Chapter 45 Braised Fish Chunks and Spicy Rabbit Cubes
From birth until now, Lin Xiahe has done whatever her family needed.
The biggest effort she made was to learn more needlework while working in the embroidery workshop, so as to earn more money and have more confidence when arranging marriages.
Now it's your turn to choose. Whether you like it or not isn't important; what matters most is that it suits you and makes you feel good.
The greatest advantage is that two people can get along well with each other and live together in a cooperative manner.
From all perspectives, the Wang family is her best choice, and there won't be a better family for her in the future.
Lin Xiahe longs for a small home of her own, where she can openly say, "I don't want to work today, I'll take a day off," and freely eat whatever she wants.
The Qiao family never mistreated Lin Xiahe, but from the time she could remember, her third sister always told Lin Xiahe that since they didn't have the surname Qiao, they had to be more diligent, perceptive, and sensible... so that the three of them could live a better life in the Qiao family.
Having been conditioned to be cautious and meticulous since childhood, she already had the answer when she was old enough to make choices.
Everyone at the table fell silent.
Lin turned to look at her and said, "Xia He, don't you want to think about it more? You can reply to her tomorrow or the day after."
“Mother, why do I need to think about it?” Lin Xiahe shrugged, as if taking a deep breath to relax. “Just like Grandfather said, the Wang family is better in every way. Besides, we are more familiar with the Wang family, and we know what kind of family they are. It’s such a good thing to be able to marry a scholar and become his wife. I am truly willing to do so.”
Seeing Lin Xiahe's affirmative look, Madam Lin smiled happily, "Then I'll take some gifts to the Wang family tomorrow and say that you really like the jade bracelet left by Wang's eldest sister-in-law, so I'm going to express my gratitude. I'll also tell the matchmaker about the Zhong family that you've finally been blessed."
Lin Xiahe nodded in agreement, and the whole family was overjoyed, excitedly praising how wonderful the Wang family was.
Only Qiao Mianmian noticed that her fourth sister's smile seemed a little stiff.
With no one else around at night, as the two sisters lay down together, Qiao Mianmian whispered, "Fourth Sister, are you really happy?"
"certainly."
Lin Xiahe lay on her side, unable to see anything, but she knew she was facing her sister. "The fact that I was chosen by a family that everyone says is good means I have strengths that people like. Mother is right, we are both good."
She paused, her tone softening, "I just haven't fully processed this feeling yet. This joy makes me excited, but also a little lost. Mianmian, what should I do if the Wang family thinks I'm not as good as they think after I marry them?"
"Fourth Sister, you don't need to think like that. What if you find out later that the Wang family has something you don't like, and it's not as good as everyone says?"
Qiao Mianmian said, "Everyone has flaws. Like me, I love to eat and don't like to be frugal. When you get into a new family, you'll have to adjust. You have your good points, and the Wang family has theirs. Some things can be compromised, and some things can be dealt with directly. You haven't even married into the family yet, and you're already starting to worry. That's pointless. If a fight breaks out, I'll definitely be the first one to rush in!"
Lin Xiahe laughed when she heard this, "You'd better not, I can't bear to see you get hurt."
"Oh dear, I'm not as delicate as you think." Qiao Mianmian patted her fourth sister's arm. "What you need to do now is to happily prepare for your wedding. Life isn't that long, so think more about happy things, and you'll live a better life."
She understood her fourth sister's inferiority complex and distress. It was normal for her to feel anxious and worried. As her sister, what she needed to do was to provide a shoulder to lean on at any time and a place for them to share their feelings at night.
The night was dark and quiet, but the two sisters felt a warm glow in their hearts.
The next morning, Lin didn't even have breakfast before taking Qiao Jiaxing out to buy gifts.
Qiao Mianmian cooked porridge and pumpkin cakes, and gave Lu Zhao and Qingjiu two extra pumpkin cakes, saying, "My second brother didn't eat breakfast today, so I'll give you the extra ones."
"That's enough." Lu Zhao looked at the pumpkin pancake in his hand; he was already full.
"I'm full now, I'll eat this as a snack later." Qiao Mianmian had also finished eating and was preparing to go out to set up her stall.
Qingjiu immediately took the pumpkin cake from her master's hand. "Miss Qiao is right. We can eat it as a snack later. If you don't want it, I will."
Lu Zhao turned to look at her. "Qingjiu, have you gained weight recently?"
Qingjiu touched her cheek. "Really? No way. After arriving in Lin'an, I'll be cooking for myself. How could I possibly gain weight?"
Absolutely impossible, he didn't believe it.
Qiao Mianmian glanced at the source of the sound and noticed that Qingjiu's cheeks seemed a bit rounder. She thought to herself that Qingjiu really had a good appetite, able to eat two of hers at every meal.
After preparing the items on the handcart, Qiao Mianmian went to set up her stall with her older brother. Just as they finished preparing the stove, a young man came over, his face flushed red, and said he wanted to buy braised meat.
"Do you prefer it a bit fatty or a bit lean? Would you like some vegetables with it?" Qiao Mianmian was only focused on selling vegetables and didn't think too much about it. After the other party left with the braised meat, her older brother said that he was the second son of the Zhong family. "What? Why didn't you say so earlier? I didn't even look carefully."
Qiao Jiawang scratched his head. "I didn't know you wanted to see that."
The spices for the family were bought by Lin, and when Qiao Mianmian went there occasionally, she would see the Zhong couple.
After trying to recall, I remembered that Zhong Ming was dark-skinned, but it was probably the kind of dark skin that comes from sun exposure. Although his features were ordinary on their own due to his daily work, they were quite pleasing to the eye when put together.
"Is he... here to see Fourth Sister?" Qiao Mianmian whispered.
Qiao Jiawang said he didn't know, "Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, Mother went to the Wang family."
Yes, we weren't meant to be.
If the Zhong family had come a few days earlier, Lin might have been tempted.
Soon other guests arrived. Now Qiao Jiawang can cook noodles, and Qiao Mianmian is in charge of stir-frying the meat sauce. The brother and sister work together in an orderly manner.
It was almost noon when Lin arrived, humming a tune with a cheerful smile. She said first, "Don't ask, let's talk about it when we get home." There were so many people there; we could only let others know once it was officially decided.
“Mom, you’re in a good mood.” Qiao Mianmian leaned closer.
“Of course, I’m in a good mood at a time like this,” Lin said happily. “I’ll get a pig’s stomach to make soup later, and we’ll eat something nice today.”
On other days, she wouldn't be willing to eat it.
"You're the best! Big brother, hurry home and get a pig's stomach. Make sure it's cleaned thoroughly." Qiao Mianmian likes to cook, but she doesn't like cleaning offal; it's too troublesome and tiring.
Qiao Jiawang returned quickly, and Qiao Mianmian cut the pig's stomach into strips, added some lotus seeds, and stewed them together.
The Wang family had already prepared Wang Chuang's betrothal gifts, and since the Qiao family had agreed, they immediately began the ceremony.
The next day, Zhou and the matchmaker came to propose marriage. The Qiao family made preparations, buying fruit and snacks to share with the neighbors, and the marriage was settled.
Qiao Jiawang got married after the Lantern Festival, so Lin Xiahe's wedding was set for the first day of the second lunar month. Originally, Lin wanted to postpone it for another six months, but Madam Wang said it would be better to do it sooner, so she agreed.
The sudden marriage alliance between the Qiao family and the Wang family stunned everyone in the alley, especially the Wu family and the Wang widow's family.
After closing the door, Widow Wang frowned deeply. "Before, when Lin Shi was unwilling to let Xia He marry into our family, I even said that she was too picky. Given her family's situation, what could Xia He possibly choose?"
As a result, Lin Xiahe got engaged to the scholar! Good heavens, he's a scholar!
Wang Dazhu was equally worried. His marriage was still undecided. "Mother, stop worrying about other people's business. I've been doing so much work at Scholar Chen's house, but they haven't given me any offer. Is he just playing with us and doesn't actually want to arrange a marriage between our families?"
He's already twenty-six, and seeing all the young men in the alley getting engaged and married while he's still single, he feels too ashamed to face anyone.
Speaking of this, Widow Wang was equally worried. "I'll go to the Chen family again tomorrow and settle things. Never mind, I'll go now."
The thought of Lin Xiahe's engagement made her even more flustered, and she couldn't sit still.
Wu Ermao didn't say a word, but Aunt Wu opened her mouth a few times as she watched her son chopping wood.
After about half an hour, she finally stood up and said, "That's enough, that's enough. We're moving soon, why are you chopping so much firewood? You and Xia He have both found good partners, it's a win-win situation, why are you looking so sullen? Are you still blaming me?"
"Mother, did I say anything?" Wu Ermao put down the axe, saw his mother stunned, sighed inwardly, and changed the subject, "We're moving soon. I've already told my brothers to come and help on the day of the move. We need to prepare food for them; we can't let them work for nothing."
When it came to cooking for guests, Aunt Wu was a little worried. "You know I'm not a very good cook. How about we invite your friends to a restaurant?"
Aunt Wu didn't mind inviting her neighbors to dinner; she could cook for herself if she could. But inviting her son's friends in the military was something she wanted to do to leave a good impression, as her son's future might depend on them.
“They’re all people we get along with. If we suggest going to a restaurant, they definitely don’t want us to spend more money,” Wu Ermao said.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not going to the Qiao family to invite Qiao Mianmian. I made a special trip there last time, but Lin Shi was so disrespectful. I still get angry thinking about it." Although the two of them had reconciled, Aunt Wu would never go a second time after being rejected once.
Wu Ermao said helplessly, "Then I'll go and tell them myself. There's no need to ask Mianmian to come over and cook. We can just order the dishes and have Jiawang or Jiaxing deliver them."
After saying that, he turned and went to the Qiao family's house.
There were still a few neighbors from the Qiao family at that moment. When they saw Wu Ermao, they assumed that he had also come to congratulate them. Jin said with a smile, "Ermao, why are you so late? Your Aunt Qiao is very generous today. She bought a lot of fruits and snacks. Come and have some."
Xu Erlong, standing next to his mother, reached out his hand, saying he wanted more food.
Qiao Mianmian handed over a piece of pastry. She really liked the chubby child from the Xu family. He was clean, quiet, and fair-skinned, so she could pinch him however she wanted.
She squatted down to play with Xu Erlong, but her eyes were on Wu Ermao out of the corner of her eye. She wondered what he had come over for at this time.
Lin was in a good mood and had forgotten about what had happened before. She grabbed a handful of fruit and handed it to Wu Ermao, asking, "Where's your mother? I haven't seen her today."
Her daughter is going to marry into a good family, and a scholar at that. At this time, she has to be very proud of herself.
"My mother is busy with moving. Our family is moving the day after tomorrow, and there are a lot of things to pack up."
When Wu Ermao came in, he glanced around and noticed that Lin Xiahe wasn't in the front hall. "I wanted to ask if it would be possible to ask Mianmian to cook a meal and deliver it to my house the day after tomorrow?"
"Sure, of course!" Lin immediately agreed to the opportunity to make money. "Tell me what dishes you want first, and I'll have Jiawang and Jiaxing deliver them when they're ready. We've been neighbors for so long, so I'll definitely help with this little thing."
Moreover, the fact that the Wu family is moving out means that she can move out too, which is great news!
Lin couldn't suppress the smile playing on her lips.
Jin and Chunsheng's mother asked the Wu family why they weren't having a housewarming party. Wu Ermao replied, "My mother said we're having a wedding party soon, so we're not having a housewarming party."
"That's true." Chun Sheng's mother pursed her lips. "It must be exhausting to host two banquets in a row. Congratulations on moving to a new house and getting married, both are joyous occasions."
Jin also offered her congratulations, saying, "When you get married, tell your mother to prepare plenty of wine. Don't just focus on wealthy relatives and friends. We've been neighbors for many years, and there won't be many more days when we can get together again."
Wu Ermao couldn't handle it all, so he had to make an excuse to leave, saying he would come back later after the menu was finalized.
Lin smiled and looked at Jin, "They're about to move out, why are you still joking? Er Mao isn't that Wu family member, Er Mao is a really nice person."
"I couldn't help it, you know I'm outspoken and can't hold back my words." Jin smiled and looked at her youngest son squatting on the ground. "Oh my, Mianmian, you can't feed him anymore, this kid's tummy is almost full."
Qiao Mianmian exclaimed "Ah!" She saw Erlong eating and assumed he wasn't full, which was why she kept feeding him.
“You don’t understand children. They don’t know when they’re full. If you keep feeding them, they can eat all your snacks.” Mrs. Jin picked up her youngest son and turned to look for someone. “Where’s Da Hu? Where did he go?”
The two brothers are usually very close; I just saw the older son.
Qiao Mianmian also turned to look for him, but Chun Sheng's mother said, "He seems to have gone to the Lu family across the street. He grabbed a handful of fruit, probably for Lord Lu. Your child has a conscience and knows how to be filial to his master."
When her child was praised, Ms. Jin smiled broadly. "Indeed, that's just like me. If it were his father, that blockhead, he definitely wouldn't have thought of that."
"Yes, yes, you have all the good qualities." Chun Sheng's mother laughed and teased. She lived next door to the Xu family and could often hear Jin's loud voice. Fortunately, Xu Zhongyi was mute, and if he could reply even a word or two, Jin would smash the roof.
Mr. Jin nodded and said, "That's natural."
The neighbors chatted and laughed, and as it approached dinnertime, everyone had to go home.
Lin gave them all some fruit. They were an ordinary family and didn't know how to hold an engagement banquet. It was already very kind of them to have fruit and peanuts to offer everyone.
After seeing the neighbors off, Madam Lin finally relaxed her shoulders. "Finally, there's a result. Xia He, you can stop working here. Let Mianmian watch over the braised meat. Come inside!"
Today, the Wang family sent some of the betrothal gifts, and she has to count them in front of her daughter. They will all be part of her daughter's dowry.
Qiao Mianmian ran to the backyard and pulled her fourth sister over, saying, "You're the calmest one. Mother is going to give you money, so hurry up and go check it out."
"Go away." Madam Lin came over, took her fourth daughter's hand, and gestured to her youngest daughter, "Go and keep an eye on the braised food, don't let it burn."
After closing the door, she led Xia He to count them one by one, saying, "The Wang family is a wealthy family, and they gave a lot of betrothal gifts. You have three sisters-in-law. When you marry into the family, even if people don't say it to your face, they will definitely compare them in their hearts."
"Mother, I don't care about those things," Lin Xiahe whispered.
"Yes, I do care. You're my daughter, and I want you to have face after you get married, so you won't be outshone by your other sisters-in-law. I don't need you to be exceptionally outstanding, but I don't want people to laugh at you, right?"
Lin held her daughter's hand. In the blink of an eye, the baby in her arms had grown into a young woman. "I've calculated the money I have. I won't pay back your maternal grandfather's money yet, but I have to pay back the villagers and your two uncles. Your eldest sister is having a baby, and I need to prepare another ten taels of silver. I only have thirty taels left. Although I can earn more in the next few months, I still feel uneasy about owing money. I need to find a way to pay back the Luo family's money first. I'll be frugal and save up sixty taels of silver for you as a dowry, and also buy you a new set of jewelry."
Lin explained the amount of money in the house to her daughter one by one, saying, "This amount of money isn't much, because if I give you so much, I also have to give some to your third sister and Jiawang's wife. Being a stepmother is difficult. If I don't treat everyone equally, we'll end up arguing."
She wanted to save face for Xia He, but she couldn't just give it to Xia He alone; she also had to consider others. Qiao Mancang wouldn't say anything, but she still had her parents-in-law and two younger brothers-in-law. Only by being fair could everyone have nothing to say.
“Mom, I understand. You don’t need to save money for me. The Wang family knows what our family is like. If you suffer, I’d rather not have this money.” Lin Xiahe’s nose tingled with tears.
"Silly girl, my only hope in this life is that you children can all live a good life." Madam Lin wiped the corners of her daughter's eyes.
She never thought about herself; she only worried about the children.
The setting sun streamed into the room through the window. Lin said with a smile, "Don't cry, this is a happy thing. I can smell the delicious aroma. Your sister must have made something delicious again. Go and see."
Lin Xiahe wiped away her tears and added, "Mom, I really don't need that much money. A good life and dignity are earned through one's own efforts, and I believe I can achieve that."
If we were to give her some money to keep in her dowry, her mother would have to prepare five extra portions, since there are five brothers and sisters in the family, and it wouldn't be right to leave out any one of them.
"I know, you little rascal, you're so young, yet you worry so much." Madam Lin sniffed the air and changed the subject, "Your sister is frying fish pieces. Didn't she tell you all to learn cooking? Go and learn."
After saying that, she picked up a broom and began sweeping up the sunflower seed shells and peanut shells in the yard.
In the kitchen, Qiao Mianmian deep-fried the marinated fish pieces. The hot oil rolled over the fish pieces, causing the fish skin to curl into pretty rings, and the fish meat to be clearly separated into individual segments.
"Fifth Sister, it smells so good! What else do you want to make?" Qiao Jiaxing's stomach was growling with envy.
"I'll make another sauce and stir-fry the fish pieces in it for a while to make it more flavorful." Qiao Mianmian scooped out all the fish pieces. Today, the Wang family came to propose marriage, and her mother also bought a rabbit. She diced the rabbit meat and fried it as well.
After the rabbit meat was fried, she tasted it and found the skin crispy and the meat chewy, which was quite good.
For the braised fish fillets, Qiao Mianmian made a sweet and sour sauce: two spoonfuls of balsamic vinegar, two spoonfuls of sugar, a little soy sauce and cooking wine. She stir-fried the fish fillets until they were thick and fragrant, then added them to the pot.
Once each piece of fish is coated with the sauce, sprinkle with chopped green onions, and the braised fish is ready.
"While Mother's not here, Second Brother, try it." Qiao Mianmian glanced at the doorway, picked up a piece, and fed it to him.
Qiao Jiaxing didn't care that the fish was hot; he couldn't wait to take a big bite. First came the sourness, then the sweetness, and finally the freshness of the fish. The flavors blended together in his mouth, creating the most wonderful taste.
"Delicious...so good!" Qiao Jiaxing gave a thumbs up, his mouth burning from the heat.
"Take the dishes out, then serve the pork bone soup. I'll make a spicy rabbit dish and then we can eat." Qiao Mianmian had been craving this rabbit meat for a long time.
Taking advantage of her mother's good mood today, she used a bit more seasoning, adding a lot of dried chili peppers to the pot, stir-frying them until fragrant, then sprinkling on Sichuan peppercorns and garlic, and finally adding the fried rabbit meat for seasoning.
"Cough cough!"
Soon, the kitchen was filled with a pungent, spicy smell. Qiao Mianmian covered her mouth and nose and quickly stirred the food with her other hand.
Lin came over following the smell and saw that the kitchen was full of smoke. She shouted, "Mianmian, did you set the kitchen on fire?"
Qiao Mianmian didn't dare to speak. After serving all the rabbit meat, she came out panting. Cooking in ancient times was really inconvenient without range hoods. From now on, she'd better have it cooked outside if she wanted anything with strong flavors.
"Mother, how could I have ordered the kitchen to be on fire?" After recovering, Qiao Mianmian directed her second brother to go in and bring out the dishes.
There's also a plate of stir-fried bok choy tonight, which is the best meal Joe has had in recent days.
Qiao Mancang took out a tank of wine and poured a full glass for his father. "Today is a good day, and every day from now on will be a good day. Come on, Jiawang, you guys pour some too. Xiahe and Mianmian, you guys have a taste too?"
Madam Lin did not object. The wine she brewed herself was not very intoxicating. Apart from Lord Lu across the street, she herself would need to drink three large bowls to get drunk.
Lin Xiahe hadn't drunk much, but she was in a good mood today and said half a cup would be enough.
Qiao Mianmian smelled it and found it a bit pungent, so she didn't drink it. She liked sweet rice wine, but there wasn't time to brew it at home right now, and the yeast for brewing sweet rice wine was the most important thing, so she didn't know where to buy it.
She focused on eating, and after finishing two bowls of rice, she no longer felt tired from working.
The Qiao family was enjoying their meal when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Qiao Jiaxing went to open the door and turned around to shout, "Mother, it's Xiangyang from Linjia Village!"
"Xiangyang?" Madam Lin was stunned for a moment, then rushed to the door, her heart in her throat. "Has Wangchun given birth? How is she? Is she alright?"
"Yes, Auntie, mother and daughter are safe and sound." Lin Xiangyang works as a carpenter in Lin'an City, but he often returns to the village, so Lin asked him to pass on a message, "Brother Shouye asked me to bring you some good news. Congratulations, Auntie, you've become a grandmother."
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