Chapter 70: Can that old miser really return a gift?

Every compartment had things: combs, earrings, silver hairpins, bracelets. Qiao Mai couldn't help but laugh.

Turning around and bending down to open another box, it was full of fabrics. The worst was fine cotton cloth, and there were several pieces of satin.

Opening another box, it was full of gauze of various colors, which could be used in the summer.

Opening another box, it was a whole set of porcelain, brand new plates and bowls.

Opening another box, it was also porcelain, several sets of exquisite tea sets.

Opening another box, it was an ornament. It seems she prepared everything her family was missing?

The last box was a whole box of paper, brushes, and ink. Heh, no need to buy any for half a year.

The things weren't very valuable, but they were all things her family currently needed. Miss Wang really put in effort.

Waiting for Yuan Jiaqi to return, she saw him actually carrying a basket of things into the room.

"This is?"

"Town Chief Qian gave it, saying it was a return gift."

There was also half a side of pork, all with bones, and she had to do the work. Although Yuan Jiaqi was a man, she still had to do the deboning.

It was still early to sleep. The children went to Qiao Mai's room to play with Ling'er, and Yuan Jiaqi also happened to have something to find her for.

She wasn't jealous, just felt that she discovered this a bit late, felt very stupid, and had a feeling of being sold and still counting money for others.

He left, and Qiao Mai turned her face and laughed, saying to the children.

"Alright then."

"Mmm, practice makes perfect. If you don't do it, how can you learn?"

"Your mother is really good. My mother always controls me and doesn't let me eat meat."

"Eating meat at night isn't easy to digest, right?"

Chen Shi has designs on Yuan Jiaqi? But what were you doing earlier? How long has she been here? Logically, Chen Shi and Yuan Jiaqi should have known each other long ago. Why is she only showing it now?

Brother Yuan is actually hiding from Chen Shi by returning to his room?

One has the intention, the other has no interest?

Chen Shi is really going a bit too far. You didn't care how much you had designs on Yuan Jiaqi before. If you like him, go confess. Why test me secretly?

It's not that she looks down on him, but he's really not good in terms of martial arts.

Qiao Mai withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and ate her meal as if nothing happened.

"Be careful when using a knife; don't hurt yourself."

Originally, the family was having a lively and unrestrained dinner, but because Chen Shi and her son were present, Yuan Jiaqi was very restrained.

The disappointment in his eyes was all taken in by Qiao Mai.

That old fox has a very sharp nose and eyes, actually able to see her uniqueness. Count him as having good judgment.

Chen Shi looked at the doorway, sighing in her heart with some disappointment.

"I don't even know what to say."

Returning to the kitchen, looking at the two big pork knuckles and a side of ribs, Qiao Mai said.

"I'll do this work from now on?"

"I know Chen Shi has designs on you. Just keep teaching Chen Hao for now; the child is innocent. After the New Year, I'll buy a big house and some land. Once we have a teacher to teach you all, I'll find an excuse to have her send the child to school, and then you won't have to teach him anymore."

Yuan Jiaqi listened and said sternly, "What you said makes sense. I'm going back to my room to copy books."

He simply found a big bowl, picked up a few pieces of ribs, took a steamed bun, and returned to his room with a bowl of rice soup to eat.

Qiao Mai curled her lips. Can that old miser really return a gift? It's truly not easy, thinking about her recipes all day long.

Chen Hao couldn't help it, disregarding Chen Shi's opposition, and came to the Qiao family, sitting on the kang and playing with Ling'er together with the three children.

"Then I won't give you silver. If you encounter some rare food, store more for the children."

"Mother, you should eat some too. Can you tell us a story later?"

Yuan Jiaqi sent the New Year gifts to Shopkeeper Lu, and he didn't return empty-handed, bringing back a pile of various flower cakes, bean buns, steamed buns, and the like.

"Tomorrow is the twenty-sixth. If you're not setting up the stall, stay home and watch the children. I'll go out to buy some chicken, duck, fish, meat, and red paper for New Year goods."

Yuan Jiaqi opened his mouth, wanting to say something else, but heard Qiao Mai say this.

"Understood."

"Many thanks, Lady Qiao."

"I'm really sorry for causing you trouble."

"You're fat, you should be restrained. We are all thin and need to be nourished."

"Why does your house smell so good?"

Everything that could be put in the warehouse was organized there, and the new clothes were distributed to them for them to fold and put away to wear for the New Year.

A full pot of meat, the aroma constantly spreading out from the kitchen.

"There are hawthorn cakes and candied hawthorns. Let them sleep late; they are all growing, and they aren't old people. As long as they don't drink cold water, it'll be fine."

"Mmm, you just go. Is the silver enough?"

"Do what you need to do. As long as you have a sense of proportion, you don't need to tell me everything."

Regarding Yuan Jiaqi leaving his seat, Qiao Mai seemed to feel something too. She looked at Chen Shi, just in time to see her looking toward the door.

The meat was stewed and it was already dark. A big basin of ribs was just put on the table when Chen Shi came, as if she knew.

Knowing that he was still far behind, he made up his mind that next time he must do it himself and not let a woman do everything.

"Enough, it's not used up every month. You often buy things for the house, saving a lot of silver."

After dinner, Chen Shi took Chen Hao away, and she didn't see them off. After Feng'er bolted the door, Yuan Jiaqi put his bowl and chopsticks in the kitchen and helped the children tidy up.

"After eating so much meat, take some hawthorn cake to help digest, drink some hot water. Can't sleep so early, okay?"

"I'll invite her to the house less in the future, and try not to call her when I invite Shopkeeper Lu."

"Boil water, I'll blanch these, and we'll stew ribs tonight."

The surrounding neighbors kept swallowing their saliva after smelling it. This meat smell was too fragrant, even more fragrant than the stewed meat shop.

Chuan'er's little head tilted, and he said proudly:

"My mother is stewing ribs and pork knuckles. Aunt Lu sent half a side of pork, and Mother knew we loved meat, so she stewed it."

She was so busy, these things must have been ordered from the steamed bun shop.

Watching Qiao Mai's deboning movements, which were as simple as flowing water, when she went to the warehouse to put the meat away, he took a knife and tried it himself, but felt it wasn't the same thing at all.

"Thank you!"

"Learned it?"

She felt she was too saintly. Just a neighbor, and she was having her son follow along to study, and often inviting Chen Shi to eat.

Dinner was meat, steamed buns, and rice soup.

Actually, Yuan Jiaqi had prepared things for the children, just not as good as what Miss Wang sent.

Chen Shi found Qiao Mai looking at her, hurriedly withdrew her gaze, and smiled awkwardly at Qiao Mai.

Feng and Yun gave Chen Hao a piece of snack. "Eat it. My mother bought this from the prefecture city. It's very famous and delicious."

Now that the two have become a family, although they are fake husband and wife, you are doing this under the guise of looking for a child, coming over to eat, and coveting your fake husband—isn't that a bit immoral?

It seems it's better to call her to the house less in the future, making the whole family unable to eat well.

"This is nothing to be embarrassed about. She dares to covet you, which has already broken the friendship between me and her. Although you and I are fake, she doesn't know that. Knowing it shouldn't be done but insisting on doing it means she didn't take me seriously in her heart at all, and I don't need to care about her."

Does she owe her anything? Ah?

Qiao Mai, who was originally quite happy, found the meat in her mouth suddenly tasteless.

Qiao Mai said a polite word, and she sat down and ate with them.

After everything was organized, Qiao Mai and Yuan Jiaqi carried the half side of pork to the kitchen. Qiao Mai deboned the meat, and he watched and learned.

"Can do. Tonight I'll tell you the story of Wu Song beating the tiger, okay?"

"Okay, okay."

As long as she wasn't tired, she would interact with the children occasionally at night.

Actually, her age wasn't much older than the children's, and there was no generation gap when communicating with them; they got along very well.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 71 =====