Chapter 26: My Daughter’s Skills Are Top-Notch 

“Boss, how much for this meat?” He pointed at the fattiest cut of three-layered pork belly and asked. 

“You’ve got a good eye—picked the best piece.” 

“This pork belly is the tastiest. A whole pig only yields a few cuts like this. Thirty-eight coppers per pound.” 

“That’s too expensive. Can’t you make it cheaper? Pork belly usually goes for thirty-five coppers.” 

“The thirty-five-copper ones aren’t this fatty. Look, this one’s thirty-five coppers. Want it?”

No, he wanted the fatty kind—the kind that would fill your mouth with rich, savory oil with every bite. That was the real deal. 

“Can’t you knock the price down a bit?” 

“Nope.” 

Fine, thirty-eight it was. What mattered most was that it tasted good. 

“Give me three pounds.” Any less wouldn’t be enough—there were two families to feed!

“Dashu, one pound is enough—it’s thirty-eight coppers per pound!” Liu Shunzi hurriedly stopped him. Why couldn’t he ever change this habit? The man spent money like water. 

“You don’t understand—my daughter runs the household now. She told me to buy more, and I don’t want to upset her by coming back with too little.” 

Who was he trying to fool? 

Little Yu, running the household? 

As if he didn’t know what she was really like!

Wasn’t this just him being greedy? 

Alright, but would the money from today’s bamboo shoots even cover this indulgence? 

Liu Shunzi did a quick mental calculation—probably not. Ah, forget it. He’d just forgo his wages today. 

Seriously, when would this rascal ever learn to be reliable?! 

“Boss, throw in a couple of marrow bones for free, will ya?” His daughter had said it’d be best to get some bones—she wanted to make soup. These big ones ought to do the trick, right? Simmer them long enough, till they’re fall-apart tender, then gnaw on the bones afterward. Bet they’d taste pretty good too.

The butcher glanced at the large, meatless marrow bones—completely scraped clean—and readily agreed, “Sure, take these two.” He’d originally planned to bring them home for his family’s big yellow dog to gnaw on anyway. Well, guess the dog would have to go without its chew toy today. 

Zhao Dashu carried the meat, grinning like an absolute fool. ‘Heh heh heh’, he’d scored two big marrow bones for free—his daughter was sure to praise him when he got home. 

Liu Shunzi could hardly bear to look. Had the man even checked whether there was a shred of meat left on those bones? What were they supposed to do with them back home? Eat them? How? Feed them to the dogs? 

“Where else are you going? Shouldn’t we head back already? It’s getting late—what if the Village Chief can’t handle things alone?” 

“Wait, I still need to buy flour!”

Oh, give him an inch and he’ll take a mile—what does he need fine flour for? Since when could rough men like them afford to eat refined grains? 

“Let’s go, let’s go—hurry back, we’re running out of time!” 

“It’ll just take a second—it’s right up ahead!” 

“Move it!” 

Liu Shunzi shoved the cart and practically dragged him away.

Zhao Dashu: “……” 

Could he tell his brother that he could actually afford it? That his daughter was a little money-making treasure? No—even if he said it, no one would believe him. Heartbroken. No fine flour for him now!! 

When they got back, the Village Chief was sweating buckets. There weren’t ‘that’ many bamboo shoots, but the line of buyers never seemed to end. He’d been at it all morning without a break—exhausted. 

“Hurry up, come help me weigh these!” 

“How come folks showed up so early today?”

“The bamboo shoots are all harvested—there aren’t any left. The younger folks went elsewhere to gather more, while those who can’t walk far stayed home to sort the bamboo shoot leaves. So now, here they all are!” 

“Uncle Village Chief, take a break. We’ll handle things for a while.” 

“You go inside—it must be busy in there too. Shunzi and I can manage here.” 

Alright then, he’d head in first to deliver the meat to his daughter. Truth be told, removing the bitterness from bamboo shoots wasn’t that hard—it’s just that Shunzi’s family only had two stoves, which wasn’t enough. 

“Father, did you buy the meat?”

“Got it, got it! They even threw in two big marrow bones for free!” 

As he spoke, he held up the meat and bones for her to see. 

Not bad, not bad—mostly fatty with just a bit of lean. Perfect for satisfying cravings. 

“Tell Uncle Village Chief to stay for lunch. I’ll free up a pot now and start stewing the meat. You go outside and help dry the bamboo shoots.” 

“Aye!” The thought of meat for lunch filled him with energy.

Madam Zheng watched the father and daughter pair, pressing her lips together to hold back her words. She glanced at Madam Song, whose expression was one of utter familiarity with the situation, and couldn’t help but sigh. Her sister-in-law was far too mild-tempered. How had Little Yu ended up taking after her father so much? 

“Sister-in-law, when stewing the meat later, set aside a few extra pieces. Once it’s served at the table, the men won’t leave any for others.” 

Zhao Zhenyu chimed in, “Right, save more—we’ll eat in the kitchen. Oh, Auntie Liu, do you have any radishes at home? Pull up a couple for me later to stew with the bones.” 

Madam Zheng: “……” 

Truly, ‘birds of a feather flock together’—this family was something else!

While the others were busy blanching bamboo shoots, Zhao Zhenyu took charge of preparing lunch. As a seasoned foodie, she had delved deep into the art of cooking. 

The only problem was… well, the Liu family had nothing in their pantry besides some salt and dried chilies. 

So stew it was—braised pork belly with beans. 

“That girl Yu sure knows how to make food smell delicious.” 

Those who knew how to eat knew how to cook. Who would’ve thought? The culinary skills of Dashu’s daughter surpassed even those of the two women who spent all year by the stove.

“Auntie, do you have a hammer at home?” 

“What do you need that for?” 

“To smash the marrow bones.” 

Madam Zheng was speechless. “We don’t have a hammer here. Would a knife work?” 

“I’m afraid I’ll chip your blade.”

Well, alright then. “What now?” 

“No problem, I’ll get my father to figure it out.” With that, she stepped out of the kitchen. “Father, come help me chop these marrow bones!” Why hadn’t she asked the butcher to do it earlier?! 

“Chop what?” 

“Go find a hammer and break them into a few pieces. Uncle Liu’s family doesn’t have one. Oh, and do you know where Uncle Liu’s vegetable plot is? Pull up two radishes for me.” 

“Got it!”

Watching Zhao Dashu obey his daughter so readily, Madam Zheng began questioning her understanding of the world. 

Before long, Zhao Dashu returned carrying the bones—now broken into several pieces—and two radishes, fawning as he said, “Daughter, call me if you need anything, alright?” 

“Mhm.” 

Compared to his enthusiasm, Zhao Zhenyu’s response was downright frosty. Madam Zheng found the whole scene bizarrely fascinating—Dashu doted on his daughter even more than her own husband did! 

“Food’s ready!”

Zhao Dashu dragged the Village Chief over, with the dining table and chairs already set up. The men would eat in the courtyard, while the women ate in the kitchen. 

Coarse rice, radish and bone soup, braised pork belly with beans, and stir-fried cabbage. 

“Who knew soup made from these big marrow bones could taste so good? Even the radishes soaked up the meaty flavor.” 

“Little Yu said the soft marrow inside the bones is edible. I just tried some—rich and fragrant, no worse than meat.” 

“And the pork belly stewed until it’s fall-apart tender, with those chilies—now that’s the real deal.”

The Village Chief ate with immense satisfaction—this cooking was leagues better than his own wife’s. The meat tasted like meat, the vegetables like vegetables—how could it be so delicious? “Shunzi, your wife’s skills are seriously impressive.” 

“No, no—today’s meal was made by ‘my’ daughter.” 

The Village Chief was stunned. “‘Your’ Zhenyu made this?” 

“Of course. My wife’s cooking can’t hold a candle to my daughter’s. In all of Laomuzhu Village, if my Zhenyu claims second place in culinary skills, no one would dare call themselves first.” 

The Village Chief’s lips twitched. Third Zhao’s talent for shameless self-praise was truly unmatched—thank heavens he had no sense of shame, or else no one would boast about their own daughter like this. Still, his daughter’s skills ‘were’ undeniably good.