Ch 80: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

The emperor passed away, and the crown prince’s ascension to the throne was now certain.

Qin Xia knew that with the success of the Eastern Palace, his days in Qinan County might be numbered.

As soon as the seven-day national mourning period ended, Qin Xia began preparing to reopen the restaurant.

He first called together the employees from both shops to ask about their future plans.

When they learned that Qin Xia intended to move to Shengjing to open a new restaurant, everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Shengjing?

None of them had even been to the provincial capital, let alone dared to dream of going to the imperial city.

If anyone else had said this, it would have sounded like drunken boasting. But seeing the serious expression on their boss’s face, it didn’t seem like a joke.

Qin Xia noticed their varied reactions and proceeded to explain his plans.

“After I leave, the restaurant will close, but the dining hall will remain open. It will move from Que Lin Street to He Lin Street, using this shop space here, which can accommodate more customers.”

Although the shop on Que Lin Street had a low annual rent of just fifty taels due to the Song family’s influence, Qin Xia didn’t want to continue taking advantage of this arrangement indefinitely.

This seemed like the perfect opportunity to let go of that property.

When the workers heard that the restaurant would close, those working in the restaurant grew anxious, fearing they would lose their jobs.

Qin Xia reassured them, “The dining hall is already busy enough as it is. Once it moves here, we’ll need more hands. Whether it’s Xing Ge’er, Xiao Chuan, Xiao Yao, or Aunt Xiang, if you want to stay, Qin Ji welcomes you to stay.”

Aunt Xiang was the first to thank him. At her age, it had been hard to find such a generous and kind employer, and she didn’t want to leave after only working for a short while.

Zhuang Xing and the Qiu siblings lived at the shop, so they had been even more nervous than Aunt Xiang. Hearing Qin Xia’s words, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After addressing the group, Qin Xia spoke individually with a few workers.

First, he met with Zheng Xinghua.

He intended for Zheng Xinghua to take charge as the new head chef and shopkeeper.

“Like me, you’ll step into the kitchen to cook when needed, but when you’re not, you’ll oversee all other matters. You won’t just earn a wage anymore; you’ll get a share of the profits from the dining hall. Do you think you can handle it?”

Zheng Xinghua felt her head spinning.

From the time Fang Rong had introduced her to work at Qin’s house, it hadn’t even been a full year, yet she had soared through the ranks like a firecracker—going from helper to head cook, then to manager, and now, she was about to become the new shopkeeper.

She had expected to feel overwhelmed or to refuse, but when Qin Xia asked the final question, she straightened her back a bit.

“Can you give me a few days to think about it?”

Seeing that she hadn’t outright rejected the offer, Qin Xia felt more certain in his decision.

To be honest, if Qin Ji Restaurant were to expand further, Zheng Xinghua probably wouldn’t be able to handle it. But that wasn’t part of his plan.

The dining hall was essentially a “fast food” business—simpler and without the need to serve distinguished guests.

During this time, Zheng Xinghua had mostly been running the dining hall by herself, and Qin Xia had taken note of her work.

She was fully qualified.

A shopkeeper doesn’t necessarily need to be someone who speaks sharply and acts hastily; a calm and steady demeanor can also be effective.

Besides, Qin Ji Dining Hall has always been a lively and welcoming place.

The people who dine there come from all walks of life. Even though the hall doesn’t serve alcohol and forbids customers from drinking on the premises, many are still willing to spend a few copper coins to enjoy a hot meal there.

Closing the restaurant was necessary because no one could learn the essence of Qin Xia’s cooking in such a short time and maintain the restaurant’s reputation after his departure.

Keeping the dining hall open, however, ensures that the name “Qin Ji” continues in Qinan County—not to make a fortune, but to give the workers a place to stay and to leave a memory for him and Yu Jiuque in this small county.

This place was the root of “Qin Xia,” where he and Yu Jiuque met and married. Perhaps, many years later, they would return here to settle down.

After speaking with Zheng Xinghua, Qin Xia met with Zhuang Xing. Unsurprisingly, he chose to stay at the dining hall to assist Zheng Xinghua in the kitchen.

“My cooking skills aren’t as good as Sister Zheng’s, and I still have a lot to learn. I only hope to help ease her burden in the future.”

Qin Xia nodded.

What he appreciated about Zhuang Xing was his ambition without any ulterior motives.

Zheng Xinghua was older than him, and the two had always maintained a close relationship. In the future, they could support each other. As the two “veterans” of the shop, having someone to consult with in times of trouble could only be beneficial.

Lastly, there were the Qiu siblings.

Earlier, Qin Xia had “bought” them off the streets partly because the restaurant needed help, and partly out of sympathy.

As for labor, the two couldn’t compete with the adult workers, but their literacy, sharp minds, and agility made up for that.

In the past, he had planned to keep the siblings in Qinan, but now he had changed his mind.

“Would you be willing to go to Shengjing with me?”

“Can we really go?”

The siblings looked at him with disbelief in their eyes.

Qin Xia suddenly remembered that their indenture contracts were still in his possession.

“You’re still young. If you have no ties here, going to Shengjing will offer you greater opportunities for the future.”

And if they stayed here, they would only remain as workers in the restaurant.

Unlike the others, Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao were still children in Qin Xia’s eyes.

Since they were children, they shouldn’t have their entire lives decided so early.

Qin Xia had expected Qiu Chuan to need some time to “think it over,” but to his surprise, the boy, who was more capable than he looked, quickly made a decision.

“We’re willing to go. Wherever you go, we’ll follow. Not just as workers—we can do any job.”

Qin Xia turned to Qiu Yao.

“Is that what you think too, Xiao Yao?”

Qiu Yao nodded vigorously.

“I want to follow my brother and follow you, Boss. And also…”

She actually wanted to say “the little boss,” but remembering how her brother and others had advised her not to mention it again, she swallowed the words back.

She spoke softly, and Qin Xia didn’t catch the last part of her sentence, so he didn’t press further.

By the end of that brief morning, the affairs of the restaurant had been settled.

Zheng Xinghua took the dining hall staff back to Que Lin Street. On the way out, they happened to meet Butcher Guo, who was delivering pork.

Besides the prepared cuts, there was an entire side of pork on his cart.

“The folks in town are starved for meat after seven days of abstinence. Business is great today. I only regret not going to the village to get another pig.”

With the national mourning, the whole country had to observe a seven-day vegetarian diet, forbidding banquets and celebrations. For the next three months, commoners were also prohibited from holding weddings.

Over the past seven days, the best-selling items on the streets were undoubtedly vegetables and tofu.

Now that the mourning period was over, the butcher’s business could finally resume.

Qin Xia took the opportunity to order more meat and also bought a large basin of pig’s blood.

It turned out to be a wise decision. The customers who came to eat today all craved heavy, meat-filled dishes and avoided anything light or vegetarian. Some even complained that their taste buds had gone bland from eating too lightly.

Even those who normally couldn’t handle spicy food were eager to try something fiery.

Upon hearing this, Qin Xia had Qiu Chuan go around and gently advise the customers.

After days of eating only vegetables, jumping straight into greasy, rich dishes could easily upset their stomachs. Adding spicy flavors on top of that might send them to the clinic right after their meal.

If anyone got sick, they might mistakenly blame Qin Ji’s food.

Most people listened and obediently switched their orders—spicy boiled pork became stir-fried chicken fillets, spicy boiled fish turned into tomato fish, and shredded pork with garlic sauce was replaced with shredded pork with pickled vegetables.

The stir-fried chicken fillets, in particular, had to be made by Qin Xia himself.

Although it seemed simple, it was actually a famous dish.

The reason it was named “Furong Chicken Fillets” was because, when served, the dish was white, tender, and the large chicken slices didn’t break or stick together. They were layered like the petals of a lotus, with an emphasis on tasting the chicken without clearly seeing it.

Even the slightest mistake in cooking would ruin its “wow” factor.

First, the chicken breast had to be finely minced. The hardest part wasn’t mincing it into a paste but removing the tendons and membranes.

Using a knife, he carefully scraped the chicken meat bit by bit, alternating between the blade and the back of the knife to chop it into a fine paste.

The minced chicken was placed in a bowl, mixed with cornstarch and egg white until it formed a light-colored “meat paste.”

Some people add fish paste or water chestnuts to the minced chicken, but Qin Xia felt that this would dilute the original flavor of the dish, so he always made it purely with chicken.

The most crucial step: frying.

When small bubbles started to rise in the hot oil, Qin Xia carefully ladled a spoonful of the meat paste and slowly poured it into the bottom of the pot.

The chicken slices would immediately float to the surface once cooked. After scooping them out, he immersed them in clear water, then proceeded to fry the next batch. Repeating the process, the thick-looking meat paste transformed into a plate of fluffy “lotus petals.”

Zhuang Xing, watching from the side, was in awe.

Every time Qin Xia cooked a dish like this, Zhuang felt like he could never reach such a level in his lifetime.

“Boss, once you leave Qinan, we probably won’t have such a good opportunity to learn cooking anymore.”

Qin Xia replied, “It’s not that hard. Before I leave, I’ll make time to write down some of the restaurant’s recipes for you to study. Besides, it’s not like I’m never coming back.”

Zhuang Xing’s joy lasted a moment before he realized that he couldn’t read or write, awkwardly scratching his face.

He knew he’d have to start planning to ask Qiu Chuan and Qiu Yao to teach him how to read after closing the restaurant every day.

As night fell and customers gradually left, the restaurant staff—both employees and the boss—were exhausted.

Zhuang Xing and Zheng Xinghua began gathering the remaining ingredients to make dinner for themselves.

“Sister, there’s quite a bit of pig’s blood left. It’ll spoil by tomorrow.”

Zheng Xinghua hesitated for a moment but then asked him to bring it over.

“Let’s make a stir-fry with pig’s blood.”

Zhuang instinctively reached for the chives, but Zheng Xinghua stopped him. “Don’t use chives. Use green peppers instead.”

He paused for a second, not thinking much of it, and then fetched the green peppers.

Zheng Xinghua smiled faintly to herself as she lowered her head.

Though she was a widow, she understood more about certain things than Zhuang Xing, a young unmarried Ge’er.

Late at night, a dish of chives and pig’s blood wouldn’t sit well with the men.

Qin Xia, on the other hand, didn’t think much about it while eating.

Being apart from Yu Jiuque for so long, he spent most of his time forcing himself to stay busy, occasionally finding solace in the scent of orchids on his pillow, resorting to self-reliance.

But tonight, for some reason—perhaps because he was too hungry—he ate a bit too much pig’s blood.

As Qin Xia lay in bed that night, he suddenly felt an intense desire to hold Yu Jiuque.

Memories unique to the two of them played over and over in his mind, leaving his throat dry.

The scent of orchids had been absent from his side for too long.

It could no longer soothe the yearning that now clung to his bones.