Chapter 76

Among the diners who came to eat, many had previously paid the bill for Zheng Pingsheng, and now they were laughing and calling out his name.

Zheng Pingsheng only felt his face burning with embarrassment, and before leaving, he glared fiercely at Fan Jin.

It was all Fan Jin’s fault for indulging the women and letting him lose face!

“Tsk, they used to make things difficult for many people, and back then, why did I think they were right?”

“Now that I think about it, they always looked down on this and despised that. These kinds of people are ultimately not good people. It’s hateful that I was blinded and even paid for them several times.”

“Who wasn’t? Now I think that feeding those foods to dogs would be better than feeding these three haughty people.”

Others were discussing, while Shuiqing was comforting Fan Jin: “You didn’t eat their rice or drink their water, what does passing the exam have to do with them?

Next time you meet them, don’t reflect on yourself, just give it to them straight!”

A bunch of bullies who only pick on the weak.

Fan Jin’s smile deepened, and he responded softly but firmly.

At this moment, the five children looked at Shuiqing with starry eyes, full of admiration.

They didn’t expect that their mother was not only formidable at home but even more so outside!

Seeing the admiration on her children’s faces, Shuiqing’s proud expression cracked for a moment.

Yan Qiuxing thought about the two girls getting married in the future, and being a bit fierce wouldn’t hurt.

It’s not necessary, but if someone bullies them, at least they can protect themselves and not be doormats for their in-laws.

But it’s different for her three sons!

When others’ daughters marry them and have children, if they are still sharp-tongued, wouldn’t that make them destined to be alone?

No, that won’t do.

She cleared her throat and emphasized, “Jiang, He, and Hu, you three can act like me outside, but not at home!

Especially when you have wives in the future, you mustn’t be all temper and no skill, and definitely not domineering at home, got it!”

Jiang, He, and Hu naturally nodded, “Mother, we know.”

“Yes, father treats you very well, and our family is getting better. We will learn from father.”

Shuiqing: … Leading by example is indeed the most direct and effective way.

Relieved, she said to the children, “Let’s eat!”

Everyone was already very hungry, and now, faced with a table full of food, they couldn’t talk anymore and started eating heartily.

Shuiqing first ate the braised pork and felt that her cooking wasn’t much different from that of the chef at Shanhai Lou.

She tried several other dishes with the same feeling.

Finally, she tried the steamed fish and braised rabbit, which were the signature dishes of Shanhai Lou.

Guangning Prefecture had abundant waterways, and where there was a lot of water, there were many fish, making fish a common signature dish.

Shuiqing had never made fish at home because, firstly, it was troublesome with so many children and she was afraid of them getting choked by fish bones;

The second and main reason was: no one at home knew how to catch fish.

Despite the abundance of water, without the skill to catch fish, they could only watch helplessly.

The fish here was very well-handled and steamed to perfection, not fishy or dry. Shuiqing felt that when it came to steamed fish, she might not be able to compete.

Fan Jin, beside her, picked some tender meat from the rabbit leg and put it in Shuiqing’s bowl.

The rabbit was simply braised wild rabbit. There were no large wild animals in Guangning Prefecture, but there were countless small hills, and wild rabbits and chickens were commonly seen.

Wild rabbit meat was relatively tough and had a strong smell. Shuiqing took a bite and didn’t quite like it.

Beside her, Yan Qiu asked in a small voice, “Mother, why do I think the chef’s cooking isn’t as good as yours?”

Shuiqing was very proud, “Of course!”

Back in Huaguo, people could say she wasn’t good at making money, but they couldn’t say her cooking wasn’t delicious!

She had a 100% passion for cooking.

Now, with her daughter’s recognition, her inner pride swelled, and she whispered back, “I might not beat them at steaming fish, but why should I compete with others at their strengths?

Cooking is diverse, and everyone has their preferences. I can make chopped pepper fish head, pickled fish, boiled fish, crispy fried fish bones, braised fish fillets… Someone will love it, and if someone loves it, it can make money.

And as for rabbit meat, using fat domestic rabbits, the meat is tender and juicy, roasted until golden on both sides, dripping with oil, and then brushed with layers of honey, making it tender and flavorful.

If they don’t like sweet, that’s okay. We can make ginger and pepper rabbit, dry pot rabbit, cold rabbit, jumping rabbit…”

Not only Yan Qiu, but the other children also stopped eating for a moment, listening.

Fan Jiang swallowed his saliva and said quietly, “Mother, I really want to eat what you mentioned.”

Shuiqing also wanted to eat, but the ingredients and venue didn’t allow it.

Yan Qiu gradually had a clear idea and looked at Shuiqing with a request: “Mother, I want to learn cooking from you, is that okay?”

She quickly added, “Not just saving food like before, but making delicious food!”

Shuiqing sniffed, feeling gratified!

Finally, her cooking skills would have someone to pass them on to!

The greatest joy of raising daughters is that they love what you love.

Shuiqing originally thought that the biggest joy of having daughters was passing on her hobbies. Unexpectedly, even greater joy was yet to come.

The seven of them ate all the food on the table until not a scrap was left, even the soup was mixed with rice and eaten by the robust Fan Jiang.

Then, Yan Qiu and Xing Hui each took out a gift and handed it to Shuiqing.

“Mother, the shopkeeper said this is a hairpin made of ebony wood, polished very smoothly. It’s a gift for you,” Yan Qiu said softly.

When she makes money, she’ll buy her mother silver, no, gold hairpins!

Xing Hui handed over a beaded flower, “Mother, I think this is very beautiful, it’s for you!”

Earlier, Shuiqing saw her two daughters go to the counter to look at beaded flowers. She thought that girls love jewelry and accessories, but she didn’t expect they were buying it for her?!

Her usually quick-witted mind couldn’t quite process this, and she dumbly repeated, “For me?”

Yan Qiu and Xing Hui nodded emphatically.

On the carriage, they realized the financial gap between them and their brothers.

The three brothers wailed continuously, expressing their willingness to spend, and under their parents’ smiling eyes, they understood.

These good times were all thanks to their parents.

Choosing a gift for their father was difficult, but choosing one for their mother was easier. They just hoped she would like it.

Shuiqing happily accepted the gifts and turned to look at her three sons.

Jiang, He, and Hu had their heads lowered as much as possible.

At the time, they only thought about slingshots and didn’t think about buying gifts for anyone else, not even their mother.

Shuiqing: …The old saying goes, “When you have a wife, you forget your mother.” Where is this “forgetting your mother for a wife”?

Wives shouldn’t take the blame for this.

They didn’t think of their mother even before they had wives!

Jiang, He, and Hu: Ugh, father didn’t buy a gift either.

Among the four males, Fan Jin was the most calm.

He had no money at all, which Shuiqing knew.

So, she wouldn’t blame him.

She called over the waiter to pay the bill, and as they watched their mother take out her purse, Jiang, He, and Hu finally understood the reason behind their father’s calmness at such a young age…