When Meng Zhao got home, she looked at the basket of spinach and thought, why not just make spinach pancakes?
Pick out the wilted spinach and soak it in a basin of water.
Shen Qingyu watched from the side, feeling curious, "Sister-in-law, why are you soaking it in water? Will that restore it to its original state?"
"Wilted vegetables can be revived by soaking them in water and are still edible. But even if they are revived, the taste will be different from that of fresh vegetables."
Then he turned to the little girl and said seriously, "However, in business, we must never sell inferior goods as superior ones. Although we may earn more money this way, every customer has their own standards. In the long run, it will only damage our reputation and the trust of our customers. Once our reputation is gone, it will be impossible to make up for it."
The little girl nodded vigorously. Although she didn't quite understand, she understood the general meaning: you can't lie. Just like the story of the boy who cried wolf that her sister-in-law had told her before, if you lie too much, you'll only suffer the consequences.
Remove the soaked spinach from the water, blanch it, squeeze out the excess water, chop it into small pieces, add flour and eggs, mix well, and then you can add some chopped green onions and homemade five-spice powder for seasoning.
Pour a little oil into the pan, then pour in the prepared batter in batches. Fry each one for five or six minutes until cooked through.
The freshly fried spinach pancakes are golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and each bite is fragrant and delicious.
The group gathered around the pan, frying one pancake at a time and eating it one by one. They were almost full from eating pancakes alone, even before they had a proper meal.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, the door was pushed open from the outside, and an old man with dark skin and a wrinkled face walked in, clearly someone who often worked in the fields.
His face was stern and he looked quite serious, but he spoke politely, "Second Brother's wife, you're eating right now."
Meng Zhao didn't recognize the man, but Madam Gu did. She quickly wiped her hands clean and welcomed him over.
"Qing'an's wife made spinach pancakes today, sir, please come in and have a taste."
"I won't try it anymore, I ate at home before coming here."
The Shen family lives at the foot of the mountain. He doesn't come here often. I only know that he is currently running a food business and also collecting vegetables in the village.
As he approached, he smelled a wonderful aroma that whetted his appetite.
"Grandpa, what brings you here today? Is there something you need?"
The visitor seemed a little embarrassed and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I came here because of Granny Fang. I heard that she angered Qing'an's wife, so she asked me to come and try to persuade her."
Madam Gu glanced at Meng Zhao. She always listened to Meng Zhao when it came to matters at the stall. Granny Fang's actions were too unethical, and she was very angry. However, according to her usual personality, she would probably be forgiving, since they were neighbors and she couldn't really ruin their relationship.
When Meng Zhao heard Gu call him "Grandpa," he knew the man's identity. This man was both the clan elder of Shenjia Village and the village head.
The village head was in charge of household registration and tax collection in the village. In ancient society, an ordinary person would probably never see an official like a county magistrate in their entire life. The most powerful person they could come into contact with was the village head.
In addition, as clan elders, they are usually the first to judge or mediate any disputes or conflicts within the clan. Only when they cannot resolve the issues will the government intervene. They wield significant influence in the village.
Because of the other party's status, Meng Zhao's words were also tinged with respect.
“Grandpa, as you know, Father-in-law, Qing’an has passed away one after another, Qinghe needs to go to school, and Qingze and Qingyu are still young. It’s not easy for my mother and me to find this way to make money. If we ruin our reputation because of this, how can we continue to do business in the county? Isn’t Granny Fang just bullying us, a widow and her children?”
The village head sat there listening to Meng Zhao speak. He knew that Granny Fang was in the wrong. She had come to his door, and since everyone in the village was related to her, he had no choice but to do this thankless task.
“Qing’an’s wife, what you said makes sense. Granny Fang is really unreliable. I just gave her a good scolding, and she knows she was wrong and promises not to do it again. After all, we are neighbors. Why don’t you forgive her this time?”
Meng Zhao said, "If I don't pursue this matter this time, won't the neighbors think I'm easy to bully? What if other people's homes have spoiled vegetables and they try to stuff them into my house? I can't check every single vegetable every time I collect them, otherwise it will make everyone lose face."
"Don't worry, Qing'an's wife. Now that I know about this, I'll definitely see it through. I'll spread the word soon: if anyone dares to try to fool you with rotten vegetables again, just tell me and I'll teach them a lesson for you."
Meng Zhao pondered for a moment. If she could get the village chief's guarantee and prevent similar behavior from happening again, it would be a good thing for her.
Besides, she would still be living in the village in the future, so giving the village head face and making him feel indebted to her would be helpful for her future endeavors.
So he stopped refusing. "Alright, then I'll trouble you with this. Let's just forget about Granny Fang's matter. You're right, we're all neighbors. I was just angry. Please pass on a message to her to continue sending vegetables tomorrow."
Seeing that Meng Zhao had agreed, the village chief felt sorry for them and took out the things he had just asked for from Granny Fang.
"This is today's food money. After doing something like that, she doesn't need to keep today's food money."
Meng Zhao accepted the money without hesitation. Seeing that the matter was resolved, the village chief did not intend to stay any longer.
Meng Zhao quickly packed a few spinach pancakes and gave them to the village head to take with him.
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