Ch 96: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

After signing the contract and paying a year’s rent, the shop on Xuanwu Street was officially leased to Qin Xia.

Gao Yang now had a place to put his skills to use. He brought along Qiu Chuan, two hired women, and a few helpers temporarily borrowed from Lord Yu’s residence to start cleaning the small building, which had been sealed in dust for years, from top to bottom.

The commotion naturally caught the attention of neighboring merchants and passersby.

“That gambling house’s shop has been rented out? Who would be so bold, not even minding the bad luck?”

“I think I saw a pair of husbands with a broker looking at the place earlier. Maybe they’re the ones who rented it.”

The first to speak, a shopkeeper from a nearby incense shop, scoffed.

“They probably aren’t from Shengjing. Got duped by the broker with a few sweet words and fell into the trap. If only they had come to ask us. We wouldn’t have led them astray.”

“They’ll find out once they run into trouble.”

“I’m more worried their trouble might drag the rest of us into it.”

Soon, a customer arrived at the incense shop, and the shopkeeper paused the conversation.

The shop was in such a filthy and dilapidated state that cleaning it up would take more than just a day.

Qin Xia believed that the structure of the shop didn’t need major changes, only some refinements in the details.

With new tables, chairs, lamps, candles, decorations, and a few paintings, it would pretty much be ready.

Just like when he opened his previous restaurant, Qin Xia spent the next few days sitting at his desk in the study, drawing up “design plans” on paper.

Every evening after dinner, Yu Jiuque would help him review the ideas.

They spent quite some time discussing what kind of lighting to use.

“In the capital, the well-known restaurants all use glass lamps, which are much brighter than the usual bamboo, wooden, or silk lamps,” Qin Xia noted as he added a few marks to the paper. “Glass lamps are of a higher grade, but they are also expensive.”

Of course, he could afford it, but as a businessman, every penny had to be accounted for. The saying goes, “saving a little is still saving.”

If they went with glass lamps, it would exceed the budget, so he would have to cut costs elsewhere.

Even though he had once made a grand vow to surpass the “Three Great Restaurants,” Qin Xia had always despised those establishments for their flashy exteriors and inability to even make good food.

As he continued writing, Yu Jiuque quietly left the room.

After a while, Yu Jiuque returned, bringing out a box from a hidden compartment behind the treasure shelf and pushing it toward Qin Xia.

“These are for you.”

Qin Xia, puzzled, opened the box.

To his surprise, it contained a stack of silver banknotes.

There were some for one hundred taels and others for fifty, and with a rough glance, it seemed to total nearly a thousand taels.

“What is this?”

He had assumed that the salary and rewards Yu Jiuque received all went into the public accounts of the household. After all, how else was such a grand residence maintained?

Yu Jiuque winked at him.

“This is the private savings I’ve stashed away over the years.”

Fearing that Qin Xia might misunderstand, Yu Jiuque quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’ve never accepted bribes from anyone. All of this came from investments I made in the past, leveraging some inside knowledge to earn a profit.”

He explained to Qin Xia how he had made money in the past, which, in short, was all about earning through price differences.

The prices of various goods on the market fluctuated seasonally. Aside from salt and iron, which were monopolized by the imperial court, the most volatile commodities were food and clothing.

Food referred to grains, and clothing encompassed all kinds of fabrics and the raw materials used to make them, such as silk, cotton, and hemp.

Yu Jiuque had been searching for ways to make money from money for a long time. Depending solely on the salary of an eunuch offered no real hope for financial security.

Since he had access to the palace, even though his initial status was not prominent, he could discreetly share harmless bits of information with merchants and brokers outside the palace. This would give them a sense of the economic trends, and in return, they would reciprocate with favors.

These people were well aware of where the profitable opportunities lay. For example, if there was a good harvest and grain prices dropped, they would buy it up quickly and ship it to places where the harvest was poor and prices were rising. By doing so, they could turn a profit in no time.

Yu Jiuque didn’t need to be directly involved. He only had to put up some capital and wait for his returns.

This was how he built his first small fortune.

After that, the money started generating more money, the profits compounded, and his opportunities widened.

“You ever been saving for years, and now you’re willing to give it all to me? What if I spend it all?” Qin Xia asked, looking at the silver banknotes in the box, which were from the most prominent money exchange, Datong Bank. Some were dated, and the oldest one had slightly yellowed.

Through these banknotes, he could almost glimpse the many years Yu Jiuque had spent in the palace.

Yu Jiuque wasn’t concerned in the least.

“My life is already yours, so what’s a few banknotes?”

In the past, Yu Jiuque earned and saved money so that after leaving the palace, he could buy a small courtyard and hire two servants to take care of him in his old age.

Now that he had Qin Xia, he had a home, and it didn’t matter to him who used the money or where it was spent.

“When you spend it all, I’ll just earn more.”

Qin Xia couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why would we need you to earn more? Do you think I’m opening this restaurant to lose money?”

As soon as he said that, Qin Xia turned around and pulled the younger man into his embrace.

His breath brushed against Yu Jiuque’s ear, causing it to turn a rosy pink.

“When you no longer serve as the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, your husband will take care of you.”

…

Five days later, the small building intended to be turned into a restaurant had undergone a significant transformation.

The thick layers of dust and hanging cobwebs were no longer visible.

Bricklayers, carpenters, and others arrived one after another, plastering walls, laying bricks, replacing doors and windows. Even the door threshold was replaced with a new one, seeking good fortune.

At one point, the carpenter noticed traces of woodworms in a beam and immediately replaced it. Qiu Chuan was sent to the city’s pharmacy to buy insect-repelling powder, which he scattered generously throughout the building.

Once the pest issue was resolved, the entire shop, at a glance, looked completely renewed.

All the items that had been purchased in advance flowed into the restaurant in an orderly manner.

The dark lacquered tables and chairs were simple yet elegant.

The scrolls on the walls continued the style of Qin Ji back in Qinan County, avoiding themes like majestic landscapes or peonies and court ladies, instead depicting the daily rhythms of life—meals throughout the seasons.

Several partitions in the main hall were adorned with intricate lattice windows, and in the corners stood tall tables displaying various bonsai arrangements.

The most stunning sight came with the arrival of night.

The glass lamps, adorned with colorful tassels, were lit one by one, illuminating the space with a brilliance that perfectly captured the essence of the phrase “a blaze of lights.”

Yet, one spot remained empty.

Scratching the back of his head, Qiu Chuan asked Qin Xia, “Boss, what should we name our restaurant?”

Qin Xia had been troubled by this question for days.

He had initially thought of calling it “Qin Ji Eatery” again, but in such a large city as the capital, the surname “Qin” was too common to stand out, making it an unremarkable name for a business.

He considered coming up with something new, but his literary skills were limited.

In the end, he and Yu Jiuque brainstormed several safe names, like Tongtai Restaurant, Wanhua Restaurant, Weimei House, and Fenghe Residence.

Each name, however, seemed like it belonged to a restaurant still 99 years away from becoming a century-old establishment.

Qin Xia remained unsatisfied.

A couple of days later, an idea suddenly struck him. He slapped his forehead and quickly wrote three somewhat unpolished characters on paper: Heguang Pavilion.

The more he looked at it, the more he liked it, and the more it felt just right.

When Yu Jiuque returned home, he saw Qin Xia rushing toward him with a sheet of paper in hand.

“Ah Jiu, what do you think of the name Heguang Pavilion?”

Yu Jiuque hadn’t expected Qin Xia to name the restaurant after their main courtyard’s plaque.

But upon reflection, the meaning was good.

Recalling the history of the courtyard, Yu Jiuque said to Qin Xia, “If I remember correctly, before this residence was expanded, it belonged to a great Confucian scholar. Even back then, this courtyard was called Heguang Courtyard. Those three characters are likely still the calligraphy of that esteemed scholar.”

The plaque was still there, so the two of them went outside the courtyard and looked up.

Years of weathering had dulled the clarity and luster of the characters, but the inscription was still visible, along with the signature.

Yu Jiuque continued, “That scholar’s surname was Yu, and he was once the mentor of Magistrate Liang, the county governor of Qinan.”

“So, it was that old scholar?”

Qin Xia recalled their brief meeting in Qinan County.

“No wonder the previous owner, even after losing his official hat and reaching the rank of second-grade, still couldn’t bear to replace this plaque.”

Perhaps it was partly for good luck and partly because… the calligraphy of old scholar Yu was quite valuable?

Yu Jiuque coughed lightly, affirming Qin Xia’s guess.

“In any case, Heguang Pavilion is a fine name.”

A restaurant is, after all, merely a place for people to eat.

Its sole purpose is to satisfy its patrons, to let them come with empty stomachs and leave fulfilled in both body and spirit.

Even if one day Heguang Pavilion becomes the top restaurant in Shengjing, or even the finest in the world, Yu Jiuque believed that in Qin Xia’s eyes, a restaurant would always just be a place to eat.

This fit perfectly with the eight-character saying: “Heguang tongchen, yushi shujuan” — blending in with the light and dust, adapting with the times.

He looked up again at the plaque above.

“It’s a shame that old scholar Yu is no longer in the capital.”

If he were still around, Yu Jiuque was confident he could persuade him to inscribe a new name for the restaurant, which would help greatly in building its reputation.

Moreover, knowing that Qin Xia held such affection for the characters “Heguang,” that old gentleman would surely smile knowingly.

Qin Xia shook his head.

“I’ve said it before, Ah Jiu, your calligraphy is excellent.”

He looked earnestly at his husband, smiling.

“Would the honorable Lord Yu be willing to grace our humble establishment with an inscription?”

Qin Xia made this request persistently, from before dinner to after, from the desk to the bed.

Yu Jiuque, both embarrassed and annoyed, had no choice but to murmur in their pillows, “Even if we don’t need some famous artist’s work, it still needs to be written by someone with a notable name. If you want an inscription, I can find you a whole…”

His words trailed off unexpectedly, as if he took a breath before continuing, “…a whole list of people for you to choose from. How about a top scholar?”

He could even find more than one top scholar currently serving in the imperial court!

Who wouldn’t want calligraphy from a top scholar? Just that alone would draw in countless customers.

Despite his lofty status, Yu Jiuque was still only a favored eunuch. The existence of the Directorate of Ceremonial had long been criticized by the literati, and he didn’t want to harm Qin Xia’s business because of it.

“Why are you mentioning other men at a time like this?”

Ignoring his protest, Qin Xia didn’t stop his gentle touches, continuing with soft kisses.

“Your husband doesn’t care about some top scholar.”

“All I want is my husband.”

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Sandy: The only food in this chapter is dog food 🤭