MGASC -Chapter 86 Big and Little Treasures—All Sweet and Affectionate

Even though there were more helping hands at home, Zhang Qiao somehow seemed even busier.

Her plan with Yingzi had already been put on the agenda. These past few days, she’d been hard at work developing new products.

Before transmigrating into this book, Zhang Qiao’s grandfather had been a well-known traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Growing up around him, she’d absorbed quite a bit about Chinese herbs.

She wanted to make a beauty-enhancing medicinal dish. She tried several formulas, but none were quite right.

The ingredients were fine—the problem was the taste…

Forget it. She’d go to the city in a few days to look for better ingredients.

Although autumn had already begun, the summer heat hadn’t fully faded.

At that moment, the big pot at home was set up and bubbling away. Before long, a sweet fragrance drifted out of the kitchen.

Different from the sweetness before, this one carried a faint scent of osmanthus.

Little glutton Lin Jin couldn’t even focus on his book anymore, sitting there sniffing the air over and over.

“Eh? Auntie Qiao is experimenting with dark cuisine again. But today’s one actually smells pretty good.”

A few days ago, Auntie Qiao had been fiddling around for ages, and what she ended up with was a pitch-black lump.

Seeing that Auntie Qiao looked a bit dejected, the three kids went over. Lin Jin asked what that black lump was and whether it was edible.

He’d only asked if it could be eaten to tease her a little. But Auntie Qiao wouldn’t let him eat it and said gloomily that she’d messed up—it was dark cuisine.

That pitch-black lump did look pretty “dark.” Later, Lin Jin couldn’t resist and sneaked a bite.

Wow—it really was terrible.

But today, with this osmanthus fragrance in the air, his cravings flared up again.

Lin Ran teased him, “You already know it’s dark cuisine, and you still dare to eat it? Auntie Qiao says you’re a full-on foodie—she’s really not wrong!”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? If it tastes bad… uh, worst case, I’ll just spit it out!”

As he spoke, Lin Jin hopped his way into the kitchen.

“Auntie Qiao, what’s today’s dark cuisine? It smells so good!”

He stood by the pot, peering at the liquid rolling inside.

Black again.

His instincts told him—it might be dark once more.

But the moment Zhang Qiao saw her little brainless fan arrive, she broke from her usual routine and ladled him a bowl of that black liquid.

“A-Jin, this is Auntie’s latest creation—osmanthus sour plum drink. It looks dark, but it’s not dark at all. Hurry and help Auntie taste it!”

Lin Jin hesitated as he took the bowl of black soup.

Uh…his heart resisted a little. Could he regret this now?

With an appearance this bad, could it really be drinkable?

But… since he was already here.

“Don’t worry, Auntie Qiao. I promise I won’t puke.”

He blew on the bowl carefully, brought it to his lips, and took a tiny sip.

“Mm…”

The little guy’s eyes instantly lit up. He buried his face in the bowl and took a big gulp.

Sweet and sour, with a hint of floral fragrance—just like the plum candies he’d had before. So good!

Zhang Qiao knew she wouldn’t fail this time. Her beautiful eyes curved into a smile.

“Well? Not bad, right? Auntie Qiao didn’t let you down this time, did she?”

“Wuwuwu, Auntie Qiao, this black water is so good! If it’s this tasty, why is it black? What did you call it again?”

“Osmanthus sour plum drink. It’s still hot now—once it cools down, it’ll taste even better. It’s hot these days, so you and your brothers can drink a little every day. It cools you down, quenches thirst, and beats the heat.”

“We can drink it every day? That’s awesome! I love dark cuisine!”

Zhang Qiao’s lips twitched.

Of course, her main reason for making sour plum drink was to add a competitive item to her and Yingzi’s pickled fish stall.

The plan to open franchises was progressing step by step. First, she had Yingzi spread the word so people could learn about it and see how the market reacted.

But in the process, she also wanted other vendors to see that even with competition, Zhang Family Pickled Fish still had irreplaceable advantages.

Starting tomorrow, every customer who came to eat noodles would get a free cup of sour plum drink.

This stuff barely cost anything anyway. A single jin of smoked plums could brew a huge pot. Buying a bottle of orange soda cost five cents now. Customers would only pay for one bowl of noodles but get to enjoy two items—the dining experience would be greatly improved.

Who doesn’t like freebies? And besides, sour plum drink cools you down, relieves heat, and cuts greasiness.

Once the customer flow increased and they became the standout, franchising would naturally follow.

Lin Jin drank two bowls in a row before finally carrying a bowl to his brothers. He even pinched his nose dramatically.

“Dark cuisine is here! I’m tellin’ you—Auntie Qiao gave orders. No matter how bad it tastes, you have to finish it!”

“What?!!”

Lin Ran stared at the bowl of black liquid, wishing he could vanish on the spot.

He whispered to Lin Xun, “Bro… Dad’s not around lately. Do you think Auntie Qiao’s acting up again? She wouldn’t try the same trick as before—knock us out and sell us, right?”

Lin Xun shot him a look. “With how much you and Lin Jin eat, who’d buy you? They’d lose money for sure.”

He picked up the bowl and took a sip, frowning.

Huh?

It actually tastes pretty good.

Seeing Lin Jin blinking at him mischievously, Lin Xun knew the kid was messing with them. He immediately tightened his frown, took a big gulp, put on a tortured expression, and handed the bowl to Lin Ran.

“Here. Your turn.”

Seeing both of them looking utterly miserable, Lin Ran’s stomach started trembling.

Nooooo!!!

“Bro, you love your little brothers so much, how about—”

“Didn’t we agree? Share the blessings, share the hardships.”

Lin Ran had no choice but to take it. He took a symbolic sip.

Holy crap—they lied!!!

The taste was a bit strange, but it left his mouth watering afterward. This was way too good!

“Liars! You two big liars!”

Realizing he’d been played, Lin Ran chased Big Brother and Third Brother all over the courtyard, turning the place lively in no time.

Seeing that the new product development was a success, Zhang Qiao got even happier and made them red sugar rice cakes. The three kids kept shouting how good it was, praising her in every possible way—each one more dramatic than the last.

Zhang Qiao thought to herself: Good thing this era doesn’t have the internet. Otherwise, the four of us could totally do a mukbang and make a fortune.

The next day, with the new product officially launched, she went over to Yingzi’s place to observe the reaction.