Ch 57: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Using flowers in dishes has a long history.

For literati, eating flowers is a refined and elegant activity, while for ordinary people, it’s simply an additional ingredient on the dining table.

There are many dishes that can be made with flowers. The simplest method is to deep-fry them directly, but they can also be mixed with flour to make pancakes, added to pastries as fillings, fermented into honey, or even brewed into wine.

Qin Xia took a bite of the dish using Yu Jiuque’s chopsticks.

The flower was coated in egg, making it fragrant and crispy, with a tender and smooth texture.

There was still a basket of magnolia flowers left. While deep-frying them tasted good, it was still too greasy, and Zheng Xinghua worried that making too many would result in no one eating them.

After inspecting them, Qin Xia decided to turn the rest into magnolia flower cakes.

‘Once they’re done, just leave them here. If anyone gets hungry at night, they can grab one to fill their stomach.’

The magnolia flower cakes he made were filled with red bean paste because the magnolia petals were large enough to serve as the ‘pastry skin.’

The petals were cleaned, drained, and two were pressed together with red bean paste in the middle, then lightly pressed to set. The outside was coated with starch and a thin layer of egg wash before being fried in a pan. Even after cooking, they retained a certain flower shape.

The rich fragrance of the red bean paste combined with the petals, making them fragrant and sweet.

A couple of days after eating the magnolia flowers, a sudden heavy rain knocked most of the remaining petals from the tree, signaling the end of the flower season this year.

At the same time, it was finally the eve of Master Song’s grand birthday celebration.

Qin Xia posted a notice outside the restaurant a night in advance, stating that the restaurant would be closed the next day for an external banquet.

He chose Zheng Xinghua and Zhuang Xing to accompany him to the Song mansion, while also instructing Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao to watch over the place.

That night.

Since they had to get up early the next day, Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque returned home early and planned to cook a simple home-cooked meal and have a quiet rest.

Taking advantage of the rare free time, Yu Jiuque washed a couple of dirty clothes in the courtyard.

Da Fu was wandering around the water basin, while two of the civet cats they had brought home last time were curled up with their tails wrapped around them, sleeping in a grass nest.

Perhaps realizing the dangers of the outside world, the civet cats now spent more time at home than before.

Da Fu accepted this well and didn’t show any aggression, so Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque didn’t worry about it.

The sound of water splashing filled the courtyard as Yu Jiuque focused on scrubbing the clothes, which were stained with some oil from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Qin Xia was chopping a fresh rack of ribs he had brought back from the restaurant, planning to try a new dish—Hawthorn Ribs.

He took a handful of red hawthorn fruits from the kitchen’s pouch, washed them clean, and removed the pits.

The ribs, which are pork spare ribs, were chopped into uniform pieces, then blanched in boiling water with some cooking wine. After skimming off the foam, they were removed and stir-fried in oil until slightly yellow.

He then made a caramel sauce separately, added the ribs back in, poured in the hawthorn and some water, and simmered over low heat.

During this process, the hawthorn would soften slightly, infusing its unique sweet and sour flavor into the rib sauce.

After about half an incense stick’s time, he added a few whole hawthorn fruits and mixed them in, then reduced the sauce over high heat. The dish was plated and sprinkled with white sesame seeds as garnish.

Along with two stir-fried dishes, a seaweed egg drop soup, and a large pot of rice, the meal was ready just as Yu Jiuque finished washing the clothes. He hung them on the clothesline in the courtyard, with water droplets dripping onto the ground.

Da Fu found it amusing and kept darting back and forth under the dripping clothes.

Before eating, they didn’t forget to prepare food and water for the little animals. Da Fu made a racket by constantly bumping its bowl while eating, whereas the two civet cats were much more well-behaved.

Inside the house.

Yu Jiuque was clearly more curious about the seaweed soup than the hawthorn ribs.

The dried seaweed cakes were among the dried seafood they had bought last time. They had originally planned to bring them home to make soup, but each time they returned, they forgot to bring them. Today, they finally remembered.

Seaweed can be served cold or fried with eggs, but Qin Xia’s favorite and the most common dish is seaweed egg drop soup.

Seaweed really shines when used in soup, where its umami flavor is most pronounced.

‘It looks completely different from when it was dry.’

To Yu Jiuque, the dried seaweed looked like a tea cake, dark and crumbly in a large block.”

“I didn’t expect that once they were placed in the soup pot, those black ‘fragments’ would unfurl into light, floating ‘seaweed.’

In addition to making seaweed soup, Qin Xia also mixed dried seaweed with dried shrimp and shiitake mushrooms, grinding them into a powder with a mortar to create a seasoning that enhances flavor.

This seasoning is like a low-cost version of MSG. In ancient times, there was no technology to extract MSG, but he thought that using seaweed and dried shrimp as substitutes could replicate about sixty to seventy percent of the essence.

Yu Jiuque scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it down, and then took a sip at the edge of the bowl.

A burst of umami, unlike anything he had ever tasted before, hit his taste buds, momentarily leaving him stunned.

“Are you getting used to the taste?”

Qin Xia was worried that Yu Jiuque might not like the flavor, so he didn’t make too much soup.

But Yu Jiuque was not a picky eater, and besides, the seaweed soup tasted quite good.

“I’m used to it; I think it’s delicious.”

He pushed the bowl of soup aside after drinking it, first picking up a piece of rib with his chopsticks for Qin Xia, not forgetting to include a piece of hawthorn as well.

Then he also picked a piece of rib that was closest to him and placed it in his own bowl. Before eating the meat, he gently licked away the layer of sauce on the outside.

The sauce was already a bright red, but with the addition of hawthorn, it became an even more vibrant shade of red.

This dish had a sweet and sour flavor. To ensure the hawthorn wouldn’t seem out of place, besides the sugar added during the caramelizing step, Qin Xia also added a bit of honey in the final step.

Just a spoonful—not too much or too little—was enough to balance the saltiness of the meat and the sourness of the hawthorn, without allowing the sweetness to overpower and make the dish cloying.

With the busy days of running the restaurant, the two rarely had the chance to sit together at home for dinner. A table full of delicious dishes and fresh soup added a touch of warmth to this peaceful evening.

As the saying goes, ‘When full and warm, desires arise.’

Yu Jiuque insisted that Qin Xia extinguish the lights. In the darkness, as they untied the fastenings on each other’s clothes, their skin touched, and they shared a deep kiss.

Da Fu was sleeping with the two civet cats in the main room tonight. Hearing the noises coming from the house, one of the civet cats twitched its ears, yawned after opening its eyes, and went back to sleep. Da Fu, on the other hand, stared with its beady eyes for a while. Seeing that the people in the house had no intention of coming out, it quickly lost interest as well.

Afterward, Qin Xia cleaned up, pulled away the sheet they had been lying on, and tossed it aside. He then took a cloth soaked in water that he had prepared earlier from under the bed.

He originally intended to help Yu Jiuque clean up, but this time the young man wasn’t so tired that he didn’t fell asleep immediately. Since he was awake, he felt too embarrassed to let Qin Xia do it for him, even though they had just done everything together moments before.

“I’ll do it myself.”

He said softly, taking the cloth. After using it behind the cover of the blanket, he hesitated when it came to handing it back to Qin Xia, realizing what was on the cloth.

Qin Xia simply took it from him, with a tone that hinted at a smile, ‘What’s there to be shy about? I don’t mind.’

Yu Jiuque’s face grew warm, and he turned over under the blanket, curling up further inside, leaving only his eyes exposed.

When Qin Xia returned, the two of them snuggled up together again.

Sleepiness gradually overcame them, and they soon drifted off to sleep.

…

In the early morning.

Qin Xia woke up even earlier than the day they had gone to the Sang residence for the family banquet. After all, Song residence’s birthday banquet required preparing food for thirty tables, divided between the inner and outer courtyards.

The inner courtyard was reserved for important guests, while the outer courtyard was for those who, regardless of whether they received an invitation, wanted to drop in with a small gift to enjoy the feast.

As was mentioned earlier, Qin Xia only needed to manage the dozen or so tables in the inner courtyard, while the outer courtyard would be handled by the residence’s original cooks.

Like at the Sang residence, the Song family sent someone to pick them up.

And since there were three of them in total, they sent a carriage.

The people in Furong Alley were no longer surprised by this. One glance, and they knew that Qin Xia was likely invited by some family to prepare a banquet.

In the past, many people looked down on being a chef, thinking that spending a lifetime around the stove wasn’t much of an accomplishment.

Unless it was a trade passed down from the father’s generation, not many families would send their children to apprentice under a chef.”

Nowadays, seeing how Qin Xia is becoming more and more successful with each passing day, people have come to appreciate the benefits of being a chef.

However, Qin Xia had mentioned that he wasn’t planning to take on any apprentices for the time being. The staff in his shop were all hired from outside, except for Zheng Xinghua, none of them were acquaintances.

So, everyone temporarily gave up on the idea.

As usual, Qin Xia packed a set of kitchen knives and a few seasonings, including his seaweed-shrimp version of MSG, knife-cut chili, and five-spice powder.

Yu Jiuque accompanied him to the door and said, “You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll take care of the household chores, and then I’ll go visit godmother to chat.”

Qin Xia nodded.

“That’s a good idea. How about you wait for me at godmother’s place, and I’ll come to pick you up after I return?”

But Yu Jiuque smiled and replied, “You’re going to the Song residence, and when you come back, you’ll likely receive a reward. It wouldn’t be appropriate to bring all that to godmother’s house.”

Qin Xia thought for a moment and agreed—it was an oversight on his part.

“Then I’ll come home first. If you’re not there, I’ll go to godmother’s house to find you.”

After they reached an agreement, Zheng Xinghua arrived.

She didn’t take long to walk over from Liuteng Alley, and the two of them boarded the Song family’s carriage, which picked up Zhuang Xing along the way before heading to the Song residence.

…

Song Luan’s birthday banquet was a grand affair. Originally, Concubine Guo thought that since she was the only woman in the inner quarters, she should naturally be the one to organize it. This would be a great opportunity to showcase her son and daughter and make a big impression.

However, when the matter was first discussed, the family’s matriarch immediately intervened, stating that it might be fine on normal days, but at a critical event like this, there was no reason to have a concubine represent the Song family.

Concubine Guo tried to sway Song Luan through pillow talk, but as a filial son, he wouldn’t budge on matters concerning the old madam, no matter how much she tried to influence him.

She had no choice but to change her strategy and shift the focus to her son.

She couldn’t represent the Song family, but surely the second young master of the household could, even if he was born to a concubine.

After all, the eldest young master couldn’t even withstand a breeze, let alone meet people.

It took a lot of effort to get this matter settled, and just when the public funds were about to be disbursed—a substantial amount of silver, potentially worth several thousand taels—one could easily imagine how much profit there was to be made.

Concubine Guo had been eagerly anticipating this, but then a mishap occurred with a pastry from Chang Yue Lou.

The second branch suspected several times that the mishap was caused by the first branch, but after thorough investigations, they found no evidence.

Every time they encountered Song Dongling, that girl, in the residence, she was as polite as ever in front of people, but behind their backs, she still looked down on others, just as she always had.

On the other hand, that sickly boy, Song Yunmu, seemed to have secretly changed physicians or something, as he no longer ordered food from the main kitchen and had started using the small private kitchen of the first branch again. Previously, it was only used for brewing medicine, but now it was said that cooking smoke rose from it every day.

The smell of food mixed with the smell of medicine made her feel nauseated.

She tried to gather some information, but the first branch was like an impenetrable fortress. The maids and old women serving there were all from the dowry of Song Jinyao’s mother’s family. They only responded to inquiries with vague and evasive answers, offering no useful information.

Worried, Concubine Guo thought it over and decided to find an excuse to send away the trusted maid who had been working in the main kitchen.

Originally, she had kept the maid to tamper with Song Yunmu’s food, but now that the first branch no longer ate from the main kitchen, keeping her around would only be a liability.

…

On the morning of the birthday banquet.

Song Luan woke up in Concubine Guo’s room, and the maid brought in the new clothes that had been prepared for the occasion.

Concubine Guo had woken up even earlier. Over the years of serving Song Luan, she had always gotten up at least half an hour or more before him.

Every time Song Luan saw her, she would already be fully dressed and made up, not missing a single hairpin or piece of jewelry.

She was not only skilled in dressing up but also in maintaining her appearance. Even after having three children, her waist was still as slim as when she was a young girl.

After Song Luan finished washing up and getting dressed, he was supposed to go to the old madam’s room, according to the household rules, to pay his respects and have breakfast.

The old madam didn’t like seeing Concubine Guo. Years ago, she had deliberately set strict rules for her, but later, considering that she had given the Song family children, she spared her from the daily greetings.

Since the second branch’s mistake, she had become even more gentle and attentive in front of Song Luan.

Feeling sorry for her, Song Luan didn’t blame her for the incident at Chang Yue Lou. Except for the days when he was attending to the old madam’s illness and didn’t come to her room, he moved back in as soon as the old madam’s condition improved.

Today was his birthday, and he was in a particularly good mood. Before leaving, he specifically said to Concubine Guo, “Today is a good day, don’t let what happened before weigh on your mind. But do remind Yunlang to be extra cautious and mindful in his words and actions, as there are many prying eyes in the household. After this matter is over, I’ll seek the old madam’s approval.”

Concubine Guo was delighted, knowing that Song Luan’s mention of ‘seeking approval’ must be related to her being officially recognized. However, she maintained a gentle and meek demeanor.

“I dare not ask for anything else now, only for your good health and long life, my lord.'”

“Listening to her delicate voice, Song Luan felt completely at ease.

After exchanging a few more intimate words, he finally headed toward the old madam’s room.

Once Song Luan left, Concubine Guo immediately yawned.

If it weren’t for today being Song Luan’s birthday banquet, she would usually take a nap at this time of day.

A trusted maid stepped forward and asked, “Madam, should we go and summon the second young master?”

Concubine Guo shook her head.

“I know what the master is thinking. In the end, he still values that sickly boy from the main branch more than Yunlang. If you ask me, so what if Yunlang is a bit of a playboy? Which young master in this world isn’t? The only reason Song Yunmu isn’t like that is because he doesn’t have the energy.”

At this, she added, “Go and remind him for me. Just relay the master’s words, and that will be enough. Yunlang isn’t a child who doesn’t know what’s what. Even if he usually flirts around morning and night, I doubt he’d dare do so today!”

At this moment, Concubine Guo had no idea that Song Yunlang, after *losing two taels of flesh below his waist, had already caused all the trouble he could last night.

*(T/N: he got injured down there. Maybe the author will explain it later).

…

At the Song residence, in the back kitchen.

Qin Xia and the other two were led in by the head steward of the main branch of the Song family. When they arrived at the main kitchen, they found that the staff there were not only more numerous than those at the Sang residence but also seemed much more disciplined.

Just as before, Qin Xia put down his things and immediately went to check on the ingredients.

The Song residence’s menu had long been decided—sea cucumbers, shark fins, bird’s nests, and abalone, all listed among the eight delicacies, were present.

However, none of these were the most unusual item. That distinction went to a basket of red-headed crabs that the Song family had specifically commissioned someone to purchase.

As the old saying goes, ‘When the autumn wind rises, the crab’s legs itch,’ meaning most people choose to eat crabs around the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is true. However, the crab season isn’t limited to autumn alone.

In spring, one can eat soft-shell crabs and young crabs; in summer, there’s the buttery crab and the ‘June yellow’ crabs from hairy crabs. Red-headed crabs are also a type of crab that can be eaten in late spring and early summer. They aren’t native to Qinan County, and it’s said that the Song family only managed to acquire one basket, keeping them alive until today with great effort.

Crabs in this season aren’t eaten for their meat, but rather for their roe, much like buttery crabs.

Therefore, when Qin Xia heard about this ingredient, he added a dish of crab-stuffed oranges to the menu.

The steward walked ahead while Qin Xia followed behind. Before they even reached the location, they heard the steward, who had already approached the crab tank, exclaim, ‘When did these crabs die?!’

Everyone knows that dead crabs cannot be eaten.

Moreover, today was a birthday banquet, an occasion where all the guests were either wealthy or noble, and none of them would be easily fooled!

The steward immediately broke into a cold sweat and urgently summoned the head maid of the main kitchen.

The maid was equally panicked and started shouting for the boy in charge of the crabs, Qi’er.

“Get that little brat here right now!”

However, despite calling for him repeatedly, no one could find Qi’er.

“What should we do? If we can’t serve this basket of crabs, how will we explain it?!”

Qin Xia was about to suggest simply replacing the dish, but from what he gathered, Song Luan had a reputation for being quite boastful.

Earlier, when he mentioned inviting Old Master Chang to come out of retirement, he made sure everyone knew about it. Later, when Qin Xia took over as head chef, Song Luan, trying to save face, went on a spree of purchasing expensive ingredients, making sure to spread the word, especially about the red-headed crabs.

If it were any other ingredient, it might have been easier to explain, but crabs aren’t something that can be easily substituted.”

“The steward didn’t dare make a decision on his own, so he quickly sent someone to summon Song Yunmu and Song Dongling. After a short while, Song Dongling arrived, bringing along Xiaolian and an older maid.

Once she understood the situation, Song Dongling instinctively felt that the problem lay with this ‘Qi’er.’

But time was pressing, and even if they found Qi’er, it wouldn’t change the fact that he couldn’t magically produce a basket of live crabs.

Seeing the familiar faces in front of her looking as anxious as ants on a hot stove, Qin Xia pondered for a moment before saying, “If these crabs absolutely must be served, I have an idea. However, I only need the crab shells, not the dead crab meat.”

Song Dongling looked at him, puzzled, and asked, “What do you mean, Boss Qin? How can the dish be eaten if it only has crab shells?”

Qin Xia explained, “I noticed that there are fresh yellow croakers in the tanks outside. I know a recipe where yellow croaker meat can be used as a substitute for crab meat, and salted egg yolks can replace the crab roe. It may not be an exact replica, but it can mimic about eighty percent of the original taste.”

Song Dongling hesitated.

“But this would essentially be a forgery. If we get caught, how would our family’s reputation survive?”

Qin Xia responded, “It’s not really a forgery. In fact, I believe we could even present it openly, with just a slight change in how we describe it…”

Song Dongling was quite surprised by Qin Xia’s suggestion.

“This might actually be a good solution.”

Not only did it solve the problem, but it could even enhance the banquet.

However, given the gravity of the situation, she was still young and did not dare make such a significant decision on her own.

Song Dongling sent Xiaolian to inform her brother about the situation, and it wasn’t long before she received his response.

“Miss, the eldest young master says that this plan is feasible and that we should proceed according to Boss Qin’s instructions.”

With both Song Yunmu and Song Dongling nodding in agreement, the staff in the main kitchen immediately split into groups to help remove the dead crab meat, leaving only the best-looking crab shells.

Qin Xia, along with Zheng Xinghua and Zhuang Xing, then headed into the kitchen to start preparing the other dishes.

Since the Song family didn’t eat red meat, aside from the previously mentioned ingredients, most of the remaining dishes were made with poultry such as chicken, duck, and goose, or with fish and shrimp.

The most time-consuming dish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, was the first to be prepared.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a famous dish from Fujian. Qin Xia had assumed that Dayong would have a similar dish, but when he asked Xing Yiming and a few other food connoisseurs, they all said they had never heard of it.

Perhaps it existed elsewhere, but at least in Qinan County, it was unheard of, making it an ideal dish to add prestige to Lord Song’s birthday banquet.

To make a proper pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, only a family like the Song’s could afford to gather such an array of rare ingredients.

Sea cucumber, abalone, dried scallops, fish maw, large shrimp… along with shiitake mushrooms, pigeon eggs, cordyceps, and other ingredients, all of which were simmered in a rich broth made from a plump, mature hen.

Before placing them in the pot, each ingredient had to be blanched or pre-steamed according to its cooking time and then added to the clay pot in sequence, simmering for nearly two hours.

This dish could only be made in a clay pot, slowly simmered over low heat.

Fortunately, the Song family’s main kitchen was large enough to accommodate the numerous clay pots without hindering Qin Xia and his team from preparing other dishes.

Song Sao Fish Soup, Rock Sugar Turtle, Lotus Leaf Chicken, Longjing Shrimp, Rouge Goose Breast…

The Longjing Shrimp was made with the famous Mingqian Longjing tea, a rare and precious tea that most people wouldn’t even dare drink. Yet at the Song residence, it was tossed into the cooking pot as if it were nothing more than green onions or cilantro.

There was also a dish of Stewed Lion’s Head, but it was a chicken and tofu version.

Another dish was Roast Pigeon, each bird only about the size of an adult’s palm, roasted until the skin was shiny with oil, tender and not dry.

While large banquets often had fruit platters and cold appetizers, when it came to the main course, vegetarian dishes were rarely seen. If they were included, the ingredients had to be of the highest quality, or the dish had to showcase the chef’s skills. Fortunately, Qin Xia was more than capable.

For example, the Wensi Tofu Soup could only be made by him.

In Wensi Tofu Soup, the tofu and other ingredients, such as shiitake mushrooms, tender bamboo shoots, and chicken breast, had to be cut into threads as fine as hair before being added to the soup.

If it weren’t for the banquet at the Song residence, Qin Xia would rarely have the opportunity to demonstrate his knife skills at this level.

It should be noted that cutting tender tofu is particularly challenging. A slight touch can turn it into crumbs, making it several times more difficult than cutting firm tofu.

But everyone watched as Qin Xia picked up his kitchen knife and sliced the tender tofu into two halves, then into thin slices, and finally into fine threads. To others, the tofu looked like a solid white block, but when the knife finally sliced through it and the tofu was submerged in water, it immediately turned into ‘thousands of threads,’ floating and swaying in the water.

“Today, I’ve truly witnessed something amazing!”

The head maid of the Song family’s kitchen watched in astonishment, her eyes nearly popping out of her head as she patted her chest in awe.

Earlier, they had privately discussed whether the chef invited by the main branch could ever compare to Old Master Chang.

Now, after seeing Qin Xia’s knife skills, they knew just how deep his expertise ran.

It was true—there’s always someone better out there!

After finishing the more complicated dishes, Qin Xia assigned the relatively simpler tasks to Zheng Xinghua, Zhuang Xing, and the cooks and maids of the Song family. By this time, the crab shells had been mostly cleaned.

Qin Xia inspected the crab shells, gauged their size, then rolled up his sleeves and fished out two sturdy yellow croakers from the tank outside.

The final dish he was preparing was none other than the ‘imitation crab’ dish.”