When Miao Wan got home, the front of her clothes was soaked and her chest was swollen and painful, so she couldn't even stand up straight.
She had never experienced such a situation before. Now she wondered how Sister Chenxi could become such a strong woman just two months later?
The pain was secondary. The weather was relatively warm when they went out, and the sky-blue clothes and navy blue coats were not very thick. After being soaked, the lapels were milky white, and the blurred areas were like Miao Wan's psychological shadow, which was even more embarrassing.
Because he was going out in the afternoon, Qiao Ruichen parked the mule cart at the door, lifted the curtain and asked: "Can you get off by yourself——"
Well, looking at Miao Wan bent over and crying, it was obviously impossible for her to get off the car.
If she went in, Miao Wan was afraid that she would build the villa faster than she built her own house.
"How about I carry you in?" Qiao Ruichen asked after hesitating.
We're already home, so if it gets stained with milk... it shouldn't be a big deal.
Miao Wan shook her head wildly: "Husband, can you drive the car in and park it in front of the east room? Dad and Uncle Geng are both home."
Maybe Changshou is here too. She really can't afford to lose face like this. She doesn't have much face left.
There was a pomegranate tree in front of the east room. It was not easy to park the mule cart so that the place where the mule cart was unloaded was facing the door, and it took a lot of effort.
The pomegranate tree was already showing buds, each one bright as fire. To Qiao Ruichen, they looked very much like the face of Taotao's mother, who rushed towards him as soon as she entered the house.
Seeing Miao Wan hurriedly undressing, Geng felt sorry for Taotao's wasted food. She scolded him with a mixture of laughter and tears, "Didn't I tell you to milk before leaving? And don't stay out here too long. Taotao has already cried once."
Miao Wan stuck out her tongue, and only breathed a sigh of relief when Taotao, who was still sucking his food with his eyes closed, started eating.
"I will definitely come back early this afternoon. There were too many people in the restaurant at noon, and I was so excited talking that I forgot the time."
Geng looked at her daughter-in-law with a half-smile. The smell of barbecue hit her face as she entered the door. Couldn't she guess what Miao Wan was thinking?
"Isn't it because you were busy causing trouble and wanting to eat more barbecue and crystal meat that you came back late?"
Miao Wan: "...Ahem, Mom, could you please ask my second sister-in-law if the stove and iron grate that I asked the Yang family to make are ready? I want to take them to the restaurant this afternoon."
Geng pointed outside. "They've all been delivered. Why are you making an iron stove and a grate? And all those tongs? Have you thought of something new to eat?"
Miao Wan explained, "It's the barbecue I mentioned to you. Filling the iron stove with charcoal can be used for both barbecue and grilling. You can also simmer the meat on the small stove so you can enjoy it hot anytime. It definitely tastes better."
"Then ask Sanzhuang and the others to bring back some ingredients so that our family can try them." Geng thought that the Zhang family would definitely keep a set.
Whether several families are having a meal together or entertaining relatives, friends and neighbors, most of them happen at the Zhang family. The Qiao family is always very quiet. After all, Uncle Geng and his wife are making soaps and essential oils, which cannot be seen by others.
Miao Wan nodded obediently. Seeing Taotao frowning as if he couldn't get enough food, she felt much better on the left side of her chest and turned the child around easily.
Geng looked at Taotao and thought, this is really like consuming milk that tastes like barbecue.
She said she wanted to try it earlier, not because she was greedy, but because—
"Then when we go to the restaurant this afternoon, you better take it easy. You can't drink the herbal tea right now. Be careful not to overeat and get a sore throat. You'll be the one who suffers then."
Miao Wan chuckled and nodded, "I promise to be obedient."
Geng touched Miao Wan's head and smiled, "Okay, but mother doesn't really believe you. I'll go tell Ruichen."
Miao Wan: "..." Then what else are you going to say?
"Oh, by the way, mother, I'd like to trouble you to accompany me to the traffickers tomorrow. I think the guys there today are quite honest and not very suitable for being waiters. I'd better pick some smart ones."
Geng paused. "So, what are you going to do with these waiters now? I've looked at the traffickers, and those who are too clever are likely to be treacherous. The price of someone who can read and write goes up. Have you considered just hiring waiters?"
The servants purchased will definitely be handled with caution. If we can hire some from Xining Town, it would be quite good.
Miao Wan shook her head: "You can do it later, but my father and husband said we should keep a low profile. I heard that General Dingbei is coming back soon, so we'd better be cautious."
As for the waiters now, "I am thinking of buying some land and some other important things suitable for them to do."
Soybeans, mung beans and grains can all be bought, and they want to grow some of the beets and flowers and plants needed to make essential oils themselves to avoid buying raw materials frequently and letting General Dingbei's people discover clues.
The essential oil recipe that Qiao Ruichen presented to Qin Mao was actually something that Miao Wan herself had not yet researched. It was a copperware made according to an ancient recipe during the live broadcast. After distillation, the water and oil can be separated by condensation.
She drew an iron plate for condensation, but missed an outlet, so the water would have to be poured out manually to get the essential oil.
Although essential oils are still profitable, at least they won't expose essence water. Qin Mao can forget about taking over the soaps, and Bayin, who is at the forefront, is no pushover either.
Geng didn't understand what was going on outside, but she knew the Qiao family's current situation, so she just listened to her daughter-in-law.
At Jufu Restaurant, after closing at noon, there is a break of one and a half hours, and usually everyone has to continue preparing ingredients for dinner.
But Zhang Sanzhuang didn't let them work today. "Lock the door for a while. Our boss has something to say."
Sun Laohuo came first with his apprentice, two kitchen helpers and two maids.
The six waiters in the lobby and the backyard looked at each other, feeling a little nervous, as if something big was going to happen.
Especially the two guys in the backyard who had something to hide, they kept their heads down to hide the paleness and uneasiness on their faces.
After seeing Qiao Ruichen, the two guys were terrified even though they didn't immediately recognize Miao Wan who was smiling and greeting Sun Laohuo.
Seeing this, Miao Wan first asked someone to move the iron stove and grate from the backyard over. "I pretended to have guests this morning and made a lot of noise. I want to apologize to everyone first."
Sun Laohuo waved his hand and said, "You are the boss, you have the final say. What is this?" Is he going to research new food?
Miao Wan glanced at the guys who were staring at her with wide eyes, and asked with a smile, "What does this look like to you?"
Qiao Ruichen gently threw the triangular iron shovel onto the iron stove. There was a slight "clang" sound, which made several people shiver.
Zhang Sanzhuang leaned forward and took a deep breath. "This looks like a torture device used to extract a confession?"
These things are particularly similar to the iron shovel used for branding and the iron abacus (comb) used for kneeling punishment in operas, and there are even iron pliers for pinching the tongue!
Ah Xun, the clerk who had reported me that morning, was so frightened that his legs went limp and he knelt on the ground. "Boss, please understand! I, I didn't do anything. I won't do it again!"
Miao Wan thought, you didn't do anything, so why would you never dare to do anything again?
"Don't say that. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have thought of it. This thing can be used as a torture device." Miao Wan, wanting to establish her prestige, snorted with a deliberately stern face.
Sun Laohuo stood up silently and said, "Then I'll go get the charcoal. You tell me and I'll do it. You stay away and don't burn yourself."
Several strong young men: What are we going to do?
Zhang Sanzhuang also reacted and knew what Miao Wan was trying to do. He was eager to try, "How about I come and help?"
There is no food in the kitchen, so we have to prepare it now.
"No need. Your knife skills are too poor. Let your brothers do it." Sun Laohuo looked down on his son-in-law's work. "You can even make the chicken run away when you kill it, let alone other things."
Several strong men: What else do we need to kill?
Miao Wan sat next to Qiao Ruichen, imitating his appearance, looking at the few people indifferently with a serious expression, especially the two with ulterior motives, putting psychological pressure on them and even Zhang Sanzhuang.
In fact, she grew up under the red flag and had the help of village elders. This ability to command subordinates was not only something that Zhang Sanzhuang was not good at, she also had a lot to learn.
Sun Laohuo came over with a chopping board, the pork belly that Miao Wan requested, pork strips, and some freshly picked lettuce.
"Sun Ada, the pork belly needs to be cut into pieces about the length of a finger, three fingers wide, and half a finger thick. This way, the meat will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside when roasted. Roasting it for a while will also make the fire burn more vigorously."
Miao Wan stood aside and began to chirp expertly, "Oh, right, these pork strips should be sliced thinly, grilled briefly, and then flipped over to eat. Here's the recipe for the dipping sauce, make some spicy and some non-spicy."
After the rectangular charcoal grill was lit, Miao Wan placed the iron grate on the grill and first used tongs to pick up a few slices of pig tongue and put them on it to grill.
The newly lit charcoal fire looked strong, but in fact the charcoal was not yet red and the temperature was not too high, so it could be roasted for a while longer. Under the gaze of everyone, she slowly and methodically turned it over and over with tongs.
Sun Laohuo also prepared the sauce and, imitating Miao Wan's method, grilled the pork belly on the grill.
After being charcoal-grilled, the agate-colored tongue slices rippled slightly, and had a faint burnt aroma without the need for any spices. Miao Wan dipped some non-spicy pepper and black bean sauce in it, wrapped the tongue slices with lettuce leaves, then wrapped a garlic slice in it, folded it into half the size of a child's fist, and brought it to Qiao Ruichen's mouth.
"Husband, try it, how is it?"
When Qiao Ruichen saw Miao Wan looking at him with bright eyes, he knew that she was trying to praise him, so he put the roasted pig tongue into his mouth with a smile.
It has the rich aroma of barbecue, and tastes a bit crispy on the surface, but the inside is a bit like the soft and glutinous pork liver, and more chewy than pork liver. It is mixed with garlic and sauce, and is fragrant and delicious. When combined with the crispness of vegetables, it is more addictive than eating barbecue alone.
Qiao Ruichen didn't know how to praise it, so he just gave a thumbs up and said, "My wife made this dish very delicious."
Miao Wan smiled and glanced at the several strong young men who were swallowing their saliva. "Hmm... maybe this pig grunted a lot when it was alive. A tongue that talks a lot must taste better."
Then Zhang Sanzhuang, who was about to put the roasted pig tongue into his mouth, said: "..."
He silently handed the roasted tongue to his father-in-law as a filial gesture, which made Sun Laohuo want to roll his eyes. "It's not even cooked yet, are you in such a hurry to reincarnate?"
The two guys who had done something wrong couldn't stand it anymore and fell to their knees with two thuds.
"Boss, please spare us! Boss, please forgive us this time. We were forced to do something wrong!"
It’s hard to say whether he was crying because of greed or because he was scared, but at the beginning the young man who was begging for mercy kept his lips tightly closed and stood aside very obediently.
The meaning is clear: I don't talk much, so don't roast my tongue.
Zhang Sanzhuang was stunned for a moment, then looked at the two of them fiercely: "What did you do?"
The two of them cried and talked to each other. The main reason was that they had just been bought back not long ago and neither of them had gained the trust of the master.
It would be fine if he was sold again, but it would be scary to have his tongue cut off and roasted for them to eat.
In fact, the matter was not that complicated. It was even similar to Miao Wan's situation. On the way to get spices, a young lady bumped into them and fainted.
The two men kindly wanted to send the young lady to the clinic, but as soon as they met someone, a group of strong men rushed out and accused them of molesting the young lady and wanted to report them to the police.
They were afraid of causing trouble to their host and also afraid of being beaten to death, so they could only beg for mercy. The leader asked the two of them to pay ten strings of money.
"Later, they asked us to do something bad in the restaurant. How could we dare? The most we could do was to secretly pass off inferior goods as good ones and use spices to make some money, hoping to make up for the loss quickly."
"Yes, yes, we dare not betray our master. The most we can do is serve the dishes more slowly and wait until the dishes are cold before serving them."
Sun Laohuo glared again and kicked him, "What else do you want to do? Will the jar meat and barbecue taste good when they are cold? No wonder some old customers said that my cooking skills are not as good as before after I left the restaurant."
The two servants kowtowed to Miao Wan while crying, "Please spare our lives, Master! We did the wrong thing out of fear, afraid of being sold out by the Master. We will never do it again!"
Miao Wan didn't rush to speak. She turned around and asked Zhang Sanzhuang, "What do you think, Third Brother?"
Seeing the two crying so hard, Zhang Sanzhuang hesitated for a moment, "How about...beating them up and selling them off?"
After all, he didn't really do anything extremely evil, so a beating and then being sold was enough.
Miao Wan sighed. She didn't want to think the worst of others, but being unfaithful once would never be tolerated. This was a matter of principle.
Moreover, these two people were obviously relieved when they heard that they were going to be sold. Doesn’t that conflict with the previous statement that they were afraid of being sold?
Miao Wan looked coldly at the two people who were stunned and panicked. "How about this? Cut off your tongues and I'll give you two a bond of release. How about that?"
The brave one rolled his eyes and tried to argue, but Qiao Ruichen stood up and drew his hidden knife, as if he was about to take action.
"Master, please spare me! Master, please spare me! I really didn't do this voluntarily! I was threatened by Achang!" A timid person couldn't stand it anymore, "I am willing to reveal the person who ordered me to do this as a reward. Please forgive me, Master!"
Ah Chang, who was grabbed by the collar, was so scared that he peed himself. "I told you everything, it was actually the girl from the brothel who seduced me... But then a group of people came out and said I had ruined their sister's innocence and asked us to poison the spices. We didn't dare to do that, so we could only do something bad in secret to cover it up."
"Wow... Ah Chang also harmed me. I didn't want to do this, but they threatened us. They wanted people to spread the word that Jufu Restaurant was selling fake food under false pretenses and that the staff had ruined the innocence of a good lady. We're afraid they'll beat us to death!"
Miao Wan snorted coldly, "I'm afraid that Sun Ada guarded the recipe too tightly, so you can't get anything useful. There's no guarantee that after it's sold, it will be bought back by the people who bribed you, right?"
Qiao Ruichen put the knife to Achang's neck and said, "Which brothel is this? What are their physical characteristics? Tell me!"
Zhang Sanzhuang was stunned when he heard this. When he thought about how the restaurant almost got into a murder lawsuit, his hands and feet turned cold as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Ah Chang was so scared that he burst into tears and snot. "I really don't know. I just recognize that the leader has a scar on his forehead, which looks particularly scary."
Sun Laohuo was furious, and even Zhang Sanzhuang reacted. The father-in-law and son-in-law shouted in unison:
"It's the Yu family servant!"
Miao Wan: “…” She was vomiting so hard that the oil was smoking.
"Husband, can't we really open a restaurant?" Miao Wan felt that the weather was getting hot and the Yu family was about to go bankrupt. She especially hated this kind of grasshopper-like opponent.
Qiao Ruichen looked at her apologetically and said, "Give me another six months."
Miao Wan puffed out her cheeks and lost all desire to eat barbecue.
"Third brother, I'm taking these two people with me." Qiao Ruichen said to Zhang Sanzhuang, gently pulling Miao Wan's hand and squeezing it. "Although we can't open a restaurant yet, we can still make it close. Leave it to me."
Miao Wan's eyes lit up, "Leave it to me, I can do it! Starting tomorrow, our restaurant will be closed for three days for everyone to undergo training!"
Cats have their ways, dogs have their ways. Since Yu Maoyaner wants to engage in a business war, the mother who has unloaded the goods is not going to be happy!
Zhang Sanzhuang was dejected and didn't have the courage to refute at all.
Qiao Ruichen thought about what happened this morning and felt a little worried. "What should I do with Taotao?"
Miao Wan thought about it and grinned: "Don't be afraid, I have a way!"
The author has something to say:
Tomorrow, I will definitely see you at 6 pm! If you are late, I will punish Maomao, the one who grilled the meat, to give out red envelopes!
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