Chapter 34: Su Yi’an: You’ll Have to Pay Me Back for This!
Chef Li had never been so furious—yet he felt utterly helpless.

A trivial matter had been blown out of proportion by his own shopkeeper, landing them in this mess.

Now, he wasn’t even sure if he could still buy the recipe. He’d sensed trouble the moment he heard the pig intestines had sold out.

“Hurry, Chef,” urged the servant outside the door. “Once we get the recipe back, everything will be fine.”

Worried that he might not have enough silver, Chef Li had rushed home to fetch an extra fifty taels. That should be more than enough.

But when he finally found their stall, it was already packed up and deserted.

According to the neighboring vendors, they’d left early. If he wanted to try the food, he’d have to come back tomorrow.

---

Early the next morning, Yun Niang and her family arrived at the He family gate in their mule cart, waiting for Su Yi’an. They had agreed the day before that Su Yi’an would ride with them to town for the next few days.

Since they were heading to town anyway, Yun Niang didn’t mind bringing her along.

“I made a new dish last night. You must try it when we get there,” Su Yi’an said. She couldn’t accept a ride for free, after all—and today, she’d brought several jars and pots, making her load even heavier.

“Absolutely! We’ll definitely try your cooking when we arrive,” Yun Niang replied warmly. She truly admired Su Yi’an’s culinary skills and the fragrant aromas of her dishes.

“Will you be selling noodles from now on?” Yun Niang asked.

“I’m saving up. If I earn enough, I’d like to rent a shop,” Su Yi’an said. That was her immediate dream.

Yun Niang admired her honesty. She blinked and said gently, “You’ll definitely succeed. When you do, open your shop near ours. I’ll eat your food every day.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Su Yi’an beamed, her eyes sparkling.

---

Chef Li hadn’t slept all night. He arrived at the stone table before dawn, determined not to miss them again.

“Look, Miss Su and her companions are here!” the wonton vendor called out, pointing to the approaching figures carrying baskets.

Chef Li rushed forward, startling the women.

Recognizing him, Su Yi’an gave him a cold look. “What do you want?” she asked bluntly.

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, Chef Li whispered, “Are you still selling your sausages?”

“Of course,” Su Yi’an replied, setting down her basket and unpacking its contents.

“Then… would you be willing to sell me the sausage recipe?” Chef Li’s heart pounded, terrified she’d refuse.

“One tael of silver,” Su Yi’an said casually, straightening up and dusting off her hands. “That’s the price.”

One tael of silver?!

Chef Li’s eyes widened, his stomach twisting with regret.

But just as he was reeling from the low price, Su Yi’an added, “I’ve already sold it to a few small eateries. Take it or leave it.”

Chef Li hesitated—but those little shops couldn’t compare to the Bright Moon Restaurant. What did it matter if they had the recipe?

He pulled out a tael of silver and handed it over. “I’ll take it. But why only one tael, Miss Su?”

Su Yi’an gave him a meaningful look and mentioned the recent break-in. “Some people are always after the recipe,” she said. “We’re just a small family trying to live peacefully.”

Chef Li flushed with guilt, recalling his own actions. He forced a smile.

Su Yi’an patiently explained the sausage-making process, down to how to clean the casings.

Chef Li had been close to perfecting his own version—but after hearing her, he realized how much he’d overlooked.

“Thank you, Miss Su,” he said. He didn’t leave right away but ordered another bowl of meat noodles.

Su Yi’an prepared three bowls. After they were ready, she packed two into a small food box and had He Yunhuai deliver them to Yun Niang and the others.

She remained busy, never glancing at Chef Li again.

When He Ningwen returned the bowls, she noticed a silver ingot inside one.

“Sister Su, what’s this?” She asked, puzzled. She knew Chef Li wasn’t exactly kind—so why leave silver behind?

“Keep it,” Su Yi’an said, nodding toward his pouch.

He Ningwen was too young to understand the reason, but Su Yi’an did.

She had made her position clear. With the recipe priced so low, any smart chef would snatch it up immediately.

She hadn’t expected Chef Li to leave so much silver behind—but since he did, she had no reason to refuse. She had other uses for it.

---

At the Bright Moon Restaurant, Chef Li handed the recipe to Manager Ren.

“It needs to dry for several days? No wonder,” Manager Ren said, his anger easing. Knowing the dish couldn’t be rushed, he stopped pressing Chef Li.

“How much did you pay for it?” he asked, sipping tea.

“One tael,” Chef Li said, rubbing his hands. On the way back, he’d debated whether to include the ten extra taels in his report.

In the end, he didn’t mention it.

Manager Ren chuckled. “Only one tael? I find that hard to believe. Tell me how you got it.”

Chef Li admitted the recipe wasn’t exclusive.

“No wonder it was so cheap. Clever girl,” Manager Ren said, reclining in his chair with a laugh. “Go to the accounting office and collect twenty taels. You know what to do next.”

Chef Li understood—this was the manager’s subtle rebuke. Had he acted sooner, they’d already be selling the dish.

Grateful for the leniency, he hurried away.

---

By noon, Su Yi’an’s small noodle stall was packed.

Business was booming—but since they left early each day, their earnings weren’t much higher than neighboring stalls.

Especially now that they’d run out of sausages, the meat noodles were selling slower.

“Why are your meat noodles nine wen today?” a disgruntled customer asked. “Everyone else sells them for eight. Just because yours taste better doesn’t mean you can charge more!”

Su Yi’an brought out an earthenware pot and calmly explained, “The regular noodles are still eight wen. This is a special braised version—those are nine.”

Intrigued, the man tossed another copper coin onto the counter. “Fine, give me the nine-wen version!”

“I thought you were going to smash Miss Su’s stall,” a nearby bystander quipped.

Su Yi’an smiled and used a bamboo spoon to scoop out a square piece of braised meat and a block of tofu, then ladled rich broth over the noodles. “Here you go.”

Wow. The meat was a solid square—not small, but not overwhelming. Just right.

In most households, meat was sliced thin. Getting a full chunk like this was rare.

“This is our first day selling it, so tofu’s included as a bonus,” Su Yi’an said. “We might not have it tomorrow.”

Word spread quickly. When people saw they could get a whole piece of meat for just one extra coin, many couldn’t resist.

Su Yi’an cooked each bowl to order, ladling meat from the pot. Before long, the entire jar of braised pork was gone.

Old Wang wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, still craving more.

The sausages had been fragrant—but today’s pork belly was just as impressive. Stewed until tender, it practically melted in his mouth.

“Miss Su, aren’t you worried someone will steal your braising recipe too?” he asked. He’d heard the gossip about why they’d moved stalls.

Su Yi’an refilled his bowl with noodle soup. “It’s not that complicated. In the end, it’s all about who makes it taste better.”

She was right. Just like with wontons—the shop beside her was much better than the one on X Street.

Old Wang held his rough bowl, blowing on the broth as he sipped. Warmth spread through him.

Su Yi’an glanced at the empty pot. She’d need to make more tomorrow.

As winter deepened, fewer people would be out. Business wouldn’t last much longer before the New Year.

---

That afternoon, they headed back with Yun Niang. Just as they left the town gates, they passed an oxcart bound for the village.

Yun Niang said nothing. Zhuang Shan, sitting on the oxcart, remained silent too.

The mule cart slowly overtook the ox-cart and disappeared from view.

“Isn’t that Zhuang family’s boy driving?” Fourth Wife Yang asked, eyes filled with envy. “No wonder people say hunters make good money. They’ve even got a mule!”

“Why only look at the driver? Didn’t you see who else was riding?” Yu Family Wife chimed in.

“I was too busy admiring the mule. Who else was up there?”

The other passengers turned to look.

“The He family’s daughter-in-law—you know, the one they married to ward off bad luck—and that sickly second son of theirs,” Yu Family Wife said.

“I didn’t know their families were so close,” someone muttered.

“Out-of-town brides stick together,” someone said, and the group laughed.

It was true. Yun Niang and the He family daughter-in-law were both newcomers.

As the ox-cart trundled along, the gossip continued.

Just before they reached the village, Yu Family Wife suddenly remembered something.

“Did you know the He family has a noodle stall in town?”

The cart fell silent.

“Is that true?” someone asked sharply.

“Of course! I saw it myself. But business isn’t great.”

“Talk about bad luck! Even a noodle stall can’t make money.”

“That’s not true,” another person said. “I think they’re doing better. Their second son survived, and now they’ve got a stall in town.”

The laughter died. A quiet unease settled in.

The He family had always been less fortunate. How were they suddenly doing so well?

Even if their business wasn’t booming, at least they were earning—unlike everyone else stuck indoors sewing all winter.

The news spread as soon as the ox-cart reached the village.

Gou Er cursed inwardly. How had he missed something this big? He decided to go to town the next day. If the rumors were true, he’d tell Du Bao and the others—they had debts to collect.

---

Back at home, Su Yi’an barely rested before leaving again with He Yunhuai.

With daylight still lingering, they hurried down a narrow path to the neighboring village.

He Yunhuai was filled with mixed emotions. He had planned to repay their debts once he’d earned enough from copying books.

But then Su Yi’an had produced ten taels of silver out of nowhere.

“It was a windfall anyway,” she said. “Let’s repay the debt before the New Year. Then whatever we earn after that is ours.”

She had already exchanged the large ingot for two five-tael pieces, which she now carried in her purse.

Only then did He Yunhuai learn that those people had come to their home demanding the full ten taels. His expression darkened, guilt creeping in.

“I’ll definitely pay you back.”

“Of course you will,” Su Yi’an said with a teasing smile. “It’s five taels of silver, after all.”

He Yunhuai heard the playful tone. The tips of his ears turned red, and his hand clenched inside his sleeve.

“Alright,” he replied softly, eyes lowering as he looked away.