He had met Qiao Weiguo's daughter before; she was spoiled and pampered as she grew up.
In this village, many girls start working in the fields when they are thirteen or fourteen years old, but Qiao Qiqi is the only one who has never worked in the fields until she is 18.
Because of this special situation, some rumors inevitably circulated in the village.
And rumors are rarely pleasant to hear.
After Qin Baojun returned from military service, he rarely went out because of his leg problems, but he had heard some things about it.
I thought Qiao Qiqi was willful, but when my wife came back yesterday, she only spoke highly of her.
Qin Baojun was initially skeptical, but when he saw Qiao Qiqi diligently sweeping the floor as soon as she entered the door, he immediately realized that his wife was right!
So he immediately said, "Qiqi, stop sweeping. How can we let you do the work on your first day? Leave it for Qin Huai to sweep when he comes back."
"It's alright, it's just sweeping the floor, it's not tiring." Qiao Qiqi looked up and smiled, "I'm your daughter-in-law, you don't need to be so polite with me. Besides, I'm clumsy, all I can do is sweep the floor and cook, so please don't think I'm clumsy."
Although her in-laws are good, Qiao Qiqi still has to try her best to establish her persona as someone who can only sweep the floor and cook, otherwise what if she is asked to do farm work in the future?
Although Qiao Qiqi had never done farming herself, she had heard her grandmother talk about it a lot in the 21st century, and just listening to it made her feel how hard it was.
So, making her do farm work? No way!
I'll never do farm work in my life!
Qin Baojun, unaware of Qiao Qiqi's thoughts, immediately laughed and said, "How could that be? I'm overjoyed that you're marrying into the family, especially Qin Huai, it's his good fortune to have you as his wife."
Qiao Qiqi loved to hear this and felt very happy.
After sweeping the yard, she immediately went to Qin Baojun's side, opened the bundle she had brought, and gave him the hat and gloves she had bought for him.
"Dad, I bought this for you in town this morning. Try it on and see if it fits."
"Good child, I'm not going out, why buy me these things? What a waste! Save the money for yourself in the future, don't buy them for me."
“No, that won’t do. You are Qin Huai’s father, and I have to be filial to you, otherwise the villagers will gossip about me.”
"Good boy..."
Qin Baojun's eyes were a little red.
When Wang Guihua returned from work, Qiao Qiqi was squatting next to Qin Baojun, listening intently as he recounted events from the battlefield.
The two were chatting so enthusiastically that they didn't even notice her entering the courtyard.
It wasn't until Wang Guihua walked up to the two of them that Qiao Qiqi noticed her first, and happily stood up, "Mother, you're back."
Wang Guihua glanced at her husband and smiled helplessly at Qiao Qiqi, "Qin Huai's father gets excited whenever he talks about things on the battlefield. If you don't like listening to him, just ignore him and let him ramble on by himself."
“I like hearing Dad talk about these things.” Qiao Qiqi smiled and noticed that Wang Guihua was carrying a basket with a piece of pork shoulder and a pheasant inside. Her eyes lit up immediately.
"Mom, where did you get this chicken?"
The basket, which was originally covered with a cloth, was now being held by Wang Guihua in her other hand to brush the grass leaves off her trousers.
"Qin Huai just delivered it to me, saying it was found at the foot of the mountain."
Qiao Qiqi raised an eyebrow.
Wang Guihua straightened up. "You two chat first, I'll go cook."
Qiao Qiqi followed her into the kitchen. "Mom, let me help you."
Wang Guihua frowned and said, "Go and rest outside. I can do it myself."
"It's alright, I'm free anyway, and I can chat with you here."
Qiao Qiqi's words were as sweet as honey, but her eyes couldn't help but dart towards the basket. "Mom, what are you planning to do with this pheasant?"
"The meat of wild pheasants is not as tender as that of chickens raised at home. How about we stew it? Otherwise, I'm afraid your parents' teeth aren't good and they won't be able to chew it."
Wang Guihua's considerations can be described as very thorough.
But Qiao Qiqi had a different idea. "Mom, it's hot now and we don't have much of a taste for it. I think we should stir-fry this chicken. Add some chili peppers, it'll be flavorful and delicious."
Wang Guihua belatedly looked up and met Qiao Qiqi's bright eyes, instantly understanding.
Seeing that she wasn't there to help him at all, but was clearly just craving something, he smiled and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. Go to the garden and pick two chili peppers for me."
Alright!
Upon hearing that there was fried chicken to eat, Qiao Qiqi immediately went off happily.
Just as I stepped out of the kitchen, I suddenly heard Wang Guihua mutter softly, "I've never made this before, I don't know if it will taste good..."
It's okay if you haven't done it before! She knows how!
Her classmate in the 21st century happened to be from Shandong, and her dad's Shandong-style fried chicken was absolutely amazing!
Qiao Qiqi had specially learned the craft and even improved the recipe herself. The stir-fried chicken she made was so good that even her classmate's father was ashamed of himself.
So, after Qiao Qiqi finished picking the chili peppers and Wang Guihua finished slaughtering the chicken, she took the initiative to take over the dish.
Once Qin Huai brought Qiao Weiguo and Lin Chunying over, the courtyard immediately became lively.
When Lin Chunying heard that Qiao Qiqi and Wang Guihua were in the kitchen, she immediately rolled up her sleeves and came in to help.
Three women were busy in the kitchen, Qiao Weiguo and Qin Baojun were chatting in the yard, and Qin Huai went out again and didn't return until dinner was ready, carrying two bottles of wine.
When Qiao Qiqi saw the wine, a glint flashed in her eyes, but she said nothing.
Dinner was served quickly, including braised pork, stewed fish, Shandong-style stir-fried chicken made by Qiao Qiqi, mashed potatoes with sauce, canned sweet potatoes in syrup, and smashed cucumber.
There were six dishes in total, filling the entire table.
This meal is even more lavish than what we have during Chinese New Year.
"My dear in-laws, my dear mother-in-law, come and eat on the kang!" Wang Guihua's face was always beaming with smiles.
She was so happy when her son got his marriage certificate that she couldn't sleep all night. She was still incredibly excited and felt like she had inexhaustible energy.
In contrast, Lin Chunying's feelings were much more complicated, after all, she was the one who was marrying off her daughter.
But in this situation, she had to desperately suppress her surging emotions and try her best to put on a smiling face.
"We're all family, no need to be polite. You and your in-laws should sit down first."
"You are guests, please go first..."
"Then let the in-laws sit at the table first. He has a leg problem, so please don't stand up..."
Qiao Qiqi and Qin Huai stood on the outside, watching the four old people politely deferring to each other, and found it amusing.
Just as Qiao Qiqi was about to speak and invite the four elders to sit at the table, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.
"Oh my, sister-in-law, what delicious food have you made? I could smell the aroma of meat and fish even when I was still in the yard. Why are you making so much good food on a holiday?"
Qiao Qiqi turned her head and saw a middle-aged couple and an old lady with bound feet enter the door.
The middle-aged woman at the head of the group must weigh at least 200 pounds.
After entering the door, he strode into the house, his manner intimidating.
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