Ch 65: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

“Boss Qin, the lotus roots have all been washed.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Xia bent down to inspect.

Lotus roots grow in the mud, and the dirt in the holes is the hardest to clean. The outer skin is delicate, and peeling them is a skillful task.

He called out to Qiu Chuan and the other restaurant employees, “I plan to add three dishes today: cold lotus root slices, sweet and sour diced lotus root, and glutinous rice stuffed lotus root with honey. The glutinous rice lotus root takes a long time to prepare, so we’ll save it for dinner. As for today’s lunch, we’ll serve a small plate of cold lotus root slices to every customer, as an apology for the inconvenience caused by the restaurant’s recent closure. If they want to order lotus root slices separately, it’ll be 12 coins per plate. The sweet and sour diced lotus root will be included in the lunch set and won’t be available for separate ordering.”

Qiu Chuan nodded, taking note.

“Boss, if we don’t allow them to order separately, some customers might not be happy.”

Qin Xia explained, “We didn’t receive a large supply of lotus root today, and I want to try a few new dishes. If they want to order more, let them know that we’ll have it available for a while going forward.”

“Understood, Boss. I’ll explain it to them.”

Although Qiu Chuan was young, his reliability was evident. Qin Xia had plans to groom him further. If he eventually went to Shengjing, he wouldn’t want to close the restaurant, and leaving someone trustworthy to manage it would be ideal.

Once the lunch ingredients, including the lotus root, were all prepped, Qin Xia called in Zheng Xinghua and Zhuang Xing to join him in the kitchen.

The first dish was cold lotus root slices, which seemed simple but had its own tricks.

“First, the lotus root slices need to be thin enough, or they won’t absorb the flavors properly.”

Qin Xia placed the lotus root on the cutting board and swiftly sliced it. Each piece was of uniform thickness, thin enough to be translucent, yet unbroken.

“Cold lotus root needs to be blanched, but not for too long—just about the time it takes to count 60 heartbeats. Any longer, and the lotus root will turn soft.”

As the lotus root boiled, steam rose from the pot, and Qin Xia scooped them out with a strainer.

The seasoning process was more complex. Though cold dishes didn’t require cooking on the stove, making them delicious involved several steps.

He minced garlic and chili peppers, took out some pre-prepared Sichuan pepper oil, and mixed them together with sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

“If this dish only had lotus root slices, it would be too plain in texture and color.”

Qin Xia sliced some asparagus lettuce, a bit of carrot, and cilantro, adding them to the large bowl with the lotus root slices, then poured a generous amount of dressing over everything.

Zhuang Xing took a large spatula and mixed the ingredients, revealing a beautiful blend of red, green, and white.

Zheng Xinghua seemed to have a moment of understanding.

She had noticed before that when Qin Xia taught cooking, he didn’t just teach the steps and methods, but also conveyed a certain “philosophy.”

For example, Qin Xia had once said, “Recipes were created by people. The first person to invent a recipe probably just thought these ingredients would taste good together. After many trials, a good flavor was found, and the recipe was passed down.”

“When learning to cook, don’t be limited by the recipe. Someone who can only follow a recipe exactly might be stuck if they lack a certain ingredient one day. Such a person can’t be considered a true chef.”

Even with a simple dish like cold lotus root slices, each step had its purpose, making it that dish.

What if someone didn’t like garlic? Could ginger juice be used instead?

What if they didn’t like Sichuan pepper oil? What should be the base of the dressing then?

Zheng Xinghua took the small bowl that Zhuang Xing handed her, placed a slice of lotus root in her mouth, and suddenly felt like her perspective had become much clearer.

“Next dish, sweet and sour diced lotus root.”

Qin Xia’s voice snapped her back from her thoughts, and she quickly stepped forward, focusing on learning.

Sweet and sour diced lotus root was actually a quick dish, and Qin Xia had chosen it to include in the set meal because it was time-saving and efficient.

The lotus root was diced, blanched, and a sweet and sour sauce was prepared separately, using the usual ingredients, though balancing the sugar and vinegar was key.

Additionally, a bowl of starch slurry was prepared for thickening.

Once both parts were ready, the dish was stir-fried for a few quick tosses in the wok and was ready to serve.

At first glance, the dish didn’t seem particularly eye-catching, but once Qin Xia sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, it immediately became much more visually appealing.

As for the glutinous rice-stuffed lotus root, it wasn’t urgent to prepare. There was still some lotus root that hadn’t been peeled yet, so he figured he’d tackle it after the lunch rush.

Another cold dish being introduced today was cold jellyfish salad. Qin Xia enjoyed this dish, but he wasn’t sure if the people of Qinan County would take to it, as many find jellyfish to have a fishy taste. To balance that, he added a large amount of cucumber, vinegar, and sugar. The cucumber was refreshing, while the vinegar and sugar helped mask the fishiness of the seafood.

Compared to jellyfish, the dried squid stewed with pork, which had already sold about a dozen portions in the restaurant, was easier for people to accept.

This dish was already written on the menu and hung on the wall, and Qiu Chuan would promote it from time to time.

From the last batch of seafood, there were still quite a few ingredients left that hadn’t been used, but Qin Xia wasn’t worried. They kept well and wouldn’t spoil, so he could sell them slowly over time.

…

“Teacher Feng, have you heard? Qin Family Eatery reopened today!”

“Really?”

Feng Hongyang was just leaving the classroom and planning to rest in the teacher’s lounge when he heard this news and froze on the spot.

The one who told him was Teacher Xiang, who was around his age and also liked to eat lunch at Qin Family Eatery.

“Why would I lie to you? Want to go together for lunch?”

“Of course!”

The two happily agreed to meet for lunch. Even though there was still one more class before lunch, Feng Hongyang’s mind had already wandered outside the county school.

During the few days that Qin Family Eatery was closed, Feng Hongyang felt like he was starving. He would rather gnaw on plain bread with pickled vegetables than eat the school’s cafeteria food.

And it wasn’t just the cafeteria food—none of the nearby eateries tasted as good as before. It was true what they said: once you’ve experienced luxury, it’s hard to go back to simplicity.

“Teachers Feng and Xiang, you’re here!”

Qiu Chuan stood at the entrance, welcoming guests. As soon as he saw familiar faces, he quickly approached to guide them to their seats.

“I saved your usual seats by the window.”

The two followed Qiu Chuan’s direction and saw that their usual spot was indeed still available.

“Thanks for being so thoughtful.”

They happily sat down and each took out a meal ticket.

“Why was your restaurant closed for a few days?” Teacher Xiang asked.

Qiu Chuan explained that it was because Yu Jiuque had fallen ill. Instinctively, the two glanced over at the counter and happened to make eye contact with Yu Jiuque.

The young man didn’t seem surprised, and he smiled and nodded at them. Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang politely nodded back.

“We’ll have the usual—two set meals, and we want to try every dish.”

This was why Feng Hongyang liked having Teacher Xiang as his lunch partner—neither of them were picky eaters. Each day, Qin Family Eatery offered six different dishes, and they would each order three. After the food arrived, they could both enjoy a taste of all six dishes.

“Got it, the meals will be right up. Please wait a moment.”

Since the set meal dishes were already prepared, it wasn’t long before Qiu Chuan brought over a pot of tea and a small plate of cold lotus root slices. On his next trip, he brought out two meal trays.

Feng Hongyang, unable to hold back his praise, said, “Your lotus root slices are seasoned perfectly.”

Teacher Xiang echoed in agreement.

A free plate of cold side dish that not only looked good but also tasted great—it’s no wonder Qin Family Eatery was so popular and profitable. The money people spent here was gladly given!

After savoring the lotus root slices, they moved on to the set meals.

Since both of them always ordered a surprise selection, Qiu Chuan would bring the dishes and announce their names one by one.

“This plate has stuffed meatballs, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and sweet and sour lotus root cubes. The other plate has pepper chicken, braised eggplant, and oil-braised tofu sheets.”

Seeing several new dishes they hadn’t tried before, both of them couldn’t wait to dig in, their mouths watering.

“The meatballs even have shiitake mushrooms in them.”

“This sweet and sour lotus root has a really unique flavor. I’ve only had sweet and sour fish or pork before, but this is such a great side dish with rice.”

“This braised eggplant is the best I’ve ever had.”

“I heard that to make eggplant taste good, you need to use plenty of oil. When we make it at home, we’re probably not as generous with the oil as the restaurants are.”

“Exactly! And the food at the school canteen is already considered good if there’s even a little bit of oil…”

As they were enjoying their conversation, a sudden cough behind them interrupted their chat.

Teacher Xiang, thoroughly enjoying his meal, turned around slightly irritated to see who it was…

And nearly choked on his rice.

“Da…Da…”

He stammered, trying to get the words out but failing.

Realizing that the situation wasn’t something to make a fuss over, he painfully swallowed both his food and his shock.

Feng Hongyang, having just stuffed his mouth full of braised eggplant and basking in the joy it brought, turned around and saw the familiar face of the county school’s head teacher, barely avoiding choking himself.

From a distance, Qiu Chuan noticed the two teachers turning red and flustered, thinking something was wrong. He quickly came over to check.

Both of them hurriedly explained that they had just eaten too quickly and accidentally choked.

“I’ll bring you both another pot of water.”

Qiu Chuan picked up the half-empty teapot and glanced at the man standing nearby.

Strange, when did this guest arrive?

“Sir, do you happen to know these two gentlemen?” Qiu Chuan asked, keenly observing the situation. He could tell that the elderly man dressed like a scholar had some connection with the two teachers.

The head teacher of the county school, Mo Zheng, now well past his fifties, looked kindly at the young server with his hands behind his back. “Little one, I’ll have the same meal as them.”

Qiu Chuan scratched his head and asked, “Which three dishes would you like, sir?”

After hearing the options, Mo Zheng paused and replied, “I’ll have the meatballs, eggplant, and tofu sheets.”

As older folks often preferred softer, easier-to-chew foods, he made his choice.

Since the three clearly knew each other and a nearby table had just opened up, Qiu Chuan warmly invited them to sit together.

Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang, feeling utterly helpless, followed Mo Zheng to the new table. They still had half their meals left, but their appetites had vanished out of nervousness.

Mo Zheng, however, was quite at ease. He sat upright and inspected the small restaurant.

“So, this is the Qin Family Eatery you two frequent.”

Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang exchanged glances, both seeing the anxiety reflected in each other’s faces.

However, there was no rule at the county school that forbade teachers from going out for lunch during the midday break. So their first reaction was to wonder if they had done something wrong elsewhere—but what could they possibly have done?

As they racked their brains, the meal that Mo Zheng had ordered was already served, along with the complimentary side dish.

“You two, what are you standing around for? The food’s getting cold, hurry up and eat,” Mo Zheng said cheerfully, picking up his chopsticks and encouraging the two teachers before he began to eat.

County school instructor Mo Zheng was a tong jinshi who had risen from Qinan County.

This meant he had made it through to the final stage of the imperial examination system, securing a place in the palace examination—a considerable achievement.

However, the difference between a “tong jinshi” and a full-fledged “jinshi” was significant, especially when it came to the treatment they received.

After all, there were only so many official positions available in the country.

Those who finished at the very top of the palace examination were retained in the capital for official appointments.

Most of the second-tier jinshi were sent to serve in local governments, with those who performed less well starting out as minor officials of the seventh rank.

As for third-tier tong jinshi, they often had to settle for whatever lower-level posts were left over.

And so, even at his advanced age, Mo Zheng remained merely a county school instructor, but he harbored no discontent about it.

The Dayong Dynasty had long valued the imperial examination system, and a county school instructor was tasked with overseeing the education of the brightest young minds in the county.

Although Mo Zheng had spent years studying tirelessly, nurturing his aspirations to serve the nation, he had, through his experience of the political intrigues within officialdom, come to understand that retiring from this small but stable position wasn’t such a bad fate.

His only recent trouble had been the arrival of the newly appointed financial administrator, Lu Xundao, from the nearby prefectural city.

To put it bluntly, Lu was a man of connections.

In the county school, the instructor was in charge of teaching, while the financial administrator managed the school’s finances and affairs.

As soon as Lu Xundao took office, his first move was to appoint several of his relatives to positions in the school canteen.

From that point on, the already subpar meals in the canteen became even more unbearable.

With the county-level exams just a few months away, the situation was dire. Many students, who depended on the canteen due to their modest family backgrounds, were left with empty stomachs, struggling to study.

Finally, the complaints reached Mo Zheng’s ears.

Previously, Mo Zheng had no reason to frequent the canteen since he either didn’t spend all his time at the school or had his meals delivered by his family. However, upon hearing the complaints, he decided to investigate.

One glance at the food was enough to confirm that it was, indeed, hard to swallow.

When he brought the issue to Lu Xundao’s attention, all he got in return was a string of excuses, with Lu blaming budget constraints and claiming there wasn’t enough funding to improve the situation.

Mo Zheng had never wanted to butt heads with Lu Xundao. Everyone at the school knew Mo was an easygoing man, skilled at “smoothing things over.” But this canteen issue was a step too far.

The poor quality of the ingredients made it clear whose pockets the extra money had gone into.

If the students couldn’t eat properly, how could they focus on their studies and achieve good results?

And if the county school performed poorly in the upcoming exams, it would be a disgrace for the entire county of Qinan.

As Mo Zheng began to investigate the matter, he learned that several of the school’s teachers regularly came to “Qin Family Eatery” for lunch. Some of the more privileged students even had their servants bring takeout from here to the school.

Bothered by the state of affairs in the school canteen, Mo Zheng decided not to have his family send him food today. Instead, he came here on a little stroll to see for himself.

After taking a few bites, Mo Zheng realized why, despite the distance from the county school, this restaurant was able to draw the teachers to sacrifice their midday rest just to have a meal here.

To put it bluntly, if the food from the county school’s canteen were served here at Qin Family Eatery, even the dogs in the backyard wouldn’t touch it.

As for Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang, they were initially too nervous to eat, sitting on pins and needles in front of Mo Zheng.

But as they gradually realized that Mo Zheng was solely focused on his meal and had no intention of engaging with them, they too couldn’t bear to waste such good food. They quickly immersed themselves in their own meals, soon forgetting their anxiety.

Once the meal was over, a server brought some tea for rinsing their mouths. Mo Zheng began to ponder, perhaps he could stop having his family send him food and just come to Qin Family Eatery for lunch from now on.

At that thought, a brilliant idea struck him, though he decided it wasn’t the right place to discuss it.

“If you’re finished, let’s head back together,” Mo Zheng said, calling over a server to settle the bill. He intended to pay for Feng and Xiang as well, but the server informed him they had already paid using meal tickets.

After learning what meal tickets were, Mo Zheng smiled and nodded but didn’t say anything further about purchasing one.

On the way back to the county school, Mo Zheng didn’t mention anything related to Qin Family Eatery but, before parting ways inside the school, he instructed the two teachers, “After the afternoon classes, come to the instructor’s office together.”

The two quickly bowed and acknowledged the order, feeling a growing sense of unease.

Returning to the shared teachers’ room, Feng Hongyang noticed that Teacher Qian, who shared the room with them, was gnawing on a plain steamed bun.

Teacher Qian, having married early and with many children to support, along with sending money to his parents in the countryside, was always strapped for cash. He couldn’t afford to eat out often and had to tolerate the meals at the canteen.

Seeing the two return, Teacher Qian sighed with a pained expression, “Stay away from me. The smell of food on you is making me even hungrier.”

The two were puzzled.

Though Teacher Qian often complained about the canteen, he usually managed to fill his stomach there. It was odd that he’d still be hungry after lunch.

Upon further inquiry, Teacher Qian shook his head and explained, “You must not have heard. Today, both canteen cooks called in sick, leaving only two helpers. They claimed they didn’t know how to cook and could only steam buns.”

Teacher Xiang’s eyes widened.

“So, today’s lunch at the canteen was just steamed buns?”

Qian nodded pitifully.

The two others exchanged glances, well aware of the recent incident where students had complained to the instructor about the canteen.

It was clear that today’s situation was a move by Lu Xundao, intended to send a message to the students. He was using this incident to show his power, knowing full well that the students and teachers who relied on the canteen were financially weak and easy to bully.

“At this point, all we can hope for is that the instructor can figure something out,” Teacher Qian said, though he shook his head, clearly not optimistic.

“Lord Lu knows full well that the canteen can’t go a single day without serving food. Even if Instructor Mo were to fire those two cooks, Lu would likely find a way to prevent any new cooks from being hired. In the end, we’d still be stuck with his people.”

The news quickly reached Mo Zheng’s ears.

It had to be said, Master Lu’s scheming was becoming more blatant, almost to the point of slapping him in the face.

If everyone else could foresee what was happening, then surely a seasoned official like Mo Zheng could as well.

Thus, after the county school was dismissed and Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang nervously saluted Mo Zheng, they heard the instructor ask from his seat, “Are you familiar with the owner of Qin Family Eatery? Where is the owner from, and where does the chef come from?”

Teacher Xiang glanced at Feng Hongyang.

After steadying himself, Feng Hongyang replied, “To answer your question, sir, I became acquainted with Qin Family Eatery when the restaurant first opened, so I know a bit about it. The chef of Qin Family Eatery is the owner himself, called Qin Xia. He’s a local from Qinan County. Before opening the restaurant, he ran a food stall at the night markets on Liubao Street and Banqiao Street, where he had an excellent reputation. After opening the restaurant, he hired two assistants to help. Recently, he was even invited by the Song family in town to cater for Master Song’s birthday banquet.”

Mo Zheng was surprised to hear this.

So, the widely discussed Song family banquet in town was handled by the owner of Qin Family Eatery?

Being favored by the Song family meant the chef’s skills were unquestionable, and there shouldn’t be anything suspicious about him.

After pondering for a moment, Mo Zheng said, “Teacher Feng, I have a task for you to handle.”

…

When Feng Hongyang left the instructor’s office, Qin Family Eatery’s kitchen had just finished preparing their honey-glazed sticky rice-stuffed lotus root.

Once cooled, the bamboo skewers used to secure the ends were removed, and the lotus root was sliced. The now translucent lotus root sections, along with the sticky rice inside the holes, released a sweet honey fragrance.

The slices were neatly arranged on a plate and topped with two spoonfuls of syrup, looking incredibly appetizing.

Everyone in the kitchen got a slice.

“Xiao Yao, how does it taste?”

Sitting next to Qiu Yao, Yu Jiuque asked. The little girl, with her tiny mouth, took a small bite, leaving a little crescent shape, smearing honey on her face like a little kitten.

“Delicious!”

Qiu Yao nodded eagerly like a pecking chick.

The sticky rice-stuffed lotus root was soft and sweet, both inside and out.

Ever since she and her brother started working at Qin Family Eatery, they had never gone hungry again, enjoying delicious meals every day.

This happiness gradually helped Qiu Yao forget the sadness of her mother’s passing. She grew taller and became more cheerful.

Yu Jiuque, fond of the little girl, gently patted her hair and told her to take another piece.

The honey-glazed sticky rice-stuffed lotus root was priced at thirty wen per serving. With limited ingredients, Qin Xia counted and estimated they could only sell around a dozen servings, making sure Qiu Chuan was aware.

On the first day of reopening, the restaurant was packed.

By evening, both private dining rooms were full, and three different households sent servants to reserve tables in the upper level for the next few days.

A commonality among the five groups of guests was that they all ordered dishes that had been served at the Song family’s banquet, indicating they were likely Song family guests.

Wanting to keep a room available for the Wei family and the Liu family, Qin Xia instructed Qiu Chuan to leave the evening of the day after next open for their reservations.

It wasn’t until well past midnight, in the late hours of the night, that the last of the guests finally left.

Yu Jiuque took out all the small silver pieces from the money box, wrapped them up, and locked away the remaining copper coins. In the evening, Zhuang Xing would take the money box back to his room for safekeeping.

He also brought the ledger, intending to count the money and balance the books when they returned home.

After they had washed up and changed, the two of them sat at the bedside soaking their feet while they emptied out all the small silver pieces and placed them next to the ledger.

“The restaurant’s daily revenue, on average, is about ten or more taels. The gross profit margin is 50%, and the net profit is 30%. Based on today’s calculations, the net profit is approximately four and a half taels.”

The lunch set menu was priced at 30 wen per portion, with around 40 to 50 sold at lunchtime. Though the profit from this was modest, it helped build the restaurant’s reputation.

The main profits came from small à la carte dishes, private dining room banquets, and drinks. The restaurant had ten tables and eight individual seats. If calculated by the number of diners, there were roughly twelve tables. Fewer people ordered à la carte dishes at lunchtime, but in the evening, they could turn the tables twice, meaning around 30 tables of customers.

Each table spent at least two qian of silver, and some up to four or five qian, bringing in around seven or eight taels daily.

The private rooms didn’t always have guests, but when they did, each banquet table could easily bring in a few taels of silver.

Over the past two months, the restaurant had just started, but the net profit already exceeded 100 taels.

“However, we haven’t deducted the business tax from that yet.”

In Dayong, there were various detailed taxes, broadly divided into residence taxes for seated merchants and transit taxes for traveling merchants.

For a restaurant of Qin Family Eatery’s size, the monthly business tax was 10 guan, equivalent to 10 taels of silver. This amount was set by the tax office, meaning it was a fixed rate regardless of how much the restaurant earned.

Larger establishments like Chang Yue Lou and Baiwei Pavilion paid taxes of several dozen taels per month. The “Three Great Towers” in the capital, which Yu Jiuque had mentioned before, contributed thousands of taels of silver to the national treasury each year.

With these calculations, if Qin Family Eatery continued operating in this manner, after deducting household expenses, they could easily save several hundred taels in a year. This didn’t include the money Qin Xia occasionally earned from catering private banquets.

At Sang’s mansion, one banquet earned 80 taels of silver.

At Song’s mansion, one banquet earned 150 taels.

Such amounts were considered a fortune in Qinan County.

“Originally, I thought that after a year of running the restaurant, if we had enough money, we could first buy a larger house. Once we were more established, we could open a proper inn or tavern, not just rent, but buy it outright.”

But now, Yu Jiuque had to start planning for their future business in the capital.