Chapter 34

As dawn broke, every household was filled with joy. Wealthy families decorated their homes with lanterns hanging from the eaves and door gods painted to ward off evil spirits and protect the house.

Poorer families could only afford red paper and asked local scholars to write couplets for them, which they pasted on their doors. They also pasted two upside-down “Fu” characters on their doors, symbolizing the arrival of good fortune in the coming year.

Around the New Year, many scholars and local officials would write couplets for free.

The Pei family had bought red paper a few days earlier and written several couplets on it. They pasted them on the courtyard’s main door, kitchen, main hall, and west wing.

Even the wooden shed next to the kitchen had a couplet, with phrases like “Abundant Harvest” and “Family Happiness,” along with several upside-down “Fu” characters on the doors.

Pei Weixuan naturally wrote the couplets. His handwriting was strong and vigorous, and even Xu Qinyu, who knew little about calligraphy, could see how impressive it was.

Xu Qinyu cooked some paste to stick the couplets. When the paste was used up, all the couplets and “Fu” characters were perfectly pasted.

Pei Jianing exclaimed, “Fourth Sister-in-law, you’re amazing.”

The paste was just enough for the couplets, not too much or too little.

Xu Qinyu smiled proudly. She had a knack for measuring quantities accurately. Once she handled something, she could tell its exact weight.

After pasting the couplets and “Fu” characters, Xu Qinyu made a simple breakfast. She cooked plain noodles with a poached egg on top. Without any greens, she used cabbage and sprinkled a few scallions. The clear soup was light and refreshing but very flavorful.

Naturally, there was a portion for Shao Ge’er. Zhu Zi, who came to pick it up, was wearing new clothes and cheerfully wished the Pei family a happy New Year.

After Zhu Zi left, Xu Qinyu began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

This was her first New Year here, and it held great significance for both her and the Pei family.

So, Xu Qinyu planned to make the dinner especially rich and festive.

The morning was still young, so she focused on preparing the ingredients, planning to start cooking the New Year’s Eve dinner in the afternoon.

She had gathered a variety of ingredients: pork stomach, old duck, and mandarin fish. The mandarin fish was something she had specifically asked Uncle He to keep an eye out for. Although it was available locally, it was rare, possibly due to water quality or other factors. The most common fish were carp, crucian carp, and several other types.

Mandarin fish had the fewest bones and the least fishy smell among all fish, making it a favorite in some large restaurants. However, it seemed not many people liked it, possibly because it wasn’t prepared correctly. As a result, mandarin fish was the most expensive, costing ten times more than carp and crucian carp.

In addition to these ingredients, she also had lamb.

With six people in the family, Xu Qinyu didn’t prepare too many dishes. Making too much would mean eating leftovers for days, and no matter how good the food was, it would lose its flavor if not eaten fresh.

So, she made a slow-cooked old duck and pork stomach soup, which she started early in the morning. It simmered in a clay pot over low heat, becoming rich and flavorful by dinner time. This soup was nourishing and cooling, perfect to pair with lamb.

She also prepared squirrel mandarin fish, a dish made from mandarin fish. The fish bones were removed, and the meat was carved into a flower shape, marinated, coated in egg yolk, and fried. It was then plated and topped with a sweet and sour sauce, making it a tangy and appetizing dish. Children especially loved this sweet and sour flavor, and it was safe to eat without worrying about fish bones.

Lamb had a strong flavor, especially the local variety. Lamb from the grasslands had a milder taste and could be steamed and eaten with chive flowers or dipping sauce, tender and flavorful. Here, lamb was best stir-fried, stewed, or roasted.

So, Xu Qinyu stewed lamb ribs with radish, a method that helped reduce the strong flavor and made the dish delicious. She also prepared several fried dishes that could be reheated or added to the lamb hotpot with some broth, fried meatballs, radish balls, and other ingredients like bean sprouts and tofu.

In addition to the main dishes, Xu Qinyu made eight-treasure glutinous rice, a traditional sweet dish from Ningbo. It was made with glutinous rice, red bean paste, jujube paste, various dried fruits, and lard, resulting in a beautiful, sweet, sticky dessert.

Finally, she stir-fried some bean sprouts with scallions, a light and refreshing dish.

The family was busy with preparations, and the atmosphere was warm and festive. This New Year’s Eve dinner held great significance for Xu Qinyu and the Pei family, marking their first New Year together in this place.

While Xu Qinyu was preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, the Pei family stayed in the kitchen, either helping or watching the fire. The atmosphere was warm and cozy.

For the New Year, the family wore new clothes. Although they bought thin jackets, they wore other clothes underneath to stay warm.

The Pei family had worn all kinds of luxurious fabrics before, even the most precious silks and brocades. But now, the two children kept touching their new clothes, making Xu Qinyu feel a bit emotional.

As evening approached, the sound of burning bamboo filled the air.

There were no fireworks or firecrackers here, so people burned bamboo, which made crackling sounds. This tradition was meant to scare away the “Nian” beast, a mythical creature with a long history, even in this place.

With the food ready, the Pei family helped bring the dishes to the main hall while Pei Weixuan went to the courtyard to burn the bamboo.

The bamboo was dried and bought a few days earlier. It cost one wen for two pieces.

When Pei Weixuan lit the bamboo with a fire starter, it burned with crackling sounds, much like firecrackers.

Xu Qinyu smiled, reminiscing about her time in the orphanage. During the New Year, the orphanage director would set off firecrackers, and the children would gather in the dining hall, covering their ears and watching with bright eyes. Despite their frequent childhood fights, the children grew close as they got older. Some of them still kept in touch and were among her few friends.

After burning the bamboo, everyone went inside to eat.

All six family members, including Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er, sat at the table.

A few days earlier, Xu Qinyu had made glutinous rice wine, also known as sweet wine. She soaked the glutinous rice for a few hours, steamed it, and placed it in a wooden bucket. She added crushed wine yeast and cold boiled water, pressed the rice down, and made a hole in the center to let it ferment into sweet wine.

The key to making sweet wine was the fermentation temperature. Since it was cold, she kept it near the kitchen stove.

Wine yeast was available but quite expensive.

The sweet wine had a tangy, sweet taste. The glutinous rice wine she made had a perfect flavor, almost no alcoholic taste, and could be drunk like a beverage.

Of course, since it was fermented with wine yeast, it was still considered alcohol, albeit with a low alcohol content.

Children couldn’t drink it at all. The adults, however, could enjoy a few bowls.

Everyone’s bowls were filled with sweet wine. Xu Qinyu raised her bowl and smiled, “Mother, Ning Jie’er, Fourth Brother, Feng Ge’er, Yuan Jie’er, Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings health and happiness to everyone.”

The family raised their bowls, and Madam Wen and Ning Jie’er had tears in their eyes as they wished each other well. They all drank the sweet wine in one go.

Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er couldn’t drink the sweet wine, so Xu Qinyu gave them sugar water instead. If she had found cow’s milk or goat’s milk, she would have made milk tea for the children.

The rich New Year’s Eve dinner, paired with the sweet wine, made everyone especially happy. There were hardly any leftovers.

Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er’s favorite dishes were the squirrel mandarin fish and the eight-treasure glutinous rice. Xu Qinyu didn’t let them eat too much of the eight-treasure glutinous rice, giving each child only a small bowl to avoid overeating.

After dinner, Madam Wen washed the dishes and insisted that Xu Qinyu and the others go out for a walk.

Madam Wen stayed home to keep watch.

Xu Qinyu, feeling relaxed and excited for the New Year, wanted to go out and explore. The town had a night market during the New Year, which was a rare event.

The night market was organized by the wealthy families on East and West Streets. There were riddle lanterns, free to play, and anyone who guessed correctly would receive a flower lantern. With Pei Weixuan around, they were sure to guess correctly. Xu Qinyu, Ning Jie’er, Feng Ge’er, and Yuan Jie’er each carried a flower lantern.

There were also many small vendors selling food, jewelry, clay figurines, and toys. Xu Qinyu wanted to buy some toys for Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er, but the children didn’t want any. They just walked around and then returned home.

On the first day of the new year, Xu Qinyu visited the Xia family to exchange New Year greetings.

Xu Qinyu had no specific tasks for the next few days and stayed home to rest.

…

While the Pei family enjoyed a warm New Year, the Wen family had a different experience.

It was their first New Year in the border town without servants or cooks. The third branch and two old concubines prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner.

The third branch’s patriarch, Wen Zihua, was a concubine’s son, born to Concubine Bai. He married Madam Meng, a woman of modest background. Despite their love, they had two sons and a daughter, Wen Yuntao, who was almost fifteen.

Madam Meng, Wen Yuntao, and the two old concubines prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner for the thirty members of the Wen family. None of them were trained in cooking, so the food was bland and unappetizing.

Wen Zihua wasn’t present. After arriving in the border town, he found work outside, doing various jobs, including hunting. Although he didn’t earn much, he brought home some money. Old Madam Wen suspected he was hiding money, but she couldn’t search him.

Wen Zihua wasn’t home for the New Year, and Old Madam Wen, eating the bland food, was in a bad mood. She scolded Madam Meng, “Where is Wen Zihua? It’s New Year’s Eve, and you don’t even know where your husband is.”

Madam Meng, feeling wronged, could only lower her head and endure the scolding.

The Wen family’s New Year was far from warm and festive, a stark contrast to the Pei family’s joyful celebration.

Madam Meng gently replied, “Mother, I don’t really know what Master is doing outside. He should still be earning money. There’s no business at home, and he worries about us running out of resources. Although he doesn’t bring back much money each month, it’s still better than most families. We have to take it slow.”

Old Madam Wen didn’t want to talk to Madam Meng anymore. No matter what you said to Madam Meng, she always responded gently, but her gentle tone often made people feel uncomfortable. If you continued to scold her, she would only lower her head and admit her mistakes, letting you scold her.

Old Madam Wen originally wanted to scold the two grandsons from the third branch, Wen Shuncheng and Wen Shungong, because they had left Ling Jie’er on the road a few days ago. She finally caught them during the New Year, but with Old Master Wen present and it being the New Year, she didn’t want to bring bad luck by scolding her grandsons. Old Master Wen wouldn’t support her in this.

Despite Old Master Wen usually being quiet, Old Madam Wen was still quite afraid of him.

Old Madam Wen had to give up.

The whole family silently ate their New Year’s Eve dinner.

Wen Yuling took a couple of bites and refused to eat more. It was too unappetizing, worse than the food sold at street stalls.

Concubine Gui sat at the table with the third branch.

Concubine Gui kept coughing while eating, trying to suppress the sound so as not to disturb others. But in the same room, everyone could hear her. Old Madam Wen, annoyed, couldn’t help but say, “Concubine Gui, what’s wrong with you? You’re coughing non-stop. Do you have any manners? Can you let people eat in peace?”

Concubine Gui softly replied, “Maybe the window in the side room was a bit drafty the other night, and I caught a chill. It should be better in a couple of days.”

Old Madam Wen wanted to say more, but Old Master Wen frowned and said, “Enough, it’s the New Year. Stop talking and eat. After dinner, those who need to stay up can stay up, and the children can go to the night market. Remember to come back early.”

The family continued eating in silence, not daring to speak.

Concubine Gui still coughed a bit, and Concubine Bai looked at her with concern.

After dinner, Old Master Wen, Old Master Wen, and the members of the first and second branches left, leaving the third branch to clean up.

Concubine Bai asked worriedly, “Concubine Gui, are you alright?”

Concubine Gui shook her head. “I’m fine, sister. Don’t worry. I should be better in a couple of days.” Concubine Bai was a bit younger than her.

In this household, she was closest to Concubine Bai, but she didn’t dare tell her about this matter. Once she left, Concubine Bai would still have the third son to protect her. She knew the third son wasn’t weak and wouldn’t let others push him around. The Wen family would likely split up eventually. When that happened, the third son would surely take Concubine Bai to live with him, though it wouldn’t be easy. He might have to pay a price.

Moreover, Old Madam Wen just wanted to control her and didn’t want Concubine Bai around to be an eyesore. Old Master Wen had doted on Concubine Bai when he was younger, and Old Madam Wen couldn’t wait for her to leave.

Concubine Bai nodded and whispered, “How about we find a doctor tomorrow? I have some silver.” It was undoubtedly given to her secretly by the third son.

Concubine Gui shook her head. “No need. I’ll be fine in a couple of days. If I really feel unwell, I’ll ask Old Madam Wen for money to see a doctor.”

The two old sisters chatted for a while before going to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Concubine Bai urged Concubine Gui to rest, but Concubine Gui insisted on helping to finish the chores quickly so everyone could rest.

…

Xu Qinyu had been resting at home for several days and felt much better. On the sixth day of the new year, she planned to rest for one more day and then go to the dock to check on the merchant ships and buy ingredients to resume her stall. She wanted to see if the merchant ships were still there. It hadn’t snowed during the New Year, and the weather was warmer. If the ice on the canal melted, the merchant ships would leave.

Even without the merchant ships, other caravans would come and go, so she could still run her breakfast stall. If there weren’t many people at the dock, she planned to pause her breakfast stall for a while. She couldn’t sell meat buns and sticky rice intestines on East and West Streets either. She would wait until Concubine Gui was back home to avoid any mishaps, as the Wen family lived on East Street. It was safer to wait.

After breakfast, Xu Qinyu was sitting in the courtyard, enjoying the sun, when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find Officer Xu.

She was surprised. “Officer Xu, what brings you here?”

Officer Xu clasped his hands in greeting. “I apologize for disturbing you during the New Year. I came to ask if you could prepare a banquet at my home. Don’t worry about the ingredients; we have everything. Once the banquet is ready, you’ll receive ten taels of silver as payment. This banquet is for entertaining my superior.”

His superior was the county magistrate of Yuanbao Town. Inviting the magistrate for a New Year’s banquet was a yearly tradition. In the past, they had bought food from Donglai Restaurant, but after tasting Young Lady Xu’s cooking, Officer Xu was amazed and wanted her to prepare the banquet this year.

Ten taels of silver? Xu Qinyu’s eyes lit up. She barely earned ten taels after ten days of hard work at her stall. Preparing a banquet for ten taels was a great opportunity.

“Officer Xu, I’d be happy to.”

Officer Xu’s expression relaxed, and he smiled. “Then please inform your family.”

Xu Qinyu went inside to tell the Pei family.

The Pei family knew Officer Xu, but Madam Wen was still worried and asked Pei Weixuan to accompany Yuniang.

Pei Weixuan didn’t have much to do at home, so he went along with Yuniang.

Officer Xu understood it wasn’t appropriate for a young lady to go alone, so he was relieved to see Pei Weixuan accompany her. The two men exchanged a slight nod.

The three of them left Osmanthus Alley and took a carriage to West Street.

The Xu family had a carriage, which they didn’t use often. Officer Xu personally drove it this time.

They soon arrived at the Xu residence, located in Yangfeng Alley on West Street. It was a two-entry courtyard, just enough for the family.

Upon entering the Xu residence, Officer Xu stopped the carriage and led them directly to the kitchen.

The Xu family’s kitchen was spacious and stocked with various ingredients: chicken, duck, fish, pork, lamb, and even a piece of beef. In addition to common vegetables like radishes, cabbage, bean sprouts, and tofu, there were lotus roots, yams, and even a small basket of water chestnuts. These were quite precious, more expensive than pork, and considered a fruit. They weren’t native to the southwest and had to be transported from other regions, likely from Raozhou City. The beef was probably also bought from Raozhou City, as she hadn’t seen it sold in the town.

In ancient times, beef was hard to come by. Cows were valuable for plowing fields, and the government didn’t allow private slaughter. Only sick or accidentally dead cows could be butchered, and the government would send officials to inspect the cause of death to prevent intentional slaughter. Unauthorized butchering could lead to severe punishment.

Besides these, there were some dried goods and a small basket of river shrimp. People here ate shrimp, but only river shrimp, which were small. Most families would boil them and eat the tiny bit of meat from the tails. Some found it too troublesome and chewed the whole shrimp, head and all. Without proper preparation, the taste wasn’t great, so most people preferred to buy pork instead, finding it more satisfying.

Small river shrimp were cheap, costing a few wen per jin, but large river shrimp were different, selling for twenty wen per jin. Even so, most families would rather spend twenty wen on pork, especially fatty pork, which has more oil. River shrimp had no oil at all. Large river shrimp were hard to catch, but the ones in the small basket were quite big, making them worth eating even after peeling.

In addition to these ingredients, there were various seasonings and spices.

Seeing all these ingredients, Xu Qinyu assured Officer Xu, “Officer Xu, don’t worry. Leave it to me. Does your superior have any dietary preferences?”

Officer Xu thought for a moment. “My superior is easygoing and has no particular preferences.”

“Alright,” Xu Qinyu nodded.

Officer Xu planned to serve the banquet in the evening, so there was plenty of time. He couldn’t help but ask, “Could you make the fish with fatty intestines again?”

He had tasted it once and couldn’t forget it. It suited his appetite, and he even bought the intestines.

Xu Qinyu smiled. “Of course, Officer Xu. I’ll start by cleaning the intestines.” She planned to prepare all the ingredients first.

Officer Xu saw Young Lady Xu busy and didn’t disturb her further. He left the kitchen and went to the front yard, where his wife, Madam Xiang, was busy. “Did you invite her?”

Officer Xu nodded. “Yes, she’s already busy in the kitchen.”

Madam Xiang couldn’t help but worry. “Will it really work?”

She hadn’t tasted Young Lady Xu’s other dishes, only the fish. The red-braised fish, fish balls, and fish head were excellent, but she couldn’t help but doubt. After all, she was only fifteen, the same age as her daughter Yunlan. Could she really handle a banquet? Could her dishes be better than those from Donglai Restaurant?

Although she suggested inviting Young Lady Xu, she was still anxious.

Officer Xu reassured her, “Don’t worry. She won’t disappoint us.”

He had tasted her cooking and believed in her skills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t trust a fifteen-year-old girl to prepare such an important banquet.

Their daughter, Xu Yunlan, overheard and couldn’t help but be curious about this young girl with exceptional culinary skills. She sneaked a peek into the kitchen and saw a slender but beautiful girl busy at work.

Xu Qinyu noticed the girl peeking and smiled before continuing her work.

Xu Yunlan, holding her nephew Xi Ge’er, watched from the kitchen door.