Chapter 17

Xu Qinyu could see that Ning Jie’er really didn’t know how to do anything. The young girl was only eleven or twelve years old, and in her time, she would have been a cherished treasure in her parents’ hands, let alone a princess who had been pampered and lived a life of luxury. Suddenly being exiled to the southwest must have been a huge psychological blow, and it was already commendable that she still had the will to live.

However, despite this, Ning Jie’er was still a part of this family and needed to contribute. Otherwise, she would never feel a sense of belonging, and over time, it wouldn’t be good for her mental health. But this couldn’t be rushed; it had to be done gradually.

Seeing Madam Wen carrying water into the room and the others heading to the kitchen, Pei Jianing stood in the main hall, unsure of what to do.

Xu Qinyu entered the kitchen, lit the fire, and prepared to season the pot.

A well-seasoned iron pot was essential for making delicious food. Seasoning the pot with pork skin or lard would do. While she was busy seasoning the pot and preparing the ingredients, Pei Weixuan led Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er to the main hall to move the purchased ingredients and cooking utensils to the kitchen. Seeing Ning Jie’er still standing in the main hall, he said calmly, “Ning Jie’er, help us move the things to the kitchen.”

Moving things was simple, and Pei Jianing didn’t refuse. She carried a clay pot and followed them to the kitchen, looking dejected.

Xu Qinyu seasoned the pot and made a pot of braised pork ribs and taro rice. It was already late, and everyone was hungry, so there was no time to prepare separate dishes and soup. The braised pork ribs and taro rice had both meat and vegetables and tasted great.

Making this dish was simple. After washing the ribs, she stir-fried them with taro to bring out the aroma, added seasonings, and then poured in an appropriate amount of water. Once it boiled, she added the washed polished rice and let it simmer until cooked.

While Xu Qinyu was cooking, Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er sat obediently by the stove to keep warm, and Pei Weixuan also sat nearby to help tend the fire.

Xu Qinyu noticed that her husband had an excellent posture. Even sitting in such a simple house, he sat upright with his back straight like a pine tree.

When the food was almost ready, Xu Qinyu asked her husband to remove the fire from the stove. She lifted the lid, revealing the rice soaked in the braised pork ribs and taro broth, glistening with oil. She sprinkled chopped green onions on top, making it look very appetizing.

The aroma was so enticing that not only the Wen family but also the neighbors could smell it. Several families even came out to take a look.

“Who is cooking dinner? It smells amazing.”

“It smells so good, and it’s the aroma of meat. We occasionally eat meat, but it never smells this good. The aroma is almost unbearable.”

“It seems to be from that house up ahead. I see smoke coming from their chimney. It’s the house that used to belong to the Xia family. Has it been rented out?”

“Looks like it has been rented out. I heard their rent is three hundred wen, not a single wen less. If they can afford to rent a house for three hundred wen, they can afford to eat meat. But this meat smells exceptionally good.”

Everyone was feeling envious. They were all ordinary people; some families couldn’t afford meat even once a month, while others could manage it twice a month. But they never knew how to make meat smell this good. Even though the aroma was tempting, no one had the nerve to knock on the door.

In the Pei household, Xu Qinyu had already called everyone to the kitchen for dinner. There was a square table in the kitchen, and the stove still had some residual warmth, making it quite cozy, so they decided to eat there. She served everyone a large bowl of braised pork ribs and taro rice and packed a portion in a food box to send to Shao Ge’er.

“You all start eating. I’ll take this to Shao Ge’er,” Xu Qinyu said.

“I’ll go,” Pei Weixuan stood up and took the food box from Xu Qinyu. This wasn’t the capital, and it was late, so he wouldn’t let Yuniang go out alone.

Madam Wen, worried about her son’s recent illness, said, “I’ll go. You and Yuniang eat first.”

As they were arguing, there was a knock on the door. Xu Qinyu went to open it and saw a young boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, wearing a thick, gray jacket. He was dark-skinned but had bright eyes. Seeing the door open, he smiled and said, “You must be Miss Xu. I’m the Xia family’s servant. My mistress sent me to fetch the food box. What did you make? I could smell it from afar.” The aroma was so strong that he couldn’t help but swallow his saliva.

Xu Qinyu knew about the Xia family. This boy was likely Xiao Cui’s brother, Zhu Zi.

She smiled and said, “Dinner was late today, so I made braised pork ribs and taro rice.”

As she spoke, Madam Wen came out with the food box. Zhu Zi took it, thanked them, and left.

After Zhu Zi left, the Pei family began to eat.

The braised pork ribs and taro rice were perfectly cooked. The ribs were tender and crispy on the outside, and the taro had absorbed the broth, making it soft and sticky without being cloying. The rice was soaked in the broth, each grain distinct, and the bottom of the pot had a layer of crispy rice, which everyone loved.

The family ate in silence, finishing the entire pot of braised pork ribs and taro rice before washing up and going to bed.

Pei Weixuan washed the dishes. After dinner, he naturally took the family’s bowls and chopsticks to wash.

Madam Wen wanted to take over, but Pei Weixuan simply said, “No need.”

The family had six members but only three rooms. Madam Wen initially wanted to give the largest room on the left to either Pei Weixuan or Ning Jie’er, but both refused. In the end, Madam Wen and Yuan Jie’er took the large room, Xu Qinyu and Ning Jie’er shared the small room on the left side of the main hall, and Pei Weixuan and Feng Ge’er took the small room on the right side.

The Pei family subconsciously didn’t treat Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan as a real couple. Although they were married, it was forced by the new emperor. The girl was implicated, and they didn’t want to pressure her. They would see if the two developed feelings for each other over time.

The next morning, Xu Qinyu got dressed and left the warm bed. Ning Jie’er was still asleep, so she tiptoed to avoid waking her. Outside, everything was covered in snow, reaching up to her ankles, and it was still snowing.

Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but feel worried. With such heavy snow, the docks would likely be closed. The cold weather would freeze the river, making it impossible for merchant caravans to travel. If the docks were closed, the food stalls would be affected, and few people would set up stalls. Would they have to wait until spring to set up stalls? But she quickly dismissed the idea. The family only had eleven taels of silver left. If anyone fell ill, it wouldn’t be enough. Xu Qinyu decided to check it out after breakfast.

For breakfast, she planned to make red bean porridge. The porridge she cooked was fragrant, sticky, and thick, made with red beans and polished rice, which she had soaked the night before.

When the Xia family moved, they didn’t take the stove, wooden buckets, or basins with them. The clay pot was bought the day before, and she cooked the porridge on the stove. Xu Qinyu also lit the fire under the stove to render lard.

Just as she lit the fire, there was movement at the kitchen door. She turned to see her husband wrapped in a dark blue long coat. The coat was a bit shabby, but his face was as white as jade, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, truly handsome. Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but look at him twice. Strangely, although her husband was weak, his face had the least chapping during their exile. After applying ointment for two days, it had almost healed. She found the ointment her husband made quite effective. After applying it for two or three days, the redness and swelling on her face from the cold had subsided, and the chapping had improved significantly. With another ten days to half a month of use, the chapping on her face and hands would surely be completely healed.

“Fourth Brother, why don’t you sleep a bit more?” Xu Qinyu asked with a smile. When she smiled, her eyes curved, starkly contrasting her previous look of deep sorrow.

Pei Weixuan came over and sat by the stove. “I woke up and came to help you with the fire.”

“Thank you, Fourth Brother.” Xu Qinyu didn’t stand on ceremony. With someone helping with the fire, she could focus on other tasks. She first boiled a large pot of water and blanched the lard chunks. This way, the rendered lard would be whiter, cleaner, and taste better.

After blanching, she washed the lard chunks and started rendering them, adding a bit of water. Once a good amount of oil was rendered, she added a few pieces of star anise and Sichuan peppercorns for extra fragrance.

The whole house was filled with the aroma of lard. She ladled the rendered lard into a clay jar and put the remaining cracklings on a plate, sprinkling them with salt. There weren’t many cracklings, but they could be used to make buns or dumplings with radish, which would taste great.

Xu Qinyu picked up a piece of crackling and tasted it. It was crispy and fragrant, fresh out of the pot. She thought it tasted good and casually picked up another piece, placing it in Pei Weixuan’s mouth. “Fourth Brother, try it.”

The soft pad of the young girl’s finger touched his lips, and Pei Weixuan froze. He chewed a few times instinctively and swallowed the crackling, not even tasting it.

Xu Qinyu asked, “Fourth Brother, how does the crackling taste?”

Pei Weixuan lowered his eyes slightly and said, “It’s good.”

Xu Qinyu was pleased and set the cracklings aside to enjoy with the red bean porridge later. She didn’t waste the oil left in the pot and used it to fry tofu. The tofu she fried was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich aroma of green onions.

The Pei family members were all awake and came over for breakfast.

As usual, Zhu Zi came to pick up breakfast and told Xu Qinyu, “Miss Xu, Shao Ge’er really liked the braised pork ribs and taro rice. He ate a whole bowl, and my mistress and master were very happy.” He didn’t mention that his master had eaten the remaining braised pork ribs and taro rice, almost licking the bowl clean, saying he had never tasted such delicious food.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “I’m glad Shao Ge’er liked it.”

After breakfast, Xu Qinyu went to the dock to assess the business opportunities for selling food. Customer flow and sources were crucial in deciding what food to make and where to sell it.

To her surprise, there was still some business at the dock despite the heavy snow. There were a few food stalls nearby because several large boats were docked on the canal. She learned that two of the boats were official vessels transporting coal and iron ore, and two were merchant ships, all stranded due to the snow. Each boat had at least twenty or thirty people, so the dock was quite lively, with over a hundred people.

The crew members stayed on the boats to save money but couldn’t skimp on food. Working on the boats was tough, and they needed good food to sustain them. On regular days without snow blocking the river, there would be many small merchant teams and people coming to the dock to move goods, as well as those delivering coal and iron ore. The dock would be bustling with activity. Now, it was relatively quiet.

Business at the dock was decent, but there weren’t many food stalls—just a wonton stall, a bun stall, and a noodle stall. The cold weather and heavy snow deterred others from setting up stalls, and even the shops and small street vendors were fewer.

It was breakfast time, and a few customers were huddled at the stalls, waiting for their food. Once they got their food, they returned to the boats to eat, not wanting to freeze outside.

The crew members knew each other and chatted while waiting.

“We’ve been eating the same food for days. It’s getting boring and too bland.”

The wontons, buns, and noodles weren’t filling enough for them, and they got hungry again soon after eating.

“It is a bit bland. It would be nice to have a pot of braised meat. When can we find time to go to the restaurant on West Street for a good meal?”

“Forget it. Do you dare go to the restaurants on East and West Streets? A couple of dishes cost a tael of silver. We can’t afford that.” Although they earned more than average, spending half a month’s wages on one meal was too much.

The restaurants on South and North Streets were cheaper, but a meal still cost several hundred wen, which they were reluctant to spend.

As they talked, the wonton stall owner finished cooking several bowls of wontons, and the crew members took their bowls back to the boats.

Hearing these conversations, Xu Qinyu gradually formed an idea.