Chapter 6 Roasted Eggplant and Steamed Egg
The old man took the pork offal and ate it heartily. "Young lady, is this a family recipe passed down through generations?"
Qiao Mianmian didn't answer, but asked what was wrong. She knew that in ancient times, secret recipes were very important, and even if Aunt Zhou was a good person, she wouldn't teach her a secret recipe.
"Just asking, old man. I ate good food when I was young, but your offal is unique. Even the best restaurants in Lin'an can't make it as good as yours." The old man said his surname was Sun, and after finishing one bowl, he took another one away.
After watching Grandpa Sun leave, Qiao Mianmian thought to herself that this man must have been educated, judging from his choice of words. But now that he was dressed in patched clothes, it seemed that his ancestors had been wealthy, but now his family had fallen on hard times.
With her mind at ease, Qiao Mianmian added charcoal to the stove and heated up the pork offal while it was still early.
The aroma quickly filled the street, and with the help of word-of-mouth recommendations from yesterday's regular customers, Qiao Mianmian quickly sold half of her stock.
Qiao Jiawang watched as his sister kept attending to everyone, while he could only help collect money and hand out bowls. In comparison, he felt utterly useless.
"Fifth Sister, why don't you take a break and I'll sell it?" Qiao Jiawang felt that as the eldest brother, he should do more.
Qiao Mianmian sat down to drink water. At this moment, a girl with a round face came over with a vegetable basket, put down a bunch of bamboo shoots in front of the stall, and called out with a blush, "Brother Jiawang."
Based on her memory, Qiao Mianmian recognized the other person as her older brother's fiancée, Hu Qianqian. Since she was her future sister-in-law, she had to get along well with her. Seeing her older brother grinning foolishly, Qiao Mianmian immediately filled a bowl with pork offal. "Sister Qianqian, thank you for your bamboo shoots. I should have asked my brother to send a bowl yesterday, but they were all sold out before long. This is my braised pork offal. Everyone says it's delicious. You should take it back and try it with Uncle Hu and the others."
It's quite normal for two families, who are related by marriage, to send each other a bowl of offal when they're slaughtering a pig together.
Hu Qianqian said she couldn't accept it. Originally, her mother had asked her to deliver it to the Qiao family, but seeing Qiao Jiawang selling things here, she wanted to say a few words to him, so she came over. "Mianmian, you can keep it to sell. I really can't accept it, otherwise my mother will scold me."
She knew the situation in the Qiao family well. They doted on Qiao Mianmian the most, and the fact that they let her sell braised pork offal meant they wanted to earn more money. Her mother had secretly told her that Aunt Qiao had been saving money diligently, hoping to move to a bigger house.
"It's just a bowl of pork offal. If you don't accept it, how can I possibly take your bamboo shoots?" Qiao Mianmian smiled as she placed the braised pork offal in Hu Qianqian's bamboo basket. "Big brother, please see Sister Qianqian off."
"ah?"
Qiao Jiawang didn't react immediately, "But Mother asked me to help you..."
"There aren't so many customers now, so just hurry back." Qiao Mianmian pushed her older brother out, thinking to herself that her brother was really simple-minded, no wonder her father was worried that he would sell meat in the future.
After the two left, Qiao Mianmian started calling out again, "Fresh braised pork offal! Special opening discounts! You can try it even if you don't buy!"
There was still a third of the braised pork offal left in the earthenware pot. After noon, when the sun was even more scorching, there would be fewer people in the market, so she had to sell it all quickly.
As she served a bowl of braised pork offal to a customer, she saw Xu Mingxuan and several other people walking towards her from a distance.
“It smells so good! Can you smell it? Mingxuan, isn’t that your neighbor, the girl who brought you meat before?” Zhang Jizhi tugged at Xu Mingxuan’s arm. “I’ll go see what she’s selling. It smells so good.”
Before Xu Mingxuan could speak, Zhang Jizhi had already run to Qiao Mianmian's stall. Upon learning that Qiao Mianmian was selling braised pork offal, he immediately showed a disgusted expression, "Is this stuff really that good?"
"Try it if you don't believe me." Qiao Mianmian always greeted customers with a smile. Even if they didn't like Xu Mingxuan, as long as they paid for the product, they were good customers.
Zhang Jizhi dared not try it, and Xu Mingxuan, not wanting to get involved with Qiao Mianmian, pulled Zhang Jizhi away. They had a day off in the afternoon, and several classmates went out to eat. Braised pork offal was something they never ate at home; just thinking about it made them feel dirty.
Xu Mingxuan covered his nose and leaned back.
While the other classmates were also hesitating, a guy named Wang Chuang told Qiao Mianmian to just have two bowls, saying, "I love this, girl, give me two bowls."
If someone wanted to buy, Qiao Mianmian would sell, and Wang Chuang would carry the pork offal and follow everyone to the small restaurant.
Everyone was hungry, but it would take some time for the food to be served. Wang Chuang ate the braised pork offal with gusto, one bite after another, it smelled so good that the people next to him couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
"Try it if you want, I don't find it tastes strange." Wang Chuang thought it was delicious. The braised pork offal was flavorful and chewy, with a slight spiciness that made his mouth water.
Seeing how much he enjoyed it, someone tried a piece and was instantly amazed, exclaiming, "It's really delicious!"
One person started trying it, and others followed suit. Everyone thought it was delicious, but Wang Chuang only bought two bowls, which were quickly eaten up.
Only Xu Mingxuan didn't eat any; even Zhang Jizhi tried two pieces.
“If I had known you guys would eat so much, I would have bought more. I still haven’t had enough.” Wang Chuang said, looking at Xu Mingxuan. “Your neighbor is quite nice. I’ve tried almost all the delicacies in Lin’an, but this is the first time I’ve had such delicious braised pork offal. Were their ancestors chefs?”
Xu Mingxuan couldn't explain, "My family just moved here two months ago."
"Alright, I'll go see if she's sold out. Do you guys still want some?" Wang Chuang asked, and the others nodded in agreement. But by the time he got there, Qiao Mianmian had already sold out.
"I'm so sorry, I just sold out. If you like, you can come again tomorrow. If you buy five bowls or more, we'll deliver to your door in Lin'an City." Qiao Mianmian was clearing away the dishes with her older brother.
Wang Chuang licked his lips; he hadn't eaten well. "I'm afraid I won't be able to come tomorrow. Why don't you send it to our academy? Six bowls... no, ten bowls, so they won't fight me for food again."
Qiao Mianmian silently noted down the name of the academy, accepted the deposit, and happily went home with her older brother.
On the way, she was calculating how much money she had earned that day. As she entered the alley and was about to quicken her pace, she saw Xu's Yunzhu rushing out, saying that her mistress had fainted.
Besides Xu Mingxuan and his mother, the Xu family only had Yunzhu and a pageboy. The pageboy hadn't returned with Xu Mingxuan, and Yunzhu bumped into Qiao Mianmian while crying.
Upon hearing that Madam Xu had fainted, Qiao Jiawang put down his load without hesitation. "Fifth Sister, go and see what's wrong. I can run fast. I'll go and call a doctor."
We're all neighbors, and it's common for us to bicker occasionally. But when it comes to matters of life and death, most people will lend a hand. Not to mention someone like Qiao Jiawang, who is honest, kind-hearted, and good-natured.
Before Qiao Mianmian could react, her older brother had already run far away. Seeing Yunzhu crying with tears in her eyes, she followed him inside to take a look.
But she wasn't a doctor; all she knew was how to pinch the philtrum. She tried pinching it, and thankfully, Madam Xu frowned and woke up.
Soon, Qiao Jiawang arrived with a doctor. The doctor examined Madam Xu and said, "Madam is frail, and with the recent hot weather, you've been staying indoors with the doors and windows closed, making you prone to heatstroke."
Hearing that it was just heatstroke, Qiao Mianmian breathed a sigh of relief, patted her older brother's arm, and indicated that they could go home.
The two had just arrived home when Lin and Zhang had not yet returned. Qiao Mianmian put the money she had earned on the table and counted it. "Big brother, we made a total of six hundred coins today. After deducting the cost, we made a profit of five hundred coins!"
"So much!" Qiao Jiawang sat down happily to the side, knowing he had made money, and kept smiling. "Then you should put it away quickly. When Mother comes back, she will be very happy. I'm going to fetch water. You watch the house, okay?"
He's a restless person; he'll do any chores around the house that he sees.
Qiao Mianmian wanted her older brother to rest, but he refused, so she could only let him be.
She was tired, so she drank a bowl of cooled tea and started thinking about what to eat for dinner when her mother and grandparents returned.
"It's still better to wash in the river. The water rushes down and washes away all the dirt," Lin said as they walked. "It saves us the trouble of fetching water. Hey Mianmian, what are you doing at home?"
She thought that with so much braised pork offal, she would definitely have to sell it until the afternoon, but she didn't expect her daughter to come home earlier than her.
When Qiao Mianmian said they were sold out, she saw the disbelief on her family members' faces.
Zhang's eyes widened. "Sold them all?"
"Hmm, it's still not enough to sell." Qiao Mianmian smiled and handed over the money. "And a customer ordered braised pork offal, which will be delivered tomorrow. Mother, what did the Luo family say? Do they still want it tomorrow?"
"Luo Da said it was delicious, but we couldn't eat it every day. He asked if we sold anything else. When I said no, he said he would come back another day." When Lin learned that she had earned five hundred coins, she counted the money in disbelief. "Oh my mother, our family is really going to be rich."
Seeing Lin's delighted expression, Qiao Mianmian said, "This is just the beginning. Maybe we can earn five taels of silver a day, or even fifty taels!"
"You're just bragging. I'm grateful to have this kind of income." Then, Mrs. Lin asked her daughter, "How were things? Did no one bully you today?"
"With my older brother here, who would dare?" Qiao Mianmian thought to herself that her older brother was over 1.8 meters tall and had a muscular build. Just standing there, he was like a bodyguard. Only a fool would dare to cause trouble.
"That's good." Mrs. Lin smiled and went to hide the money.
Zhang kept praising Qiao Mianmian, saying, "My darling is so capable. You are the lucky star that the old master sent to our family."
Qiao Mianmian felt a little warm being hugged, but she couldn't bear to push her away. She had never felt the family affection in her previous life, but now she had it all.
Her nose tingled slightly, but she had something very important to do right now: "Grandma, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
Usually, my family just stir-fries some greens for dinner and serves it with some pickled vegetables, and that's enough for a meal.
Qiao Mianmian, however, was not one to suffer. "With more income at home, we should eat better, don't you think?"
“This…” Zhang quietly handed five copper coins to her granddaughter, looking at her with doting eyes, “Go to the Wang family and buy a few eggs. I will tell your mother that I want to eat them.”
"Grandma, you're the best!" Qiao Mianmian happily went to buy eggs. Widow Wang had a large family, and in order to earn more income, she raised more than a dozen chickens at home. Aunt Wu and Widow Wang argued about this again, but Widow Wang always won the argument.
Qiao Mianmian felt that four eggs were not enough after buying them, but she knew that life had to be lived one step at a time. If she let the whole family eat meat and fish every day, her mother would be heartbroken and unable to sleep.
In the morning, Lin bought eggplants. When Qiao Mianmian was cooking bamboo shoots, she put the eggplants in the stove to roast.
Once one side of the eggplant is charred, flip it over, take it out, and let it dry on the ground for a while. Then peel off the skin to reveal the soft and tender eggplant flesh. Add two cloves of garlic and roasted chili peppers, and mash them together. The eggplant flesh absorbs the essence of the seasonings, and the juice glistens. Just the smell alone makes you want to eat more rice.
After the bamboo shoots are cooked, slice them and stir-fry them with lard. No complicated seasoning is needed; just a little soy sauce and chili powder are enough to bring out the unique freshness and aroma of the bamboo shoots.
The eggs are used to make steamed egg custard. The steamed egg custard is bouncy and looks like jelly. Sprinkle with chopped green onions, drizzle with soy sauce and hot oil, and you have a simple and delicious dish.
With the family earning money, Qiao Mianmian added three extra bowls of rice when steaming the rice. Usually, everyone only ate until they were about 60% full, and the men had to do heavy work, so they were very hungry every night.
When Qiao Mianmian brought the dishes to the table, Qiao Jiaxing had already set out the bowls and chopsticks in a white mess. Ever since Qiao Mianmian started cooking, the thing he looked forward to most every day was coming home for dinner.
"Grandparents, parents, eldest brother, second brother, and fourth sister, dinner is ready!" Qiao Mianmian called out after washing her hands, and the family sat down.
Just as they were getting ready to eat, someone knocked on the door.
When they saw that it was Xu family mother and son, Lin and the others were stunned. When Madam Xu knelt down with Xu Mingxuan, Lin was even more shocked. It was only after her mother-in-law reminded her that she ran over to help them up.
After hearing from Madam Xu about Qiao Mianmian and Qiao Jiawang helping to fetch a doctor, Madam Lin breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought it was something serious, but it's just a small matter. You're too kind. Your kneeling made me think something terrible had happened. Have you eaten? Would you like to eat something with me?"
"I've already eaten." Madam Xu's face was pale, but her voice was still gentle. "Yunzhu didn't know where the clinic was, and it was your son who ran there quickly. He saved her life, and we, mother and son, should bow to him in gratitude."
Normally, she wouldn't go out or interact with her neighbors. Moreover, her son had refused when Qiao Mianmian tried to deliver meat to her door, so she really didn't expect that the Qiao siblings would help her find a doctor.
Lin said it was nothing, “We live in the same alley, and everyone helps each other out. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Qiao Mancang came over and said that when Xu Mingxuan handed him an oil paper package, saying it contained some medicinal herbs such as angelica, he waved his hands repeatedly, "This won't do. It's not that difficult. If we accept the gift, wouldn't that be embarrassing for us? Seriously, if you don't have anything to eat, you can have some with us, as long as you don't mind?"
Xu Mingxuan said he really had eaten, and he hadn't expected that it was Qiao Mianmian and her brother who had helped their mother. Back when they lived in Bianjing, they had neighbors, but they were all prominent figures, and their interactions were much more complicated.
Thinking of how he had looked down on the braised pork offal that Qiao Mianmian sold during the day, he felt a pang of guilt. He was, after all, a scholar; how could he have such thoughts about poverty and social status?
Madam Xu insisted that the Qiao family accept the gift and thanked them repeatedly before leaving with Xu Mingxuan.
Qiao Mancang looked at the oil paper package in his hand. "These things aren't cheap."
Although Lin was frugal, she didn't like to take advantage of others. "If someone gives you something, it's too disrespectful to return it. When you slaughter the pig tomorrow, pick out some good bones and send them over. I think Madam Xu's health is such that she should really nourish herself."
Qiao Mancang smiled and agreed. The couple returned to the table, and Qiao Jiaxing had already swallowed a bellyful of saliva.
"Father, Mother, is it time to eat?" Qiao Jiaxing rubbed his stomach. "I'm starving."
Qiao Mancang went to see his parents. "Father, Mother, let's eat."
After Zhang and Qiao Youfu started eating, the others began to pick up food and eat. Qiao Jiaxing was so impatient that he stuffed his mouth full and praised Qiao Mianmian, "Fifth Sister, the food today is also very delicious!"
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