Ch 7: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Tomato Fish Fillets

Qin Xia didn’t expect that when he woke up, it would already be dark outside.

The bed beside him was empty, and Yu Jiuque was nowhere to be found.

He threw off the covers and, despite being tempted by the warmth of the heated brick bed, gathered the courage to get up.

The room was dim; that was one downside of ancient times.

Qin Xia didn’t rush to light a lamp. He put on his outer clothes and opened the door, noticing that the kitchen was lit.

“Ah Jiu?”

Qin Xia walked to the kitchen and, sure enough, saw Yu Jiuque standing at the cutting board.

Upon seeing him, Yu Jiuque’s face showed a trace of unease.

It was only then that Qin Xia noticed Yu Jiuque was cutting vegetables; on the cutting board were already chopped tomatoes, along with some scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Before going to sleep, he had mentioned to Yu Jiuque that he planned to make tomato fish fillets for dinner, along with stir-fried shredded potatoes, a dish of winter bamboo shoots, and steamed rice.

“You’re awake.”

Yu Jiuque put down the knife and wiped his hands with a cloth, a bit nervously. “I wanted to help you by prepping some of the ingredients, but I was afraid I wouldn’t do a good job with the shredded potatoes, so I just prepared these. I also started cooking the rice.”

He looked unsure, as if worried that something might be wrong due to his lack of experience.

Qin Xia’s expression softened.

“You’ve done well.”

It was getting late, and he was starving.

He handed Yu Jiuque a few potatoes to peel while he rolled up his sleeves, ready to prepare the snakehead fish.

Who would have thought that after lying in a wooden basin of shallow water for several hours, the fish was still barely alive?

It’s often said that snakeheads are fierce and hard to kill, and this one certainly lived up to that reputation.

For most people, this would be a challenge, but not for Qin Xia.

He pulled out the rolling pin, firmly grasped the slippery fish with one hand, and gave its head a few solid whacks.

A few hits later, the snakehead was no more.

He quickly grabbed a knife, scraped off the scales, and removed the fish’s innards.

The four-pound snakehead was quite large, nearly as long as half an arm when including the head and tail.

Given his own preferences, Qin Xia would normally make it into spicy boiled fish.

But since Yu Jiuque was currently taking medicine and couldn’t eat anything too spicy, he decided against it.

Tomato Fish Fillets are also great, with a sweet and sour taste that’s perfect with rice.

“If only we had some chickens or ducks at home, even the fish intestines wouldn’t go to waste,” Qin Xia mused, already switching into a frugal, homemaking mindset. You could hear the roosters from the Wang family crowing early in the morning, followed by the ones from the Li family—everyone had chickens and gardens, and he didn’t want to fall behind.

Yu Jiuque placed the peeled potatoes back on the cutting board and responded, “It’s cold now, so I’m not sure if they could survive, but it would be nice to have a couple of them.”

Qin Xia rinsed the fish clean and brought it over to the stove. “We probably can’t buy chicks or ducklings now, but we can check out the poultry market next time we’re there. If we find any suitable ones, we can buy them; if not, we’ll wait until spring.”

Yu Jiuque imagined the lively scene of chickens and ducks in their backyard and, liking the idea, cheerfully agreed, “That sounds good.”

Qin Xia found himself lost in thought for a moment. If he remembered correctly, according to the original book’s plot, Yu Jiuque would regain his memory three months after being sold to the Qin family. That meant by the time spring arrived, this young man would likely have left the household.

He just hoped that their act of pretending to be a married couple would end peacefully when the time came.

Qin Xia chopped the black fish into pieces, seasoned it with salt, scallions, ginger, and a bit of yellow wine, and let it marinate for a while. During this time, he took the cooked rice out of the pot and placed it in a basin, ready to steam alongside the fish.

Once the fish was marinated, he coated the pieces in flour and fried them until they were crispy. After that, he removed the fish from the pan and added scallions, ginger, and chopped tomatoes, sautéing them until the tomatoes released their juice. He then adjusted the seasoning and added rock sugar, letting it melt until the sauce thickened.

Qin Xia tasted the sauce with chopsticks, found it just right, and then put the fried fish pieces back into the pan. He poured in some hot water from a small clay stove, placed a steamer tray over it, added the rice, and started simmering the fish.

With the fish and rice cooking, he turned to slice the potatoes.

Yu Jiuque had been peeling winter bamboo shoots, but when he heard the sound of the knife, he turned to look. He saw Qin Xia skillfully wielding the knife, slicing the potatoes into even slices, and then quickly turning them into uniformly thin strips.

“Ah Jiu, could you please fetch a basin of water for me?” Qin Xia asked, realizing he’d forgotten to prepare water to soak the potatoes. Yu Jiuque quickly brought a basin, and Qin Xia placed the potato strips into the water. Noticing Yu Jiuque’s puzzled look, he explained, “Potatoes contain starch. If you don’t soak them to remove some of it, they won’t be crispy when fried, and soaking them also prevents discoloration.”

Yu Jiuque nodded, having learned something new. Whenever these moments happened, Qin Xia found it hard to reconcile this obedient person in front of him with the villain described in the book.

With the ingredients for the stir-fried dishes ready and the fish and rice cooking, it was time to finish up. Yu Jiuque set the table and arranged the dishes, while Qin Xia quickly washed the pan and prepared the remaining two dishes.

“Dinner’s ready!”

On the table were three dishes: tomato fish fillets, vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes, and stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with meat. The rice was perfectly cooked, releasing a rich aroma unique to fresh rice.

Qin Xia placed a piece of fish into Yu Jiuque’s bowl. “Try this. I think you’ll like it. The black fish doesn’t have small bones, but be careful while eating.”

“Thank you, husband,” Yu Jiuque replied, swallowing a bit of saliva as he took a bite of the fish fillet. The thick sauce coated the fish, creating a sweet and sour taste from the tomatoes that he found delightful. Even the rice, after being dipped in the sauce, tasted better!

Qin Xia had the same thought as Yu Jiuque. After eating two pieces of fish and marveling at how wild-caught black fish tasted better than farmed ones, he scooped some sauce over his rice.

When he wanted something salty after the sweet and sour flavors, he switched to the vinegar-flavored shredded potatoes or the stir-fried bamboo shoots.

Bamboo shoots are enjoyed in two seasons: spring and winter. Spring shoots are crispy, while winter shoots are tender. To Qin Xia, both had their unique flavors. However, bamboo shoots were tricky; they looked big on the outside, but once peeled, there wasn’t much left. To make this one dish, he had to buy seven large winter shoots, just enough for him and Yu Jiuque to have one meal.

After dinner, Yu Jiuque volunteered to wash the dishes again. Although he was learning to cook, he knew he couldn’t match Qin Xia’s skills in a short time. The best he could do was help with prep, stoking the fire, and cleaning up.

As a newly married husband, especially one bought from a broker, he felt like he was living a charmed life. There were no elders imposing rules, and there weren’t many household chores to worry about.

As Yu Jiuque stacked the clean dishes, the thought of Qin Xia made him smile unconsciously.

But the smile quickly faded as he caught the bitter scent of medicinal soup.

“Drink it all in one go, and you can have two pieces of candy,” Qin Xia coaxed, holding two pieces of candy in his hand as if he were dealing with a child, making it clear that Yu Jiuque wouldn’t get them until the medicine was finished.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Jiuque steeled himself and downed the bowl of medicine, which was a mix of sour, bitter, and spicy flavors—indescribable in its unpleasantness.

Seeing his features scrunch up in discomfort, Qin Xia quickly handed him the candies.

Yu Jiuque popped the candy into his mouth, and although his tongue was initially numb, the sweetness gradually spread, finally easing his expression.

After the soup came the pills. Qin Xia handed him water, feeling as if he were caring for a heavy-eating companion who also happened to be a little medicine jar.

And yet, he felt no impatience whatsoever.

Qin Xia started to realize that his feelings… might be a bit unusual.

However, no amount of romantic thoughts could distract Qin Xia from his focus on making money.

The two-day temple fair concluded with great success. Thanks to the good reputation from the first day, Qin Xia ordered an extra slab of tofu from the Liu family on the second day, and it all sold out as well.

Each slab of tofu yielded around forty portions, and he earned over two hundred coins from it.

Overall, the temple fair brought in around five qian of profit.

To thank Liu Douzi for his help and since it had been a while since he visited the Liu family, after closing up on the second day, Qin Xia took the items he had bought, brought Yu Jiuque along, and headed to the Liu residence in Zitong Alley.

Fang Rong had met Yu Jiuque before and still found him likable. She grabbed Yu Jiuque’s hand and, pretending to be stern, scolded Qin Xia, “I told you not to go out in this cold weather, and here you are, dragging Jiu Ge’er out with his little face frozen pale. And you still bring gifts when you come to my house. Next time, I’ll kick you out!”

Fang Rong had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Qin Xia, inheriting the original owner’s memories, understood this well and immediately made a show of leaving.

“Mother, that’s harsh. I know I was foolish before, but I’ve changed since getting married. If you don’t want me here, maybe Jiu Ge’er should stay, and I’ll go?”

Fang Rong couldn’t help but laugh. “You and your smooth talk! Fine, fine, I know you’ve been doing well lately, but you’re still a guest here. Douzi, take your Xia ge and Jiu Ge’er inside for some tea. I’ll take care of dinner.”

Qin Xia quickly signaled Yu Jiuque.

Yu Jiuque caught on immediately, tugging on Fang Rong’s hand. “Mother, Xia ge specifically came to cook for you. He wants you to try his cooking. Please, let him be filial.”

Fang Rong glanced at Yu Jiuque, then back at Qin Xia, finally shaking her head with a smile. “All right, all right, I can see you two are of one mind. I’ll leave it to you, then.”

Liu Douzi, eager to avoid more polite exchanges between his mother and Qin Xia, urged them both inside. “Mother, just go in already! Bring my sister-in-law in to warm up. I’ll bring some fruit over in a bit!”

Yu Jiuque prepared to follow Fang Rong inside but exchanged a quick glance with Qin Xia before doing so.

Qin Xia, smiling, mouthed, “Go on.”

Yu Jiuque nodded slightly, then helped Fang Rong lift the curtain and stepped inside.

Meanwhile, Liu Douzi, who had stayed behind to help Qin Xia, was eager to get started.

Like a restless monkey, he followed Qin Xia into the kitchen, rubbing his hands together. “Xia Ge, what are we cooking tonight?”