Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: This Cold Noodles Is Really Delicious
Chapter 128: This Cold Noodles Is Really Delicious
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Old Mistress Wang extended her bowl and said, “Give me some. I want to try.”
Qiao Mai added a little for her. The old lady tasted it and nodded, “Everyone has their taste. It’s quite good.”
The children slurped their noodles and struggled.
“Mother, this food is so delicious. It’s a bit spicy, but we can handle this level of spiciness.”
“Enjoy it! I’ll have the kitchen make it for you. In the summer, I’ll teach them to make sour and sweet cold noodles, hot dry noodles, and sticky rice cakes.”
When Qiao Mai mentioned this, everyone’s mouths started watering again.
While they talked, Shopkeeper Lu arrived. There were plenty of cold noodles, and Shopkeeper Lu knew what she meant with a gesture.
“Eat up. This is the recipe I gave to your daughter. As her mother, you haven’t tried it yet, right?”
Shopkeeper Lu paused while eating. “This is the recipe you gave her?”
“Yes!”
“This snack is unexpectedly delicious. No wonder you said it’s profitable.”
“I’ve been to her shop. In one day, bowls like these can sell over a thousand. It was twenty coins per bowl. Can you imagine the profits?”
“The cost of this stuff isn’t high, is it?”
“It’s made with white flour paste. Do you think it’s expensive?”
Shopkeeper Lu looked at the cold noodles and took a bite with frustration. “The Feng family is so greedy. They have such a lucrative business, but they still want more recipes. Ugh!”
“Yeah, I gave your daughter a recipe like this. If she manages it well, she can make over a hundred thousand taels of silver a year. But she doesn’t want to work hard for it and only thinks about getting more recipes from me.”
“She can do as she pleases. Don’t be mad. I’m even angrier. When she left that day, she said she wanted to look around in the kitchen. I was fuming at the time.”
“Even if you were mad, she still went. It’s just that Shopkeeper Niu didn’t let the two of them in.”
Shopkeeper Lu took a deep breath. “Sister, you did the right thing. Don’t recognize her as your disciple anymore. As her mother, I’ve done my duty. If she wants to do whatever she wants, let her. We’ll live our own lives.”
Old Mistress Wang added, “She even took some people from the Feng family and went to my place on the first day of the New Year. It’s the second time she disrespected Madam Qiao.”
Shopkeeper Lu instantly felt that the cold noodles weren’t tasty anymore. “I’m sorry, Old Mistress Wang. It’s my fault for not teaching her properly.”
“It’s okay. Let’s eat first. It’s not that she’s bad; you’re blind. You picked such an in-law. She was a good child, but they’ve turned her into this.”
These cold noodles were delicious. Except for Shopkeeper Lu, everyone had two bowls. The room was warm. Otherwise, the cold noodles would have been a bit too chilly.
They sat in the room, sipping hot soup. Shopkeeper Lu felt uneasy and excused herself to leave.
This was another blow for her.
If the Feng family knew how to handle things, they wouldn’t have asked for the recipe, let alone instigate her daughter to go to the Wang family.
Even if she wanted to go, she should have informed Qiao Mai beforehand.
This was frustrating for her. If it weren’t for the fact that things had already been set in motion, she wanted to rush to the Feng family and have a big fight with them.
She felt so wronged.
After Old Mister Wang returned, he immediately started giving extra lessons to Yuan Jiaqi. The children had class in the morning and the afternoon.
As for why he wanted to send him to the Windforest Academy, Old Mister Wang explained it this way.
If Yuan Jiaqi only studied under him, he would only listen to his interpretation.
The Windforest Academy was a gathering place for talents, and there, he could hear different people’s opinions on various aspects, which would broaden his horizons.
Qiao Mai agreed without hesitation. “Send him! ”
Seeing her enthusiastic agreement, Old Mister Wang said casually, “My dear, it costs a lot to send him there.”
“With the income from my Qiao’s Small Eatery before the New Year, I make seven thousand taels monthly. After deducting costs, I still earn five thousand. Is that enough?”
“It’s enough. I forgot you also sell quite a few recipes every year.” “I have many ways to make money; selling recipes is just one of them.” “Why don’t you make more money?”
“Money is good and bad. Having too much attracts unwanted attention, and having too little isn’t enough to spend. But money is endless. I have land, property, and a shop. It’s enough for my family’s expenses. There’s no need to exhaust myself. Let me put it this way. I like a peaceful and comfortable life.” “I understand! Everyone has their aspirations; there’s no need to force it.” “I’ll entrust my husband to you, Old Mister Wang.”
“Don’t worry. I’m even more concerned than you are. If he can’t even pass the entry exam, I’d give him a good scolding.”
“Haha, I think that will work!”
Starting from the 20th day of the first lunar month, the Qiao family was quiet. Yuan Jiaqi concentrated on his studies, and the children, except for studying in the morning, practiced martial arts with Qiao Mai. They took a nap at noon, helped with cleaning the house, fed the poultry, and sometimes went to the fields to help with harvesting. Finally, they played with Ling’er in the amusement park in the evening.
Everyone knew that Yuan Jiaqi was taking the exam, so they kept quiet when they came home, and no one spoke loudly.
Meals were delivered directly to his courtyard, and no one disturbed him.
In Qiao Mai’s eyes, being an exam candidate was like the transition from elementary to middle school, the Elementary Scholars exam was like the transition from middle school to high school, the Imperial Exam exam was like going from high school to college, the Tribute Scholar exam was like going from college to university, and the Advanced Scholar was like a postdoc.
Such a small exam was too easy for twenty-three-year-old Yuan Jiaqi. She didn’t need to worry about it.
She only needed to do her job well and work on planting in the evening.
Dong Zao was put into her space. It saw an endless grassland inside and was so happy that it jumped up and roared to the sky.
Then, it played wildly on the grassland for an hour before gradually calming down.
Qiao Mai patted its head. “Do you like it here? I’ll bring you here to play often in the future. By the way, I’ll find you a wife, and you can have lots of little foals. Wait, marrying close relatives isn’t good. I’ll get more male and female horses and a few deer and musk deer to bring in. Then, this grassland will become your territory. At that time, I’ll have endless deer musk and good horses. Can you imagine?”
Thinking about how a single horse could sell for tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand taels of silver, what if the whole grassland was filled with them?
Oh, it wouldn’t be valuable anymore. Rarity makes things valuable. Good things shouldn’t be given away.
For this piece of grassland, Qiao Mai rode to the Capital and bought several young horses that had just come of age.
She also bought a few deer and a few musk deer. When she saw large parrots in the pet store, she also got several. They were vegetarian and could find food on their own.
After buying them, she found an empty spot and tossed them all into the space.
Just like Dong Zao, they went crazy when they saw the great environment and fresh air, fluttering about as if they had gone mad.
Qiao Mai rolled her eyes and didn’t care about them. She let them do as they pleased.
During her trip to the Capital, apart from buying these small animals, she also wanted to see Miss Wang. It had been a long time since she saw her. Wang Jiaru either had something to do or was busy all the time.
Arriving at the Wang Residence, she looked at the guards at the gate.
“Guard, please tell Miss Wang that Madam Qiao is here to see her.”
The guard, recognizing her, immediately cupped his fists.
“Madam Qiao, Miss Wang is traveling far away and may not return for about a month.”
“Where did she go?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t Old Mistress Wang staying at your place? You can ask her.”
Since Wang Jiaru is not here, Qiao Mai didn’t buy anything else and went home quickly.
As soon as she returned home, she put Dong Zai in the space and went to Old Mistress Wang.
“Old Mistress Wang, what is Jiaru doing?”
“Did you go to the Capital to see her?” The old lady smiled and poured her a cup of tea.
Qiao Mai took a sip while sitting down. “I just returned from the Capital.”
“She’s busy with her wedding.”
“Oh? She’s getting married? That’s great news.”
The old lady rolled her eyes. “It’s because of her own doing. Otherwise, she could have married nearby and stayed with her family and you for a comfortable life.”