Ch 66: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Considering the dismissal time of the county school coinciding with the busiest time for the restaurant, Qin Xia might not have time to discuss other matters with him.

For this reason, Feng Hongyang requested half a day’s leave from Master Mo and specifically came to Qin Family Eatery the next morning.

It was the first time Qiu Chuan saw Feng Hongyang at this hour. He was in the middle of taking down the wooden panels from the doors when he paused and said in surprise, “Mr. Feng, we’re not open for lunch yet.”

Feng Hongyang replied, “I didn’t come here for a meal. I’m here to request a meeting with your owner to discuss something.”

Qiu Chuan was always respectful toward these scholars. He immediately wiped his hands and invited Feng Hongyang inside.

“Please wait a moment, Mr. Feng. I’ll go and fetch our boss.”

Feng Hongyang was already familiar with the restaurant, so he picked a seat and sat down.

After a while, Qiu Chuan returned, carrying a pot of tea, followed by Qin Xia.

“Boss Qin.”

“Mr. Feng.”

After exchanging formal greetings, they sat down across from each other. Once Qiu Chuan had poured the tea, he left them to their conversation.

After some opening pleasantries, Feng Hongyang explained his purpose.

Qin Xia was quite surprised.

“You’re saying that Master Mo wants my restaurant to supply lunch for the entire county school for a few days?”

Feng Hongyang took a sip of tea and nodded.

“Exactly. The county school, including the officials, the teachers, students, and workers, amounts to over eighty people. Teachers and students will have the same 30-wen meal as currently offered at your restaurant, while the officials will be upgraded to a 50-wen meal, and servants will have a 15-wen option.”

Qin Xia understood that the meal standards differed according to rank.

However, since it involved the county school, he didn’t dare to agree hastily.

“May I ask, Mr. Feng, since the county school already has a cafeteria, why is the entire lunch service being outsourced to an external restaurant?”

Feng Hongyang sighed and briefly explained the “cafeteria turmoil” at the county school.

Qin Xia: …

This was all too familiar.

In his past life, he had seen news about a university cafeteria being contracted out to a crony, resulting in a mass food poisoning incident.

As for this kind of poorly managed cafeteria, stories like this were countless.

And as for the distinction between the responsibilities of the dean and the headmaster, it sounded similar to one person overseeing teaching and the other managing administration. When these two were at odds, it was hard to judge based solely on their official ranks.

If the latter had any tricks up his sleeve, his real power could easily overshadow the former.

Collaborating with the county school would be beneficial for Qin Family Eatery with no downsides.

As for that Lu Xundao, no matter how strong his “backing” might be, it could never compare to his own husband’s.

The county school ordered meals for seven days, with 80 meals daily: 3 priced at 50 wen, 20 at 15 wen, and the rest at 30 wen, amounting to a little over 15 taels of silver.

However, this meant that they were short-handed.

“We might need to hire two more cooks and pay them daily wages.”

At present, that was the only option.

Initially, they planned to ask Fang Rong for help in finding two more people, but she said, “Why bother with others? I’ll come to help you myself. As for another helper, I can ask your Aunt Ge if she’s willing.”

It was just working during the lunch rush, and the wage was the same as when Zheng Xinghua started—20 wen per day, totaling 140 wen for seven days.

Though Fang Rong said she didn’t need to be paid, Qin Xia, of course, insisted.

When Aunt Ge heard about the payment, she was tempted. However, she had to decline.

“My old back has been acting up these past couple of days, I’m afraid I can’t make it.”

It was fine to cook one meal at home, but standing for an hour or two at the restaurant would be too much.

Nearby, Cao A’shuang noticed her mother-in-law’s regretful expression, as if watching the silver slip away. She offered, “Mother-in-law, how about I go help at Qin Family Eatery for a couple of days? After all, Qin Xia and Jiu Ge’er aren’t strangers.”

Given the Wei family’s situation, there was no need for her to work outside to supplement the household.

But Aunt Ge knew Cao A’shuang was someone who couldn’t sit still. Since it was Qin Family Eatery, she didn’t have any concerns and said, “It’s only seven days. If you want to go, go ahead. The money you earn doesn’t have to go into the communal pot. You can keep it for yourself to buy some daily necessities.”

Cao A’shuang happily agreed.

The next day, Fang Rong and Cao A’shuang came to Qin Family Eatery to start work.

Due to the different “meal standards,” Qin Xia adjusted the 50-wen set meal to include two meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, while the 15-wen set meal had two vegetable dishes, one of which included eggs, so it at least had a bit of meat.

For the main course, both steamed buns and rice were provided, but there was no longer the cost-effective option of unlimited refills.

Fang Rong and Cao A’shuang mainly helped with preparing and chopping ingredients, while Qin Xia and Zheng Xinghua handled the cooking.

On the day Qin Family Eatery provided meals to the county school, Feng Hongyang was eagerly anticipating it, more excited than even the students, as he waited impatiently for the bell signaling the end of class.

As soon as the bell rang, he quickly began packing up his books and teacup, but even in this short time, he overheard the students discussing.

“I’m terrified of lunchtime every day, not knowing what pig slop the cafeteria will feed us.”

“At least we had ‘pig slop’ before; soon we’ll probably be gnawing on steamed buns with cold water, not even a sip of hot soup.”

“I wonder what the headmaster is thinking, ordering no outside food deliveries today. Does that mean even the rich kids have to eat from the cafeteria with us? Will they agree?”

“Of course, they won’t! But if they join us in complaining, maybe the cafeteria will actually improve?”

Feng Hongyang resisted the urge to blurt out the truth and quickly left.

He couldn’t risk ruining the headmaster’s plan for a moment of satisfaction.

The students weren’t wrong, as the rich kids in the county school were indeed highly displeased.

From the first day they arrived, they had known the cafeteria food was awful, so they had never stepped foot in it.

But now, the headmaster was making them eat the same “pig slop” as the poor students!

Among them, the most indignant was Sang Jianyuan, the son of the Sang family.

In Qinan County, when ranking wealthy families, the Song family came first, and the Sang family second.

Though the Song family had not produced even a single scholar in this generation, Sang Chenghua had donated a library to the county school when he first enrolled. As a result, Sang Jianyuan walked around the school like he owned the place.

He, along with a few other young masters who were close to him, adamantly refused to go to the cafeteria.

“Sir, we can’t get used to the cafeteria food. If we don’t eat enough, we won’t be able to study properly. If we can’t study properly, we won’t pass the exams!”

“And so?”

“So, we hope you will allow our servants to bring in meal boxes, or allow us to go out for lunch today.”

Sang Jianyuan’s tone was arrogant, and the group of young masters behind him stood with their necks stiff, as if daring the teacher to challenge them.

Unfortunately for them, their plan fell flat.

Usually gentle and polite, Teacher Xiang transformed into a stern guardian today, resolutely pushing them toward the cafeteria.

“The headmaster has ordered that starting today, no family members or servants are allowed to deliver meals to students or teachers, nor is anyone permitted to leave for lunch.”

Sang Jianyuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Even the teachers?”

Suddenly, he didn’t feel quite as sorry for himself.

In the past, teachers had much more freedom than students. For example, Teacher Wang, who lived nearby, didn’t need to spend money eating out—he could finish lunch at home and even take a nice nap before returning.

Teacher Xiang looked serious.
“Exactly. So, stop causing trouble and hurry over there. If you’re late, there won’t be any food left.”

Sang Jianyuan and his group of young masters, distracted by the conversation, soon realized they were already near the cafeteria.

From a distance, they saw Headmaster Instructor Mo standing there with his hands behind his back, alongside the scowling Teacher Lu and the indifferent Teacher Hao. They had no choice but to grit their teeth, bow respectfully, and enter the cafeteria.

Even though they were from wealthy families, they feared the headmaster. A county headmaster had the authority to strip them of their academic titles, and all their years of hard study could vanish in an instant—a point their families had drilled into them repeatedly.

Soon after, a teacher came to report that all the students had entered the cafeteria. Only then did Mo Zheng smile at Lord Lu and say, “Shall we?”

Lord Lu was fuming inside as he looked at this two-faced headmaster. Over the past few days, he had given his relatives time off, leaving the cafeteria staff to cut corners with the food, hoping this Mo guy would eventually give up competing with him.

So what if the headmaster outranked him? The positions with real benefits were in his hands. Plus, he was related to the academic commissioner in the provincial capital. If Mo Zheng wanted to keep his headmaster position securely, he wouldn’t dare to confront him directly.

But Mo Zheng had set him up unexpectedly.

Lord Lu’s headache worsened as he thought of the wealthy young masters who had just entered the cafeteria. These rich kids were not to be trifled with. Their families, who had built successful businesses, certainly knew how to grease the wheels with the officials in the provincial and county governments. The academic commissioner was notorious for being more swayed by money than personal connections. If these families decided to complain, Lord Lu feared he might be the one getting kicked out.

But would things really go the way Mo Zheng envisioned?

Lord Lu suddenly realized that these rich young masters weren’t just annoyed with him—they’d also be upset with Mo.

Feeling less anxious, Lord Lu followed Mo Zheng into the cafeteria with a calm demeanor.

As it turned out, even though Lord Lu had warned the kitchen staff to make today’s lunch more presentable, they simply weren’t capable of doing so. On top of that, one of the two cooks had taken the opportunity to return to their hometown, leaving the cafeteria short-staffed.

Looking around, the dishes laid out were just as unappetizing as ever.

The teachers and students who had been forced to eat in the cafeteria regularly were used to it, but Sang Jianyuan and his group of young masters looked even more pale than the wilted vegetables on their plates.

He asked a less affluent classmate in disbelief,
“Do you usually eat this?”

The student sighed and nodded.
“This is actually better than usual. Yesterday, we only had steamed buns and pickled vegetables. Before that, it was even worse.”

From his perspective, at least today’s dishes had a few flecks of meat!

Sang Jianyuan was speechless. The thought of having to eat this today made him rather skip lunch entirely. He also began to blame the headmaster and the teachers.

He had heard that the cafeteria cooks were relatives of Lord Lu. Now, it seemed like Headmaster Mo was in on it too.

This pig slop looked as if they were afraid no one would eat it, so they forced everyone to come in.

Soon it was time for everyone to line up for their meal.

Sang Jianyuan was the first to make his stance clear.

“I won’t eat this. Anyone who wants it can have it.”

After saying this, he sat down in a corner, looking utterly dejected.

Before long, a group of young masters joined him, all showing a united front of “I’d rather starve than eat.”

Headmaster Mo didn’t reprimand them or comment.

Instead, he turned to several students who had already sat down with their bowls, ready to eat.

“What do you think? Is this food palatable?” he asked.

The students exchanged glances, unsure whether to speak the truth or lie.

Mo Zheng rephrased his question.

“Do you think this food is edible?”

One student, mustering his courage, responded.

“Sir, the food is edible, but it’s not… tasty.”

Mo Zheng nodded and continued asking several other students the same question.

Among them, only one, a poor student who couldn’t afford housing in the county and had to stay in the dormitory, said that the cafeteria food was better than what he ate at home.

When Mo Zheng asked him what he typically ate at home, the student answered honestly, “Sir, my family is impoverished. My parents have sacrificed everything to pay for my education. We often have nothing but wild vegetables to eat, and I feel deeply ashamed.”

There was a murmur among the crowd.

Mo Zheng didn’t ask further but instead walked over to the food bins.

He picked up a pair of chopsticks and began stirring through the dishes, quickly finding what he was looking for.

For example, a piece of unwashed vegetable stalk, covered in mud, mixed with radishes; radish peels that should have been discarded; and, though there were no fried eggs, somehow an eggshell had made its way into the dish.

“And this,” Mo Zheng said, holding something up. “I must admit my ignorance. Perhaps Lord Lu can tell me what this is?”

Grinding his teeth, Lord Lu reluctantly stepped forward, took one look, and after a deep breath, replied, “Sir, it’s… a bug.”

The young masters, sitting together, nearly gagged upon hearing that.

Bad food was one thing, but now there were bugs?

Mo Zheng flicked the bug back into the dish, glaring at Lord Lu for a long moment before turning to the trembling cook and two kitchen helpers.

“This is the food you’ve prepared in this cafeteria. The young men standing before you are the cream of the crop in Qinan County, the future pillars of Dayong! Tell me, do such promising talents deserve to eat this kind of food?”

The cook and helpers had no idea how to respond.

They were illiterate and had been bold enough to mess around in the cafeteria only because of Lord Lu’s protection.

The lead cook’s knees gave way, and he knelt down, kowtowing.

“Please, spare us, sir! We won’t dare do it again!”

The two helpers quickly followed suit, begging for mercy.

Mo Zheng shook his head slowly and turned back to Lord Lu.

“Lord Lu, do you think these people can still stay?”

What else could LordLu say? He had no choice but to play along.

“Sir, such unscrupulous people can certainly not stay! I will have them expelled from the county school immediately!”

But then, he changed his tone.

“But, sir,” Lu continued, “after dismissing the cooks, what will the scholars and students do for lunch? After all, you’ve already decreed that no one may leave the school to eat or send someone to fetch food.”

Mo Zheng simply smiled with his hands behind his back.

“There’s no need for Lord Lu to worry about that.”

With that, he gave a glance to Feng Hongyang.

Teacher Feng took the cue and quickly instructed two other servants from the school to bring in all the food that had been delivered from Qin Family Eatery.

The meals prepared specifically for the three officials were kept in separate containers, while the rest of the food was served in large bowls, covered with clean cloth to keep it dust-free.

The person serving the food was none other than Fang Rong, wearing an apron and with her hair wrapped up in a headscarf.

The students, still somewhat bewildered, were quickly ushered into a new line by the teachers.

“Where did this food come from? Did Headmaster Mo order it from outside the school?”

“It smells so good! Look, there’s stir-fried chicken and big slices of pork!”

“Are we really allowed to eat this? Do we need to pay for it?”

Among the hushed whispers were the unmistakable sounds of people swallowing their saliva in anticipation.

Even Feng Hongyang and Teacher Xiang eagerly grabbed trays and lined up with the students. After all, it was Qin Family Eatery‘s food—it was hard to resist.

Mo Zheng spoke again.

“Today’s lunch was paid for out of pocket by myself and Teacher Hao, from an eatery outside the school. For the next seven days, this same place will supply all of our lunches. After that, the school will find new cooks for the cafeteria, and everyone can return to dining here as before.”

Teacher Hao, typically silent, could feel Lord Lu’s glare. He had no prior knowledge of Mo Zheng’s plan and certainly hadn’t contributed a single coin. At this point, he could only marvel at Mo Zheng’s shrewdness. With ease, he had not only brought him over to his side but also enhanced his standing within the school.

Choosing to ignore Lord Lu, Teacher Hao discreetly moved closer to Mo Zheng.

Meanwhile, Sang Jianyuan and the others, already enticed by the aroma, could no longer sit still.

Seeing this, Feng Hongyang intentionally spoke louder to Teacher Xiang behind him, “It’s a pity it’s only for seven days. If we could always eat Qin Family Eatery‘s food in the cafeteria, life would be perfect.”

Qin Family Eatery?

Could it be the same Qin Family Eatery that had catered for his family’s banquets?

Sang Jianyuan suddenly jumped up and ran to the serving woman, asking, “Is your shop the one on Helin Street?”

Fang Rong, startled by his abruptness, nodded and replied, “Yes, young scholar.”

That was all Sang Jianyuan needed to hear.

“Let’s go! If we don’t hurry, there’ll be none left!”

Just moments earlier, Teacher Xiang had tried to persuade them, and now the same words were coming from Sang Jianyuan himself.

The other young masters were briefly stunned before they too realized—Qin Family Eatery!

The Qin Family Eatery whose owner had catered for the Sang and Song families! They’d all sent their servants to fetch food from there before, and even the vegetarian dishes were so flavorful that they could easily eat two bowls of rice with them!

“Sang is right! Let’s get in line quickly!”

“Hurry, hurry!”

At the same time, the other students, realizing what was happening, also felt their mouths watering even more.

…

This meal left Sang Jianyuan and his companions thoroughly satisfied, while the impoverished scholars were almost moved to tears. It was clear that Headmaster Mo and Lord Lu were not in cahoots, and even Teacher Hao was willing to spend out of pocket to provide them with Qin Family Eatery a well-balanced, delicious lunch. For many of them, meals like this were reserved only for special occasions at home.

At this moment, all the teachers, students, and even the servants who hadn’t yet eaten were thinking the same as Feng Hongyang—if only they could eat such tasty food every day.

One of the fifty-wen meals had originally been reserved for Lord Lu. However, he was too upset to eat and used the pretext of scolding and firing the cooks and servants to leave the cafeteria as soon as the food arrived. Mo Zheng simply sighed, lamenting the waste. He noticed that the student who had previously mentioned only eating wild vegetables at home was sitting with a few other similarly poor scholars, so he sent them the extra meal.

As for the “pig slop” the students had previously referred to, Mo Zheng, in front of everyone, ordered the servants to pack it into buckets and send it to the beggars on the street. He assured the students that, going forward, the school’s lunch would never be as bad as it had been before.

One brave student took this chance to ask if they could continue eating meals from Qin Family Eatery.

Mo Zheng smiled and shook his head. “I know everyone finds Qin Family Eatery‘s food delicious, but both Teacher Hao and I are, quite frankly, short on funds.”

The students then realized that the meals had been personally paid for by the two officials, and their admiration for them grew even stronger.

However, to Sang Jianyuan and his companions, those words carried a very different meaning. “Short on funds” essentially meant a lack of silver. If the headmaster and teacher couldn’t afford it, and the government’s allocation likely wasn’t enough either, then they could step in.

After a brief discussion, they came up with a plan.

On the fourth day of delivering meals, Qin Xia was invited to meet with Headmaster Mo, where he was informed that the school wished to continue ordering lunches from Qin Family Eatery on a long-term basis. What had started as a small business opportunity had turned into a regular contract, and Qin Xia was more than happy to oblige.

At more than two taels a day, it would amount to about sixty-five taels a month. Headmaster Mo, now backed by the “sponsorship” of the Sang family, generously rounded it up to seventy taels a month.

Qin Xia, wanting to make a good impression, added, “We’ll also include a soup with every meal, and when summer comes, we’ll prepare refreshing drinks like mung bean soup or sour plum juice.”

“That sounds excellent,” Mo Zheng replied, clearly pleased with Qin Family Eatery’s service. Especially now that Sang Jianyuan’s father had taken over paying for the meals and even used his connections to file a complaint against Lord Lu with the prefecture. It seemed that in the future, Mo Zheng would not only enjoy delicious lunches at the school but also no longer have to deal with the irritating presence of Lord Lu.

Qin Xia’s contract with the school, sealed with an official agreement, secured him an additional few hundred taels of annual income. Word soon spread, and over the next few days, people from other nearby academies came to Qin Family Eatery, inquiring if they could also arrange meal deliveries.

Several academies surrounded the school, and if they all required lunch deliveries, that could mean dozens more meals. It was, without a doubt, a business opportunity too good to pass up, and Qin Xia was eager to seize it.

“The challenges are twofold,” Qin Xia explained. “First, we’ll need to hire more staff—Godmother Fang and Sister Shuang can’t come every day. But if we hire more people, there’s nowhere for them to stay. Second, the kitchen isn’t big enough—we only have two stoves. Even if we cooked as fast as possible, we wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

He ran through these concerns in his mind and suddenly realized that they might not be so insurmountable after all. Qin Xia turned to Yu Jiuque with a gleam in his eye.

“Ah Jiu, I think it’s time we open another shop.”

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sandy: A new shop is good but why are the chapters too damn long 🥲