The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Upon hearing this, Lian Rong immediately wilted like a frosted eggplant, “Alright then…”

“Look at you.” Zhang Yongchang, unable to endure his demeanor, smacked him lightly and joked, “You crumble at the slightest mention of this, you should perfect your stir-frying skill before worrying about cooking.”

“You reminded me, I’ll stir-fry garlic sprouts and bean sprouts with dried tofu later. All the bean sprouts will be cooked, providing an extra dish for lunch.” “Okay.” Knowing that Zhang Yongchang still hoped for his success, the gloom on Lian Rong’s face dissipated, “I’ll prepare the bean sprouts first, looking forward to your cooking at lunch.”

Although the bean sprouts were very clean and Zhuang Qingning must have washed them when she brought them, Lian Rong knew Zhang Yongchang’s temperament. He despised having soybean skins mixed in with his bean sprouts. To be on the safe side, it’s better to inspect carefully and remove all soybean skins.

“Look at this kid, he’s totally unconcerned about anything once there’s food involved. This characteristic of his is well-suited for a chef.”

Zhang Yongchang shook his head and grumbled, “I suspect he was so eager to learn cooking from me just so he could satisfy his own appetite. Why else would his taste buds be so finicky, yet his cooking skill stagnate?”

“It makes sense, he’s learning cooking because he’s become picky about his food.”

Zhuang Qingning turned her eyes and smiled at Zhang Yongchang, “Uncle Zhang, indeed, part of this is your fault. If you hadn’t let Lian Rong taste your food, would he be so eager to learn cooking?”

“It’s you who are spoiling your apprentice, cooking whatever he wants to eat. Now, you are blaming him for not being ambitious.”

“Uncle Zhang, don’t you agree with me?”

“Cough, cough…”

Caught off guard by Zhuang Qingning’s words, Zhang Yongchang was left in a dilemma, attempting to preserve his dignity, he coughed lightly and straightened his neck, “You little girl, you’re still young, but you already love to make noise. You don’t know anything at all…”

“Sure, I don’t know anything.” Zhuang Qingning agreed but pulled a funny face.

This act made Zhang Yongchang burst into laughter.

“All right. I won’t disturb you anymore, Uncle Zhang. I’ll go check on my shop. You should get back to your work too,” Zhuang Qingning smiled and said.

“Okay, go.” With a face full of fatherly love, Zhang Yongchang was about to leave when he asked, “By the way, were the salted duck eggs taken to the county town this morning?”

“Yes, Brother Dong took them to the county town in the morning,” Zhuang Qingning said, “I didn’t mention the dried tofu and tofu sheets. I think these things should be introduced one by one, not all at once. If there are too many items, they might appear less rare. If we can’t keep up with the supply later, it won’t be good.”

Even the best things can become tiresome after a while. Therefore, whether it is a restaurant or a diner, new dishes have to be introduced from time to time for novelty and to make the diners feel they are being catered to, encouraging them to return. The same goes for selling products.

“Hmm, true, you’ve considered this quite thoroughly. Let’s just do it this way,” Zhang Yongchang nodded approvingly at Zhuang Qingning’s decision.

“Alrighty then.” Zhuang Qingning laughed and, after saying goodbye to Zhang Yongchang, headed for the tofu shop.

Zhang Yongchang, with hands clasped behind his back, headed to the kitchen. On the way, he couldn’t help but praise Zhuang Qingning to himself.

Being just a child of around thirteen or fourteen, she was extraordinarily insightful and thoughtful. It was quite rare.

If only Changji Tofu Shop had realized this, they wouldn’t have stagnated after so many years and ended up in this state.

Even though Zhang Yongchang had always been displeased with his brother-in-law, Chang Yuanda, and despised him for what he did with Li Fang later, he still felt regret when he thought about Changji Tofu Shop.

After all, Chang Yuanda was the husband of his late wife’s only sister. There were bound to be some feelings.

Speaking of which, it had been some time since Mrs. Xiao Wu went to his old residence to settle down. Since the day he took her and her three children there, he had never kept in touch.

When he had the chance, he should visit them.

There wasn’t much left by Mrs. Wu, but even if he didn’t like it, he still needed to do his best to look after it.

Zhang Yongchang, thinking of Mrs. Wu, saw the smile on his face brought on by Zhuang Qingning’s teasing fade bit by bit, eventually leaving a tinge of melancholy.

Ah…

How come you left so early, leaving me all alone?

When Zhuang Qingning returned to the shop, she got straight to work selling tofu.

Earlier, Mrs. Cao went to the backyard to prepare steamed noodles, as Zhuang Qingning had suggested.

She bought a small piece of pork belly from the butcher shop, cut it into tiny cubes, and stir-fried it with the bean sprouts to create a fragrant stew. She mixed it evenly with the steamed noodles and continued steaming it. Once the noodles had absorbed the flavor, the steamed noodles were ready.

“Steamed noodles are ready, come get your meals,” Mrs. Cao lifted the lid off the steamer, dished out three bowls of noodles, and went to the front of the shop to call Zhuang Qingning and the others.

“Come and eat while it’s hot. I’ll watch the shop. There are peeled garlic cloves in the back if you want to eat them. Don’t worry about the strong smell. I brought some raw peanuts from home. Eat a few and chew some tea leaves, and the smell will be gone.”

“Go quickly.”

With Mrs. Cao urging them, even Zhang Qiuying, who was reluctant to eat first, was shooed to the back to cat. Mrs. Cao manoeuvred herself to the front of the store to watch the shop.

Zhuang Qingning and the others didn’t hesitate and went to the backyard to cat their meals.

The bean sprouts were delightfully tender, and the diced pork belly was aromatic. The noodles were carefully cut to be thin enough to absorb all the flavors, resulting in a truly delectable meal.

Zhuang Qingsui, still a small figure, ate a big bowl before wiping her mouth and putting her bowl down.

After their meal, the three of them tidied up and went to the front of the shop to let Mrs. Cao eat.

Just then, Zhuang Sifu’s bullock cart pulled up at the door.

“Brother Sifu, why have you come so early today?” Zhuang Qingning looked at the sky. It was more than an hour earlier than his usual tofu delivery time.

Usually, Zhuang Sifu would deliver the tofu to town as soon as it was made. The workers at the tofu factory were quick and efficient, but it was unlikely they had finished making tofu so much earlier than usual.

“Little Sister Ning.” Zhuang Sifu jumped down from the bullock cart, his forehead dripping with sweat, “I’m not here to deliver tofu. Uncle Yonghe sent me to pick you up. You need to return with me right away.”

“What’s happened?” Zhuang Qingning asked, her brows furrowing at the sight of Zhuang Sifu’s panic..