Ch 18: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Egg Burger

Yu Jiuque’s words immediately sparked a new line of thinking for Qin Xia.

As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Qin Xia had been stuck on the idea of “how to help the Liu family sell more tofu,” which was a dead end.

As Yu Jiuque suggested, if he taught Liu Douzi how to make iron plate tofu, the Liu family, already in the tofu business with lower costs and higher profit margins, could achieve the same outcome.

“You’re right,” Qin Xia said after realizing this. “If Douzi can get the food business going, I have many more tofu-based snacks he can learn. With the Liu family’s established reputation for tofu, they won’t have to worry about making a living in the future.”

The Liu family had been kind to the original owner, and while that might not directly concern Qin Xia, he had repeatedly felt the goodwill from Fang Rong and Liu Douzi. He was willing to maintain this sense of “family ties.”

Seeing Qin Xia agree with his suggestion, Yu Jiuque’s face lit up with a slight smile.

He often felt useless, unable to help Qin Xia much, so being able to relieve some of Qin Xia’s worries was something that brought him joy.

As Qin Xia continued to stir the batter, it grew thicker. He added some pepper and five-spice powder, then set it aside.

He took a piece of pork, with a good balance of fat and lean meat, from the basket, chopped it into small pieces, and mixed it into the meat filling with the scallions that Yu Jiuque had chopped, along with vegetable oil, and the right amount of salt and soy sauce for flavor.

Since this was for their own tasting, Qin Xia used pure meat filling. When it came time to sell it, he would definitely add some vegetables to the mix; otherwise, the price would be too high.

Once all the ingredients were ready, Qin Xia placed the cleaned pan on the small clay stove they used to boil water, dried it over the heat, and then brushed on a layer of oil.

Yu Jiuque stood by, helping Qin Xia by handing him things and carefully observing his steps, eager to learn. This way, if Qin Xia was ever too busy, he could lend a hand.

Once the oil in the pan was hot, Qin Xia cracked an egg into each of the four round molds, breaking the yolks. After frying them on both sides, he scooped a spoonful of batter and gently poured it into the remaining empty spaces.

The egg burger consisted of three layers: batter, egg, and meat filling. Qin Xia was now working on the second layer. He quickly placed the fried eggs on top of the batter, then spread a thin layer of meat filling over them.

He then poured another layer of batter into the previously emptied spots. This time, the meat filling merged with the batter as it cooked. Once the batter was set, he flipped it several times until it turned a golden brown, signaling that it was ready to eat.

“Let’s try it. Do you want yours with sauce or without?” Qin Xia asked.

Qin Xia preferred his with sauce, while Yu Jiuque opted to try one without any sauce first.

They took the burgers out of the pan to cool slightly and placed them into small bags that Yu Jiuque had folded from oiled paper.

Qin Xia brushed his burger with a layer of sweet bean sauce, followed by a layer of spicy sauce. The two of them then blew on their burgers to cool them down and took their first bite together.

“How is it? Tasty?” Qin Xia asked.

He felt that the meat filling was still too plain. In his previous life, he would have added wood ear mushrooms and carrots when making this dish at home. However, in this era, wood ear mushrooms were considered a wild delicacy, expensive and hard to come by. Carrots existed, but they were out of season and also pricey.

In contrast to Qin Xia’s high standards, Yu Jiuque was much easier to please. To him, the egg burger was somewhat similar to a meat-filled bun, but with a completely different texture.

With one bite, the three layers burst with flavor—the softness of the batter, the tenderness of the egg, and the savory taste of the meat filling.

“It’s delicious,” Yu Jiuque said, eating half of it before continuing to take bites.

Qin Xia made another burger with sauce for him, and after trying it, Yu Jiuque agreed that it tasted better with sauce.

“Without the sauce, the outer layer doesn’t have much flavor. The sauce adds more depth.”

He licked his lips, catching the scent of the spicy sauce, and found himself craving some chili as well.

Since marrying Qin Xia, Yu Jiuque had discovered Qin Xia’s love for spicy food. Even though Qin Xia was mindful of his presence and didn’t cook spicy dishes often, he would still include some spicy sauce or pickled chili to go with meals.

Gradually, Yu Jiuque had developed a curiosity to try it for himself.

Unfortunately, this was similar to his unfulfilled desire to consummate the marriage with Qin Xia—something he could only fantasize about for now.

Unaware that he had become, in Yu Jiuque’s mind, akin to chili—a “white moonlight” that could be longed for but not obtained—Qin Xia discussed with him the plan to make a few egg burgers to take to the Liu family, along with the idea of passing on the iron plate tofu business to Liu Douzi.

To this end, Qin Xia even packed a jar of the iron plate tofu sauce.

If Liu Douzi expressed any interest in learning, Qin Xia was ready to teach him on the spot today.

…

Ziteng Alley was named after the many households that had wisteria trees growing, their branches forming canopies over the years and creating a sea of purple during the blooming season.

But now it was winter, and the wisteria branches extending beyond the walls were withered, leaving only black, hard branches.

As they passed by, Qin Xia noticed that one household, perhaps finding the bare branches unsightly, had decorated them with colorful woven knots.

Yu Jiuque followed Qin Xia’s gaze and looked up at the decorations. Something crossed his mind, and his gaze lowered to his empty waist.

He had some skill in sewing and making knots. Perhaps he could buy some colorful thread and try making something for Qin Xia, a small token to carry with him.

The most important thing was that he had noticed other men wearing knots or pouches made by their wives or husbands.

He wasn’t confident in making a pouch, but a knot might be within his abilities.

With these thoughts in mind, they soon arrived at the Liu family’s door.

Qin Xia hadn’t even had a chance to knock on the door when he bumped right into Fang Rong, who was about to leave.

Without a word, Fang Rong immediately reached out to pinch Qin Xia’s ear.

“You rascal! Something this serious happens at home, and you don’t even tell your godmother? If I hadn’t overheard some women from Furong Alley gossiping, I wouldn’t have known that Jiu Ge’er suffered such a great injustice!”

Qin Xia, relying on his height, managed to dodge successfully. Seeing this, Yu Jiuque quickly stepped in to intervene, “Godmother, please don’t be angry. I’m already fully recovered.”

As it turned out, Fang Rong was on her way to the Qin family’s house.

She had heard that the notorious old Ge’er from Furong Alley, despite his age, still hadn’t learned to behave, and had even cursed Jiu Ge’er to the point of fainting. Fang Rong was furious.

Never mind that she thought Jiu Ge’er was great in every way—how dare that old man, an outsider, say anything?

“The next time I see him on the street, don’t blame me for giving him a piece of my mind! He’s come to our stall a few times to buy tofu, and every time he has a bunch of complaints, always finding fault. Well, that’s it— from now on, whether it’s him or anyone from the Gao family, we won’t sell them a thing!”

Furong Alley and Ziteng Alley were close to each other, both part of the same neighborhood, and there were many intermarriages between families. Someone as “famous” as Gao Lu was known by everyone.

Inside the Liu family’s house, a few people were sitting together when Liu Douzi came in with tea, just in time to hear his mother shout, “Douzi, did you hear? We’re not selling our tofu to the Gao family anymore!”

“Got it, got it, I heard you!”

Liu Douzi gave Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque a playful wink as he set down the tea tray and pulled up a stool to sit with them.

He sniffed the air, then quietly leaned toward Qin Xia.

“Xia Ge, did you bring something to eat?”

No sooner had he spoken than Fang Rong gave him a light thump.

“Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating!”

Liu Douzi rubbed his head and complained, “Mother, you hit me again! What’s wrong with eating? People need food to survive; if we don’t eat, we’ll starve!”

Yu Jiuque held his teacup to his lips, stifling a laugh, while Qin Xia took the opportunity to place an oiled paper package on the table, saying, “Douzi’s sense of smell is sharp. He might just have the makings of a chef. Godmother, this is a new breakfast item I’ve come up with for the food stall, and I thought I’d bring some for everyone to try.”

With that, Qin Xia handed one to Liu Douzi, and Yu Jiuque also passed one to Fang Rong.

“Godmother, try it. It’s made with eggs and meat filling, and it tastes great.”

Fang Rong took it, finding the package still warm.

She smiled, “I’m really living the good life now. Where else could you get a meal with both eggs and meat?”

Both mother and son tasted it and were full of praise.

“The filling is pure meat, with white flour and eggs. I’m afraid it won’t be cheap to sell.”

Fang Rong, having run a small business for so long, immediately saw the issue.

Qin Xia nodded. “I’ve considered that. It definitely can’t be sold as it is. I’m thinking of mixing some tofu into the meat filling. Tofu filling tastes good too.”

Hearing that tofu was involved, Fang Rong knew Qin Xia was intentionally looking out for them.

She brushed aside some graying hair and said with emotion, “Xia, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but your business is your own, and you mustn’t let helping us become a burden.”

“You give me too much credit, Godmother,” Qin Xia replied with a light smile, exchanging a glance with Yu Jiuque, who understood and nodded.

“Godmother,” Yu Jiuque addressed Fang Rong, “We came here today because there’s something we want to discuss with you and Brother Liu.”

Fang Rong, thinking they might be in some kind of trouble, quickly said, “Whatever it is, just tell me. We’re family, no need to stand on ceremony!”

Qin Xia smoothly continued, “Godmother, don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. It’s just that we’re planning to add a few new dishes to the food stall, and the two of us are already overwhelmed. Even if we could manage, we don’t have enough cooking equipment. We were thinking of removing the iron plate tofu, but some regular customers would be disappointed, as they’ve grown attached to it. So, after discussing it with Ah Jiu, we thought maybe Douzi could learn the recipe and set up a stall next to your tofu stand to sell it. This way, we can lighten our load, and those regulars won’t have to miss out.”

The words were well-reasoned, but they left everyone momentarily stunned.

Liu Douzi, who still had half an egg burger in his hand, was so surprised that his mouth hung open for a long time.

“Xia Ge, you’re saying you want me to sell the iron plate tofu? But how could I? That’s your skill!”

Qin Xia smiled. “It’s just a simple recipe. Anyone who sees it could learn it. The real secret is in the sauce I make. I figured since your family already makes tofu, selling some tofu-based snacks is a natural extension—it won’t interfere with your main business.”

He then turned to Fang Rong, knowing she wouldn’t easily agree, and added, “Godmother, I was foolish in the past, and without elders to guide me, you had to worry about me a lot. Now that Douzi is of age, he’ll likely be looking to get married in the next couple of years. It’s not ideal for him to just keep selling tofu with you. Setting up a small stall to earn some silver for his marriage would be perfect, wouldn’t it?”

This reasoning struck a chord with Fang Rong, and her expression softened.

Yu Jiuque seized the moment and added, “Actually, it was Brother Liu who first suggested selling the iron plate tofu at the temple fair. Since the stall’s success owes something to him, it’s only fair he should benefit from the recipe.”

The implication was clear: even if they received the recipe, it wouldn’t be unfair.

Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque’s combined efforts finally swayed Fang Rong after much consideration, and she nodded.

“I’m truly comforted to see how much you’ve improved since marrying Jiu Ge’er, Xia. I also hope that Douzi can find someone suitable. You’re right, he’s of age and should learn some skills, but we must be fair in our dealings.”

Fang Rong insisted on paying for the iron plate tofu recipe, and no matter how much Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque tried to dissuade her, she wouldn’t budge. Liu Douzi was equally stubborn, so in the end, Qin Xia had to accept a symbolic payment of one tael of silver.

“The tofu is just being pan-fried, so consider this as payment for the sauce recipe.”

With the deal settled, Qin Xia, who had come prepared, immediately went to the kitchen to teach Liu Douzi how to make the sauce and showed him the key points of frying the tofu.

The Liu family already had a cart, so they just needed to order an iron plate from the blacksmith. For Fang Rong, spending a few taels of silver on this was not a big burden.

Moreover, having the recipe was like having a chicken that laid eggs. With the New Year approaching and the city bustling with temple fairs and markets, they could easily recoup their investment within a few days of selling, and everything after that would be pure profit.

Under Qin Xia’s guidance, Liu Douzi made a batch of iron plate tofu. The tofu got a little broken up during frying, and the taste was slightly off, but with practice, he could improve.

Since the Liu family had plenty of tofu, they didn’t mind if he failed a few times. As long as he mastered it before the iron plate was ready, it wouldn’t delay the stall.

With the issue resolved, the next day, the Qin family’s food stall officially added egg burgers to their breakfast menu.

They also announced that in a few days, iron plate tofu would no longer be sold at the stall, and anyone wanting it could purchase it from the Liu family’s tofu stall near Wenhui Temple.

The regular customers had mixed feelings—some were happy, while others were worried, with the latter group being larger.

Some of them lived closer to Wenhui Temple and could easily buy iron plate tofu there, but it wouldn’t be the same as having all their favorite foods in one place.

However, the small boss’s decision was final, and they had no say in it. So, with a mix of sighs and anticipation, they eagerly awaited the first batch of egg burgers.