Chapter 46

At Qiao Mai's stall, with no more excitement to watch, the people dispersed, and the Town Chief came to the stall.

"You owe me another favor. The Yueyuan Festival is coming up. Send some gifts to this old man, will you?"

Lu Sanniang raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"Fresh food. You two sisters want to..." Then he turned and walked away with a smile.

Qiao Mai laughed. "Sister, is this another foodie?"

"Let him eat himself to death. He's so old and still greedy. Since he wants to eat, why don't you make him something fresh?"

"When is the Yueyuan Festival?"

"The fifteenth of the eighth month, in ten days or so."

"All right. Let me think. Do we have mooncakes here?"

"No mooncakes, but there are crispy cakes, round like the moon. Actually, it doesn't matter if you celebrate it or not. Farmers don't celebrate it. Only wealthy families celebrate it, worshipping the moon, setting up altars, and offering tributes."

"The Town Chief must come from a wealthy family, right?"

"Yes, he truly comes from a wealthy family."

"Is there something between you and the Town Chief?"

Lu Sanniang rolled her eyes guiltily. "What could there be? He's an old geezer, I don't fancy him at all. Hmph!"

Qiao Mai smiled, took a deep breath, sat down, and took out her embroidery from the basket.

Shopkeeper Lu sat beside her. "How are those two children doing at your place?"

"Quite well. They are very diligent. Help me watch the stall at noon; I'm going to buy some things to take home."

"You are truly good to them. Sister is jealous."

"I'm good to you too. Come to my house on the fifteenth of the eighth month. I've learned a few dishes recently and will make them for you."

"That's more like it."

Shopkeeper Lu returned to her shop, and the small stall returned to calm.

At noon, Qiao Mai bought ten steamed buns and ten mantou from the baozi shop and returned home with a basket.

The two little ones were sitting obediently in the courtyard. Hearing the knock, they quickly opened the gate.

"Mother, you're back?"

"Yes. Mother was busy during the day, so I bought you some baozi for lunch. Boil half a pot of water, and we'll eat together."

"All right, Mother."

One went to boil water, and the other brought her a stool. Qiao Mai placed the baozi on the table and put the mantou in the kitchen.

The eldest son set out three bowls. "Mother, there's nothing to do at home. Why don't we help you watch the stall? That way, Mother can free up your hands to do something else."

"How can there be nothing to do? Mother is raising many little quail in the east and west wing rooms, and they need you to take care of them."

"Quail?"

"Yes."

Qiao Mai saw the second son adding firewood to the stove and beckoned him over.

"Come, Mother will take you to see them."

Opening a room in the east wing, the two children opened their small mouths in surprise after seeing so many quail.

"They are so small, and there are so many!"

"Yes. You can take care of them at home, clean up their droppings, collect the eggs they lay, check if the water is low and add some, and add food if it's running low. That will take up most of the day."

"That work is truly too little. Mother, please arrange something else for us."

"Have you ever studied before?"

The two shook their heads. Qiao Mai continued to guide them. "Do you want to study?"

Their eyes lit up, then dimmed again.

"Mother saved us and is raising us. We don't know how to repay you. If we study now, we would truly feel ashamed in our hearts."

"First, get your health in order. After the New Year, Mother will send you to study, okay? Right at the school in our town, it's very close."

"Is that really possible?"

"Why not? You do your work well at home, study well outside, and when you grow up and have achievements, that will be the best gift to repay Mother."

"Mother!" The two little ones cried again.

"All right, Mother truly treats you as my sons. Just know that. Mother understands your feelings. Enough said, let's eat. The water is boiling, ladle it out. We're eating baozi; this time Mother bought meat baozi."

Hearing "meat baozi," the two little ones swallowed their saliva.

Qiao Mai saw that they hadn't moved much of the food she left on the table, knowing they were sensible and had eaten with restraint.

Just then, the gate rang. Qiao Mai let them eat the baozi while she went to open the gate.

"Eh, Young Master Yuan?"

"What Young Master? Just call me Brother Yuan. I'm a few years older than you. The sign is done, and I was just thinking of sending it to you. Seeing you at home, I took the liberty to disturb you."

Qiao Mai looked at the rectangular sign he was holding in his arms. The characters were neat and tidy, and could be seen clearly from a distance.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He handed the sign over. Qiao Mai took it, and Yuan Jiaqi arched his hands and turned to leave.

Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow and looked at the sign in her arms. A bowl of dumplings in exchange for a sign—quite a good deal.

She propped the sign to one side and returned to eat with the children.

The baozi were delicious, and the two little ones ate happily. They were so big that they ate three each before they were full, and even drank a bowl of water.

"Mother, from now on, the cooking is up to us. When you come back, just eat what's ready."

"Do you know how?"

"Yes, we know how to steam mantou, let alone stir-fry vegetables. We're just afraid Mother will dislike that it doesn't taste good."

"How could I? You are still young. Practice more, and it will taste better. Just be careful not to get splashed by oil when stir-frying; it hurts a lot."

"We will be careful."

"All right, then starting tomorrow, Mother will buy the vegetables. There are rice, flour, oil, and seasonings in the house. You use them as you see fit. I want to see if my sons can stir-fry."

"Good, we guarantee Mother will have delicious food to eat when you return."

At seven years old, for children from poor families, they are already sensible. The poverty of life makes them learn to do housework early.

She remembered seeing a child on the internet who was five years old and already knew how to steam mantou and cook some home-style dishes, and that was in the twenty-first century.

Not to mention the children here. Since the children are willing to do it, she will give them a chance.

She can't let them do nothing and let them develop the habit of relying on adults for everything.

When she returned from the stall in the evening, the two children had already heated the mantou. They didn't stir-fry since there were no vegetables, but they had boiled a pot of hot water.

"Mother, please wash up?"

"Cook first. Mother bought a piece of meat, and I'll stir-fry meat for you tonight."

"Hehe."

Qiao Mai skillfully cut the meat in the kitchen. In fact, the meat and vegetables were all in the space, and she just had to take them out.

In the evening, she stir-fried a large plate of green beans with meat. The children were growing, so eggs and meat were essential. She decided to eat eggs in the morning and meat at noon and night.

The green beans were soft, and the meat slices were fatty but not greasy, making the two little ones' mouths oily as they ate.

Following Qiao Mai was something they never dreamed of.

In the evening, she accompanied them for a walk to digest. She told them:

"When it's hot, wash up every morning and evening. When it's cold, ensure you wash at least once every five days. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Sleep!"

Days passed like this. Fearing the two little ones would be bored, Qiao Mai bought enlightenment books from the bookstore for them to read in their spare time.

When she returned in the evening, she taught them to read. Although the characters in ancient times were different from modern ones, the content was the same. For example, the Three Character Classic—she knew it too. By comparing what she had memorized with the text, she could recognize all the characters, so there was no problem teaching the children.

First, they needed to have some foundation so the teacher at the school would like them.

The fact that she bought books for the children became known to the people in town again, and people went crazy.

Not only did she adopt two children, but she also wanted to provide for their education? Is this Lady Qiao crazy? She is still young; why not give birth to her own children and provide for them? Is she stupid? That money didn't come from the wind.

After she set up her stall, many people came to ask her about this in confusion.

Qiao Mai rolled her eyes. "My own children? In this world, even biological children aren't necessarily filial. There are many cases where children despise their elderly parents and don't care for them. Who dares to say that their own children are definitely good?"

One sentence blocked their mouths.

That saying, "No matter how unfilial, they are still your own flesh and blood," could not be said at all.

(End of this chapter)