Ch 14: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Loyal Customer

On the first day of reopening their stall, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque had just finished unloading their goods from the cart when they saw a familiar face—one of the young assistants from the Ganyuan Zhai shop named Bai Zao.

“Brother Bai, why are you here so early?”

As soon as Bai Zao saw Qin Xia, he looked as if he had seen a long-lost relative.

“Boss Qin, it’s great that you’re finally back in business. Yesterday, our shopkeeper couldn’t get his hands on your grilled cold noodles, and he talked about it all day. Our ears are about to grow calluses from it. Before I left, he even reminded me to come early today and check if you were back.”

Qin Xia smiled, knowing that Xing Yiming, that foodie,” was still thinking about the special grilled cold noodles. “Yesterday, Ah Jiu wasn’t feeling well, so we took the day off. But he’s fine now. You can go back and tell Shopkeeper Xing that everything he wants is ready, and he can come pick it up anytime.”

Bai Zao grinned, “That’s great. I’ll head back right away.”

Qin Xia called him back.

“It’s still early, and your shop isn’t in a rush to open. Why don’t you wait a bit? I have something new today. Help me taste it.”

Bai Zao was more than happy to get a free bite, but he wasn’t idle either.

He stepped forward to help move the wooden boxes and baskets filled with tofu and noodles and even volunteered to carry the water bucket to the nearby well to fetch water.

Meanwhile, Qin Xia lit the fire. Once the iron plate was hot, he poured on some oil and placed a few starch sausages, which he had prepared and scored at home, onto the grill.

Last night, he and Yu Jiuque had made the remaining starch sausages at home, bringing the total to thirty. They planned to sell them today to test the market. If it went well, they would make fifty each day in the future.

Since the term “starch” didn’t exist in the Dayong Dynasty, Qin Xia decided to change the name and simply call them “flour sausages.”

“From a distance, I could smell that it was you two setting up your stall.”

You Ge’er, who sold fried sugar cakes, put down his load and greeted them with a smile.

“Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

Upon learning that Yu Jiuque had been sick, You Ge’er said, “The weather’s getting colder. Next time, make sure to dress warmly.”

Then he glanced at Qin Xia and joked, “Let your man buy you a ‘sleeping rabbit’ to wear. It’s warm and stylish.”

Yu Jiuque blushed, and Qin Xia was momentarily confused, not understanding.

“What’s a ‘sleeping rabbit’?”

You Ge’er laughed, “You don’t even know what a ‘sleeping rabbit’ is? I wonder how you usually coax your husband.”

He looked around the street, casually pointing to a woman in a nearby shop who was unloading shutters.

“Look, it’s the headscarf the shopkeeper’s wife is wearing.”

So that’s what a “sleeping rabbit” is, Qin Xia thought, smiling as he turned to Yu Jiuque. Almost on impulse, he asked, “Ah Jiu, do you like it? I’ll get you one.”

But Yu Jiuque would never let him buy such a thing.

Those were items only the wealthy used. For small-time vendors like them, a simple scarf was enough in the cold.

“Why spend money on that? I don’t want it.”

Qin Xia flipped the starch sausages on the grill, “Isn’t making money meant to be spent?”

But in the end, he didn’t say if he would actually buy it or not.

You Ge’er watched the couple from the side and silently sighed, thinking how wonderful it was to be young. Not like his own husband, who wouldn’t even speak up after being prodded three times.

When Bai Zao returned with the water, the first batch of sausages was ready.

Some were lightly fried and set aside by Qin Xia to be reheated when ordered.

The ones meant to be eaten hot were cooked to perfection—tender inside with a crispy, golden-brown shell.

Qin Xia picked up two sausages and handed them to Bai Zao and You Ge’er.

After the two of them finished trying it, they both exclaimed, “Delicious!”

“I can’t believe this thing is made of flour. I’d never figure out how it’s done even if you beat me to death,” You Ge’er said, his eyes wide as he examined the sausage in his hand from every angle.

Bai Zao thoroughly enjoyed his portion, and after wiping his mouth, he said, “I’ll go back and tell my shopkeeper about this new treat you have here. He’ll probably rush over again in no time.”

Qin Xia asked both of them for suggestions regarding the taste, but Bai Zao and You Ge’er both shook their heads.

“This thing is already so delicious; what suggestions could we possibly have?”

With that, Qin Xia knew he was on the right track.

As expected, the new sausages were a hit throughout the day.

Many who wouldn’t spend five coins to add an egg instead paid three coins to have a sausage added to their grilled cold noodles. Not only did it add more flavor, but it also made the meal more filling.

The sausages were also perfect for eating on the go as a snack. With a variety of flavors—spicy, non-spicy, with sauce or sprinkled with seasoning—all thirty sausages sold out in no time.

When Xing Yiming arrived, he thought he’d missed out on the sausages and was about to express his disappointment when Qin Xia quickly reassured him, “Shopkeeper Xing, don’t worry; I’ve already set aside your portion.”

Not only that, but thanks to the free time they had during yesterday’s break, Qin Xia had also prepared the ingredients for the small dishes Xing Yiming had previously mentioned.

With these ingredients, Qin Xia was able to make a “family-style grilled cold noodle” just for Xing Yiming.

First, he used chicken breast to make chicken strips, marinated and coated them in starch and flour, and pre-fried them at home. The pork tenderloin was bought as a whole piece, sliced thin, marinated, and pan-fried on the griddle. Meatballs were the simplest; he had made plenty the night before and even enjoyed a meal of mushroom-stuffed meatballs with Yu Jiuque. These, too, were reheated on the griddle alongside the chicken strips.

Qin Xia checked the timing and flipped the grilled cold noodles, tenderloin, and sausages on the griddle.

As per Xing Yiming’s habit, he cracked two eggs, spread them evenly, then flipped everything again, adding chopped scallions and onions, brushing on sauce, and sprinkling chili.

He chopped up the chicken strips, tenderloin, meatballs, and starch sausages with a spatula, tossed them all in, and garnished with coriander.

As he was making this special grilled cold noodle, other customers were lining up.

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the various ingredients on the griddle, each person silently swallowing their saliva.

They were tempted to try it too, but they felt their wallets couldn’t handle it.

Just listen to what the dish contains—chicken, only the breast; pork, only the tenderloin; even two eggs!

One man in line couldn’t resist any longer and mustered up the courage to ask Qin Xia, “Little boss, how much does this everything-included version cost?”

He expected Qin Xia to quote a price above thirty coins, so he was ready to give up. But to his surprise, Qin Xia smiled and said, “Brother, the only regular item here is the sausage. Everything else was pre-ordered by Shopkeeper Xing.”

In other words, it’s not for sale.

So, naturally, there was no public price.

They thought that saying this would make everyone except Xing Yiming give up, but instead, it made them even more interested.

One after another, they asked, “What does ‘pre-order’ mean? Can we pre-order too?”

“Just tell us how much it costs. When I get my wages next month, I’ll come and try it too!”

Qin Xia was truly overwhelmed.

He was just one person and couldn’t manage so many different items, let alone the fact that once the blacksmith delivered his work, he planned to introduce even more snacks.

“My apologies, everyone. The stall has limited staff, and I don’t have eight hands to work with. These items are expensive to prepare, and it’s troublesome to stock them. Maybe if I find the time, I could make some to sell, but there’s no telling when that might be.”

In the envious eyes of the others, Xing Yiming took away his grilled cold noodles, unique and unavailable to anyone else who wanted to try it!

As a self-proclaimed “gourmet,” Xing Yiming’s vanity was greatly satisfied, and he returned to his shop humming a tune.

Xing Yiming’s wife, Cui Rao, was busy checking inventory in the shop, occasionally marking the ledger with her brush.

Just as she was deeply absorbed in her work, the shop, which usually smelled sweet and fragrant, was suddenly filled with a strong, spicy aroma.

“Xing Yiming! You snuck out to buy food again! I think you might as well stop managing this shop and open a restaurant instead! And how many times have I told you, don’t eat that kind of food in the shop; it’s making everything smell like it!”

Xing Yiming’s hand, which was holding the oiled paper box, trembled, and in the next moment, he was chased to the back room by Cui Rao.

His wife also came from a merchant family and was as capable as any man when it came to business. Xing Yiming, as the shopkeeper, was really just riding on his family’s coattails.

He knew his own limitations, so he often deferred to Cui Rao’s decisions on both big and small matters.

Thus, all the staff at Ganyuan Zhai knew that sometimes the shopkeeper’s wife was even more of a shopkeeper than the shopkeeper himself!

Having been caught slacking off, Xing Yiming didn’t dare eat his grilled cold noodles right away. He paced around the room for quite a while until Cui Rao finished her work and came to the back.

He quickly pulled her to sit down and served her a cup of hot tea.

“Thank you for your hard work, dear.”

Cui Rao glanced at him, “If you paid a little more attention, I wouldn’t have to run between home and the shop.”

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right,” Xing Yiming agreed, but his eyes kept darting toward the oiled paper box.

Only then did Cui Rao realize that Xing Yiming hadn’t eaten yet, probably out of fear of being scolded. Seeing this, she took a sip of tea and graciously said, “Alright, go ahead and eat it now, or it’ll get cold and be a waste.”

With that one sentence, Xing Yiming’s spirits lifted instantly.

He brought the oiled paper box closer and placed the grilled cold noodles in front of Cui Rao.

“You should try it too. The stall owner made this specially, and no one else can buy it even if they wanted to!”

Cui Rao glanced down with little interest.

Although she and Xing Yiming were husband and wife, their tastes were quite different.

She had tried the stall’s food once before; it was good, but not light enough for her liking.

Seeing Xing Yiming insist, she picked up a bamboo skewer and casually speared a piece of chicken strip, asking curiously, “What’s this? I didn’t see it last time.”

Xing Yiming replied, “This is called chicken strip, made from chicken breast.”

Chicken breast?

“I never expected such a simple street food stall to be so particular.”

No wonder it could make her husband, who had tasted all the delicacies of Qinan County, so enamored.

“Hmm… this is actually quite tasty.”

The chicken breast had a light salty and peppery flavor, with a crispy outer layer and lean, non-greasy meat.

“If they sell this on its own next time, you should buy some.”

Without any hesitation, Cui Rao ate most of the chicken strips from the grilled cold noodles, leaving Xing Yiming to look on with great dismay, only reluctantly leaving him a bite.

After finishing the substantial portion of grilled cold noodles, Xing Yiming drank some tea to rinse his mouth and tapped his fingers leisurely on the table.

Life like this could be summed up in two words: comfortable!

Meanwhile, due to Cui Rao’s offhand comment earlier, an idea slowly began to form in Xing Yiming’s mind.

Opening a restaurant—now that might actually be a good idea!