CH 48

Note: Changed the restaurant name from Ten Li Fragrant Hotpot Restaurant to Shi Li Xiang

Liu Ge’er had been waiting for the first snow of winter, and it finally came in the last month of the year.

Outside, the cold wind howled, and the snowflakes flew wildly. The snow was already above the knees, making it unsuitable to go out. Old Man Yu and Yu Dameng also got a rare break.

The family sat around the stove and ate lamb hotpot.

The broth was savory, and the meat was tender. After the meal, their bodies felt warm all over.

With this rare leisure time, after eating, Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan went back to their room for some alone time.

The charcoal stove in the bedroom burned warmly. They did not need to wear heavy cotton-padded jackets anymore. The two of them took off their outer clothes and shoes and lazily lay on the bed, cuddling and chatting.

At first, everything seemed normal, until Yu Dameng’s body temperature gradually rose, and his breathing became heavier. Qiao Yuan noticed something was wrong. “What’s the matter with you?”

Yu Dameng pressed his lips together, finding it difficult to speak up.

But Qiao Yuan knew him well, and it didn’t take much thought to guess the problem. He looked at Yu Dameng with amusement in his eyes and whispered something in his ear.

Yu Dameng stopped him from moving, saying hoarsely, “No!”

Qiao Yuan felt frustrated. He suddenly tore open Yu Dameng’s clothes, “Don’t you want to?”

Yu Dameng pulled his clothes back on and held him tight, his voice hoarse, “We don’t have contraceptive medicine here.” He squeezed Qiao Yuan’s still slender arm, leaned over to kiss his lips, and added, “You still need more nourishing.”

For some reason, Qiao Yuan had the feeling he was being fattened up for a thorough ravaging later on.

There were too many people in the house. It was indeed not a good time. Qiao Yuan did not insist. But Yu Dameng was already on the verge of exploding. Qiao Yuan flipped him over and pressed him down, teasing him. “It’s okay, I know another way.”

……

Pastry shops throughout the county town were pushing year-end sales with many new creations.

Qiao Yuan had also updated the snacks at Yu Qiao Ji, turning the previous glutinous rice balls into ones made with millet and brown sugar, and making the egg cakes into different shapes like hearts, rabbits, and little bears.

But this was not enough for Qiao Yuan. He decided to try some new tricks today.

The first one was the modern northern yellow rice and brown sugar glutinous rice cake, steaming hot, soft and sticky, the children’s favorite in winter.

Qiao Yuan planned to make five layers. The bottom layer was steamed purple glutinous rice. The second to last layer was yellow rice flour and red bean paste mixed together. The third layer was glutinous rice flour and brown sugar, made into a paste to create a burst of filling. The second layer was another layer of yellow rice flour. The top layer was covered with plenty of candied dates.

The people that Chu Li sent to the front shop had all gone back at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month. The shop was a bit short of hands. A few days ago, Qiao Yuan posted a notice and hired a young helper who was good at communication and accounting.

Ming Xu, Ming Chen, and Zheng Xin could now peacefully stay in the back kitchen, learning from Qiao Yuan.

“Don’t add too much water to the yellow rice flour. Just enough to form a dough. If you add too much, the cake will collapse and lose its shape.”

Qiao Yuan explained as he worked. He had to ensure at least two out of the three of them learned it, so they could cover for each other.

Practice makes perfect. With the current level of skill of these three, they would surely master it after practicing a few times. Qiao Yuan had nothing to worry about.

After steaming for about half an hour, the yellow rice and brown sugar cake was done. The bean paste and the rich brown sugar aroma blended together, very tempting. He cut off a corner, and it was two layers of brown sugar color and two layers of yellow rice color intertwined. He took a bite, and it was sweet and sticky, but very chewy.

“Delicious!” Ming Chen praised ceaselessly. Ming Xu and Zheng Xin also voiced their approval.

Since it was a trial, the amount made was very small. The first pot was shared among themselves.

The young helper, Ma Shun’er, was very happy. He had found a great job. He had snacks to eat every day, not to mention he could also taste new varieties from time to time!

He saw that Qiao Yuan was going to send some food to the iron shop. He enthusiastically volunteered and said, “I’ll run errands for the boss!”

Ming Chen covered his mouth and snickered on the side. “This is what the boss prepared for his husband. He never lets anyone else handle it!”

Qiao Yuan was teased by a child and couldn’t help blushing. He said stubbornly, “You’re too young to understand!”

Ming Chen ran away laughing. Qiao Yuan went out the door with a red face.

The cold wind outside soon dispelled the heat on his face. He and Yu Dameng were proper husbands, what was wrong with being affectionate and thinking about each other?

Children just didn’t understand!

After the weather got cold, Yu Dameng didn’t let Qiao Yuan come to the iron shop anymore. But Qiao Yuan claimed to be “inspecting” and ran over every few days to bring Yu Dameng some delicious food.

Old Man Yu and Xing Wu were used to it by now and would tactfully take their shares and stay far away.

“It’s so cold, don’t come anymore,” Yu Dameng said with concern, covering Qiao Yuan’s icy hands with his own.

Qiao Yuan acted coquettishly, snuggling closer to Yu Dameng, “But I missed you!”

Yu Dameng’s ears turned red and fed Qiao Yuan a bite of cake. He paused before saying, “I… I missed you too.”

Though overjoyed inside, Qiao Yuan pretended to huff, “You sure know how to talk now.”

Yu Dameng’s body stiffened, his eyes widened, not knowing which sentence he said wrong.

But the next second, Qiao Yuan leapt into his arms, hugging him tight, “Quick, tell me some more sweet words!”

……

After being lovey-dovey, Qiao Yuan returned to the shop where the second large batch of yellow rice and brown sugar glutinous rice cakes had just finished steaming. He had Ma Shun’er bring some along as they headed to Shi Li Xiang.

From afar, they could see a long queue at the hotpot window. Everyone was holding a big porcelain bowl.

Ma Shun’er exclaimed, “Boss, our Shi Li Xiang business is really doing well!”

He was good at flattering, continuing on his own, “For just ten or twenty wen, you can buy such a big porcelain bowl. When you go home, you can reheat it and cook some noodles. The taste is beyond words!”

This was exactly why Qiao Yuan had opened the standalone hotpot window. He was going for the strategy of small profits but quick turnover.

As soon as accountant and manager Feng Kaiji saw Qiao Yuan, he came over smiling, “Boss, you’re here.”

Qiao Yuan smiled slightly and asked him, “How’s the business these days?”

Shi Li Xiang was a bit far from Yu Qiao Ji. As the weather got colder, Qiao Yuan came by less often.

At this question, Feng Kaiji beamed, “Great! As the weather gets colder, everyone loves to come here and eat hotpot, and now our daily profits can reach this much.”

He gave a five, and Qiao Yuan didn’t find it surprising. Hotpot is affordable and popular, it warms you up, tastes good, and it’s lively when a group of people gather around the table, making it the top choice in winter.

And now, Yu Qiao Ji’s egg cakes, dried sweet potatoes, and rice candy were also sold in the hot pot shop. When the spicy food got too overwhelming, customers could have something sweet to balance it out. One way or another, it added to the shops’ income.

After answering, Feng Kaiji pointed to the rice cakes Ma Shun’er had set on the table, “Boss, is this a new product for the shop?”

Qiao Yuan nodded. Ma Shun cleverly lifted the white cotton quilt that covered the rice cake. The aroma immediately filled the air, making people drool.

Qiao Yuan introduced, “These are nian gao. We will sell it in the store today to try it out. The price is three wen per liang1一两 (yī liǎng) – a unit of weight equal to 50 grams. If it sells well, Yu Qiao Ji will send more here every day.”

Feng Kaiji cut a small piece and tasted it. After just one bite, he looked at the rice cake on the table and said, “Boss, one basket might not be enough!”

Qiao Yuan smiled. “We didn’t make much for the first day. We’ll just sell these for now and add more tomorrow. But this thing is hard to digest if you eat too much. We shouldn’t sell too much to each table.”

Feng Kaiji lamented Qiao Yuan’s conscience in business. He called a young helper over and told him to spread word of the new rice cake product to customers.

The customers all knew that the pastries of Shi Li Xiang were specially supplied by Yu Qiao Ji. Therefore, they were receptive to the new product and scrambled to try it.

As soon as this business opened and the taste was good, word of mouth spread quickly. After only a short while in the shop, Qiao Yuan had already sold more than half of the rice cakes.

Seeing the positive response, he decided Yu Qiao Ji would set up a table at the entrance tomorrow specifically selling the rice cakes.

In addition, Yu Qiao Ji also launched several new products, such as egg yolk pastry, pork floss roll, and egg biscuit.

This solidified Yu Qiao Ji’s popularity, directly exploding year-end sales.

Lin Cuifen and Qiao Wangshi saw this and went to the shop every day to help out.

Qiao Wangshi added firewood to the stove. Watching Qiao Yuan who was busy working around, her eyes were full of laughter.

Lin Cuifen saw this and smiled. “Auntie, are you relieved now?”

“I’m relieved, I’m relieved.” Qiao Wangshi nodded, and the smile on her face did not fade. Although Qiao Yuan was a ger, he was really as capable as his father.

She was well taken care of in the Yu family, and she lived comfortably. In her leisure time, there were Liu Ge’er and the twins to keep her company, which made her feel much better.

Qiao Yuan glanced over and felt happy too. After finishing his work, he went over to help her with the fire, deliberately acting cute. “I’m so tired.”

Qiao Wangshi scolded him with a smile, “The New Year is almost here, you shouldn’t say that.2Saying you are “tired” (累) is considered inauspicious and bad luck during this festive time. The Lunar New Year is meant to symbolize a fresh start and renewal of energy. So any talk of tiredness or exhaustion is seen as going against this positive spirit. ”

Qiao Yuan smiled pleasingly. “Grandma, are you tired?”

“I’m not tired.” Qiao Wangshi took the firewood from him and told him to go rest on the side, “I’m trying to keep active and eat well so I can sleep better.”

Qiao Yuan was happy, “That’s the right mindset.”

He then asked Lin Cuifen, “Mom, aren’t eldest brother and the others coming back soon?”

“Yes, they usually come back on the twenty-second or twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month. But this year your brother Qiu is pregnant, so they will probably take it slower on the road.”

Qiao Yuan calculated the days and said happily, “Eldest brother will be back just in time for the New Year’s market. Let’s move back to the village after the market.”

The New Year’s market was the last market before the New Year, and also the liveliest one of the year. Qiao Yuan was looking forward to it a bit.

“That’s what I was thinking too.” Lin Cuifen nodded with a smile.

Qiao Wang listened on the side and couldn’t help but ask, “When are you and Dameng planning to have a child?”

Qiao Yuan’s face turned red. A child? They were still far from that!

He mumbled vaguely, “Grandma, it’s… not easy for gers to conceive…”

“Who said that?” Qiao Wangshi used to make a living by delivering babies. She said, “I have seen many gers who have two children within three years!”

Qiao Yuan: “!!!”

That was not necessary!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter.