Chapter 49 - 49: Family Is the Most Important

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“I see. I originally had nothing to do. I usually spend my days copying books at home. The child is young and can’t leave me. If Madam Qiao doesn’t mind, I will accept this task.”

“Alright, then it’s a deal. From now on, you’ll be the teacher of my two sons.”

“There’s no need for them to acknowledge me as their teacher. I’ll just teach them casually for now.”

“Alright, let’s start after the Full Moon Festival.”

“I’ll teach in the morning. The early birds catch the worm. After breakfast, I’ll bring my son over. Every day, I’ll teach for 2 hours in the morning. If it’s too long, they will be tired of studying. In the afternoon, I’ll let them take an afternoon nap, play for a while, and do some housework. It’s time for their bodies to grow.”

“No problem, it’s settled. What do you need to buy?”

“Do you have a basic books?”

“Yes.”

“Just prepare the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.”

“Got it.”

Soon, the matter was settled. Both of them felt that it was quite fun to talk to each other, and their impression of each other improved.

Yuan Jiaqi returned home and Chuan’er was eating mooncakes in the house.

“Dad, is Auntie Qiao looking for you?”

He tapped the child’s nose. “Something’s up. Something good.”

“What is it?”

“Auntie Qiao invited us to her house for dinner tomorrow. She even said that she would invite me to teach her sons to study in the future.”

“That’s great. I can eat delicious fruits again.”

“Your Auntie Qiao’s cooking skills are also good.”

“Yes, yes. The dumplings are delicious, and so are the pancakes. Perhaps

Auntie’s stir-fried vegetables are also delicious.”

“You little foodie!”

“Hehe!”

Chuan’er broke off a piece of mooncake and placed it in Yuan Jiaqi hand. “Dad, you should eat too. You’ve lost weight recently.”

“Father doesn’t like sweet things.”

“This isn’t sweet. Why don’t you try it?”

Unable to resist his son’s coaxing and pestering, he took a bite and tasted it.

The sweetness of the mooncake and the softness of the filling immediately conquered him. Yuan Jiaqi was stunned. He did not expect this cake to be so delicious.

The fragrance that came out yesterday should be from this. He really did not expect her, who was usually so busy with business, to have such craftsmanship.

With such craftsmanship, why would she set up a stall to sell those? He could have just opened a shop to sell this. It would definitely sell well.

If those pastry shops knew about her craftsmanship, they would definitely come to buy her recipe. If they could not, they would try to force her to submit. Should he warn her?

Yuan Jiaqi frowned. He did not realize that this was the first time he was worried about a woman.

After thinking about it, he still felt that it was better to warn her.

Hence, he carried Chuan’er and went over.

Qiao Mai was very surprised to see this. She thought that he had gone back on his word and blinked at him with a puzzled expression. “Madam Qiao, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“Brother Yuan, please speak.”

“The mooncakes you make are too delicious. This kind of craftsmanship has never appeared in our Great Ming Dynasty until now. If someone with ulterior motives knows about it, I’m afraid it will be detrimental to you.”

“So it’s about this.”

“I’ve already thought about it. I’ll sell it to whoever buys the recipe. As long as the price is suitable, I don’t have high requirements.”

“You don’t want to open a shop?”

“No, it’s too troublesome to open a shop and take care of people. It’s not as easy as opening a small stall. If the weather is good, I’ll open the stall. If it’s bad, I can rest at home for a day and do embroidery.”

“I didn’t expect Lady Qiao to think so thoroughly.”

“It’s alright. You’re just overthinking it. Although you’re right, I’m very open-minded about this. I won’t stick to a recipe and let my family’s lives be threatened. In my eyes, my family’s lives are the most important.”

Yuan Jiaqi was deeply moved by these words.

Yes, many families lost their lives just to protect a recipe.

How could a recipe be more valuable than one’s life? Once one said that it was passed down from one’s ancestors, they would never reveal it even if they died. However, if they were dead, what was the point of passing it down?

He did not know that Qiao Mai had the internet and could get all kinds of recipes. In her era, new things appeared, and there were immediately gourmets who analyzed them. Recipes have been put on the Internet a long time ago.

It was just that the pace of life there was fast, and many people were lazy. They did not want to try making it themselves.

Qiao Mai used to think that she might not have any talent in cooking, but now that she thought about it, it was not that she did not have talent. It was just that she had spent all her time on work and studying, so he did not have the energy to cook.

It was good now. As long as one were not a fool, one could do it well no matter where you put your energy. It all depended on whether one put in the effort or not.

Sometimes, she would praise herself for being a top student. She was like whatever she learned.

Yuan Jiaqi returned to the house and looked at his son who was eating on the brick bed.

“Let’s go back to your grandparents’ house?”

“Father, can we not go back?”

“No, they’re still Dad’s parents, your grandparents. The word ‘filial piety’ can crush people to death. Even if it’s only an act, we have to go back.”

“Alright then, I won’t bring anything. Father, can you help me put all these delicious food in the cabinet?”

“Alright, we’ll eat when we get back.”

The father and son locked the door, bought a roast chicken and two bags of snacks in town, and got an ox cart on the main road.

Yuan Jiaqi was from Apricot Blossom Village, fifteen miles south of the town. He had five brothers and no sisters. He was the youngest in the family.

His older brother was married, and the whole family had been living together. Yuan Jiaqi was the best-looking and the smartest in the family.

Unfortunately, they were too poor to afford to send him to school. However, he loved to study and would always secretly eavesdrop when the school was teaching. When he saw a place with words, he would always stop to read.

When the teacher heard this, he did not restrain him and let him listen from the side. He learned as much as he could.

Just like that, he studied for five years. His family needed him to earn money to support the family. They did not give him time to go to school, forced him to go up the mountain to cut firewood to sell, forced him to farm, and forced him to marry a wife.

Although he did not like his wife, she was already married to him and treated him well wholeheartedly, so he still accepted her.

However, when his wife had a difficult labor, the family did not even pay for a midwife. They said that there was no need to hire a midwife to give birth to a child. The women in the village all gave birth at home. Chuan’er’s mother risked her life and used all her strength to give birth to Chuan’er.

However, she suffered a huge loss of blood and lost her life in a short while.

Chuan’er did not even have the chance to open his eyes to look at his mother. From then on, Yuan Jiaqi took Chuan’er away from the Yuan family.

He would only come back during the New Year, but every time, they would part on bad terms. He would not even be able to get a meal before he was chased out.

This time, Yuan Jiaqi was carrying Chuan ‘er. As soon as he entered the Yuan family’s courtyard, he was scolded by his parents.

It was as if they were waiting for Yuan Jiaqi to come in and insult him. In fact, they were waiting for him.

“You still know to come back? All these years, you’ve been like this every time.

You want to satisfy us with some broken things?”

Yuan Jiaqi was already numb to this. “Father, Mother, don’t you know why your son left? If she had given birth slowly, she would have been fine.”

“However, after three days and three nights of suffering, you just watched

helplessly. No matter how much your son begged, you were indifferent.” “That’s a life, a life! Look at Chuan’er, how can you not let down his mother?”

“Are you letting this child down? She married into our Yuan family, not sold to the Yuan family. You let your son marry her, and after your son marries her, you covet her dowry.”

“You swindled her dowry but did not even treat her better. The child’s mother did not have a good day at our house. She was deliberately tortured to death by you guys. Do you know that you’re bullying her? If Chuan ‘er’s mother had brothers and sisters, would you dare?”

“Pah, which daughter-in-law didn’t have a life like this? She’s unfortunate that she had to go so early. If she wanted to blame someone, she had to blame herself. Let’s not talk about the past. Let’s talk about you now. Although you didn’t eat anything at home….”