It was around noon, and there were a few tables of customers at Xiang Ju Lou. Gu Linchen and the others casually found a seat. A waiter approached with a warm smile: “Sir, what would you like to eat? Our specialties are braised rabbit, beggar’s chicken, braised fish, old hen stewed with mushrooms, and stir-fried wild bamboo shoots with pork.”

Gu Linchen replied, “Then we’ll have the braised fish, old hen stewed with mushrooms, and do you have egg custard?”

“Yes, we have it,” the waiter said, glancing at Xige’er, thinking that Gu Linchen was a father who cared for his child.

“Then bring those three dishes, and a bowl of rice. Please serve the food quickly,” Gu Linchen added, thinking that the child must be hungry.

“Understood, please wait a moment,” the waiter responded and left.

“Lao Gong, do you think eating here will be expensive? We could just have a bowl of noodles on the street,” Feng Ge’er said, looking around the place, feeling that it was not somewhere for people from their farming family. He was worried that Gu Linchen might not have enough money for the meal and might end up using him and Xige’er as collateral. Although Feng Ge’er didn’t know how much money Gu Linchen made from selling the ginseng, he knew how much they had spent so far. Just for this half day, they had already spent over ten taels of silver. That would be enough for their family to live well for several years. The thought of it was quite alarming, and he felt that his husband was too extravagant. Even if they had money now, it shouldn’t be spent so carelessly.

Gu Linchen couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Feng Ge’er’s mix of surprise and concern. He patted his hand to comfort him: “We made a lot from the ginseng sale, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Just enjoy your meal.”

Xige’er, hearing this, tugged at him and said, “Dad, Xige’er likes to eat, Xige’er isn’t picky.”

“Alright! Little foodie,” Gu Linchen teased, rubbing Xige’er’s little nose. Xige’er smiled and giggled while hugging Gu Linchen’s arm.

Gu Linchen and Feng Ge’er exchanged a glance, both laughing, their spirits lifted by the cheerful atmosphere.

Soon, the waiter returned with the food.

“Please enjoy your meal, sir.”

“Thank you,” Gu Linchen said as he moved the egg custard in front of Xige’er. “Here, Xige’er’s egg custard is ready,” he said, handing him a spoon and encouraging him to try it.

“Dad, it’s so delicious, Mom, I’ll give you some,” Xige’er scooped a spoonful and handed it to Feng Ge’er.

Feng Ge’er looked at the soft, golden egg custard, mesmerized, but he couldn’t take the food from the child.

“Try it,” Gu Linchen said. He knew that neither Feng Ge’er nor Xige’er had tasted such good food before. He wanted to let Feng Ge’er try it as well, believing that children shouldn’t be encouraged to eat alone, and that sharing was a virtue.

Feng Ge’er tasted it and found it very delicious, so he let Xige’er continue eating it.

Gu Linchen picked up his chopsticks and placed a chicken drumstick and a piece of fish on Feng Ge’er’s plate, urging him to eat it before it got cold. Only then did he start eating himself.

Looking at his husband first taking care of Xige’er and then himself, Feng Ge’er’s eyes were filled with tears. At this moment, he was happy. His husband was treating him in a way he had never dared to hope for. Before he married, he had an older brother and younger siblings. Although his parents weren’t overly affectionate, whenever they had chicken to eat, the chicken legs were always given to his brother and younger siblings—there was never any left for him. After marrying into the Gu family, things were the same—poor. The chicken was sold for eggs, and they couldn’t afford to eat it. Occasionally, during the New Year, Gu Linchen would eat the chicken himself. Now, his husband was so kind to him, so good that he was afraid it was just a dream, and once he woke up, he would be back to his old life.

Gu Linchen saw that he wasn’t moving, his head lowered, tears falling freely. He patted his back to comfort him, while Xige’er also put down his bowl and came over, calling for his mother. Feng Ge’er, wiping his tears with his sleeve, finally spoke, “I’m so happy! I…”

“Mm, it’s good that you’re happy. Don’t dwell on it, eat up! If you don’t, it’ll get cold,” Gu Linchen said, handing him a handkerchief, then looking down at Xige’er, “Xige’er, come and sit down to eat! Here, have this big chicken leg!”

Xige’er immediately scrambled to climb onto the stool and waited for his father to put the chicken leg in his bowl. Gu Linchen drank a bowl of chicken soup, picked up a piece of fish, and took a bite. The fish tasted very fishy. He immediately spit it out. Wasn’t this supposed to be a signature dish? Had he been misled? This was supposed to be braised fish—its presentation was beautiful, and it looked good, but without any chili, the fishy taste hadn’t been entirely removed. Although he liked fish, he didn’t find this one tasty!

The waiter saw this and came over to ask if there was an issue. Gu Linchen said that the fish wasn’t cooked properly—it was too fishy.

The restaurant owner, Qin, also came over. After learning the situation, he smiled and said, “Sir, our fish is always like this. It does have a slight fishy taste, but it’s much better than what you’d find elsewhere.”

Qin suddenly had an idea and asked, “Could it be, sir, that you’ve had fish without any fishy taste at all?”

As soon as Qin said this, he felt that he had been a little rude. He considered himself well-traveled and knowledgeable, but even the best chefs in the capital couldn’t achieve such a feat. This braised fish was made by the family’s experienced chef.

Gu Linchen replied, “Naturally. And if the ingredients are good enough, I can make it too.”

Qin was momentarily stunned but quickly hid it, “Our restaurant has a full range of ingredients. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to step into the kitchen and make a dish?”

Gu Linchen hesitated but then agreed. He followed Qin into the kitchen, and shortly afterward, he returned to the table, taking away the ginger from the meal and letting Feng Ge’er and Xige’er continue eating. Gu Linchen instructed the assistant chefs to handle the fish according to his specifications. He looked at the ingredients in front of him—since there were no chili peppers, he decided to make a non-spicy dish. He began preparing pickled cabbage fish.

Qin and the chefs left the kitchen, leaving it to Gu Linchen. A quarter of an hour later, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air, and other customers started to be drawn in by the smell.

“Qin, what’s that dish being made? It smells so good!”

“Yeah, it smells amazing!”

“Give me a portion!”

A few familiar food enthusiasts gathered around Qin. “Boss Ma, Boss Zhong, Boss Liu, don’t rush. This dish isn’t made by our chef. It’s made by a guest…” Qin explained the situation, and as the fragrance spread, he found himself looking forward to the dish even more.

After another tea’s worth of time, Gu Linchen came out with a large basin. As he got closer, the fragrance from the basin became even more enticing. He placed the basin on the table, and immediately, seven or eight people gathered around. The bottom was filled with pickled cabbage, and on top were delicate slices of fish, garnished with spring onions and cilantro.

“These fish slices are so thin!”

“Yeah, the knife skills are impressive!”

“Is this pickled cabbage? It looks so delicious!”

“…”

Everyone was talking at once, and Qin, the shopkeeper, picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. His eyes immediately widened—this was too delicious! There was not a hint of fishy taste at all. He quickly grabbed another piece and tasted it. Seeing him swallow, the others swallowed too. He then set down his chopsticks with restraint and said to Gu Linchen, “Please, could we discuss this in a private room upstairs?”

Gu Linchen followed Qin upstairs. Once they entered the private room, Qin respectfully invited Gu Linchen to sit and then spoke, “I was wondering if you would be willing to sell me the recipe for this fish dish.”

Gu Linchen had been thinking about it as he was short on money, but still, he hesitated. “Shopkeeper Qin, this recipe was passed down by my ancestors. Let me think about it.”

Seeing the opportunity, Qin quickly responded, “I am willing to offer fifty taels of silver for the recipe.” His mind raced as he considered how much profit this dish could bring him. He also realized that if he shared the secret of removing the fishy taste with his boss, he would earn a great favor. Based on their brief exchange and his experience of reading people, Qin felt Gu Linchen was a good person, and he wanted to form a good relationship with him. He nodded in agreement.

Gu Linchen asked Qin to prepare some paper and ink. Once the recipe was written, Qin had already prepared a contract and the silver, clearly eager to make the deal official. Gu Linchen handed over the recipe and reviewed the contract Qin had prepared. After confirming everything was correct, he signed it. Qin then called for Chef Li and instructed him to follow Gu Linchen’s guidance. Chef Li, a burly middle-aged man, came in, acknowledged Gu Linchen, and followed him into the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Gu Linchen emerged. He saw that Feng Ge’er and the others had already finished eating. There was a plate of snacks on the table, and Xige’er was nibbling on them. Gu Linchen walked over and asked, “Are you full?”

“Mm,” Feng Ge’er replied, “I didn’t want to waste any of this delicious food, so I ate it all, and now I’m stuffed. Later, the waiter brought some snacks, but I couldn’t eat any more.”

Xige’er had eaten a bowl of egg custard, a chicken leg, and two bowls of soup. When the snacks came, he wanted more, but Feng Ge’er was worried he might get too full, so he only allowed him to have one piece.

Gu Linchen took Xige’er to settle the bill, but Qin, the shopkeeper, insisted on covering the meal. Seeing that Xige’er was holding a piece of snack, Qin knew the child liked to eat and asked the waiter to wrap it up so Xige’er could take it home. Gu Linchen didn’t refuse and thanked him before leaving.

On the way out, Gu Linchen remembered seeing some star anise in the kitchen and thought his home was running low, so he planned to stop by the grain shop to buy some. As he passed the butcher’s stall, he remembered there was no meat at home and decided to buy some for his parents, so they could have a better meal. However, the stall was empty. He called out, “How much is the meat?”

A burly man in his forties or fifties came out from the back. “The fatty meat is fifteen coins per jin, and this lean one is twelve coins per jin.”

Gu Linchen decided on the lean meat at first but then thought about how the fatty meat could be used to make oil for stir-frying dishes, as the meals lately had been rather bland. “I’ll take five jin of the fattier one, and one jin of the lean one.”

The butcher quickly cut the meat for him, and as Gu Linchen was about to pay, he noticed a basket on the ground filled with cleanly shaved bones and another filled with pig offal. Suddenly, he craved braised spare ribs and stir-fried fatty intestines.

“Uncle, how much for these?” Gu Linchen asked, pointing at the baskets.

“The bones are five coins for the whole basket, and the offal is ten coins for a basket.”

The butcher, seeing that Gu Linchen didn’t seem to be someone who couldn’t afford food, offered the bones and offal at a cheap price since they usually couldn’t be sold. Gu Linchen squatted by the bone basket, picking out large bones. Although there was no meat on them, they could still be used for making soup. Both Feng Ge’er and Xige’er were too thin and needed to be well-nourished, especially Xige’er, who was at a growing stage and needed extra calcium.

Gu Linchen picked out the pig’s head and large bones, filling up half a basket. He paid ninety coins for the meat and another eight coins for the bones and offal. He also asked the butcher to deliver the items to the cloth shop before heading to the grain store.

At the grain store, Gu Linchen bought some star anise and extra salt. He and Feng Ge’er each carried a bag and made their way to Li’s Cloth Shop.