Chapter 19 Salted Duck Eggs and Crispy Rice
After Lin married into the family, Qiao Youfu and his wife divided the household among their three sons. They lived with their eldest son, Qiao Mancang, while the other two sons gave them rice money as a monthly tribute.
Zhang was a woman of vision; in the second month after Lin married into the family, she put Lin in charge of the household. Therefore, over the years, Lin has made the decisions on all matters, big and small, within the household. Zhang and Qiao Youfu generally didn't interfere much.
Setting up a small food stall requires money, from renting a stall to buying pots, bowls, chopsticks, and various other items. It's not a small amount of money.
Lin couldn't make a decision on her own, so she had the whole family sit down and discuss it.
Qiao Mianmian was thinking of bringing it up again in a month or two, but now that Lin Shi brought it up, she must have been upset recently.
But it's better to start early; earn money early and enjoy life early.
“Mancang, what do you think?” Madam Lin looked at her husband.
Qiao Mancang always listened to Lin Shi. He thought his youngest daughter was a good cook, but he was a little worried about actually setting up a small food stall.
It's inevitable to feel anxious before things get started.
"Father, Mother, what do you think?" Qiao Mancang asked his parents.
Qiao Youfu glanced at his granddaughter and let out a burp. "I've lived most of my life and eaten at countless banquets. I can say without blushing that Mianmian's cooking is excellent. Look at the Wu and Wang families next door, they're about to prosper. Our family can't fall too far behind. I've already told your mother that before Mianmian gets married, she should help set up the business for the family."
He has a very traditional male mindset. He thinks that once his granddaughter gets married, she'll go and help her family make money. Ideally, she should help the family business get started before she gets married and also teach her grandchildren.
Zhang glared at her husband, then looked at Lin, "I was worried you'd be anxious. Now that you have an idea, go for it. We're old and can't help you much, nor do we want to hold you back. You've done so much for the family over the years; you'll have to work even harder from now on."
"It's not hard on you, Mom. I'm happy as long as things are going well at home." With her in-laws' support, Lin felt relieved. As for the children's opinions, they weren't important; the elders could make the decisions. "Tomorrow, Mancang won't be selling meat. Have him go and see if there are any suitable stalls, preferably close to Mancang. I'll also go and see if there are any secondhand bowls and chopsticks."
She had already thought of everything she needed to prepare; all she had to do was start buying it.
Finally, Lin looked at her youngest daughter and asked with concern, "Mianmian, if our family were to set up a food stall, would you be able to manage?"
“I definitely can’t do it all by myself. Chunxilou’s braised food can’t be interrupted, and the food stalls need people to chop vegetables and wash dishes.” Qiao Mianmian had also thought about this. “So I taught my fourth sister how to make braised food in advance. After she’s been practicing for a day or two, she can do it herself and won’t need me anymore.”
"Mother, you can help me chop vegetables and run errands. My brothers can fetch water and chop firewood. I only need to stir-fry vegetables and cook noodles, and I'll definitely be able to manage. Besides, you can learn from me by setting up the stall. Who knows, maybe our family can open a restaurant and branch someday!"
Qiao Mianmian understood her grandfather's meaning, which was actually quite right. After the siblings had their own families, it would be difficult for them to make a living together. It would be better to train everyone now so that they would all have skills to rely on in the future.
Lin held her youngest daughter's hand and said with heartache, "It's because I can't cook, otherwise I wouldn't bear to see you work so hard. When we move to a new house, I'll prepare dowries for you sisters, and I'll make sure everyone in the alley sees that our family is the most prosperous."
She harbored a strong determination and secretly vowed to make her life better.
After the family reached an agreement, everyone went their separate ways.
Qiao Mianmian lay down with her fourth sister. Sleepiness overcame her, and she could barely keep her eyes open. Suddenly, her fourth sister grabbed her hand.
"Mianmian, I will remember your kindness." Lin Xiahe understood why her younger sister taught her to make braised food. Having another skill meant having another way out. If the family's braised food sold well, no matter where her sister married in the future, she could support herself with this skill.
"Oh, Fourth Sister, we're sisters, let's not talk about these things. Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow." Qiao Mianmian turned over and patted her fourth sister's arm. "We're family, let's not be so formal. Let's work together to make a good life for each other."
"Yes, things will get better and better!"
In the darkness, Lin Xiahe's eyes were full of energy; she even dreamed of setting up a stall to make money.
When the two sisters woke up at dawn, Lin had already cooked porridge and pickled vegetables.
The siblings looked at the food on the table and smiled at each other. Even if it didn't taste good, it was Lin's way of showing her love.
"Xiahe, Mianmian, eat quickly, and then go do what you need to do. Jiawang, after you finish carrying the loads for your sisters, come find me. Jiaxing, don't go to the dock, come with me to get the things." After giving these instructions, Madam Lin quickly tidied up and prepared to leave.
After Lin left, Qiao Mianmian took out a string of coins and gave it to her grandmother, saying, "Please help me buy some duck eggs so we can make some salted duck eggs at home, or you can take them to the stall to sell."
“Little girl, you’ve been hiding money from your mother again. If she finds out, she’ll beat you.” Zhang looked at her granddaughter with affection and pushed the money back. “Keep this money for yourself. You’re going to be a big girl soon, so you can buy yourself some things you like. If you want salted duck eggs, Grandma has money for them.”
She kept all the money her second and third sons sent, only giving the grain and vegetables to Lin. Even Lin and her husband had to give the elderly couple half a tael of silver each month as a token of their filial piety.
"Grandmother, you've been secretly feeding Fifth Sister again, haven't you?" Qiao Jiaxing, who had finished eating, came over and poked his head out from behind the door.
Zhang spread her hands, "You greedy cat reincarnated, look what food I have in my hand? It's your fifth sister who wants to eat salted duck eggs, so she asked me to go buy some duck eggs."
Taking this opportunity, Qiao Mianmian put the money in her grandmother's hand. "Second brother, look how much Grandma loves us. She's spending so much money to buy duck eggs. Hurry up and go out with Mother. If I have something to eat, you'll definitely have something too."
"Okay, remember this, you can't steal any food." Qiao Jiaxing raised an eyebrow at his sister and ran out to chase after their mother.
Qiao Mianmian also got up to set up her stall. Since Qiao Mancang wasn't selling meat today, Qiao Mianmian simply set up her stall on the meat stand.
In August, the morning breeze carried a slight chill. Qiao Mianmian first picked up a piece of pig's heart for herself, then gave one to her fourth sister. "It tastes best when it's hot. We're running our own stall, so we can't let ourselves go hungry." She usually ate quite a lot, and she couldn't stand having only two meals a day. She couldn't persuade her family to have an extra meal, so she could only sneak a little for herself and give a couple of bites to her older brother and sister.
Lin Xiahe was stunned when a pig's heart was suddenly stuffed into her mouth. She took two bites and swallowed it before saying, "Can you manage by yourself?" She had to go to the river to wash the pig offal.
"Okay, Fourth Sister, you don't need to worry about me. Go ahead and do your thing. Big Brother will come and help me carry it back later." Qiao Mianmian couldn't carry it. The original owner of this body was unable to lift anything with her hands or shoulders. She was a little better now, but the empty pottery jars and the stove weighed at least twenty or thirty pounds.
Lin Xiahe was still worried, so she stayed to help sell for a while before leaving when she saw that there weren't too many people.
Qiao Mianmian continued selling braised food. She called out her wares with great enthusiasm, and with her sweet words and delicious taste, she already had quite a few regular customers. "Sister, are you having guests over today? I'll give you an extra piece of pig intestine. In a few days, I'll be setting up a food stall, so please come and support me when you have time!"
"Miss Qiao, are you cooking?"
"yes."
"You're really amazing! You're so young and you're already running a stall. Don't worry, I'll definitely be there!"
"Okay, take care!" Qiao Mianmian greeted everyone one by one. "Uncle, you're here! Come on, have a seat. You'll have a fatty cut today, right? Okay, wait a moment, I'll serve you some braised pork and some vegetables. By the way, in a few days, my family is going to set up a food stall..."
She tirelessly promoted the product to each customer, and many old customers agreed to come and support her, while new customers also politely said yes.
When Lu Zhao and his servant passed by, they saw Qiao Mianmian shouting enthusiastically.
Qingjiu remembered the braised meat that someone had given her yesterday, so she came over to express her gratitude. "Miss Qiao, thank you so much for the braised meat. It was especially delicious, even better than the meat I had in Bianjing."
"I'm glad you like it. My family will be setting up a food stall later. If you'd like, you can come and support us." Qiao Mianmian looked at Qingjiu with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Lu Zhao had no expression. She thought to herself that although he was handsome, he was cold and aloof, not as easy to talk to as Qingjiu.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come to support you." Qingjiu said as she returned to her master's side. "My lord, Miss Qiao is a really nice person, warm and generous, much better than those effeminate noble ladies in Bianjing."
“A gentleman does not discuss other people’s shortcomings. After you arrived in Lin’an, you’ve forgotten everything.” Lu Zhao walked ahead, and after a while, he turned around and saw Qing Jiu with a puffed-up face. He helplessly took out money from his purse and said, “Go buy some braised pork offal. You can eat it by yourself tonight.”
He doesn't eat braised pork offal; back in Bianjing, his family never ate it. Yesterday, we had braised pork offal with green wine, while he ate braised pork.
Qingjiu took the money and jumped up happily, "Alright, sir, I'll go right now!"
However, knowing that his master did not eat braised pork offal, he asked Qiao Mianmian to pack half of the vegetables for her.
"Your parents are quite picky." Qiao Mianmian cut three slices of meat for you. "We're neighbors, so I'm selling this for you as well. It wouldn't be right for your parents to watch you eat it."
"This...this is so embarrassing," Qingjiu said.
"It's okay, I'll just take some from the offal. Do you want some chili peppers?" Qiao Mianmian asked.
Qingjiu shook her head. "The adult can't handle too much spice."
“Okay, then I’ll give you some extra broth. It’ll be delicious with noodles or rice when you get home,” Qiao Mianmian said, ladling out the broth.
When it came to cooking rice, Qingjiu squatted down and asked how to cook rice so it wouldn't burn.
"If you have the patience, you can make rice that's cooked until it blooms, then take it out and steam it on the stove. This way, the rice will be fluffy, sweet, and have the best texture. If you don't have the time, just put it in the pot to cook. When the rice water overflows, open the lid and repeat this a few times. When the rice water has evaporated, it's almost done. This way, the rice will have crispy rice crust."
Speaking of crispy rice crust, Qiao Mianmian's mouth watered. "You can mash it up and mix it with chili powder and salt, or you can soak it in pork bone broth. You know how to make bone broth, right? It's relatively cheap. If you simmer it for a long time, the broth turns milky white. You only need ginger and cooking wine for seasoning, and add a little salt at the end. It's also delicious with noodles. And... wait, the corner of your mouth..."
Qingjiu's saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth. Lu Zhao waited a long time for Qingjiu to return, and then saw Qingjiu drooling over Qiao Mianmian. His thick eyebrows furrowed instantly. "Haven't you finished buying yet?"
"Huh?" Qingjiu turned around and looked back, still not having recovered her senses.
Lu Zhao looked at the oil paper package in Qingjiu's hand. When he saw Qiao Mianmian looking over, he thought that Qiao Mianmian must be laughing in her heart. He grabbed Qingjiu's arm and left.
This guy has made him lose face time and time again!
"Sir, slow down, there's soup!" Qingjiu staggered, almost falling over. "I was just asking Miss Qiao how to cook rice. She's really amazing; just a few simple words from her made my mouth water. Sir, would you like some crispy rice? And some bone broth?"
"In no mood."
"You're lying! I saw you swallow!"
"Shut up! If you say another word, you can go back to Bianjing."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. But Miss Qiao is so kind; knowing you don't eat braised pork offal, she specially cut three slices of meat to sell with it. When I get back, I'll try the crispy rice she mentioned, and I'll try my best not to burn it today!" Qingjiu was full of confidence, looking forward to showing off her skills when she got home.
Lu Zhao didn't believe in Qingjiu's cooking skills and thought it was a blessing that he could eat it.
Qiao Mianmian sold her wares for a while longer, then packed up and waited for her older brother to arrive. She then saw that her mother had also come.
“I just ran into the sugar figurine vendor next door. He said he couldn’t sell any in the market, so I asked him for the stall.” Seeing that the earthenware jar was empty, Lin said, “Jiawang, tomorrow you deliver a bowl of braised meat to him. Also, go and bring back his handcart; I’ve already paid the deposit.”
"Yes, Mother." Qiao Jiawang always did whatever his family told him to do.
Qiao Mianmian looked at the stall next door. There was a small open space behind her father's stall, enough to put four or five small tables, which would be just right.
“It would be even better to be next to Dad, and we can advertise that it’s the freshest meat. When guests come to eat, we can have Dad cut the meat.” Qiao Mianmian thought it was perfect.
Lin's idea was that the whole family could set up a stall together so they could look after each other. Otherwise, if they split into two stalls, sometimes there wouldn't be enough manpower to manage both stalls. "Tomorrow I'll fix the handcart, and once the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks are all ready, we can open for business."
She is very much looking forward to the opening of the business, hoping that the business will be booming so that she can move to a larger house soon.
The family walked home with smiles on their faces; with something to look forward to, the days passed quickly.
For the next ten days, the Qiao family was busy as a bee. When the neighbors heard that the Qiao family was going to set up a food stall, many people came to watch the excitement.
Chun Sheng's mother and Widow Wang were the first to arrive. When Chun Sheng's mother heard that Qiao Mianmian was in charge of cooking, she looked at Qiao Mianmian with even more eagerness and was very affectionate with Lin Shi.
Chunsheng is an honest man, and he wants a capable wife like Mianmian. The more she looks at her, the more satisfied she becomes. "Mianmian is really capable. It's no wonder you spoiled her so much before."
Everyone could see through Chun Sheng's mother's little scheme. Widow Wang teased, "Yes, Mianmian is the prettiest girl in our alley, and she's so capable. When she comes of age, suitors will be lining up at the Qiao family's door. Don't you think so, Chun Sheng's mother?"
"Yes, definitely." Chun Sheng's mother said with a forced smile, "But when it comes to marriage, it's best to know each other's backgrounds well, otherwise, if the families aren't a good match, there will be a lot of trouble. Da Zhu's mother, you went to Er Zhu's father-in-law's house the other day, right? How was it? Were his family easy to get along with?"
She asked that on purpose. According to the Zeng family, after Widow Wang returned, she kept cursing people, saying that Erzhu's in-laws looked down on her and didn't take her seriously at all.
To save face, even if she was difficult to get along with, Widow Wang would still say yes, "Of course, as soon as we arrived, they brought us this year's new tea, being very polite."
"Then you are truly blessed." Chun Sheng's mother smiled, pursing her lips. She and Lin Shi were chatting enthusiastically, while Widow Wang, feeling bored, went home first.
"Hey, let me tell you, your Mianmian is a good girl. When it comes to marriage, you should consider my Chunsheng first, understand?" Chunsheng's mother said hurriedly when she saw that no one was around.
Lin knew Chunsheng's family's thoughts. She neither agreed nor particularly opposed them. Chunsheng was a bit dull, but he was very down-to-earth and hardworking. "The children are still young. Even when they reach a certain age, we should still ask the children what they think."
Chunsheng's mother understood the implication in Lin's words. "Alright, I understand. Anyway, you have to remember my Chunsheng. I may be a bit fierce, but I'm protective of my own family. It's getting late, I'll head back now. I'll come and support your business when it opens another day."
Lin smiled as she saw the person out, and just then she saw Wu Ermao returning home. She nodded and turned to go inside.
She heard that Wu Ermao and the Yu family were getting to know each other. Thinking of this, Lin Shi felt even more determined to make money; she was determined to prove herself!
In the backyard, Qiao Mianmian was busy preparing dinner, unaware that someone had already set their sights on her as a daughter-in-law.
"Fourth Sister, I'm enough to handle things in the kitchen. You go and keep an eye on the braised meat, make sure it doesn't stick to the pot." Qiao Mianmian had some crispy rice a few days ago and wanted to eat it again today. After the rice was cooked, she scooped it out, leaving a layer of crispy rice at the bottom. She added oil, and the rice and oil sizzled. Soon, the aroma of rice filled the air.
The rice was fried until each grain was distinct, golden and glossy. Qiao Mianmian also stir-fried shiitake mushrooms and diced meat, which she would eat with the rice crust later.
After scooping out the rice crust, she gently pressed it, and the crispy rice crust immediately cracked open. She couldn't resist taking a piece and putting it in her mouth. The crispy bottom and the soft rice grains formed a wonderful combination. Paired with the fresh and fragrant mushroom and minced meat, the crispiness and softness were perfectly blended, making you want to eat more.
"Fifth sister, you're stealing food!" Qiao Jiaxing came in carrying firewood and saw this scene.
"Let me try it. Second brother, why don't you try it for me too?" Before her second brother could speak, Qiao Mianmian stuffed a piece into his mouth. "Alright, you've eaten too. No more noise, okay?"
Qiao Jiaxing's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, "It's delicious!"
"Go ahead and tell everyone to wash their hands and get ready for dinner. I'll just boil a few more salted duck eggs." Qiao Mianmian pushed her second brother out. The salted duck eggs were at their perfect saltiness, and the yolks were just turning sandy, making them the most delicious.
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