Chapter 18

After hearing these conversations, Xu Qinyu gradually formed an idea.

The crew members on these boats were all men, and they rarely cooked while on the move, mostly eating flatbreads and the like. They definitely wanted something more substantial and oily, and the wontons and buns weren’t enough. She had bought a set of large and small intestines and a pig’s stomach for just thirty wen. Even if the butcher charged her the regular price in the future, it would still be two wen per jin. Offal was cheap, but it was delicious when properly prepared and braised. She could also braise some vegetables and make flatbreads. The braised intestines and stomach, along with some braised vegetables, could be stuffed into the flatbreads, making them both oily and tasty.

Offal was cheap but rich in fat, filling, and flavorful. Many modern people loved braised intestines, and she was no exception. This type of food was a variation of the meat sandwich.

There were many types of meat sandwiches, such as donkey meat sandwiches, pork sandwiches, braised meat sandwiches, and various rolled flatbreads. They were all similar, with the main difference being the taste.

There were also meat sandwiches here, called pork sandwiches, which were steamed buns more like mantou, cut open and stuffed with two pieces of braised pork belly, sold for five wen each. This was understandable, as white flour and pork belly were expensive, so the price was naturally high.

A set of large and small intestines weighed about ten jin. After braising, one jin of large intestines would yield about three to four liang, but she wouldn’t scrape off much of the fat because these people wanted the fat. This way, one jin of braised intestines would yield about half a jin. The ones she bought would yield about six to seven jin…

But she would need a cart and a stove to set up a stall. The pots at home weren’t enough, so she would need to buy an iron pot and a larger clay pot. She would also need a bigger stove. The clay pot would be used for braising, and once the food was ready, she could move the stove and pot onto the cart and sell it at the dock…

As Xu Qinyu thought about this, she walked toward Osmanthus Alley.

This meant she would need to spend several taels of silver on a cart, stove, iron pot, and clay pot. She definitely needs to discuss this with her family first. Additionally, she would need to buy spices, which were expensive. She couldn’t afford pepper, but other local spices, priced similarly to Sichuan pepper, would be necessary. Rock sugar was also needed, and it was as expensive as the spices. This would cost several taels of silver, but these spices, bought by the jin, would last a long time.

When she returned to Osmanthus Alley, it was around mid-morning, about the time families were having breakfast. The snow in the courtyard and on the roof had been cleared, likely by her husband.

Madam Wen was coaxing Feng Jie’er and Yuan Ge’er, but Pei Jianing was nowhere to be seen; she was likely still in her room.

Xu Qinyu went inside and saw Ning Jie’er lying on the bed, staring blankly at the beams.

Xu Qinyu felt a bit helpless and called out, “Ning Jie’er, come out. We have something to discuss.”

Pei Jianing wanted to say it had nothing to do with her but didn’t voice it. Her sister-in-law was even more unfortunate. She had no connection to their family but became her brother’s wife because of Xu Qinhui, the third daughter of the Xu family. She knew Xu Qinhui had influenced the new emperor to issue the decree. She had once seen Xu Qinhui in the palace, shyly and flirtatiously greeting the then-second prince, now the new emperor.

Pei Jianing greatly disliked Xu Qinhui and was convinced that Xu Qinyu, the second daughter of the Marquis of Dechang, became her fourth sister-in-law and was exiled because of Xu Qinhui.

Thinking of this, Pei Jianing sighed, lifted the quilt, and got out of bed.

Once everyone was in the main hall, Xu Qinyu shared her plan with the family, saying, “We need to buy and make a lot of things, including spices. The remaining silver we have will likely be mostly spent.”

Madam Wen, worried, said, “Yuniang, it’s not that I don’t want you to do it, but is this business really feasible? The smell of pig offal is quite unpleasant. I’ve heard that even villagers rarely eat it, and butchers often take it home to feed their dogs when they can’t sell it.” Not to mention the nobles in the capital, who wrinkle their noses at the mention of offal and would never eat it.

“Don’t worry, Mother,” Xu Qinyu replied. “I guarantee it will be delicious, just like the fish I made. I believe this business can work, at least until spring.” She didn’t mean she would stop in spring, but she would have more options then. She wouldn’t have to stick to meat sandwiches and could expand the stall, possibly moving it from the dock to East or West Street, where many wealthy customers were willing to spend.

When it came to cooking, she could make anything—eight major cuisines, thousands of snacks, red and white dishes—there was nothing she couldn’t do.

She was well-versed in ingredient compatibility, combinations, heat control, and proportions of seasonings and ingredients. Her culinary talent was almost genius-level.

Thinking of the fish her daughter-in-law made, which was indeed flawless and flavorful, Madam Wen hesitated but understood. Xu Qinyu was about to use the family’s last silver, which was a gamble with significant risk.

After some thought, Madam Wen agreed. The family’s grain supply was enough for a month. Even if Yuniang wasted the remaining silver, she could earn some money by doing embroidery and washing clothes for others to maintain the family’s needs.

Pei Weixuan also calmly said it was fine. Her cooking was impeccable, even to those accustomed to the palace’s delicacies. In fact, her food was better than the palace’s delicacies. Taste buds don’t lie.

Xu Qinyu then looked expectantly at Pei Jianing. “What do you think, Ning Jie’er?”

Pei Jianing nodded without speaking.

With the whole family’s agreement, Xu Qinyu prepared to go out. She planned to visit the Xia family first to borrow their donkey cart. She needed to buy a larger clay pot for braising meat, as clay pots retained heat well and were perfect for slow cooking. The family already had one iron pot, so she didn’t plan to buy another, as ironware was expensive. She also needed to buy some clay jars to make bean paste and pickles in the future, and she needed to find a carpenter to make a small cart and buy wooden basins and buckets.

Pei Weixuan got up to follow her as she left the main hall.

Xu Qinyu turned back, puzzled. “Fourth Brother, you don’t need to come with me. I can go by myself. You should rest at home.”

Her husband was weak, and she didn’t want him running around outside.

Pei Weixuan glanced at her. “Can you drive a cart?”

He knew she planned to borrow the donkey cart from the Xia family.

Xu Qinyu realized she couldn’t drive a cart, having never done it before.

In the end, Pei Weixuan accompanied her to the Xia family. Madam Wu was supportive of her plan to do business at the dock and even recommended a good carpenter. Learning that she planned to use offal, radishes, cabbage, and eggs for her food, Madam Wu suggested, “Young lady, you can buy eggs and vegetables from nearby villages. Eggs in town cost one wen each, but in the villages, you can get two for one wen. Radishes and cabbage are also cheaper in the villages.”

This would help reduce costs. Winter bamboo shoots could also be added, but they were only available in the mountains, and with the heavy snow, Xu Qinyu couldn’t go digging for them.

Each of her meat sandwiches included a fried egg, making them even more delicious and satisfying.

She was quite tempted. Although offal was cheap, the spices needed to braise it were expensive, so the overall cost wasn’t low. However, with the heavy snow, it wasn’t convenient to go to the village, so she decided to wait.

After borrowing the donkey cart, Pei Weixuan took Xu Qinyu to the carpenter’s shop. Xu Qinyu spent a long time discussing with the carpenter. She wanted a small cart similar to the modern ones used for street vending. The cart would be structured like a large wooden cabinet, with a countertop on top and removable side panels. Inside, there would be space for a stove and clay pots for food. The bottom of the cabinet could store other items and miscellaneous things. The cart would also have a canopy covered with oilcloth, extending out to provide shelter from wind and rain, making it practical and versatile.

The carpenter praised Xu Qinyu’s clever design and was eager to build the cart quickly.

Such a cart wasn’t cheap. The total cost, including the wheels and oilcloth, which the carpenter would provide, was one tael and five qian of silver.

Xu Qinyu deposited one tael of silver and then returned to the donkey cart with Pei Weixuan to buy other items. She held an oil-paper umbrella, sitting behind her husband, who was driving the cart. The umbrella had to cover both of them, so her shoulder was pressed against his back. She excitedly talked about the things they needed to buy.

Pei Weixuan, driving the cart, felt the girl’s shoulder against his back. She had a pleasant, natural scent, not like perfume. She was very enthusiastic, talking about the items they needed to buy. For some reason, his initially stiff back gradually relaxed.

Pei Weixuan sighed softly.

Soon, they went to buy spices.

Previously, Xu Qinyu had bought Zanthoxylum, Sichuan pepper, and star anise. She then bought four more types of spices, spending four taels of silver. This was already the best braising recipe she could create with the fewest spices.

People here braised meat using ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rock sugar, sometimes adding a bit of Zanthoxylum. She wouldn’t be so casual.

Initially, she needed pepper and two other spices, but these three weren’t locally produced. They were brought back by merchant caravans from other countries and were prohibitively expensive. For her small business, she couldn’t afford them.

She also bought two packs of rock sugar for two taels of silver. The prices of granulated sugar, rock sugar, and brown sugar were the same, and rock sugar was essential for braising, so this expense couldn’t be avoided.

She also bought a large clay pot, clay jars, wooden basins, wooden buckets, and a large stove. Additionally, she bought a lot of oil paper, which would be used to wrap the meat sandwiches.

Since she hadn’t bought many radishes, cabbages, and eggs before, she took advantage of the cold weather and lower prices to buy more.

After calculating, she realized she had only one tael of silver left. She still needed to pay half a tael for the small cart, leaving her with just half a tael.

Fortunately, she had bought enough food supplies earlier, so the family wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while, and there would be no immediate expenses.

Thinking about it, they had spent nearly twenty taels of silver to settle down. Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but be amazed. She was confident in her skills and determined to succeed. If the people at the dock found her meat sandwiches too expensive, she would sell them on East and West Streets. The aroma of braised intestines would be irresistible, and she was sure people would buy them. She priced her meat sandwiches at eight wen each, which was a bit expensive.

A jin of white flour cost eleven wen and made seven flatbreads. She wasn’t making steamed buns, so she couldn’t use leavened dough, only dough that had rested for a quarter of an hour. This way, the flatbreads would be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with a soft and substantial filling, enough to satisfy hunger. Her meat sandwiches were larger than the usual pork sandwiches. Ordinary pork sandwiches used flat steamed buns, and a jin of white flour could make ten to twenty of them.

She couldn’t use pork belly for her meat sandwiches because it was too expensive. The cost of the braising ingredients was already high, and adding pork belly would leave no profit. Besides, the braised intestines were fatty enough, so there was no need for pork belly. The sandwiches would be filled with braised intestines, pig stomach, braised radishes, cabbage, and a fried egg, making them rich and flavorful without being greasy.

When they returned home, Pei Weixuan returned the donkey cart.

The small cart would take two days to complete, but the cold weather would conserve the food supplies.

Back home, Xu Qinyu boiled water to clean the newly bought clay pots, jars, wooden basins, and buckets. In the afternoon, she steamed a pot of egg cake.

Making egg cake was simple. She mixed eggs with melted rock sugar and flour, added a bit of water, and stirred well. She brushed a small clay pot with oil, poured in the egg mixture, and steamed it.

Once steamed, she inverted the clay pot onto a cutting board, and a fluffy, plump egg cake was ready.

The steamed egg cake was sweet, fragrant, and smooth. It would have been even better with milk or goat milk.

Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er loved the egg cake. Xu Qinyu and the others each tasted a piece, leaving the rest for the two children. She also saved a piece for Shao Ge’er.

After steaming the egg cake, Xu Qinyu spent the afternoon making fish balls. For dinner, they had fish head tofu stew with fish balls and cabbage, simmering on a small stove. The clay pot bubbled with fragrant steam, and the family sat around the stove, enjoying the hot stew.

Shao Ge’er’s portion was taken home by Zhu Zi.

The warm and cozy scene made Madam Wen’s eyes sting with tears, and her heart ached.

…

Two days passed quickly. Xu Qinyu found time to pick up the custom-made small cart. The carpenter had done an excellent job. The cart was sturdy and stable, even on snowy ground, and the oilcloth canopy was secure, protecting it from rain and snow.

After bringing the cart home, Xu Qinyu started preparing after dinner.

First, she needed to braise the intestines and pig stomach. There was only one pig stomach, so the quantity wasn’t much. She had cleaned the large and small intestines and pig stomach in the morning.