Ch 45: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Spring rain fell like needles, densely and steadily from the sky, washing the leaves on the trees until they gleamed a fresh green.

The morning light, as a result, was dim, with the window paper filtering the light on the other side, leaving one feeling drowsy and disoriented upon waking.

Qin Xia was no exception.

He stared at the ceiling beams for a while, estimated the time, and decisively decided to cuddle his husband for another quarter of an hour.

As he turned over, the young man beside him was still deeply asleep.

However, the cool air inevitably seeped through the gaps in the bedding, making him instinctively snuggle closer to the warmth. A few strands of black hair wrapped around Qin Xia’s wrist and fingers.

From Qin Xia’s angle, Yu Jiuque’s sleeping face appeared peaceful and harmless. The only thing that stood out were a few red marks peeking out from the slightly open neckline, highlighting the birthmark on his neck, making it even more alluring.

Only Qin Xia knew that there were more marks further down along the collarbone.

Qin Xia’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and suddenly he felt wide awake.

…

Yu Jiuque was awakened by a gentle kiss.

His eyelashes fluttered, tickling the tip of Qin Xia’s nose.

He instinctively wanted to stretch lazily under the covers, but the next moment, the soreness all over his body jolted him fully awake.

He felt like the old wooden door in the main hall that needed oiling.

Every movement of his arms and legs made his joints creak.

The familiar scent nearby brought back memories of the previous night in a rush.

The young man silently pulled the quilt up, wishing he could bury himself under the pillow.

Halfway through this action, he suddenly realized something, blushing as he reached out to touch the bedsheet beneath him.

The sheet he had been lying on last night had evidently been removed by Qin Xia.

Yu Jiuque really didn’t want to recall what that piece of fabric looked like in the end.

His last memory was of feeling like he had been fished out of water.

And now, with his body dry and refreshed, it was clear that Qin Xia had not only cleaned the bed but also taken care of him.

“Ah Jiu?”

Someone patted him through the quilt, and Yu Jiuque had no choice but to reveal a pair of eyes misted with tears.

Qin Xia saw this and felt that he needed to get up quickly and let the rain outside cool his head before he did something reckless.

The two of them had finally broken through a barrier, and though the taste was sweet, Qin Xia had been exercising restraint in recent days.

“You keep resting. I’ll go make breakfast. With the rain today, the restaurant won’t have many early customers, so it’s okay if we go a bit later.”

Since drifting to Qinan County, Yu Jiuque hadn’t felt truly comfortable in his body for many days, but this current exhaustion was different from the unbearable fatigue caused by illness.

He felt like a tea leaf steeping in warm water, slowly floating.

“I’ll get up in a little while.”

Though his back ached and his waist was sore, it wasn’t so bad that he needed to sleep longer.

After Qin Xia left, Yu Jiuque just quietly pounded his lower back under the quilt for a while, then yawned and sat up to get dressed.

Breakfast was sweet rice porridge with milk sugar, served with soup dumplings and boiled eggs.

The porridge, true to its name, was made with milk and sugar. The porridge was snow-white, with a layer of rice oil from the well-cooked grains, and it went down smoothly.

To an untrained eye, it might seem like ordinary rice porridge, but Yu Jiuque knew how much effort Qin Xia had put into this seemingly simple breakfast.

After the meal, they left the house a little later than usual. The rain had lessened, but it was still necessary to carry an oiled paper umbrella.

Qin Xia held the largest paper umbrella they had, big enough to cover both of them securely underneath.

The rain fell like fine strands of cow hair, not enough to make the dirt road muddy, but it did reduce the dust stirred up when an ox cart passed by.

Qin Xia kept Yu Jiuque on the inside, allowing his young husband to hold onto his arm as they walked their familiar route to Helin Street.

They inevitably passed by the morning market, and although the task of buying fresh ingredients in the morning had already been entrusted to Sister Zheng, Qin Xia still habitually kept an eye on the stalls lining the street.

This morning, something did catch his attention.

He held onto the umbrella handle and stopped with Yu Jiuque in front of a young girl dressed like a hunter.

Although she wore leather wrist guards and had two colorful pheasant feathers decorating her hair, she wasn’t selling wild game. Instead, she had two baskets filled with more common goods for this season—one with a few pounds of fresh snails, and the other with eggs and wild greens.

The young girl, who probably didn’t come to the market often, seemed a bit awkward as she greeted them.

“Are you interested in buying some snails? They were all freshly gathered from the river this morning, and each one is fat and plump.”

Qin Xia squatted down to take a closer look, while Yu Jiuque carefully held the paper umbrella over both of their heads.

“Indeed, they look pretty good, quite large.”

Seeing that she had met someone who knew quality, the girl selling the snails gathered her courage and asked, “Would you like to buy some, sir? It’s the perfect time to eat them.”

When Qin Xia bought something, it was never just a little.

He didn’t answer right away. After setting the snails down, he turned his attention to the wild greens in the other basket.

There were purslane, shepherd’s purse, fiddlehead ferns, and cudweed.

The last one, known locally as “Qingming grass,” was a specialty in Qinan County.

Snails were also similar. Snails are at their best before Qingming, hence the saying “Qingming snails are as good as fattened geese.”

These wild greens could be found everywhere. Even the townspeople could take some time to dig them up from the hillsides or riverbanks in the countryside.

Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque had been too busy with the restaurant to do so themselves, and they had been craving these foods recently.

The wild greens in front of them were clean, with most of the dirt already shaken off, which would save a lot of work at home.

Eggs were always useful, so with everything available, Qin Xia quickly assessed the goods.

“I’ll take all of it.”

The young girl, who seemed about the same age as Qiu Chuan, nearly bit her tongue.

“All—all of it?”

Her elder brother had injured his leg during his first hunting trip after the new year, and Yanquiao, worried about the lack of income at home, had brought her younger siblings to gather snails, dig wild greens, and collect eggs to sell in town.

This was usually her brother’s job, and he had warned her repeatedly before she left, fearing she might get scammed.

As Yanquiao looked at the handsome young couple in front of her, she began to wonder if they might be swindlers. How could she be so lucky to meet a gentleman who wanted to buy everything right after she had set up her stall?

Qin Xia didn’t understand why the girl was staring at him blankly, so he had to ask, “You haven’t told me the price yet.”

Yanquiao finally snapped out of her daze and stammered out a price.

“Snails are five coins per pound, wild greens three coins per pound, and eggs two coins each.”

After quoting the prices, Yanquiao felt a bit nervous, thinking her brother might have set them a bit high.

On her way into town, she had seen others selling snails and wild greens, with prices mostly around four coins per pound, and some smaller ones going for ten coins for three pounds. Wild greens could even be found for as low as one coin per pound, though those didn’t look as good as the ones she had brought.

But her brother had insisted that city folks wouldn’t mind spending a few extra coins for better quality or cleaner-looking produce.

It turned out her brother was right. The young gentleman in front of her didn’t even haggle; he simply asked her to total up the cost.

Yanquiao’s face lit up with a smile as she picked up a stick and started calculating on the ground.

“Five pounds of snails, twenty-five coins; thirty eggs, sixty coins; six pounds of wild greens, eighteen coins…”

At home, her brother had made her practice arithmetic countless times, and Yanquiao finally arrived at a total.

“That comes to 103 coins.”

She hadn’t made a mistake. Yu Jiuque nodded and took out a string of one hundred coins from his purse, then counted out three more separately.

Yanquiao accepted them, feeling the weight in her palm, which brought a deep sense of satisfaction.

She hadn’t expected to sell everything so smoothly. Now, she could return to the village earlier, and with the three extra coins, she could add to her savings and buy some sausage.

Whenever her brother came to town to sell game, he would often bring back food for the family—sausage, iron-plate tofu, or fried pancakes with fillings…

Of all these things, the sausage was the most affordable, and her younger siblings loved it. She wondered if the food stall was selling it today.

As she happily made her plans, she was pleasantly surprised by an additional offer.

Qin Xia, having picked up the goods, didn’t rush off.

“Our restaurant, Qin Family Eatery on Helin Street, is our family’s shop. If you have more snails and wild greens before Qingming, cleaned up like these, bring them over, and I’ll pay you the same price.”

Yanquiao’s eyes lit up.

Lately, everyone in the village had been busy with spring plowing, but their family only had two acres of land, which they had already entrusted to the clan members to manage.

The younger ones at home were idle, and earning dozens of coins from just one trip wouldn’t be a small sum.

Yanquiao immediately agreed and even patted her chest, promising to deliver more the next day.

When they arrived at the restaurant’s kitchen, Sister Zheng was already leading the Qiu siblings in preparing the ingredients for the day’s lunch.

The wolfdog they named “Zhaocai” was waddling around everyone’s legs like a little meatball, looking far less imposing than the big goose at home.

After playing with the dog for a moment, Qin Xia rolled up his sleeves and began preparing the dishes for the lunch set.

Today’s meat dishes were steamed pork ribs with fermented black beans and braised fish fillets. The ribs were chopped into small pieces, marinated, and then steamed.

Steamed dishes were convenient, with an entire batch ready at once. Qin Xia planned to include more steamed dishes on the menu, so even if they couldn’t find a suitable chef immediately, he could save some effort.

The braised fish fillets were made from grass carp. In early spring, fish prices were low, and with Qinan County located by the river, there was an abundance of fresh fish available, providing many with a livelihood.

Some people disliked grass carp for its earthy taste, so it was best cooked with rich, flavorful sauces.

He heated oil in the pan, and once the oil was hot, he added the fish fillets coated in starch. The fish skin crisped up, and the flesh released a fragrant aroma. By the time they were taken out, they were golden and crispy.

Using the remaining oil in the pan, he tossed in a handful of green onions, ginger, and garlic to sauté, then added the fish fillets and various seasonings, along with a splash of yellow rice wine. The aroma of the wine mingled with the fish, making it hard to distinguish one from the other.

With the lid on, Qin Xia turned his attention to stir-frying the vegetables.

Tofu stuffed with egg, dry pot cauliflower, spinach with vermicelli, and stir-fried celery…

The aroma from the kitchen smoke wafted outside, as the neatly stacked wooden trays had already been washed and dried.

As soon as the restaurant opened, with the last door panel just removed, eager customers rushed in.

A familiar customer skillfully pulled out two meal tickets and slapped them into Qiu Chuan’s hand.

“Two set meals!”

…

Night fell.

During the day, the restaurant bustled with a constant flow of customers.

Thanks to the reputation Qin Xia had built up from his previous food stall, the news of Qin Family Eatery opening on Helin Street spread quickly. It wasn’t long before the restaurant was frequently packed, with people even waiting outside for a table.

Such a scene was rare for restaurants in the city, but Qin Xia knew how to handle it.

He borrowed a modern approach from restaurants and set up a designated waiting area under the eaves, placing a row of round stools and distributing wooden number plates on a first-come, first-served basis.

While waiting, customers could freely help themselves to snacks and tea, and even if they left halfway through, they wouldn’t be charged.

In the first few days, this system caused a bit of trouble when some people took advantage of the free food and refused to leave.

Although the snacks and tea weren’t worth much, letting these people occupy the space would inevitably affect the other legitimate diners.

Qin Xia personally dealt with them a few times, but these people were as stubborn as cowhide—no sooner had he driven them away than they would return for the next meal.

Seeing that they were taking advantage of his kindness, Qin Xia realized he needed to take a firmer approach. He invited Hu Laosi, the head of the local street patrol, and a group of constables to a meal in one of the private rooms. Sure enough, the next day, those troublemakers were nowhere to be seen.

However, after that day, Hu Laosi developed a particular fondness for the restaurant’s stir-fried snails, to the point where he wanted to buy a serving every day to take home and enjoy with his wine.

He wasn’t the only one hooked. As the season for Qingming snails was short, this dish unexpectedly became one of the most popular items at Qin Family Eatery.

With a small team at the restaurant, Qin Xia ended up stir-frying snails until he was numb to it, while the others, including Yu Jiuque, had their hands sore from cutting the snails.

As for Yan Quiao, who supplied the snails, she felt like her family had practically emptied out all the snails in the area.

The last time she delivered snails was the day before Qingming, but this time she wasn’t alone.

Her elder brother, Yan Wei, had finally recovered from his leg injury. Although he couldn’t go up the mountain yet, he was more than capable of accompanying his younger sister to town to sell goods.

This was how Qin Xia met the young hunter again.

“So, you two are siblings. That explains why Sister Qiao was dressed like a hunter.”

Yan Wei also recognized Qin Xia—it was hard to forget someone as striking as Boss Qin, especially for someone who made a living selling goods. He knew to remember the generous customers.

Yan Wei cupped his hands in thanks to Qin Xia.

“Thank you, Boss Qin, for looking after my sister during this time.”

Qin Xia smiled.

“There’s no need to thank me. I run a restaurant, and you sell ingredients; it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.”

However, it was clear that this family did honest business, and Qin Xia was interested in forming a long-term partnership with them.

“If you come across any wild rabbits, pheasants, or bamboo rats in the future, feel free to bring them to me. But as the weather gets warmer, I’d prefer them to be alive.”

Hearing this, Yan Wei knew that he wouldn’t lack a steady customer in the future, which was far better than wandering the streets hoping for luck.

When Qin Xia offered to pay for the elm seeds and toon sprouts they had brought, Yan Wei refused.

In the past few days, while he was recovering at home and their mother was bedridden, his younger sister had been going to town to sell goods to support the family. If it hadn’t been for meeting Qin Xia on the first day, they wouldn’t have earned money so easily and peacefully.

Unable to refuse their kindness, Qin Xia accepted the brother and sister’s gesture.

Coincidentally, he hadn’t had elm seeds in a long time.

Elm seeds were delicious but difficult to clean. Since there weren’t many, Qin Xia decided to save them for the evening meal for the restaurant staff.

During a quiet moment in the afternoon, Sister Zheng and Qiu Yao carefully picked out the bits of twigs and stems, washing the seeds several times. When Yu Jiuque finished accounting and came over to help, he asked curiously, “Is this what they call elm seeds?”

Sister Zheng looked puzzled.

“You’ve never eaten them before, Little Boss?”

Yu Jiuque shook his head.

“I’m not a local, so I haven’t really seen these before.”

Sister Zheng had never inquired into the personal affairs of the bosses, but she had long noticed that although Yu Jiuque spoke standard Mandarin, his accent carried traces that were quite different from the northern dialects.

By now, Qiu Yao was no longer shy. She picked up the elm seeds in her hands and showed them to Yu Jiuque.

“There used to be an elm tree in the courtyard of our old house. My brother would take me to pick the seeds, and our mother would steam them for us. It was delicious.”

As soon as she mentioned her mother, Qiu Yao’s expression changed slightly, but she finished her sentence, though her eyes reddened a bit.

She quickly lowered her head and continued washing the basin of elm seeds.

Yu Jiuque and Sister Zheng exchanged a glance and each shook their head slightly.

The pain of losing a mother is not something that can be forgotten quickly.

After hearing Yu Jiuque recount Qiu Yao’s memory, Qin Xia thought for a moment and decided not to make elm seed rice, to avoid stirring up emotions in the siblings.

He divided the elm seeds into two portions, planning to make elm seed steamed buns with one half and elm seed pancakes with the other.

As for the toon sprouts, he planned to mix half with tofu and stir-fry the other half with eggs.

They also made purslane buns and steamed wild vegetables, and the five people at the restaurant enjoyed a verdant wild vegetable feast together.

The common wild vegetables that every household eats in the spring were transformed by Qin Xia into delicacies, and these were not available to the public.

It wasn’t just Qiu Chuan who ended up rubbing his stomach in fullness; Yu Jiuque alone ate five buns, each larger than a fist.

Whether it was the Qiu siblings or Sister Zheng, they were no longer surprised by their little boss’s large appetite.

They were, however, still curious as to how someone could eat so much and yet not gain any weight.

The next day was Qingming.

(T/N: Qingming is primarily a time for families to honor and remember their ancestors by visiting their graves, cleaning the tombstones, and making offerings such as food, tea, wine, and joss paper (symbolic money). This practice is known as “tomb-sweeping”)

Qin Family Eatery hung up a sign indicating that it would be closed for lunch.

Sister Zheng, carrying a basket filled with incense and candles, took her sister-in-law to visit her late husband’s grave. The Qiu siblings also went to the countryside cemetery, carrying a bowl of elm seed rice made from the seeds the boss had specially set aside the day before.

With the restaurant empty in the morning, they had to prepare their own breakfast using the kitchen, but they had free access to the ingredients.

The siblings planned to offer the elm seed rice as part of the tomb offerings, a way to tell their mother that they had found a way to eat their fill every day and take care of themselves.

On this day, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque also joined the stream of people heading out of the city to visit the graves.

The Qin family wasn’t originally from Qinan County, so they didn’t have an ancestral tomb in the area. The original owner’s parents and grandparents were buried on a hillside outside the city.

They bought incense, yellow paper, and joss paper ingots, along with prepared food, some fruit, and a jug of wine.

Following the customary rituals, they cleared the grass around the grave mound, added some soil, and then the couple knelt down to pay their respects.

Although Qin Xia had no blood relation to those buried here, he had been given a second chance at life in place of the original owner, and he felt it was only right to fulfill the duties of filial piety on their behalf.

The Qin family still had descendants, so it wouldn’t do for these graves to be neglected.

As Yu Jiuque burned the yellow paper, his expression was equally solemn.

Visiting the graves was not their only purpose for going out today. The Qingming Festival is also about enjoying the outdoors.

In the southern suburbs of Qinan County, there is a forest where one can admire flowers in the spring and the maple leaves in the fall, making it a popular destination for outings.

If the restaurant hadn’t opened yet, Qin Xia would surely have taken advantage of this time to push a cart over here and do some business.

But now, with one restaurant keeping them busy enough to make their heads spin, and plenty of money coming in, he relished the rare half-day of leisure and wanted nothing more than to spend it enjoying a proper spring outing with his husband.

He had considered buying a kite, but when the two of them saw the sky already crowded with various swallows, butterflies, and eagles, they quickly gave up the idea. They noticed that many people’s kites barely flew before getting caught in the trees or tangled with others.

Rather than bother with that, they decided to enjoy the flowers instead.

“Ah Jiu, do you recognize these flowers?”

Today, both were dressed in newly made spring outfits, their garments billowing in the breeze as they wandered through the flower-filled forest, making them a strikingly beautiful couple that drew the attention of many passersby.

Their joined hands broke many onlookers’ hearts, but Qin Xia paid them no mind, focusing instead on brushing away the flower petals that had fallen onto Yu Jiuque’s shoulder.

“These are peach blossoms, those are apricots, and… are those crabapple flowers?”

Yu Jiuque tilted his head slightly, identifying each flower.

Although it’s said that “during Qingming, the rain falls continuously,” this year’s Qingming was an exception with beautiful weather.

The sky was as blue as glazed tiles, and the scattered sunlight filtered through the forest, showering the visitors in a warm glow.

“I wonder if this forest has an owner,” Qin Xia suddenly mused, his thoughts taking a turn as he admired the flowers.

“Why do you ask, my husband?”

Qin Xia pointed to the branches above.

“I just thought that if this place doesn’t have an owner, then in a while, these peach, apricot, and crabapple flowers will turn into peaches, apricots, and crabapples. I wonder if we could pick some then.”

The original owner of this body had no memory of such things, probably because they had no interest in flower viewing, fruit picking, or woodland outings in the past.

Their question was soon answered.

They ran into Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang among the springtime visitors, and the four of them gathered, with Wei Chao explaining to Qin Xia.

It turned out that this forest was government-owned, and technically, the fruit belonged to the authorities.

“But it’s just some fruit, and there are no guards here. If you pick a few and leave, no one will bother you, as long as you don’t take them by the basketful and leave the highest ones for the birds.”

When they grew tired of walking, Qin Xia promptly invited the neighboring couple to join them for a “picnic.”

They were well-prepared, spreading an old quilt over the grass and taking out their food one by one.

A bamboo tube held filtered Eight Treasures tea, and the food included green dumplings, rice balls, two types of pastries, washed fruit, and a large box of mixed vegetables.

The array of food laid out on the ground left Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang speechless.

“As expected of Qin ge, you’re so well-prepared.”

Everything was thoughtfully prepared, each item delicately made, almost too pretty to eat. Since their encounter was coincidental, Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang felt it would be impolite to really join in, so after much politeness, each took only a single green dumpling.

“I’ve never seen this kind of pastry before.”

Wei Chao curiously examined the soft, green dumpling in his hand, wanting to break it open to see inside.

Qin Xia explained, “This is a pastry traditionally eaten during Qingming in the south, called qingtuan. It’s rare in the north. The green color comes from mugwort juice.”

He had made four different fillings: sweet red bean paste, black sesame, salted egg yolk with pork floss, and mushroom with diced bamboo shoots and meat.

Two sweet and two savory options—Qin Xia still didn’t know which one Yu Jiuque preferred.

These dumplings didn’t need to be eaten right away and could last for a few days, so Qin Xia had made plenty, inviting Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang to try each flavor.

After tasting them all, the traditional red bean paste and the irresistible egg yolk with pork floss were the most popular, while the mushroom and bamboo shoot filling was the least liked. People in the north weren’t accustomed to eating savory fillings made with glutinous rice, so it was as hard to accept as meat-filled tangyuan.

However, Yu Jiuque wasn’t picky and enjoyed even the meat-filled qingtuan that others found unappetizing.

In fact, he liked the outer layer the most—the subtle fragrance of mugwort with its refreshing, earthy scent.

After the qingtuan, Wei Chao and Cao Ashuang were also each given a large rice ball.

Qin Xia had modeled these after the rice rolls he used to eat, though they weren’t entirely authentic. They contained crunchy pork floss and crushed egg yolk inside.

The four of them enjoyed the meal with Eight Treasures tea, feeling thoroughly satisfied, when Wei Chao brought up a matter.

“Do you remember that Yu Shun from last time, Qin ge?”

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sandy: Huh that scumbag, this translator remembers 🤮