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She placed some ingredients that were not easily cooked into the pot to boil and then put in the meat.

“Meat needs to be cooked for ten breaths before eating. Cabbage and radish can be eaten once they soften, while other ingredients need time. Don’t be polite. Dig into the meat, and don’t hold back!”

Qiao Mai instructed while putting meat into the pot. Shopkeeper Lu picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.

“Hmm, this meat is so tender, and the sauce is delicious. It tastes even better than Jingtai Restaurant’s,” She exclaimed.

Yuan Jiaqi, sitting close to the children, served them with dishes containing both vegetables and meat. He also took a bite himself and cast a deep glance at Qiao Mai.

Lamb meat was easy to acquire, but beef was not. He hadn’t expected Qiao Mai to get both.

Moreover, the lamb and beef slices were incredibly thin, a testament to excellent knife skills. He did not know they were cut by a machine.

It seemed she had been preparing for this meal for quite some time.

But where did Qiao Mai get these ingredients? Yuan Jiaqi ate silently without revealing anything.

Heaven. once these ingredients were cooked and coated with sauce. they were truly delicious. As the food sat before them, nobody spoke anymore.

They continued eating from the pot, their mouths not stopping.

Taking as much as they could eat, Shopkeeper Lu said contentedly, “This is the best hotpot I’ve ever had in my life. By the way, what is this?”

“Duck blood.”

“Duck blood?”

“Yes, only duck blood can create such a smooth texture.” Shopkeeper Lu suddenly felt a bit queasy.

“And you can make such delicious things with it?”

“Yes. Pig’s blood, chicken’s blood, and sheep’s blood will all work.” “How did you come up with this?”

“A few days ago, I was thinking about it when I had nothing else to do.”

“And this?”

“Flat noodles, made from sweet potatoes.”

“You’ve made all of this?”

“Yes.”

“And this?”

“Do you want to eat or not? If it’s delicious, eat more. Don’t ask so many questions. I made all of this, but I won’t tell you how. Enjoy it. It’ll be gone soon. ”

“Hehe.”

Many of these dishes were unfamiliar to them, but they were easygoing and cared more about the taste. They didn’t need to know the origins of the ingredients.

That’s the kind of people they were. If Mayor Qian came to this meal, he would definitely leave with a few recipes.

Just the duck blood and flat noodles were two excellent recipes.

Nobody here used sweet potatoes to make noodles or the type of noodles or vermicelli Qiao Mai had made. There were opportunities in these areas.

There was no rush. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

As they enjoyed the hotpot, Qiao Mai suddenly stood up. “You all keep eating. I’ll go cut some lamb.”

Saying this, she walked out of the room. She paused when she reached the door as if hearing some noise near the courtyard entrance. Then, she walked over there.

At that moment, Qiao Mai’s consciousness was already in the space. She had wrapped Ling’er up tightly in layers of cloth, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Ling’er was sleeping, so Qiao Mai had dressed her and then immediately moved her out of the space.

Because the wrapping was tight, the temperature change didn’t affect her sleep.

Quickly checking her surroundings for any onlookers, Qiao Mai put the cloth bundle on the snowy ground to make it appear believable. Then, she turned around and ran back into the house, shouting to everyone.

“Quick, come and see! I found a child! Someone left a child at my doorstep.”

Eleven people stood up with a commotion, leaving their food behind, and hurried over to look.

“Goodness, who could be so heartless to abandon a child at your doorstep on a snowy day like this?”

Shaking her head, Qiao Mai said, “I heard some noise at the courtyard entrance, so I hurried over. I almost stepped on her when I went out.”

“Didn’t you see anyone else?”

“No, but I saw a few footprints on the ground.”

Shopkeeper Lu clenched her teeth and huffed, “They heard that you’re kind-hearted, so they left the child for you to raise?”

“I don’t know. The clothes and blanket don’t seem to be from a poor household.

Why would they leave the child?”

“Alright, let’s go to your bedroom to see if it’s a boy or a girl.”

While the others continued eating, Shopkeeper Lu and Qiao Mai went to the bedroom. They opened the bundle.

“She’s quite cute.”

“It’s heartless to abandon her like this. What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll raise her. What else can I do? It just so happens that there are more boys than girls in my family. The proportion is off-balance. Having more girls is good, and the boys at home can take care of her.”

“It’s another mouth to feed. Your burden will be heavier.’

“It’s not that heavy. I earn hundreds of taels a month, and one more mouth won’t make a difference.

“You are just too kind. Since you found her, it’s your decision.”

Looking at her raising so many children, Shopkeeper Lu worried for her. If she didn’t know that Qiao Mai had money and the ability to earn more, she wouldn’t want her to raise this child.

Qiao Mai spread the bedding on the heated brick bed, took Linger out of the swaddle, and removed her clothes before placing her in the blankets.

“Doesn’t this child look about eight or nine months old?”

“Yeah. At that time, I had just given birth prematurely, and this child might be destined to have some connection with me. My child was also a girl, but she never had the chance to see the world before…

Seeing her eyes welling up with tears, Shopkeeper Lu sighed.

“Don’t be sad. Maybe she’s meant to be your child. Just raise her as if she were.”

“Yes!”

Qiao Mai sniffed, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Let’s go. We should eat first. After we finish, we’ll go to the clinic and have the doctor check if she’s healthy. If she is, I’ll accompany you to see Mayor Qian and get her registered under your name.” “Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? No one else wants her.”

“Or maybe we could wait a few days? See if anyone comes looking for the child?”

“That’s also an option. After we eat, I’ll ask the mayor. Let’s see if anyone in town has lost a child.”

“Okay.”

The two quietly left the room, locked the door from the outside, and returned to the living room.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Everyone asked in unison.

“It’s a girl.”

“That’s great! Our family was lacking a girl. We can be her big brothers.”

“In a few days, if no one comes looking for her, I’ll adopt her. She’ll be your little sister. You all need to treat her well and not bully her, got it?”

“We understand, Mother. This is wonderful! We have a little sister now.’

The three children in the house were excited. Yuan Jiaqi looked at Qiao Mai with a contemplative expression.

“Have you really decided to adopt her?”

“Of course, there are plenty of boys in our family. It’s just a matter of having one more mouth to feed. I can afford it.

“Yeah, you’re the head of the household, so your decision is final. But seeing that she’s so young, it might be a bit inconvenient for a man like me to take care of her.”

“No need to rush. In the next few days, I won’t go to the stall. Let’s see if anyone comes looking for the child. If not, I can adopt her a bit later.”

“That works.”

Before they could finish their meal, Qiao Mai heard the sound of a child crying from the bedroom. She quickly rushed over to see Ling’er sitting on the bed, crying loudly.

Perhaps it was due to the change in environment that she was crying like this. She had seldom cried before.

As Qiao Mai approached the bed, Ling’er stopped crying upon seeing her mother. Then, she raised her hands, asking to be picked up.

Qiao Mai dressed her, changed her diaper, and then wrapped her in a cotton blanket. She carried Ling’er back to the living room.

All eyes were fixed on Ling’er as Qiao Mai uncovered the blanket. Ling’er stared back with wide eyes, surveying the room.

Suddenly, she turned her body, burying her head in Qiao Mai’s neck. She seemed a bit scared and shy.

“Are you hungry?”

Upon hearing this, Ling’er opened her mouth wide, showing that she was indeed hungry. Qiao Mai handed her over to Shopkeeper Lu.

“I’ll steam some egg custard for her. Could you hold her for a while?”

As Ling’er was handed to Shopkeeper Lu, she curiously looked at each person in the room. Everyone smiled kindly at her.

People took turns touching her little hands, causing her to blush and lean on Shopkeeper Lu’s shoulder. Lu Sanniang was particularly delighted and kissed her chubby cheeks several times..