Qin Xiaozhou arrived in the county town. The east and west wharves of the county town were bustling even though it was market day, but there weren't many people in the center of the street. She found a pharmacy and bought spices such as Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, dried tangerine peel, and bay leaves.
These substances were originally used in pharmacology, and later gradually added to dishes to become spices.
Carrying a bunch of things, Qin Xiaozhou arrived at the restaurant to find Chen Haiping and explained her purpose. When Chen Haiping heard that she wanted to sell a new dish, he smiled and invited her in. Qin Xiaozhou put down her things and asked Wang Xiaohu to buy a set of pig offal. During this time, Qin Xiaozhou first discussed the price, "This time it's not just one or two dishes, but an entire cuisine called braised dishes, so the price won't be cheap."
Chen Haiping remained smiling and did not offer a definitive conclusion. "Let's drink tea. I still remember when I first met Miss Qin, she was quite robust. In just over a month, she's like a completely different person. Indeed, one should look at a person with new eyes after three days of separation."
Qin Xiaozhou had lost a lot of weight. The Lu family, who were together every day, didn't really notice, but Chen Haiping, who only saw her once a month, was quite surprised. Qin Xiaozhou smiled and thanked him, "It's just to nourish my stomach. The recipe I mentioned earlier..."
"There's no rush."
Qin Xiaozhou didn't mince words, "I'm in a hurry. If Manager Chen doesn't want it, I'll find someone else."
“Miss Qin is always so impatient.” Chen Haiping continued to sip his tea calmly. “Haste makes waste. You are still young, don’t be impetuous.”
Qin Xiaozhou frowned slightly. What did Chen Haiping mean by this? Was he sure he had her cornered? Why? Did he know she wanted to buy a house to continue using the money? Or was he certain her menu wouldn't sell in Fenggu County?
After much deliberation, she finally realized something. Initially, she only wanted to buy groceries to make ends meet, so she entered the restaurant without clarifying Chen Haiping's identity or the restaurant's history. But now, she began to suspect that Chen Haiping might have some powerful background.
If that's really the case, then she definitely can't act rashly.
He stood up and said goodbye politely, "It seems this cuisine is not meant for your restaurant, so I'll take my leave now."
Chen Haiping, with a playful tone, gestured for them to proceed.
Qin Xiaozhou went downstairs and happened to see Wang Xiaohu returning with pig offal. She gave him the money and five coins as a delivery fee, thanked him, and left with the goods. There weren't many good restaurants in the county town, and now that Manager Chen's place was no longer an option, she wanted to find another place to sell her son's property.
Upon arriving at Yunyan Restaurant, before even entering, they were shooed away by the waiter, who rudely covered his nose and said, "Get out of here! What's that smell on you? It stinks! This is a place to eat; how can our customers eat if they smell like this!"
Three or four restaurants tried to kick her out, so Qin Xiaozhou had no choice but to carry the pig offal and spices home first.
Back in the village, as she walked through the village, she saw many people squatting in front of their houses eating. She quickly moved away when she smelled the food. Zhou Meixiang spat and said, "They bring all sorts of dead things into their homes. Quietly, a few days ago they were so amazing, eating meat and stewing big bones. Now they pick up unwanted pig offal to eat. Aren't they disgusted?"
Qin Xiaozhou ignored her, her mind preoccupied with making money. If she couldn't pay the remaining balance within seven days, her thirty taels deposit would be wasted. According to the contract, the broker couldn't sell the house to anyone else or raise the price within those seven days. Also, if she couldn't raise the balance within seven days, the deposit wouldn't be refunded.
Seeing that Qin Xiaozhou remained silent, Zhou Meixiang thought she had the upper hand and became even more aggressive. "Oh dear, they used to eat meat and thought they were rich, but after marrying a new wife, they've starved everyone to the point of eating pig offal. The Lu family is all talk and no action, but it's no use no matter how they pretend. This person is getting thinner and thinner every day. Did your Lu family attract some bad luck? As soon as she entered your house, she brought misfortune to everyone, killing two of the pillars of the family, and now she's bringing misfortune to the new wife!"
Zhou Meixiang was originally jealous and angry that the new daughter-in-law of the Lu family could kill wild boars, sell them for money and have meat to eat, and raise chickens and ducks at the entrance of the bamboo gully on the mountainside. She was very resentful. Now that everyone in the village saw that Qin Xiaozhou had become thinner and thinner every day after marrying into the family, they immediately guessed that there was a problem with the feng shui of the Lu family, which was bringing bad luck to people.
These days, being thin means being poor, starving, and getting sick; only being able to fatten someone up is considered a skill.
Rumors about the Lu family's feng shui being unlucky for people were circulating widely in the village, but no one would say it to their faces.
Wang Lan had been worried all morning. Her eldest grandson had gone into the mountains, and her granddaughter-in-law had left without saying a word. She thought she wasn't coming back because of a fight last night. But when she heard the commotion and went outside to see Qin Xiaozhou returning with a bamboo basket, she felt much more at ease. If her granddaughter-in-law had run away, what would happen to her eldest grandson? He would be a bachelor again.
Wang Lan was angry at Zhou Meixiang for her harsh words, but she could also smell the stench of pig offal. It was so foul that she couldn't even utter a few words of curse. She could only hold her breath and keep it to herself. However, she was still very happy that her granddaughter-in-law was home. "Go back quickly, the food is ready."
Qin Xiaozhou nodded, but she didn't have time to eat yet. She needed to clean the pig offal first. It was hot at noon, and it would spoil if it wasn't cleaned properly. After all, it was something she bought for forty coins.
She went directly to the stream behind the kitchen and asked Lu Yunxing to bring a large plate of wood ash. She first washed the pig intestines in the stream, then rubbed them with the wood ash, washed them clean, and soaked them in a basin. Qin Xiaozhou finished before going to eat. "Your brother hasn't come back yet?"
The Lu family was anxious and depressed, but Lu Yan shook her head and asked, "Sister-in-law, will my brother be alright?"
"No!" Wang Lan shouted angrily, "Don't talk nonsense, he'll be fine."
Qin Xiaozhou picked up some bracken with her chopsticks. There wasn't a single piece of meat on the table. "Why aren't there any fried eggs? We're out of eggs at home?"
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