After the four of them finished dinner, it was getting dark. Since Xu Ping's home was far away, Xu Yunrong didn't let him go back. Instead, she arranged for him to sleep in the room he had stayed in before, thinking that he could drive the mule cart back the next day.
Meng Zhao got up to go back. Although she had seen Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu, she hadn't met Gu Shi and Shen Qinghe yet, so she had to go back and say hello.
Halfway there, Meng Zhao saw Shen Qinghe walking towards her from afar. When Shen Qinghe got closer, Meng Zhao spoke first.
"Second brother, why did you come out like this?"
Shen Qinghe smiled gently, “Mother was worried that it would be too dark for my sister-in-law to see the road when she came back, so she asked me to come and meet her.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Haha, Mother is just too worried. I've walked this road so many times, I could find my way home with my eyes closed."
Shen Qinghe was amused by these words, "Mother is just too worried about you. These days, with your sister-in-law away, I've been thinking about you all the time, worried that you might encounter danger outside."
“We’ve been very careful along the way, and my second uncle and the others have been with us the whole time, so nothing unexpected has happened.”
Shen Qinghe simply shook his head slightly without saying a word. This world is not peaceful, and no one can say for sure whether they will encounter any desperate criminals on the way.
Although he appeared calm during the time his sister-in-law was away, he was actually worried sick every day. Now that he saw her standing safely in front of him, his tense nerves finally relaxed, and he felt much more relaxed.
On the way home, Shen Qinghe quietly told Meng Zhao about the various things that had happened since she left home.
The shop's business was booming and its reputation was growing. Even many students in the county school had heard about it. Some of them, upon learning that it was his sister-in-law's shop, asked him to buy some for them every day when he went home.
He also mentioned his teaching achievements. His mother and Aunt Feng'e are much more proficient at accounting now and can even write some simple characters. During the days she was away, he and Qingze and Qingyu kept the shop's accounts together, and the account books were kept in her room.
The two chatted back and forth like this, and before they knew it, they had arrived at their doorstep. As soon as Shen Qinghe pushed open the door, Gu Shi and the two children inside seemed to have heard a signal and immediately surrounded him.
Madam Gu circled around Meng Zhao several times, carefully examining her from head to toe until she was sure Meng Zhao was safe and sound. Only then did a relieved smile appear on her face, and she took Meng Zhao's hand and began to speak.
Seeing this, Shen Qinghe said softly, "Mother, my sister-in-law has had a long journey and must be tired. Let's talk after she has rested."
Gu slapped her forehead, "Yes, yes, look at my brain. Zhao Zhao has been working so hard, she should rest early."
Then he said to Meng Zhao, "It's getting cold now, so I made you a thick quilt and added an extra layer to the mattress. I knew you'd be back in the next few days, so I took it out to air it every day when the sun was shining, hoping you could have a good night's sleep when you got back. Try it, I guarantee you'll feel comfortable."
After saying that, Madam Gu pulled Meng Zhao towards the room. Even after Madam Gu had made the bed for Meng Zhao, the two children, Qing Ze and Qing Yu, still stayed in Meng Zhao's room and refused to leave.
Shen Qinghe came in and grabbed them both, pulling them out. He said he was going to check their homework. Seeing the two children's scrunched-up faces, Meng Zhao fell asleep with a smile.
Meng Zhao sat on the bumpy mule cart for several days. When he woke up the next day, his buttocks were so sore that he simply didn't get up. Instead, he turned around and lay down to read the books he had brought back.
Presumably to avoid disturbing her, there were only faint sounds coming from the courtyard. Meng Zhao changed her clothes and went out when she felt a little hungry.
As soon as she stepped out the door, the two children surrounded her, eagerly helping her fetch water to wash up and brush her teeth with toothpaste. Seeing the two children busying themselves, Meng Zhao felt that her treatment had improved considerably after this trip.
Madam Gu said, "Zhaozhao, there's some rice left for you in the pot. It's been kept warm. If you get hungry, just take it out and eat."
Meng Zhao responded, and after washing up, she ate a steamed bun and drank a bowl of rice porridge with some pickled vegetables.
When Madam Gu started cooking, Meng Zhao went up to take a look and couldn't help but exclaim, "Mother, your cooking skills are getting better and better!"
Madam Gu sighed softly, "Alas, I'm still far behind you. Some of our regular customers can tell who made it just by tasting it, and many people keep asking when you're coming back."
Meng Zhao comforted her, "Although it can't compare to mine, Mother's cooking skills are already very good. Otherwise, how could the business at the stall be so good while I was away these days? There must be a lot of customers who come for Mother's cooking."
After hearing Meng Zhao's words, Gu nodded in agreement. Some new customers or diners with less discerning palates found her cooking very delicious, and there was never a day when the food was not sold out.
Aunt Feng'e was in the shop with her people, so Meng Zhao felt at ease and didn't go over to check on her. He lay in his recliner thinking about the workshop.
First, there's the matter of drying starch. Besides sun drying, she had seen starch that had settled being dried on a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), but that was only suitable for small quantities. With such a large quantity, how many heated kangs would they have to build?
So she plans to build a drying room, put racks inside, and put the starch layer by layer on them for uniform drying. Although it may use up some firewood, it can indeed solve the problem of not having sunlight.
Secondly, there's the issue of starch sales. This trip, while not enough to completely dishearten her, made her realize that relying solely on herself would inevitably lead to a bleak future.
The best way is to first find Xiao Youzhi to cooperate with and rely on the Xiao family's transportation channels to sell starch. However, if she doesn't want to become a complete OEM for the Xiao family, she still needs to offer something else, at least something with some technical content.
While racking his brains, Meng Zhao suddenly had a flash of inspiration: potato noodles. Potato noodles in a clay pot are a must-have dish on the snack street.
Although the process of making potato starch noodles is not particularly complicated, it is not something that can be done casually without some experience and tips. Once you have an idea, just do it.
Meng Zhao hurried back to the house, first drawing up the blueprints for the drying room, and then drawing up the tools for pressing potato starch from memory. He then took the blueprints to the blacksmith shop to have them custom-made.
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