Chapter 56

He Xiaocui was very tempted to rush into the house and make a scene, but she only thought about it.

In fact, she knew better than anyone the situation her family was in. No matter how much she caused a fuss, her in-laws would always side with the elder brother.

However, even though she couldn’t bring herself to make a scene, she couldn’t stand this feeling of being wronged.

He Xiaocui glanced at Hehua’s room, and an idea quickly formed in her mind. She slipped into the room before the elder brother came out.

“Second aunt?”

“Hehua…”

He Xiaocui put on a sympathetic expression.

“Did you know your mother is ill?”

“Yes, I know. Didn’t she see the doctor and come back?” Hehua, sitting at the table wearing her shell bracelet, didn’t even look up. He Xiaocui felt a bit gleeful—look at how this daughter turned out, not even close to her sister-in-law.

“The doctor said your mother’s illness is serious. She can’t do any work at home and will have to lie in bed for you to take care of her, feeding her and looking after everything.”

Hehua turned around in shock, her face filled with anger.

“What? Me, taking care of my mother’s eating and… everything?!”

Actually, He Xiaocui only heard about the eating part, but she, of course, exaggerated the situation to make it seem worse.

“I don’t think her illness is that serious. She even cooked today.”

“I also think your mother’s illness isn’t that bad. She’s been fine these last couple of years. But the doctor gave such instructions, and your father has already discussed it with your grandmother.”

He Xiaocui grabbed Hehua’s hand, showing concern. “Second aunt really feels for you. A good young girl, and now you’re being treated like a servant.”

Seeing the resentment in Hehua’s eyes, He Xiaocui walked away contentedly, back to her own room.

Hmph, if she thought she could lie comfortably at home, she was mistaken.

As the sky gradually darkened and everyone in the village prepared for bed, the Yin family lit an oil lamp and continued discussing things.

The oyster sauce okra from lunch hadn’t been popular because of the vegetable itself, and no one could appreciate the taste of the oyster sauce.

So, in the evening, Jiang Wan made two more dishes with oyster sauce.

One was stir-fried shredded carrots with oyster sauce, and the other was clams steamed with garlic and oyster sauce.

The stir-fried carrots were simple—just sliced and stir-fried with oyster sauce.

Jiang Wan didn’t add salt, but when she tasted it, she could still detect the natural sweetness of the carrots and the savory saltiness of the oyster sauce. It went very well with porridge.

But this dish wasn’t the most popular. The family loved the garlic clams the most.

Yin Ning watched her cousin cook the whole time.

She started with half a bowl of chopped garlic, then added a few spoons of oyster sauce and a spoon of soy sauce, mixing it all together. After that, she poured hot oil over it and mixed again—it smelled amazing.

(The recipe is easy and really delicious! Just be careful not to burn yourself!)

Once the clams opened, the garlic mixture was poured over the clams, and after a few more minutes of steaming, the dish was ready.

Even though she wasn’t good at cooking, Jiang Wan thought she could handle making this.

It was so simple and so tasty.

Her cousin said it was a shame there were no vermicelli underneath; she wasn’t sure what that was, but it might taste good.

Yin Huaishan was still savoring the taste of the garlic clams. There was one downside though—when he burped, he could still taste garlic, which made it hard for him to speak.

“Wanwan, you mean you didn’t add any salt to the dishes tonight?”

Jiang Wan nodded.

The oyster sauce itself contains salt, and then she added a little more. Once oyster sauce is used in cooking, there’s no need to add extra salt.

“Well, this will sell well…”

Everyone needs salt, and it’s not cheap.

Yin Huaishan’s face became more serious, and his voice lowered a bit.

“Wanwan, how do you plan to sell this oyster sauce?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll go to the city tomorrow to check.”

After saying that, Jiang Wan looked at her mother.

“Mother, should we go straight to the shopkeeper of Fengwei Building like last time? I think the shopkeeper is quite nice.”

Yin Huaixi had no objections. She let her daughter handle the oyster sauce matter.

“Cousin, will you go with Aunt tomorrow?”

“I won’t go. I want to stay home and finish embroidering my handkerchief.”

Yin Ning shook her head, and Song Wenhui also said she wouldn’t go.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be ready to lay the clay bricks, so I need to stay home to supervise the workers.”

“Okay.”

Renovating the house was more important.

That’s how the family decided.

The next day, after making the clam dishes, they still had over half a jar left. This time, Jiang Wan didn’t keep any for themselves, instead, they took it to the city.

Mother and daughter sold two jars of the clam meat and went straight to Fengwei Building.

It wasn’t meal time yet, so the main hall was almost empty. The waiters were leisurely cleaning the tables and benches while chatting and laughing.

It was the same waiter from last time, and he had a sharp eye. He immediately noticed the mother and daughter entering.

“Madam, Miss, please come in… Oh, it’s you!”

The seven-star spotted fish from half a month ago had left a strong impression, and the waiter remembered them clearly.

“Madam, Miss, are you here to sell fish again?”

Yin Huaixi smiled.

“Not fish this time, just some new food I’d like the shopkeeper to try. Is Shopkeeper Yu available?”

“Of course, Madam, Miss, please wait a moment while I fetch the shopkeeper.”

The waiter led them to a table and quickly went to the back to invite the shopkeeper out.

Shopkeeper Yu greeted them with a smile, and as soon as he sat down, he had tea brought for them.

“Madam, the new dish you mentioned is…?”

“It’s this clam dish with sauce.”

Yin Huaixi moved both jars onto the table and opened one of them. A tangy and fragrant aroma immediately filled the air.

Shopkeeper Yu, who had grown accustomed to all kinds of delicious dishes in the food hall, smelled the scent and his eyes brightened a bit.

He asked for some bowls and chopsticks, took a small scoop, but when he saw it was clam meat, his brows furrowed slightly.

Yin Huaixi quickly explained, “The clam meat has been cleaned thoroughly, with the liver removed, so it won’t cause any bad symptoms after eating. I’ve been sending it to the porridge shop at the dock every day, and the customers have had no issues.”

Shopkeeper Yu didn’t respond immediately but quietly tasted a couple of bites of the clam meat.

With just one bite, he immediately recognized the essence of the dish.

The sauce was indeed well-prepared.

He started to think about how it could be used with clams, shrimp, or even vegetables…

The more he thought about it, the more pleased he became. With the heat rising, there would be more customers for the food hall with a few standout cold dishes. The owner would surely be happy.

This woman was truly straightforward. There was no hiding in the soup; he could clearly see the shredded carrots, small lime, and garlic, and he noticed that soy sauce and vinegar had been added.

With a good chef, it would be effortless to replicate the flavor.

“Shopkeeper Yu, what do you think of this dish?”

“The flavor is great, the clam meat is both stimulating and fresh, and the sauce is very appetizing. But clams are probably abundant by the sea, and the sauce can be easily replicated. If you intend to sell this dish, I’m afraid I can’t offer a high price.”

Yin Huaixi shook her head.

“I’m not trying to sell this dish. I just wanted to discuss with you, Shopkeeper. If Fengwei Building decides to sell this dish, could you prioritize buying clams from our Lianjiagou?”

Shopkeeper Yu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to have this kind of request.