Ch 49: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

The Sang family is wealthy, and naturally, the back courtyard doesn’t lack skilled chefs.

For something that doesn’t seem particularly important, hiring an outside chef to prepare the banquet must have a necessary reason.

Although Qin Xia trusted Boss Sang’s character, he still asked more about the matter.

Steward Xin smiled faintly and didn’t hide anything.

“To be honest, there are indeed some complications with this banquet. I should explain, and then you, Boss Qin, can decide.”

After listening, Qin Xia understood.

Although this banquet might seem small, with only two branches of the Sang family and a few members of the Cen family from out of town, it is indeed quite troublesome.

The reason is that the Cen family follows Buddhism and has been vegetarian for many years, and the Sang family’s matriarch is the same.

“The master’s intention is that since it’s rare for the matriarch and Lady Cen to gather, he wants to set up a separate all-vegetarian table for them. The dishes don’t need to be many, but they must be exquisite. Besides, while the two elders are vegetarians, the other guests would still want something more substantial, so despite it being one meal, we’ll need to set up two tables.”

Perhaps noticing Qin Xia’s hesitation, Steward Xin reached into his sleeve and pulled out a purse.

“My master said that Boss Qin is young and talented, and your cooking skills are rarely seen in his lifetime. Last time after he ate, he was truly left wanting more. He would like to have his family taste your cooking as well. If you’re willing, here are ten taels of silver as a deposit. You only need to provide a list of the ingredients, and the people from the household will handle the purchasing. After the banquet, we’ll give you fifty more taels for your trouble. After all, if you go, the business at the restaurant will be delayed. So, what do you think, Boss Qin?”

Earning sixty taels for just one meal, almost as much as the rent for the restaurant’s first year, Boss Sang was indeed generous.

For the sake of the money, it was hard for Qin Xia to refuse.

Seeing Qin Xia agree, Steward Xin left happily, taking with him a box of warm peach blossom pastries Qin Xia had given him.

However, the time was tight, and with the need to leave time for purchasing ingredients, Qin Xia would probably have to start planning the banquet dishes tonight.

It truly was a nonstop, day-after-day grind, with no time to rest.

With this new task, there would be no chance to visit the bathhouse.

But Qin Xia didn’t give up. Instead, he went home, prepared a pot of water with petals and herbs, and enjoyed a bath with his little husband.

After soaking, Yu Jiuque felt like a freshly cooked shrimp, limp, boneless, and steaming hot.

And then, Chef Qin peeled and devoured him completely.

…

The list of ingredients needed for the small banquet at the Sang residence reached Steward Xin’s hands early the next morning.

Taking a glance, Steward Xin found nothing difficult to procure. The Sang family’s kitchen had everything they needed—sea cucumbers, shark fins, and bird’s nests were all common. However, some items had to be fresh and would need to be purchased on the day of the banquet.

He recalled that the day he went to invite Qin Xia, the latter had carefully inquired about the tastes and preferences of the household’s masters.

To say nothing of anything else, just this one point alone shows that they put effort into it. Their master has a discerning eye, so he likely didn’t choose the wrong person.

There was just one thing Steward Xin couldn’t understand—after all, the Cen family isn’t particularly important. Normally, the household kitchen could have handled the meal; there was no need to hire an outside chef.

Yet, when the time came, the master suddenly changed his mind and specifically requested this young chef from a small eatery.

The true reason behind this decision was hard to guess.

The day before going to the Sang residence, Qin Xia was in the back kitchen teaching Zheng Xinghua and Zhuang Xing how to make steamed dishes.

Steamed dishes are relatively easy to prepare and easier to control. As long as he set the side dishes, seasonings, and steaming times, there shouldn’t be any major issues. Whether he or the assistant cooks prepared them, the results would be the same.

Since he would be away the whole day tomorrow and Zheng Xinghua could only make a limited number of big dishes, this was the best solution.

The menu included six steamed dishes in total, the most complex of which was steamed pork with rice flour.

Steamed pork with rice flour requires pre-roasted raw rice, fried until slightly yellow, known as “steaming flour.”

The pork belly is sliced, marinated, and mixed with the “steaming flour,” then layered with base ingredients like potatoes, yam, or pumpkin, ready to be steamed.

Additionally, since it’s currently the season for pomfret, and he had already arranged with the fishmonger to deliver fresh pomfret tomorrow, the steamed dish menu included steamed pomfret as well.

Other dishes, like steamed meatballs with mushrooms and shrimp steamed with vermicelli and cabbage hearts, mainly involved arranging the ingredients on a plate and pouring on Qin Xia’s special steaming sauce.

“You should carefully remember the proportions of these sauces. If the customers like these dishes tomorrow, we can add them to the regular menu for daily service.”

After giving these instructions, Qin Xia left the kitchen to find Yu Jiuque, while Zhuang Xing tidied up the chopping board, looking deeply troubled.

Zheng Xinghua noticed this and couldn’t help but ask, “Xing Ge’er, did you not catch everything?”

She thought Zhuang Xing was worried about not remembering Qin Xia’s recipes, but Zhuang Xing had something else on his mind.

After wiping off a few oil stains with the cloth in his hand, he walked over to Zheng Xinghua and said, “Sister Zheng, there’s actually something I can’t quite figure out.”

Zheng Xinghua hesitated, pausing her work.

“Tell me about it. Maybe I can help.”

Zhuang Xing, after some hesitation, finally voiced what had been weighing on his mind for days.

“…So that’s basically it. The boss never hides how he cooks. I can’t tell if he really doesn’t care or if he’s testing us. It makes me feel like watching or not watching him is wrong either way.”

Zheng Xinghua hadn’t expected Zhuang Xing to be concerned about this.

Since no one else was in the kitchen, she called him over to a corner and said earnestly, “Xing Ge’er, I’m a few years older than you and have been here longer, working with both bosses. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that these worries are unnecessary. Our boss is straightforward and honest, so you shouldn’t overthink these things.”

Then she shared with him the stories she’d heard about Qin Xia from when he ran a food stall.

“When the boss sold street food, plenty of people tried to imitate him. If you go out and take a look now, you’ll see how many places in Qinan County sell iron plate tofu, grilled cold noodles, and jianbing guozi. The boss never paid any attention to it because he knows that only his own cooking is the most authentic. Now that we are both assistant cooks at his restaurant, we were brought in to help relieve the boss’s burden. Not only do we need to learn, but we need to learn well.”

Zhuang Xing was momentarily stunned.

He truly wanted to learn a skill that would help him make a living, but he hadn’t imagined that this path would so easily present itself, as if it were right within his grasp.

Zheng Xinghua continued, “The boss doesn’t avoid people because he has his reasons. It shows that if you’re willing to learn, whatever you learn becomes your skill. As for what you do after you’ve learned it, that depends on our conscience.”

The word “conscience” struck a chord within Zhuang Xing, and he understood the care behind Zheng Xinghua’s words.

“Sister Zheng, rest assured, I, Zhuang Xing, would never resort to petty, dishonorable behavior that others would look down on.”

Hearing this, Zheng Xinghua nodded lightly and then smiled.

“Alright, I’ve said too much already. When you get older, you tend to ramble. Come on, let’s get back to tidying up the kitchen.”

No one else knew about this conversation, but later on, Qin Xia noticed that Zhuang Xing’s knife skills had become much more refined, clearly the result of private practice. Pleased with his progress, a month later, Qin Xia kept his previous promise and raised Zhuang Xing’s wages to fifty wen a day—but that’s a story for another time.

Back to the present.

On the appointed day, just after the hour of Chen (around 7-9 AM), the Sang family’s sedan chair arrived at the entrance of Furong Alley.

Even though the Sang family’s sedan chair was of a regular style used for guests, it was still quite eye-catching to the common folk.

“Look at the fabric covering that sedan chair—it’s better than the clothes we wear.”

“There are tassels on the sedan curtains, too. They might even be made of silver!”

The neighbors in the alley, who were early risers, gathered around to watch the spectacle. The news spread quickly, and soon everyone was crowding around.

It was the first time the Sang family’s servant had come to Furong Alley. He looked around for a while before seeing the door of the Qin household open.

He had previously visited the Qin restaurant with Steward Xin and had seen Boss Qin once.

Today, seeing him dressed in a narrow-sleeved robe made of fine satin, he looked more like a young master from a noble family than a restaurant owner and chef.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

As he approached, Qin Xia greeted the servant, who returned the courtesy and noticed that Qin Xia was carrying a bundle.

The servant couldn’t help but remind him, “Boss Qin, our household’s main kitchen is fully stocked. There’s no need to bring anything.”

Qin Xia glanced down at his bundle and smiled, “That may be true, but we chefs all have things we can’t do without.”

The servant, hearing this, let it be. People with skills often have their own quirks.

Once Qin Xia got into the sedan and left, Yu Jiuque came out to close the door, only to be immediately surrounded by people, all talking at once and asking, “Jiu Ge’er, where is your husband going?”

Yu Jiuque didn’t want to say much, so he simply replied that Qin Xia was going to the Sang residence to prepare a banquet.

The Sang family was a prominent name, and in Qinan County, there was only one wealthy Sang family. The crowd murmured in amazement.

Everyone knew that the young man from the Qin family had made something of himself. It hadn’t been long since he set up his food stall, earned a substantial amount of money from selling recipes, and opened his own restaurant.

Now that Qin Xia had caught the eye of Master Sang, it was likely that his future would only become more promising.

The saying “never look down on a poor young man” certainly held true.

As the crowd finally dispersed, Qin Xia, sitting in the sedan, didn’t find it particularly comfortable.

He felt jostled the entire way, and after about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, they finally arrived at their destination.

There was no time to waste with the meal service approaching and plenty of preparations to be done. After getting out of the sedan, Qin Xia went directly with the household servants to the back kitchen.

The Sang family’s estate was vast, and the back kitchen was also an enormous room, as large as four kitchens at Qin’s restaurant.

Steward Xin had been waiting there for some time. After welcoming Qin Xia inside, he introduced the assistant cooks: two elderly women with four young maids under their supervision.

“Boss Qin, by the master’s order, you’re in charge of the kitchen today. These people are at your disposal.”

Qin Xia wanted to mention that this meal didn’t really require so many people, but in large households, there are always plenty of servants, and they enjoy putting on a show, so he was happy to accept it.

Steward Xin gave a few more instructions to the group and then left.

Qin Xia, however, didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He was there to cook, not to socialize with the people of the Sang family.

So, after a brief greeting, he ignored the young maids whispering among themselves and walked straight to the nearest stove.

He placed his bundle on the countertop and opened it, taking out a knife wrapped in cloth.

Before opening his restaurant, Qin Xia had gone to the blacksmith who had previously made his iron plates, pans, and molds and had a new set of kitchen knives made.

There was a slicing knife, a bone cleaver, and a smaller one for finer work.

The one he brought today was the one he used most frequently.

In addition, the bundle contained some spices and seasonings.

As he was contemplating where to start, a sudden crash came from the courtyard outside the kitchen, as if something had been broken.

This was followed by the slurred shouting of a drunken man.

“Who does this young brat think he is, daring to steal my job? When I was cooking for the old master, he was probably still running around naked…”

Qin Xia raised an eyebrow.

No matter how you looked at it, those words were clearly directed at him.

A woman with a headscarf and a silver bracelet hurried outside to check on the commotion, followed by several young maids who were eager to watch the excitement. After a while, the woman returned, looking embarrassed.

Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, Qin Xia took the initiative to ask, “Who was that outside just now?”

This woman, who seemed to enjoy stirring the pot, rolled her eyes and replied, “That was Master Luo, our head chef. Since you’re in charge today, the master gave him the day off. He had a bit too much to drink and started spouting nonsense. He’s already been taken away by the servants.”

She then glanced at the young chef who had been brought in from outside, hearing that he was the boss of a newly opened restaurant in town.

Compared to Master Luo’s age, saying Qin Xia was still “wet behind the ears” wasn’t far from the truth.

Logically, Master Luo had practically insulted Qin Xia to his face. At his age, he should have been easily angered or humiliated, but the woman couldn’t find a trace of “anger” on Qin Xia’s face.

Instead, he seemed rather interested and asked, “Did I hear Master Luo say that he once cooked for the old master?”

The woman was puzzled, but she instinctively replied, “Yes, Master Luo is over fifty and has served three generations of the family.”

“No wonder.”

This Master Luo clearly held himself in high regard. Having managed the kitchen for many years, he probably never imagined that the stove would be handed over to someone else. He likely felt humiliated and disgraced.

The fact that he dared to get drunk and throw a tantrum on a day like this showed that he had some standing in the household, and he likely expected that Master Sang wouldn’t punish him too harshly.

Qin Xia wanted to say that he was just here to do a job and had no intention of competing with anyone.

He shook his head, arranged his knife, and asked the woman to lead him to inspect the ingredients that had been purchased.

An hour later, the entire back kitchen of the Sang residence was bustling with activity.

The women with good knife skills were chopping and preparing ingredients under Qin Xia’s direction, while the young maids, who hadn’t yet learned much about cooking, were assigned various tasks, such as washing and peeling vegetables, or slaughtering chickens and cleaning fish.

At first, the staff didn’t really listen to Qin Xia. After all, he was young, and even after being scolded by Master Luo, he hadn’t fought back, which made him seem soft.

Among the two women assigned to help him, besides the one wearing a silver bracelet, there was another with a long face and small gold earrings, who likely had more favor with the masters.

She worked slowly, as if she wanted to spend half the day slicing a single potato.

Qin Xia casually remarked, “I hope everyone understands this: regardless of whether today’s banquet is good or bad, I’m just an outside chef who will take my payment and leave after the meal to continue running my restaurant. But you all will still have to work here in the Sang household.”

The implication was clear—if they displeased Master Sang, it wouldn’t affect his livelihood, but it would be a different story for the household staff.

The slow-moving woman’s face changed at this, and though she said nothing, her knife suddenly moved much faster.

Seeing that she wouldn’t likely make any mistakes, Qin Xia withdrew his attention.

By the middle of the hour of Si (around 9:30 AM), nearly twenty dishes for the two tables began to be cooked one after another.

Various tantalizing aromas filled the spacious kitchen.

The staff at the Sang residence had already witnessed Qin Xia’s extraordinary knife skills. Each vegetable was cut into perfectly distinct slices, bones were removed from fish and chicken as if by magic, all done in the blink of an eye.

Even the “scallions, ginger, and garlic” used for seasoning were chopped as finely as grains of rice, leaving everyone dazzled.

These people had worked in the kitchen for a long time and understood what kind of skills made a good chef, but it wasn’t until the stove was lit and the cooking began that they realized Qin Xia’s abilities extended far beyond just wielding a knife.

Cooking is about nothing more than frying, stir-frying, roasting, and deep-frying. These four words sound simple, but mastering them is difficult.

Though the young man in front of them was barely in his twenties, the way he commanded the stove gave the impression that this was his battlefield, and the varied ingredients were soldiers following his orders.

Dish after dish, each with a fresh name and unique appearance, flowed from the kitchen to the dining hall where guests were being entertained.

In the hall, a large Eight Immortals table made of rosewood was set at the head, with Madam Sang and her sister, Mrs. Cen, seated around it, while the two daughters-in-law of the Sang family stood by, attending to them.

Another large round table was set at the lower end, where Sang Chenghua, his younger brother Master Sang, and their children were seated.

The dishes were served alternately between the two tables—one entirely vegetarian, even cooked with vegetable oil, and the other a mix of meat and vegetables. Yet, at first glance, it was difficult to tell which table had the vegetarian dishes and which had the meat, as both were filled with an array of delicacies.

Sang Chenghua had not specified a menu when he invited Qin Xia; he had only emphasized the tastes and dietary restrictions of the two elderly women, intending to see just how well Qin Xia could perform and whether he could match the banquet they had eaten at Qin’s restaurant.

Thus, as each dish was served, someone would announce its name according to Qin Xia’s instructions.

First came the dishes for the main table.

The braised dawu fish was the highlight, with its bright red broth and tender, yet firm texture.

The deep-fried phoenix-tail fish, the best to eat at this time of year, was diagonally sliced along the back to break the small bones, then fried to a golden crisp. The result was a dish where even the bones were crunchy and could be chewed without worry.

The “Stepping Up” duck feet, also known as “Rising Step by Step,” was chosen by Qin Xia after he learned that there were two scholars at the table—Master Sang’s second son and a cousin who had come to court the Sang family’s fourth daughter. The dish was meant to bring good fortune, with its name symbolizing progress and success.

Following that were dishes like crystal pork hock, mountain-sea dumplings, sweet and sour pork…

The mountain-sea dumplings were an ancient dish from the previous dynasty, a seasonal spring delicacy. Thin rice wrappers enclosed a filling of fish, diced bamboo shoots, fresh shrimp, and tender fiddlehead ferns, to be lightly dipped in vinegar before eating.

The vegetarian banquet at the smaller table was even more exquisite.

For instance, the first dish was “Jade Canopy with Vegetarian Shark Fin.” Traditionally, this would be made with high-quality shark fin, ham, and chicken skin. But in Qin Xia’s hands, the shark fin was replaced with vegetarian shark fin made from bean sprouts, cabbage hearts, and shiitake mushrooms, resulting in a broth just as delicious as the original.

Other dishes included “Vegetarian Sea Cucumber with Mock Meat.”

The “vegetarian sea cucumber” was actually mushrooms scored with knife patterns, while the “mock meat” was soft and tender winter melon cooked in a red sauce.

A fish soup was served, but the “fish” was actually a blend of yam and flour.

There were many such innovative dishes.

The dish that received the highest praise from Madam Sang and Mrs. Cen was a small pastry filled with vegetarian floss.

The “vegetarian floss” was made by slowly frying and drying bean dregs. The small pastries were bite-sized, with two pieces filling the mouth with lingering fragrance.

Madam Sang enjoyed two of them, and if her personal maid hadn’t gently dissuaded her, she would likely have reached for a third.

With the delicious food before them, there was still some lively conversation at the start of the meal, but as time went on, everyone unconsciously focused more on the dishes in front of them.

Even the usually reserved ladies and young mistresses quickened their eating pace, signaling with their eyes for the maids to help them add more food to their plates, afraid that if they delayed, the tasty dishes would end up on someone else’s plate.

Sang Chenghua was a connoisseur of fine food, and his family had also enjoyed many delicacies over the years. But for some reason, though they had eaten many good things in the past, today’s meal made all those memories seem pale in comparison.

When the meal ended, the servants who came in to clear the dishes were quietly astonished.

The plates on the table were all empty—something they had never seen before.

It was common for the masters to take just a few bites and then have the dishes removed, leaving the rest to be enjoyed by the maids and servants.

Sang Chenghua’s second son had eaten the most, feeling as if the food was up to his throat.

He even caught a glimpse of his father quietly rubbing his stomach under the table, likely also overstuffed. Realizing this, he nearly let out a satisfied burp but quickly swallowed it, fearing he might get scolded.

At the head of the table, the elderly Madam Sang had also enjoyed two small cups of fruit wine during the meal and now looked in high spirits.

After taking a sip of tea to cleanse her palate, she was the first to speak, “Today’s chef is excellent. They say the vegetarian feast at Wenhua Temple is the best in Qinan, but I think our meal today far surpasses it.”

A banquet is not just a meal; it’s also a matter of pride.

In those days, whether officials or merchants, any household with some wealth took pride in having a good chef.

This meal had allowed her to show off in front of her sister, so the old madam generously said, “Even though our household has already paid the chef, I still want to give an extra reward.”

She then asked about the chef’s age and family.

Upon learning that he had a husband at home, the old madam also had two fine bolts of fabric brought out in addition to the silver reward.

Meanwhile, in the back kitchen of the Sang residence.

While the dining hall was lively with the feast, Qin Xia couldn’t leave just yet.

Even though he had just prepared two large tables of food and was quite tired, after sitting down and drinking two cups of tea, he began to feel refreshed.

Seeing that the women in the kitchen had started preparing food for the household servants, Qin Xia wandered over and gave them a few pointers.

Following his instructions, the women prepared two large pots of food.

One pot was braised radish with pork, and the other was home-style tofu, served with a few trays of freshly steamed buns. The aroma was so enticing that no one could resist.

“Who knew radishes could taste this good!”

“This tofu even has a bit of chili in it, and it tastes amazing!”

“Hu Mama, can you give me an extra ladle of broth? I want to soak my bun in it!”

Qin Xia also served himself some of the two dishes, grabbed a bun, and had a simple meal.

Originally, Steward Xin had instructed the women to prepare two small dishes specifically for him, but Qin Xia didn’t want to trouble anyone over it.

Since he was hungry, he ate quickly, and after devouring the meal, finally felt satisfied. Just as he finished rinsing his mouth, a maid came running in with a message.

“Boss Qin, the master would like to speak with you.”