Jiang Qingqing reacted and realized they might not know what it was. She turned and pointed, saying, "It's the poisonous insect we talked about before. It's called a lobster."
"That thing?" Wouldn't that kill people? Fang Ru naturally knew about poisonous insects, but she remembered they couldn't be eaten! How did they turn this thing into food?
"Second sister-in-law, lobsters can be eaten. Don't worry." Seeing Fang Ru's shocked expression that the thing was edible, Jiang Qingqing explained.
"How did you discover it could be eaten?" Fang Ru truly didn't know that Zhang Liunian and his wife were involved with this. Last time she visited her elder sister, her sister had only offered her braised meat to taste, not this thing.
"Liunian discovered it. I'm not entirely sure of the details." Jiang Qingqing wouldn't say that her husband had been starving and tested the poison himself. Just thinking about it made her heart ache, so why broadcast it to let everyone know and pity her husband?
"Then what are you drying this for?" Fang Ru asked again, and as she spoke, she noticed rows of houses not far away.
Fang Ru had never been to the female educated youth dormitory in Zhangjia Village, nor did she know that the houses here were individual rooms, and so many of them.
And inside the rooms, there were many busy figures.
Some were peeling shrimp, some were stir-frying lobsters, some were grinding things... In short, by visual estimation, there were at least ten people, and they were all busy.
"For making lobster sauce," Jiang Qingqing was honest by nature. She answered whatever Fang Ru asked without any reservation.
Fang Ru didn't understand Jiang Qingqing's character and didn't think much of it. She then asked many more questions, becoming increasingly jealous.
Because she discovered her brother-in-law's private enterprise was doing quite well; he was making lobster sauce, selling braised meat, and also selling lobsters.
Looking at the nearly ten workers they hired, her heart felt even more unsettled.
With so many workers hired by this brother-in-law, how much did he earn per day? Regardless of the amount, it was certainly more than their stable jobs.
Moreover, Jiang Qingqing was pregnant before her. In comparison, she felt even more inferior to Jiang Qingqing.
"Third sister-in-law, how much do you earn per day as private entrepreneurs?" Compared to her pregnancy, Fang Ru was more concerned about how much the other party could earn.
"Only a few hundred yuan. After deducting labor costs, there isn't much left." Jiang Qingqing wasn't foolish; she wouldn't say they earned over two thousand yuan a day, as that would be too shocking.
So, she vaguely indicated it was only a few hundred yuan.
But as soon as she said this, Fang Ru's mouth dropped open. A few hundred yuan a day? Her and Zhang Liuxing's combined monthly salaries didn't even reach a hundred yuan. This was truly a case of 'comparing oneself to others leads to one's own demise.'
"Second brother, second sister-in-law, please come and sit!" Jiang Qingqing, seemingly unfazed by Fang Ru's astonishment, invited them into the reception room.
Since entering the educated youth dormitory, Zhang Liuxing had not spoken, his eyes fixed on Jiang Qingqing.
Seeing Jiang Qingqing turn to lead the way, Fang Ru gave Zhang Liuxing a warning glare before following.
Zhang Liuxing, receiving his wife's look, realized he had been a bit out of line. He exhaled and entered the room to sit.
As soon as he sat down, Zhang Liuxing heard Fang Ru speak again.
"Third sister-in-law, are you alright now?" She said they came to visit her younger brother and his wife, and Fang Ru felt it was natural for them to inquire about their situation.
Jiang Qingqing smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, second brother, second sister-in-law. We are fine now."
"That's good." Fang Ru actually thought their luck was quite good. Although her brother-in-law and his wife encountered the collapse of their mud house, they were not seriously injured. It could be considered a narrow escape.
As for the villagers' saying that good deeds are rewarded, she didn't believe it at all.
The conversation suddenly fell silent. Fang Ru felt a bit awkward and idly asked, "How many months are you now?"
"Over seven months," Jiang Qingqing said, touching her belly and smiling happily.
Zhang Liuxing glanced at her belly, his eyes flickered, and he asked a question he shouldn't have, "Does third brother treat you well?"
As soon as he said this, Fang Ru's alarm bells went off, and she immediately focused her attention on Zhang Liuxing, as if any move he made would trigger an outburst.
But Zhang Liuxing didn't get a chance to provoke her further.
"Liunian treats me the best, of course," Jiang Qingqing said, her beautiful face filled with happiness as she spoke of her husband.
This expression couldn't be faked. Seeing it, Zhang Liuxing remained silent.
Just then, Zhang Liunian returned. "Just leave the lobsters here. I'll have Qingqing settle the bill for you."
"No need, Liunian ge," it was Zhang Liusha's voice.
"Hey, don't leave!"
Zhang Liunian shouted loudly, but Zhang Liusha and the others left quickly.
Jiang Qingqing heard the commotion and got up to go out. "Did they leave?"
Hearing her voice, Zhang Liunian saw her attempting to step over the threshold and quickly went forward to support her. "Slow down."
After saying this, he noticed his second brother and sister-in-law inside. "Second brother, second sister-in-law?"
Why were they here? Could it be about the recipe again?
"Third brother?" Zhang Liuxing saw his third brother after a long time and almost didn't recognize him. It wasn't that his face had changed; it was still that handsome face, but his aura had changed.
Previously, he always had a somewhat sleazy feel. No matter how good-looking his face was, he couldn't attract anyone's attention.
But now, he was confident and composed, his demeanor having undergone a 360-degree transformation. He was no longer the weak third brother he remembered.
"It's only been a little over a year, and second brother doesn't even recognize third brother anymore. You truly are forgetful when you're successful," Zhang Liunian said with a smile, supporting his wife as she sat down.
Zhang Liuxing's expression stiffened. He had indeed changed. His words just now were implying that he didn't recognize his own brother and was cold-hearted and unfeeling.
There was no longer any respect for him in his words. Not only that, but he had also learned to be sarcastic. Good for him.
Zhang Liuxing sat down again, reciprocating. "Third brother has changed too much; second brother was a bit hesitant to believe it.
On the other hand, your courage seems to have grown considerably. You're even making money by handling poisonous insects. You're truly daring."
If Zhang Liunian was going to say he didn't recognize his brother, then he would say he was unscrupulous for profit and cowardly.
Zhang Liunian successfully grasped his meaning and smiled, "Because you didn't understand it, you called it a poisonous insect. Because I understood it, I knew it was called a lobster. Second brother, why are you like this?"
So ignorant, so lacking in foresight.
Zhang Liuxing was choked. This third brother was even playing word games with him. He had really grown.
"Third brother, you're running a private enterprise; food safety issues must be handled with great care."
"Second brother, rest assured, it won't affect your career."
"..."
After listening to the conversation between the two brothers, Fang Ru's eyes widened.
This brother-in-law, having just earned some money, dared to challenge them. If he earned a lot of money in the future, who knew what would happen.
Therefore, she was determined to get his braised meat recipe.