Ch 71: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

“Xing Ge’er, do you believe it? The gentleman who just entered your restaurant’s private room is an official.”

“Really?” Zhuang Xing looked at Da Kui suspiciously.

This man had been hanging around lately, always eager to help with tasks. He was a bit odd, but it was clear he had no ill intentions.

Sometimes, he’d say something silly that would have people laughing for half the day.

Da Kui, looking serious, replied, “Why would I lie to you? Of the two people who went in with him, one is clearly a trained martial artist. You can tell by the way he walks. Regular folks coming to eat wouldn’t need that kind of entourage. I’d bet he’s an official.”

Zhuang Xing pursed his lips.

“Xiao Chuan went in to serve them. I’ll give him a few instructions when he comes out, and I’ll let the boss know as well.”

With that, Zhuang Xing walked off, leaving Da Kui calling out, “Hey!”

He regretted speaking up. If he hadn’t, he could’ve chatted with the young Ge’er a little longer.

Scratching his head, he found a spot to sit and chop wood.

Meanwhile, Qin Xia received Zhuang Xing’s message and headed to the backyard.

Since Ah Jiu left, Qin Xia not only had to manage the kitchen but also take care of the front counter. While Qiu Yao had learned some bookkeeping skills, her young age made Qin Xia worry that people might take advantage of her. So he often checked in, thinking it was time to hire a dedicated bookkeeper.

Just then, Qiu Chuan came out of the private room.

Upon hearing that the guest might be an official, a cold sweat broke out on his brow.

The highest-ranking person he had ever seen was Hu Laosi.

“That gentleman is easygoing, though he’s alone, he ordered several dishes.”

He counted on his fingers and reported the dishes to Qin Xia, including a few hearty ones.

“One bass with tofu, one wine-braised river snails, and one double pepper duck tongues.”

Aunt Xiang, who was washing vegetables in the backyard, overheard and commented quietly, “No wonder he’s an official. Quite a fancy meal, with fish and snails for just one person, and even specifying they be braised in wine. But what are duck tongues?”

She didn’t quite get it, but Qin Xia did.

“Duck tongues, also called ‘sparrow tongues,’ are just a more refined name for them.”

After explaining, Qin Xia suddenly froze.

The names of those three dishes together… Could it be just a coincidence?

A shiver ran down his spine as he glanced toward the private room, unsure whether to hope he was overthinking it.

But even if he wanted answers, he still had to serve the dishes first.

When it came to anything related to Ah Jiu, he needed to keep his composure.

“Aunt Xiang, please do me a favor and go to the street to buy some fresh river snails. Make sure they’re big and alive.”

As for the bass, there were still some left in the tank—it was in season, and when the fishmonger delivered them, they were still lively.

Zhuang Xing grabbed a knife to kill the bass while Qin Xia measured out a portion of marinated cold duck tongues from the jar.

The “double pepper duck tongues” was a dish meant to accompany alcohol, and the term “double pepper” didn’t specify which two peppers to use.

Qin Xia chose red chili and slender green peppers, slicing them into rings.

He prepared ginger, garlic, and a handful of Sichuan peppercorns. When the oil in the pan was hot, he tossed everything in, stirring it over high heat.

The spicy fragrance filled the air, the heat making his eyes sting.

Since the duck tongues were already cooked, this dish only needed a quick stir-fry to infuse flavor.

Once it was done, it didn’t need to be served right away; letting it cool slightly would actually make it more flavorful.

While scrubbing the pan, Aunt Xiang returned with a large haul of river snails.

“At first, they wanted six coins per pound of snails. What a joke! This season, river snails aren’t worth that much. I haggled it down to four coins and got more. Figured we could fry up extra plates and still turn a profit.”

Aunt Xiang’s bargaining skills were formidable, which was why Qin Xia often sent her out to buy ingredients.

“Thanks, Auntie. Did they purge the mud properly?”

“Guaranteed clean. I checked several vendors before buying.”

Relieved, Qin Xia watched as Aunt Xiang took a pair of scissors and began trimming the tails off the snails.

She prepared enough for one serving while the rest, after being trimmed, could be kept in water for another day—they wouldn’t die unsold.

For wine-braised snails, they needed to be stir-fried first.

The pot was filled with de-scenting ingredients to eliminate the earthy smell unique to snails.

In addition to the usual ginger, garlic, and scallions, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves were added.

Once the aroma was released, a bit of caramelized rock sugar was stirred in, not just for flavor but also to give the sauce a rich color.

The snails were then added to the pot, seasoned with soy sauce, and plenty of Shaoxing wine was poured in. The pot was covered and left to simmer, and once the sauce reduced, it would turn into a plate of finger-licking delicious snails.

The final dish, bass with tofu, was the easiest to prepare.

The gutted bass was split in half and deboned, then chopped into pieces.

The fish was seasoned with wine, salt, soy sauce, and pepper, and ginger slices were added for marination.

Meanwhile, tofu was cut and pan-fried until golden to keep it from falling apart during the stewing process.

Once the oil was hot again, besides the usual ginger, garlic, and scallions, Qin Xia added shallots, which released a strong fragrance when fried, masking any fishy odor.

These were laid out at the bottom of a clay pot, with a layer of tofu on top, and the marinated fish pieces placed over it.

With the tofu and fish having been seared, the soup turned a milky white when finished, each bite bursting with rich umami flavor.

Once all the dishes were ready, and the timing calculated, Qin Xia waited for the attendant from the private room to come out and request after-meal tea for rinsing.

He placed the dishes on a wooden tray, added a plate of tea snacks, removed his apron, and called out to Qiu Chuan.

“Xiao Chuan, I’ll take this tea myself.”

Qiu Chuan instinctively nodded and stepped aside.

At the door to the private room, Qin Xia paused for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked.

His instincts told him that the person inside wasn’t ordinary.

“Enter.”

Upon hearing the response, Qin Xia took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the person inside adjusted his posture slightly upon realizing it wasn’t just a servant who had come in.

Without looking around, Qin Xia placed the wooden tray on an empty spot on the table and took down the teapot.

An attendant stepped forward to take over, pouring the clear tea into the cups with practiced precision.

The middle-aged man sitting at the table was dressed as a scholar, sporting a neatly trimmed beard and wearing a square hat. Flanking him were two men, one appearing more scholarly, the other more martial—likely a trusted servant and a personal guard.

“I assume you must be Boss Qin. Your culinary skills are quite famous here in Qinan County, and today I’ve had the great pleasure of enjoying them,” the man spoke in a clear, bright voice.

Qin Xia smiled and cupped his hands in salute. “You flatter me, sir.”

He made no move to leave, though, and the man, noticing this, signaled to the people beside him.

The two attendants bowed and quietly exited the room, closing the door so softly that it was clear they were well-trained.

“Please, sit down, Boss Qin,” the man gestured.

Qin Xia didn’t comply. “With an esteemed person like yourself here, how could a commoner like me dare to sit?”

The man, whose name was Liang Tianqi, raised his eyebrows slightly and responded frankly, “So, you recognize me?”

Qin Xia bowed his head and answered, “It’s only my humble speculation.”

He had already suspected that if the Eastern Palace had an operative in Qinan County, it wouldn’t be just some nobody.

Additionally, considering that Yu Jiuque had been returned by someone impersonating an official last time, who else in this small county could have authorized such an operation?

In a place this small, the highest-ranking official was none other than the seventh-rank county magistrate.

Liang Tianqi gave him an approving look. “I am Liang, the magistrate of this county.”

Qin Xia knew then that his guess had been correct. The county magistrate, Liang Tianqi, was known to be an honest and upright official.

Immediately, Qin Xia made to kneel, but Liang Tianqi quickly leaned forward to stop him. “There’s no need for such formalities.”

When their eyes met again, the atmosphere had changed.

“Today, I come in plain clothes, not as a magistrate but as a friend of Ah Jiu. There’s no need for ceremony.”

Hearing Ah Jiu’s name from a stranger’s mouth after so long stirred Qin Xia’s emotions.

“Since you’ve come yourself, is there something you wish to ask of me?” Qin Xia inquired.

Liang Tianqi shook his head. “I’m only here at the request of a friend. You need not worry, Boss Qin.”

With that, he retrieved an item from beside him and handed it to Qin Xia.

“This was entrusted to me by Ah Jiu before his departure. He wanted me to deliver it to you. Please, take a look.”

Ah Jiu had left something for him?

Suppressing the emotions welling up in his chest, Qin Xia carefully opened the wooden box in front of him.

Inside, lined with soft cloth, lay a gleaming chef’s knife.

“This knife was crafted by an official smith, forged from high-quality steel and already sharpened. Be careful with it, Boss Qin.”

Qin Xia, being a chef who had seen countless knives, immediately recognized that this wasn’t an ordinary iron kitchen knife commonly found in Dayong.

In ancient times, steel was difficult to refine. Forget high-quality steel—even coarse steel was hard to come by.

He had once mentioned in passing that iron knives weren’t durable, and how much better it would be to have a steel one.

A craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do his work well, and for a chef, one could never have too many knives.

He never expected that Ah Jiu would remember this small, seemingly insignificant comment, let alone make a serious effort to entrust it to the county magistrate before returning to the capital.

It was fortunate that Qin Xia was a modern man and didn’t have the deep-rooted fear of authority that many did; otherwise, he might have knelt down right then and there, cradling the knife in reverence.

“Thank you, sir,” Qin Xia said, standing up and bowing, unable to hide his joy.

Liang Tianqi took a sip of tea and waved his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me. Save your gratitude for later, and thank the person who truly deserves it.”

To be honest, Ah Jiu, as a palace eunuch, leaving the palace and even marrying was technically against the rules.

But who dared say anything?

The Crown Prince was trapped in the deep palace, and officials like Liang had no power to intervene. For so long, the Crown Prince had been secretly protected by none other than Ah Jiu.

A disgraced royal in the palace was an easy target for anyone to step on. So what if he was once the Crown Prince?

If it hadn’t been for Ah Jiu, the Crown Prince, who had just fallen from favor, wouldn’t have survived the winter without firewood, with thin bedding and barely edible food. He wouldn’t have been able to quietly plan his comeback.

Moreover, the trust between masters and palace eunuchs was unique. Unlike officials who were tied to noble families, palace eunuchs entered the palace with nothing but their loyalty.

Their favor and influence came from two things: loyalty to the monarch.

If you could prove your loyalty, the person on the throne could give you anything.

So what if he had taken a husband? If they had children later, the Crown Prince would likely even send a gift.

Liang Tianqi had come to understand this well.

Ah Jiu was not someone to offend, and neither was his husband.

“While Ah Jiu is away visiting his hometown, if you, Boss Qin, encounter any trouble, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll make sure to look out for you.”

With those words, he made his stance clear.

Qin Xia understood—this was the protection Ah Jiu had arranged for him before leaving.

After delivering the knife and enjoying a meal that left a lingering flavor in his mouth, Liang Tianqi stood up, feeling his waistband tighten a little.

Back in the day, when he was a decorated scholar, he had galloped through Shengjing and attended countless banquets, tasting all the finest delicacies of the capital. But now, when he compared those meals to the simple dishes Qin Xia had prepared, they paled in comparison.

He’d have to find a way to come back for more of these meals.

…

Recently, the Qin family restaurant had been attracting quite a bit of attention.

The gossip about Boss Qin “losing his husband” hadn’t even died down when news broke that the county magistrate had dined at Qin’s restaurant in plain clothes.

Many people crowded into the restaurant, eager to ask if it was true that Qin Xia had cooked for the county magistrate.

Whenever asked, Qin Xia feigned ignorance.

“I’m just a cook, how would I know what the county magistrate looks like? Maybe he came, maybe he didn’t.”

With his evasive answers, the more he dodged, the more people believed him. The fame of Qin’s restaurant quickly soared to new heights.