“Father, how are you feeling after taking your medicine today?”
Leaning against the headboard, Father Song slowly sat up. His complexion was still pale from his illness, but he looked much better than before. “I’m fine. The medicine Yining prescribed has helped a lot.”
“That’s good.” Song Ci lowered his gaze and spoke gently. “Yining specifically warned that you shouldn’t let your emotions fluctuate too much. From now on, you need to rest peacefully and focus on recovering your health.”
Father Song glanced out the window before asking, “By the way, why are you still at home at this hour?”
“Your health isn’t good, so I already told the Xu family that I’d stay home and keep you company for the next few days.”
Hearing this, Father Song let out a soft sigh and spoke earnestly. “I’m getting old. It’s only natural to have health problems now and then. You don’t need to worry about me all the time. You, on the other hand, are a husband now. The person you should care about most is your wife. If Mingzhu has any shortcomings, you ought to patiently advise and guide her, not avoid and evade things whenever problems arise.”
With just a few sentences, Father Song laid bare the thoughts Song Ci had been keeping to himself.
Song Ci’s emotions were incredibly complicated.
Back then, becoming a live-in son-in-law had not been his choice. He had only agreed because his father insisted on repaying a life-saving favor. If Xu Mingzhu had been more reasonable, he could have endured it out of filial piety. But the two of them were simply not suited for each other.
“Father, Xu Mingzhu and I really—”
Before he could finish, Xu Ming’an’s voice rang out from the courtyard. “Uncle Song, Aunt Song! My little sister personally made some braised pork and asked me to bring some over for you to try.”
The courtyard instantly fell silent.
A moment later, Mother Song’s surprised voice sounded. “You mean… Mingzhu made this braised pork herself?”
“Of course.” Xu Ming’an laughed cheerfully. “She’s planning to sell it in town tomorrow, so she made some for everyone to taste first. Auntie, my family’s waiting for me to come back for dinner, so I won’t stay any longer.”
His footsteps gradually faded into the distance, and the courtyard returned to quiet.
The tension on Father Song’s face eased considerably. His eyes brimmed with gratification as he patted the edge of the bed.
“A Ci, you see? All that patience and guidance you’ve shown her have finally paid off.”
Song Ci barely heard him. His gaze settled on Mother Song as she entered the room, carrying the fragrant aroma of braised pork.
Xu Mingzhu? Cooking? On a normal day, she would complain endlessly even about carrying a bowl of rice, let alone preparing an entire meal herself. Yet now she had not only cooked but even sent food over to his parents. Yesterday she had brought up divorce and acted completely unlike her usual unreasonable, shrewish self. Today, she had rushed in without hesitation to save someone on the street. And now she had suddenly transformed into a gentle, virtuous woman.
Scene after scene flashed through his mind. As unbelievable as it sounded, he had witnessed it all with his own eyes.
Come to think of it, Xu Mingzhu had seemed off ever since the night before last. Such a drastic change was hard not to suspect. Could she have simply changed tactics? Realizing that forceful methods wouldn’t work, was she now trying a softer approach?
The thought darkened Song Ci’s expression. No matter what happened, he was determined to divorce her.
“By the way, what were you about to say just now?” Father Song’s voice pulled him back to reality.
As Song Ci gently rubbed his father’s back, the words on the tip of his tongue refused to come out.
Forget it. He would wait until his father fully recovered before finding another opportunity.
Meanwhile, the entire Xu household was filled with the rich aroma of meat. The family stared at the platter of glossy, reddish-brown braised pork, glistening with oil and looking irresistibly appetizing.
Once Xu Ming’an sat down, Mother Xu picked up a piece with her chopsticks and placed it in Xu Mingzhu’s bowl first. “Mingzhu, you earned the money to buy this. You should eat first.”
“Mother, you should have it first.” Xu Mingzhu gently pushed it back. “Mother, I haven’t been a good daughter. I’ve made you worry too much.”
Mother Xu’s eyes immediately reddened. “Silly girl. I’m your mother. If I don’t worry about you, who else would I worry about?”
“Alright. Since my daughter is being so filial, I’ll try it first.” With that, she picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into her mouth.
The meat was tender and melt-in-your-mouth soft. Savory and richly seasoned, yet without the slightest hint of greasiness or gamey smell.
The moment Mother Xu took a bite, her eyes widened in shock. For a long while, she couldn’t say a word.
“Mom, how is it?” Madam Zhou asked hurriedly. Seeing Mother Xu’s reaction, she was worried that the braised pork only looked good but didn’t taste nearly as good. She quickly tried to smooth things over: “Maybe it’s just…”
“Mom, it’s alright. Little Sister hasn’t cooked much before, so it’s normal for her to be a bit rusty. At worst, I won’t go digging for wild vegetables tomorrow and will stay home to teach her.”
“It can’t be that bad, can it? It smells pretty good,” Xu Ming’an said as he picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth. The moment he tasted it, he froze. His eyes lit up instantly, and every bite was filled with astonishment.
“Second Brother, well? Say something!” Madam Zhou urged anxiously.
Xu Mingzhu started to feel uneasy as well. That shouldn’t be possible. She had tasted it while it was braising, and the flavor seemed perfectly fine. Could it be that people in this era simply didn’t like this kind of taste?
“Mother, does it taste bad?” she asked quickly.
“No, no, no!” Mother Xu snapped out of her daze, her voice full of excitement. “It’s delicious! I’ve lived more than half my life and never tasted braised pork this flavorful and well-seasoned.”
Madam Zhou looked skeptical. “Is it really that amazing?”
“Why don’t you try it yourself and find out?” Mother Xu replied.
With permission granted, Madam Zhou eagerly picked up a piece. “Let me see…” As soon as it entered her mouth, the rich aroma of the braising spices exploded across her tongue. The meat, perfectly balanced between lean and fat, was tender without being dry, rich without being greasy. Her eyes widened instantly. “My heavens! This tastes like something only wealthy families in the city could afford to eat. Little Sister, the recipe you found is incredible!”
Mother Xu snorted. “And I wonder who it was that said she’d call my Mingzhu ‘Big Sister’ if she ever managed to make money.”
“Mother!” Madam Zhou interrupted awkwardly. “When did I ever say that? You must have heard wrong.”
“I heard it too,” Xu Ming’an chimed in through a mouthful of food.
“Enough. Even meat this delicious can’t stop your tongues from wagging.” Mother Xu grumbled as she stuffed another piece of pork into his bowl.
“If only Big Brother could taste it too…” Madam Zhou began, but fell silent under Mother Xu’s gaze.
Xu Mingzhu set down her chopsticks and went into the kitchen. When she returned, she carried a plate. “Eldest Sister-in-law, I set aside a plate this afternoon after the braised meat was finished. You haven’t visited Big Brother in quite some time, have you? Why not bring it to him tomorrow? We’ve already hired an ox cart for the trip, so we can give you a ride.”
Madam Zhou’s eyes reddened slightly. “Really?”
Xu Mingzhu smiled. “He’s my big brother. Why wouldn’t it be alright?”
After a moment of silence, Madam Zhou replied, “But aren’t you going to sell the braised meat tomorrow? I’d better stay and help out. I can visit him in a few days.”
“No need.” Xu Mingzhu looked around at the family. “We don’t even know yet if this business will work, so we won’t be making much tomorrow. Second Brother and I can handle it. Too many people would only make things chaotic.”
“But…” Madam Zhou still hesitated.
Xu Mingzhu was usually so unreliable. If she embarrassed herself, it would be the Xu family’s reputation at stake.
Though, admittedly, Madam Zhou desperately wanted her husband to taste this wonderfully fragrant braised pork.
“Don’t worry. If I really need your help, I won’t hesitate to ask. Just go, and please give Big Brother my regards as well.”
Madam Zhou turned to Mother Xu, her eyes full of hope.
Mother Xu placed a piece of pork onto the plate. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen your eldest brother in quite some time either. Your condition makes traveling inconvenient, so I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
Overjoyed, Madam Zhou exclaimed, “Alright! I’ll go. Thank you, Mother.”
After everyone had eaten their fill, the family turned in early for the night.
Xu Mingzhu, however, remained awake. The family already had a scale at home. She had also bought plenty of oil paper and hemp twine when purchasing the spices. The only thing left was setting the price.
In this era, one jin equaled sixteen liang. Pork cost thirty wen per jin, while pork offal cost twelve wen per jin.
After calculating the costs of spices and labor, Xu Mingzhu finally set the price at twenty wen per liang for braised pork and ten wen per liang for braised offal.
With the major decisions settled, she soon drifted off to sleep.
Before dawn the next morning, Xu Mingzhu got up and placed all the pork and offal into the master braising broth. Before long, the entire Xinghua Village seemed to wake up to the aroma.
Since today was merely a trial run, she didn’t make too much. Of the pork and offal she had bought, she braised only a little over half.
By the time it was finished, Xu Ming’an had already loaded everything onto the ox cart.
As expected, a paid ride worked much better than asking for favors. In less than half an hour, they arrived in Qingzhou City.
The two of them set up a wooden stall beneath a large tree and arranged the braised meats for display.
The moment they lifted the cotton cloth covering the food, the glossy braised pork gleamed beneath its rich brown sauce. The deep, mellow fragrance immediately spread through the area.
Nearby vendors couldn’t help sniffing the air. “What is that smell? So fragrant!”