Ch 110: Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Recently, the restaurant business had been so busy that Qin Xia hadn’t had the chance to cook a proper meal at home in quite some time. Tonight, however, was a special occasion, and he carefully prepared a list of ingredients early, instructing his staff to have everything ready.

Since it was a family dinner, with just him and Yu Jiuque as the main guests, the dishes weren’t particularly extravagant. At first glance, they seemed simple and homely, but each had been chosen with careful consideration.

After becoming pregnant, Yu Jiuque hadn’t developed any unusual cravings, like a preference for sour or spicy foods. Qin Xia thought this was for the best. Overindulging in one type of flavor could harm the stomach over time. The dishes for tonight were all on the lighter side since it was dinner. He avoided heavy flavors that might cause thirst, leading to frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom, which could disrupt Yu Jiuque’s already restless sleep.

Being pregnant was truly a challenging ordeal.

“Master, the pork stomach and chicken have been cleaned according to your instructions. Please take a look to see if they’re suitable.”

Earlier, when asked what he wanted to eat, Yu Jiuque had given it serious thought. Unlike many, he never casually answered with “anything’s fine.” So yesterday, Qin Xia had been told that as the weather grew cooler, Yu Jiuque hoped there would be a hotpot dish on the table.

Since Heguang Pavilion had become famous for its hotpots, Qin Xia naturally had to add a special twist to fulfill his husband’s request.

Given that the dish was meant to ward off the chill and warm the body, pork stomach chicken soup was an obvious choice. This dish could be both a soup and a base for dipping other ingredients. Adding some pepper to the soup would ensure warmth, making one break out in a sweat after drinking it.

Cleaning pork stomach is tricky and requires multiple steps. Two maids had scrubbed it first with salt, then with vinegar, and finally with cornstarch, repeating the process three times before blanching it to remove any impurities. Only then was it presented to Qin Xia.

There was also half a mature hen, prepared to enhance the broth.

The pork stomach was sliced, and the chicken was chopped into pieces. First, the pork stomach, ginger slices, and pepper were placed in the pot. Since the pork stomach takes a while to become tender, it needed to simmer for quite some time.

With the pork stomach set to cook, Qin Xia began preparing another special ingredient for the hotpot—crispy fish tofu.

Authentic crispy fish tofu is made from a type of carp found in the south, which has a delicate, earthy-free flavor despite being freshwater fish. Unfortunately, as carp are sensitive to cold temperatures, they only thrive in warm regions, making it difficult for Qin Xia to source fresh ones. Instead, he opted for mandarin fish, known for its mild flavor and minimal bones.

The fish meat was deboned and finely minced into a paste, which was then mixed with egg whites. Salt was added gradually during the mixing process to thicken the paste, which was then shaped into small balls and deep-fried.

When done right, the fish balls puff up in the hot oil. If they don’t expand, the dish is considered a failure, and the key to success lies in controlling the oil temperature—something only an experienced chef could manage.

Watching the fish balls fry was almost entertaining. At first, they sank to the bottom of the pot, and to prevent them from sticking, a spatula was used to gently nudge them. Then, just like dumplings in boiling water, they floated to the surface, turning from white to golden as they cooked.

Once they were done, the crispy fish tofu balls deflated slightly but tasted their best at this stage.

Qin Xia sampled two and set aside a small plate of about ten, sending it to Yu Jiuque.

Receiving the fish tofu, Yu Jiuque was intrigued by this new dish, accompanied by a side of condensed milk. The servant, head bowed, relayed Qin Xia’s message: “The master said these are fish tofu made from mandarin fish. They taste best when eaten fresh out of the fryer. You can enjoy them plain or dip them in some condensed milk for a sweet flavor. This is all for now, though. The rest will be served properly at dinner with another preparation.”

The servant then returned to the kitchen, leaving Madam Xu beside Yu Jiuque, gently massaging his swollen legs with a jade roller. She chuckled, “The master is truly considerate. He’s busy in the kitchen, yet still remembers to send you the freshest bite.”

Yu Jiuque felt his face warm up slightly.

He recalled the times back in Qinan County when he used to assist Qin Xia in the kitchen. The first bite of freshly cooked dishes like crispy small fish, pork cracklings, crispy fried pork, or little fried twists, or even a taste of stewed meat to check its seasoning, would always go into his mouth. Qin Xia would always hand-feed him the first piece, asking if it was too salty or bland.

Nowadays, with both of them busy in their respective duties, such moments had become rare. But despite the distance between the kitchen and their quarters in the large estate, Qin Xia’s first thought after cooking was still to send the food to him.

The crispy fish tofu was still warm. Yu Jiuque signaled for Madam Xu to stop her work and tried a piece himself.

Unable to refuse, Madam Xu also took a piece with her chopsticks, eating it plain without dipping it in the condensed milk. Immediately, she was astonished.

“The name is fitting. The outer layer is indeed as light and thin as a silk fabric, and the fish inside is so tender and flavorful. I can’t even tell how it’s wrapped in there, but there’s no fishy taste—just a mouthful of lingering fragrance.”

Yu Jiuque, having just swallowed a piece, agreed, “Indeed.”

He then recalled Qin Xia’s message about there being “another way to eat it,” which made him even more curious.

The enticing smell of the fish tofu lured their pet goose over, and Yu Jiuque tore off a small piece, carefully blowing it cool before feeding it to the bird.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Qin Xia was rubbing salt over two pairs of squab. Squabs are small, with tender bones, allowing the flavors to penetrate easily.

In the past, Qin Xia often made crispy roasted squab, a dish that had even been served at the birthday banquet for Master Song back in Qinan County. This time, however, he decided to try a different method, switching from the crispy skin style to a soy-braised one, which would reduce the greasiness of the skin, making it lighter and more palatable.

After briefly marinating the squabs, he heated oil in a pan, sautéing scallions and peppercorns, then adding soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar, with water to make the sauce. The squabs were placed in the pot and repeatedly basted with the soy sauce mixture. As they simmered, the meat gradually took on a rich, appetizing brown color. After about half an hour, the squabs were perfectly cooked and displayed a beautiful golden-brown hue.

Soy-braised squab is served as a cold dish. Once cooked, they were set aside to cool, covered with a fine mesh cloth to keep out dust, and would be chopped into pieces just before serving.

In another corner of the kitchen, a few people were busily preparing crab roe soup dumplings. On the 15th day of the eighth month, it was customary to eat crab, but crab meat is too cooling for Yu Jiuque in his current condition. Serving whole crabs would only make him want to eat what he shouldn’t, so Qin Xia had the crab roe and meat removed, mixed into a filling with aspic, creating dumplings that would burst with rich flavor in just one bite.

Most of the kitchen staff knew how to make dumplings, but soup dumplings required more skill, as poorly made ones would leak once steamed. The task was led by an efficient older woman, assisted by a young girl and boy. Their hands moved swiftly, and soon two neat rows of dumplings were arranged on the steamer tray.

Naturally, the two masters couldn’t finish all the food themselves. As a gesture of generosity, Qin Xia had instructed them to make extra, so that everyone in the household, from top to bottom, could at least have a taste of the dumplings for the festival.

Of course, the dumplings made for the masters were different from those for the servants. The first batch on the tray was larger, filled with the most crab roe.

The kitchen remained quiet as the food was being prepared—no one wanted to risk saliva contaminating the ingredients. Only after the tray was taken away did the young girl clap the flour from her hands and turn to the boy beside her.

“I just overheard them say that the master is making a dish called ‘Peach Blossom Floating.’ Doesn’t that name sound beautiful? But do you know what it’s made of?”

The young boy blinked in confusion and guessed randomly, “Since it’s called ‘Peach Blossom Floating,’ it must use peach blossoms, right? But where would you find peach blossoms in this season?”

The girl covered her mouth and laughed. “You’re as clueless as I was. I asked the same question and got laughed at for it.”

The boy, now intrigued, pleaded, “Please, dear sister, tell me what kind of dish this really is.”

The girl explained, “I don’t know all the details, but I do know it involves crispy rice.”

A dish called “Peach Blossom Floating” sounds poetic, and everyone who hears about it is curious. However, very few would guess that if this dish had a more straightforward name, it would be called “Shrimp with Crispy Rice.”

The crispy rice, or guoba, forms naturally at the bottom of a pot when cooking rice—golden and crunchy, beloved by many for its texture. The crispy rice Qin Xia used needed to be fried to just the right level of crispiness, and then fried a second time to perfect it.

Besides the crispy rice, shrimp was the star of the dish. Using over a dozen large river prawns, he deveined and butterflied them, coated them lightly with a starch batter, and quickly stir-fried them.

The sauce was made with tomatoes, sugar, salt, and vinegar, thickened to a rich consistency before tossing in the prawns. Once ready, the sauce and prawns were poured over the crispy rice arranged on the plate.

Qin Xia speculated that the dish was likely named “Peach Blossom Floating” because the color of the tomato sauce resembled peach blossoms.

After bustling around for more than an hour, the banquet was finally ready and arranged in perfect order.

At the center of the table was a pot of Pig Stomach Chicken Soup, accompanied by a plate of Crispy Fish Tofu and a platter of ingredients for hotpot—green vegetables, mushrooms, and more. There was also Soy-Braised Squab, Peach Blossom Floating, and Crab Roe Soup Dumplings. The vegetable dishes included Milk Soup with Rush Pith and Salted Egg Yolk Sweet Potatoes. With the leftover egg whites from making the sweet potatoes, Qin Xia prepared a dessert: Soft Bean Paste Clouds.

The two wine jars held different drinks: one was filled with the proper official white wine, a gift from the palace for Qin Xia, while Yu Jiuque, of course, could only drink a warm bowl of rice wine.

As they clinked their cups, Qin Xia playfully led Yu Jiuque in drinking a traditional cross-cup wine. Though it wasn’t real wine, Yu Jiuque’s ears turned red with embarrassment.

“Even though we already have a child on the way, this is our first Mid-Autumn Festival together.”

Their memories of last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival weren’t pleasant.

Qin Xia had spent it alone in Qinan, cold and lonely, with only the pet goose for company. Yu Jiuque was in the palace, burdened by the ailing previous emperor, surrounded by hidden dangers.

Back then, gazing at the moon only made the world seem colder, the moonlight as silver and chilling as ice.

Now, everything was different. Warm wine and fine food lay before them, with a beloved partner by their side…and a new life growing inside Yu Jiuque, silently yet full of promise.

After drinking the wine, they began eating.

The Pig Stomach Chicken Soup warmed them from the inside, and the Crispy Fish Tofu became even more tender after being dipped in the broth. The squab was juicy and flavorful, the Peach Blossom Floating crispy and sweet, and the Crab Roe Soup Dumplings were a burst of rich flavor. The proper way to eat the soup dumplings was to first bite a small hole, sip out the soup, and then finish the dumpling in one bite—every essence of the crab was packed into that tiny bundle.

The Milk Soup with Rush Pith seemed like an ordinary soup, but the rush pith inside was incredibly crisp and refreshing. The Salted Egg Yolk Sweet Potatoes were sweet and savory, with the golden yolk coating the fried sweet potatoes in a delicious glaze.

Finally, the Soft Bean Paste Clouds looked like fluffy cotton balls, light and sweet like a dream.

As night set in, Yu Jiuque, now often tired in the evenings, began to feel sleepy after the meal. Qin Xia served him one last bowl of the Pig Stomach Chicken Soup, mainly the broth, and placed it next to him.

“Have a few more sips to warm up,” he said, “and then we’ll put on some warmer clothes and go out to the courtyard to offer our prayers to the moon.”