Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Pregnant and Alone...
There were two well-dressed maids in the carriage. One of them said, "The Xiao family that the young lady asked me to inquire about no longer lives in Xiaojia Village. They've moved to the county town. They used to set up a street stall a while ago, but now they've opened a restaurant. This is it."
Another said, "I've been asking around. The two older ones are: the man's surname is Xiao, and his name is Xiao Dashi. He's forty-three years old. The woman's surname is Sun, and her name is Sun Xiuying. She's a year younger than the man. There's also a young woman named Lin Qiuran at home. She lives in the second alley of Yulin Street. She just opened her business today, and she does business here during the day."
She's only been here for a day, and she's already found out so much. The maid looked at Jiang Sijie's profile, but Jiang Sijie's eyes were still fixed on the words "Xiao Family Restaurant." She wondered why her daughter had traveled more than half a month from the capital to Yu'an, and why she came here to inquire about such a family.
Jiang Sijie frowned. Why was this different from what she knew?
She came to Yu'an yesterday. After arriving in Yu'an, she first found an inn to stay in, and then immediately took people to Xiaojia Village.
Jiang Sijie waited in the carriage while the attendant went to the village to inquire. It was such a large village, but after more than a quarter of an hour, they came back to say that the two people were not in Xiaojia Village, which shocked Jiang Sijie. When she went to ask in person, she found out that the two elders of the Xiao family had moved away long ago, and that they were still alive was a good thing. Jiang Sijie returned to the county town and sent her maid to look for them, and today is the day.
Jiang Sijie couldn't understand why the plot now was different from that in the book.
Xiao Xun's wife didn't leave. Could it be that she just beat the child and stayed to take care of the two elderly people? In the book, Lin Qiuran remarried and her marriage was not a good one. She was able to travel through time, perhaps Lin Qiuran also had the opportunity to be reborn.
But he opened a shop and did business again. Not only did the Xiao family not fall into despair because of the news of Xiao Xun's death, but they also started to make money from business.
The book doesn't dwell much on Lin Qiuran, stating only that Xiao Xun didn't hate her, and naturally didn't love her either. She doesn't appear again, and there's no mention of whether she's making money in business. Perhaps it was the Xiao family elders who did it, or perhaps, like her, she'd read the book and traveled through time, waiting for Xiao Xun's return.
Jiang Sijie didn't know whether this shop was bought or rented, and how much money the Xiao family had now, but everything in front of her told her that the Xiao family was doing well now.
Jiang Sijie hadn't met Xiao Dashi and Sun yet, so he didn't know what they looked like. The book often described them as honest and simple-minded, perhaps because they were easygoing. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been kicked out for not having children. Jiang Sijie was worried about them being deceived because of their soft nature. But no matter what, being alive was a good thing. Xiao Xun wouldn't be disappointed when he returned to see his parents still alive.
Seeing Jiang Sijie looking at her for a long time, the maid couldn't help but ask, "Miss, can we have lunch here at noon?"
Jiang Sijie shook his head and said, "No, let's go sit in the teahouse next door for a while."
She didn't know how to face the Xiao family now, so she decided to stop worrying since they were both fine. Her mind was a little confused, so she decided to find out what was going on first.
Jiang Sijie went to the teahouse nearby. Before noon, there were already customers sitting in the Xiao family restaurant. These were customers who always came to the stall to buy vegetables. They came here specially when they knew that the Xiao family had opened a shop.
Seeing that it was almost time, Lin Qiuran asked Sun and the others to serve the cold dishes first.
The cold dishes were prepared last night. There were two of them: a braised meat platter and pork skin jelly. The braised meat was soaked in a wooden barrel overnight to make it more flavorful. Then, just slice and serve.
There are three things in a plate: pig's head, pig's ears and pig's liver. The offal is cheaper, and one portion costs fifteen cents.
The cold dishes are served first, and then, depending on whether the guests want rice or steamed buns, the main dishes and staples are served: mouth-watering red braised pork, beautifully shaped braised fish, a large plate of braised lamb, and ginger duck in a casserole.
Freshly prepared dishes take a bit longer to prepare. Wan Niang is in charge of the side dishes, while Lin Qiuran is the main chef. However, these dishes come out quickly, thanks to the large pots and stoves, which are full of steam. If several tables order the same dish, two or three dishes are cooked together. Dishes are prepared in the order that the guests arrive. With a high heat, the dishes cook quickly, so those ordered later won't be much slower.
Wan Niang felt that there were too many dishes and she was much busier than when she was tasting the dishes a few days ago. She kept wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Fortunately, her hands did not make a mess.
Lin Qiuran took a look and poured hot oil on the sour soup fish. The chili peppers and peppercorns on it were fried, and the fragrance spread everywhere.
"Don't worry, I can cut the vegetables after cooking them. Be careful not to cut your hands. It's okay to go slowly."
Wan Niang nodded, "Yes."
Sun and Xiao Dashi were even busier in the front. They had to serve drinks, cold dishes, and ask about food restrictions. Of course, apart from the level of spicy food, they didn't care about anything else. For example, ginger duck would not taste good without ginger. If they met someone who didn't eat ginger, they could only persuade them not to order this dish.
This is also the truth. Pickled fish is not delicious if it is only sour and not spicy. The same goes for spicy and sour potato shreds. Most of the other dishes are to the general taste and there are no dietary restrictions.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the first floor was full, and guests were arriving later. Mrs. Sun told them they had to wait for a while.
"Is there no room on the second floor?"
Sun said embarrassedly: "We just opened, and only do business on the first floor."
The three of them can't do so much.
Most of those who sat down early were repeat customers of the Xiao family food stall. Some of them saw that there were so many people and came to ask how the food tasted. When they heard it was good, they also decided to eat here at noon.
Sun showed them the menu first. The price increase was expected. It was impossible for the prices to remain the same after the shop opened. It was expensive, but it was more convenient to eat in the shop than to take the food home.
Besides, when you go out, every restaurant is expensive. For example, a plate of braised pork in the largest restaurant in the county costs 80 cents, which is not as much as here. Here, a plate costs only 40 cents, and it looks like it weighs more than a pound. If you really calculate it, it is not much more expensive than buying it from a stall.
After taking another bite, the taste seemed even better. "Hmm, it still tastes the same. I haven't been to the stall for a few days, I miss this."
The meat is still steaming right out of the pot, the fat is crystal clear, the skin is like a piece of fine agate, the lean meat is not dry, and the part where fat and lean meat are alternating is the most delicious.
You can eat two or three pieces on your own, mix them with rice or put the meat in a steamed bun, and the aroma will make you dizzy.
Lin Qiuran’s braised pork is amazing and almost every table ordered it.
The taste was good, and I was looking forward to the other dishes. In the past, when the Xiao family had a stall, there were only three dishes. When the weather got cold, there were only two left. If you always eat the same few dishes, no matter how delicious they are, you will get tired of them. This time, there are many more dishes. Madam Lin is a good cook, so I have to order them all to try.
They're not exaggerating; the braised food here is superior to what you'd find elsewhere. The pig's head isn't greasy at all, the liver isn't fishy, and tastes dry and fragrant. The pig's ears are crispy and tender. Each dish comes with a dipping sauce filled with minced garlic and chili peppers, which provides a sour and spicy kick. The rice wine is sweet and delicious, but not as satisfying as shochu.
The dishes arrived quickly, and soon the pickled fish and hot and sour potato shreds arrived. The potato shreds were interspersed with orange-red carrot shreds; the more vegetarian the dish, the more the chef's skill was evident. This dish is also available in other restaurants, but today we ordered it because it's cheap, ten cents a portion, and it came in a large plate.
After taking a bite and putting it in his mouth, the customer's eyes lit up and he quickly took a second bite. This plate of shredded potatoes alone could be enough to eat two bowls of rice.
No wonder they said they ordered a lot, it was indeed a lot. The food at the Xiao family was also delicious, more fragrant and sweeter than that at other places.
If you can’t finish the extra food, you can take it home. Anyway, you can try more. There are 20 to 30 dishes on the menu. Come a few times and you will know what to eat next time.
Food is the most important thing for people. Those who can come to eat in restaurants do not care about money. They either run a small business at home to make money, or they have family background. They don’t like gambling and just like to eat. Even if the food is expensive, they still think it is worth the price.
The food outside is delicious and the kitchen is bustling with activity. Fortunately, it is cold now, otherwise it would be very hot to cook so many dishes.
After cooking these dishes, Lin Qiuran was finally able to take a break. Wan Niang was not tired from cutting vegetables, so she went to help Sun and Xiao Dashi serve the dishes.
After the dishes are served, there is also rice. After the guests finish eating, they have to be served rice. Steamed buns are one cent each, and rice is charged per person, two cents per person. If it is not enough, you can get more.
If you want rice wine, during the first three days of the opening, each table will receive a free pot of rice wine. If there are many people, two pots will be given. You can buy more after you finish drinking. A pot is not expensive, only 15 wen.
Lin Qiuran planned to go to the wine shop to buy liquor when she had money in a few days. It took her half a day to make two small bottles, which was time-consuming and laborious. It would be more cost-effective to buy it.
After this group of customers left, Lin Qiuran continued to cook. After noon, there were no more customers, but the previous group of customers had not finished their meal.
Wan Niang saw that Lin Qiuran's face was a little red from the heat, and couldn't help asking: "Are you tired? Are you okay?"
Lin Qiuran said, "My waist is a little sore from standing for so long, but it's nothing else."
Wan Niang smiled and said, "Go back tonight and get a hot water bottle to apply to your feet. Otherwise, your legs will cramp if you're pregnant."
Wan Niang is an experienced person and has experience in this.
Lin Qiuran nodded and said, "Thank you. Since there are no customers upstairs, let's eat."
They ate whatever was left in the kitchen. There was still some braised pork left, a lot of mutton left, and one fish. It was not worth keeping so much to sell in the evening, so they just ate it all at noon.
Wan Niang glanced outside and said in embarrassment: "Qiu Ran, take my portion back home and eat it."
Lin Qiuran suddenly realized that she almost forgot that Wan Niang's mother came to take care of the child.
Her mother was still here, so it wouldn't be nice for Wan Niang to eat alone. After all, they knew each other. Lin Qiuran said, "Let's eat together. It's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks."
Wan Niang shook her head and said, "Let's go back and eat. The child is making a fuss. Besides, you have a shop. If there are other people in the future, you can't break the rules just because of me."
Wan Niang saw that there were so many guests that she was a bit overwhelmed and would probably invite someone else. If her mother always stayed for dinner, what would happen to the others? She was here to work, and the two families knew each other. Lin Qiuran would also buy groceries from Zhao Shi, so she couldn't make things awkward.
Lin Qiuran nodded. Wan Niang had thought about it long ago and even brought a food bowl with her.
She ordered some food for Wanniang, more than enough for one person, but not enough for two. The original agreement to provide meals was only for Wanniang. If she gave Wanniang's mother more today, it would be inappropriate to provide less later.
Lin Qiuran understood the principle of repaying kindness with gratitude and hating with hatred, and he had to follow the rules.
After Wan Niang left, Aunt Liu, who was in charge of washing dishes, also came. Aunt Liu didn't cook, she only cleaned up the dishes.
There were not many customers, so Lin Qiuran found an empty table to eat.
Sun and Xiao Dashi were also very tired this morning. Sun said, "It's not all tiredness. When you're busy, you tend to make mistakes, and when you make mistakes, you get anxious. Your father even served the wrong dish."
Lin Qiuran had said in advance that if the dish was wrong, they would have to order a new one, and the original one would be free. They couldn't let customers buy the dish they ordered wrong.
She said, "It's okay. Mistakes happen when you're busy. It's unavoidable."
Sun added, "And your father is no good at settling accounts. He made a mistake when setting up the stall before, and he made another mistake today."
Xiao Dashi scratched his head and chuckled, "I don't really understand this either. There are several dishes."
Lin Qiuran also took this aspect into consideration when setting the price. The price would either be a few dozen cents or end with five, which would be easier to calculate.
But Xiao Dashi is not as good as Sun in this regard, but there is nothing he can do. He used to farm and set up stalls before settling accounts.
Sun's calculations were good, but she couldn't handle it all by herself. She also had to worry about Xiao Dashi, which was exhausting.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "That's all right. I'll see about hiring an accountant to take care of the accounts."
And it’s time to find a smarter waiter. Sun and Xiao Dashi are in their forties, which is not young in this era. Lin Qiuran is afraid that they will fall while carrying dishes back and forth.
Sun nodded and said, "Okay, let your father go buy groceries. I'll be worried if he goes with me."
Lin Qiuran picked up some meat for Sun and Xiao Dashi. "I'll write a notice and ask Zhao Guangcai later. Mom, you two should eat more."
Sun covered the bowl and asked Lin Qiuran to eat more meat. "Eat, eat, what do you think? Are you tired? There are many customers today. If there are still so many tonight..."
Lin Qiuran touched his stomach and said, "It's not too bad. With Wan Niang helping me cut vegetables and prepare food, it's not too tiring."
However, cooking so many dishes must be hard work, but when he thought about making money, Lin Qiuran felt it was not so bad.
Sun said, "Your health is very important... Hey, someone's calling over there, I'll go check it out."
The guests at that table finished their meal and wanted to take the leftovers away. Sun found some oil paper and wrapped the leftover meat and vegetables. As long as they didn't wander around, they could still take the leftovers home safely.
There are more than 20 tables of guests today. If there is no meat or vegetables left, they will just leave and eat outside. My wife and children are waiting at home. If I take some meat and vegetables back, my family will be happy too.
It was already 2:15 in the afternoon, and seeing that there were few customers, Sun simply closed the shop and stayed open for more than an hour at noon and in the evening, otherwise she would just be cooking for the customers.
Aunt Liu cleaned up the rest, and Sun kept an eye on it. Lin Qiuran went back to the room to sleep for a while.
In the teahouse next door, Jiang Sijie kept looking downstairs, but didn't see anyone coming out.
The maid asked around and said that the Xiao family restaurant was doing good business. "The young lady hasn't eaten yet, why don't you go and try it?"
Jiang Sijie shook her head. She was a little confused and didn't know what to do. If Xiao Xun's parents were really safe and sound, and his wife was also there, what should she do?
Jiang Sijie said, "I'm not hungry yet. Go buy some snacks."
*
When Lin Qiuran woke up, the shop had been cleaned very well. Aunt Liu was very careful and conscientious in her work. After washing the dishes, she boiled them in hot water. This was Lin Qiuran's request. It was troublesome to do it again, but she did it carefully.
Aunt Liu had already left. Sun said, "He's a good person. No need to keep an eye on him."
Lin Qiuran nodded. If he continued like this, he could get a raise in a few days. As long as he did a good job and was honest and dedicated, a raise would be easy to negotiate.
The meat had to continue stewing in the afternoon. Wan Niang came early and helped prepare the dishes. She took her lunch home to eat. She came back late, but Zhao Shi also ate it. He also cooked vegetarian dishes at home. There were braised pork, mutton, and half a fish on the table. Everything was delicious.
The restaurant still sells these dishes at night. Practice makes perfect. Although Lin Qiuran doesn’t know how the business is at night, he still makes an estimate based on his experience.
The dishes ordered by customers in the evening are similar to those at noon. They order several dishes the first time, so I guess they will have a better idea of what to order next time. When they go out to eat, three dishes for two people and four dishes for three people are enough.
Nowadays, the more dishes are ordered, the more money restaurants make.
Originally, Lin Qiuran thought it would be good enough if all the things he prepared were sold out, but business was good today. Sun said that someone came at noon and came again with someone else in the evening.
Lin Qiuran said, "Send me another pot of rice wine. Come often next time."
Sun went to deliver the wine. She was quite happy. Although she didn't cook the dishes, she helped out. She was happy if the guests liked the food. She woke up early in the morning. She was nervous all day. At the busiest time, she felt like a spinning top. But she was always in good spirits, capable, and not tired.
And since there is a shop, I only feel the wind when I go from the kitchen to the lobby to serve food. The rest of the time I stay in the house, which is much warmer. Otherwise, I would have to be outside in the wind for half a day.
Lin Qiuran was a bit busier than usual. After all, there were a lot of vegetables, and she had to sell them both at noon and at night. Fortunately, she wasn't frying all the time, so she could take some time to rest. She was only the main cook, while Wanniang did the chopping and prepping, so it wasn't too tiring.
It was already dark, and the house hadn't done any evening business yet, so the street looked quite lively at night. Business wasn't as good at night as it was at noon, with most people coming in groups of three or five to drink and sit for a long time. Some customers didn't want to wait and left.
But Lin Qiuran estimated that the dishes he made today would definitely make more money than setting up a stall.
There were no more customers, so Wan Niang got her food and went home. Her daughter was sleeping soundly, and Zhao Shi came to pick her up. "It's also because I'm busy today, otherwise I would definitely come to support you."
Lin Qiuran smiled, exchanged a few words and sent the person away. When he looked back, he saw a lot of used dishes piled in the large basin in the kitchen, waiting for Aunt Liu to come and wash them.
There is also a泔水袋, which contains leftovers. Guests will take away any meat or vegetables they have left over, but if there is only the bottom left, no one will care.
I hadn't thought about these things before, so I poured out two buckets at noon. In the afternoon, Xiao Dashi found a pork stall owner and sent them to the pig farm. He charged three cents for a bucket and would come to collect it every night. It was better than losing it.
After the guests left, Xiao Dashi sent the slop away, Aunt Liu came to wash the dishes, and Sun went to clean up the front. Although it was Aunt Liu's job to clean up, the sooner she finished, the sooner she could leave. Wiping the table and mopping the floor was not a big deal.
By the time the hour of Xu was halfway through, Sun's and Xiao Dashi had finished their meal. Lin Qiuran was pregnant, so she made an extra bite for the guests and ate it herself. Seeing that everything was almost cleared away, she glanced at the braised food.
While the others were cleaning up, she made braised meat and pork skin jelly. They just needed to soak in the pot after turning off the heat. The pork skin jelly was placed in a basin and would set overnight.
After a busy day, I finally had a quiet time. I was afraid that someone would come to steal things at night, so I had to lock the kitchen doors and windows before leaving.
Lin Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally done for the day. She still hadn't hired waiters or a shopkeeper yet; she'd ask Zhao Guangcai tomorrow. She hoped it would be quick so she could have some peace of mind at home.
Sun couldn't help but rub her waist, and she was worried that Lin Qiuran would be tired from walking back. Sun glanced at a carriage on the side of the road and couldn't help but feel envious. She said, "Your father and I will push you over tomorrow."
Lin Qiuran shook his head. "It's okay. I'm not that squeamish. Let's go home."
Inside the carriage, Jiang Sijie opened the curtain a little. These three people were the last to leave, and they were the Xiao family.
She saw with her own eyes that Xiao Xun's parents had rosy faces, and the young woman beside them was pregnant.
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The author has something to say: Please irrigate [cat head] [panda head]
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