"Let's talk inside." Ye Yunniang took out her key and opened the courtyard gate.
Cai Damei went to the backyard, leaving space for Liang Maimiao and Ye Yunniang to talk.
"Yunniang, I'm sorry. Because of me, you got scolded by her." Liang Maimiao blamed herself and was also angry with her birth mother.
"You already know about it."
"Yes. Hemiao came to see me today. She told me everything that happened to you at the Liang family." As she said this, Liang Maimiao bowed in apology.
"It's in the past, I didn't take it to heart." Ye Yunniang said indifferently.
"I know you are magnanimous. But I couldn't let it go without apologizing." Liang Maimiao explained.
"I accept your apology. Let's put this matter behind us and not mention it again."
Liang Maimiao nodded.
"Have a seat." Ye Yunniang poured tea for Liang Maimiao.
After drinking a cup of tea, Liang Maimiao stated another purpose for her visit. She wanted the red wedding veil embroidered by Ye Yunniang.
Liang Hemiao's wedding gown was exquisitely embroidered, so the red veil naturally had to match.
Liang Hemiao's needlework was average; what she embroidered simply didn't match the gown.
The most matching one was the one embroidered by Ye Yunniang.
Yang Guihua had offended Ye Yunniang. Liang Hemiao didn't dare to speak to Ye Yunniang herself, so she begged her elder sister Liang Maimiao to help.
Liang Maimiao, who had practically raised her younger sister, didn't want her to have any regrets about her wedding. So she gathered her courage and came to the Li household.
"I wondered what big matter had you so troubled. It's just a red veil. I'll go get it." Ye Yunniang went inside, brought out the red veil she had embroidered for Liang Hemiao, and handed it to Liang Maimiao.
Liang Maimiao received the veil with both hands. "Yunniang, thank you so very much."
"We've already said we're friends, so don't keep thanking me for such a small thing." Ye Yunniang didn't like hearing Liang Maimiao constantly say "thank you."
Liang Maimiao left with the red veil, and not long after, returned to the Li household carrying a basket.
In Liang Maimiao's basket were two jin of dried noodles and a bowl of fried small fish.
"My mother's skill at frying fish is better than mine. Have a taste."
"Alright, I'll try some." Ye Yunniang picked up a small fish and put it in her mouth.
Crispy, fragrant, and delicious.
"Aunt Xu's skill is truly unmatched." Ye Yunniang praised.
"Besides making noodles, my mother-in-law's best skill is frying small fish." Hearing her mother-in-law praised made Liang Maimiao even happier than being praised herself.
"My mother makes steamed fish very well too. Next time she makes some, I'll bring you some to try." Ye Yunniang praised Cai Damei.
"My mother-in-law not only fries fish well, her fried crispy pork is also delicious."
"My mother makes excellent braised pork."
...
"Are you two having a competition praising your mothers-in-law?" Chunyao appeared at the doorway, interrupting them.
Ye Yunniang and Liang Maimiao thought back to their recent exchange and both laughed.
"Sister Chunyao, what have you been busy with lately? We hardly see you."
"Your brother-in-law finally found a shop he likes. Lately, he and I have been busy setting it up. Oh, it's exhausting." Chunyao walked in carrying a basket.
"Maimiao, it's good you're here too. Come, taste the side dish my chef plans to sell at the restaurant." As she spoke, Chunyao walked to the stone table in the courtyard and took out a small plate.
"Alright, I must taste Chef Jin's skill." Liang Maimiao walked to the table and saw radish in the plate.
"Radish cubes?"
"Yes, to help customers cut the grease when they're eating meat and drinking." Chunyao said, then looked at Ye Yunniang. "Yunniang, is Aunt Cai here?"
Cai Damei had sold side dishes until she opened her own shop. Her pickling skills were absolutely undeniable.
Chef Jin had prepared these pickled radish cubes and wanted Cai Damei to give her opinion.
Cai Damei heard the voices and came over. "Chef Jin is too modest. With my little skill, how can I talk about giving pointers?"
"Aunt Cai, the pickled vegetables you make are the best I've ever tasted. I dare say this: in Jiangcheng, if you claim to be second, no one would dare claim to be first."
"Oh my, your words flatter me too much. Now I feel I must give some pointers even if I didn't plan to." Cai Damei smiled, took the chopsticks, and picked up a radish cube.
Sour and spicy on the tongue, crisp and refreshing when chewed.
"Good, good." Cai Damei said "good" twice in a row. "Very good."
Ye Yunniang and Liang Maimiao also took chopsticks to taste.
"Eating noodles with these radish cubes, I could have two big bowls."
"I think they'd be good with rice or steamed buns, all delicious."
"With your praise, I feel confident." Chunyao smiled. She had tasted so many things lately she felt her tongue was about to give up.
"Sister Chunyao, you should trust your golden tongue. If you say it's good after tasting it, others will definitely find it even better." Ye Yunniang had great faith in Chunyao's palate.
"This is our first time opening a shop in Jiangcheng, I just feel unsure." Chunyao voiced her worries to the three in the courtyard.
They had been looking at shops from the end of last year to the beginning of this, finally settling on one.
Buying the shop cost over a thousand taels of silver. Renovations, furnishings, buying tables, chairs, benches, and all the pots, pans, bowls, and ladles for the kitchen cost another four to five hundred taels.
Adding the cost of hiring staff, they had spent over fifteen hundred taels without earning a single coin yet.
"Our previous savings are all drained. Now, I'm just hoping we can earn something after opening." Chunyao had been under great pressure lately.
"With brother-in-law's culinary skills, customers will surely flock like clouds."
"I'll take your auspicious words."
Before leaving, Chunyao mentioned the shop would open on the 28th of the month and invited the Li and Xu families to come.
Ye Yunniang and Liang Maimiao agreed.
Liang Maimiao also said goodbye and went home.
It was time to start preparing dinner.
"Tonight, I'll make braised pork."
Cai Damei washed her hands and went into the kitchen to make her specialty, braised pork.
That evening, the three children ate until they were stuffed.
The whole family went for a walk in the backyard.
Ye Yunniang and Cai Damei listened to Li Pan and Li An talk about things at school.
Bao Min and Li Ping walked behind, discussing arithmetic. Mainly, Bao Min was testing to find the limits of Li Ping's knowledge.
The more he asked, the more he discovered Li Ping's extraordinary talent in arithmetic, a height others could hardly reach.
Bao Min: Another day where I can't help but envy Jiang Mingzhe.
February 18th was a day worth commemorating.
Early in the morning, Cai Damei got up and busied herself in the kitchen.
Ye Yunniang heard the noise and got up. "Mother, why are you up so early?"
"Today you become the manager of Baise Embroidery Shop. I'm happy in my heart."
"It's only acting as manager for three months." Ye Yunniang didn't think it was a big deal.
"I believe in your ability. If you can do it for three months, you can do it for a year, ten years, even longer." What Cai Damei didn't say was that she planned to hand over the complete management of the Side Dish Shop to Ye Yunniang after she left Baise Embroidery Shop.
Ye Yunniang had no idea of Cai Damei's thoughts. If she knew, she would have firmly refused Baise's proposal.
