Ch 85: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

“My letter?”

Under the moonlight, Qin Xia reached out to take it. Da Fu craned his neck, seemingly curious to have a look as well.

Qin Xia let him sniff it, feeling the envelope between his fingers and realizing it was rather thick.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but recall the words Yu Jiuque had mentioned before leaving, saying he would send him a letter and that he could write more without holding back, unlike before when words were scarce.

It seems now, the promised letter had finally arrived.

A smile appeared in Qin Xia’s eyes.

He didn’t need any hangover soup; the effects of the alcohol dissipated instantly.

With a sense of reciprocity, he raised his head again and specifically asked Ding Peng, “Have you eaten tonight?”

The two of them had played the roles of master and servant for so long that, while not exactly close, there was no longer the awkwardness of their early interactions.

Ding Peng had eaten, but he got hungry quickly.

If there were food in front of him now, he could definitely eat more.

Upon hearing this, Qin Xia took out several things he had packed from the restaurant and headed toward the kitchen.

Ding Peng quickly followed, saying he could handle it himself.

This was different from eating at the restaurant with the other staff; he dared not eat the meal Qin Xia had prepared specifically for him. If Eunuch Yu found out, he would surely face consequences.

Qin Xia had no choice but to hand the food box to him, pointing at each item, “The bottom is a bowl of ‘slaughterhouse stew,’ heat it up and dip it in the sauce before eating. In the middle are pig blood balls and dumplings; the dumplings are cooked, just steam them in the basket. On top is a plate of pig head meat and pig face meat, along with some fried pork skin.”

After hearing this, Ding Peng felt that even Lord Liang’s dinner tonight might not be as sumptuous as his late-night snack.

“Thank you, Master Qin.”

He expressed his gratitude, but Qin Xia waved it off. “You have your duties, it’s not easy every day. It’s just a meal, hurry and eat, then get some rest.”

And so, a moment later, Ding Peng was guarding a pot of steaming ‘slaughterhouse stew,’ munching on the fried pork skin as a snack.

A cat, smelling the food, came in to beg for some. He was reluctant to share his stew or pork skin, so he cut off a bit of pig blood ball for them, and tore off some bread.

Some of the cats liked the taste, others didn’t. Those who enjoyed it ate their fill, licked their paws, and found a warm spot in the kitchen to lie down, refusing to leave.

On the other side of the courtyard, Qin Xia had already lit the lamp in his room and was carefully unsealing the envelope, revealing several folded sheets of letter paper.

If they had used carrier pigeons, it would have taken dozens of trips to deliver this much.

Qin Xia lowered his eyes and read the letter’s contents carefully.

Since the method of delivery was reliable, Yu Jiuque had mentioned quite a bit about the situation in Shengjing, clearly intending to put Qin Xia at ease.

In the original storyline, the crown prince would have died of illness before he could ascend the throne, entrusting his young son to Yu Jiuque on his deathbed.

Yu Jiuque, faced with widespread opposition due to the “young ruler and an uncertain nation,” chose to suppress it with bloodshed.

Any court officials who opposed him were labeled traitors by him, the powerful regent. They were either imprisoned or exiled, and their vacant positions were filled by his own loyalists.

Eventually, the court became a place where only his voice mattered.

There was even a children’s rhyme circulating among the people, mocking that if he weren’t merely a eunuch, the nation would already bear the surname Yu.

Reality, however, turned out to be quite different.

The crown prince was firmly seated on the throne, and Yu Jiuque, as his trusted confidant, was undeniably the representative of royal authority.

By his calculations, the original male protagonist was now only a five-year-old boy.

“What if the emperor intends for him and Yu Jiuque to become close? Then the young crown prince would most likely call Yu Jiuque ‘Chief Attendant’ For an inner attendant, that would be a highly significant title.

The two of them were destined not to follow the path of the book, where their relationship culminates in a deadly, unrelenting struggle between dragon and tiger.

After briefly reviewing past events of the previous dynasty, Qin Xia flipped to the next page.

Speak of the devil.

Yu Jiuque wrote with a somewhat bitter tone, mentioning the candies Qin Xia had given him. He couldn’t even bring himself to eat them daily, yet when he went to the palace to meet the young crown prince, several pieces were snatched away from him.

‘Next time, I’ll hide the pouch with the candies in my duty room and won’t bring it with me.’

He also mentioned how one day, on a whim, he decided to make pickled fish. While killing the fish, it splashed water all over his face, and when slicing it, he cut his hand.

‘Fortunately, it wasn’t my right hand; otherwise, it would have delayed writing this letter.’

The following pages were filled with trivial matters like this, all written in detail by Yu Jiuque, and Qin Xia read every word carefully.

Through the ink before him, he seemed to catch a glimpse of his husband—sometimes with furrowed brows, sometimes with a faint smile, sometimes slightly annoyed, and sometimes quietly angry.

As the letter neared its end, Qin Xia was reluctant to finish reading it, so he started from the beginning and read it again.

That night, Ding Peng noticed that the lamp in the bedroom stayed on for a long time before it was finally extinguished.

Early the next morning, Qin Xia received another envelope—thicker than the one from the capital.

As the letter could be sent, it could also be replied to.

Soon, a second envelope was added over the first, and it was sent to Shengjing along with the other documents Liang Tianqi had sent out.

When the letter arrived on Yu Jiuque’s desk, the new year had also arrived.

The late emperor had recently passed away, and the palace did not celebrate the New Year, keeping things simple. Even the consorts were not allowed to wear bright clothes.

On New Year’s Eve, Yu Jiuque attended the emperor, eating a plate of imperial dumplings.

As he ate, he couldn’t help but think of last New Year when he found peanuts and red dates in the dumpling filling.

It was hard to believe that an entire year had already passed.

Without his little husband by his side, Qin Xia spent most of the days leading up to New Year’s Eve at the Liu family’s residence.

It wasn’t that he wanted to linger there, but every time he tried to leave, Fang Rong would find various reasons to keep him, and her many excuses meant he had no choice but to return the next day.

Qin Xia didn’t want to reject her kindness, so whatever she said, he listened.

Even on New Year’s Eve, he ended up sleeping at the Liu family’s house.

When Fang Rong became drowsy during the night, she lay down fully clothed in the inner room, while Qin Xia and Liu Douzi stayed in the main hall, wrapped in cotton-padded jackets, sitting by the stove to keep warm.

On the stove were two sweet potatoes, a handful of chestnuts, and a few red dates. With a pop, the shell of one chestnut split open even more. Qin Xia picked it up, blew on it twice, and peeled it with his fingers.

It tasted good—fragrant, sweet, and soft.

Liu Douzi, who was fiddling with a roasted sweet potato, looked over and received a peeled chestnut from Qin Xia.

“Thank you, Xia ge.”

He smiled, still as childlike as ever. He tossed the chestnut into his mouth, cheeks puffed out. At moments like this, Qin Xia found it hard to believe that the young boy in front of him was soon to be married.

“Xia ge, what does getting married really feel like?”

Liu Douzi’s marriage had been progressing smoothly, but at the last moment, something went wrong, leaving him now constantly worried that more problems might arise.

However, one thing was undeniable: whenever the Meng family’s young man was mentioned, his eyes softened, and his ears would turn a little red.

“How could I explain such a thing to you? When you get married, you’ll naturally understand.”

Qin Xia flipped a few chestnuts over, and after listening, Liu Douzi glanced at the door to the inner room and quietly asked Qin Xia, “Xia ge, after the new year, you’re going to Shengjing, right? You’re going to see your husband, aren’t you? So… will you two come back?”

Qin Xia looked at him.

“Have you been holding that in all night?”

Liu Douzi scratched his face.

“More than just one night…”

He had been holding it in for several days!

“But my mother wouldn’t let me ask. She said we shouldn’t talk about such things during the new year.”

“I already told godmother frankly that I’ve been in contact with Ah Jiu all along, but she didn’t seem to fully believe me.”

Qin Xia remained calm.

Liu Douzi felt a bit helpless at this.

“That’s just how my mother is, Xia ge, you know her well. She always worries too much.”

Beyond this, Liu Douzi didn’t feel comfortable delving deeper.

After all, in Fang Rong’s eyes, if she had to choose between Qin Xia and Jiu Ge’er, she would, of course, choose her godson. Jiu Ge’er was good, but she cared more about Qin Xia’s well-being.

“Mother is afraid that you’ll abandon the family and your business to go to Shengjing, only to end up with nothing.”

Qin Xia continued peeling the chestnuts.

“I understand godmother’s concerns, but as I’ve said before, Ah Jiu will come back. When we meet, everything that needs to be said will be made clear.”

On this matter, Liu Douzi trusted Qin Xia’s words unconditionally.

“Your husband really said he’d come back? He’ll come first, and then you’ll go to Shengjing together?”

Qin Xia fed him a chestnut without confirming or denying it.

“When you get the chance, help me reassure godmother too. I’m not going to Shengjing on a whim, and I’m not abandoning the family or the business. Even if I leave, I’ll still come back to visit her whenever I have the time.”

With his mouth full of chestnuts, Liu Douzi could only nod repeatedly.

With that matter settled, the night continued.

Qin Xia took a sip of warm rice wine and watched as Liu Douzi broke open a honey-dripping roasted sweet potato, changing the subject.

…

On the eighth day of the new year, a tall bamboo pole was raised in front of Qin Ji, and a long string of firecrackers was set off to welcome customers.

At the same time, word spread among new and old customers alike that Qin Xia was about to leave on a long journey, and the restaurant would soon close. A chorus of complaints filled the air.

Qin Xia didn’t dare show his face; whenever he did, he would be surrounded, bombarded with questions from all sides.

He had no choice but to excuse himself by claiming he was busy in the kitchen, showing utmost sincerity by personally cooking each large dish.

After all, if he didn’t cook more now, it would be difficult for these loyal customers in Qinan County to enjoy his dishes in the future.

The diners, too, acted as if each meal might be their last, returning day after day. With their pockets still filled with silver from the new year, they indulged in all the dishes they usually couldn’t bear to order, determined to enjoy themselves fully.

While the restaurant stayed busy, two other businesses were also thriving.

The first was the second batch of fruit wine from the Chuntai County distillery, which hit the market. Despite the holiday season being over, demand remained high. Not only in Qinan and Chuntai counties, but even in the provincial capital, customers sought out Tao’s wine shop, with one large order placing a hundred jars of fruit wine, to be picked up once the next batch was brewed.

The second was that two large trading companies in the city officially placed their first orders of candies from Pinyifang. Though it was a trial order, the size of the companies guaranteed future demand, and Qin Xia received a silver note for a hundred taels as a result.

…

With the first thunder of spring, all life awakened.

Not long after the awakening of insects, February arrived.

On a sunny day, Qin Xia went to the bank, bringing all the silver he had accumulated, waiting for it to be counted.

The chest he carried was heavy on arrival and empty when he left, replaced by several new large-denomination silver notes.

Qin Xia did some calculations in his mind.

He now had exactly eight hundred taels, with another few dozen in loose silver.

In about half a month, once the distillery accounts were settled and the remaining unpaid silver was collected, he should have more to add to his savings.

With everything put together, a thousand taels would just barely be enough.

But he still felt uneasy, worrying that Shengjing was a place where even walking required laying down silver.

A thousand taels might not be enough for even a whisper.

Time, however, was running out. He could only take things step by step.

On the 20th of February, it was the day of great celebration for Liu Douzi and the Meng Ge’er.

After a three-month delay, the day had finally arrived, and the entire Liu family was filled with joy.

Fang Rong, a widow for many years, wore the festive colors of a mother-in-law for the first time. Qin Xia, as Liu Douzi’s sworn brother, got up early to rush over to the Liu family’s home to help.

Many of Liu’s relatives had come, filling the hall with aunts, uncles, and cousins.

When they saw Qin Xia, they all greeted him politely.

Many of them hadn’t thought highly of Qin Xia before, but now they realized he was someone they couldn’t hope to match, and they piled on the smiles.

Qin Xia kept a polite distance, responding courteously without getting too involved. When someone spoke to him, he only made small talk.

In the kitchen, the hired “banquet master” had already begun preparing the wedding feast with his team.

Originally, Qin Xia had wanted to bring in the staff from his restaurant to personally oversee Liu Douzi’s wedding banquet, but Fang Rong wouldn’t allow it.

“You are Douzi’s elder brother. How could you be the one cooking for his wedding? You’ll need to take a seat of honor! We’ve hired a banquet master for the feast, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

The banquet master is a professional who specializes in organizing red and white events, bringing chefs, helpers, tables, chairs, dishes, and utensils. Many families, if they’re lucky, might have one or two dining tables at home. On a day like this, most would need to borrow from others, which is why it’s often better to spend a little more and leave it to the professionals. They can set everything up neatly and beautifully.

Before dusk, Qin Xia followed the Liu family to the Meng household to collect the groom.

After throwing out quite a bit of lucky money, Liu Douzi finally won his groom.

It was Liu Douzi’s first time riding a tall horse. The horse was rented and led by a professional handler, ensuring it wouldn’t buck.

As a member of the groom’s party, Qin Xia stayed by Liu Douzi’s side throughout the journey.

The two families didn’t live close, and the wedding procession didn’t take a direct route but circled around half the county, with drums and gongs ringing out, finally arriving in front of the Liu family’s courtyard.

“The new groom is here! The new groom is here!”

The children in the alley ran about, waiting to collect the next wave of lucky money.

The courtyard and the street outside were crowded with people, all craning their necks to catch a glimpse of what Liu’s new groom looked like.

Even though they knew the groom’s face would be covered by a veil, they were satisfied just to see his figure. The auspicious hour was approaching.

With flushed cheeks, Liu Douzi dismounted and walked to the sedan chair. Carefully, he lifted his husband onto his back, preparing to enter the house for the wedding ceremony.

Qin Xia joined the others in cheering, clapping so enthusiastically that his palms turned red.

As they were about to head inside, Qin Xia stepped back a couple of paces to let the other relatives from the Liu and Meng families take the lead.

After all, he was just a sworn brother and didn’t want to be at the forefront at such a moment.

His boots crunched over the red paper scraps strewn across the ground, and among them, he noticed a few candy wrappers from Pinyifang.

They were from the Liu family’s wedding candy, likely discarded by children after eating.

Qin Xia smiled, feeling genuine happiness for Liu Douzi, but then his thoughts wandered to his own delayed “wedding” with Yu Jiuque, and a sudden pang of bittersweetness tugged at his heart.

“Master Qin, why are you standing there? Please come in!”

Someone called out to Qin Xia from inside the gate. He responded and raised his head, but just at that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone coming down the alley from the other side, walking at first, then breaking into a run.

Qin Xia only needed a glance before he came to an abrupt stop.

Because he recognized the person.

It was his Ah Jiu.