Bonus chapter for Heemi
Qiao Yuan’s trial of making hotpot was very successful, and it received unanimous praise from the Yu family.
“This taste is very satisfying, it makes people feel warm and cozy after eating.”
“The broth is clear and delicious, the soup is good to drink.”
Qiao Yuan nodded and solemnly announced, “So next, I’m planning to open up a hotpot restaurant.”
Old Man Yu hesitated for a moment. “It’s nice to have in the winter, but wouldn’t it be too hot in the summer?”
“In the summer, we will switch to selling barbecue and cold pot skewers.”
Barbecue was easy to understand, Old Man Yu didn’t know what cold pot skewers were, but seeing Qiao Yuan’s confidence, he didn’t question further. His son-in-law had always been skilled in business and was guaranteed not to lose money.
The Yu family all voiced their support, chatting and laughing as they continued to compliment the various dishes. Only Qiao Wangshi was conflicted, her heart rising and falling as she reeled in shock.
“I am busy with setting up my shop, so Mother and I discussed it and decided to move to the house I rented in the county town recently.” Qiao Yuan scooped up a few meatballs for Qiao Wangshi and looked at her expectantly, “Grandma, why don’t you come with me and stay for a while? I’ll take you around the county town.”
Qiao Wangshi instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing Qiao Yuan’s bright eyes, she hesitated for a moment.
Liu Ge’er got up from his seat and ran to Qiao Wangshi’s side with a clatter, lying on her lap, going for the assist, “Grandma Qiao, you should go.”
It had been a long time since someone had needed her like this. Qiao Wangshi’s eyes became slightly moist, and she nodded with tears in her eyes.
When the members of the Yu family saw that she agreed, they were all very happy, and Qiao Yuan secretly gave a thumbs up to Liu Ge’er.
As expected of the beloved treasure of their family!
That night, Qiao Yuan packed up his things. The bedding and utensils over there had already been prepared, so he only needed to bring some clothes to change.
Yu Dameng came in after washing up outside and saw his little husband running around the chest and the bed, looking very homely. A smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Qiao Yuan saw it, and scolded him, “What are you smiling at? Come and help!”
Yu Dameng scratched his head, and his smile became even bigger. He walked to the chest, but he had no intention of taking the clothes that Qiao Yuan took out of the chest. Instead, he looked at him with a straight gaze.
Qiao Yuan felt his face heat up from his stare, “What are you doing?”
Yu Dameng slowly moved closer and lowered his head to kiss his little husband’s lips.
—
The Yu family had many people, and one ox cart was not enough for them. Yu Dameng got up early and negotiated with Wang Chefu, the cart driver from the next village, and hired him for this trip for fifteen wen.
If they only considered the number of people and luggage, they would only need to spend ten wen, but they would have to agree to let the cart driver pick up people along the way. That would be not only crowded, but also uncomfortable if they met someone they knew and had to talk more. Now that they had money at home, they didn’t need to be so frugal, and fifteen wen to book him for this trip was just right.
Old Man Yu felt it was inconvenient, and thought to himself that once he sold this batch of stoves, he would buy an ox cart for himself. That way, it would be easier to send Shanwen and Shanwu to school.
The small courtyard that Qiao Yuan rented was really quiet and secluded, especially in the morning. At this moment, apart from seeing the curling smoke from the kitchen and hearing the creaking sound of a few doors, there was no other noise.
The old lady You next door was beating eggs in her hand, and poked her head out and said, “You’re staying here again?”
She was a warm-hearted person, and when the Yu family came to stay for the first time, she even specially sent them some rice cakes. The Yu family returned the favor, and they became familiar with each other after a few exchanges.
Qiao Yuan nodded with a smile. “We have something to do with the shop, so we’re staying here for a while.”
The old lady You already knew the people of the Yu family, and Qiao Yuan deliberately helped Qiao Wangshi walk a few steps forward, and introduced her to the old lady You, “Auntie, this is my grandma.”
Auntie You smiled broadly, raising her voice thinking Madam Qiao was hard of hearing. “Auntie, you’re fortunate! Your grandson is so filial!”
Qiao Wangshi’s face held a smile, but her heart was sour. She only stroked Qiao Yuan’s hand murmuring, “Yes, yes.”
The members of the Yu family worked together and quickly settled down.
Yu Dameng and his father went back to the iron shop, and Qiao Yuan also had to go to Yu Qiao Ji and rent a shop. He had a lot of things to do, but he was a bit worried about leaving Qiao Wangshi alone.
Upon seeing this, Lin Cuifen said, “I’ll take her to buy vegetables later and show her around the neighborhood. Getting active and familiarizing herself with the neighbors will help take her mind off things.”
Qiao Yuan was touched, “Mom, thank you.”
“What are you thanking for? We’re family.” Lin Cuifen dusted off the dirt on Qiao Yuan’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, your grandma came to our house, and I’ll treat her as my own, and take good care of her.”
Mother was too kind, Qiao Yuan couldn’t help but give Lin Cuifen a hug.
Lin Cuifen patted his back and laughed, “Okay, if you don’t let go, my silly son will get jealous!”
Although Qiao Yuan usually had thick skin, he couldn’t help but blush when he was teased so bluntly by his elders. He lowered his head and ran quickly to Yu Dameng’s side.
Yu Dameng grinned foolishly and took his hand before they headed out the door.
For the hot pot restaurant’s positioning, Qiao Yuan aimed for affordable pricing. He didn’t plan on private rooms, so found a large one-story shop in a good location.
This single-story shop was much cheaper than the two-story house with a yard that Yu Qiao Ji was in. Qiao Yuan spent eighty taels to buy it.
The previous owner also ran a restaurant but had poor cooking skills and couldn’t keep it going, so they were eager to sell. This saved Qiao Yuan the effort of renovating, and all the utensils and furnishings in the shop were still usable, so Qiao Yuan bought them.
But the most important thing was the copper stove, which still required a coppersmith.
Qiao Yuan took the drawings he had prepared in advance and asked around for four coppersmiths to work together. He paid them extra and urged them to finish as soon as possible.
After all this running around, by the time Qiao Yuan returned to Yu Qiao Ji, his legs could barely hold him up.
Chu Li came up to greet him, and asked loudly, “Ah Yuan, why didn’t you come to the shop yesterday?”
“Ah Yin came the day before yesterday, just when you had left, and he came again yesterday, but you weren’t in. Did something happen at home?”
Qiao Yuan guessed that Pei Yin probably wanted to come and thank them for delivering the recipe that day, so he smiled, “Please pass on a message for me and invite him to come over tomorrow.”
Chu Li nodded and ordered a little servant to bring tea to Qiao Yuan.
Qiao Yuan asked in detail about the shop’s affairs in the past two days and saw that there was nothing unusual. He felt relieved and sat in the shop for a while before he went home worried.
The alley was not as quiet as it was in the morning. Liu Ge’er was playing games with a few kids in the alley.
As soon as Qiao Yuan walked into the alley, Liu Ge’er ran over to him with his little legs. Qiao Yuan picked him up, and seeing that no one was with him, he asked, “Where are your fourth and fifth brothers?”
“They went to watch people fighting!” Liu Ge’er said angrily. They had agreed to come out and play together, but his two older brothers had left him behind.
Qiao Yuan reached out and flicked his nose, “Why don’t you go home? What if you run into a kidnapper?”
Liu Ge’er stuck out his tongue and wrapped his arms around Qiao Yuan’s neck and acted coquettishly. Qiao Yuan smiled and carried him home.
Lin Cuifen was preparing the fish in the kitchen. When she saw him come back, she said, “Your grandma is asleep.”
“I took her around earlier which tired her out, so I told her to rest.” Lin Cuifen emphasized happily to Qiao Yuan, “She fell asleep as soon as she laid down!”
Qiao Yuan thought that was good. Expending energy prevented sadness. He saw Lin Cuifen frying fish and wondered, “Mom, are we having fish for dinner today?”
Yu Shanwen and Yu Shanwu were big, but they were still children in their teens. They ate fast and eagerly, and Lin Cuifen was afraid that they would choke, so she didn’t usually make fish.
Lin Cuifen flipped the fish over, and answered, “I’m making fish soup for your grandma. She’s old, and fish is easy to digest.”
According to Yu Dameng, his grandfather was still a landlord when he married his grandmother, who was a landlord’s daughter. When it was time for his father to arrange a marriage, the Yu family was already in debt, so they could only propose to Lin Cuifen, who came from a less well-off farming family.
As a result, Grandma Yu didn’t think highly of Lin Cuifen, and their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was not very harmonious. After Grandma Yu passed away, Lin Cuifen finally became the mistress of the house after enduring years of being a daughter-in-law.
Although Qiao Wangshi was not a domineering or difficult person, she still ranked above Lin Cuifen, and she had saved Lin Cuifen’s life. In a sense, how was that different from serving a mother-in-law?
Qiao Yuan felt sorry for Lin Cuifen and immediately decided to hire a maidservant for the Qiao Wangshi.
Lin Cuifen thought it was unnecessary, “Why do you need to hire someone? I already take care of her every day.”
Qiao Yuan washed his hands and snatched the spatula from Lin Cuifen’s hand and said, “Mom, when we go back to the village, I have to go to the shop during the day, and I don’t have time to take care of grandma. I’m not at ease if no one is watching her.”
Lin Cuifen also thought about it and agreed. She could go to Qiao Yuan’s place in the village to take care of Qiao Wangshi, but people in the village like to gossip. Over time, it’s inevitable that there will be rumors, which would not be good for Qiao Yuan.
“What about An Ge’er’s mother? She has a gentle temperament, and she is a reliable person. It would also let her earn some extra money.” Lin Cuifen suggested.
After careful consideration, Qiao Yuan felt that it was not appropriate. An Ge’er’s mother was also a person who had suffered a lot. If she and Qiao Wangshi were together, wouldn’t they be constantly reminded of their past sorrows?
Upon hearing what Qiao Yuan said, Lin Cuifen felt that it made sense. The two of them sympathized with each other, and Qiao Wangshi would probably think of the past just by looking at her. She quickly rejected the proposal, but she couldn’t think of anyone suitable from the village or nearby acquaintances.
Qiao Yuan said, “I’ll find someone in the county town.”
He imagined it and felt a bit funny, “I’ll find someone who can talk and work well, and who knows the county town well. Then I’ll ask her to take you to the theater to watch a play, to the street to buy some clothes and jewelry, to the temple to pray, and to go around everywhere.”
Lin Cuifen laughed, “Then wouldn’t I become an old lady from a landlord’s family? All I have to do all day is eat, drink, play, and have fun, without having to do anything else!”
“Mom.” Qiao Yuan leaned close to her and said seriously, “Big brother is studying, and he has a chance of becoming an official. Dameng and I can earn so much money every day, Shanwen and Shanwu will go to school next year, and Xiao Liu’er is obedient and doesn’t make trouble. You don’t have to confine yourself to us and the kitchen all day, if you like, you can certainly go around and have some fun.”
Lin Cuifen’s eyes lit up, “I…I watched a puppet show once before, it was very interesting.”
Qiao Yuan stroked his chin. “I heard Boss Zhu of Yuhuchun say the best puppet shows in town are at Qingyin Garden.” He smiled. “I’ll take you and Grandma there tomorrow before going to the shop.”
Lin Cuifen was a little moved by what he said, “Okay! Then…then mother will benefit from your help!”
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter.
