Chapter 33 Angelica and Astragalus Chicken Soup
"Even eating can't shut you up." Lu Zhao's ears turned slightly red.
Qiao Mianmian noticed that Lu Zhao was embarrassed again, and thought to herself, "This guy doesn't work for the government, so why is he so thin-skinned?"
It's not shameful to want to eat her cooking, after all, Qingjiu's cooking doesn't even whet her appetite just by hearing about it.
Qingjiu said "Oh," and only sat down after the elders of the Qiao family had sat down.
Qingjiu ate what seemed like a feast for an ordinary breakfast. His master provided rice and vegetables, which he ate freely, finishing three bowls of porridge and three sweet potatoes.
Seeing Qingjiu eating like this, Qiao Mianmian was worried that Qingjiu's stomach would burst. "There's only a little porridge left, do you want some more?"
"Yes!" Qingjiu immediately replied, "From now on, breakfast will be the happiest time of my day!"
After all, dinner is to be eaten at home, and it's his own cooking.
After Lu Zhao and his servant left, Madam Lin couldn't help but sigh, "Young Master Qingjiu can really eat. I feel like their daily meals must be terrible."
“I think so too.” After breakfast, Qiao Mianmian helped set up the stall. She hadn’t been to the market for several days. As soon as she arrived at the stall, several stall owners came to place their orders.
"Miss Qiao, please stir-fry a bowl of braised pig's head for me at noon. My husband has been craving it a lot while you're away."
"And me, I'd like a braised fish. Just call me when it's ready. My sister came back to her parents' house yesterday, and I want her to try your cooking."
"I want a bowl of braised pork!"
...
Several stall owners announced their dishes, and Qiao Mianmian smiled and said, "Thank you all for your support. I've written them all down, and I'll give you larger portions later." They were all stall owners from the neighborhood, and if she could maintain good relationships with them, things would go more smoothly when she set up her stall in the future.
After the stall was set up, people came one after another to have breakfast. Qiao Mianmian and Lin Shi were busy with their tasks: one rolled out the dough, and the other cooked the noodles.
"Oh, Miss Qiao, we've finally waited for you." Luo Da ran over as soon as he saw Qiao Mianmian from afar. "My young master has been missing your cooking while you were gone, and he asked me to come and see you every day."
“I was helping someone prepare a banquet the other day. Thank you for liking it. What would he like to eat today? I’d like to make him a little extra.” Qiao Mianmian said.
Luo Da said that it's been cold lately, and his young master isn't feeling well. "He actually wants to eat a lot of things, but he can't eat greasy or spicy food, and he doesn't know what to eat. Miss Qiao, do you have any suggestions?"
"Excuse me, is your young master taking any medication?" Qiao Mianmian asked.
Luo Da said yes.
“I can actually make medicinal cuisine, which is easier to take than medicine because it’s a form of nourishment. But he’s taking medicine, and I don’t know what kind of medicine he should take. If it’s convenient, you can call the doctor who is treating him,” Qiao Mianmian said. “If it’s not convenient, I can make some light dishes for Young Master Luo.”
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. I'll go and fetch the doctor to talk to you right away." The young master of the Luo family was a premature baby, and his weakness was something he was born with. It wasn't a shameful illness, and soon he brought the doctor with him.
Qiao Mianmian learned that Young Master Luo was born with insufficient blood and qi, and was taking medicine to replenish blood and qi. After consulting with the doctor, she planned to stew a pot of Angelica and Astragalus chicken soup for Young Master Luo, "and a bowl of stir-fried lily bulbs, simple and refreshing."
Just now, when she passed by other stalls, she saw that they were selling lilies, which would be perfect for Young Master Luo to eat.
Luo Da agreed, but in his heart he thought that these were all common dishes that his family's kitchen could also make, and that the young master might not like them too much.
However, the young master missed the cooking of Miss Qiao Wu. Now that Miss Qiao Wu has returned, he must order some dishes. Otherwise, the young master will be unhappy, and he will suffer.
After making arrangements with Luo Da, Qiao Mianmian curiously asked who the Jiang family, who also lived in Tongluo Lane, were. "Yesterday at the banquet, Madam Jiang said that the banquet I prepared was delicious and was thinking of looking for me later."
"Then you are very fortunate," Luo Dadao said. "The Jiang family and the prefect are from the same Jiang family. They are both relatives and cousins. The Jiang family is a prominent family in Tongluo Lane. If you can manage the Jiang family's banquet well, more people will come to you in the future."
Hearing that it was related to the prefect, Qiao Mianmian understood. "Thank you for letting me know. As before, once the dishes are ready, I'll have my elder brother deliver them to the Luo family."
"Yes, I trust your family to handle things." Luo Da had met Qiao Jiawang several times and found him to be a reliable person.
Qiao Mianmian asked Lin to buy chicken and medicinal herbs. When Lin returned, she cooked the chicken soup.
The free-range chickens she raised had a thick layer of fat, which she scraped off to use for stir-frying vegetables later.
After breakfast time, only a few customers came to eat noodles, and the Lin family could handle these few customers on their own.
Qiao Mianmian was in charge of preparing and cooking the dishes. Every time she finished a dish, she would ask her older brother to deliver it.
Qiao Jiawang was fast and tall and steady. He ran back and forth, and by the time he finally got to the Luo family's dishes, fine beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
"Brother, wait a moment, I'll skim off the oil from the chicken soup," Qiao Mianmian said.
The chicken soup was clear and bright, with wisps of steam carrying a rich aroma, a blend of the natural meaty fragrance of chicken and the slightly bitter aroma of herbs that had been simmered for a long time.
After skimming off the oil, Qiao Mianmian tasted the chicken soup herself. It wasn't bitter; instead, it had the unique aroma of various herbs, which, because of the small amount, were subtly blended into the soup.
"Okay, take your time. The chicken soup is in a clay pot, so it won't get cold." Qiao Mianmian packed everything up and handed it to her older brother.
Watching her older brother walk away, Qiao Mianmian stir-fried some greens with chicken fat and added some braised pork broth. Each person in the family had a steamed bun, and that was lunch.
The vegetables, now infused with the rich aroma of chicken oil, have a mellow and fresh flavor. The crisp and tender texture of the vegetables adds a touch of elegance without being bland or greasy. The addition of chicken oil transforms ordinary vegetables into a delicacy, and Qiao Mianmian herself ate a few more mouthfuls of the chicken soup vegetables.
Lin agreed to have an extra meal at home, but it couldn't be too extravagant; it could only be a simple meal.
Qiao Mianmian thought it would be good if Lin agreed. Once this kind of thing is started, it can be done slowly. Once everyone gets used to it, it won't be hard to change.
After lunch, Qiao Mianmian was about to close up shop. As the weather got colder, even fewer people came for dinner, so Qiao Mianmian simply stopped setting up shop so she could go home and rest for a while.
Back home, Qiao Mianmian taught her older siblings to read, reviewing everything Lu Zhao had taught them.
Qiao Jiawang scratched his head, needing to repeat a single word several times before he could remember it. However, he still sat obediently and studied diligently, without uttering a single word about giving up.
Looking at her children, Lin felt happy. "Mother, I never dared to imagine that our children would one day be able to read."
"It's good to be literate. It will be more convenient when you go out in the future." Just as Zhang finished speaking, firecrackers were set off next door. She turned her head and looked over. Even through the wall, she could hear lively conversation coming from the Wu family.
Hearing her daughter-in-law hum softly, she whispered, "Wu Ermao is getting engaged today, so don't think about it anymore. Let's live our own lives. That woman from the Wu family is a bit materialistic, but she knows what she's doing and won't do anything too bad."
“I know, Mother. What’s done is done. Fortunately, no one is mentioning Xia He’s marriage anymore.” Speaking of this, Madam Lin began to worry again. “Mother, you said our children are so good. Jiawang and Wangchun’s marriages went smoothly. Why is it so difficult for Xia He?”
She's been married twice and knows very well how important the atmosphere of her husband's family is. If she encounters picky in-laws and mean sisters-in-law, life would be unbearable. So she wants to find her daughter a man from a simple family background who can make a living with a skill. But after all that picking and choosing, she still hasn't settled on a marriage proposal.
"Don't think too much about it. Good things come to those who wait. Maybe Xia He's good fortune is yet to come," Zhang comforted her.
Aunt Wu from next door was scattering candy at the door, saying, "Thank you everyone, I'll definitely invite you all to the feast."
Everyone celebrated, but someone noticed the Qiao family's gate was tightly closed and asked, "Has the Qiao family not closed up shop yet?"
"Probably not. If it were, it would definitely come out."
"That's true."
Aunt Wu also looked in the direction of the Qiao family, her heart sinking slightly, but she was quickly drawn to the attention of others and continued to distribute candy to everyone.
At the Qiao family's place, everyone kept quiet about the Wu family's affairs. Qiao Mianmian led everyone in practicing calligraphy for a while, and only after the noise from next door subsided did she go to prepare dinner.
"Fourth Sister, Mother bought your favorite shiitake mushrooms today. I'll make you stuffed shiitake mushrooms, and we can also make shiitake mushroom soup." Qiao Mianmian put the seasoned minced meat on the shiitake mushrooms and then pan-fried them in oil.
Lin Xiahe helped start the fire, saying, "I can do anything."
"Mother knew you liked to eat them, that's why she bought shiitake mushrooms. She bought a lot, and the rest will be dried so we can eat them slowly." Qiao Mianmian deliberately said more to distract her fourth sister.
Lin Xiahe knew her sister's feelings, and the two sisters chatted casually until the stuffed mushrooms were fried and put into the steamer.
At this moment, Qiao Jiawang finished chopping all the side dishes. "Mianmian, Xiahe, is there anything else I can help you with?"
"That's all." Qiao Mianmian looked at the taro shreds on the cutting board, which were all the same thickness, and couldn't help but praise, "Big brother, your knife skills are amazing!"
Qiao Jiawang scratched his head sheepishly, "I've been selling meat with Dad for so many years, my talking skills haven't improved, but my knife skills are still pretty good. There's nothing for me to do in the kitchen, so I'll go fetch water." He knew his fifth sister was very clean and needed to wash up every day.
Qiao Mianmian started cooking. When smoke rose from the Qiao family's chimney, some observant people would notice that the Qiao family's front door had not been opened, yet there was smoke coming from the chimney.
On the day of the Xu family's banquet, the Xu family's celebration was not as lively as the Wang family's, nor was their wealth as great, so there were only six dishes on the table. The difference was that Madam Xu did not order braised pork, but instead ordered braised pork hock, saying it was a custom from their hometown.
Qiao Mianmian was busy in the kitchen preparing the last dish when Xu Mingxuan arrived with a sealed package, followed by Wang Chuang.
"Thank you, Qiao... Fifth Sister Qiao." Just as he was about to speak, Xu Mingxuan realized how best to address her. Calling her Fifth Miss Qiao would be too formal; he felt they were neighbors, and the Qiao family had been kind to his family, so they should be more intimate.
Qiao Mianmian didn't think too much about it and accepted the envelope, saying, "No need to be so polite, it's all I should do. I should be congratulating you. You're both scholars now, and maybe you'll even rise to higher positions. If you become high-ranking officials, please invite me to cook again so I can share in your joy!"
Before Xu Mingxuan could speak, Wang Chuang agreed, "Of course I'll take it. I'll only accept half of your banquet right now. I don't even care about Fu Man Lou's."
"Haha, Brother Wang, you really know how to talk." Qiao Mianmian glanced at the braised pork knuckle in the pot. "I'm busy now, you guys go and enjoy the feast first."
As she spoke, she called over her fourth sister, "Help me set the plates."
Lin Xiahe and Wang Chuang passed each other. Wang Chuang greeted Lin Xiahe and then sighed with Xu Mingxuan after leaving the kitchen.
"Brother Wang, what's wrong?" Xu Mingxuan noticed that Wang Chuang had something to say.
“A few days ago, my mother took me to meet some girls.” Wang Chuang frowned. “I thought marriage wouldn’t be too difficult, and it would be easy to find someone I liked. But when I actually met the girls, I just didn’t feel anything. My mother asked me what kind of girl I wanted. I thought and thought and said that my requirements weren’t high. I wanted a girl with a pretty face, a down-to-earth personality, and not too delicate. I don’t like delicate girls, and I don’t want someone too rigid.”
He paused for a moment, then continued, "You know, my sister-in-law is a very polite and traditional person, but I only want elders like that, not a spouse like that. After I finished speaking, my mother said I was too picky, saying that character, appearance, and family background were enough. She said I'd gotten too big for my britches and didn't know my own worth, but I only care about the girl herself, not her family background!"
When it comes to marriage, Xu Mingxuan has similar worries. On the first day his father returned home, he said that he could go on a blind date.
But he doesn't have that idea now. His father said that if he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he could marry into a scholarly family, which would help his future career in the imperial examinations. But he doesn't have that idea.
"Brother Xu, do you think my requirements are really that high?" Wang Chuang asked once, and seeing Xu Mingxuan's stunned expression, he asked again.
"I think... it's alright. Maybe you just don't find those girls attractive. If you meet a few more, you might find one you like," Xu Mingxuan said.
"But I'm so annoyed. I don't know why, but the thought of going on a blind date makes me feel uneasy," Wang Chuang said with a sigh. "What about you? Doesn't your family arrange a marriage for you?"
Xu Mingxuan paused for a moment. The two of them had already reached the front yard. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he changed the subject, saying, "Let's not talk about this. Today is my family's banquet, so you should drink a few more cups and have a good time."
"That's right, today is your special day. Your uncle is back too, I have to go and toast him." Wang Chuang was a cheerful person, and after saying these words, his face was all smiles again.
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