Chapter 50 (This appears to be a title or heading, possibly related to a dish called "Dried Fish").
Qiao Mianmian didn't recognize Li Zhongtang and his daughter. Upon hearing this, she looked towards the door and saw a chubby forehead appear first, followed by a round, plump face.
The little girl was fair-skinned with bright black eyes. She wore only a bun hairstyle and walked in angrily.
"Qiao Jiaxi, you're not allowed to cry!" Li Baolai pointed at Qiao Jiaxi as soon as he entered the yard. "Cry, cry, cry! You're two years older than me, what's there to cry about?"
Li Baolai's shout made Qiao Jiaxi's tears even harder to hold back. She hid behind her cousin, not daring to cry out loud, and covered her mouth while sobbing.
"Oh dear, didn't I tell you at home not to be so fierce? Have you forgotten?" Li Zhongtang still smiled. "Quickly apologize to her. No wonder she's afraid of you, young lady. You're so fierce."
Qiao Manyu came out of the house. "Jiaxi is too timid." He went over to pull his son. "You're educated, after all. Your master has come to visit. You should at least invite him in for a cup of tea, right?"
He tugged at it, but couldn't budge it.
Qiao Jiaxi kept his head down, refusing to look at Li Baolai.
Qiao Manyu tried to persuade Li Zhongtang, but to no avail. Finally, Li Baolai couldn't hold back and snapped, "I'll count to three, and you get out from behind this man right now!"
"one!"
Before the countdown even reached two, Qiao Jiaxi pouted and jumped out, saying aggrievedly, "All you know is how to count to three. Don't I have any dignity?"
"Who told you to hide whenever you see me and not even talk to me? Qiao Jiaxi, why are you so afraid of me? I've never hit you." Li Baolai was a bit fierce, but he had never actually hit Qiao Jiaxi. At most, he would drag Qiao Jiaxi around doing something, and he had even fought for Qiao Jiaxi before.
Qiao Jiaxi pursed her lips and remained silent.
"What a disgrace." Qiao Manyu felt utterly ashamed that she had given birth to such a spineless son with no manly spirit whatsoever. "Never mind him, let's go inside and have some tea. Jiawang, Mianmian, you two come in too. Your second aunt has fried some snacks, you can take them and eat them."
Qiao Mianmian went inside to get some food and said she should go back now, "Otherwise my mother will worry. My third uncle is going to town today, so please come for dinner early tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll go after breakfast. Be careful on the way. Take a lot of snacks with you so your grandparents can have some too." As she spoke, Qiao Manyu handed Qiao Mianmian a basket. "Tell your family that I'll cook the day after tomorrow, and you can all come over for dinner."
After seeing my nephew and niece to the door, I saw my youngest son still sitting under the persimmon tree. I grumbled as I went over and said, "Are you really planning to sit here for the rest of your life?"
"Dad, I don't want Li Baolai to be my wife," Qiao Jiaxi whispered.
"Keep dreaming. You have no skills right now. Why would your master marry Bao Lai to you? I'm sending you to learn skills, not to be someone's live-in son-in-law. What are you thinking?" Qiao Manyu squatted to the side and clicked her tongue. "Listen to your father. Go inside and properly greet your master. You're an educated person. Do you want to be laughed at for being ill-mannered?"
“Okay, then you must promise me that you will not agree to Li Baolai’s marriage,” Qiao Jiaxi said.
"Okay, okay, I promise you." Qiao Manyu stood up helplessly.
At this moment, Li Zhongtang and his daughter, seeing that it was about time, came out to say goodbye.
Qiao Manyu pushed her son forward on his back, and only then did Qiao Jiaxi greet Li Zhongtang properly.
Seeing his young apprentice shrinking his neck, Li Zhongtang asked his daughter, puzzled, on the way back, "Qiao Jiaxi is such a coward, his voice isn't even as loud as your breathing. What do you see in him?"
“He’s handsome, fair-skinned, clean, and speaks politely. Unlike his brothers, who all stink, fart, pick their feet, and are incredibly rude. Dad is the same; he drinks, curses, and doesn’t like to bathe. You’re all stinky men, only Qiao Jiaxi smells good.” Li Baolai spoke bluntly, showing no mercy to her father.
Li Zhongtang raised his thick eyebrows. "How could I not like taking baths? You little brat, how do you know whether I've taken a bath or not?"
“I heard what Mother said. Several times when I got up at night, I heard Mother say that you stink and tell me to move aside. Father, are you and Mother having sex in the middle of the night without telling us?” Li Baolai looked at her father very seriously. Not taking a bath is a small matter, but having sex is a big deal.
Li Zhongtang's face flushed, and he quickly turned his head, "Where? How could I steal food? If I have anything delicious, I'll give it to you right away. But, do you really like Qiao Jiaxi that much?"
“Yes, I want to marry him when I grow up!” Li Baolai said. “But Dad, what if he doesn’t like me and marries someone else?”
Li Zhongtang narrowed his shrewd eyes. "Don't worry, with your father here, I won't let your wish go unfulfilled. Your Uncle Qiao is a shrewd man. He gave me so many gifts; if Qiao Jiaxi doesn't come to our house, he won't sleep at night. Just wait, when you grow up and still want to marry Qiao Jiaxi, your father will definitely make your wish come true."
At this moment, Qiao Jiaxi, under Zhou's gentle coaxing, ate his first meal of the day.
When Qiao Mianmian and her siblings arrived at their home, their third uncle's family also arrived.
Qiao Manhua is thirty-seven years old this year. He married a girl from Hejia Village. Before the marriage, he learned a trade from his father-in-law and later lived in Hejia Village. He had three children in total, but the twins he had later did not survive. A fever took the two children away, so he only had one son, Qiao Jiasheng.
Qiao Jiasheng resembled his mother, with dark skin. As soon as Qiao Mianmian entered the courtyard, she immediately spotted her dark-skinned cousin.
"Are these Mianmian and Jiawang? It's been a year since I last saw them, they've grown quite a bit taller." Qiao Manhua came over with a smile. "Third Uncle bought some red bean buns from the city gate and saved two for you. Go to the kitchen and eat them."
"Thank you, Uncle." Qiao Mianmian liked red bean buns; they were fragrant, sweet, and inexpensive.
Looking at her poised and elegant niece, Qiao Manhua couldn't help but think of her two children who had died young. If they were still alive, they would be the same age as her niece.
"Third Uncle, why are you stunned?" Qiao Jiaxing came over with a wine pot. "My father asked how much you wanted to drink. It's newly brewed rice wine, and it's very delicious."
"Rice wine, just one cup is enough. Your third uncle is too old to drink many cups." Qiao Manhua chuckled and walked to his son's side. "Don't just eat, go help your brothers with the work and chop more firewood before the end of the year."
Qiao Jiasheng learned horticulture from his father since he was a child. He was already dark-skinned, and after being in the sun every day, he became as dark as charcoal. But his eyes were unusually bright. "I know, Dad. The fruit at Uncle's house is really delicious. It seems like they made it themselves. The fruit has never been this good in previous years."
He grabbed a handful and put them in his pocket. Because he hadn't been there for a year, his uncle's house had changed, and he had to ask his cousin to help him find the woodshed.
When the sound of chopping wood came from the backyard, Qiao Manhua and his elder brother sighed, "Brother, your days are finally over. From now on, you'll have good fortune."
“I think Jiasheng is very sensible and obedient. He’s seventeen already. Don’t treat him like he’s seven. In a few more years, he can get married. Where will you and your sister-in-law go? Won’t you be too worried about taking him with you?” Qiao Mancang was very puzzled by this.
He heard his mother say that no matter what Jiasheng was going to do, he had to tell his third brother and his wife, and make sure to tell them clearly what time and what place it was.
"He's still young, his temperament hasn't settled yet, how could I dare let him travel far alone?" Qiao Manhua didn't want to talk about this, but then she smelled a delicious aroma and swallowed. "Why does it smell so good? What delicious food did you make, sister-in-law?"
“It’s definitely not your sister-in-law, it’s Mianmian who’s in charge of cooking,” Qiao Mancang said without even thinking.
In the kitchen, Qiao Mianmian steamed the cured fish and then stir-fried it with chili peppers and garlic. The cured fish was already salty, so there was no need to add salt; she only used a little cooking wine and soy sauce.
The pot was bubbling and simmering with a delicious aroma. Qiao Mianmian put the lid on and let the cured fish simmer for a while.
Mrs. He was helping to roll out noodles when she smelled the aroma and couldn't help but look over. "Mother said your cooking skills have improved. At first, I thought, how could that be? Mianmian, why don't you teach your third aunt a couple of dishes? Your third aunt can cook them for Jiasheng and the others later. They always say my cooking is bad. Look how thin Jiasheng is, like a bamboo pole."
Qiao Mianmian thought that Qiao Jiasheng couldn't be that thin, but he could still teach a couple of dishes. "Okay, Third Aunt, then you can learn with me today. Cooking is very simple. Just follow the steps and don't try anything on a whim."
"What does 'a flash of inspiration' mean?" Hermann didn't understand.
"Just don't try anything new. We'll follow the master chef's instructions." Qiao Mianmian timed the cooking and took the cured fish out of the pot when it was almost done.
The preserved fish is a beautiful amber color, paired with bright red dried chilies, and the broth clings to the fish pieces, making it so delicious that it makes you want to eat more rice.
For lunch, we had hand-pulled noodles. Qiao Mianmian stir-fried some fresh pork belly as a topping. After the noodles were cooked, each bowl was served with a spoonful of the topping and egg drop soup.
"Just have something light for lunch, dinner is the main thing." Qiao Mianmian took the noodles out. "Grandma bought chickens and ducks, and they're all being raised in the backyard. That'll be enough for our family to eat until the first month of the lunar calendar."
She also made cured pork, sausages, and spare ribs, all of which she fought for. It's Chinese New Year, of course you have to eat and drink well; what kind of New Year is it if you're miserable?
With three more people in the family, it became even more lively. However, Qiao Mianmian discovered something: Qiao Jiasheng would only do something, or rather, dare to do something, if his third uncle and aunt gave the order.
Even at mealtimes, Qiao Jiasheng's bowl of noodles was empty. It was only after his grandmother asked him if he was full that his third uncle said he could have another bowl, and Qiao Jiasheng then filled his bowl with noodles.
Qiao Mianmian wasn't one to keep things bottled up, so she waited until no one was around to go and ask her mother what had happened.
“Your third uncle and aunt used to have a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Because they were twins, they were already a bit more difficult to raise. In addition, their family was poor at that time, and both of them had to go out to work. Sometimes relatives would help take care of them, but there were always times when no one was available, so they had to take them to the garden. But spring is rainy, and you never know when it will rain. One day it rained in the garden, and the two children got wet and developed a fever, and that's how they passed away.”
Lin said, her heart aching, "If they were still alive, they would be about your age. Every time your third uncle sees you, he can't help but stare blankly. Later, they didn't have any other children, just your cousin Sheng, so naturally they kept a close eye on him. They were afraid something might happen to him."
“But my cousin is already seventeen, he’s so old,” Qiao Mianmian said.
“Who says otherwise? But what can we do?” Lin had also tried to persuade He, but each time she could only say a few words before He’s tears started falling, making it impossible for her to continue. “Take it slow. Maybe they’ll figure it out themselves someday. And it’s good to be careful. If something happens to Jiasheng again, it will be the death of your third uncle and aunt.”
Qiao Mianmian nodded. She heard her second brother's voice outside. Several people were talking about something, so she quickly ran out to join in.
"Mianmian, come quick! The Prefect is going to set off firecrackers for Lord Lu, saying that Lord Lu has made a great contribution!" Qiao Jiaxing came over and pulled his sister to the door. The whole family of brothers and sisters crowded at the door. It was the first time they had seen the Prefect so closely.
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