Chapter 71 Fermented Fish
"Come on, come on, let's serve the food!"
Qiao Mancang came out carrying a tray of dishes, "Eight-treasure steamed rice, poached chicken, braised pork trotters, boiled shrimp, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, pickled mustard greens with minced meat..."
As dishes were served one by one, the guests in the lobby began to savor the food.
Now that the shop is open, there are more tables, chairs, and benches, and quite a few people drink there.
"Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of wine!"
"Okay, coming right up!" Qiao Mancang went to the counter to get the wine.
Everyone was busy in the lobby and the same was true in the kitchen.
Qiao Jiawang chopped vegetables, Qiao Jiaxing prepared the ingredients, and they also cooked some of the vegetables.
Qiao Mianmian not only has to cook for dine-in customers, but also for delivery.
"Zhou Shan, you take this delivery." Qiao Mianmian arranged all the dishes and showed Zhou Shan how to pack them into the food container. "When you get to the customer's house, remember to collect the money and take the plate back. If a customer doesn't pay or makes trouble about the food, don't get into a fight. Come back and tell us, and we'll resolve it together. Remember, never fight with customers, absolutely never!"
Occasionally, there would be one or two unreasonable scoundrels, and Qiao Mianmian would always instruct someone else to deal with them. Otherwise, if they got beaten up and the situation became too serious, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain. It was better to come back first, and when the men of the family came knocking on the door, they could always get the money back.
After Zhou Shan left, Qiao Mianmian glanced at the menu and saw that there were only two dishes left, so she gave them to her second brother.
During her break, Qiao Mianmian sat down and ate a steamed bun. Those who cook are the ones who have the hardest time eating on time, but she couldn't skip it; a hungry person has no energy to work, so a quick bite would do.
After Qiao Jiaxing finished cooking, he also took a steamed bun to eat. "Fifth Sister, I noticed that the signs of other restaurants are written in a very elegant style. Should we ask Uncle Xu to help us think of some new dish names?"
"No need, Second Brother."
Qiao Mianmian explained, "Our shop faces the market on one side and the main street on the other. We do business in the local market, and our prices are affordable. Most of our customers are ordinary people who don't need such elegant dish names. If you make it complicated, people won't understand what the dish is. For now, these dish names are fine; there's no need to be fancy."
Qiao Jiaxing thought about it and agreed. "That makes sense. When I delivered braised food to Chunxi Restaurant before, I heard the waiter call out 'Jadeite and White Jade Soup,' but I didn't understand what it was for a long time. Later, when the dish was served, I glanced at it and it was just cabbage and tofu soup. It has such a nice name. I wouldn't dare to order it if it were me, for fear that she would actually use jadeite to make soup for me."
Qiao Mianmian laughed heartily, "Who says it isn't?"
In grand restaurants, many of the patrons are wealthy people who are sophisticated and particular about the pleasant-sounding names of the dishes.
But the Qiao family's prices are affordable; they run a down-to-earth business, so there's no need for them to engage in these superficial practices.
Qiao Mianmian ate half a steamed bun, and then more guests arrived. They were busy until mid-afternoon before they could finally stop and rest.
The siblings surrounded Lin, watching her calculate the money.
"The restaurant wasn't full at lunchtime today; there was always an empty table. But that's still pretty good. I think we could put a few more tables near the entrance, otherwise we won't have enough seats when there are more customers in the future."
Lin started calculating, "This morning and noon, the total income was four strings of cash and three hundred and twenty-one coins. Roughly estimated, the profit is between two strings of cash and three hundred coins. However, this is because our family did not include wages."
The Qiao family did not split up; all the money they earned belonged to the family.
We bought a house first, then rented a shop, and now the family income is increasing. We can't let the Lin family keep all the money forever.
Especially with the Wang family's division of property beforehand, Lin was amazed by Madam Wang's insight several times. Inspired by Madam Wang, Lin also realized that things couldn't continue like this.
However, dividing the family property is impossible. The Qiao family only has two sons, and Lin Shi and Qiao Mancang are still healthy and strong, so they will not divide the family property so early.
Thinking that she could earn sixty or seventy taels of silver a month, Madam Lin couldn't hide her joy.
Qiao Mianmian did the math, "At this rate, we can pay off all our debts in three months. Mom, after we pay off the debts, I want to buy new clothes and cosmetics!"
"I was thinking that after we pay back the money, I'll pay you according to your wages." Lin had discussed this matter with Qiao Mancang privately.
The children in the family are all grown up. Jiawang is already married, Jiaxing is getting engaged, and Mianmian will soon be of marriageable age. Now that the children have their own families, it's not appropriate to ask them for money every time they need it.
In the past, the family was struggling financially and couldn't afford to give the children pocket money, let alone pay them wages.
Upon hearing that there was a wage, Qiao Mianmian immediately sidled up to her, "Mom, is that all? I worked so hard!"
“The wages are for your current use, not just for that.” Madam Lin tapped her daughter’s forehead. “The family’s business is what it is today because of your skills. Although the whole family is busy, without your cooking skills, we wouldn’t be able to open the restaurant today. I’ve already spoken with your father, and we will set aside some money for you as your dowry when you get married.”
She wanted to tell everyone this beforehand, so that her two sons wouldn't feel it was unfair later. Since everyone was sitting together today and the topic had come up, she decided to share it with them.
Qiao Jiawang never had any extra thoughts; he did whatever his family asked him to do.
Qiao Jiaxing was a bit quick-witted, but he also felt that this was the right thing to do. "Mother is right. Fifth Sister is the backbone of our family's shop, so we should leave her an extra share of the money."
Mrs. Lin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no dissatisfaction on her two sons' faces.
“You can give it to me first, I’ll keep it for myself, and I promise I won’t spend it recklessly!” Qiao Mianmian said.
“No, that won’t do. You don’t need that much money for cosmetics.” Madam Lin refused. “I want to prepare a generous dowry for you, so that everyone in the alley can see how fortunate it is to marry a daughter of the Qiao family!”
She had already decided that once she paid off her debts, she would find someone to prepare her dowry. She had heard that wealthy families would begin preparing dowries as soon as their daughters were born, and the scene when the girls got married was incredibly enviable.
"I haven't even started arranging marriages yet, you're thinking too far ahead!" Qiao Mianmian really felt that her mother was overthinking things.
Mrs. Lin said it wouldn't be long, "If we had money, we should have prepared long ago. How can we prepare everything at the last minute?"
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but look at her second son, "Jiaxing, the official matchmakers came again a couple of days ago. This time, you need to be more serious. You're usually such a talkative person, why do you become mute in front of a girl?"
Upon hearing that he was being talked about, Qiao Jiaxing immediately changed the subject, "The braised food at home should be ready soon. Brother, let's go back and pick up Sister-in-law and the others."
After saying that, he left, which made Madam Lin frown.
“I really don’t know what kind of person your second brother likes. It’s never worked out. Your grandmother has talked to me about it several times.” Madam Lin sighed as she spoke. “You talk to him a lot, you know that?”
Qiao Mianmian shook her head. "Mother, let nature take its course. When Second Brother's time comes, it will happen naturally. Marriage is a lifelong commitment. If you rush him to find someone suitable, what if they don't get along? Won't they grow to dislike each other later?"
"I know, you're so good at talking. Go lie down for a while, there are no guests right now." Mrs. Lin patted her daughter's hand and went to wipe the table herself.
Because the Qiao family used to run a stall, they didn't serve dinner, so there weren't many regular customers around dinnertime.
Many were new customers, and there were also regular customers—Lu Zhao and his servant.
"Auntie, we're here again!"
Qingjiu bounced in, "Today, I'd like some pickled mustard greens with minced pork, and also some braised tofu."
Lin had already discovered that Lu Zhao really liked tofu. "Alright, please make yourselves at home. I'll go ask Mianmian to cook some dishes."
There weren't many customers in the evening, and Qiao Mianmian was cooking the dishes she wanted to eat. She had been craving fermented fish for a long time.
A few days ago, she specially made a vat of fish with fermented rice wine. Today, she took out one fish, washed off the fermented rice wine, and decided to either steam it or pan-fry it.
Qiao Mianmian wanted to taste the original flavor of the fermented fish first, so she steamed it.
Just as he put the fermented fish into the pot, he learned that Lu Zhao and his servant had arrived, and immediately began cooking.
Braised tofu is the simplest dish. Before serving, thicken it with cornstarch slurry in three batches, then add a handful of chopped green onions. The fragrant, spicy, and tender braised tofu is ready.
Qiao Mianmian made an extra bowl and said, "We'll eat this bowl ourselves. Lord Lu really loves tofu; he wants to eat it five out of ten days."
Qiao Jiaxing laughed and said, "Qingjiu is different. He'll eat anything. He's visibly getting fatter. I can't even see his chin now. He eats just as much as Lord Lu, so how come Qingjiu is so much fatter while Lord Lu is still the same as before?"
Qiao Jiawang added, "Lord Lu has changed too; he's taller and stronger."
“Yes,” Qiao Mianmian agreed.
After the fish in the fermented rice wine is steamed, add a handful of chopped green onions, then pour boiling lard over it, sizzling and releasing the aroma of green onions.
Qiao Mianmian said, "Dinner can be served now."
Qiao Jiaxing carried the dishes out, and Lu Zhao and Qingjiu were already eating. The Qiao family sat down together, and Qingjiu was very curious when she saw the fermented fish.
"You can order some tomorrow, and I'll cook for you," Qiao Mianmian said to Qingjiu, then sat down to eat.
After a long day of work, this is the happiest time. The fish meat of the fermented fish is shaped like garlic cloves; one bite is salty and fresh, with a firm texture.
Qiao Jiaxing took a bite of fish and two bites of rice. "It's so delicious! I thought it smelled bad at first, but I didn't expect it to be so good. Fifth Sister, how else can we eat fermented fish?"
"We can pan-fry it or braise it. We can try different ways of cooking it. I think it smells delicious and doesn't smell bad at all." Qiao Mianmian quickly finished a bowl of rice and then had another half bowl.
Fortunately, not many dishes were prepared for the evening. As it was getting dark, Qiao Jiaxing told his family to go home first. "I'll clean up the shop. You all go home before it gets dark. There's not much business anyway."
Mrs. Lin nodded in agreement, but felt a little regretful. "I hope business will be better in the evenings after a while." That way, she would make more money; she was now addicted to making money.
Qiao Mancang chuckled and leaned closer, "One should be content. It's already very good that you can make money now. Take your time, there's no rush."
Madam Lin rolled her eyes at him. "How can we not be anxious? Don't Jiaxing's betrothal gifts and Mianmian's dowry cost money?"
Although the two children's marriages were not yet settled, Mrs. Lin couldn't help but worry about them.
Qiao Mianmian had already packed up and couldn't wait to go back to lie down. "Mom and Dad, stop talking. Let's talk slowly when we get home."
"You silly girl, you know now!" Madam Lin smiled and glanced at her daughter, then called the rest of the family back home. Before leaving, she didn't forget to tell her second son, "Make sure the doors and windows are locked. If a thief comes, just scare him away. Don't fight with him, understand?"
"I know, Mother. You've told me five times already, I'll never forget!" Qiao Jiaxing saw everyone to the door before starting to sweep the floor and close the windows.
As I was about to close the door, an elderly man was peering out from the entrance.
"Um... young man, I... I only have two coins left. Can I trade them for some food?"
Seeing the old man's pale and thin face, and his trembling body, Qiao Jiaxing remembered that there were still some leftovers in the kitchen, which he had originally planned to feed the chickens and ducks. "We're closed now and can't cook anymore, but if you don't mind, there are still some leftovers for you. Oh, it's free."
My parents often say that people who are away from home will always encounter difficulties. Even if they can't help with other things, they can at least help with something as simple as feeding someone.
Qiao Jiaxing went to the kitchen to bring the food, and as soon as he handed it over, the old man grabbed it with his hands and ate it without any regard for his image.
After a while, the other person belatedly realized their poor appearance and smiled apologetically at Qiao Jiaxing, "Thank you so much, you're a good person. I'll definitely come back to thank you when I get home. By the way, the food at your restaurant is really delicious, even when it's cold!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com