Ch 84: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

“I knew there was no way you two haven’t been in touch for this long. Is it because his family doesn’t approve of the engagement?”

Facing Qin Xia’s impending departure, Xing Yiming, fully aware of the deep bond between Qin Xia and Ah Jiu, sank into melancholy for a while before offering his blessings and sharing his guess.

Qin Xia rubbed his nose.

He couldn’t possibly say that even the emperor had issued an imperial decree on this matter, so he vaguely replied, “It was like that at first.”

“I thought so. Those prominent families in Shengjing have stricter rules, but you’re no worse off. Who else at your age has already opened two restaurants in a county town, with several profitable businesses in hand?”

In high spirits, Xing Yiming started recounting the story of his marriage to Cui Rao before they tied the knot.

“Back then, your sister-in-law didn’t think much of me, saying that if I hadn’t been born into the Xing family, I’d probably just be a chubby guy blending into the crowd.”

Xing Yiming patted his belly and smiled as he reminisced.

“But I really liked her, whether you call it persistence or sweet-talking, in the end, she admitted that marrying me wasn’t so bad.”

Cui Rao knew very well that as a woman, if she married a man who didn’t suit her, life would become a grind.

Xing Yiming had a passion for food, not women, and he was happy to let her, an outsider, manage the business. Their daughter was well-loved, and there was no talk of having a son to carry on the family business.

That was enough.

“Pinyifang has nothing to do with the Xing family. If my little daughter grows up and takes an interest in business, the shop will be hers.”

With a business like this under her belt, it was easy to imagine that when Xing Yuan married, her family wouldn’t be looked down upon.

Qin Xia listened to Xing Yiming’s long-winded stories, and suddenly felt a pat on his shoulder.

“When you get back to Shengjing, you and Ah Jiu need to step it up too.”

Qin Xia wanted to say there was no rush.

Before leaving, he made an agreement with Xing Yiming, asking him to make a list of his favorite dishes.

“Before I go, I’ll make sure Sister Zheng masters them. If you want to eat them, you can always stop by. A private meal can still be arranged.”

But Xing Yiming still looked dejected.

“It’s not the same if it’s not made by you.”

The key was that when Qin Xia was around, there was a constant flow of new dishes.

When Qin Xia left, the menu would become fixed.

Qin Xia had no choice but to comfort him again. “Shengjing may be far, but it’s not so far that we can’t keep in touch. Once I’m there, I’ll continue in my old line of work. Whenever I come up with a new dish, I’ll write it down and send the recipe back.”

Hearing this, Xing Yiming’s expression finally improved, and he even added a request.

“I’ll come to support you before the New Year. I want to eat a proper pork dish.”

There’s a tradition of slaughtering pigs during the twelfth lunar month, and after the slaughter, families would invite friends and relatives to a meal of pork.

In some places, this dish is called ‘Pig-Killing Soup,’ while in others it’s known as ‘Pork Slaughter Feast.’

Xing Yiming had never tried the latter and had been craving it for a long time.

“Consider it done.”

Qin Xia had already asked Butcher Guo to buy two fat pigs from the countryside, selling them exclusively to Qin Ji.

“Xing ge, would you mind dining with the staff?”

Qin Xia was thinking of hosting a year-end ‘gathering.’

“I also want to invite my godmother and the others.”

“Not at all, not at all. With this kind of dish, the more people, the merrier.”

Xing Yiming clasped his hands inside his sleeves and cheerfully agreed.

…

The evening before the Little New Year, the pork was delivered.

In ancient times, domesticated pigs were much smaller than modern breeds, with each pig weighing just over a hundred catties. Getting 60 or 70 catties of meat from one pig was considered a good yield.

Even the fat pigs that Butcher Guo specifically sought out only yielded an additional ten catties of meat each.

At present, the courtyard of Qin Ji was filled with pig heads, pig skins, pig blood, and various soft and hard offals.

In the depths of winter, the meat could be stored easily; it could be hung up anywhere, and within a few hours, it would freeze solid.

To prepare for the pork feast, Qin Xia began stuffing blood sausages a few days in advance and also made some pork blood balls along the way.

He finely chopped scallions and ginger, boiled them in water to make a seasoned broth, and after filtering out the bits, mixed the broth with the pig’s blood.

The blood sausage casing was made from pig intestines. One end was tied tightly while the other was fitted to a funnel. Once filled, the sausage was coiled to the side.

Once enough were prepared to fill a pot, they were simmered over low heat for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, during which the pig’s blood solidified. Whenever they wanted to eat them, they could be sliced and cooked in dishes.

Pork blood balls were a bit more troublesome.

The tofu ordered from the Liu family—a whole slab—was crumbled into a large basin, filling the air with the fragrance of tofu.

Fatty pork belly was skinned and finely diced, then mixed with the tofu. Salt, sugar, pepper, five-spice powder, and other seasonings were added, along with ginger juice to eliminate the porky odor.

“Boss, is it time to pour in the pig’s blood?”

The schools in town were already on winter break, and the dining hall staff had come to help out at the restaurant.

With plenty of hands on deck, the entire place was a hive of activity.

Qin Xia glanced into the basin. “Go ahead, but remember to pour slowly—don’t get greedy. If it’s too watery, the balls won’t hold together.”

“Got it!” The staff were full of energy, and soon the large basin of tofu and pork stuffing had changed color.

Zhuang Xing and Su Ge’er also came over to help roll the blood balls.

But Su Ge’er’s hands were small, and his blood balls were noticeably different in size from those made by the other two male staff members.

The two of them compared their work and grabbed more stuffing to adjust the size.

The steamers were filled with large blood balls. Two people carried them outside and, following Qin Xia’s instructions, found a place to let them dry in the wind.

On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, the restaurant opened for the last time before the New Year.

After serving the lunch guests, the front doors were boarded up, and only family and friends remained for the evening meal.

Two round tables from the private rooms were brought into the main hall, and besides the restaurant staff, Xing’s family, Liu’s family, and Qin Xia had also invited the Wei brothers, wine shop manager Peng Zheng, and others.

Officials like Hu Laosi, other familiar bosses, including Bao Chun and his brothers, had already been properly entertained on previous occasions.

Only Da Kui was an exception. With his thick skin, he insisted on coming this time as well.

By around 5-7 p.m., guests began arriving.

Qin Xia sent the Qiu siblings to entertain the guests while he stayed in the kitchen, busy over the stove.

Including Zhuang Xing, three people worked on separate stoves, and the cooking went quickly.

The white meat and sauerkraut for the pork feast had been prepared in advance. Oil was heated in the pot, and scallions, ginger, garlic, and spices were sautéed for fragrance. The sauerkraut was stir-fried first, followed by the white meat, which was slowly simmered in the broth used to cook the pork. As the sauerkraut began to soften, a whole uncut blood sausage was added.

The sour aroma of the sauerkraut filled the air, making mouths water. The smell alone was enough to stimulate the appetite, let alone the taste.

When the dish was ready, the blood sausage was removed and sliced, arranged on top of the dish, and a bowl of garlic sauce mixed with soy sauce was prepared for dipping.

“Someone come serve the dishes!”

Qin Xia called out from the kitchen, and a staff member immediately ran in.

Once the three cooks removed their aprons, which were covered in grease and smoke, and made their way into the main hall, everyone urged them to quickly take their seats.

The restaurant staff sat at one table, while Qin Xia and the other guests sat at another. The wine was brought by Peng Zheng from the wine shop—two jars of fine white liquor for the men, while the women and younger guests drank Qin Ji’s own fruit wine.

The dishes on both tables were the same, with a total of twelve dishes, all generously portioned. To accommodate everyone’s preferences, there were sour, salty, spicy, and sweet options, ensuring that everyone would find something they liked.

Additionally, since it was an early celebration of the Little New Year, a few steamers of dumplings were specially prepared.

One type had dough dyed green with vegetable juice, forming a ring of emerald around a base of white dough. Qin Xia called these “Jade and White Dumplings.”

These dumplings were all placed in the kitchen, waiting to be cooked and served midway through the meal.

As the host, Qin Xia raised a glass of wine before the meal and gave a brief toast. Being among familiar faces, there was no need for any formalities, so he quickly signaled everyone to start eating.

The pork feast, though it appeared light and simple, became delicious when dipped in garlic sauce, with a mouthful of tender, savory meat.

The combination of fatty meat and sauerkraut balanced out the richness, so even Cui Rao, who usually avoided fatty meat and disliked garlic, tried two bites and complimented the dish.

The pork blood balls were stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and chili peppers. No one in Qinan County had ever tasted this dish before except Qin Xia, and they only discovered its unique flavor after trying it.

Qin Xia told those who liked it to let him know. He had made plenty of extras, and there were leftovers.

“When you’re leaving, take some home. Whether you steam or stir-fry them, it’ll be an easy addition to your table.”

Several people expressed their interest in taking some home.

Fearing that he might forget after drinking more wine, Qin Xia asked Qiu Yao to remind him.

…

The fragrance of wine filled the air, the table was full of delicious dishes, and the room was packed with friends and family.

After several rounds of drinks, Qin Xia stood up to hand out red envelopes to the staff from both restaurants.

Though they were called red envelopes, they were actually pouches, each containing five silver leaves worth two qian—one tael of silver in total. Whether it was Zheng Xinghua or the youngest, Qiu Yao, they each received the same amount. A few who had contributed the most would also receive extra year-end bonuses, which Qin Xia had prepared along with the year-end goods to be given separately.

The silver leaves, though spendable, were mainly for the sake of good fortune and symbolism.

The staff, delighted by this generosity, expressed their gratitude and praised their boss’s generosity.

They all knew that besides the red envelopes, the restaurant would also distribute rice, flour, oil, meat, pastries, and sweets, enough for them to enjoy a prosperous and comfortable New Year at home.

The meal continued until two quarters past the Hour of the Boar (around 10:30 p.m.) before everyone finally dispersed.

Xing Yiming, Peng Zheng, and Wei Chao had all drunk heavily, bonding like brothers in a corner for quite some time. Wei Xi, whose tolerance was much better than his elder brother’s, had only thrown up once and still managed to walk a straight line.

Those who brought their families had relatives to escort them home, and Zheng Xinghua, Qin Xia, and the Wei brothers went the same way, unafraid of the late hour and dark roads.

The staff knew that there was still work to do after the meal, so they drank in moderation, making sure no one passed out.

After helping Qin Xia send off the guests, they lit the lamps, swept the floors, wiped the tables, washed the dishes, and scrubbed the pans. Only after restoring the main hall to its original state, moving the round tables back to the private rooms, dumping the waste, and extinguishing the lights, did they bid each other goodbye, carrying their year-end goods and red envelopes as they headed home.

Meanwhile, in Furong Alley…

Ge Xiuhong and her daughter-in-law, Cao Ashuang, came out to help two of the drunk men on their way.

In front of Qin Xia stood Liu Douzi, supporting Fang Rong, with Zheng Xinghua nearby.

“Remember to make yourself a bowl of hangover soup when you get home. Drink it before bed, or else you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”

Fang Rong had drunk quite a bit of fruit wine and was slightly unsteady, though still in high spirits. Qin Xia knew that ever since Liu Douzi’s wedding had been postponed due to national mourning, Fang Rong had been upset. But with that being a matter of state, there was nothing anyone could say.

Both the Liu and Meng families had no choice but to accept it.

Now that the New Year was approaching, and with the prospect of the groom’s arrival soon after, she was feeling a bit better.

After agreeing to Qin Xia’s advice and saying a few words of thanks, they left. Qin Xia watched them walk a few zhang away before pulling out his key to unlock his own door.

Just as he squatted down to pet Da Fu’s head, a shadow darted past, and in a silent flash, Ding Peng appeared.

Qin Xia was startled, accidentally petting Da Fu too hard, causing the goose to let out a disgruntled honk.

“Honk!”

Qin Xia quickly smoothed its feathers.

Though it wasn’t the first time Qin Xia had witnessed Ding Peng’s skills, he was still taken aback by his sudden and stealthy appearance every time.

Speaking of which, Qin Xia had originally wanted to invite Ding Peng to the restaurant for dinner, but Ding Peng had left early in the day, and Qin Xia, being mindful of appearances, hadn’t asked too many questions.

Ding Peng had indeed just returned not long ago. He came to meet Qin Xia to deliver something.

A letter was handed over.

“For you.”