Tang Guiniang watched as her son and daughter-in-law entered together. Both of them were radiant, truly a perfect match.
Tang Guiniang was overjoyed. She took the tea offered by Qi Jiao and gave her a honey-colored, translucent amber wushipai (a jade or amber pendant symbolizing peace). She told Qi Jiao to get up and take a seat.
"Our family doesn't follow the strict etiquette between mother - in - law and daughter - in - law. Jiao'niang, you're just like my own daughter. You're even closer to my heart than A Jin."
Qi Jiao took it respectfully and smiled with pursed lips.
She took A Jin's hand from the adjacent seat. A pair of silver bracelets on her wrist rolled slowly, glistening like jade. "Mother, you're wrong. Don't you know your own child? There's no one in our family more considerate than A Jin.
"If there is, it must be Cousin Huier."
Qi Jiao's eyes sparkled as her words flattered three people.
Pei Jin naturally gave Qi Jiao an affectionate smile.
Huier blushed slightly, a smile playing on her lips.
Even Aunt Zheng wore a smile on her face. "Jiao'niang has such a sweet tongue. No wonder Sister loves you so much. She even gave you the family - heirloom amber wushipai."
Qi Jiao paused upon hearing this. Tang Guiniang smiled faintly. "It's just a pendant. What's the big deal? I don't have much. This wushipai has good quality. I hope you won't dislike it, Jiao'niang."
Qi Jiao quickly said, "How dare I? Mother treasures this gift. I'll surely keep it carefully."
Aunt Zheng's face showed a hint of dissatisfaction. She took out the shrimp - whisker gold bracelet from her sleeve. Although it pained her heart, she had to maintain her dignity.
Qi Jiao had her hair coiled in a tilted bun today. A double - petal hibiscus gold hairpin was obliquely inserted into her raven - black hair, and pearl earrings adorned her ears. She wore a high - waisted ruqun (a traditional Chinese women's clothing) and a tulip - colored skirt. Every gesture of hers exuded elegance and charm. She was by no means an ordinary girl from a humble family.
Aunt Zheng was sitting in a round - backed chair. She originally wanted to act like an elder, but somehow, when she met Qi Jiao's eyes, her imposing manner diminished.
She said in a proper way, "Jiao'niang, you know that your aunt and cousin have had a hard time. We had no choice but to return to our hometown and rely on our relatives. This bracelet may look delicate, but it's made of pure gold. It's my token of affection. I hope you'll be obedient, chaste, and live a peaceful life in the future."
This remark didn't sound like a blessing at all. Instead, it seemed like a warning.
Qi Jiao just smiled and didn't respond.
She simply placed two embroidered handkerchiefs and a jar of camellia flower facial cream beside Aunt Zheng.
Pei Xia interjected. With a smile on his lips and emphasizing his words, he said, "We're really grateful for Aunt's kindness. I wonder what Aunt's plan is for the future? Will you stay in the Pei family all the time, or do you have other good places to go?"
Aunt Zheng was stunned for a moment, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward.
Tang Guiniang scolded, "If you can't speak properly, then don't say anything. Your aunt and cousin have come from afar. Your grandparents have already passed away. They should stay in our house."
Pei Xia said, "I thought so too."
He looked at Aunt Zheng, with the smile not reaching his eyes. "Aunt and cousin can stay here comfortably. Jiao'niang and I are busy with our affairs. If there are any oversights on our part on weekdays, please forgive us."
Aunt Zheng's mouth drooped slightly, but she quickly smiled and said, "We're family. There's no need for such polite words, A Xia. You're being too formal."
In her heart, she thought that her nephew had already started to protect Qi Jiao before she had even said anything.
In the future, it would be better to keep a respectful distance from this Jiao'niang.
Little did she know that if Pei Xia and Qi Jiao knew what she was thinking, they would have been more than happy.
---
The wedding ceremony was tiring, but Qi Jiao didn't plan to rest.
Spring was in the air, and the ducklings had hatched. The number of ducks had more than doubled.
There was a batch of ducks in the duck farm that were ready to be eaten.
Qi Jiao didn't waste any time at home. She rushed to the duck farm immediately and personally selected three plump and mature ducks.
After plucking the ducks, one was used to make old duck soup with papaya and sour bamboo shoots, one was made into roast duck, and one was made into Zhangcha duck.
There was a ready - made roasting kiln at home.
The roast duck and Zhangcha duck had overlapping steps in their preparation, which was roasting and smoking.
However, what made Zhangcha duck more particular than roast duck was that it was smoked with tea leaves.
Zhangcha duck was a type of smoked duck. Its production was elaborate and required strict standards.
The finished dish was golden - red in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the special fragrance of camphor wood and tea leaves. It was one of the classic traditional Sichuan cuisine dishes.
To make Zhangcha duck, a good male duck should be selected. It was made through four processes: marinating, smoking, steaming, and frying.
Among these four processes, smoking the duck with camphor leaves and scented tea leaves was the most crucial.
Camphor trees grew in warm areas and could be seen everywhere in Yinwan.
At Qi Jiao's order, Pei Li quickly came back with a big basket of camphor leaves - no one knew which tree he had taken them from.
Male ducks had less fat than female ducks. After the fat was smoked and roasted out, only the essence of lean meat remained.
The appearance was attractively red and yellow, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the special aroma of camphor wood and tea leaves, and a savory flavor.
When chewing, the duck skin was crispy and tender, and the meat was fragrant.
One should be lenient when one has been treated to good food.
Aunt Zheng claimed to have married into a merchant family in another province. She wore gold and silver all day long and seemed to have a good life.
However, the Zheng family had a large population, and each branch fought like enemies over a little family property.
As a widow and her daughter, they were bound to be the bullied ones. They had a hard time living, so they had no choice but to return to their hometown and rely on their older sister.
How could she have ever tasted such delicious food?
With just a little show of her cooking skills, Qi Jiao had already left Aunt Zheng speechless in shock.
Although Aunt Zheng was a bit mean, she was still Tang Guiniang's sister. Essentially, she wasn't a bad person.
After tasting all kinds of delicious duck dishes, Aunt Zheng's attitude towards Qi Jiao did a complete 180 - degree turn.
She even instructed Zheng Huier, "Seeing your cousin - in - law so busy, why don't you help her? Usually, I praise you for being smart, but why are you so wooden now?"
Zheng Huier stuck out her tongue. "When I see Cousin - in - law Jiao'niang cooking, I can't even keep my eyes on everything, let alone help. I don't understand. What if I mess up Cousin - in - law's steps?"
Qi Jiao smiled and said, "If Huier wants to learn, I can teach you."
Aunt Zheng was overjoyed and quickly nudged Zheng Huier. "Hurry up and call her Master - mother."
Zheng Huier was surprised. "There's only a term for Master. Where did Master - mother come from?"
Aunt Zheng sighed. "Jiao'niang is a woman. Master is like mother. What's wrong with my saying that?
"Just like the term 'Xiansheng'. Many wealthy families hire female teachers for their young ladies and always call them 'Xiansheng'. Over time, people even forget whether the teacher is male or female. People naturally assume that Xiansheng refers to a man, and women don't even have a proper title. Isn't that extremely unfair?"
Aunt Zheng's words stunned Qi Jiao for a moment.
She didn't expect Aunt Zheng, who had been domesticated by the patriarchal society, to have such a progressive thought.
Human nature was complex. There was never absolute good or evil.
Qi Jiao no longer looked down on Aunt Zheng. She said seriously, "Aunt's words are eye - opening. They're really good."
Aunt Zheng blushed suddenly at this compliment. She said a bit uneasily, "I'm just saying this casually. I'm just a woman who rarely goes out. But I've heard and seen a lot. Sometimes, when I think about it carefully, it really makes sense."
Qi Jiao smiled and said, "No wonder Huier is so sensible and polite. Aunt deserves the credit."
Aunt Zheng looked quite proud. "That's right! Huier is my precious daughter. Of course, I have to raise her carefully and let her be self - reliant. Even if she can't find a good husband's family, she can support herself with her skills."
After saying that, everyone laughed.
The situation was stronger than the individual.
Aunt Zheng finally saw the situation clearly.
She gave Qi Jiao a big red envelope and took out two bolts of colorful silk from her dowry as the apprenticeship gift for Zheng Huier.
She didn't bother to choose a date. As soon as she saw a propitious time, she asked Zheng Huier to kowtow to Qi Jiao on the spot and recognize her as her master.
Qi Jiao took the tea offered by Zheng Huier and accepted her bow. She pretended to be strict and admonished, "Now that you've entered the culinary industry with me, from now on, you must study hard and cook with a good conscience. Be diligent and don't be slack."
Zheng Huier also looked solemn and said, "I'll remember all of Master - mother's good words."
Zheng Huier was Qi Jiao's third apprentice.
Before her, there were Pei Li and Pei Jin.
The Pei family members were all smart and had good comprehension abilities.
However, they had to study now and help with the duck farm after returning home. So, the time they spent cooking was limited.
Even so, Qi Jiao didn't slack off in guiding them.
Before going to bed every night, they had to practice knife skills for an hour.
Just as Aunt Zheng said, no matter what they did in the future, whether they got married or not, as long as they had skills, they wouldn't starve.
Qi Jiao didn't judge her apprentices by their talent.
She didn't know Zheng Huier well, but she could see that this young lady had perseverance.
She was sure that Zheng Huier wouldn't disappoint her.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was time for the newly - weds to visit the bride's parents on the third day after the wedding.