Chapter 136: Roast Duck

When Wen Yao was scolding the two little ones, the rest of the Wen family busied themselves, acting as if they saw nothing. Once things calmed down, Wen Xiuyi approached, smelling of alcohol, and said with a grin, "Oh? Finished being scolded?"

Wen Yao rolled her eyes, told the two little ones to go play, then leaned in toward Wen Xiuyi, sniffed, and waved her hand in disgust. "Professor Wen, just how much have you had?"

"Not much, not much, just a couple of ounces. Hey, daughter, your wine is just too good," Wen Xiuyi chuckled.

Wen Yao replied, "It cost several hundred; how could it not be good?"

Hearing the price, Wen Xiuyi felt a pang of heartache.

"Look, the house is finished now. When are you going to put the brewing business on the agenda?" Wen Xiuyi asked.

Wen Yao looked around at their house, observing the bare, uneven patches of ground. Sighing, she thought that just finishing the building wasn't enough; there were still too many details to manage. Besides, brewing was not something that could be rushed.

"This can't be rushed. You think this wine can be brewed whenever you want? Whether the wine is good or not depends on more than just the method; the quality of the starter culture and the water all affect the taste and aroma. Let’s wait and see. If one day you manage to dig up a mountain spring for your daughter, then perhaps we can put this on the agenda. As for now, Professor Wen, haven't you been drinking a bit too much lately?"

Wen Xiuyi sobered up quite a bit. He reached up to rub his nose and turned to leave. "Oh dear, I feel a bit dizzy. I'm going to take a nap."

Wen Yao grabbed him. "Where are you running off to? Dad, I have something important to ask you."

Wen Xiuyi stood still. "What is it?"

"Sister Qiu asked me about next month's new dishes. Give me an idea, think about it," Wen Yao said.

Wen Xiuyi looked at her. "New dishes? Let me think."

He ran through every delicious thing he could think of, but for every dish he named, Wen Yao poured cold water on it—either the ingredients hadn't been planted yet, or it wasn't the right time to make it.

Just then, Mrs. Luo walked in, carrying a duck that was flapping its wings.

"What are you two doing?" Mrs. Luo looked at the father and daughter huddled together with an expression of disdain.

When Wen Xiuyi saw Mrs. Luo and what she was holding, his eyes lit up. He took a few steps forward and snatched the duck from her.

"There! The new dish is here. Yao-yao, how about roast duck? Crispy skin and tender meat, wrapped in scallions and dipped in sauce... sss..." As Wen Xiuyi spoke, he started drooling. The more he talked, the more he craved roast duck.

In his previous life, roast duck had been one of their family's favorites. If it weren't for the fact that the price of roast duck kept rising, they would have been eating it every week.

Wen Yao walked over, took the duck from Wen Xiuyi's hands, and held it up to inspect it, staring at the bird that was nearly being strangled by her father.

"Roast duck? That actually sounds doable."

Mrs. Luo watched the father and daughter acting strangely—the duck was practically being squeezed to death by Wen Xiuyi—so she slapped his hand.

In pain, Wen Xiuyi dropped the duck to the ground. Having suddenly regained its freedom and ability to breathe, the duck stumbled around a bit. Before it could react, Mrs. Luo grabbed it by its wings again.

"What are you two plotting now? Did this duck offend you?" Mrs. Luo asked with annoyance.

The two finally snapped back to reality.

"Grandma, where did you get this duck?"

Mrs. Luo shook the bird, making it dizzy all over again, and replied, "Tieniu's mother gave it to me, said it was to help Big Head regain his strength."

Tieniu's mother was certainly very polite, but she knew how to handle social relations. Knowing how hard Big Head worked teaching Tieniu to read, Mrs. Luo felt satisfied to have received the duck.

Wen Yao asked curiously, "Grandma, does Tieniu's family raise ducks?" She had never noticed.

"They do, about twenty or so. They don't have much land, so they rely on selling duck eggs to make money. Why? Are you eyeing someone else's ducks now?" Mrs. Luo knew exactly what Wen Yao was thinking the moment she saw her eyes darting around.

Wen Yao grinned and pulled Wen Xiuyi away. "Grandma, I need to discuss something with my dad. I'll find you later. You keep the duck for now; I'll have a use for it in a couple of days."

Mrs. Luo watched the pair run off, looked at the half-dead duck in her hand, and turned back around.

Their new house didn't even have an enclosure; she’d better take it back to the old house to raise it, lest they kill it. She had no idea what that stubborn girl was up to.

Back home, Old Man Wen saw the duck in Mrs. Luo's hands.

"Why do we have a duck?"

Mrs. Luo headed toward the backyard without looking back. "It's your precious granddaughter's duck."

Old Man Wen: "..."

Not long after, Wen Yao came running over.

"Grandpa, where are my second and third uncles?" Wen Yao asked as soon as she entered.

Old Man Wen replied, "I sent them to patrol the fields. I'm worried wild rats might ruin the seedlings. Why? Is something the matter?"

Wen Yao took out a blueprint and held it up to Old Man Wen, trying to sound ingratiating. "Grandpa, could you help me build one of these?"

Old Man Wen stared at the object on the drawing for a long time, squinting his eyes, but couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"What is this? A stove? It doesn't look like one. Who builds a house on top of a stove?" Old Man Wen muttered.

"It's a good thing." Wen Yao shook the blueprint. "Well? Can you build it?"

"I suppose I can. There are some bricks left over in your backyard, so I'll have your second and third uncles build it for you tomorrow. Yao-yao, what is this for?" Old Man Wen asked curiously.

Wen Yao raised an eyebrow. "A good thing. Whether our family gets rich or not depends entirely on this."

Old Man Wen was shocked. "What? This house-like stove thing can make us rich?" Was his hearing failing him in his old age?

Wen Yao smiled. It really was the key to their fortune. Once they perfected the roast duck—even though they had a partnership with the Drunken Immortal Restaurant—they could sell the blueprints for the oven. Plus, if they started raising ducks themselves and sold them to the restaurant, that would be a long-term income.

Once the roast duck was unveiled, Wen Yao didn't believe anyone could resist it.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. As long as you, Second Uncle, and Third Uncle help me build this oven, I guarantee it will make our family money," Wen Yao promised, patting her chest.

She handed the blueprint to Old Man Wen and urged him to get it done as soon as possible before heading home to ponder the recipe for the roast duck. After Mrs. Luo settled the duck, she came out to see Old Man Wen looking at the paper over and over again. Upon asking, she learned it was something Wen Yao had cooked up.

Hearing what Old Man Wen relayed, Mrs. Luo suddenly thought of the duck.

"What do you think that girl is up to?" Old Man Wen asked, trying to find some common ground with his wife.

Mrs. Luo just glared at him. "If she asked you to build it, just build it. Why so many questions?"

Old Man Wen: "..." Fine. His wife's loyalty had already tilted to the other side of the world. He put away the blueprint and decided he’d better just get to work with his sons.