Chapter 16.1: Spicy Boiled Fish

As soon as Wanqing stepped out of Fumanlou, she saw a shop assistant driving away an old man at the entrance. The old man was pulling a cart, and when she glanced at it—

A large, fat… black fish?!

Wanqing’s eyes lit up as she observed for a while before setting her sights on a particular black fish. She just wasn’t sure about the price.

“Uncle, how much are you selling this fish for?”

The old man saw that it was just a young girl asking and didn’t take it seriously. He casually replied, “8 wen per jin.” That was already half the usual price.

He had been selling fish at the market all morning, but no one bought any.

It was almost noon, so he tried his luck at the restaurant, only to be turned away. The restaurant claimed that this type of fish was too fishy and not tasty.

Lin Heng assumed Wanqing wanted to eat fish and didn’t say much. His daughter had just made a nice sum of silver—buying a fish was no big deal.

Bracing himself, Lin Heng said, “Qing’er, pick one. Dad will buy it for you!”

“Alright!” They had just made a lot of money—buying a fish was nothing. Besides, this fish had great potential!

“Uncle, where are you from? Where did you catch this fish?”

Seeing a chance to make a sale, the old man’s furrowed brows relaxed. Patiently, he explained, “Little girl, I’m from Xishan Village, just outside the county. This fish came from my family’s pond. We’ve been clearing out the pond weeds these past few days and caught a lot of fish. My family can’t eat that much, so I brought them to the county to sell. We also have a lot of ducks!”

“I see,” Wanqing nodded, making a mental note. Without hesitation, she picked the biggest, fattest black fish.

After all, her father was paying!

With the fish in hand, Wanqing headed back to Fumanlou. Shopkeeper He, seeing her return, quickly asked why she had come back.

Wanqing said she wanted to prepare a fish dish for him to try.

“Fish?” Shopkeeper He was puzzled. That wasn’t a popular choice—customers rarely ordered it due to its strong fishy taste. And yet, she wanted to make a fish dish?

Shopkeeper He led her to the kitchen and had Chef Ding assist her. Chef Ding got to work immediately. Once the fish was cleaned and prepped, he asked Wanqing how she wanted it cooked.

Wanqing explained the process of making Sour Fish Soup, but since they didn’t have pickled vegetables, she decided to prepare a simplified version of Spicy Boiled Fish instead.

Under Wanqing’s guidance, Chef Ding sliced the fish into thin, delicate pieces. Seeing the perfectly cut fish fillets, Wanqing was quite pleased with his knife skills. Then, she started marinating the fish slices before letting Chef Ding take over.

Following her instructions, he heated the wok, stir-fried the spices, and carefully executed each step. Finally, a fragrant, steaming bowl of Spicy Boiled Fish was ready to serve.

Wanqing invited Shopkeeper He to taste it.

He picked up a piece of fish, placed it in his mouth, and chewed with his eyes half-closed. The rich aroma filled his senses, and the fish was tender and smooth. He exclaimed, “Delicious!” Then, without another word, he focused entirely on eating.

Wanqing urged Chef Ding to try as well.

Glancing at Shopkeeper He, Chef Ding picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of fish, and took a bite. The moment the flavor burst on his tongue, his mouth nearly dropped open. He gasped, “The fish is so tender! There’s no fishy taste at all!”

Had he really made this? How was this possible? Why had he never been able to achieve this taste before?!

Shopkeeper He, now full and satisfied, rubbed his round belly and set down his chopsticks.

“Incredible. Absolutely incredible. I’ve never tasted fish this delicious!”

At that moment, he declared—from now on, Spicy Boiled Fish would be his new favorite dish!

He was in love with it!

It was even better than braised pork!

Without hesitation, Shopkeeper He turned to Chef Ding. “Did you memorize the recipe?” He had a strong hunch—this dish could become one of their signature dishes!

Hurriedly, he grabbed pen and paper and had Wanqing repeat the recipe in detail.

Chapter 16: Spicy Boiled Fish (Page 2)

Wanqing carefully explained the recipe again, emphasizing key points—especially the marination process for the fish slices, which she considered top secret.

Shopkeeper He offered twenty taels of silver to purchase the recipe, but this time, he insisted on signing an agreement. The terms stated that the recipe could not be shared with anyone else and that if Wanqing developed any new recipes in the future, Fumanlou would have the first right to purchase them.

After a brief moment of thought, Wanqing agreed.

First, Fumanlou was one of the top restaurants in the county, and she currently had no plans to collaborate with other establishments. Forming a good relationship with Shopkeeper He seemed like a smart move.

Second, Wanqing believed in fate. The first time she came to town to sell a recipe, it had been to Fumanlou. It felt like destiny—just like how Shopkeeper He had introduced her to Doctor Su…

She agreed to the deal but added a confidentiality clause—the source of the recipe must not be revealed.

Her family had neither power nor influence. If people found out that the recipe came from them, trouble would surely follow. Wanqing wanted to avoid unnecessary attention.

Shopkeeper He quickly drafted two copies of the agreement. Wanqing pretended to carefully read through it—even though it was written in traditional characters, she managed to guess the general meaning.

She handed the contract to her father. Lin Heng was at a loss—he couldn’t read!

Seeing his discomfort, Shopkeeper He read the agreement aloud. Once everyone confirmed there were no objections, Lin Heng pressed his fingerprint on the document.

When the twenty taels of silver landed in his hands, Lin Heng felt like he was dreaming. His mind was in a daze, with Shopkeeper He’s voice buzzing in the background.

Zhiwen, however, was fully alert. Seeing his father’s stunned expression, he secretly chuckled and helped steady him.

As they left Fumanlou, Wanqing noticed the old man resting nearby. Remembering that he still had a few unsold black fish, she turned back and mentioned it to Shopkeeper He.

Shopkeeper He had been worrying about where to source more black fish. Now, the perfect opportunity had presented itself effortlessly!

The more he thought about it, the more he appreciated Wanqing’s initiative. After a brief moment of contemplation, he called over a shop assistant and gave him instructions.

Just as Wanqing caught up with Lin Heng and Zhiwen, the shop assistant ran over with a basket full of goods. Without waiting for their approval, he shoved the basket into Lin Heng’s pack and bolted away—afraid they might refuse the gift and insist on returning it.

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Lin Heng had been standing dazed on the bustling street for quite some time. The noise of the crowd finally snapped him back to reality. He clutched his chest—this was real. Twenty taels of silver!

He could hardly believe it—his daughter had earned this money!

The three of them made their way to Baohetang, where they met Doctor Su. Lin Heng immediately stepped forward to express his gratitude. Seizing the opportunity, Wanqing presented him with some braised pork and fish to taste.

Since making the fish had taken some time, the braised pork had cooled down a bit. To fix this, Wanqing had asked Chef Ding to reheat it—though the texture might have changed slightly, the flavor remained intact.

Doctor Su was a man who loved good food. After tasting both dishes, he couldn’t stop praising them.

While the Spicy Boiled Fish was undeniably delicious, the soft and tender braised pork was his personal favorite.

After saying their goodbyes to Doctor Su, the three of them left Baohetang and wandered onto the bustling streets.

With Lin Heng around, Zhiwen wasn’t worried about rushing home, which meant—Wanqing could finally go shopping!

Pulling her father along, she scanned both sides of the street, her eyes darting between different storefronts. Before long, she spotted a fabric shop that looked decent and stepped inside.