Chapter 38 Scallion Pancakes
As Qiao Mianmian pondered whether Lu Zhao would want the mudfish, Lu Zhao suddenly looked at her.
"Miss Qiao, do you know how to cook loach?" Lu Zhao asked.
"Yes, I do. Loach tofu, loach and taro stew, and smoked dried loach are all delicious," Qiao Mianmian answered instinctively.
"Then accept it." Lu Zhao had Qingjiu delivered to the Qiao family. Looking at the four Qiao siblings, he noticed that their progress was different. "Fifth Miss Qiao, you first help your eldest brother review the characters you learned before. You two will learn new ones with me. I taught you the characters on the furniture before, and today I'll teach you some characters for the names of dishes."
His teaching focused on practicality; since the Qiao siblings didn't need to take the imperial examinations, teaching them the Four Books and Five Classics wasn't very useful. What amazed him was Qiao Mianmian's talent for studying. If Qiao Mianmian were a boy, even though he was a bit older, he could still pass the imperial examinations and achieve a degree above the xiucai level if he started studying now.
Thinking of this, he looked at the other members of the Qiao family. Why did they not have this talent?
After a brief moment of reflection, Lu Zhao began teaching.
Meanwhile, at the Xu family's house, Xu Zhongyi was washing his hands and pushing a cart in the yard, while Jin Shi kept cursing and saying, "Don't think that just because you give them some loaches, they'll take your son in. This is our fate. Don't you know what we do? Can we afford to send two children to school?"
Jin was only six and a half feet tall, with a few freckles on her face, the kind of person who would go unnoticed in a crowd.
But she has a fiery temper and a sharp tongue. "Xu Zhongyi, look at me! I'm talking to you, don't pretend you can't hear me!"
Xu Zhongyi became mute later in life. He could not hear others speaking, only faint sounds, but he could roughly understand what they were saying from their lip movements.
He kept his head down, refusing to look at Ms. Jin.
Enraged, Jin threw Xu Zhongyi's wooden bucket away, raised both hands high to cup Xu Zhongyi's cheeks, and said, "Don't pretend with me. I'm asking you, what do you mean? You're just a chamber pot emptier, but just because a scholar lives next door, does that mean your son can be a scholar too?"
Xu Zhongyi pursed his lips tightly and remained motionless.
"Fine, you won't tell, huh? I'll go to the Lu family and get the loach back!" Just as Jin turned around, Xu Zhongyi hugged her tightly. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"
Jin had barely uttered a few words when Xu Zhongyi carried her into the house.
Da Hu and Er Long were in their room. Da Hu was standing on tiptoe, while Er Long was standing on a stool. The two children were gazing longingly at the empty courtyard.
"Brother, I'm scared." Erlong was only three years old and very timid, so he clung tightly to his older brother's hand.
"Don't be afraid, Mom and Dad will be fine in a little while once they go inside," Da Hu said. It was always like this; when his mother started arguing, his father would carry her inside. But he didn't understand why his parents were arguing this time. He thought of the bucket of loaches, what a pity! If they had stewed them with taro, he couldn't even imagine how delicious they would have been.
Inside the room, Jin bit Xu Zhongyi's arm hard. "You're deliberately trying to anger me to death! You may not be able to speak, but can't you at least look me in the eye when you talk to me?!"
She was seething with anger and punched him a few more times. "Xu Zhongyi, look at me and tell me what you're really thinking?"
“Ugh…ah…” Xu Zhongyi sat in the chair, his hands clenched tightly in his palms. When he looked at Jin Shi again, he opened his mouth and mouthed, “I don’t want Da Hu and the others to do the same work as me.”
People complain that they smell bad when they empty chamber pots for others.
Every day, they would drag the handcart downstream to the river. If anyone came, they would be chased away. Even though Xu Zhongyi washed the handcart clean every day, his son still said that other children didn't want to play with them.
Xu Zhongyi is fine with doing this for his own life, but he doesn't want his children to do the same.
"What's the point of not emptying the chamber pot?" Jin shouted at Xu Zhongyi, wiping away her tears as she slammed the door and left.
Fearing that Jin would actually go to the Lu family, Xu Zhongyi hurriedly chased after her, only to see Lin coming out carrying a bamboo basket. "Ah..."
"What are you 'huh' about? Shut your mouth! How can we eat just loach? We need to send some taro over!" Mrs. Jin turned to look at the children's room, and her two sons immediately squatted down from behind the window. "Am I a tigress? Why are you so afraid of me?"
"Your father is the only one who doesn't want you to empty the chamber pot. I'm a stepmother!"
Jin shook off Xu Zhongyi's hand. "Go wash your car quickly. Do you think Lord Lu is someone who can cook? He's so clumsy. I'll go and take care of it for him and then come back."
Xu Zhongyi nodded vigorously. He knew that his wife was a bit fierce, but she was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
He worked even harder when he went to wash his hands and push the cart again.
When Jin arrived at the Lu family's door, she took a deep breath, put on a smile, and went inside. "Lord Lu is teaching you to read. My Zhongyi is really something, loach is hard to get. I'll cook it for you and stew it."
As she spoke, she headed towards the kitchen. "Don't be so polite with me. We're all neighbors. Loach is hard to cook; you have to remove the muddy taste to make it taste good."
“Mrs. Xu…” Lu Zhao didn’t know how to address her when she spoke. After thinking for a moment, she finally called her Mrs. Xu, but then felt very awkward. “You really don’t need to trouble yourself.”
"What trouble? It's just a small matter, I can handle it easily. You're too kind, calling me Madam Xu. I'm just an ordinary person. If you think highly of me, you can call me sister-in-law, or Da Hu's mother." As Jin Shi spoke, she had already reached the kitchen, but she didn't see the loach. Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Lu Zhao didn't like the loach and threw it away?
Thinking of this, Jin felt as if she had been slapped twice, her cheeks burning with pain. She began to curse her husband inwardly, thinking, "He's offering me a cheapskate service, like offering a mudfish to someone who doesn't want it! It's not like I'm offering tiger meat!"
“Sister-in-law, the loach is at the Qiao family’s house,” Lu Zhao said. “Qingjiu and I don’t know how to make it, so we asked Miss Qiao Wu to help us.”
Hearing this, Jin's expression instantly relaxed. "Oh, I see. I knew you wouldn't know how to cook it, and I was even thinking of coming over to help you. Mianmian is a good cook; with her helping you, it will definitely taste better than what I made. Alright then, I've put the taro down for you. I'll go home now."
"By the way, if you need any tables or chairs, you can tell my Zhongyi. He doesn't make the nicest ones, but they're very durable. Don't be shy, we're all neighbors."
When Xu Zhongyi needs something for his home, he will figure out how to make it himself. Without a teacher to teach him, his creations are not very pretty, but they are all very durable.
Jin was smiling from the moment she entered. Qiao Jiaxing whispered to Lin Xiahe beside him, "This is the first time I've ever seen Da Hu's mother smile so much."
His voice was very soft, but Jin still heard it. Jin chuckled and came closer, "Jiaxing, you're learning to read. You'd better study hard, or your grandfather said he'll make you and Dahu's father empty the chamber pot."
"Huh?" Qiao Jiaxing looked up, stunned. "When did my grandfather say that?"
"You brat, I'm lying to you! Stop making things up about me, you hear me?" After scolding Qiao Jiaxing, Jin went to look at Lu Zhao with a smiling face. The change was so quick that Lu Zhao and Qingjiu were amazed. "Lord Lu, I'm leaving now. I'm really leaving this time. The three men at home are waiting for me to cook."
The Qiao family was kind; they never looked down on her because she was a chamber pot emptier. Madam Jin and Madam Lin often chatted and laughed together. Xu Zhongyi had also delivered some loach to the Qiao family today.
Qiao Jiaxing pursed his lips. He was a little afraid of Jin Shi and silently thought that he must marry someone gentle in the future, and definitely not someone as fierce as Jin Shi.
Jin turned to leave, her smile fading. Just as she was about to step over the threshold, she heard Lu Zhao call her. She turned back and her lips curved into a smile again. "What is it, Lord Lu?"
"You... your Da Hu is seven years old, right?" Lu Zhao asked.
"Yes, he's very well-behaved. He usually helps us with chores and takes care of Erlong. He's the best-behaved boy in our alley," Jin said with a smile, praising her son.
“I’ve noticed he often waits for you at the door with Erlong, so you must be coming home late. If you’d like, I can teach Dahu to read, but I usually…”
"Yes, of course I'm willing!"
Jin was just waiting for these words. She rushed up to Lu Zhao and clapped her hands excitedly, "Oh, you are such a kind person. I always worry about the two children when I'm not home. Wait for me, I'll go and bring Da Hu here."
She speaks quickly and acts with great efficiency; she ran off before Lu Zhao could even react.
A short while later, Jin dragged Da Hu over, while Xu Zhongyi carried a large bag of rice.
"Quickly kneel down before Lord Lu. He's willing to teach you to read, so he'll be your teacher." As soon as Madam Jin spoke, Da Hu obediently knelt down and kowtowed, making Lu Zhao blush and not know what to say.
However, Lu Zhao did not accept the rice that Xu Zhongyi brought. "Neighbors helping each other out is fine. I'm not a formal teacher. I can only teach when I have time. You've already given us vegetables, so please take this rice back with you."
“No way, even if you only teach for one day, you are still Da Hu’s teacher.” Jin insisted on leaving the rice until Lu Zhao said that he would stop teaching after giving her the rice, then she gave up. “Then I will help you with the work, is that okay?”
As she spoke, Ms. Jin rolled up her sleeves and told her husband to go back and get the tools. "I noticed as soon as I went into the kitchen that a house without a woman is indeed a mess."
Jin had her son learn to read while she immediately started cleaning. When Xu Zhongyi brought their youngest son over, the couple began to work diligently.
Lu Zhao wanted to tell Jin Shi that it wasn't necessary to trouble herself, but Jin Shi quickly said a few words, not giving Lu Zhao a chance to interrupt. He went to find Xu Zhongyi, but Xu Zhongyi simply pretended not to understand. After a while, Lu Zhao could only let Xu Zhongyi and his wife have their way.
Because the students were learning to read at different paces, Qingjiu helped Qiao Jiaxing and Lin Xiahe learn new characters, while Lu Zhao started teaching Dahu from scratch.
Da Hu never imagined he would have a day of studying, especially with Lord Lu, who was tasked with apprehending bandits. He was somewhat afraid of Lu Zhao, so he did whatever Lu Zhao said. To others, he seemed very studious.
It wasn't until Qiao Mancang from across the street came to call them for dinner that Qiao Mianmian and her brother said goodbye and went home.
“Then we’ll go back too.” Jin Shi grabbed her son’s hand, a genuine smile now playing on her lips. “You better study hard for me. I don’t need you to take the imperial examinations. You can be a shop assistant, which is better than your father emptying chamber pots.”
Xu Zhongyi, holding his youngest son, silently followed behind the two, thinking to himself that if his son could read, who would dare to look down on his family!
Everyone had their own little thoughts. When it was time to eat, Qingjiu brought out the noodles, only to find that he had forgotten to add salt, so he had to add more.
"Sir, Miss Qiao said she'll send us loach tomorrow." Qingjiu was a little anxious, looking at the bland noodles, she really had no appetite. "The Qiao family is also eating noodles today. Madam Qiao said they'll have something simple, noodles mixed with broth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
"You must have been a pig in your past life," Lu Zhao retorted. Although he had no appetite for the clear soup noodles, he was getting used to it now; as long as he could eat his fill, he was fine.
I only took a sip of the soup, and it was so bland, it had no flavor at all.
Just then, Lu Zhao heard Qiao Mianmian's voice.
"Lord Lu, Qingjiu." Qiao Mianmian brought in a small bowl of stir-fried pickled cabbage. "My mother said you're having noodles today too. This is my family's stir-fried pickled cabbage, it's sour and spicy, I'm serving it with your noodles."
She thought Lu Zhao and the other two must not be eating well, so when she came over, she found that there wasn't even a single vegetable in their noodles.
Qingjiu seemed to have seen a savior. He took a bite of the pickled mustard greens that Qiao Mianmian had brought. The sour and spicy taste instantly whetted his appetite. "Fifth Miss Qiao, you are truly a fairy descended from heaven. With your pickled mustard greens, I can eat three bowls of noodles!"
"Haha, you guys enjoy your meal, I'm going home." After returning home, Qiao Mianmian ate a simple bowl of noodles and then went to make braised pork.
The next morning, upon hearing her fourth sister turn over and get up, Qiao Mianmian rubbed her eyes and got out of bed as well.
"Why are you up so early?" Lin looked up at the sky. "It won't be light for a while. Go back to sleep."
She got up early today because she was going back to her parents' home.
“I was afraid you’d leave, so I got up on purpose.” Qiao Mianmian went into the kitchen and opened the casserole. “This is braised pork. I also added ten eggs. Take half back and give half to your third sister and half to your maternal grandmother’s family. If you want to borrow money, you’ll have to shut your aunt up first.”
"Why take so much?" Although Lin felt sorry for her, she still nodded. "I know. I'll say it's your kind gesture and let your grandmother know how good you are."
She washed some rice, and after eating porridge, she was about to go out.
Qiao Mianmian smiled and said, "My feelings are your feelings, there's no need to distinguish so clearly."
She got up and stopped sleeping, starting to knead the dough.
Eating only porridge makes you hungry, so Qiao Mianmian decided to make scallion pancakes. She added water and a small amount of salt to the flour, stirred it into a crumbly mixture, and then kneaded it into a dough.
Divide the dough into small balls, roll them out into wrappers, brush them with sesame oil, add a handful of chopped green onions, knead them together, and then set them aside to rest.
"You put in so much oil again!" Lin muttered.
"It's just for family, don't worry about the cost. Saving this little bit of money isn't even enough to buy a tiny fraction of a house." Qiao Mianmian started making pancakes, telling her mother not to watch, lest she feel even worse later.
In no time, the scallion pancake turned golden and crispy. With a gentle press, the pancake instantly collapsed with a hole, showing just how crispy it was.
The bright green scallions are faintly visible, and when cooked in hot oil, they release their unique aroma.
Qiao Mianmian was hungry, so she tried a piece first. The moment she bit into it, the crispy crust split into pieces in her mouth, while the middle part was a bit chewy. The scallion oil overflowed in her mouth. If paired with light white porridge and appetizing pickled vegetables, it would be perfect!
"Second brother, go and call everyone to eat!" Qiao Mianmian had finished frying the scallion pancakes and specially set aside some for them to eat on the way.
When she arrived at the front hall, Lu Zhao and Qingjiu had also arrived. "Lord Lu, please eat while it's hot. The scallion pancakes are very fragrant today. You can take a few to the government office and eat them when you're hungry."
Qingjiu had already moved closer, drawn by the aroma. "These cakes smell so good, I'm not taking them to the Imperial City Guard. Otherwise, those kids will definitely try to take them from me."
Zhang came over and asked everyone to sit down and eat.
Qiao Mianmian served herself some porridge. The rice water was full of the aroma of rice. She enjoyed a bite of porridge with a bite of scallion pancake.
"By the way, Lord Lu, could you please bring the loach stew this evening? My mother isn't home at noon, and I'd like to wait until she comes back before we eat, is that alright?" Qiao Mianmian asked.
Lin said first, "Why bother bringing it back and forth? It's too much trouble. Lord Lu, you and Qingjiu can just come and eat. We'll eat the same dishes, it's not like there's any other arrangement. Lord Lu, please don't be so polite."
Lu Zhao initially wanted to say no, but after Lin said that, he nodded in agreement.
After breakfast, Qiao Mianmian gave Lu Zhao and his servant each a scallion pancake, and then went to pack some for Lin Shi, saying, "Don't be reluctant to eat them. Take them out and eat them if you get hungry on the way. I made extra for you."
"You, how will you manage the household in the future?" Lin said with a sigh. "We won't go hungry. We'll save it for your third sister. She's definitely never had such delicious scallion pancakes before."
Speaking of her daughter, Madam Lin missed her dearly. "I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I need to leave early so I can help your third sister with some more things. Father, Mother, Mancang, I'm leaving now."
Qiao Mancang saw Lin and her two children off, while Qiao Mianmian went to set up her stall with her older brother.
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