Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chapter 328 The Importance of Money

"Oh, young people are so great!" Sister-in-law Nie exclaimed.

"What's wrong? Didn't your brother Nie let you go to Bianjing?" Aunt Liu asked cryptically.

"They're so drunk! They've never even been to Linxia, ​​let alone Bianjing..." Sister-in-law Nie was stir-frying pork, complaining as she spoke.

Aunt Li covered her mouth and chuckled, while Aunt Liu said boldly, "I know a folk remedy, why don't you take it and try it?"

Sister-in-law Nie paused in her stir-frying of the pork, which was already releasing oil and some lean meat was slightly browned and sizzling, emitting a fragrant aroma. "Let's forget it. He's fine as long as he doesn't drink. At least he can still go to Linxia."

"She's old enough, don't be too picky!" Aunt Liu concluded.

Camellia, who was passing by delivering fish, blushed and quickly left. Getting old really changes you; you can joke about anything, meat or vegetables.

Chen Wenfang didn't mind at all. She ate the crispy and oily egg and meat pie, listened to their laughter and teasing, and sighed at the joy of life. "Hey, this meat pie is so delicious. The lean meat is mixed with a few bits of fat, and there are some things that look like tofu and water chestnuts. It's refreshing but not so meaty that it doesn't lack texture."

"Who made this meat pie? It's so delicious." Chen Wenfang asked while eating, not realizing that she had already eaten two. She wasn't a glutton, but she still couldn't resist. Hmm, I'll have one more.

"This was specially made for you by your Aunt Liu. She came early this morning and has been busy all morning. There were only a few of them, and no one else had any, so it's naturally delicious." Sister-in-law Nie measured the heat perfectly, took out the pork that had been fried until it was golden brown and oily, sprinkled some salt on it, and put the fresh fish in to fry directly. The fish couldn't be moved while frying; it had to be left to fry for a while. Sister-in-law Nie put the lid on the pot and started chatting with them again.

Chen Wenfang was touched. Aunt Liu must have noticed that she hadn't had a good appetite lately and made this especially for her. She was better than a biological mother. She stared at Aunt Hu, who was shelling peanuts in the yard, lost in thought.

"What bad things are you saying about me?" Aunt Liu asked with a smile as she returned from checking on the pastry workshop.

"You're flattering me. These pancakes are really good. I've already eaten three. Thank you, Aunt Liu," Chen Wenfang said with a smile, getting up and taking her arm.

"I'm glad you like it. There's no need to be polite. It's just a small favor. I'm happy if you enjoy your meal." Aunt Liu patted her hand affectionately. The two were more like mother and daughter than mother and daughter. Standing together, they looked so warm and loving. Aunt Hu watched from afar and felt a strange sting in her eyes.

In the afternoon, on the main street of Lijia Town, Wang Xiaoming drove his horse-drawn carriage to the blacksmith's shop to find tools as Chen Wenfang had asked. A-Xing and the others also arrived. A-Yue looked at Chen's shop across a few stalls and recognized Wang Xiaoming.

"Sigh, look at that guy, why don't we go up and kill him?" Ah Yue recalled the pain of being ganged up on that day.

"Are you crazy? Why do you kill people for no reason? Our mission isn't about him, what's the point of killing him?" Ah Xing said bluntly.

"You! Humph!" Ah Yue's eyes widened, but she suddenly deflated and didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Fried oil cakes, fragrant and sweet oil cakes!" A food stall on the street kept calling out, which annoyed A-Yue even more. She ran over and bought a few, while A-Xing remained unmoved and waited anxiously.

"Aren't you going to eat?" A-Yue deliberately placed the golden-brown, crispy, and fragrant fried sugar cake in front of him.

"I won't eat it!" Ah Xing glanced at it and answered decisively.

"Hmph!" A-Yue started eating by herself, smacking her lips deliberately as she ate. To be honest, the fried cake was really fragrant, soft, chewy and sweet, and the more you chewed it, the more fragrant it became, with a bit of a pumpkin flavor.

Ah Xing stared at Chen Ji's place like he was looking at the stars and the moon. The street was crowded and no one paid any attention to him. Finally, a young man dressed as a servant came out carrying a heavy food box that looked like it was not light. He walked to the street and stood at the intersection looking around.

Ah Xing quickly waved to signal, and the servant came over carrying the things. Ah Xing led him into the inn, took out the dishes from under the food box, gave him some silver, and then sent him away.

The table was laden with six meat dishes, all of which were famous Chen Ji's signature dishes: boiled fish slices, boiled pork slices, dry pot chicken, braised beef, stewed mutton, and old duck soup.

A slight spiciness hit his nostrils—it was that familiar taste! Ah Xing's mouth watered just looking at it; he had been craving it.

"Oh! So you don't eat fried cakes. Looks like there's a whole table of good wine and food waiting for you. But so many dishes must be expensive. Where did you get the money?" Ah Yue was always sarcastic.

"Of course I stole it!" Ah Xing answered confidently.

Where was it stolen?

"That guy who robbed someone last time? If he can rob others, of course I can rob him too." Ah Xing smiled wickedly. Oh dear, Yang Ge isn't back yet, he's starving.

Just then, Zhao Yang returned. As soon as he sat down, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating. "Hmm, Chen Ji's dishes are really good." He picked up a large skewer of meat slices dripping with chili oil and coated with fragrant sesame seeds, and stuffed it all into his mouth with a mouthful of white rice. "Ah, so satisfying!"

Ah Xing wasn't idle either. The moment he picked up his chopsticks, he reached out with them, his target naturally being braised beef, as he had a particular fondness for beef.

Watching the two of them eat with their mouths full of oil and the aroma, A-Yue couldn't resist any longer. She grabbed some chopsticks and a bowl, filled it with rice, and started eating too. Oh my, how did they make it? There's such delicious fish in the world, so tender and smooth. And she wasn't very hungry, plus the bones were perfect for her to savor slowly.

After eating about half his fill, Zhao Yang finally spoke, "We've made contact. The general said that a steward named Zhong will be coming tomorrow, and we'll follow his instructions."

"Great, saves me the trouble." Ah Xing sighed as he ate non-stop, then went to get another bowl of rice. No wonder he runs a restaurant; the rice here is cooked much better. Now he understands the importance of having money.

At Chen Ji's restaurant, an old scholar-looking swordsman ordered three dishes: boiled fish fillets, braised pork, and stewed pork knuckle. Wang Xiaoer did not look down on him because of his shabby clothes. Soon the dishes were served, and the old gentleman asked Wang Xiaoer to fill the gourd with wine. Wang Xiaoer did as he was told.

The old gentleman ate slowly, taking sips of wine and bites of meat, for over an hour.

Hu Chengxin looked at it again and again, but still didn't say anything.

When the old gentleman finished the last bite of meat and got up to leave, Wang Xiaoer noticed that all three dishes on the table had been eaten clean, with not a single thing left. Wang Xiaoer was very happy; restaurant owners love customers like this, even though the old gentleman didn't seem to be asking for the bill.

"Where is your boss?" the old man asked slowly.

"I wonder what brings you to our boss, sir? She's not here right now," Hu Chengxin said politely.

The old scholar looked around and saw a basket of tofu being delivered to the corner of the wall.

"You, go get one and put it here!" The old man raised his head.

The diners were all captivated by what he was saying, wondering what he was up to.