Chapter 20

Merchant ships usually provided food and lodging, but the meals were poor, mainly consisting of flatbreads. Recently, the weather had been unusual, with heavy snow in early winter, forcing the merchant ship to dock. However, the ship had run out of food, so the owner gave each person twenty wen per day for meals, allowing them to keep any extra money or make up the difference themselves.

On this merchant ship, Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan were the most frugal, often eating vegetarian wontons from the dock stalls or buying a couple of steamed buns and vegetable buns to get by.

Unlike them, the others could still afford to eat at nearby eateries daily. They invited Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan to join them, but they always refused. In reality, if they pooled their money, each person could spend a few dozen wen and enjoy a meal with meat and wine. This made the others on the ship resentful, thinking Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan were too stingy.

As they disembarked, the aroma of the meat sandwiches Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan had eaten grew even stronger. It was a pure meat fragrance, better than any meat they had ever tasted, making their mouths water.

They quickly spotted the young lady Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan had mentioned, her face red from the cold, looking thin, with a man beside her who resembled a nobleman from the capital, with a face as white as jade, handsome and dignified. Initially planning to continue to a nearby eatery, the enticing aroma drew them to the young lady’s stall.

Since they were already there, they asked, “Young lady, are these pork sandwiches made with pig offal delicious? How much for one?”

Xu Qinyu smiled and replied, “Eight wen each. The flatbread is large, the filling is plentiful, and the taste is excellent. Would you like to try one?”

Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan hadn’t mentioned the price of the pork sandwiches made with offal. The others assumed they were cheap because offal was inexpensive, and Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan were pretending the cheap food was delicious.

Hearing the price now, they were surprised.

Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan were frugal with food and would never spend eight wen on a bad-tasting pork sandwich.

Moreover, the aroma didn’t lie.

Unable to resist the fragrance, one of them said, “Young lady, give me a pork sandwich.”

Xu Qinyu corrected, “It’s a meat sandwich.”

“Fine, give me a meat sandwich. Don’t blame me for being rude if it tastes bad.” After speaking, he felt the cold man beside the young lady glanced at them expressionlessly. Despite their tough lives, the man’s gaze made them instinctively feel a bit of fear.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “If it doesn’t taste good, I’ll refund your money.” She quickly made a meat sandwich, wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to him.

He took a bite and, like Zhuang Zi and Heidan, his eyes widened. Without a word, he devoured the sandwich in three or four big bites. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and said, “Young lady, give me two more. No, make it three!” He wanted to eat his fill in one go.

The others couldn’t help but ask, “Old Seven, is this pig offal really that good?”

Old Seven nodded, “It’s delicious, better than the most famous braised meat stall in the capital. This braised intestine has no bad smell, just a slight hint of something, but it’s incredibly fragrant, chewy, and not greasy. I can’t explain it, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten, and I want more. The filling is generous, much better value than a five-wen pork sandwich.”

“Is it really that good? But it’s still made with pig offal. Even with a fried egg, it’s not worth eight wen.”

Most of them came from poor families and knew the prices. Pig offal was cheap, sometimes just one wen per jin, so the cost was almost nothing. Only the flatbread and eggs had some cost, and the other two vegetables were very cheap.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “Gentlemen, to be honest, I don’t make much profit from each meat sandwich. The braising broth contains spices. Otherwise, how do you think such smelly offal can taste so good?”

“Spices?”

It was the first time they heard that spices could be used as seasonings in food. If spices were added, it wasn’t expensive because they were indeed costly.

“Young lady, give me one to try first.” The others, tempted by Old Seven’s eating, decided to try one.

Xu Qinyu didn’t say more and focused on preparing the meat sandwiches.

Soon, she handed over four meat sandwiches. The one who ordered first took a big bite, his eyes widening. “Mmm, delicious, really delicious. Young lady, give me three more!”

Taste buds don’t lie. Good food is good food.

Seeing this, the others knew it must be truly delicious. They all ordered one to try. After tasting, they were just like the first two, immediately ordering two or three more. Some with bigger appetites even ordered five. In total, they bought twenty-one meat sandwiches.

Back on the ship, they still held their meat sandwiches, their mouths full.

Zhuang Zi and Hei Dan had finished theirs and were savoring the taste. Seeing the others with meat sandwiches, they grinned.

A bit embarrassed, the others started persuading the rest of the crew about how delicious the meat sandwiches were. Some even shared a bite with their close friends, who then rushed off the ship to buy their own.

In no time, Xu Qinyu’s meat sandwiches were sold out. She had prepared just the right amount, with nothing left over, not even the braising broth, which she used as a sauce for the sandwiches.

Her braising method wasn’t the traditional old braise, which had a different recipe and couldn’t be eaten. Old braise could be reused indefinitely. Her method was more like a sauce braise, with the broth being edible. To save on spices, she dry-fried and ground them into powder, using only a small amount to achieve the flavor. Although she spent several taels of silver on spices, they would last her over two months.

This time, she prepared fifty-five meat sandwiches. The family and the Xia family ate eleven, leaving forty-four, all sold to the merchant ship. Some who didn’t get any were so impressed by a taste from friends that they asked if Xu Qinyu would sell more in the evening.

Xu Qinyu shook her head, “I don’t plan to make these in the evening.”

She had other plans for the evening.

The merchant ship crew was disappointed but asked, “Will you be here tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” Xu Qinyu smiled. “I’ll be selling breakfast here for the next few days.”

Hearing this, they were relieved.

The crew on the two official ships saw the rush for meat sandwiches and scoffed at the idea of eating pig offal, mocking the merchant ship crew for not knowing good food.

The official ship crew were government officials transporting iron and coal, well-fed and well-paid. Even stuck on the canal, they dined at the better restaurants on East and West Streets, never glancing at the dock stalls.

After selling out, Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan planned to return to Osmanthus Alley. As they left, Pei Weixuan glanced coldly at the two official ships.

Pushing the cart back, they passed a small market on South Street, where Xu Qinyu decided to buy some vegetables.

There were many small markets like this in town, usually in wider alleys, mostly selling vegetables. There weren’t many stalls, just about ten, and with the cold weather, only four or five were open.

Knowing she would need more ingredients for the meat sandwiches tomorrow, she went to the butcher to buy more offal.

The butcher remembered Xu Qinyu. It wasn’t common for someone to buy several jin of ribs and pork belly at once on South Street. Learning she still wanted pig offal, he sold it to her at the previous price of thirty wen, which was less than two wen per jin. Xu Qinyu arranged to buy more at the same time tomorrow and said she would continue buying daily.

The butcher was pleased. Although the offal was priced at two wen per jin, it rarely sold and often went unsold. Now, even at just over one wen per jin, it was still a small profit.

After buying the offal, Xu Qinyu saw a fish stall ahead, selling grass carp, each weighing about two to three jin, with around ten fish in total.

The fish seller, an older man around fifty with some white hair, squatted there, his face stiff from the cold, rubbing his hands and watching passersby.

Seeing this, Xu Qinyu stopped and asked about the price.

Hearing someone ask, the old man immediately said, “Young lady, if you want, it’s one wen per jin.”

Fish was cheap, and with the cold weather, few people wanted to eat it. He had been there all morning without selling a single fish.

Xu Qinyu said, “Alright, I’ll take them all.”

The fish were quite fresh, though not alive, having died that morning.

Surprised that she wanted them all, the old man asked, “You want all of them?”

Xu Qinyu nodded, “If you have more at home, you can bring them here at this time tomorrow. I’ll buy them then, too.”

The old man was astonished but quickly agreed, “Alright, young lady, I’ll be here tomorrow.”

The forty jin of fish, eighteen in total, were placed in a wooden basin under the cart, and she paid the old man forty wen. She had previously bought plenty of radishes, cabbage, and eggs, so there was no need to buy more.

Returning to Osmanthus Alley, the snow had lessened.

Xu Qinyu felt a bit worried, sensing the unusual weather. It was still early winter, yet there was so much snow. She hoped there wouldn’t be a disaster.

In ancient times, a natural disaster could mean widespread death.

Madam Wen wasn’t home. Pei Jianing was in the main hall with the two children, teaching Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er to read.

Xu Qinyu asked, “Ning Jie’er, where’s Mother?”

Pei Jianing, looking listless, replied, “Mother said she went to East and West Streets to find work washing clothes or at an embroidery shop.”

Pei Jianing, looking listless, replied, “Mother said she went to East and West Streets to find work washing clothes or at an embroidery shop.”

Xu Qinyu didn’t say anything. She didn’t support Madam Wen doing laundry or embroidery for others. Madam Wen had lost her eldest son, grandson, and daughter-in-law, and had cried almost every day on the road to exile. Embroidery was hard on the eyes, and Xu Qinyu had seen Madam Wen needing to get close to see things clearly. If she continued with embroidery, her eyesight would suffer even more.

Washing clothes was the dirtiest and most tiring work. If it weren’t for the family being on the brink of starvation, no one would choose to do it.

Madam Wen already had to clean the house daily, help with kitchen chores, and wash the family’s clothes.

Xu Qinyu thought it would be better for Madam Wen to manage the household. If she really wanted to find work, she could look for something less strenuous. She decided to talk to Madam Wen about it when she returned.

It was only noon. Xu Qinyu didn’t waste time and started cleaning the fish she had bought by the well.

Pei Weixuan came over to help. Since Xu Qinyu was using only one kitchen knife, he picked up some thin pieces of tile to help scrape the fish scales.

Xu Qinyu called out, “Ning Jie’er, come help us.”

Pei Jianing hesitated, “Fourth Sister-in-law, but I don’t know how.”

“It’s okay, I’ll teach you.”

Pei Jianing bit her lip, told Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er to stay in the main hall, and went over to the well.

Xu Qinyu handed her a piece of tile, “Just help me scrape the fish scales. Hold the tail and scrape from the tail to the head.”

Pei Jianing tried and found it wasn’t difficult after a while.

Xu Qinyu planned to braise the fish and sell it in Osmanthus Alley. The thin and small children there were quite pitiful. So, she didn’t plan to sell the fish at a high price. A two-jin fish would be five wen, and a three-jin fish would be eight wen. There was still some profit, but not much.

It could attract customers, and low-income customers shouldn’t be underestimated. If done well, it could become a business chain. Moreover, maintaining good neighborly relations was important.

After cleaning all the fish, she scored them, rubbed them with salt and ginger slices, and let them marinate. The pot was small, so she had to cook in three batches. Once they made more money, they could buy a larger iron pot.

…

It wasn’t yet time for dinner, but the aroma of braised fish wafted through Osmanthus Alley again, causing some households to worry. It wasn’t that they minded someone making delicious food every day, but the constant tempting aroma was hard to resist, especially for the children.

Just as everyone was about to soothe their children, a young lady’s voice called out in the alley, “Delicious and affordable braised grass carp, five wen for a small one, eight wen for a large one. Limited quantity, great price, first come, first served. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”