Life passed quietly, simple yet deeply satisfying.
Every day, Qiao Zilin would head down to the foot of the mountain to check on the chili seedlings they had planted. To her delight, every single one had survived. Not a single sprout had withered, the survival rate was a perfect one hundred percent.
The sight filled her with pride and joy. She never expected herself to have such a natural talent for farming.
Under Qiao Zilin’s guidance, Long Zhenting had already led the others in plowing all the reclaimed wasteland into future rice paddies. Since no one had the heart to make the pregnant cow work too hard, the six grown men took turns pulling the plow themselves.
Their shoulders were rubbed raw and swollen from the ropes, yet not one person complained.
That surprised Qiao Zilin quite a bit.
From Grandpa Liu, she had learned that although they had once lived in the mountains, they had never truly worked as farmers before. Yet now, every one of them endured hardship without a word. Their perseverance and work ethic were honestly admirable.
On the twentieth day of construction, Old Man Guan did not leave immediately after work as usual. Instead, he walked straight into Qiao Zilin’s courtyard.
“Lass, the roof beam ceremony can be held the day after tomorrow. According to custom, you’ll need red cloth, ritual offerings, sweets, and copper coins.”
Hearing that, Qiao Zilin immediately reached for her delicate embroidered silk pouch. Just as she was about to take out some silver, Old Man Guan hurriedly stopped her.
“No need to give me more money. There’s still some left from the five hundred taels you handed me earlier. These ceremony items must be bought by the homeowner personally, outsiders can’t do it for you. I only came to remind you.”
Qiao Zilin understood at once.
Since arriving here, she had not even visited the local marketplace yet. Taking this chance to stroll around town tomorrow sounded rather enjoyable.
“Alright, Grandpa Guan. We’ll head to the market tomorrow. Could you tell me exactly what we need to buy?”
Old Man Guan waved his hand dismissively.
“Just go to the Xiao family shop in Ping’an Town tomorrow. Tell Old Man Xiao you’re preparing for a roof beam ceremony, and he’ll arrange everything for you.”
Qiao Zilin smiled warmly.
“Thank you, Grandpa Guan. Since you’ve come all this way, why not stay for dinner tonight?”
The moment dinner was mentioned, Old Man Guan immediately remembered the braised pork Qiao Zilin had made before. Even now, the rich flavor still lingered in his memory.
His eyes instantly brightened.
“Wonderful! I love your cooking the most, Lass. Looks like I’m lucky again tonight!”
Qiao Zilin laughed softly.
“Then go chat with Grandpa Liu for a while. Qing Mei will call you once dinner is ready.”
“Alright then! Thank you for your hard work, Lass.”
After Old Man Guan left, Qiao Zilin turned to look at the two ducks sitting on the kitchen counter.
Should she braise them? Fry them? Stew them?
They had been eating spicy dishes almost every day lately, so tonight she wanted something lighter, but still flavorful enough to go with rice.
In the middle of summer, nothing was more appetizing than duck stewed with pickled radish.
They already had homemade pickled radishes prepared, and the ducks had been cleaned as well. After a moment of thought, she decided to make Old Duck Soup with Pickled Radish.
Standing by the courtyard wall, Qing Mei was busy watering the melons and vegetables.
“Qing Mei,” Qiao Zilin called out, “go to the pickling jar in the storage room and bring me four or five pickled radishes, a piece of pickled ginger, and a few pickled peppers.”
“Right away, Miss!”
Qing Mei quickly set aside her tools and hurried off.
Qiao Zilin glanced toward the vegetables growing along the wall. The plants were thriving beautifully.
Small purple eggplants dangled from the branches, long beans hung in clusters, and crisp green cucumbers peeked out beneath the leaves.
Soon, these vegetables would all end up on their dining table.
At least from now on, she would no longer need to worry every day about what to cook.
Carrying a bowl and chopsticks, Qing Mei briskly headed toward the storage room, while Qiao Zilin entered the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Besides the duck soup, she planned to make a stir-fried mushroom dish and a plate of wild greens.
The shiitake mushrooms had been gathered earlier by Shiyi and the others from fallen logs in the orchard. They had collected half a basket, just enough for one meal.
Wild mushrooms always tasted especially delicious.
Qiao Zilin had even instructed them to move the decaying logs behind the kitchen into a shaded area so the mushrooms could continue growing more easily.
Just as she finished washing the mushrooms, Qing Mei returned carrying the pickled radishes.
The sour aroma immediately drifted into Qiao Zilin’s nose, making her mouth water at once.
Unable to resist, she sliced off a small piece and popped it into her mouth.
“Mm, delicious! Qing Mei, want some?”
Qing Mei shook her head so quickly it almost blurred.
“Miss, just smelling it already makes my teeth ache. If I eat any now, I won’t be able to chew the meat later.”
Qiao Zilin burst into laughter.
“Then hurry and wash the wok, start the fire too. I’ll finish cleaning the vegetables and begin cooking.”
Tonight’s wild greens had been picked from beside the newly dug fish pond.
Ever since the pond was excavated, large patches of greenery had sprouted along the muddy banks. Qiao Zilin recognized them immediately as nightshade greens.
They could be added to soup or stir-fried, and they happened to be one of her favorite wild vegetables.
By the time the greens were cleaned, Qing Mei had already heated the wok.
Once the remaining moisture evaporated, Qiao Zilin poured in oil and heated it until it was nearly smoking.
Holding the duck by the neck, she lowered it into the wok and slowly rotated it to brown the skin evenly.
This step was essential for rendering out the excess fat.
When the skin turned lightly golden, she poured in a spoonful of white liquor and continued turning the duck.
As the fragrant aroma rose from the sizzling meat, she added the pickled radish, pickled ginger, and pickled peppers, stir-frying everything together before pouring in hot water.
The soup quickly came to a boil over high heat.
After skimming away the foam, she tossed in a dozen Sichuan peppercorns along with several slices of old ginger.
Finally, she lowered the fire and let the soup simmer slowly.
“Miss, what is this dish called? It smells incredible.”
Qing Mei could not help asking.
Ever since the Miss married Long Zhenting, Qing Mei felt as though her mistress had become a completely different person.
Back at the Prime Minister’s estate, although the two of them often cooked for themselves, there had never been such a variety of dishes. The old Qiao Zilin had always seemed restrained and cautious.
But now, she was lively, relaxed, and free.
Perhaps leaving the suffocating Prime Minister’s residence had finally allowed her to become her true self.
Qing Mei liked this version of her mistress far more.
Naturally, Qiao Zilin had no idea what Qing Mei was thinking.
“This dish is called Old Duck Soup with Pickled Radish. Your job now is to watch the fire.”
With that, she turned and walked out of the kitchen.
By dusk, the duck had already simmered for over an hour.
The entire kitchen was filled with the mouthwatering fragrance of rich duck broth blended with the sharp, appetizing aroma of pickled radish.
Qiao Zilin lifted the lid and removed the two ducks from the pot before using scissors to cut them into pieces.
After simmering for so long, the meat had become incredibly tender. Even the duck wings could be pulled apart effortlessly.
“Qing Mei, go call everyone back for dinner!”
“Yes, Miss!”
Fifteen minutes later, the group returned.
The moment they stepped into the courtyard, the irresistible aroma instantly revived their spirits.
“Madam, it smells amazing!”
Shiyi’s eyes practically glowed with excitement. As the biggest glutton among them, he nearly started drooling on the spot.
Qiao Zilin glanced at them with amusement.
“Go wash your hands first, then we’ll eat.”
Once everyone cleaned up, they gathered around the table, all staring at the large basin of duck soup.
None of them had ever imagined duck could smell this fragrant.
In their memories, duck meat was always gamey and unpleasant, almost as fishy as raw river fish. That was why they rarely ate it.
“Alright, stop staring and start eating.”
Qiao Zilin picked up her bowl and took the first sip.
The soup was fresh, savory, and rich, without the slightest trace of unpleasant odor.
She picked up a piece of duck meat next.
Tender, flavorful, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
This was only the second time Old Man Guan had tasted Qiao Zilin’s cooking, yet the moment he drank the soup, he felt as though his taste buds had completely awakened.
“Lass, this is duck meat? There’s not even the slightest gamey taste! Delicious, absolutely delicious!”
Duck naturally carried a strong odor, but Qiao Zilin had carefully removed the oil glands, the main source of the smell.
Combined with the technique of searing the skin first and adding white liquor during cooking, the unpleasant odor disappeared entirely, leaving behind only the rich and savory flavor of the duck itself.