Everyone had worked hard all day and was starving. As soon as the crucian carp tofu soup was set on the table, their stomachs began to rumble.
Seeing the soup reminded Lin Shi of her married eldest daughter. She turned to her mother-in-law and said, “Mother, I want to find time to visit Wangchun. Her pregnancy is getting further along, and I’m worried she might not know what to do.”
“You should go,” Zhang Shi agreed. “Wangchun doesn’t have a mother-in-law. How would her father-in-law understand women’s matters?” Thinking of the quiet girl who rarely spoke since childhood, she felt a bit worried.
Lin Shi was impatient by nature. Now that she brought it up, she decided to go the next day. “Then I’ll pack up later and go tomorrow.”
Qiao Mianmian’s impression of her third sister was simply that she was quiet and reserved.
After dinner, Qiao Mianmian went to the kitchen to prepare braised meat and called her mother in. “Mother, take this piece of braised meat and some pork offal with you. Don’t be stingy—buy some fabric for Third Sister. She lives in the village, so it’s not convenient for her to buy cloth.”
“You think you’re the only one who cares about your sister?” Lin Shi snorted. “No need for new cloth. We still have printed fabric at home. Babies grow fast, so it’s fine. I’ll take the meat. Although her husband is a hunter, they don’t eat meat often.”
Speaking of her eldest daughter, Lin Shi couldn’t help but sigh. “If not for your brother-in-law being honest, I really wouldn’t have wanted to marry her into the village. We rarely get to see her—it makes me worry. Oh right, prepare another portion of braised meat. I’ll also visit your grandparents. They’re getting old—pick some of the softer pieces.”
Lin Wangchun had married into Lin Family Village, so Lin Shi would visit both her daughter and her parents.
Qiao Mianmian sorted through the meat, leaving one piece to cook longer before going to rest.
…
At dawn the next day, Lin Shi got up early to prepare to leave. Qiao Mianmian came out yawning and saw her mother wearing old clothes, so she asked why she didn’t wear something newer.
“What for? If your aunt sees it, she’ll ask how much we’ve been earning,” Lin Shi said as she packed up. Then she added, “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t show off your wealth. Remember that, or people will get jealous. Alright, I’m leaving. Behave while I’m gone and don’t cause trouble.”
Even though the children were grown, in Lin Shi’s eyes, they were still kids.
After seeing her mother off, Qiao Mianmian went into the kitchen and found that Lin Shi had already started cooking porridge, trying to lighten her workload.
She sighed softly—elders were always like this, always thinking of the younger generation.
These days, since their situation had improved a little, porridge alone wasn’t enough. They would buy a few steamed buns to go with pickles and braised meat broth.
Breaking open a bun and dipping it in the broth gave it a rich flavor, even without meat. Paired with sour and spicy pickles, it was perfect.
Qiao Jiaxing ate three bowls of porridge. “Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, I’m going to carry goods at the dock.”
Qiao Jiawang also finished eating. “I’m going to collect pig offal and pig heads. Father, Uncle Hu asked if we should slaughter two more pigs. If we can’t sell all the meat, we can use it to make braised dishes.”
In summer, meat didn’t sell well, so Qiao Manchang didn’t sell every day—sometimes every other day.
After thinking, Qiao Mancang said, “Tell him we’ll sell for two days and rest one day. If he has leftovers, we’ll buy them and make braised meat. Actually, I’ll go talk to him myself.”
His eldest son wasn’t very good with words, and he didn’t want any misunderstandings with the Hu family.
Qiao Jiawang agreed and left with his carrying pole.
Qiao Mancang took his youngest daughter to set up their stall, while Lin Xiahe stayed home to do chores. Qiao Youfu went to check his fishing nets.
…
It was nearly August, and mornings were slightly cooler. Qiao Mianmian lit the stove at the stall, and the aroma of braised offal spread through the air. Just as it attracted a couple of customers, a commotion broke out in the distance.
“Move! Get out of the way!”
A man ran into the crowd, causing people to scatter. Someone on horseback chased after him.
Qiao Mancang quickly pulled his daughter behind the meat stall, shielding her.
“Didn’t I tell you to move?” The fleeing man collided with a ten-year-old boy and fell to the ground. Seeing officials catching up, he suddenly pulled out a dagger. “Don’t come closer, or I won’t be polite!”
He grabbed items from a nearby stall and threw them. When he reached for Qiao Mianmian’s clay pot, she shouted without thinking, “Put it down!”
The shout startled him. Qiao Mancang grabbed his butcher knife. “Don’t come closer! I’m a butcher!”
At that moment, the man on horseback flicked his arm, and a long whip shot through the air like a striking snake.
With a crack, the dagger fell to the ground, and the man screamed in pain.
Lu Zhao dismounted. Qingjiu rushed forward, tied the man up, and kicked him a couple of times. “Run again, will you? No one escapes my lord!”
“Enough,” Lu Zhao said, ordering the man to be taken away.
Yuan Qiang stepped forward. “Don’t be afraid. This is the new commander from the City God Office. We were capturing a bandit. Everything’s fine now.”
He glanced at the Qiao family awkwardly and looked away.
The crowd cheered and began discussing the new commander.
Qiao Mianmian looked over. The commander was young, tall, and refined, with an air of nobility—completely different from ordinary townspeople. Just as she thought he was the most handsome man she had seen since transmigrating, he looked her way.
“Young lady, next time stay out of danger. Your life is more important than a clay pot,” Lu Zhao said before mounting his horse and leaving.
Qingjiu lingered, sniffing the air, his stomach growling as he stared at the pot of braised meat. Just as he swallowed, he heard his master call and had to leave reluctantly.
“Sir, that smelled amazing. That girl was selling braised meat. We haven’t had meat in days—can I buy a bowl?”
“Do you have money?” Lu Zhao asked.
Qingjiu shook his head.
“I don’t either.”
Qingjiu fell silent. Fine—he’d endure a little longer. Once he got paid, he’d definitely eat meat!
…
Back at the stall, Qiao Mancang scolded his daughter. “That official was right. Bandits will kill!”
“I didn’t think, Father. I just reacted. Next time I’ll be more careful,” Qiao Mianmian said. She had only been worried about losing the braised meat they had worked so hard to prepare.
Qiao Mancang sighed. “Money is important, but safety comes first.”
Worried about his wife traveling alone, he hurried off to fetch his eldest son.
Left alone, Qiao Mianmian struggled to manage both meat and offal customers until Wu Ermao came to help.
“Where’s your fourth sister?” he asked.
“She’s probably at the river washing offal. You seem quite concerned about her,” Qiao Mianmian teased.
Wu Ermao denied it, but his ears turned red.
Qiao Mianmian quickly realized his feelings.
…
Later, she rushed to the river and found him there with her sister. She casually interrupted to avoid gossip.
Wu Ermao awkwardly offered to carry the load back and left quickly.
After he was gone, Qiao Mianmian whispered, “Fourth Sister, I think he was blushing.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Lin Xiahe said, though she admitted that Wu’s mother had already arranged a match for him.
Qiao Mianmian understood—without the mother’s approval, nothing would happen.
…
Back at the stall, Qiao Jiawang was arguing with a customer over the price of pork.
Qiao Mianmian stepped in smoothly, offering a small bonus of fatty meat to keep the customer happy while maintaining profit.
Afterward, her brother felt discouraged, thinking he wasn’t good at business.
She comforted him, explaining that everyone had their strengths and that teamwork mattered most.
…
By noon, her voice was hoarse from selling. She spent twenty coins on a block of ice—a rare luxury.
At home, she made sour plum drink using dried plums and a little rock sugar, cooling it with well water and ice.
For dinner, she prepared dumplings with pork cracklings, minced meat, and chives.
After working up a sweat, she drank a bowl of the chilled plum drink—cool, sweet, and refreshing in the summer heat.
“Come drink some plum juice!” she called.
Just then, her parents returned. Her father carried a wild rabbit in one hand and a watermelon in the other.
At the sight of the watermelon, Qiao Mianmian’s eyes lit up instantly.