Ch 34: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Daily Life in the New Year

“Qin ge, it seems someone is calling you over there.”

Qin Xia was accompanying Yu Jiuque, looking at jewelry boxes sold by a street vendor. Made of wood and lacquered on the outside, they weren’t particularly exquisite, but they had a few small drawers and even a mirror inside.

Qin Xia was somewhat tempted and was just about to haggle when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

When Wei Chao saw Qin Xia turn his head, he pointed in the direction of the old man, and Qin Xia followed his gaze, smiling suddenly.

“Old man, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Indeed! What a coincidence!”

The old man selling candied fruits had pushed his cart to the side of the street, and Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque were the first to greet him.

Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang, though unsure of what was going on, quickly followed suit, as they were all out together.

The old man didn’t beat around the bush. He immediately took down four sticks of hawthorn and four sticks of candied yam from his cart.

“Quick, take them and eat!”

Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang were surprised to find they had a share too. Wei Chao, puzzled, asked, “Qin ge, what’s going on?”

Why were they suddenly getting free candied fruits?

Qin Xia briefly explained the background.

He had made a casual suggestion that day, without expecting the old man to actually take it to heart.

After all, in the old man’s eyes, Qin Xia was probably just a clueless young lad.

But to his surprise, the old man had not only followed through but had kept his word.

“This is great! After hearing your suggestion, I went home and tried covering some yams from back home in sugar. The kids loved it. So today, I brought fifty sticks for the New Year, and more than half have already sold!”

Even Qin Xia couldn’t refuse the old man’s generosity. After some polite refusals, he ended up taking two sticks of hawthorn and two sticks of candied yam beans.

“Any more would be too much to eat, and it would just go to waste. You should keep them to sell.”

The old man rubbed his hands together, his face reddened by the wind, but his eyes were bright.

To him, it wasn’t just about learning a new way to make money; it had opened his mind to new possibilities.

After selling candied fruits for so many years, he’d only known to use hawthorn. Now, he knew yams could work too—so what about other things? When the fruits ripen in the summer and fall, he plans to try candying various fruits like dates and crabapples. He figures those flavors wouldn’t be bad either.

And there are those tiny wild berries in the countryside, no bigger than a fingertip, usually sour on their own. He could candy those too, and surely they would sell just as well!

As they parted, the old man made a point to say, “Remember this: if you want candied fruits, come find me—no charge!”

The way he sternly emphasized it made it seem like he’d be offended if Qin Xia ever bought from anyone else.

Qin Xia, holding four sticks of candied fruits, politely saw him off.

“Wei ge, Sister Shuang, these two sticks are for you.”

Turning around, Qin Xia handed out a stick of hawthorn and a stick of candied yam.

There was nothing inappropriate about couples sharing food, and this way, they could both taste the different flavors.

“Well then, we won’t be polite.”

Wei Chao, grinning, accepted them, marveling, “You’re really something special. Just a couple of words from you, and that old man’s grinning so wide his mouth might just reach his ears.”

Sometimes he truly wondered, how come everyone has the same head and eyes, but Qin Xia’s head was filled with so many clever ideas?

Qin Xia first handed the yam bean stick to Yu Jiuque, then smiled at Wei Chao’s words, saying, “It was just something that came to mind at the time. I’m not in the business of selling candied fruits, so I just mentioned it to the old man. I never thought he’d take it seriously. I guess it’s just about forming good relationships.”

Though envious, Wei Chao wasn’t the type to get jealous.

After a few more compliments, he bit into a couple of hawthorns, then took a few bites of the yam beans his wife was holding.

He usually didn’t care much for sweets, but today, he found himself appreciating the flavor.

Cao Ashuang also smiled and said, “I used to think candied hawthorns were the best thing ever, but after trying this unassuming yam today, I feel like it outshines the hawthorns!”

Especially for young ladies with smaller appetites—normally, they would feel half-full after eating two or three hawthorn berries from a skewer, and no matter how delicious it was, they wouldn’t want to eat more. But the yam beans were different; they were small enough to eat in one bite, so an entire skewer could be finished without feeling too full, and they were delicious with every bite.

Qin Xia also shared the candied fruits with Yu Jiuque. Just as they were about to continue walking, he suddenly remembered the jewelry box he had been eyeing earlier.

It was just a casual glance at something on the roadside, but Qin Xia had set his mind on buying it.

Yu Jiuque had to insist that he wasn’t particularly fond of it, only then did Qin Xia drop the idea of spending money on it.

Yu Jiuque secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

His husband was perfect in every way, except that he was a bit too generous.

This street was lined with stalls from south to north, and if Yu Jiuque happened to glance at anything for too long, Qin Xia would want to buy it. They might go bankrupt on the first day of the new year if he didn’t stop him.

While Yu Jiuque managed to stop Qin Xia from buying the jewelry box, hairpins, and sachets…

He didn’t expect Qin Xia to run into a young hunter.

“Hey, young brother, what good catch do you have this time?”

The young hunter in front of them was the same one who had sold Qin Xia a rabbit before.

Qin Xia was just lamenting the lack of fresh food during the New Year, and running into him might mean they could have a treat.

The young hunter had left his village later than usual today and was looking for a spot to set up his stall. When he heard Qin Xia’s greeting, he realized it must be a customer who had previously bought from him, so he politely responded, “My mother had a coughing fit last night, so I came to the city to get medicine and brought a few rabbits I caught before the new year, along with some dried wild chickens and venison jerky to exchange for medicine money.”

Qin Xia immediately understood; the hunter had likely planned to take a break from selling during the New Year, so he dried some of the harder-to-preserve wild game so that it could be sold anytime without spoiling.

Since live animals needed to be skinned and slaughtered on the spot, it wasn’t appropriate with Yu Jiuque and Cao Ashuang present. Venison was rare but a bit too extravagant for someone of Qin Xia’s current means, so he asked, “Let me take a look at the dried wild chickens.”

“Sure thing.”

The young man set down his shoulder pole, bent over, and uncovered the hay on top of the basket, pulling out a wild chicken.

Winter wild chickens aren’t as plump as summer ones, and after drying, they looked even smaller than usual.

Qin Xia leaned in to inspect the wild chicken, noting that it had been cleaned thoroughly and would require little effort to prepare at home.

Satisfied, he asked, “How many do you have, and how much are they?”

The young man replied, “I brought four, all about the same size. You can have one for 150 wen.”

Qin Xia then asked, “What if I take all four?”

The young man’s eyes widened with surprise. He scratched his head, and after some hesitation, he decided, “If you take them all, I’ll give you ten wen off each one, but no more. It’s hard to hunt in winter, and dried game is more expensive than fresh. I’m in a hurry to get medicine for my mother, so I want to finish this quickly; otherwise, I wouldn’t offer such a price.”

When it comes to doing business, there’s always some room for negotiation.

Qin Xia smiled, finding the price reasonable, so he didn’t haggle further.

Seeing Qin Xia agree, the young man quickly tied the legs of the four chickens with a straw rope, as if afraid Qin Xia would change his mind, and even pulled out a handful of bright wild chicken feathers.

“I saved these feathers while hunting. Usually, I sell them for one wen each, but I’ll give you a few today. You can trim them and make a shuttlecock—they look great.”

Qin Xia handed the feathers to Yu Jiuque, who then shared half of them with Cao Ashuang.

Cao Ashuang, who had never seen such things before, held the feathers up to the light and exclaimed, “These are so pretty! Jiu Ge’er, do you know how to play shuttlecock? When it’s ready, let’s play together!”

As they excitedly discussed how to play shuttlecock, Qin Xia was already getting ready to pay. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a neat cloth bundle in the young man’s basket, with a corner of fur sticking out.

“Are you also selling furs?”

He suddenly remembered that Brother You had mentioned a lying rabbit fur before. If there was a suitable rabbit skin available, it would be worth buying one since it’s not easy to come by such goods from a hunter.

Seeing Qin Xia’s interest, the young hunter wiped his hands and took out the cloth bundle, unwrapping it as he said, “Yes, I did bring some skins. I was going to sell them to the clothing shop. Would you like to take a look?”

In front of him were several well-tanned rabbit skins, folded neatly. There were two gray ones and two white ones, with no visible blemishes or mixed fur. The wind blew, causing the rabbit fur to sway smoothly like silk.

Not only did Qin Xia find it appealing, but Wei Chao also stepped forward. He had been wanting to buy a rabbit fur collar for both his mother and wife, but buying them directly from a shop would cost seven or eight taels of silver each. By purchasing the skins and making them at home, he could save more than half the cost.

Wei Chao planned to buy two, and Qin Xia had the same idea. Since Yu Jiuque couldn’t sew, making a lying rabbit fur would require the help of Fang Rong, and another could be given as a gift to his godmother.

When the young hunter realized that both of them were planning to buy all four skins at once, he was so grateful that he almost knelt down and called them his lucky stars.

In the end, the four skins were sold for 200 wen each.

The young hunter suddenly had over a tael of silver in his hands, and he had only sold half of his goods, which was already enough to cover the cost of the medicine.

Qin Xia and Wei Chao, on the other hand, were satisfied with their purchases, having acquired items they had long desired.

Carrying their purchases, they walked to the end of the street, and having browsed enough, the four of them decided to head home.

At the entrance to their homes, Qin Xia mentioned to Yu Jiuque that he would give one of the wild chickens to Wei Chao.

“We live so close, it’s not necessary for me to go out of my way to visit Uncle and Aunt for New Year’s greetings. Take this chicken home and enjoy it as a token of my good wishes.”

After some polite refusals, Qin Xia, fearing that continuing the exchange would only draw Wei Chao’s mother out, made use of his long legs, quickly placed the wild chicken on the Wei family’s doorstep, and pulled Yu Jiuque along as he ran back home.

With the door shut, Wei Dalan would have no choice but to accept it!

Yu Jiuque, initially unsure of what was happening, couldn’t help but smile after realizing the situation once they were back inside their home. “Even though you gave it away, Wei Dage will still feel obliged to return the favor.”

Qin Xia shook his head helplessly, “When he returns the favor, I certainly won’t argue with him about it.”

The older generation loved to engage in this kind of back-and-forth. When Qin Xia was a child and went out with his elders for New Year’s visits, his parents would often refuse to accept red envelopes from relatives, only for those relatives to chase after them and stuff the money through the car window.

Now that he thought about it, these were all memories that brought a smile to his face.

As Yu Jiuque had anticipated, just before dinner, Wei Chao did indeed come by to deliver a New Year’s gift, bringing two large blocks of rice cakes, a bag of honey oranges, and a piece of silk cloth.

“The honey oranges and the cloth were brought back by my younger brother from the south. The oranges are sweeter than those sold at the docks, and Ashuang specially picked out the pattern on the cloth for Jiuge. Please, accept them and don’t be shy.”

This return gift was more valuable than Qin Xia had expected, but Wei Chao was considerate and skillful in his approach. By saying that Cao Ashuang had picked out the cloth specifically, he made it difficult for Qin Xia to refuse the most expensive item among the three.

After bringing the items inside, the rice cakes were placed in the kitchen, perfect for breakfast the next day, while the honey oranges were ready to eat. When peeled, they were juicy and sweet, filling their mouths with delight. The lake-blue handkerchief, embroidered with orchids, was carefully put away by Yu Jiuque.

“By rights, I should return the favor by giving Sister Shuang a handkerchief, but my embroidery skills are nothing to boast about, and I doubt I could find one as exquisite as this if I bought it.”

Yu Jiuque was a bit troubled, not expecting that the New Year’s gift exchange would eventually fall on his shoulders.

Qin Xia offered him a peeled orange, placing it at his lips, “Since the handkerchief was brought back by Wei Xi, I’m sure Sister Shuang already has one. They likely came as a pair, so there’s no need to stress over finding another handkerchief.”

Thinking it over, Yu Jiuque nodded, realizing the truth in what Qin Xia said.

With the silk and jade as a gift, offering another handkerchief in return would seem less appropriate.

Yu Jiuque opened his mouth to take the orange slice, and just as he swallowed it, another piece was brought to his lips. In the past, Qin Xia had always taken care of him, but never to this extent. Yu Jiuque blinked, realizing that Qin Xia must have been holding back for quite some time.

This made it clear that all the worries and anxieties he had felt due to their lack of closeness were not one-sided.

The two of them shared two oranges, playfully feeding each other, until a piece of orange peel fell to the ground and was quickly gobbled up by Da Fu, who had a keen eye and quick mouth. They looked at each other, bewildered.

“Can geese eat orange peel?” Yu Jiuque asked.

Qin Xia, with slightly more experience than Yu Jiuque, thought for a moment and said, “It should be fine.” In the countryside, geese weren’t given such special treatment—in his memory, his grandfather’s geese ate everything except the meat.

Feeling that orange peel was too pitiful a snack, Yu Jiuque gave Da Fu two slices of the orange, which it happily devoured.

“Quack! Quack!” Whether Da Fu could actually taste the difference or not was uncertain, but it seemed to enjoy it very much.

After eating, Da Fu flapped its wings and squeezed its head through the crack in the main room’s door, heading outside to play in the yard.

…

Early on the second day of the new year, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque dressed up in new clothes and set out with New Year’s gifts to pay their respects.

Their first stop was at the house of Shopkeeper Xing. Over the past two months, Xingyiming had taken good care of their food stall. Additionally, considering he was their elder, it was only right to visit him during the New Year. However, large households are usually busy with many guests during the holidays, and proper etiquette required that they send a greeting card in advance to see if the host had time to receive them.

Thus, when Qin Xia handed over their gifts and name cards at the gate of Xing’s house, he wasn’t surprised to learn that Xing Yiming and his family were out visiting relatives. He simply asked the gatekeeper to pass along the gifts and slipped him a few coins as a tip before leaving.

Ganyuan Zhai was a well-established shop in town, passed down through several generations, and usually catered to wealthy merchants. Compared to others, Qin Xia looked rather humble in his attire. However, the gatekeeper dared not be neglectful of the two baskets covered in red paper. Everyone knew that the master had a discerning palate, and anyone who earned his favor would be treated with respect, even if they were merely selling pancakes on the street.

The current gatekeeper, recalling an incident where his predecessor had forgotten about two jars of shrimp paste that had gone bad and been scolded severely, shuddered at the memory. He quickly called over a servant and instructed him to deliver the baskets to the courtyard where Xing Yiming’s family lived.

“Make sure you don’t put them in a warm place—they likely contain food, and if it spoils, we’ll all be in trouble!” The servant, knowing Xing Yiming’s preferences, promptly took the baskets to the small kitchen dedicated to the main household.

As for Xing Yiming’s delighted reaction that evening when he found a gift of New Year’s money for Xing Yuan and some exquisite snacks made by Qin Xia, that would be another story.

Meanwhile, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque had returned home to collect another set of gifts and arrived at Liu’s house in Liuteng Alley.

“Godmother!” Qin Xia called out at the door, and soon, Liu Douzi, dressed in a new jacket, came out to greet them.

“Mother was just talking about you two, and here you are! It’s cold outside, come in quickly!”

Liu Douzi took the items from Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque, lifted the curtain, and ushered them into the living room.

Upon entering, they found the Liu house quite lively, as Liu Douzi’s two aunts had come to pay their respects.

Liu Douzi’s father had been the only male in the family, so even though he had passed away, Fang Rong still maintained close ties with her former sisters-in-law.

And being the eldest grandson of the Liu family, even though Liu Douzi was a widow, his status remained intact.

Qin Xia, as her godson, had also met these two aunts of the Liu family before.

In the past, Qin Xia was like a lump of useless clay that no one thought highly of, and the Liu family often advised Fang Rong not to get too involved in the Qin family’s affairs.

But now, things were different. Qin Xia had married, was doing well, and had even helped his sworn brother Liu Douzi to prosper together! Word had it that they were planning to rent a storefront and open a food shop after the New Year. A person with such potential might achieve great things in the future, so when they met, the Liu family naturally greeted him warmly.

After a chorus of “Happy New Year,” Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque, as the younger generation, joined Liu Douzi in sitting on small stools beside the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

Fang Rong introduced Yu Jiuque to her two sisters-in-law, saying, “This is Xia’s husband, Ah Jiu. Ah Jiu, these are your two god-aunts. This is Big Aunt, and this is Little Aunt.”

Yu Jiuque stood up, bowed, and greeted them, “God-aunt.”

Qin Xia had established this god-family relationship long ago, back when both of his parents were alive, and the two families were quite close. He had not only godparents but had also called people god-grandparents. So, it was not unusual for Yu Jiuque, having married into the Qin family, to address them as such.

The elder aunt of the Liu family, Liu Ping, who had been busy matchmaking for Liu Douzi, had a round, fortunate-looking face that suggested she was living a good life. She immediately made room for Yu Jiuque on the kang, saying, “It’s warmer up here. Let the men sit on the cold stools. We women and Ge’er folk need to take care of ourselves.”

Accepting her kindness, Yu Jiuque sat on the edge of the kang next to Fang Rong.

After the pleasantries, the Liu family continued their previous discussion—Liu Douzi’s marriage. Surprisingly, it was not Liu Ping who spoke first, but the younger sister, Liu Cui.

“Big Sister, Second Sister-in-law, listen to me. The Meng family’s Ge’er is indeed nice, but it’s not set in stone yet. Why should we fixate on just one option? I think Douzi should meet both families and decide who he likes. My husband’s niece is also a good match. Who would choose a Ge’er over a girl?”

Before she could finish, Liu Ping discreetly pinched her.

Liu Cui yelped in pain and was about to complain when she saw her sister frantically giving her signals.

She realized her mistake, and her face turned pale.

No wonder her parents and siblings used to say she was a foolish girl. She truly was! Enthralled by the conversation, she had completely forgotten that the newly arrived Qin family husband was in the room.

She awkwardly handed a handful of sunflower seeds to Yu Jiuque, apologizing, “Ah Jiu, I was just talking nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Yu Jiuque accepted the seeds and smiled modestly, saying, “Though your words were harsh, they were truthful. Liu Douzi calls me sister-in-law, and I also wish for him to find a good match that he truly desires.”

On the ground, Qin Xia, who was roasting sweet potatoes with Liu Douzi using a small clay stove, nearly burst out laughing.

Yu Jiuque’s words seemed indifferent but actually retaliated subtly, implying that Liu Cui’s words were indeed harsh.

Liu Cui understood the implication and, after that, silently cracked sunflower seeds in the corner of the kang, saying nothing more.

With her sister-in-law quieted, Liu Ping could finally discuss and finalize the date for Liu Douzi’s meeting with the Meng family with Fang Rong.

After seeing Liu Ping and Liu Cui off, Fang Rong returned and apologized to Yu Jiuque.

To be honest, she wasn’t sure about the girl Liu Cui had in mind, but she had figured out her sister-in-law’s intentions. Liu Cui likely thought that if her niece married into the family and Liu Douzi learned cooking skills from Qin Xia, she could also benefit.

Because of that, Fang Rong didn’t want Liu Douzi to have any ties with Liu Cui’s in-laws. Of course, these messy family matters weren’t something to burden Yu Jiuque with, so she simply said, “Don’t mind her. She’s been like that since she was young—her mouth has offended countless people!”

Yu Jiuque had long since let go of the matter. He had only said what he did to avoid being seen as overly accommodating and easy to bully.

“Anyway, we hardly ever see the two god-aunts throughout the year. For Qin Xia and me, just having you as our godmother is more than enough.”

This statement made Fang Rong beam with joy.

And the New Year gifts, which Qin Xia hadn’t presented earlier because of the Liu family’s presence, were now brought out and handed to Fang Rong.

There was a ten-piece fruit pastry box from Ganyuan Zhai, a dried chicken, a string of pork, ten flower-shaped steamed buns, and that piece of rabbit fur.

All these items filled a large basket, leaving Fang Rong so astonished that she kept rubbing her apron.

“You brought so many things! I think you two don’t want to live within your means!”

She then turned to Yu Jiuque and said, “He’s terrible at managing money, and you don’t seem to keep him in check, Ah Jiu!”

Yu Jiuque gently took Fang Rong’s arm.

“To you, it may seem like a lot, but it’s really not. Things like chicken and pork will be eaten by tonight.”

Not much, indeed?

Fang Rong knew well that a pastry box from Ganyuan Zhai like that, with such packaging, would cost 660 wen! That was something her husband had only bought for gifts to his parents or her own family back in the day, something so precious that they wouldn’t even let the children at home touch it.

Adding the other items, it would amount to over one tael of silver.

Then she picked up the rabbit fur, feeling how soft it was, and feared her rough hands might ruin it.

She could accept the other items, but this she couldn’t take. She stuffed the fur back into the basket and said to the young couple, “Take this back. An old woman like me and a rough boy like Douzi have no use for such things. You should take it home and make a scarf or a head wrap for Ah Jiu.”

Qin Xia winked at Yu Jiuque, “Godmother hit the nail on the head.”

Yu Jiuque played along seamlessly.

“Godmother, Qin Xia bought two pieces of fur, and I already have one. I was thinking of making a rabbit fur hat, but when it comes to sewing, I’ll have to trouble you, Godmother. My sewing skills are lacking, and I’m afraid I’ll ruin the fur.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Rong realized that Qin Xia intended to make a rabbit fur hat for Yu Jiuque, which was why he bought the fur from a hunter.

Her expression softened, and she praised, “That’s quite thoughtful—taking good care of your husband.”

After some persuasion from Qin Xia, she finally accepted the fur.

“In that case, I’ll make a rabbit fur hat for your sister Yingzi. She’s pregnant and needs to stay warm. If I make it now, she can still use it for a while.”

Qin Xia’s sister Yingzi was Fang Rong’s eldest daughter and Liu Douzi’s older sister, Liu Yingzi. Judging by the timing, she was due to give birth around the summer.

After checking the items in the basket, Fang Rong took the pastry box and the rabbit fur into the main room, planning to discuss with Yu Jiuque how to make the hat.

Meanwhile, Qin Xia led Liu Douzi to the kitchen, as he had brought plenty of ingredients, including some half-prepared dishes from home, all ready to be cooked for tonight’s dinner. He wanted to treat his godmother and Liu Douzi to some dishes they hadn’t tasted before during this festive season.