In the small kitchen, Xiaomi helped her with the work. Zhao Jiaqi delegated the tasks of wrapping meat and salted egg yolk to the maids, while she personally cooked the dishes.
As evening approached, the moon hung high in the branches, and the meal was finally ready.
The exquisite food on the table attracted many diners. Since she rarely cooked, this spontaneous attempt was a welcome treat for everyone.
Soon, the dishes on the table were all devoured. Yao Yao and Sen Sen, the brothers, even argued heatedly over a goose leg. If Zhao Jiaqi hadn't glared at them, the guests might have come to blows.
In contrast, Yu Meng was much more considerate. She voluntarily gave her duck leg to Yao Yao. "Let him have the goose leg. Sister will give you the duck leg!"
Yao Yao looked at his elder sister's kindness and couldn't bear to eat it. He returned it. "Sister, you've lost weight these past few days. You eat."
Seeing this, Zhao Jiaqi smiled and said, "This is good. Siblings, brothers and sisters should care for each other. When your father and I are no longer around, you three will be the closest people in the world. Fighting over a leg will not only hurt your feelings, but do you think it's worth it?"
Her words made Sen Sen feel ashamed. He immediately split the meat from the goose leg in two, keeping one piece for himself and giving the other to his brother. He whispered an apology to him, "It's my fault. Here's this piece for you, let's eat it together!"
Fan Zehao nodded subtly, knowing that changing one's mistakes was a good thing.
Zhang Cui, seeing the children so sensible, felt very comforted but thought of the years she and her son had spent together.
Let alone eating a whole chicken, even a piece of meat, her son would always let her eat first. They would argue over who would give the meat to whom, only for the meat to fall on the ground. They then washed it with cold water and split it in half.
Recalling their hard times, her heart ached. Her son had truly suffered with her.
Since marrying his wife, the family's life had clearly improved, and now they no longer worried about food. Experiencing hardship before sweetness, she felt she had lived a fulfilling life.
With a subtle sigh, she picked up a zongzi and peeled away the leaves. Upon seeing meat inside, she was startled.
"Qiqi, did you wrap this wrong? Why is it meat?" she asked. "Shouldn't it be red dates?"
Wang Zhaodi also picked one up and opened it, looking even more surprised than her mother-in-law. "Mother, mine has salted egg yolk?"
At this, everyone at the table reached for the zongzi as if opening blind boxes. As they peeled them open, some had dates, some red beans, even mung beans, and some had ribs. Meat and salted egg yolks were the most common, followed by dates!
Zhao Jiaqi couldn't help but laugh as she watched their astonished faces, their eyes almost popping out.
"Try them. I think the meat ones are delicious. Salted egg yolks are also my favorite. After eating too many red dates, it's good to have a change of taste occasionally!"
Zhao Jiaqi spoke first and began eating the pork rib zongzi. It was savory and delicious, the aroma of the meat mingling with that of the glutinous rice, making it incredibly tasty.
Seeing her eat with such delight, everyone else couldn't resist starting to eat too. This one meal was so good that they tossed aside the red date zongzi and began eating the new ones.
In a short time, the basin of zongzi was completely gone. The remaining red date ones had to be distributed to the servants and maids.
With their stomachs full and round, Zhao Jiaqi thought the imperial physician would be busy tonight. She immediately sent servants to prepare some soup to aid digestion.
Fan Zehao, still savoring the taste, genuinely said, "Indeed, the fatty pork is the most fragrant. I think eldest sister-in-law could learn to make these zongzi and sell them at a stall or in a shop. It would be quite profitable, especially since it's novel, and the sales would surely be good!"
Yu Meng also thought it was a good idea and suggested to her aunt, "When you do, write on the signboard, 'Created by the Princess, unique in the inner city.'"
Yao Yao excitedly chimed in, "Yes, yes! No matter who makes the same kind of zongzi in the future, everyone will still recognize you, auntie, because my mother has a very strong reputation in the inner city."
They all talked and decided on the matter happily. However, Wang Zhaodi was hesitant to agree readily. After all, this involved using her sister-in-law's name to make money. So, she very cautiously sought Zhao Jiaqi's consent.
"I have no problem with that. I only have one request."
Wang Zhaodi, seeing her open the door, quickly asked, "What request? Tell me!"
Zhao Jiaqi said, "The products must be made hygienically, and you cannot use inferior ingredients. You must ensure the quality. If someone gets sick from eating your food, not only will your business fail, but you'll also have to compensate them!"
Regarding this, Wang Zhaodi patted her chest and assured her, resolutely saying, "Don't worry, I will absolutely not make any mistakes in this regard!"
Fan Guangping remained silent for a while. When he finally spoke, he echoed, "We will use good ingredients even if we earn less. We will not sell anything from the previous day!"
This couple held a significant place in Zhao Jiaqi's heart, and she believed her elder brother and sister-in-law could do it. When they did business together in the past, Zhao Jiaqi had seen firsthand how they operated.
"Alright, I'll write down the recipes tonight and send someone to deliver them to you. If there's anything you don't understand, sister-in-law, feel free to come to me!"
Wang Zhaodi was very grateful for her help once again and nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay, thank you, sister-in-law!"
Seeing this, Fan Zehao seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot and said, "Wife, Fan Chen will be finishing his military service soon. When this child returns, I plan to have him do something!"
Zhao Jiaqi could see her husband's intentions at a glance. She asked, "What do you plan for Chenchen to do?"
Fan Zehao looked at his elder brother and sister-in-law, then at his wife. "Start a business and live a stable life!"
Their family either produced generals or businessmen. Therefore, Fan Zehao was wavering between these two paths.
However, he said this after obtaining the consent of his elder brother and sister-in-law. After all, going to war meant an uncertain fate. This couple had only one son, and they absolutely could not have him in the army.
So, after much deliberation, they decided it was best to live a stable life at home. When he reached the age to marry and have children, they would have done their duty to their ancestors.
Zhao Jiaqi listened to her husband and then looked at the expectant eyes of her elder brother and sister-in-law. She suddenly understood that this was not her husband's idea but that of his wife.
She pondered for a moment and thought of a few snacks that were very suitable for breakfast, with high profits and low costs. If done well, they could completely open a breakfast shop.
"Elder brother, sister-in-law, I have recipes for egg-filled pancakes, roujiamo, fried skewers, and oil-fried dough sticks, and fried cakes. If these are served with soy milk and various porridges, they will surely become popular. However, running a breakfast business is very hard work. I don't know if Chenchen can accept it."
Giving so many good things at once, how could he possibly refuse?