Qin Erlin soon returned with the old duck and pork. Li Xiaoxiao immediately asked Zhang Ermei to boil water while Qin Erlin slaughtered and plucked the duck.
Li Xiaoxiao thought about what to cook for lunch. She decided to stick to the family’s usual standards but add a few extra dishes. After looking around the kitchen, she found some soaked dried bamboo shoots and bracken fern. Those ingredients would make excellent dishes. She decided on braised pork belly with dried bamboo shoots, a rich and satisfying dish that paired perfectly with rice. She also planned to stir-fry cured pork with bracken fern and tender chili peppers.
Besides those two dishes, she prepared Chinese toon scrambled eggs using the toon shoots her granddaughters had picked, a cold purslane salad, cured pork ribs, sliced cured pig ears, duck braised with young ginger and pickled bamboo shoots, and a stir-fry of pumpkin shoots. Altogether, the spread would be varied and plentiful enough to satisfy everyone’s tastes.
Although Li Xiaoxiao felt the cost was a bit high, she understood that one had to be willing to invest in order to earn more in return. After all, if she wanted to attract customers and make them willing to spend money, she had to put in some effort and expense. So despite feeling a little pained by the cost, she decided to make the meal as generous as possible and ensure everyone enjoyed themselves.
After giving instructions, Li Xiaoxiao remained in the kitchen overseeing everything. Yet she felt vaguely uneasy, as though something important was missing. While working, she wracked her brain trying to figure out what it was. Finally, when her gaze landed on Qin Dafu, the fog in her mind suddenly cleared—it was wine!
Just then, Qin Dafu walked in carrying a heavy two-jin jar of liquor. Li Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. She immediately realized that the source of her uneasiness had indeed been the lack of good wine.
Meanwhile, Qin Dashu and Zhang Laifu had already become acquainted and were leisurely strolling back. Soon after, Qin Youzhang and Qin Dafu arrived as well. Another round of warm greetings followed. The four men then moved into the main hall, while Qin Daya led Dahua and Erya in serving tea to the guests. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, and once the tea had been served, the girls quietly withdrew.
Sitting in the main hall, Zhang Laifu observed the scene before him and sighed inwardly. Although this family came from humble farming roots, they clearly put great effort into educating their children. He noticed that Qin Daya carried herself with poise and confidence—neither timid nor arrogant. Her calm and balanced demeanor left a favorable impression on him.
At noon, the warm sunlight bathed the earth. It was time for lunch, one of the liveliest moments of the day. Because guests were present, the family arranged separate tables for men and women. The men gathered around a round table in the bright main hall, chatting and laughing. The women sat in the smaller dining room where the family usually ate, talking as they enjoyed their meal.
The lunch was especially lavish. The table was covered with delicious dishes, all made from produce and livestock raised by the family themselves. Fresh and flavorful, every dish released an enticing aroma. Zhang Laifu secretly regretted not bringing a more generous gift. Now he could only sit down and enjoy the feast before him.
Looking at the spread, he could not help but think, “Farmers really are sincere people.” Though they lived simply, they spared no effort in treating guests well, serving the very best food they had.
As soon as he tasted the dishes, Zhang Laifu immediately noticed that they were somehow different from what he usually ate. As the manager of a restaurant, he instantly sensed a business opportunity.
“Brother Dashu,” he asked, “these dishes taste different from the usual ones. They’re made from the same ingredients, yet they’re much more delicious. What’s the reason?”
“Well… I don’t really know,” Qin Dashu replied awkwardly, scratching his head. “My wife and sisters-in-law handle all the cooking. I just eat. Let me call my wife over to explain.”
He quickly fetched Wang Zhaodi.
As soon as Wang Zhaodi entered, Zhang Laifu eagerly asked, “Sister-in-law, these dishes are clearly different from ordinary ones. They taste much better. What’s the secret?”
Wang Zhaodi laughed.
“I thought it was something serious! They’re tastier because Mother has us use different seasonings now. Take this purslane salad, for example. Besides the usual salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil, we also add minced garlic and minced ginger.”
“Ginger can be used as a seasoning?” Zhang Laifu asked, even more puzzled.
“Of course it can. Mother says ginger is a wonderful thing. Not only can it be used as medicine, but it can also remove the gamey smell from meat and improve its flavor. You can even cook it as a vegetable!”
Zhang Laifu thought that Wang Zhaodi and Qin Dashu truly were husband and wife—their way of speaking was exactly alike.
“Oh? It can be eaten as a vegetable too?”
“Try this duck dish. Those thin strips inside are tender young ginger shoots.”
At that moment, Zhang Laifu felt that coming here today had been absolutely worthwhile. This year, the generous New Year’s bonus at Hongyun Restaurant would surely be his.
The meal ended with both host and guests thoroughly satisfied.
After lunch, Qin Dashu invited his mother over. In the presence of Qin Youzhang and Qin Dafu, they signed a contract for the pickled bamboo shoots. Zhang Laifu paid a deposit of fifty taels of silver, with the remainder to be paid once all the bamboo shoots had been delivered.
In addition, he had all the young ginger from three fen of farmland dug up and hauled away that very afternoon. He also purchased dried bracken fern, dried bamboo shoots, and dried mushrooms. Even the ducks that had long been a headache for Qin Youzhang’s family were included in a purchase contract, with another fifty-tael deposit paid upfront.
Before leaving, he specifically watched Wang Zhaodi prepare another batch of duck braised with young ginger and pickled bamboo shoots, as well as braised pork belly with dried bamboo shoots. Delighted, he packed them up and took them with him.
It wasn’t only Zhang Laifu who was happy. Li Xiaoxiao’s products had finally been sold! The ducks that Qin Youzhang’s family had struggled to sell and that kept multiplying had also found a buyer. Qin Youzhang was especially pleased that he had treated Li Xiaoxiao’s family well. As expected, whenever good fortune came their way, they didn’t forget his family.
Half a month later, Zhang Laifu returned to collect all the pickled bamboo shoots and dried vegetables. He personally came to settle the account, paying five hundred taels of silver. When Li Xiaoxiao told him he had paid too much, he replied that the extra fifty taels were payment for the recipes of the two dishes.
By then, the watermelons were already as large as a baby’s fist. Seeing them filled Zhang Laifu with joy, and he immediately reserved the entire watermelon crop from the three-fen plot as well. After receiving warm hospitality from the whole family, he left cheerfully.
Since Li Xiaoxiao’s family had run out of dried bamboo shoots and dried bracken fern, Zhang Laifu also purchased large quantities of dried vegetables, fresh vegetables, chickens, and ducks from other households in Qin Family Village.
For a time, the villagers’ attitude toward Li Xiaoxiao changed. Where they had once feared her, they now held a degree of respect for her.
After seeing Zhang Laifu off, Li Xiaoxiao noticed several hostile gazes among the crowd of onlookers. Standing at her doorway, she looked over and saw that they belonged to Qin Yougui’s family.
Following her line of sight, Qin Dashu and Qin Daya immediately felt uneasy. Hatred rose in Qin Daya’s heart.
Why couldn’t that family stand to see them doing well?