Qiao Shu had originally wanted to teach Qiao Xia Hua the braised food recipe that she had bought at a high price from a master chef in her previous life, but it had been rejected. Not to mention that Qiao Xia Hua did not have enough capital to buy ingredients and meat—even if she did have money, she temporarily lacked a channel to purchase large quantities of meat.
Moreover, in a place like theirs, no one would bear to spend much money on meat dishes.
Upon hearing Qiao Xia Hua say this, Qiao Shu immediately realized that all those tasty ‘snack recipes’ in her mind could not be used.
After all, although those things were delicious, they required many seasonings and were indeed costly—not very suitable for Qiao Xia Hua, who was currently dirt poor and without money.
As she thought about it, Qiao Shu’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Xia Hua jie, how about I teach you a few melon seed frying recipes!”
Qiao Shu recalled from the original host’s memories that some households around here seemed to grow sunflowers, so she thought of snacks like melon seeds.
In her previous life, she had loved cracking melon seeds, so she had tried frying different flavors herself, and they all tasted pretty good.
Of course, the most important thing was that frying melon seeds had low costs, and the process was not too complicated.
Anyway, this was the most suitable ‘snack recipe’ she could think of for Qiao Xia Hua at present.
“Frying melon seeds…?”
When Qiao Xia Hua heard Qiao Shu say this, she was a bit uncertain at first, but after quickly running through it in her mind, she felt that the melon seed frying recipe was very good!
Melon seeds were cheap, and every household ate them, especially during Chinese New Year when they were an essential item.
If even such a popular everyday melon seed could have recipes to make it tastier, then her business would definitely thrive!
“Shushu, quickly tell me, what are these melon seed frying recipes! Let me see if they’re difficult!”
Qiao Xia Hua humbly sought advice, already starting to plan in her heart how to get this business started.
Seeing Qiao Xia Hua’s serious expression, Qiao Shu did not beat around the bush. She immediately pulled the girl into her room, took out paper and pen, and wrote down several melon seed recipes of different flavors from her mind.
“There you go! Take a look.”
After Qiao Shu finished writing, she tore the paper full of recipes from the notebook and handed it to Qiao Xia Hua.
Qiao Xia Hua held her breath and carefully reached out with both hands to cradle the recipe paper.
She looked just like she was holding some rare treasure, which made Qiao Shu find this cousin of hers quite adorable.
After reading the recipes on the paper, Qiao Xia Hua’s dark eyes lit up astonishingly.
“Shushu! Thank you!”
Frying melon seeds was indeed not difficult, with almost no technical barriers, and the ingredients were all cheap.
At least, it was a small business she could start with no money upfront.
Of course, even more importantly—these melon seed frying recipes that Qiao Shu had written were flavors Qiao Xia Hua had never even seen before!
Honey-flavored melon seeds, Sichuan pepper melon seeds, tangerine peel melon seeds, walnut melon seeds, and so on—even caramel melon seeds. Although she did not quite understand what caramel flavor was, seeing the brown sugar in the ingredients list made her think it must be delicious!
Looking at so many melon seed recipes, Qiao Xia Hua felt like she had found a treasure, her face covered in a silly grin.
Before seeing the recipes, she had still been a bit unsure if she could make money with Qiao Shu’s recipes.
But after seeing them, she was certain—she could definitely make money with these melon seed recipes from Qiao Shu!
After all, not only had Qiao Xia Hua never tasted any of these flavors, she had not even heard of them!
“Shushu, don’t worry. I will definitely use your melon seed recipes to make money properly!”
In response to Qiao Xia Hua’s endless thanks and her declaration to earn money and share it, Qiao Shu nodded with a gentle smile, her voice soft as she encouraged her. “Mm, Xia Hua jie, go for it! I believe you can do it! Keep it up!”
Seeing the trusting expression on Qiao Shu’s beautiful smiling face and hearing her gentle words of encouragement, Qiao Xia Hua—who had never been trusted and affirmed like this before—felt deeply moved.
She suddenly felt that this little cousin she had rarely interacted with was simply the cutest and kindest girl under the heavens!
In an instant, her fondness for Qiao Shu reached its maximum.
She secretly vowed in her heart that even if not for herself, she had to work hard to make money and not let down her little cousin’s trust!
“Shushu! Big sis will definitely work hard to earn money for you to spend!”
Qiao Xia Hua clenched her fists tightly, declared with firm resolve, and then left!
Qiao Shu watched her third cousin’s determined back and felt completely baffled, not understanding why her third cousin had suddenly burst with energy and become so full of vigor.
And—
“What does ‘work hard to earn money for me to spend’ even mean???”
Qiao Shu touched her earlobe in bewilderment. She had given her the recipes not to have her make money for her, but just hoping this girl, whose parents favored sons over daughters, could live a better life…
No one in the Qiao Family knew about what had happened between Qiao Shu and Qiao Xia Hua.
They did not know that Qiao Shu had given Qiao Xia Hua a very valuable sheet of melon seed recipes.
Even less did they know that Qiao Xia Hua had already quietly started her melon seed business according to the ingredients on the recipes, all without anyone noticing.
Days passed just like that, and Qiao Shu continued her daily routine of staying home and waiting to get married.
However, after Qiao Hui returned from the county, Qiao Shu stopped using spiritual spring water to cook for the family. At most, she would add a little when occasionally pouring water for her grandparents or parents.
Of course, even if Qiao Shu wanted to cook, there was no way.
Although her cooking was delicious, the ingredients were too ‘wasteful,’ so the Qiao Family unanimously ‘revoked’ her right to cook and made her stay home obediently as a rice bug awaiting marriage.
Qiao Wu Ya from next door was the most disappointed that Qiao Shu no longer cooked. It was not because she could no longer earn rewards by helping with the fire—she just missed the chances to interact with the gentle and beautiful Big Sis Qiao Shu…
“Third son’s wife, there’s not much work in the fields tomorrow. Take Shushu to the county town to buy some new clothes. She’s about to marry into the city, so she needs to dress up nicely. We can’t let others look down on us.”
That evening, after the whole family finished dinner, Old Lady Qiao pulled a stack of money from the handkerchief hidden on her body and handed it to He Meijun.
Aside from Xu Laidi from the second branch who felt dissatisfied inside, no one else in the Qiao Family objected to Old Lady Qiao giving He Meijun so much money.
After all, they understood that the Feng Family Qiao Shu was marrying into was no ordinary household—she definitely needed to dress better.
He Meijun did not refuse the money. In her view, this was what the old Qiao Family owed her precious daughter!
If not for Old Master Qiao arranging that childhood betrothal to latch onto the Feng Family, how could her poor daughter need to marry an ‘old man’ eleven years older with two kids!
“Alright, Mom. Tomorrow I’ll take our Shushu to the department store in the county town.”
Qiao Shu herself was a bit reluctant about suddenly going out shopping. After all, in this era and in their remote poor little county town, the shopping experience was surely mediocre.
She also did not want to spend too much of the Qiao Family’s money.
However, thinking that if she bought clothes in the small county town, she could later swap them with things from her Spirit Spring Space after marrying into the Feng Family. That way, when she took them out in a new unfamiliar place, it would not arouse suspicion…
With this in mind, Qiao Shu happily agreed to the shopping trip to the county town.
Just as Qiao Shu agreed, Qiao Hui—who had been silent until then—spoke up.
“Grandma! I want to go to the county town tomorrow with Third Aunt and Shushu to shop too!”
“Go away. What do you have to buy? Stay home obediently!”
Old Lady Qiao rejected her without thinking.
“Grandma, I have an interview at the County Primary School to be a teacher. Don’t I need to dress up nicely and buy some good clothes too?”
Qiao Hui sidled up to Old Lady Qiao and wheedled coquettishly.
But the shrewd Old Lady Qiao was not buying it. “What, didn’t you secretly go to the county town alone last time and buy some?”
“…”
“Enough! If you want to go to the county town, go by yourself next time. Don’t trouble your Third Aunt and your sister.”
He Meijun smugly curled her lip at Old Lady Qiao’s complete rejection of Qiao Hui’s request to join them.
Even if Old Lady Qiao had not refused, He Meijun would have shut Qiao Hui down until she doubted her life!
“Got it, got it. I won’t go with Third Aunt and them, alright…”
Qiao Hui pouted, saying this with her mouth, but in her heart, she was determined to follow He Meijun and Qiao Shu to the county town tomorrow and stick close to them. That way… she could meet the person she wanted to encounter…
Although Qiao Shu could not read minds, she already had her guard up against Qiao Hui and naturally noticed this unusual behavior.
She recalled Qiao Hui’s excitement when she had secretly gone to the county alone last time, and her disappointment upon returning.
Suddenly, she had a bold guess. Could it be that Qiao Hui went to the county—and wanted to follow her there—because she wanted to use her to meet some important person???
After all, this was a common trope in most rebirth novels—the reborn female lead, relying on knowledge of the future, snatching opportunities and… love that originally belonged to others???
At this thought, Qiao Shu felt that getting entangled with a reborn girl was truly a huge hassle. Good thing she was marrying into the Feng Family!