Chapter 77 Braised Pork
"Jiaxing said to forget about the Li family. He would rather find a simple and capable girl from the village than a girl from the Li family. It's not that the Li family girl is bad, he just said she's not suitable."
Qiao Mancang sat down and took off his shoes. "I asked him what kind of girl he liked, and he said it depends on his feelings. Don't put too much pressure on the child. As parents, let them find a few more girls. There are so many good girls in the world, there's bound to be someone suitable. The most important thing is that Jiaxing likes her."
As elders, they can only assess a person's character and family background, but sometimes, even if the elders think a couple is a good match, the children may not like it.
Marriage is a major life event, and it's not something you have to do out of necessity. When you have the opportunity to be selective, you should take your time to consider other options.
Lin sighed, "You're right, it has to be someone he likes himself."
After lying down, she yawned, "Once Jiaxing and Mianmian's marriage is settled, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, I think about it every day and worry every night. Don't you think I'm worrying too much?"
“Yes, relax a bit. Our son is so good, he’ll find a good match eventually. Tomorrow we’ll go to my mother-in-law’s house and ask around to see if there are any suitable families in the village.” Qiao Mancang was also concerned about his son’s marriage. The couple embraced and fell asleep, but soon went back to sleep.
The next morning, Lin and Qiao Mancang packed their things and headed to Linjia Village with baskets on their backs.
Because it was a last-minute decision, when they arrived at the Lin family home, only Lin's mother and her great-granddaughter were there.
"Guilan, what brings you and Mancang here?" At first, Madam He thought she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes and only realized she wasn't dreaming when she heard her daughter calling her.
"It's almost Dragon Boat Festival, so I brought back some homemade zongzi and a pig's trotter to visit you all."
Lin took the things out of the basket and started talking about her family's food shop business. She took out the money she had borrowed earlier and said, "Please keep it safe. My sisters-in-law aren't here right now."
“I don’t need the money, why are you in such a hurry to take it?” Mrs. He said no.
“I’ll give you the money first, otherwise my sister-in-law will keep nagging me. You can keep it without worry, I have money on hand.” Madam Lin said with a smile. “Mother, I’m going to Wangchun’s house first. Please tell Father and the others to wait for me at noon, I have something to tell you.”
Mrs. He picked up her great-granddaughter and said, "Then hurry back. I recently made some fermented black beans. Take them back with you to eat later."
She looked at the pig's trotters on the table and said with concern, "I told you not to take so many. Just take a little, and your sister-in-law won't say anything. Don't take so many next time. Take half of them back with you later."
Lin felt at ease listening to her mother's nagging. When she arrived at her daughter's house, only her daughter and her father-in-law were home; her son-in-law and the others had gone into the mountains.
Hearing that her son-in-law had gone hunting, Madam Lin couldn't help but worry. She then mentioned her family's food shop, saying, "My dear in-law, this is what I'm thinking. Rather than letting outsiders earn money, it's better to let our relatives earn some pocket money. Your family lives on a hillside, which is perfect for raising chickens, ducks, and even pigs. If you're willing to raise them, you can sell them to us. You won't have to worry about finding a market, and my family won't have to go through the trouble. It's a win-win situation."
Li Changshun looked at Lin Shi, then at his daughter-in-law. He knew it was a good thing, but his family had no experience. "We can raise a few chickens normally, but if we raise more, I'm afraid we won't be able to keep them alive. You know, none of our ancestors did this."
Let alone hundreds of chickens, they would be heartbroken if just two chickens died during a chicken plague.
Lin had considered this issue. "So what I was thinking was not to raise too many at the beginning. I would raise our own hens that brood, so the cost would be lower. After we've gained more experience, we can make other plans."
“I’ve already told my family about this. If every household raises several hundred chickens, my little food stall won’t be able to sell them all, don’t you think?”
“That makes sense.” Li Changshun nodded.
Qiao Mancang, sitting to the side, said, "What we're thinking is that if more people raise them, we can come and collect them all at once every now and then. This way, your costs will be lower, and you can earn some pocket money to supplement your household expenses."
It's not cost-effective for villagers to carry two chickens into the city to sell themselves. They have to pay to go to the city, and they're not guaranteed to sell them. It would take at least a day. Otherwise, they wouldn't be leaving the money unearned.
Li Changshun thought it was a good idea. "Most people in the village raise chickens, but we don't dare to raise too many, as we need to keep some for our own consumption. But if we can sell them, it's a different story. We can raise thirty or forty, if not a lot. Do we need chickens, ducks, and geese?"
Lin said yes.
"It seems your business is doing really well," Li Changshun said with a smile. "If your business is good, we can also make some money. Raising chickens and ducks is a small matter; just let the boys in the family find food. Wangchun, go and get some cured meat. Your parents rarely come here; let them have lunch at home."
Lin quickly said no need, "My mother has already cooked. I just came to see Wangchun and the child, and to talk about this matter."
She held her seven-month-old daughter, Tao Jie'er, who was not afraid of strangers and bounced around in her arms, drooling with joy.
After finishing the main points, Madam Lin gave her daughter a wink, got up and went to Lin Wangchun's room, leaving Qiao Mancang and Li Changshun to talk.
“I used to think being a hunter was good, because you could always have meat to eat. Then Lord Lu came to live across the street, and I saw him get injured several times, so I became worried. After thinking it over, I felt that my son-in-law should do something else.”
While teasing her granddaughter, Lin said, "Your husband is the eldest son, and when your two younger brothers get married, you two will definitely have to help out. Take advantage of your youth to earn more money so that you can have an easier time later. Your father-in-law is cautious, that's true, but you should also seize the opportunity. It's not just about raising chickens and ducks; build a pigsty in the backyard and buy a couple of piglets."
Looking at her daughter's mud house, Lin sighed inwardly. If her family had opened a food shop a few years earlier, her eldest daughter could have married into a better family.
The only thing that comforts her now is that her son-in-law is a reliable person.
“Mother, we were just thinking about that,” Lin Wangchun said. “But we’re thinking of raising rabbits. Rabbits can reproduce, they grow quickly, and they don’t eat much. I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone what you’re talking about: raising pigs.”
“Whatever happens later, as long as you’re willing to work now, you’ll always be able to make money,” Lin said.
After leaving their daughter's house, the Lin couple went to the Lin family home.
Faced with Lin's suggestion, Zeng was the happiest. "Guilan, are you serious? You're going to sell them all to us?"
“Sister-in-law, we have a fixed number; if we have too many, we won’t be able to sell them.” Lin was afraid that her sister-in-law might get carried away and spend a lot of money to buy chicks.
"Alright, I thought your business was doing very well." Zeng's eyes darted around, then she put on a smile and asked her daughter-in-law to pour tea for the Lin couple. "That's fine too. Raising chickens and ducks is easy. Before, we had to take them to the market to sell, which was exhausting. If you can come and buy them, that would be wonderful!"
With a smile on her face as she mentally calculated the money she could earn, Zeng generously took out a small jar of honey that her family had sent and gave it to her sister-in-law to take home and eat.
When Lin returned, she joked with Qiao Mancang, "My sister-in-law is a shrewd person, but she's also very easy to understand. As long as you don't take advantage of her, she'll be all smiles at you. If you can give her some treats, then we'll be her best relatives."
In Qiao Mancang's basket were three roosters and two male ducks. After they made their suggestion, Zeng immediately said that she had plenty of roosters at home and asked them to buy them today.
Lin thought it was acceptable, so she went to her second brother's house and bought two male ducks. Originally, her second brother didn't want the money, but she said she was buying them to do business, not to eat herself, so he accepted the money.
In ordinary households, people don't keep too many roosters or ducks. They think that one or two males are enough for breeding, otherwise roosters won't lay eggs, and eating too many would be a waste of food.
Qiao Mancang said with a smile, "When I left, my sister-in-law told me that the hen at home was brooding and she would go to the market to buy chicks. My sister-in-law is actually a very nice person."
The couple entered the city as the sun set. When they arrived at the shop, Qiao Mianmian had already prepared the meal.
Qiao Mancang tossed the chickens and ducks into the henhouse, washed his hands, and smelled the aroma of food. His stomach growled several times. "Let me see what Mianmian has made this time?"
The family sat down, and Qiao Mianmian explained, "We had a lot of guests this evening, so I didn't have time to cook much. I just cooked all the dishes in one pot."
She used a bone broth base, added chili peppers and braising spices, and chopped all the vegetables into pieces to cook in it; it was essentially a stew.
"It smells delicious." Qiao Mancang was very hungry. He picked up a piece of squash, which was spicy and juicy. "It's really good. Mianmian is amazing. She can make delicious food no matter how she cooks it."
With two fewer helpers today, Qiao Mianmian is indeed busier, but no matter how busy she is, she won't neglect her own food. It's a pity there are no radishes this season, otherwise she could make some radish soup base; the soup would be even tastier than the vegetables.
In ancient times, there were only seasonal vegetables, not greenhouse vegetables. At most, some people would plant some vegetables in advance, but they could not grow them out of season.
During the meal, Qiao Mianmian asked, "Second Brother, where did you go this afternoon?"
"Go get the wine," Qiao Jiaxing said.
"Oh, okay." Qiao Mianmian thought to herself, "Does it really take a whole afternoon to get a drink?"
Then he thought that maybe Qiu's uncle wanted to keep his second brother to talk, so he didn't think about it anymore.
The next day was the Dragon Boat Festival. Qiao's Food Shop was closed that day, so Qiao Mianmian got up and began preparing the dishes for the day.
Around noon, the second and third families arrived, and with more hands to help, cooking became much easier.
After dinner, the elders talked about the children's various affairs, which Qiao Mianmian and the others didn't want to listen to. Except for Qiao Jiawang, who was getting married, the others went to the street to buy ice jelly.
At this point, the ice jelly was very simple, consisting of only a thin layer of sugar syrup, but even so, the children were very satisfied.
Qiao Mianmian ate a bowl of ice jelly. When she learned that Qiao Jiasheng was coming to stay in the city for a while, she was very curious. "How did Uncle and Aunt agree to this?"
“It was a customer of my maternal grandfather’s from before. He said that he had just bought a new house and wanted to ask my maternal grandfather to come and manage the garden. But my maternal grandfather is too old and he has long since stopped doing this kind of work, so I suggested that I do it. I never expected that my parents would actually agree.”
Speaking of this, Qiao Jiasheng was very excited. This was the first time he had left home and stayed at his uncle's house in the city by himself. "But his house is not big, so four or five days will be enough. My dad said that this is money I earned myself, and he will give it all to me. But I think I should still give it to them, but I can keep some for myself and invite you all over for ice jelly later."
Qiao Huanhuan was the first to cheer and say "Good!" Children are happiest when they have food.
Qiao Mianmian smiled and nodded, "Then we'll wait."
Qiao Mancang and the others at home were also talking about Qiao Jiasheng.
Qiao Manhua sighed deeply. His brothers asked him why he had suddenly come to this realization, and he smiled bitterly, "I've thought about it a lot and talked to Jiasheng about many things. But I've found that no matter how much I say or how much I share the experiences of others with Jiasheng, he won't truly understand. Because he's young, full of expectations for life, and hasn't experienced setbacks yet."
“Especially during the Qingming Festival, I suddenly realized that Jiasheng’s thinking was too immature. He’s already eighteen, but he thinks about things like Jiaxi is his age. You’ve reminded me before, Jiasheng is my only son. If Jiasheng doesn’t grow up, my wife and I won’t be able to die in peace.”
Qiao Manhua was exhausted from talking, and Mrs. He continued, "Actually, my father refused that customer because he knew the other party was slippery. If he did ten things for him, the customer would only pay six. But as soon as my father said he might not be available, Jiasheng immediately said he could. The words were already out there, what could we do? We couldn't let it end up looking bad on both sides."
Actually, Mrs. He didn't agree to let Qiao Jiasheng do the job. She wanted Qiao Manhua to do it so that the work could be finished quickly and she wouldn't have to contact the other party. But her husband insisted on having their son do it, so she had no choice.
Qiao Mancang and Qiao Manyu exchanged a glance. Qiao Manyu reassured them, "Money is a small matter. It's more important to broaden the children's horizons. Besides, with us two uncles here, we'll help you keep an eye on Jiasheng."
Ms. He: "Then I'll leave it to you. Parents always have the same heart. This is the first time Jiasheng has been away from me for so many days. Just thinking about it makes my heart pound."
Lin came over and handed He some food, saying, "Don't think so much. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. You're all doing this for the good of Jiasheng."
Qiao Mancang joked, "This is something someone else should say. You worry just as much as your third sister-in-law."
Lin glared at him and said, "Get out of my way. Did I talk to you?"
"Oh, don't be angry. The pine nuts that Third Brother brought are especially fragrant. I'll peel some for you." Qiao Mancang happily started peeling pine nuts. He Shi said that they had a really good relationship.
After chatting for a while, the sun began to set. Lin looked up at the sky and said, "These children, once they start playing, they don't know when to come home. I'll go see if they've returned yet."
She walked to the doorway, about to go to the alley entrance, when she saw her children chatting and laughing as they turned into the alley. She shouted at them, "Hurry up, it's time to eat!"
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