Before the mother and daughter even finished eating, more customers came for noodles. Lin Shi quickly stepped forward. “Coming, coming! What would you like? Our signature is pork bone soup noodles. You can add braised toppings or have it dry-mixed with minced meat.”
As she spoke, she pressed down on her daughter’s shoulder to stop her from getting up. “You keep eating. If there’s stir-frying to do, then you can get up. I know my limits—I’m not good at cooking, but boiling noodles doesn’t take much skill. You’ve been busy all morning, eat slowly. If you eat too fast, your stomach will hurt.”
The customer ordered pork bone soup noodles, and Lin Shi went to cook them.
Qiao Mianmian ate peacefully. Once she was full, she felt much more energetic.
In Lin’an City, many families in better conditions ate three meals a day, while poorer households only ate two. Qiao Mianmian ate breakfast early every day, but by noon her stomach would start growling, and she needed something to hold her over until dinner.
Now that they had set up a food stall, they couldn’t close until evening. If the whole family waited until dark to eat, they would be starving. The day before, she had told everyone to come eat at the stall—they would eat around four in the afternoon, then return home after closing.
There weren’t many customers in the afternoon. The mother and daughter sat on chairs, and Qiao Mianmian took a short nap.
When she woke up, she found an apron covering her. Her mother and fourth sister were washing vegetables and rice.
“Fourth Sister, you’re here too?” Qiao Mianmian rubbed her eyes.
“Yes. The pig offal at home is already cleaned. I figured there’s no need to cook it so early, so I came to see if help was needed,” Lin Xiahe said. She had already chopped a lot of ingredients. Seeing there was nothing else to do, she washed her hands and sat down. “Mother said the noodles sold very well today—probably over one liang of silver. Mianmian, you’re amazing.”
“This is the result of the whole family’s effort,” Qiao Mianmian said. “From now on, the braised dishes will depend on you. Only if our whole family works together can we have days like this.”
While the sisters talked, Lin Shi wiped her hands and sat down with them.
That day, Lu Zhao and Qingjiu finished work earlier than usual. As they passed the market, they saw the three women of the Qiao family sitting together in harmony.
“Sir, the Qiao family has such a good atmosphere. They get along so well—it’s really enviable,” Qingjiu said. As he spoke, he thought of the noodles from the morning and felt hungry again. In Bianjing, they used to eat three meals a day, but in Lin’an they had switched to two. The morning noodles had long been digested. “Sir, what are we having for dinner?”
At the mention of dinner, Lu Zhao also felt troubled. After tasting good food, who would want to eat Qingjiu’s poorly cooked meals?
Qingjiu wanted to eat at the Qiao stall and kept hinting at his master with his eyes.
Lu Zhao calculated his money—he couldn’t afford to eat out every day—so he ignored the hint. “We’ll eat at home.”
“What? You can still eat my cooking?”
“I’ll cook myself.”
“No, let me do it. Mine may not taste good, but at least it’s cooked. The last few times you cooked, it wasn’t even done—I ended up running to the toilet eight times in one day.”
Lu Zhao: …
He really needed to find a way to earn more money. Eating badly was unbearable—especially with the Qiao family next door cooking delicious meals every day. To be honest, he was tempted.
As they passed the Qiao stall, Lin Shi waved. “Lord Lu, you’re off work already?”
Lu Zhao nodded. Qingjiu waved enthusiastically. “Yes, we finished early today. Madam Qiao, how was business?”
“Oh, child, just call me Auntie—it feels strange being called ‘madam.’ Business was alright, enough to support the family,” Lin Shi said.
“Don’t worry, your food tastes great—business will only get better,” Qingjiu said. He chatted for a while before noticing his master had walked ahead. “Auntie, we’ll talk another day—I have to go!”
After he left, Lin Shi said to her daughters, “I think that Lord Lu is not an ordinary person.”
“Mother, what did you notice?” Lin Xiahe asked.
“Look—only two households in our alley have servants. The Xu family once had officials among their ancestors, and they can still afford to support Xu Tongsheng’s studies. Qingjiu said they’re from Bianjing. I asked what kind of family they were, and although he didn’t say directly, he mentioned they used to eat three meals a day and even had bird’s nest and shark fin. Have we ever even seen such things?”
Lin Shi had only heard of bird’s nest before—this was the first time she’d heard of shark fin.
Lin Xiahe shook her head. “Then the Lu family must be quite well-off in Bianjing. But they seem frugal now.”
“I don’t know why,” Lin Shi said.
Qiao Mianmian joked, “Maybe like you, Mother—having money but unwilling to spend it.”
“You girl, always teasing me. I save money for you children,” Lin Shi snorted.
Seeing her in-laws arrive, she got up to ask what to cook for dinner. Without realizing it, she had grown used to letting Qiao Mianmian decide.
Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment. “Let’s make twice-cooked pork. The pork bones from the soup don’t have much meat left, but we can still gnaw on them. I had Fourth Sister save some intestines—let’s make vinegar-stir-fried intestines, and a goji leaf egg soup. What do you think?”
Vegetables weren’t as abundant as in later times. Some common vegetables were as expensive as meat—for example, gourds cost thirty wen for two. The goji leaves came from their own yard.
“You really don’t hold back when eating,” Lin Shi said, feeling a bit pained. But seeing her daughter’s eager expression, she softened. “Alright, you’re in charge now.”
“I knew Mother is the best!” Qiao Mianmian jumped up. “Big Brother, just in time—help me make the fire stronger while I prepare the meat.”
As Qiao Mianmian cooked, Madam Zhang and Qiao Youfu sat down and asked about business.
Lin Shi leaned closer and whispered, “It’s better than expected. If we can keep this up, we’ll soon be able to move into a new house.”
Moving to a new house was her biggest wish.
“That’s good,” Madam Zhang said.
Qiao Youfu asked, “How much is ‘better’?”
Before Lin Shi could answer, Madam Zhang glared at him. “Whatever they earn is theirs. We just wait to eat—why ask so much?”
Qiao Youfu was displeased. “I’m the head of the family—can’t I ask?”
Seeing they might argue, Lin Shi quickly intervened. “I haven’t calculated it yet. We’ll count it together at home.”
Later, they started talking about neighbors.
Meanwhile, Qiao Mianmian began cooking. The fire roared under the wok, oil sizzling as the pork was stir-fried. The fatty meat turned translucent, the lean meat crisped up, and the fermented beans and chili released a rich aroma.
Qiao Jiaxing carried the steaming dish of twice-cooked pork, swallowing hard.
Next, Qiao Mianmian stir-fried the intestines. It was a dish that required precise timing—overcook it, and it would turn tough. After blanching, the intestines curled like rings. She stir-fried them over high heat, drizzled aged vinegar along the wok’s edge, releasing a mouthwatering sour fragrance.
With green and red chili peppers adding color, the dish looked even more appetizing. Before serving, she added a bit of starch slurry to thicken the sauce. The key was speed—overcooking would ruin the tender texture.
The goji leaf egg soup was much simpler—pork fat, boiling water, eggs, then goji leaves, seasoned lightly with salt.
“It’s ready—time to eat!” Qiao Mianmian said. She washed the wok and took a bowl of rice, quickly taking a big bite.
She picked up a piece of intestine first. The sourness hit immediately, followed by layers of spiciness from chili and ginger. The oily, savory, sour, and spicy flavors blended together, with a hint of sweetness at the end.
Just as she was eating happily, nearby stall owners came over, drawn by the aroma.
“What are you cooking? It smells amazing!”
“Twice-cooked pork and vinegar-stir-fried intestines,” Qiao Mianmian replied. “Would you like to order some to take home? It’s our opening day, so prices are discounted. The intestines are sold out, but we still have twice-cooked pork and scrambled eggs.”
Many stall owners weren’t wealthy, but at fifty-five wen per serving, several ordered dishes to improve their meals.
With customers arriving, Qiao Mianmian had to stop eating and start cooking again.
After a busy round, all the meat and vegetables were sold out—but her meal had gone cold.
“I’ll heat the soup and eat it with rice,” she said.
After closing the stall, the family returned home together, chatting and laughing.
The most anticipated moment was counting money.
“Come on, hurry!” Qiao Mianmian urged her mother.
“Why are you in such a rush? The money won’t run away,” Lin Shi said, taking out the pouch. In front of everyone, she counted it. “In total, four strings and one hundred twenty wen. After subtracting costs, we earned about two strings today.”
One string equaled one tael of silver. With steady business, they could earn ninety to one hundred taels a month.
Lin Shi couldn’t hide her excitement. Soon, they would be able to move into a new house.
That night, Qiao Mianmian was so tired she fell asleep immediately.
In another room, Madam Zhang and Qiao Youfu were still awake, discussing money.
Later, in another room, Qiao Mancang hesitated before asking his wife, “Do you… regret marrying me?”
“Of course not,” Lin Shi replied, puzzled.
He explained awkwardly that earlier she had said she wouldn’t remarry in a similar situation.
Lin Shi laughed softly. “I was talking about Widow Wang’s situation, not mine. I’ve been with you for years—I mean it when I say you’re the best.”
“Really?” Qiao Mancang sat up excitedly.
Embarrassed, Lin Shi turned away. “I was joking!”
But he held her, smiling contentedly. “You’re telling the truth.”
They lay together, quietly sharing warmth after a long day.