Ch 25: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Grilled Chicken Crave

The raw chicken racks were delivered by Wei Chao after he finished his shift at the warehouse, a full hour ago—eight racks in total.

Qin Xia took them, inspected them, and noticed that not only did they still have plenty of meat on them, but their color also indicated freshness.

“They’re guaranteed to be from today. The Song family wouldn’t cut corners on that, especially in this cold weather; they can be stored for a while,” Wei Chao assured.

Wei Chao was eager to do a good job with this task. The Song family had plenty of opportunities for extra earnings, and maintaining a good relationship with the purchasing manager there could easily mean several additional taels of silver each month—certainly not a trivial amount.

Moreover, this income was considered private savings for him and Cao A’shuang, something they didn’t have to hand over to the family.

“Wei da-ge, your timing is perfect. I’ll make them right away and send some to your home later. You can help me taste them,” Qin Xia offered.

Eight chicken racks were indeed a lot, weighing down the basket with their heft.

Wei Chao, mindful of not intruding on Qin Xia’s secret recipe, politely excused himself and headed home after a few pleasantries.

After Wei Chao left, Yu Jiuque emerged from the main hall with Da Fu.

“Are we making them now? I’ll help,” Yu Jiuque offered.

Qin Xia nodded and explained to Yu Jiuque how to handle the chicken racks.

Out of the eight racks, three were reserved for making broth, while the remaining five were to be turned into grilled chicken racks.

The first step was to wash them thoroughly, drain the water, and then marinate them.

The two fetched water and soaked the chicken racks in it. Da Fu, excited, started honking and tried to stick its head into the water.

Qin Xia flicked water at its head with a finger.

“Don’t get in the way, go play somewhere else.”

Da Fu, not understanding, thought Qin Xia was playing with it, flapping its wings and splashing water around.

“Honk honk! Honk honk!”

Qin Xia shook his head in resignation and said to Yu Jiuque, “I’m afraid we’ve raised a silly, sweet goose. Do you think it’ll still be able to guard the house?”

“What does ‘silly, sweet’ mean?” Yu Jiuque asked, curious.

Qin Xia cleared his throat, “It means being silly, a bit dumb, and very affectionate.”

Yu Jiuque understood and laughed as he looked at Da Fu.

“It’s still young and spends most of its time indoors because of the cold, so it hasn’t seen many strangers. Next time we have guests, let’s see how it reacts.”

That seemed like the best plan for now.

After wandering around for a bit and seeing that Qin Xia wasn’t paying it any attention, Da Fu decided to try tugging at their hair instead.

Qin Xia’s hair was tied up, but Yu Jiuque’s was half loose over his shoulders, making it the perfect toy for Da Fu.

Fortunately, it seemed to know its limits and didn’t pull hard enough to cause pain, making it hard to even scold the goose.

It only stopped when both stood up from their low stools, realizing it could no longer reach them.

With two sharp cracks, Qin Xia split the chicken racks in half. While they drained, he prepared the marinade.

Qin Xia preferred a slightly sweet flavor for the dish, where the sweetness wouldn’t overpower but would instead enhance the overall taste.

From what he had observed, there were very few sweet and spicy flavors in the current market. This was something many customers had mentioned when they bought grilled cold noodles, even considering it a unique feature of Qin Xia’s food stall.

Given this, it was natural to continue and build on that success.

Salt, sugar, five-spice powder, pepper, cumin, and soy sauce for coloring were all poured into a large bowl and mixed evenly.

Compared to other spices, cumin was less common and still mostly sold in pharmacies. Only a few chefs used it in cooking, so it was relatively expensive. However, with each chicken rack costing just five coins and Qin Xia planning to sell each rack in two parts, the profit margin was high enough that he didn’t mind spending a bit more on cumin.

In fact, he thought that adding a bit of honey would give the chicken racks an even more appealing color.

After draining the last bit of water from the chicken racks with a clean cloth, Qin Xia evenly coated both sides with the marinade, making sure not to miss any nooks and crannies.

After letting them marinate for nearly half an hour, with the day growing late, Qin Xia decided to cook them immediately to get a taste as soon as possible.

He heated the iron griddle, poured on a bit more oil than usual, and placed the chicken racks on it, pressing them down occasionally with a spatula.

As they grilled, the juices slowly began to seep out of the chicken, and the aroma of the spices filled the air.

Qin Xia was precise with the cooking time; when he flipped the racks, the side that had been facing down had turned a beautiful golden color.

While most people might think the chicken racks would be ready to eat once both sides were cooked, Qin Xia had higher standards.

He waited patiently until even the tiny bones in the chicken racks had turned crispy before calling Yu Jiuque over to help. They carefully lifted each rack, drained the excess oil, and placed them in a large bowl lined with parchment paper.

Once the racks had cooled enough to handle, Yu Jiuque tore one into bite-sized pieces, and Qin Xia sprinkled them with a pre-mixed blend of dry seasonings.

Even Qin Xia couldn’t help but salivate a little.

“That’s the benefit of being a cook—whatever good food you make, you get the first taste, and fresh off the griddle is always the best,” he remarked.

Back in the modern world, he rarely had the chance to eat these kinds of snacks, but here, they were a novelty.

Plus, the ones he made himself were cleaner and not as overly salty or oily as those sold on the streets.

He selected a meatier piece for Yu Jiuque, while he picked up a piece sprinkled with chili powder for himself.

“It should have marinated a bit longer,” he concluded after chewing on a piece of meat.

Yu Jiuque was also carefully savoring his piece.

The chicken rack was coated with a layer of dry seasoning, so the first bite inevitably left some on his lips. He had to stick out his tongue to lick it off before using his teeth to tear off a piece of meat from the bone.

While there wasn’t much meat left on the chicken rack, it wasn’t entirely devoid of it either. Some parts had a thin layer of crispy skin that could be chewed and swallowed along with the bone, while other parts had thicker, well-cooked meat that was a bit tough to chew but satisfying in its own way.

Yu Jiuque thought that if he were eating a chicken leg, he might finish it in two or three bites, but with this seemingly scanty chicken rack, he preferred to savor it slowly, enjoying every bit of flavor.

“This would go great with some wine,” Qin Xia remarked after finishing his piece, wiping his hands.

Then it hit him—of course, they had wine at home!

Moments later, Yu Jiuque watched as Qin Xia pulled out a jar of cooking wine from the cupboard.

Qin Xia suddenly felt grateful to the original owner of the body. Despite being poor, the original owner had a taste for wine, and while the household lacked decent bowls, it had a complete set of wine vessels.

In the cold of winter, warming the wine was a must, and they had just the right tools for it.

As Qin Xia cleaned and prepared the wine warmer, Yu Jiuque, noticing his interest, smiled and said, “Weren’t you going to deliver the chicken racks to the Wei family? You go ahead, and I’ll warm the wine for you.”

And that was the benefit of having someone to share the household with.

Having spent over twenty years as a bachelor in his previous life, Qin Xia, who was now transported to another world, couldn’t agree more with this sentiment.

Yu Jiuque took the wine set to the main hall, with Da Fu following closely like a loyal pet.

Qin Xia turned his attention back and selected the two largest chicken racks. He split them into four pieces, wrapped them in parchment paper, and made his way through the narrow alleys to Wei’s house.

“I was wondering where that mouthwatering smell was coming from earlier—it turns out it was you making these chicken racks, Brother Qin!”

As soon as Wei Chao opened the door, the aroma nearly knocked him over with its intensity; the scent alone was enough to make one hungry.

Qin Xia smiled. “It’s my first attempt, so it might not be perfect. It’s getting late, and they didn’t marinate long enough, but give them a try. Remember to tear them apart before eating, and there’s a packet of chili powder inside. If you like it spicy, sprinkle some on.”

Wei Chao couldn’t help but swallow involuntarily—not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t control himself.

“Don’t sell yourself short—people line up at your stall for your food. How could you call this ‘just okay’?”

As he spoke, Cao A’shuang also came out from inside the house, shivering a little from the cold but still smiling warmly as she greeted Qin Xia and handed him something.

“My mother-in-law heard that Brother Qin was bringing food and insisted I give you some of our homemade dried sweet potatoes. They’re from our family’s land back home. It’s not much, but I hope you and Jiu Ge’er don’t mind.”

With such a thoughtful gesture, Qin Xia didn’t decline. He responded, “These are exactly what I’ve been craving, so thank you! Besides, the chicken racks are only here because of Wei ge’s connection, so if anyone’s benefiting, it’s me.”

After some more polite exchanges, they bid each other farewell.

Wei Chao wrapped his arm around Cao A’shuang, and the two quickly made their way back inside.

Pulling aside the door curtain and stepping in, they were immediately enveloped in warmth. Unable to contain his excitement, Wei Chao called out to the main room, “Father, mother! Come quickly and try these grilled chicken racks that Qin Xia brought over! A’shuang, you stay here and keep watch—I’m going to the kitchen to grab a plate.”

For the first time since finishing dinner, the family gathered around the table again.

Following Qin Xia’s instructions, Wei Chao tore the chicken racks into two plates. He sprinkled one with chili powder, as both he and his father could handle spice, while his mother and A’shuang preferred milder flavors.

“Come on, everyone, dig in.”

All four of them grabbed a piece with their hands and took a bite.

The first to speak was Wei Chao’s mother, Ge Xiuhong.

“Who would’ve thought that such thin bones and little meat could taste so good? The bones are so crispy that even my old teeth can chew through them.”

The Wei family lived relatively well in Furong Alley. Ge Xiuhong had two sons—her younger one was unmarried and often traveled with trade caravans, bringing home at least twenty or thirty taels of silver each trip. Her elder son, Wei Chao, earned a decent living working at the warehouse.

They were a family that wasn’t shy about spending on food, and their table was always stocked with meat. Yet, after tasting the chicken racks Qin Xia had sent over, they found them even more flavorful than a big pot of braised pork belly!

Father Wei was especially pleased, and he urged his son, “Go fetch that half jar of wine we had left over from before—we’ll have a drink together!”

Ge Xiuhong shot him a glare. “Drinking at this hour?”

Father Wei chuckled, “Just a little to satisfy the craving. It would be a shame not to have a drink with such a perfect snack!”

Wei Chao was also craving a drink, and even Cao A’shuang could handle a little alcohol. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but lick her lips.

So, after some persuasion from both father and son, and with Cao A’shuang saying a few soft words, they went ahead with the plan.

Once the wine was poured, even Ge Xiuhong couldn’t resist pouring herself a small amount—just enough to cover the bottom of the cup. The first sip was spicy as it went down but left a sweet aftertaste.

Then she bit into another piece of chicken rack, thinking to herself, not even a heavenly dish could top this!

Savoring the chicken bone, Father Wei turned to Wei Chao and said, “These chicken racks should definitely sell well. That Qin boy—he’s got the skills for it. When he starts selling them, we’ll have to go back for more!”

“You’re already thinking about the next time, and you haven’t even finished this time,” Ge Xiuhong teased, though her face still carried a smile.

The chicken racks were indeed delicious—there was probably no more than an ounce of meat on them, so they couldn’t be too expensive. A few more rounds wouldn’t be a problem…

It wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

The Wei family, thanks to the two plates of chicken racks, was lively as if they were celebrating the Little New Year early, while over at the Qin household, Qin Xia was sipping warm rice wine alone.

On the table, besides the chicken racks, there were also two small bowls of spicy and sour noodles, serving as a late-night snack.

Since this era already had sweet potatoes, sweet potato noodles had emerged, mostly made by farming families who then brought them to the city to sell. Qin Xia compared several options before selecting a homemade sweet potato noodle that was of the right thickness and looked free of impurities.

For this reason, he specifically instructed the supplier to deliver regularly every three or four days, ensuring that the food stall wouldn’t run out of stock.

Spicy and sour noodles just wouldn’t have soul without the spice. However, Yu Jiuque couldn’t handle spiciness, so Qin Xia had to make a non-spicy version just for him.

In the bowl, he sequentially added sour water, aged vinegar, soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper, and ground Sichuan peppercorns, finally pouring in a generous ladle of broth made from the chicken racks—this was the base for the spicy and sour noodles.

After cooking the sweet potato noodles, they were combined with the soup base. A spicy version had chili oil added separately, along with a few essential garnishes: fried peanuts, fried soybeans, and minced pickled green beans piled in the center of the bowl. Before eating, the noodles were mixed, and a fried egg was added on top.

The tangy flavor made one’s mouth water uncontrollably, making it something you’d want to eat over and over, even wanting to drink the soup down to the last drop.

Yu Jiuque thought so and actually did it.

The result was that the sourness hit him so hard that his eyes watered.

Qin Xia quickly poured him some water.

“This soup is quite sour. Drinking it so late might upset your stomach.”

Yu Jiuque hissed through the sourness, “It’s sour, but it’s a captivating kind of sour. Once we start selling this, I bet a lot of people will want to buy a couple of baked flatbreads to go with it.”

He then glanced at Qin Xia’s bowl, where the chili oil smelled as enticing as ever, though he still couldn’t handle it.

“It seems you can handle sourness. Next time we get some Wutou fish, how about I make you some pickled fish?”

And with some wide noodles and frozen tofu mixed in…

Hmm, it really makes him want to go out and buy fish to make it tomorrow.

With Yu Jiuque around, none of the remaining three chicken racks were left.

After clearing the dishes, Yu Jiuque went to the kitchen to wash them, while Qin Xia replaced the straw in Da Fu’s nest.

“Look at you, what other goose sleeps in the living room while we sleep in the bedroom? When it gets warmer, I’ll build you a nest in the yard so you can sleep there. Otherwise, how will you guard the house?”

Qin Xia kept muttering, and Da Fu, seemingly annoyed, bent down and messed up the pile of dry straw.

Qin Xia pretended to scold it, but Da Fu dodged while squawking, its beady little eyes looking sharp and clever.

As man and goose were playfully bickering, a sudden noise came from the kitchen.

Qin Xia immediately left Da Fu behind and hurried outside.

When he entered the kitchen, he saw shattered pieces of porcelain scattered on the floor—it turned out that Yu Jiuque had accidentally dropped a bowl and was bending over to clean it up, but his movements seemed a bit sluggish.

“Don’t worry about it; I’ll take care of it. It’s just a bowl—consider it good luck for the New Year.”

Qin Xia went to grab a broom to sweep up the shards, but he noticed that Yu Jiuque was slightly hunched over.

He furrowed his brow and asked, “Is your stomach hurting?”

Yu Jiuque slowly exhaled, “A little stomach pain, nothing serious.”

Qin Xia immediately became concerned. When he touched the dishwashing water, it was indeed icy cold.

Without another word, he wrapped Yu Jiuque’s hands in his own, feeling as if he were holding a handful of ice.

“I told you to mix in some warm water before washing. If you keep doing this, I’ll do the washing from now on—you shouldn’t touch it.”

He ushered Yu Jiuque aside, quickly cleaned up the broken porcelain pieces, washed the remaining dishes, and put them away in the cupboard.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Yu Jiuque let him lead him by the hand through the cold courtyard and back into the warmth of the bedroom.

“Is the pain severe?” Qin Xia asked as he handed Yu Jiuque a cup of warm water.

Sipping it slowly, Yu Jiuque wondered if it was just his imagination, but he did feel significantly better.

“Looks like I shouldn’t eat so much at night.”

Seeing Yu Jiuque’s pale face, Qin Xia thought to himself that this person really seemed to have a frail constitution.

“I learned a technique before. If you rub your stomach, it might help. Want me to try?”

Yu Jiuque suddenly looked up, and their eyes met. Qin Xia awkwardly scratched his cheek.

In the past, he would never have made such a suggestion. Back then, just thinking about Yu Jiuque’s true identity, no matter how much he felt for him, he would pull back.

But now, after spending so much time together, that layer of perception as a reader of the original story had gradually faded away. To him, Yu Jiuque was now just a real, living person.

A person who never hid the affection in his eyes, someone who worked hard with him to build a life—an “ordinary” young man.

He consoled himself that he was just taking care of a roommate.

Yu Jiuque, deep down, also hoped to be closer to Qin Xia. Otherwise, he would really start to believe that Qin Xia’s reluctance to share a bed with him had nothing to do with the doctor’s advice and that he simply didn’t like him.

“Sorry to trouble you, husband.”

He obediently lay down beside Qin Xia, thought for a moment, then loosened his belt and removed his outer garments.

When Qin Xia’s hand pressed against his stomach, he felt a momentary distraction.

It was just rubbing a stomachache, but by the end of it, both of them had flushed red faces.

Fortunately, Qin Xia pressed the correct acupuncture points, and Yu Jiuque quickly felt completely better. That night, he slept soundly and dreamlessly.

The next day, on the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the night market was set to officially open.

After finishing at the stall at noon and returning home, they found Zheng Xinghua already waiting at the door of the Qin residence, carrying a small basket on her back filled with neatly folded oil-paper boxes.

This was another task Qin Xia had assigned to her, for which she was paid. Folding ten boxes earned her one copper coin, so one hundred boxes meant ten coins.

This was something that didn’t require Zheng Xinghua to do all the work herself—her father-in-law and mother-in-law, who had free time at home, could help. For the elderly couple, this task was like free money falling from the sky.

In just one night, they had already folded and delivered all the boxes.

Once inside, Yu Jiuque inspected each one carefully and promised to pay her, along with today’s wages, later on.

Zheng Xinghua calculated that from now on, they could earn at least thirty copper coins a day from the Qin family.

She wouldn’t keep the money her in-laws earned from folding boxes; it would go toward household expenses. She would also hand over half of her own twenty coins.

Even so, by the end of the month, she could still save a few coins, and it wasn’t nearly as exhausting as before.

As she did the math, her heart felt warm.

Zheng Xinghua decided that after getting used to this job in a few days, she would look for a morning job as well.

“Sister Zheng, let’s prepare everything we need for the night market this afternoon. Ah Jiu isn’t skilled in dough-making, so I’ll need your help to knead the dough for the shengjian,” Qin Xia said as he parked the handcart in a corner of the courtyard. After the three of them unloaded and cleaned the items, Zheng Xinghua heard Qin Xia’s request.

The four items they planned to sell at the night market were grilled chicken racks, spicy and sour noodles, thumb-sized shengjian, and five element cakes.

The key to the grilled chicken racks was the seasoning ratio, which Yu Jiuque had already mastered. He could also help chop the vegetables and meat for the shengjian filling. However, the preparation of the batter for the five element cakes and the dough for the shengjian needed Qin Xia’s supervision.

As for the spicy and sour noodles, it was the simplest dish since the chili oil and toppings were already prepared; they would just need to load everything onto the cart when the time came.

Zheng Xinghua quickly agreed, “No problem, I’ll finish washing these and get right to it.”

With that, she moved a large wooden basin from the woodshed and took out a bag of clean wood ash. The food Qin Xia sold was quite oily, and without wood ash, it would be difficult to clean the utensils properly—unlike in most households, where meals were usually light, making it easier to wash dishes with just water.

With Zheng Xinghua handling these chores, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque could rest for a while inside.

They had done well in sales today, and the money pouch was full. Once inside, they pulled out their savings jar from under the bed and poured in the newly earned copper coins.

“These copper coins take up a lot of space; this jar is starting to seem small,” Qin Xia said after sealing the jar with a cloth and weighing it in his hand.

Yu Jiuque thought for a moment and said, “If we’re saving money, we could exchange it for silver, but when we open the shop, we’ll still need copper coins for change. We might as well keep them.”

Qin Xia had the same thought, but he knew that once they started earning more, it would be better to convert the savings into silver, which holds its value better.

He had learned after arriving in this world that the exchange rate between copper coins and silver wasn’t always 1,000 to 1. In times of peace, one string of 1,000 copper coins could roughly exchange for one tael of silver. However, during bad years, even adding another half-string might not be enough.

The protagonist of the original novel, although the grandson of the current emperor of Dayong, was born during the reign of a teenage emperor. This emperor had been on the throne for over thirty years and was nearing sixty, which in ancient times was considered long-lived.

Known for his wisdom and diligence, the emperor had maintained stability and prosperity throughout his reign. However, as he aged, he became increasingly suspicious and paranoid, eventually even distrusting his own sons. He listened to slanderous advice and ultimately deposed the crown prince, the legitimate heir born to the late empress, and imprisoned him.

Despite this, the peace and stability established during his reign would likely last for several more decades. Therefore, Qin Xia wasn’t too worried about the devaluation of his copper coins for now.

He also knew that the protagonist, the crown prince’s grandson, would become a wise ruler in the future.

This realization led Qin Xia to think about Yu Jiuque’s eventual rise to power. In the original story, Yu Jiuque’s success was largely due to his shrewd decision to support the deposed crown prince during the power struggle. After the crown prince’s death, Yu Jiuque, entrusted with the late prince’s orphan, helped the crown prince’s son ascend to the throne and became the powerful regent.

Qin Xia couldn’t help but wonder if his presence would alter this storyline. If things changed, would the crown prince’s grandson still ascend to the throne?

Thinking too much about it only led to more confusion. Qin Xia patted his head, forcing himself to focus.

All this talk of emperors and crown princes was far removed from their current lives.

Right now, the most important task was to prepare the ingredients for the night’s food sales.