Ch 35: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Small Family Feast

“Xia ge, how should we cook this fish? Should we steam it or braise it in soy sauce?”

Qin Xia had bought a hefty grass carp, which he’d already stunned at home to prevent it from flopping around and accidentally slipping away.

Liu Douzi eagerly offered to help by scaling and gutting the fish, all the while curious about how this big fish would soon be transformed into a delicious dish in his belly.

Qin Xia was busy sharpening Liu family’s kitchen knife with a whetstone; he’d need a sharp knife to slice the fish properly.

“Didn’t Godmother pickle a lot of sauerkraut? Your sister-in-law hasn’t been drinking his medicine lately and can handle spicy food now, so I’ll make sauerkraut fish for you all to try.”

“Sauerkraut fish?” Liu Douzi rolled the name around in his mind.

His mother was excellent at pickling sauerkraut. In the winter, fresh vegetables were expensive, so they couldn’t afford to eat them every day. When there was nothing else to cook, they’d take a head of sauerkraut from the big jar, and it was always delicious, whether stir-fried or stewed. Liu Douzi never grew tired of it.

Even when his sister, Liu Yingzi, was suffering from morning sickness and couldn’t keep anything down, she sent a letter from town saying the only thing she craved was a taste of their mother’s sauerkraut.

The thought of this sauerkraut being stewed with the fat grass carp in the winter…

Liu Douzi quickly wiped his mouth, feeling like he was about to drool onto his shoes.

Qin Xia chuckled at his eager expression and set the whetstone aside.

Only he knew that the idea of making sauerkraut fish today was purely because of a promise he’d made to Yu Jiuque earlier.

And since they didn’t have any sauerkraut at home, rather than borrowing some from the Liu family, it made more sense to cook the dish here and enjoy it together.

Once Liu Douzi had finished cleaning the grass carp, Qin Xia began slicing it.

The large fish took up the entire wooden cutting board. With a sharp, well-honed knife, Qin Xia made the first cut near the tail, and before Liu Douzi could react, the knife had moved up to the fish’s head, removing a large, intact fillet.

Liu Douzi’s mouth dropped open in amazement.

Qin Xia then flipped the fish over and repeated the process, removing another fillet, leaving behind the head and bones, which he chopped into large pieces and placed in a big bowl.

“Douzi, fetch me a ladle of water.”

“Oh, sure!”

Liu Douzi snapped out of his daze, grabbed the water bucket, and filled the ladle.

He poured the water into the bowl twice, allowing Qin Xia to wash away the blood from the fish head and bones.

Meanwhile, Liu Douzi returned with a head of sauerkraut from the earthen jar.

“Xia ge, does this one look good?”

Sauerkraut heads are pretty similar, so there wasn’t much to choose from.

After receiving Qin Xia’s approval, Liu Douzi went off to rinse the sauerkraut.

Qin Xia took the large fillets he had just cut and, with swift and precise movements, deboned them, then sliced the remaining boneless fillets into evenly thick slices.

Liu Douzi watched, amazed, and remarked, “Xia ge, it’s like the knife has eyes in your hands!”

To him, cutting fish into slices didn’t seem too difficult, but the ability to do so without hesitation and with such precision was astonishing!

Qin Xia raised his hand and transferred the fish slices into a bowl.

“All skills come down to these four words: practice makes perfect. Knife skills are no exception.”

He recalled his early days of culinary training, when he spent endless hours standing at the kitchen counter, slicing potatoes. He couldn’t even count how many he had cut, which eventually made spicy shredded potatoes the dish he was most proficient at.

With the fish slices ready, the next step was to marinate them.

Many people make the mistake of mixing cornstarch directly with the fish slices at this point, which is a big no-no.

Instead, Qin Xia first mixed the fish with salt and cooking wine, naturally drawing out the moisture. Then, he added water starch and egg whites, stirring in one direction until the mixture became firm. This process ensured that the fish slices would be tender yet still have a good texture.

There were still other dishes to prepare, so Qin Xia set aside the sauerkraut and fish slices for the moment.

For tonight’s dinner, he planned to make four dishes, one soup, and one dessert. With the sauerkraut fish and dried chicken already taking up two of the dishes, he would prepare two vegetable dishes and a pig’s trotter soup.

But the real highlight of the meal, aside from the sauerkraut fish, would be the dessert.

When Liu Douzi saw Qin Xia take out a large box containing white rectangular blocks that looked like soft tofu, he couldn’t help but hold his breath.

“Xia ge, what is this?”

At first glance, one might mistake it for tofu, but with a quick sniff, Liu Douzi immediately knew it wasn’t.

His family sold tofu, and he could recognize the smell of soybeans from miles away. But this thing in the box…

Liu Douzi scratched his head, feeling that the smell was familiar but unable to pinpoint what it was.

Qin Xia explained it to him.

“This is made from cow’s milk.”

Liu Douzi slapped his forehead. “I knew the smell was familiar! It’s cow’s milk!”

He was quite familiar with cow’s milk. In the outskirts of town or in rural areas, there were farmers who raised cows and would come to the county to sell cow’s milk or goat’s milk. This was mainly bought by families that married a Ge’er and had children, as Ge’ers could give birth but couldn’t produce milk.

So, the households with pregnant Ge’ers typically fell into several categories: the wealthy ones would hire a wet nurse, the next level down would buy cow’s milk or goat’s milk, and the poorest families would directly use rice water to feed the children.

But cow’s milk was one thing—how cow’s milk could be turned into something like this was beyond him.

It was so intriguing that when Liu Douzi went inside to bring water to Fang Rong and Yu Jiuque, he mentioned it, which piqued Fang Rong’s curiosity, prompting her to come out and take a look.

Yu Jiuque, knowing Qin Xia was busy, explained how the cow’s milk was turned into these milk blocks.

“You add cornstarch and sugar to the cow’s milk, stir it evenly, and then simmer it on low heat while continuing to stir. Once the milk thickens to a certain consistency, you pour it into a wooden mold lined with parchment paper, then let it freeze outside for a couple of hours.”

It sounded easy, but making it was truly exhausting.

If you weren’t careful, the milk would burn. Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque had to take turns stirring with a wooden spoon, and it took them nearly forty-five minutes to get it right.

After letting it freeze outside overnight, they went back to sleep without even tasting the final product. Yu Jiuque hadn’t tried it yet either, but he imagined it would be delicious.

Fang Rong was wide-eyed with astonishment.

“My goodness, what kind of mind thinks of eating cow’s milk like this?”

Qin Xia realized that Fang Rong had misunderstood, thinking the milk blocks were ready to eat as they were.

Actually, they could be eaten directly—if you sprinkled some coconut flakes on them, they would be like the “milk squares” often seen in modern bakeries.

With that thought, he cut two milk blocks into small pieces and handed them to the three people in front of him.

“You can eat it like this, but with one more step, it will taste even better.”

The three of them tried it and found that, though it looked like soft tofu, it actually tasted quite similar, though even more delicate in texture.

“You don’t even need teeth; it melts right away.”

Come to think of it, it could be perfect for toothless babies.

As for the final step, Qin Xia kept it a mystery.

“You’ll know later when it’s done, Godmother.”

Returning to the room with Yu Jiuque, Fang Rong was still smiling as she sat down.

“Xia’s cooking skills have only improved. I’m not worried at all about the restaurant you two plan to open after the New Year. Don’t be fooled by how modest our county seems; there are plenty of wealthy folks here! Those old masters and ladies, young gentlemen, and ladies—none of them are strangers to good food. Even if a dish costs a few taels of silver, they won’t bat an eye!”

A place can only thrive with bustling commerce if the people are prosperous and stable.

In poorer, more remote areas, forget opening a restaurant—no one would even want to buy a plate of iron-griddled tofu for five coins.

Knowing that Qin Xia and his husband would be able to live well, Fang Rong, as his godmother, felt truly content.

But aside from the couple’s livelihood, as a godmother and elder, she couldn’t help but concern herself with other aspects of their life.

She didn’t speak too bluntly, but Yu Jiuque, having now experienced a bit of “the ways of the world,” understood her implications.

Although the truth couldn’t be fully disclosed, luckily, as a Ge’er, even if he and Qin Xia had already consummated their marriage, there wouldn’t be any good news so soon.

Yu Jiuque took a sip of tea, his face showing a shy expression.

“Yesterday, on the first day of the New Year, Qin Xia and I went to Wenhui Temple with the Wei family from across the street. We also prayed at the Guanyin Hall…”

Everyone said that the Guanyin in Wenhui Temple’s Guanyin Hall was the “Guanyin who sends children.” When Fang Rong first married into the Liu family, she also went there with her late husband to pray, and within half a year, she was pregnant with her eldest daughter, Liu Yingzi.

Back then, when she prayed for a child, Fang Rong had said that she didn’t care if it was a boy or a young man; she would love any child. So after her confinement period, she couldn’t wait to go back and fulfill her vow.

Like most people in Qinan County, Fang Rong firmly believed in the efficacy of the child-sending Guanyin. Hearing Yu Jiuque mention this now, she knew that at least the two children were serious about having offspring.

“Godmother is just asking. You two are still young; there’s no rush. I’m just worried that Xia, with his past carefree ways, might now be so focused on business that he neglects you, which wouldn’t be good.”

Yu Jiuque, thinking of their playful antics last night, quickly took another sip of water to cover his embarrassment.

But even though they were fooling around, Qin Xia had explained that what they were doing wouldn’t lead to children—it was all for Yu Jiuque’s health.

So, in front of Fang Rong, Yu Jiuque felt both shy and guilty.

Finally, when dinner was served, Yu Jiuque no longer had to worry about some of Fang Rong’s probing questions.

“Let me take those.”

Yu Jiuque took the utensils from Liu Douzi and placed them around the square table.

Just as he finished, Qin Xia came over with a large bowl, using a cloth to protect his hands from the heat.

“Is this the sauerkraut fish?”

Fang Rong had gone to the kitchen to serve the rice. Smelling the sauerkraut, Yu Jiuque couldn’t help but feel his mouth water and quietly asked Qin Xia.

Qin Xia whispered back, “I made plenty, and there are extra ingredients inside. You can eat as much as you want—don’t worry about running out.”

Yu Jiuque blushed.

But since Fang Rong and Liu Douzi were already familiar with his appetite, he nodded, signaling that he understood.

This shy demeanor made Qin Xia’s heart itch.

With four dishes and one soup prepared, and the three younger ones seated around her, for Fang Rong, this was nothing short of a small family reunion.

Feeling happy, she asked Liu Douzi to bring over a jar of wine.

During the holidays, the family always kept some wine on hand for guests.

The wine in this jar wasn’t very strong, so Fang Rong herself could drink it. She also asked if Yu Jiuque wanted some.

After thinking it over, Yu Jiuque said he could handle a little.

“In that case, let’s all have some to mark the occasion.”

Fang Rong cheerfully instructed her son to open the jar, then went to the cabinet to retrieve a set of rather exquisite small wine cups.

There were four in total, each decorated with plum, orchid, bamboo, or chrysanthemum. Fang Rong specifically asked Yu Jiuque to choose first, and after some thought, he picked the one with the orchid.

Remembering that the handkerchief Cao A’shuang had given Yu Jiuque also had an orchid design, which Yu Jiuque clearly liked, Qin Xia glanced at it before discreetly looking away.

Once the wine was poured, they each took a sip, and then Fang Rong was the first to pick up her chopsticks, with the three younger ones following suit.

As for what each of them chose to eat first, they all, coincidentally, reached for the same dish.

The sauerkraut fish.

After coming to Qinan County, Qin Xia hadn’t heard anyone mention this dish, which suggested that it was likely something new that hadn’t been made here before.

Fang Rong was the first to pick up a piece of fish and dipped it into the broth on her rice before bringing it to her mouth. As she ate, her brows initially furrowed slightly but then suddenly relaxed.

“There aren’t any bones in this fish!”

Liu Douzi scooped up a large portion of the sauerkraut fish, which included not only the fish but also bean sprouts, tofu skin, and other ingredients that were always available at home. After consulting with Qin Xia, all these ingredients were thrown into the pot.

Knowing that his mother despised fish bones, the family rarely ate fish. On the rare occasions they did, Liu Douzi would end up eating the entire fish by himself. He quickly said, “Of course, there aren’t any bones! You didn’t see how Xia Ge cut the fish—one swift move with the knife, and the fish was sliced, without a single bone left!”

Fang Rong smiled and said, “Xia is meticulous in cooking. I’m usually too lazy to pick out fish bones, so I never thought of removing them during the preparation.”

“It’s actually not difficult. Douzi watched me fillet the fish today. Try it next time—if it doesn’t turn out well, it’s not a big deal. We’ll just eat it ourselves, even if it doesn’t look perfect.”

Qin Xia sat beside Yu Jiuque, and just as he finished speaking, he felt warmth by his side. He looked down and saw that Yu Jiuque was silently serving everyone some pork trotters soup.

Qin Xia placed the soup bowl to his left to prevent Yu Jiuque from burning himself and picked up a serving of vegetables for him.

Everyone took turns picking up food, and although the sauerkraut fish was the most popular dish, the other dishes weren’t neglected either.

For instance, the stir-fried chicken with dried chili and crispy potatoes had a slight hint of spice, but it wasn’t overwhelming. Upon closer tasting, one could even detect a faint sweetness.

For Qin Xia, the sauerkraut fish was not particularly special, but he especially enjoyed the dried chicken.

Moreover, this was wild chicken from the mountains, fed on berries and grass seeds, running freely throughout the year—its meat was fragrant no matter how it was cooked.

Soon, the plate was filled with chicken bones, and when Qin Xia looked up, he saw that Liu Douzi and Yu Jiuque had already gone for their second bowls of rice.

After three rounds of drinks and when most of the dishes were finished, Qin Xia got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the fried milk.

Before frying the milk, the blocks of milk needed to be coated in breadcrumbs. Qin Xia wasn’t about to go out of his way to make bread just for this dish, so after some thought, he decided to use steamed buns instead.

Before coming over, he had taken two cold steamed buns from home, toasted them in a pan until they were crispy, and then crushed them into crumbs with a rolling pin.

He placed the milk blocks onto a plate, rolled them first in cornstarch, then in beaten egg, and finally in the “steamed bun crumbs.”

Just as he was about to start the fire and pour the oil, he saw Yu Jiuque open the kitchen door, rubbing his hands as he squeezed inside.

“What are you doing here? Don’t catch a cold.”

It was indeed cold in the courtyard, but the kitchen was warm.

Yu Jiuque relaxed his shoulders, which had been slightly hunched from the cold, and smiled at Qin Xia. “Godmother had some wine and started scolding Liu Douzi about old matters. I figured he wouldn’t want me to hear that, so I found an excuse to come out.”

With Yu Jiuque helping, the work went faster and felt less tiring.

Once the oil was hot enough, Qin Xia began frying the milk blocks.

Since the milk was already cooked, this dish didn’t need to be fried for long.

As soon as the “steamed bun crumbs” coating turned golden brown, Qin Xia quickly scooped them out and set them aside to drain the oil.

They had prepared about twenty pieces of milk at home, which filled an entire plate. The pieces were stacked on top of each other, exuding a warmth and sweetness that no dessert could compare to.

“This smells amazing, even better than the scent from the pastry shops,” Fang Rong, her face flushed from the alcohol, exclaimed as the plate was brought into the room.

“Milk is expensive, too. Unless there’s a child in the family who needs it, ordinary households can’t afford it, let alone turn it into a dish.”

After saying this, she looked at the plate of golden, delicious treats and thought they resembled gold bars.

That fortune-teller was right—she might have had a hard life in her youth, but her middle years were truly blessed!

“Listening to Godmother, if we sell this dish in the future, we shouldn’t call it ‘fried milk’ anymore—let’s just call it ‘fried gold bars,’” Qin Xia joked as he served Fang Rong a piece of fried milk, deliberately teasing her.

Fang Rong gave him a playful glare. “Always making fun of your godmother!”

Despite her words, she used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fried milk, squinting her eyes as she pondered how to eat it.

At this point, both Yu Jiuque and Liu Douzi had also picked up a piece.

Yu Jiuque, worried it might be too hot, brought it close to his lips and took a small bite. As soon as he did, hot steam escaped from the opening, and with a slight movement of his chopsticks, he noticed that the inside of the milk block had already turned into a flowing liquid.

He quickly cupped his mouth around it, hurriedly sucking it in.

It was delicious and not hot at all!

When they first bought the milk, Qin Xia had boiled a little separately for Yu Jiuque, saying it was good for his health. Yu Jiuque drank a bowl, but to be honest, he didn’t particularly enjoy it. It reminded him of eating plain boiled beef or lamb, with a bit of a gamey taste.

But the same milk, turned into this “fried milk” in front of him, had none of that “gamey” taste.

“Xia Ge, why is the outside of this dish crispy, but the inside is still cold?” Liu Douzi, not as careful with his food, had stuffed his cheeks full like a chipmunk, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“You didn’t even think twice before popping it into your mouth—aren’t you worried you’ll burn your tongue?”

Qin Xia shook his head, unable to help laughing, and briefly explained the technique behind it.

Liu Douzi listened, half understanding, and then happily grabbed another piece to eat.

Before long, all the dishes on the table were empty.

Fang Rong was completely drunk and had to be helped to the inner room by Yu Jiuque. He wiped her face with a cloth, removed her outer clothing, and tucked her in with a quilt.

Liu Douzi sighed helplessly. “My mother didn’t get drunk on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, but now she suddenly loses control. Tomorrow’s the third day of the New Year, and my sister is supposed to come back to visit.”

His words slipped through the door crack, where Fang Rong overheard them.

“You brat, talking behind your mother’s back! Who says I’m drunk? This little bit of wine will be gone after I go to the restroom twice!”

Just as Yu Jiuque stepped out of the room, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

He then turned to Liu Douzi and said, “Godmother is just a bit dizzy, not really that drunk. Once you give her some hangover soup, she’ll be fine after a good sleep.”

Qin Xia had already told Liu Douzi how to make the hangover soup.

The two of them tidied up the table and dishes before heading out, lanterns in hand, walking home together.

It only took about a quarter of an hour to walk from Wisteria Alley to Hibiscus Alley.

After two consecutive days of snow on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the sky had remained gray and overcast until the clouds finally parted this morning, revealing a bright full moon in the night sky.

The snowman in the courtyard showed no signs of melting in the winter cold, standing alongside the row of snowmen on the windowsill, all hand in hand, as if welcoming them home.

“Quack! Quack!”

Of course, there was also a rather “out of place” honking from the goose.

“Da Fu, quiet!”

It was late, and the goose’s honking could disturb the neighbors. Yu Jiuque gently tapped the goose’s beak with his finger. Da Fu, understanding well, immediately tucked its wings and stopped honking, instead affectionately rubbing against their legs.

Lately, Dafu has become accustomed to sleeping in the woodshed. Sometimes, if they try to keep it in the main hall, it will make a fuss to be let out.

To accommodate this, Qin Xia went out and bought a large straw chicken coop, lined with a cotton pad specially sewn by Yu Jiuque, and surrounded with some dry straw.

Dafu has learned not to soil its own nest, so cleaning up each day only involves replacing some of the straw.

However, during the day, Da Fu is free to roam around the house, and it even hopped onto the bed twice.

Being the only living creature in the house besides the two of them, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque have spoiled it endlessly.

…

On the third and fourth days of the New Year, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque stayed home without going out.

On the morning of the fourth day, Wei Chao came by to pick up the ordered braised duck. After deducting the cost of goods from the Song residence, he paid Qin Xia five taels of silver as a processing fee.

Around noon, Zheng Xinghua, who was supposed to start work the next day, unexpectedly showed up to pay her respects for the New Year.

“Happy New Year, Master.”

Zheng Xinghua greeted them with a bow outside the door. Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque noticed that although she was still wearing her old coat, she had on a new pair of cotton shoes.

“I figured you both were busy visiting friends and family these past few days, so I waited until today to come by and offer my New Year’s greetings.”

Zheng Xinghua brought ten eggs, a small jar of wine, and a bag of peanuts as gifts. The eggs were from the hens she had been raising, laid sporadically over the past few days and saved up for a while. The peanuts were a gift from relatives visiting her in-laws’ village, and the money for the wine had been partly contributed by the family.

“It’s just a humble gift, but I hope you both won’t find it too lacking.”

Zheng Xinghua placed the items down, her tone sincere and full of gratitude.

Thanks to the work introduced by Sister Fang, this has been the most comfortable New Year’s for the Ma family since Ma Lei’s passing.

And before the holiday break, Qin Xia not only paid her wages but also gave her a generous amount of food, enough to add several dishes to their New Year’s Eve dinner.

Zheng Xinghua was deeply grateful to the Qin family and Fang Rong, so she prepared these gifts and came by first thing in the morning to deliver them.

In life, true kindness is often repaid with sincerity.

Zheng Xinghua’s hard work did not go unnoticed by Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque.

After sending her off, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque discussed that when they opened their restaurant, if Zheng Xinghua was still willing to work, they would continue to employ her in the kitchen.

However, they realized that just one kitchen helper might not be enough. With Qin Xia cooking and Yu Jiuque managing the accounts, at the very least, they would need to hire a server to run the front of the shop.

The more they thought about it, the more things piled up.

But no matter what, as this New Year’s celebration came to an end, they were one step closer to opening their restaurant.