"I am Madam Wang from next door. You must be Tao Shi, my sister. I heard about your family from my husband and came here to pay my respects," Madam Wang said with a kind smile.
You can't hit a smiling face. Even if Old Wang next door is a bit annoying, Madam Wang, who looks wealthy, seems very kind.
Tao Wanniang said in a friendly manner, "Oh, so you're our neighbor. Please come in and have a seat. My sons are all roughnecks and don't even know how to invite Madam Wang in."
Ling Dahu and Ling Dapeng were somewhat helpless. They had just opened their mouths when their mother returned.
"I should have come to visit sooner, I hope my sister won't mind!" After entering the house, Madam Wang walked straight to the living room without being led around.
Upon seeing this scene, Tao Wanniang seemed to be deep in thought. Recalling Wang Fugui's previous actions, she inquired, "Madam Wang, are you very familiar with this house?"
"Hmm? Didn't my master mention this? This was his old friend's house, but when Master Mu's wife fell ill and wanted to recuperate in the countryside, Master Mu sold the house and moved the whole family to a villa in the mountains!"
Madam Wang explained, looking around, and said with some emotion, "My husband and Master Mu were sworn brothers, and he has always been reluctant to part ways with him."
“I bet there are many more people who don’t understand why they would give up a perfectly good house in the capital to go to the countryside and mountains?” Tao Wanniang said calmly.
Madam Wang was taken aback, somewhat surprised, but even more so, she admired him.
“My sister has a keen eye! My husband is indeed deeply troubled. He was even more heartbroken after learning that the house had been sold.”
"When we first arrived, we were also given a good scolding by your master!" Tao Wanniang said bluntly, which surprised Madam Wang.
Then, recalling Wang Fugui's comment that Tao Wanniang was a widow, she suddenly understood. Despite being a young woman, her husband described her as an unapproachable old lady.
"My husband has been rude, please forgive him, sister!" Madam Wang said apologetically.
"Madam, you flatter me. There's no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight between neighbors, is there? You didn't come here today to apologize to Master Wang, did you?" Tao Wanniang teased.
"No, it's not that. I just felt a little bad that I hadn't visited you since you moved in quite a while ago," Madam Wang said with a smile. "Besides, to be honest, your house is always so delicious, with the aroma of your lunches and dinners filling the air every day!"
Tao Wanniang was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“In that case, Madam, please have a simple meal at my house,” Tao Wanniang said, rising to her feet. “Don’t refuse, I’ll cook! I’ll get you some homemade braised snacks first. Yumei, why don’t you keep Madam Wang company and have some conversation?”
In their own family, only Bai Yumei is presentable. As for her son and daughter-in-law, those four women are too reserved to handle anything that comes up.
Bai Yumei readily agreed, and soon Tao Wanniang brought out a stack of braised snacks, including braised tofu and braised eggs.
When guests arrived at noon, Tao Wan's mother prepared a few more dishes: pickled vegetables and edamame, fried tofu, braised pork, steamed eggs, and a plate of braised dishes.
Madam Wang was captivated by the taste of the braised tofu and eggs. How could such simple ingredients like eggs and tofu be made to taste so good? She also felt that it must be due to the unique ingredients. With these unique ingredients, she could make even more dishes.
So when the braised dishes for lunch were served, Madam Wang voiced her concerns.
"Little sister, if I'm not mistaken, these are from the same pot as the tofu and eggs from before, right?"
"Madam Wang seems to be a gourmet as well. This is my secret braising sauce. To be honest, I'm planning to open a small restaurant, and I'll be selling all of these there."
"The people of the capital are in for a treat! This flavor is unheard of, but once you start eating it, you can't stop. This is..."
Madam Wang's eyes fell on the plate of braised dishes again. Judging from the shape, she suspected it was pig intestines, but could she eat that?
"I wonder if Madam has any dietary restrictions. This dish is pork offal. Hmm, there's a big pot of it in the kitchen, and we serve a dish of it every day."
Madam Wang's face stiffened for a moment. Pig offal was something that most people wouldn't eat.
“It’s alright if you don’t want to eat, Madam. Here, you can try the other dishes.” Tao Wanniang knew, of course, that some people were averse to offal. Rather than hiding it from them, she decided to just say so.
If Madam Wang doesn't eat it, then the rest of the Ling family will benefit, as this braised dish is their favorite side dish.
Seeing how enthusiastically the Ling family was eating, Madam Wang was somewhat tempted, but she couldn't bring herself to compete with them for food.
It's just home-style cooking, but it's really good, especially the braised pork belly, it tastes just right!
Madam Wang didn't have a big appetite; she ate a little of everything, and then said she was full.
"Where is Miss Bai?" Madam Wang asked curiously after the meal.
“Yu Mei’s face is disfigured, and we’re worried about it affecting others. In a few days, when the custom-made mask arrives, she won’t need to wear the veil anymore!” Tao Wanniang said truthfully.
Madam Wang was surprised. The way he had been chatting with her just now didn't look like he had any facial injuries at all. However, she really couldn't tell.
"Your cooking skills are indeed excellent. Since you're opening a restaurant, you must have many dishes to prepare. I wish you great success in your business!" Madam Wang said sincerely. "I'll have my husband bring the children to patronize your restaurant when the time comes."
"No need for that, come whenever you want. Madam Wang, why don't you take some back with you?" Tao Wanniang was referring to braised pork offal, and she could tell that Madam Wang really wanted to eat it.
Madam Wang wanted to refuse, but the words that came out of her mouth changed to something else.
"Then thank you very much, sister. Although I don't eat these things, my husband does like them." A dignified woman would not eat pig offal, but she could when no one was looking.
Tao Wanniang pretended not to see Madam Wang's covetous eyes and feigned ignorance, saying, "If Master Wang wants more after eating, he can tell my family. I've braised a whole pot of these pig offal."
"Of course, of course!" Madam Wang agreed with Tao Wanniang, and finally had the maid take a plate of braised pork offal home.
When Wang Fugui from next door saw his wife return, he said with a hint of sarcasm, "What's wrong? Does the food next door smell so good?"
"It's actually quite good, sir. You didn't mention that Tao was a young widow!" Madam Wang complained.
"Hmph!" Wang Fugui sneered. "His grandson is so old, how young can he be? What is that thing she's holding? It's so dark in color, is it food?"
Madam Wang instructed her maid to bring the plate to Wang Fugui, deliberately saying, "This is a secret recipe from the Tao family. Smell it, doesn't it smell good?"
It really did smell delicious, but Wang Fugui said disdainfully, "How good can a country woman's cooking be? Give me chopsticks, I want to try it. What does it taste like!"
Lady Wang had been waiting for this moment, so she hurriedly ordered a servant to bring chopsticks.
"What's this burnt color? It smells rather enticing. What is it?" Wang Fugui picked up a piece of pig heart, chewed it, and his eyes lit up. Then he picked up a piece of pig intestine. "This is... intestine?" Immediately, Wang Fugui's expression changed.
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