Ch 1: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Translator has something to say: I’m switching the style of novels I translate and chose this very chill novel. It’s all about food and business management. There is NO DRAMA, ANGSTS, or very much going on. Don’t expect much romance either. Just FYI. Other then that, hope you enjoy 😊

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Hand-Pulled Noodles in Clear Broth

His last memory was of falling off a cliff due to the old and unstable sightseeing path.

The next second, when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a new room with red candles flickering.

Qin Xia frowned, his mind going blank for a moment.

Who am I? Where am I?

It wasn’t until a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed into his mind that he blinked and realized—

He had transmigrated into a book.

And not just any book, but the historical online novel he had been reading to pass the time during his vacation.

The plot wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t particularly good either.

Throughout the entire novel, the only character that left a lasting impression on Qin Xia was the antagonist—Yu Jiuque.

Yu Jiuque was a textbook villain eunuch.

He controlled the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Eastern Depot, wielding immense power. Later, he supported a new emperor’s ascension and became the most powerful figure in the empire, second only to the emperor.

In private, he was known for corruption, selling official titles, and merciless killings. His reputation was notorious.

The novel mostly followed the original protagonist, who was the puppet emperor Yu Jiuque had supported, as he fought a battle of wits and courage against Yu Jiuque, eventually bringing him to justice and executing him.

The reason Qin Xia remembered this character so clearly was that, in addition to being a eunuch, Yu Jiuque was also a “ge’er.”

Ge’er, also known as shuang’er, could be understood as a type of man who could bear children. They were generally smaller in stature, with delicate features, and while they had male characteristics, they were not fully functional.

In the Da Yong Dynasty, eunuchs held great power, and many of the inner court officials were ge’er.

Even though the inner court was mostly populated by ge’er, historically, the eunuchs who rose to prominence were all men who had been completely castrated. The ge’er often ended up as playthings for these powerful eunuchs.

If they were palace maids, they could at least be considered legitimate “companions,” but ge’er were nothing, and their status was extremely low.

In the palace, they were the slaves who did the dirtiest and hardest work.

In the civilian world, they were seen as worthless, unable to support a household or easily bear children, and incapable of carrying on the family line.

That Yu Jiuque could rise to such power, becoming the most feared figure in the empire, spoke to his ambition and cunning.

During his time in power, he even implemented some forward-thinking policies.

But his cruelty was undeniable.

As for how a poor ge’er, forced into the palace, became the ruthless power-hungry figure he was later, the novel did provide an explanation.

There was an incident where Yu Jiuque was ordered to leave the capital on a mission but was ambushed by rivals within the palace.

He barely managed to fake his death and escape, only to be injured and lose his memory, falling into the hands of a human trafficker.

The trafficker didn’t know his identity and sold him as a regular ge’er at a low price to a rogue bachelor in Pingyuan County, Qin’an.

Not only did he lose his dignity, but he was also often beaten and starved by the rogue when he got drunk. During this time, Yu Jiuque gradually turned to the dark side.

One dark night, Yu Jiuque couldn’t take it anymore and stabbed the rogue to death in a fit of rage.

It seemed that the extreme shock triggered the return of his memories.

He then lay low for several months, before returning to the capital and starting his ruthless climb to power.

And the character Qin Xia had transmigrated into was that rogue in Qin’an County.

By his calculations, he had about three months left before he would be found dead on his bed and buried in the backyard vegetable patch.

Realizing what his fate was, Qin Xia snapped out of his daze, suddenly feeling wide awake!

He instinctively backed away to the edge of the bed and couldn’t help but give the future Director a reminder, who at that moment was still an amnesiac and pitiful:

“Um, you should put your clothes on properly so you don’t catch a cold.”

Yu Jiuque glanced down at his disheveled clothes, puzzled by Qin Xia’s sudden change of heart, but quickly tightened his collar and re-tied his sash.

What followed was a long silence between them.

Qin Xia furrowed his brow, thinking quickly.

As someone who had read many transmigration novels, he knew there was no way back.

The original character was likely dead, unable to return, and Qin Xia couldn’t go back either.

The timing of his arrival was fortunate, and it wasn’t too late to avoid disaster.

The best course of action would be to send Yu Jiuque away, ensuring they never crossed paths again.

Then he could live a peaceful life as “Qin Xia” in this era—eating, drinking, and enjoying a second chance at life. What could be better?

But first, he needed to get through tonight.

It was late, cold outside, and he couldn’t just throw Yu Jiuque out of the house.

As Qin Xia was stressing over how to handle Yu Jiuque, he happened to hear the small ge’er’s stomach growl loudly.

He looked up and saw Yu Jiuque, embarrassed, holding his stomach and shrinking back into the corner of the bed.

Qin Xia thought back to the original character’s memories and suddenly understood.

During the original wedding feast, the protagonist was too busy drinking with his group of cronies to even remember to bring a bowl of hot water to Yu Jiuque.

Before the “wedding night,” Yu Jiuque sat alone in the room, under his wedding veil, for several hours.

No wonder he was so hungry that his stomach was growling.

In his previous life, Qin Xia had been a food lover and an award-winning top chef, and he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone going hungry.

Even so, having your stomach rumble in front of someone is quite embarrassing.

Qin Xia cleared his throat and asked knowingly, “Are you hungry? I was thinking of making some noodles. Do you want to eat with me?”

Who, with an empty stomach, wouldn’t want a bowl of hot soup noodles on a winter’s night?

Yu Jiuque thought it over and finally nodded slowly.

Qin Xia put on his cotton coat and left the room.

Little did he know that after he left, Yu Jiuque watched his back with a thoughtful expression.

As Qin Xia walked the few steps from the main hall to the kitchen, only one word came to mind: Cold!

A cotton coat was no match for the warmth of a down jacket, and the wind cut right through it.

Fortunately, the stove in the kitchen was connected to the heated bed in the house, leaving some residual warmth.

Qin Xia used the stove fire to light half a candle and held it up to take a look around the kitchen.

Relying on the original owner’s memories, he bypassed the empty rice jar, which even the mice seemed to avoid, and opened the old wooden cabinet against the wall.

There were some grains left, but the amount was pitiful.

All that remained were about one bowl of white flour, half a bag of mixed flour, a few eggs, and some dried vegetables. The only things resembling fresh produce were an old garlic braid hanging on the wall and a bundle of dried cabbage in the cabinet.

Qin Xia examined the dried vegetables carefully in the candlelight and identified them as dried napa cabbage.

To be honest, this little bit of food was just enough to make two bowls of clear soup noodles.

Qin Xia shook his head helplessly, found a spot to set the candle down, and immediately got to work.

With the low temperature, the dough would ferment slowly, so it wouldn’t turn sour even if left overnight.

Qin Xia considered the available ingredients and decided to use all the white flour to make noodles, enough for two adults to eat. He also set aside some of the mixed flour to prepare for making a few pancakes for breakfast the next morning.

After making these decisions, Qin Xia went to the water jar in the yard, brought a bucket of water into the kitchen, and washed and soaked the dried vegetables.

The water they used came from a well, and he ladled a bit with a gourd to taste. The chill made his teeth ache, but it had a slight sweetness with no bitterness, indicating that it was good water.

However, since it was raw water, he didn’t drink more.

Qin Xia added salt and an appropriate amount of water to the flour, kneaded it into a smooth dough, covered it with a clean cloth, and set it aside to rest.

He then stoked the stove fire, filled the large iron pot with water, and planned to boil extra hot water for later use.

While waiting for the water to boil, he didn’t sit idle.

The original owner, a bachelor who only occasionally cooked a bowl of dough lumps, could hardly be expected to keep the kitchen clean.

Qin Xia couldn’t stand the mess, so he grabbed a rag and started cleaning thoroughly.

When the water boiled, he used it to scrub the large iron pot clean and sterilized all the bowls, chopsticks, and utensils he could find.

After tidying up the kitchen to a spotless state, Qin Xia, having exerted himself, was even hungrier.

He eagerly checked the dough and found it ready, so he took it out and placed it on a flour-dusted board.

The rolling pin, still warm from the hot water, rolled the dough into a thin sheet. He folded it, and with a swift motion, sliced it into even strips. With a shake, the fresh hand-rolled noodles were ready.

Good noodles need a good broth, and without any meat, that task fell to the eggs.

Qin Xia continued to stoke the fire, dried the pot, added the remaining vegetable oil, and cracked two eggs into the sizzling oil. He fried them until both sides were golden, then added water and brought it to a boil. The broth turned a beautiful milky white, with a layer of golden oil on top, creating a simple yet flavorful “rich broth.”

The noodles were added to the pot, and as they cooked in the boiling water, Qin Xia tossed in the rehydrated dried cabbage.

The shriveled napa cabbage soaked up the broth, becoming tender and full of flavor. The once-cold kitchen was now filled with the warm and inviting aroma of food.

This scent didn’t just linger in the small kitchen; it wafted through the small courtyard, slipping through the cracks in the doors and windows into the main house.

Yu Jiuque’s stomach growled again, and he quietly swallowed, his fingers tightening around his clothes.

With no memory, injuries, and illness, he had been treated like livestock, inspected and sold off at the brokers’ market. He hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

Even though Qin Xia, who had reeked of alcohol and tried to tear off his clothes on the bed, had suddenly sobered up and become polite, even offering to cook noodles, Yu Jiuque still didn’t fully trust him.

After all, he was just a husband bought for five taels of silver, his contract of sale held in Qin Xia’s hands. He had no right to consider himself an equal.

Yu Jiuque’s eyes dimmed.

When Qin Xia entered the room with two bowls of noodles, he found Yu Jiuque still sitting in the same position as when he had left, curled up in the corner of the bed, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Thinking of what the original story had in store for Yu Jiuque tonight, Qin Xia couldn’t help but feel a little regretful.

Everything has consequences; he could only hope that by removing the cause of evil, he could avoid reaping the bitter fruit in the future.

“Ah Jiu, come help me close the door. It’s freezing, and we don’t want to lose the bit of warmth we’ve got.”

Qin Xia deliberately broke the awkward silence, speaking to Yu Jiuque as if they were already familiar.

“Ah Jiu” was a name casually given by the broker, coincidentally matching Yu Jiuque’s real name. Knowing the backstory, Qin Xia found it easy to call him that.

Yu Jiuque was startled at first, but when he saw that Qin Xia had indeed brought two bowls of noodles, his heart skipped a beat.

He obediently got up to close the door, shivering as the cold wind hit him.

When he turned back, Qin Xia had already set the bowls of hot noodles on the table and was motioning for him to come over. “What are you waiting for? Come eat while it’s hot.”