MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 91

Hedong Village.

 

The shouts and chatter of the crowd were endless. No matter the occasion, lively competitions always stirred excitement. Amidst such an atmosphere, Qiao Suiman’s smile deepened.

 

Customers bought their drinks and happily went off to continue watching the race. Qin Yu sat behind the cart; though the view wasn’t clear from here, he could still see the general scene. Xiahe Village had advanced to the third round and was drawing lots to determine the order.

 

Qiao Ruifeng was initially reluctant to let him join the bustle. As Qin Yu’s pregnancy became more noticeable, he had also been feeling unwell, often suffering from leg cramps at night. Qiao Ruifeng had been buying goat milk more frequently, though Qin Yu always pinched his nose while drinking it. He was bored at home and insisted on Qiao Ruifeng taking him to Hedong Village.

 

“Xiao Man, the Fragrant Drink competition is in a few days. Do you have any ideas?” Qin Yu asked.

 

Thinking of this, Qiao Suiman felt troubled. “Not yet. I bought some dried flowers and tea leaves, but I just don’t know how to connect them to ‘life.’”

 

“These people are really something. It’s a competition, shouldn’t making it taste good be enough? Why must they insist on such tricks?” Chen Xuesheng said, pursing his lips.

 

“What ‘life’ or no ‘life’? It’s not like drinking it will make someone give birth. That would make it a miracle drug.” Zhou Shuifen shook her head.

 

Qin Yu sighed softly. “If it could be drunk after giving birth, that would be fine too. Then I wouldn’t have to drink all that goat’s milk.”

 

Zhou Shuifen laughed. “You ge’r, that goat milk is so precious. Rui-xiaozi buys it for you every day. Many people in the village are envious.”

 

Qiao Suiman, who had been listening to their conversation, frowned deeply. Suddenly, something seemed to flash through his mind.

 

He froze in place, even forgetting his actions, trying to grasp the tangled threads in his thoughts.

 

He carefully recalled the conversation between Zhou Shuifen and Qin Yu just now.

 

“Life,” goat milk, bland taste…

 

Qiao Suiman’s eyes instantly lit up. He lifted his head sharply and grabbed Lu Dongqing’s arm. Just as he was about to speak, everyone around them erupted into loud cheers.

 

In the distance, several dragon boats had already passed the bend and entered the final straight stretch. Leading the way was the Xiahe Village dragon boat, with Qiao Ruifeng and Lu Xuesong as the lead rowers!

 

Qiao Suiman suppressed his excitement, not blinking as he watched the distant river. Everyone around him did the same. Finally, with the continuous movements of the rowers, Xiahe Village crossed the finish line first again!

 

“First again!”

 

“We won!”

 

Many villagers of Xiahe Village were present, and upon seeing that their village had once more taken the championship this year, they all erupted in cheers.

 

Qin Yu repeatedly said, “We won, we won,” while stroking his belly, as if speaking to the child inside.

 

Lu Dongqing didn’t miss Qiao Suiman’s earlier movement. He lowered his head and asked, “Did you have something to say just now?”

 

Qiao Suiman then whispered, “I’ve thought of it. I know what to use!”

 

Though his voice was soft, it couldn’t conceal the excitement and joy in his tone.

 

Seeing this, Lu Dongqing was equally delighted and said with a smile, “It’s good that you’ve figured it out. Do we need to buy any more ingredients?”

 

“Yes…”

 

Before Qiao Suiman could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by customers crowding around the cart. “Qiao-ge’r, do you still have Mulberry Drink and Fragrant Tieguanyin?”

 

“Yes,” Qiao Suiman said and opened the lid to let them take a look.

 

“Three tubes of each, and we’ll take the bamboo tubes too,” said a regular customer. “The bamboo tubes are even prettier than last year’s. Use these designs and fill them accordingly.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Qiao Suiman smiled warmly. He remembered these customers. They were the first to buy bamboo tube drinks last year. They were town residents who often patronized the shop.

 

After the competition, the spectators went home one after another. As they passed Qiao Suiman’s stall, they were first drawn by the donkey cart, then by the exquisitely carved bamboo tubes on the cart and the drink barrels wrapped in colorful cloths embroidered with various flowers and plants. They stopped to look, asking questions in a lively chatter.

 

Many people were crowding around, and after receiving the reward, Qiao Ruifeng returned to this side, carefully protecting Qin Yu, to avoid him being bumped into.

 

After serving this group of customers, all the drinks were sold out. Many who arrived later regretted not buying sooner. If they wanted to drink again, they would have to go to town.

 

Once the crowd dispersed, Lu Xuesong and Miao Lianhua returned from the riverbank in high spirits. Lu Xuesong had been the center of attention today. Since all the people of Hedong Village were there, Tang Guo’er was naturally there too. After staying with them for a while, he couldn’t resist going further ahead to watch the race.

 

Judging by Lu Xuesong’s beaming expression, he had surely spoken with Tang Guo’er again.

 

After exchanging a few words with them, they noticed it was getting late. Originally, they should have packed up and headed home. Qiao Suiman paused, finally finding an opportunity to tell Lu Dongqing, “We still need goat milk.”

 

Lu Dongqing was slightly surprised. After thinking it over, he still couldn’t figure out what Qiao Suiman intended to do, but he agreed first. “Alright. Since we’re in Hedong Village, I’ll ask for directions, and we’ll go.”

 

Qiao Suiman smiled and nodded.

 

Knowing the two were returning to town, Miao Lianhua, Zhou Shuifen, and Chen Xuesheng exchanged a few more words with them, encouraging Qiao Suiman not to stress too much, saying that things would work out in the end. They said they would come to town on the day of the competition to cheer him on.

 

Qiao Suiman agreed with a bright smile. Meanwhile, Lu Dongqing asked Qiao Ruifeng for directions to the goat farm. After bidding farewell to everyone, the two headed to the goat farm with their donkey cart.

 

Once they were alone, Lu Dongqing asked, “How did you think of using goat milk?”

 

Qiao Suiman lowered his head shyly. “I thought of it when I heard Aunt Shuifen and Qin Yu-ge talking. Since the competition is related to ‘life,’ the first thing that came to mind was childbirth. Children need milk, but ge’rs don’t have any, so they can only be fed rice gruel or goat milk. Many people can’t stand the taste of goat milk, so I thought, if I could make goat’s milk smoother and easier to drink, people like Qin Yu-ge, who are about to give birth, can drink more of it, wouldn’t that also fit the theme of ‘life’?”

 

Lu Dongqing’s lips curled slightly. “That makes sense. Moreover, the prefectural city is likely holding this competition to encourage everyone to think of new drink recipes, giving the drinks a chance for ‘new life.’”

 

Although he has an idea, Qiao Suiman hadn’t yet figured out how to do it specifically. He planned to buy the goat milk first and then experiment back home.

 

The donkey cart leisurely came to a stop in front of the goat farm. On the cart were fresh peaches, green plums, and dried wild mountain tea that Qiao Ruifeng had brought for them early in the morning. All of these were picked by him and Qin Yu during this period of time.

 

At the entrance of the goat farm, they found a servant and explained their purpose. The owner of the Tang family’s goat farm then had someone lead them to a small room where Tang Xiao and another robust man were sitting. On the table were two tubes of drinks, precisely the ones Qiao Suiman had made.

 

“Uncle Tang, Master Tang.” Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing greeted them with smiles.

 

“Ah, Qiao-ge’r and Lu-xiao xiongdi, what a coincidence! I wondered if it might be you when I heard the report.” Tang Xiao stood up to welcome them inside.

 

“The drinks are good, no wonder Guo’er always praises them to Hua-jie.”

 

Master Tang, the owner of the goat farm, pointed to the chairs on the side and asked them to sit down. Then he said, “Do you want to buy goat milk too?”

 

Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing sat down and replied, “Yes, we want to try making a new drink.”

 

Tang Xiao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Goat milk can be used to make drinks?”

 

Master Tang also raised an eyebrow slightly, finding it unbelievable. “This is the first time I’ve heard of that.”

 

Qiao Suiman scratched his head. “We’re just experimenting. I’m not sure how it will turn out, so I’d like to buy a few bowls of goat milk from you first.”

 

Master Tang laughed heartily. “Of course, no problem. I’m curious what goat milk drinks would taste like. How much do you want?”

 

Qiao Suiman thought for a moment. “Let’s start with four large bowls. If it’s not enough later, I’ll come back to you.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Master Tang waved his hand and called out, “Xiao Shi, take them to get four bowls squeezed out.”

 

Xiao Shi was the servant who had brought them in earlier. Qiao Suiman gave Master Tang one mace of silver before following Xiao Shi with Lu Dongqing to get the goat milk.

 

The Tang family’s goat farm was vast. Qiao Suiman followed along while glancing around. There were seven pens just on the eastern side, each holding over a dozen goats.

 

Xiao Shi worked quickly, as he was already very experienced at this job. It didn’t take long for him to fill four bowls of goat milk, cover them with lids, and hand them to Lu Dongqing.

 

After buying the goat milk, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing left the goat farm and hurried back to town in the donkey cart. Lu Dongqing was afraid that the goat milk would spill, so he didn’t drive the donkey cart very fast. It was already dark when they returned to the shop.

 

Once inside, Qiao Suiman first moved the fruits into the storage room. The room was cool, helping to keep the fruits fresh. After washing the barrels clean in the backyard, he rolled up his sleeves and took out the goat milk from the bamboo basket.

 

Because he feared it might spill, he carried it pressed to his chest the whole way. After all, it cost one mace of silver, so not a drop could be wasted.

 

Knowing Qiao Suiman was eager to experiment, Lu Dongqing smiled. “There’s not much goat milk, so use the small stove. I’ll steam rice in the large pot and put some cured meat in to steam together, so it won’t leave any smell.”

 

The two new large pots were always used only for making drinks. Qiao Suiman never used them for cooking, fearing the food smells would linger and affect the drink flavors.

 

There was no need to worry about steaming rice. Qiao Suiman felt warmth in his heart. These past few days, Lu Dongqing had been constantly looking after his mood, and he remembered it well.

 

Qiao Suiman placed the goat milk on the stove, then turned and wrapped his arms around Lu Dongqing’s waist. Looking up, he called out softly, “Dongqing.”

 

Then he buried his face in Lu Dongqing’s chest and nuzzled a few times. “You’re so good.”

 

Lu Dongqing was very pleased. He hugged Qiao Suiman tightly against his chest, kissed the top of his head, and said, “Don’t worry. Just do what you want to do. I’m sure you’ll succeed.”

 

Qiao Suiman suddenly felt a surge of confidence, his lips curling into a bright smile. “En!”

 

After a moment of affection, they remembered they still had work to do. Qiao Suiman turned to wash the small pot, rinsing it several times and sniffing it carefully to ensure no odors remained. Then he lit the fire to slowly heat the pot.

 

With many ingredients to choose from, Qiao Suiman wasn’t sure where to start. By the time Lu Dongqing had steamed the rice for a while, he finally made a decision.

 

Qiao Suiman divided one large bowl of goat’s milk into four smaller bowls, intending to experiment with one bowl at a time. That way, he could test sixteen times.

 

He washed sweet oranges and peaches, then added sugar to make sweet orange syrup. After cleaning the pot, he made peach syrup as well. The next step was to boil the goat milk.

 

Raw goat milk couldn’t be drunk directly. First, because its peculiar taste made it hard to swallow, and second, because it could easily cause stomachaches. This was common knowledge passed down in the village.

 

Qiao Suiman added one sweet almond to the boiling goat milk, along with some water to prevent scorching. After simmering for half an incense stick’s time, he removed the sweet almond. He leaned in to smell it and found that the strong smell was gone.

 

The goat milk was now ready. Qiao Suiman only boiled enough for two small bowls, planning to add one bowl each to the sweet orange syrup and peach syrup. He hesitated for a moment while holding the bowl of goat milk, then steeled himself and poured it directly into the syrup bowls.

 

Whether it tasted good or not, he has to try it to find out!

 

After stirring them well, the color of the goat’s milk changed from white to faint orange-yellow and pale pink. It looked quite pleasing.

 

He pushed the two bowls of milk drink toward Lu Dongqing, pouting to signal him to try first.

 

Lu Dongqing smiled faintly, picked up the sweet orange goat milk, and took a sip. His brows furrowed slightly. After tasting the peach syrup goat milk, he fell silent.

 

Qiao Suiman’s heart tightened. “Does it not taste good?”

 

Qiao Suiman just finished asking the question, and before Lu Dongqing could answer, he picked up the two bowls and took a sip from each.

 

After tasting, he also felt disheartened. Although it was not bad, he felt that the syrup was still syrup and the goat milk was still goat milk. The goat milk’s flavor didn’t change from adding the syrup, and the syrup’s taste remained strong. It was like drinking a mouthful of fruit drink followed by a mouthful of goat milk.

 

“It’s alright, we can try other recipes,” Lu Dongqing comforted him.

 

Qiao Suiman let out a breath and nodded, thinking back to where the problem might lie. After a moment, he said, “The syrup isn’t working. Let’s try dried flowers.”

 

 

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Translator [LUNE]: Thank you Noni for your lovely ko-fi! (✪‿✪)ノ Chapter 92 is also posted as a thanks! Thank you for reading this with me! ♥︎

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