qiao Mianmian noticed a young couple kneeling in the courtyard. She glanced around but didn't see her fourth sister. Her mother was sitting to the side with red, tear-filled eyes.

She went to her grandmother's side and asked quietly what was wrong.

Zhang was furious. She pointed at the man kneeling in the courtyard and said he was Yuan Qiang.

"Officer Yuan?" Qiao Mianmian turned her head to look. The woman next to Yuan Qiang had sallow skin, but her eyes were foxy and alluring. She roughly understood what was going on.

At this moment, Qiao Mancang spoke up, "Get out! All of you get out of here! We don't welcome you in our home. From now on, we're strangers, and nobody should pretend to know anyone!"

“Uncle Qiao, it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have come.” Chen Honglian sobbed softly. “I didn’t mean to ruin this marriage. I’m just a poor soul. I don’t ask for a title, I just want to have food to eat. I was afraid that Miss Lin wouldn’t be able to accept me, so I came here to apologize.”

"Didn't you hear me tell you to get out?" Lin felt a tightness in her chest. She raised the teapot in her hand as if to smash it, but then put it down. "Yuan Qiang, your ex-fiancée is really something. One man died, and she's still clinging to you. I think you're just as clueless. In that case, you'd better take her and get out of here!"

“Auntie, there’s really nothing between Honglian and me. She was kicked out by her husband’s family, and I only helped her rent a courtyard because of our past relationship. I sincerely want to get engaged to Xiahe, and…”

Before Yuan Qiang could finish speaking, Qiao Mianmian brought a bucket of swill from the backyard and threw it at the two men. "My parents told you to get out of here, didn't you hear them? One of you said you didn't want to ruin someone's engagement, but you came to disgust them before the engagement, acting like a prostitute while claiming to be a virtuous and chaste woman. The other one pretended to be ignorant, knowing full well that the woman wanted to rely on him, yet still helped her rent a house. You two hypocrites, get out of here!"

After Qiao Mianmian finished cursing, she saw that Yuan Qiang and his brother were stunned, so she called over her two older brothers, "Big brother, second brother, throw this unlucky thing out, don't let it dirty our house!"

The Qiao brothers had been wanting to make a move for a long time. They dragged Yuan Qiang out and threw him out, and Chen Honglian was so frightened that she followed them out.

A number of neighbors had gathered at the door to watch the commotion. Qiao Mianmian's heart skipped a beat. Although the imperial court encouraged widows to remarry, a woman's reputation was still very important.

During this period, matchmakers frequently visited. The Qiao family didn't explain why, but everyone could guess that they were looking for a husband for the fourth sister.

Just when Qiao Mianmian thought everyone would be discussing the marriage, Chunsheng's mother was the first to rush out, "I say, Officer Yuan, we should have morals. The Qiao family has no connection with you, how can you bring your lover here to freeload?"

Aunt Wu spat at the two of them, "So you're constables? You're shameless. I was wondering why the alley smelled so bad this morning. Turns out it's dung beetles crawling out of the latrine."

Widow Wang also came over, hands on her hips, and said, "Get lost! You're just a dung beetle trying to make yourself look good. What a piece of trash!"

...

Everyone chimed in with a few words, making Yuan Qiang's cheeks turn red. Chen Honglian didn't dare to look up and whispered "Yuan Lang." When she saw Yuan Qiang turn and leave, she quickly chased after him.

Lin, still furious, rushed out and threw a handful of rotten vegetable leaves at the two of them, yelling, "Get out! Don't ever come to my house again!"

She was furious. She thought it was a good marriage, but it turned out to be such a person, and it even affected her daughter's reputation. If her daughter Xia He was talked about because of this, she would definitely grab a knife and rush to the yamen.

"Thank you all for speaking up for us. Everything's alright now, you can all go home," said Qiao Youfu, the head of the family.

This wouldn't sound good if word got out, and he didn't want his neighbors to gossip about it anymore.

Some people went home after hearing what Qiao Youfu said, but Aunt Wu and Chunsheng's mother did not leave. The two of them comforted Lin Shi.

"Never mind that. We've all seen how Xiahe is doing. You should be glad she's not engaged yet," Chun Sheng's mother said, then hinted, "When it comes to your children's marriages, it's best to find someone you know well. Otherwise, you might run into a wolf in sheep's clothing and end up with a lot of trouble."

Thinking of Qiao Mianmian's fiery personality, she was even more satisfied. Her son had no temper, so he had to marry a more assertive daughter-in-law.

Aunt Wu agreed, "Yes, you're the mother, you can't afford to collapse. After a while, find Xia He someone even better, let's see what kind of good girl Yuan Qiang can marry then?"

The three people were talking at the door, while Qiao Mianmian went back inside to find her fourth sister.

Lin Xiahe had already cried once, but this time Qiao Mianmian hugged her and said, "Fourth Sister, don't be sad. We did nothing wrong. It was Yuan Qiang who wavered back and forth, unable to forget his old flame. Once I earn more money, our family will move to a bigger house, and then people will be lining up to propose marriage."

"Mianmian, I'm so upset." Lin Xiahe had been looking forward to this for so long, but she never expected it to turn out like this. "My own father dislikes me because I'm a daughter. I finally found a good family, and I thought I was going to have my own little family, but then this happened. Tell me, why am I so unlucky?"

The Qiao family treated her well, but even the best family has its limits. Lin Xiahe wasn't jealous of her younger sister; in fact, she was grateful that the Qiao family accepted her and her older sister. But despite her outgoing and carefree nature, she had sensitive spots inside. All she wanted was a home of her own.

"No, Fourth Sister, you're so wonderful, things will definitely turn around for you and you'll meet someone even better." Qiao Mianmian hugged her sister. "I'm serious, I will definitely make a lot of money and make the whole family live a good life."

After a while, seeing her mother and grandmother arrive, Lin Xiahe wiped her eyes and said she was alright. "Mother, Grandmother, I'm hungry."

Madam Lin opened her mouth, still struggling with how to comfort her daughter, but when she heard her daughter say she was hungry, she immediately asked, "What do you want to eat? Mother will make it!"

"Let me do it," Qiao Mianmian said, standing up. "There are still some braised pork offal left. How about I roll out some noodles and make pork offal noodles? We still have some pickled vegetables at home. I can take some out, cut them into thin strips, add a little sugar, and it'll cut through the greasiness."

Sugar is precious and Lin usually can't bear to eat it, but today she immediately agreed, "Mother will go to Widow Wang's to buy a few more eggs and fry some for you!"

Seeing the family's concern, Lin Xiahe's eyes welled up with tears again, this time from being moved. "Okay, I'll help start the fire."