Ch 61: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

“What’s all that noise outside in the middle of the night?”

“Sounds like something going on at the Qin family’s place. I overheard a bit by the wall today—it seems like Jiu Ge’er has gone missing.”

“How could a perfectly fine person go missing? Their family is doing well; it’s not like he ran away with someone.”

“Running away with someone still leaves him alive—what’s worrisome is if someone has their eyes on him…”

In the alley, no secrets can be kept. The news of Yu Jiuque’s disappearance for half a day had already spread like wildfire.

The night was quiet, and the sound of knocking startled many from their sleep. Some, curious to no end, even put on clothes, opened their doors slightly, and peeked outside.

“See anything?”

“Looks like it’s the authorities!”

…

Qin Xia, his heart pounding like a drum, undid the door latch and opened the door, dreading the possibility of bad news from the person outside.

Fortunately, as soon as the door opened, he saw the one standing on the other side of the threshold.

His Ah Jiu, finally, had returned safely.

Without caring that there were others around, Qin Xia stepped across the threshold and pulled Yu Jiuque into his arms.

The ones who escorted Yu Jiuque home weren’t just ordinary officers under Liang Tianqi; they were two secret guards disguised in official uniforms, meant to cover up Yu Jiuque’s “disappearance.”

These days, they had been ordered to stay close to Yu Jiuque, reporting everything about Qin Xia, Yu Jiuque, and the affairs of the Qin family restaurant.

With their task done, they had no reason to linger.

However, they couldn’t help but notice the neighbors eavesdropping, so one of them deliberately spoke louder than usual, saying, “So you must be this man’s husband? Are you Qin Xia?”

Qin Xia, holding Yu Jiuque for a moment longer, finally felt the blood start to flow through his veins again.

At the sound of the question, he let go of Yu Jiuque and sent him behind him. He then bowed and replied, “I am Qin Xia, a common man.”

The “official” nodded.

“Then there’s no mistake.”

He continued in an official tone, “Recently, the yamen has been investigating a group of kidnappers who snuck into Pingyuan Prefecture. They typically use a woman carrying a child as bait to lure kind-hearted Ge’ers and women into narrow alleys, where they drug them and sell them off. Your husband was tricked on the street today, but he was lucky—just as we captured the gang leader and rescued several abducted Ge’ers and women. Apart from some minor injuries, he hadn’t suffered much harm yet.

“By rights, we should have you come to the yamen tomorrow to retrieve him, but the county magistrate, kind as a father to his people, couldn’t bear to let families worry in vain, so he sent us to escort him home tonight.”

This explanation was convincing—not only for Qin Xia but also for those secretly listening through the cracks of their doors.

Everyone was now thinking about how cunning kidnappers had become. Families with Ge’ers or daughters would have to remind them to be cautious on the streets from now on.

Qin Xia bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your hard work, officers. I thank you and the county magistrate for your kindness.”

Nearby, Liu Douzi, remembering he was still dressed from earlier and had a string of coins in his pocket, took them out and tried to give them to the officers on Qin Xia’s behalf.

“Officers, it’s not much, but please take this for tea or wine.”

Of course, the secret guards wouldn’t take the money. They waved it off and, after a few more formal words, left.

Afterwards, they still needed to change out of their uniforms and return to surveillance duties, though the orders had changed from monitoring to guarding.

Once the officers were gone, the Qin family’s door closed again.

Liu Douzi, happy for Qin Xia and Yu Jiuque, knew when to make himself scarce. He immediately said, “Xia ge, you should help your husband back inside. I’ll go to the kitchen and start a fire, boil some hot water.”

After taking a few steps, he returned to ask, “Jiu Ge’er, do you want something to eat? I can prepare something.”

Yu Jiuque, in the end, hadn’t really suffered any injuries. Madam Liang had shut down his idea when he suggested it, saying that as a healer, she couldn’t stand to see someone disregard their own life in front of her.

So, though he felt a bit dizzy, there really wasn’t much else wrong with him. Still, he had no appetite.

Seeing him shake his head, Liu Douzi went to boil water.

The few cats that slept in the courtyard were now awake, wandering around and wondering why this group of people was still up in the middle of the night.

“Come on, let’s go inside and lie down.”

Qin Xia tightly held Yu Jiuque’s hand, not daring to let go since earlier.

The two entered the room together, removed their outer garments, and Yu Jiuque leaned against the headboard while Qin Xia shook out the blanket and covered him.

Their eyes met, both seeming to have a thousand things to say to each other.

Qin Xia never believed Yu Jiuque could have fallen for such a clumsy trick. The officers being able to escort him home late at night meant the so-called kidnappers were likely just a cover story.

Yet, judging by Yu Jiuque’s appearance, it didn’t seem like he went willingly on this trip either.

Qin Xia couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of fear.

“When I came home and didn’t see you, I went to our godmother’s house to find you. But she said you had never been there. Then I asked Aunt Ge and Sister Shuang. Sister Shuang said she saw you during the day, but after that, she didn’t know. So I went to the restaurant, but there was no news there either. Afterward, we all spread out to search around the city.”

Yu Jiuque lowered his eyes, his lips moved, and he softly said, “It’s my fault. Before going to our godmother’s house, I decided on a whim to stop by the cloth shop to buy some handkerchiefs. I wanted to learn embroidery from her, but then…”

Qin Xia didn’t let him finish the rest of the sentence.

To him, as long as Yu Jiuque was back, nothing else mattered.

“It’s not your fault, no need to explain. Who would blame you? Would I, or would our godmother blame you? Don’t overthink it.”

Yu Jiuque had so much weighing on his heart, not knowing where to start with Qin Xia.

He extended his arms, wrapping them around Qin Xia’s neck, his cheek brushing against the stubble on Qin Xia’s chin.

Sensing something wrong in his husband’s emotions, Qin Xia realized that this journey had been anything but simple—he must have gone through something.

But since the issue hadn’t been spoken of yet, Qin Xia couldn’t offer much comfort. All he could do was gently stroke Yu Jiuque’s long hair.

After a long while, he felt something cool on his cheek.

“Ah Jiu?”

Qin Xia was starting to panic.

This was the first time he had ever seen Yu Jiuque cry.

Yu Jiuque himself didn’t even know why he was crying.

Clearly, in front of Liang Tianqi, he had managed to keep his composure, yet here, in front of Qin Xia, all he could think about was the separation that would inevitably come soon.

If it weren’t for his past, he would simply be an injured and amnesiac ordinary man who ended up here. To live out his life with Qin Xia would be such happiness.

But once he had entered the Eastern Palace, there was no turning back.

Now, the only path he could see was to return to the capital and devote himself fully to helping the Crown Prince succeed.

Once he had earned enough merit, he could ask for any reward he wanted.

When that time came, his husband, Yu Jiuque’s Qin Xia, could open the finest restaurant in Shengjing if he so wished.

Liu Douzi had finished boiling the water and stood at the door, scratching his head.

Knowing it wasn’t the right time to go in, and feeling that speaking up was equally inappropriate, he hesitated for a long moment before finally walking over to the window and saying, “Xia ge, Jiu Ge’er, the water’s ready. I’ve got a bucket of cold water and a kettle of hot water for you.”

Qin Xia had just been thinking about getting a warm cloth to wipe Yu Jiuque’s face.

He gently pulled Yu Jiuque out of his arms and brushed away the tears with the back of his hand, feeling just as choked up.

“I’ll go get the water, wait here.”

…

In the moonlight, faint overlapping shadows were cast on the wall.

Occasionally, there was a soft sound, like petals falling on the surface of a spring pond—light and gentle, yet it stirred small ripples.

The ripples spread, lingering for a long time.

After it was over, Qin Xia tucked the exhausted young man back into the blanket and tossed the used cloth into the basin on the floor.

“You didn’t have the strength, but still insisted on showing off.”

He looked at Yu Jiuque’s face in his sleep, feeling both amused and helpless, with a touch of tenderness.

Leaning down, Qin Xia placed a gentle kiss on his husband’s smooth forehead, then quietly moved to the end of the bed to put back the paper that had fallen out earlier.

He knew with Yu Jiuque’s sharpness, he would surely notice that the paper had been moved.

And that discovery was exactly what Qin Xia intended.

When Qin Xia opened his eyes in the morning, he felt surprisingly refreshed.

It seemed that Yu Jiuque’s “sleep aid method” from last night had some effect, though the price was that the young man remained fast asleep, oblivious to the world. That was fine—it was better to let him sleep longer and regain his energy.

Qin Xia got up alone, scooping up Da Fu, who tried to sneak into the inner room, and carried him outside.

“After breakfast, go find somewhere to play. Don’t go inside and disturb your little dad.”

He had gotten so used to calling him “little dad” that it rolled off his tongue naturally now.

After washing up, Qin Xia made sure all the animals in the house had their food, then he found some glutinous rice in the kitchen, planning to make some sweet rice dumplings for Yu Jiuque.

In Qin Xia’s opinion, the best accompaniment to these dumplings was fermented rice.

But since there was none in the house at the moment, he used some dried osmanthus flowers and a jar of premium osmanthus honey that had been part of a gift from the Song family the day before.

He poured the glutinous rice flour into a large bowl, added hot water, and stirred it into a doughy consistency.

When it was just right—not too dry and not too sticky—he began kneading it by hand.

Though the dough was hot, Qin Xia was used to the heat, having trained his hands through years of cooking.

With a calm expression, he kneaded the glutinous rice flour into a smooth white dough, placed it on the board, and pinched off small pieces, rolling them into long strips.

Using a dough cutter, he sliced the strips into small pieces, each about the size of a fingernail, and carefully rolled them into solid dumplings. After making enough, he dusted them with some glutinous rice flour to prevent sticking.

Qin Xia had woken up early, so he had plenty of time. He rolled about a hundred and eighty dumplings before stopping.

The sweet dumplings had to be served hot, so he waited until Yu Jiuque woke up and freshened up before boiling them.

Before that, Wei Chao came by from the warehouse, as their family had heard the noise of the officers returning Yu Jiuque the night before but hadn’t wanted to disturb them.

“It’s good he’s back. Those kidnappers really deserve death. Jiu Ge’er is lucky—first, he was saved when you bought him, and now this time, he escaped unharmed. Twice is enough, no one should have to go through this a third time. Even the heavens would be ashamed to let him suffer any more misfortune.”

Qin Xia thanked Wei Chao for his concern and promised to have him over for a meal at the restaurant soon.

When boiling the dumplings, he added rock sugar, whisked in a thin layer of egg, and when they were done, he ladled them into bowls, topped them with a few spoonfuls of osmanthus honey, and sprinkled some dried osmanthus on top.

Yu Jiuque ate three or four dumplings at a time, chewing slowly and carefully.

The dumplings were soft and chewy, with a slight stickiness to them. The osmanthus honey was sweet and smooth, and combined with the dried osmanthus flowers, it filled the air with a rich fragrance.

There were other breakfast dishes on the table as well—golden egg pancakes, halved boiled eggs, and stir-fried greens to pair with the pancakes.

A soft cushion was placed on the chair to ensure Yu Jiuque wouldn’t feel too much strain on his waist while sitting.

Qin Xia picked up the bowl and drank the broth from the sweet dumplings. After finishing, he noticed Yu Jiuque staring at his neck and realized what was on his mind. Teasingly, he asked, “What are you looking at? Don’t recognize me after half a night?”

There was a mark on his neck that no collar could hide, a reddened spot deliberately left by the overly enthusiastic young man from last night.

The night had a way of making people act impulsively under its cover.

But now, under the bright daylight, Yu Jiuque wished he could forget everything all over again.

Instinctively, his hand went to his stomach, unsure if anything had been left inside from the chaotic night.

Qin Xia noticed Yu Jiuque’s concern and said in a calm voice, “Don’t worry, I was careful.”

Yu Jiuque felt guilty for putting Qin Xia through this.

As he thought quickly, he planned that once they returned to Shengjing and settled everything, clearing away their worries, the first reward he would ask for would be to bring Qin Xia to the capital. The second? He would give Qin Xia a child.

By then, he wouldn’t worry about his weak body preventing a pregnancy. The imperial physicians in the palace had plenty of remedies for such things.

As for the rule that eunuchs couldn’t bear children—he didn’t care.

Yu Jiuque refused to believe he couldn’t find a way around it.

Qin Xia, unaware that Yu Jiuque had already planned out their future children, finished breakfast and left the house with a basket of vegetables.

He first went to Liuteng Alley to visit Fang Rong and Zheng Xinghua.

Then he headed to the restaurant to inform Zhuang Xing and the two younger helpers that Yu Jiuque had returned home safely.

“Thank heavens, and blessings from the Bodhisattva.”

Zhuang Xing clasped his hands together in a gesture of gratitude, while Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao also looked visibly relieved.

Qin Xia instructed them to keep an eye on the restaurant.

“We’ll close for a few days. You’ll still be paid, and if anyone comes by to sell goods, tell them to return after three days.”

Before leaving, Qin Xia left a package of fried sugar cakes.

He had bought them from You Ge’er’s stall on Liu Bao Street earlier. Business had been booming for You Ge’er’ food stand, thanks to the popularity of his jianbing. Not only were his two children helping out, but even the man in the family no longer needed to work at the docks; he assisted the stall daily.

Qin Xia bought ten sugar cakes, and You Ge’er gave him two extra, even offering to make two sets of jianbing for him.

Qin Xia politely declined and quickly left, not saying a word about the recent troubles at home.

After leaving the restaurant, he went to find Butcher Guo.

“There’s some family business to take care of, so the restaurant will be closed for three days. I won’t be buying meat during that time, just letting you know.”

Butcher Guo asked with concern what had happened, and Qin Xia simply said that Yu Jiuque was ill.

Butcher Guo knew of Qin Xia’s husband, who indeed appeared to have a frail constitution.

He gave Qin Xia the five-flower pork he had ordered and added a block of pork blood and a set of marrow bones as extra.

“Take these home and make some bone broth for Jiu Ge’er to help him recover.”

These extras weren’t as valuable as the pork belly, but Qin Xia didn’t want to take advantage of Butcher Guo.

He placed everything in his basket and stubbornly threw a few extra copper coins into Butcher Guo’s money box.

He said the same thing to the vegetable vendor who regularly supplied the restaurant, then bought two large bunches of choi sum, a handful of garlic shoots, and pea shoots from the stall.

The choi sum would be stir-fried plain, the garlic shoots paired with cured pork, and the pea shoots would go into a meatball soup.

After buying everything he needed, Qin Xia changed direction and headed to Chengyi Hall.

Men carrying baskets of vegetables and meat while wandering the streets weren’t a common sight, so the clerk at Chengyi Hall was initially eyeing his basket. But when his gaze moved upward to see his face, he recognized him.

“Boss Qin, here for some medicine?”

Qin Xia nodded in acknowledgment.

“Is Doctor Xu in?”

“He’s here.”

The clerk shouted loudly toward the other end, “Maidong, go to the backyard and call your master!”

Maidong, though unable to speak, raised his hand to show he understood and then quickly ran to the back.

When Dr. Xu came out and learned that Qin Xia wanted him to make a house call, he shouldered his medicine box and called for Maidong to accompany him.

“That Jiu Ge’er … really…” Dr. Xu didn’t know how to respond after hearing Qin Xia recount Yu Jiuque’s ordeal. He could only think that while the young man had endured hardships, he was fortunate to have such a devoted husband.

Along the way, Dr. Xu inquired about Yu Jiuque’s symptoms.

“From what you’ve described, it doesn’t sound like anything serious.”

He offered some reassurance to Qin Xia, all the while walking briskly despite his age—his legs were still quite nimble.

When the doctor arrived at the Qin household, Ge Xiuhong was in the courtyard dividing vegetable seeds with two familiar women. Ge Xiuhong had a knack for gardening, and every year, people from the alley would come to her for seeds. For city folk, they didn’t need much, so it wasn’t worth buying a whole packet from a seed shop.

Not all who came to buy seeds were close acquaintances, and some were rather annoying.

For example, since the Wei family’s gate was open, one woman noticed Qin Xia bringing home a doctor and immediately began gossiping, “I think the Qin boy really got a bad deal marrying that husband of his. Just a few months ago, he was drinking medicine every day—you could smell it every time you passed by. He finally got better, and now he’s been targeted by kidnappers. That’s why you shouldn’t marry someone just because they’re good-looking. It only brings trouble. If the authorities hadn’t shown up in time, who knows what might’ve happened if they were a night too late.”

The other woman, who had come with her, had no desire to add a single word. Everyone knew the Wei and Qin families were close, so saying this in the Wei courtyard was clearly asking for trouble.

She silently scooted her stool back a bit.

Her decision proved to be a wise one.

As soon as she moved, Ge Xiuhong’s retort was directed at the other woman.

“That’s quite a laughable thing to say—are you really blaming someone’s good looks for being targeted by kidnappers?”

She glanced at the gossiping woman, looked her up and down, and said with a smile, “Then again, looking like you, I suppose no kidnapper would even bother.”

The woman, stunned by the jab, retorted, “I’m just concerned for the Qin boy.”

Ge Xiuhong sneered, “Concern? Qin Xia probably makes more in a day than your husband does in a month. Do you think he needs your concern? Let me give you a word of advice: next time you think about gossiping about the Qin family, remember what happened to Gao Lüshi.”

The woman shuddered.

Ge Xiuhong didn’t have to say it outright, but the woman recalled what had happened to Gao Lüshi. After being publicly scolded by the local elder, Gao Lüshi hadn’t dared show his face outside his home, and people still occasionally threw water or waste at his door—revenge from those he had once offended.

When it came time to pay for the seeds, the woman didn’t dare haggle with Ge Xiuhong. In fact, she even paid five extra copper coins, hoping Ge Xiuhong wouldn’t go and report her words to Qin Xia.

Ge Xiuhong didn’t take the extra money, only saying this would be the last time she’d sell seeds to her.

The gossip in the Wei courtyard didn’t reach the Qin household.

Inside, Dr. Xu took Yu Jiuque’s pulse and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yu Jiuque was worried that Madam Liang’s acupuncture treatment from last night might leave some traces in his pulse.

However, Dr. Xu said nothing.

Yu Jiuque’s mind stirred, and he tentatively asked, “Dr. Xu, last time you asked if I had regained my memory, and I said I hadn’t. But… since then, I’ve felt my mind has been clearer than before, and I’ve recalled some fragmented memories, though I can’t piece them together.”

Sensing Qin Xia’s gaze, Yu Jiuque lowered his eyes.

Dr. Xu withdrew his hand from checking the pulse.

He had already seen through it—this young Ge’er had something weighing on his mind, and it likely had to do with his memory.

What was true and what was false wasn’t something for a doctor to untangle.

“It seems most of your illness has been resolved; what remains is likely a matter of the heart.”

Dr. Xu had already spread out the paper to write a prescription, but after some thought, he set the pen down.

“For ailments of the heart, only the heart can provide the cure. I won’t prescribe any calming or restorative medicines. Simply put… whether or not your memory returns depends on whether you want it to.”