Chapter 22

Seeing Ning Jie’er in such a state, Xu Qinyu was startled. She hurriedly pushed the cart into the courtyard and rushed into the house, lifting her skirt. “Ning Jie’er, what happened?”

“Fourth Sister-in-law,” Pei Jianing wiped her tears, “someone came to cause trouble, saying the fish they bought from you yesterday was bad and demanding a refund.”

It turned out that after Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, and Madam Wen left, Pei Jianing had been teaching Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er to write in the snow in the courtyard.

Soon, there was a loud knock on the door.

Pei Jianing opened it to find an old woman with sharp eyes and high cheekbones.

The old woman immediately started shouting, “Yesterday afternoon, did your sister sell braised grass carp in the alley? She said if it wasn’t good, we could get a refund. I bought the fish, and it tasted fishy, which was disgusting! Tell her to give me my money back.”

Pei Jianing was stunned but quickly recovered.

She knew very well how delicious her Fourth Sister-in-law’s food was. Even she, a former princess used to exquisite delicacies, couldn’t find any fault with it. This old woman was clearly causing trouble. She immediately said, “Auntie, don’t talk nonsense. I know very well how good my Fourth Sister-in-law’s food is. Everyone in the alley who bought fish yesterday knows it too. You’re the only one making a fuss. You just want free food!”

“Oh, I’m an old woman, and you think I’d cheat you out of a few coins?”

The old woman’s eyes darted around, and she saw the kitchen door open. Without another word, she pushed past Pei Jianing and headed for the kitchen.

Pei Jianing was shocked. Even on the road to exile, when they had conflicts with the Wen family, it was only verbal arguments. She had never seen such a shameless old woman.

Furious, she followed the old woman.

The old woman started rummaging through the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers, and found the spices Xu Qinyu had stored. Her eyes lit up, and she reached out to take them.

Pei Jianing immediately shouted, “If you dare touch our things, I’ll report you to the authorities! Especially these spices—they’re expensive and only sold in pharmacies. Reporting it will show whether your family or ours bought them. Stealing is a serious crime!”

The old woman hesitated. In those days, no one wanted to deal with the authorities. But seeing the spices in the cabinet, she thought she had figured out why Xu Qinyu’s fish was so delicious.

Feeling pleased with herself, the old woman turned back to demand the eight wen she had spent on the fish from Pei Jianing.

Pei Jianing’s face turned red with anger as she tried to explain that her Fourth Sister-in-law’s fish was delicious and that the old woman was just causing trouble.

The old woman wouldn’t listen and kept demanding money.

Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er were so frightened that they started crying. Feng Ge’er, being mute, cried silently, while Yuan Jie’er, who had witnessed the tragic events in their family and seen her mother hang herself, hadn’t spoken since. Seeing the two children cry broke Pei Jianing’s heart, and she tried to comfort them, but the old woman kept pulling at her clothes, demanding money.

The commotion was so loud that two neighboring families came over to see what was happening. When they saw that the old woman from the end of the alley was causing trouble, they immediately stepped in to help.

Pei Jianing, red-eyed and humiliated, explained the situation, “Everyone knows how good my Fourth Sister-in-law’s food is. This old woman is just causing trouble.”

The two women immediately pointed at the old woman and scolded her, “The young lady’s fish is delicious, better than the food in the big restaurants in the east of town. She sold it to us cheaply because we’re neighbors. We benefited from it, and you’re just trying to get free food without paying. Everyone knows what kind of person you are, Old Lady Luo.”

Old Lady Luo sneered, “As if you’ve ever tasted the food in those big restaurants.”

Furious, The two women pulled Old Lady Luo out of the courtyard and comforted Pei Jianing, telling her to close the gate and take care of the children until the adults returned.

After they left, Pei Jianing closed the gate and held Feng Ge’er and Yuan Jie’er, crying softly.

Hearing the story, Xu Qinyu’s face turned red with anger. She went into the kitchen, grabbed a large kitchen knife, and headed for the courtyard gate, intending to confront the old woman.

Osmanthus Alley had only about a dozen households, and Xu Qinyu knew who the old woman at the end of the alley was. It was the same old woman who had kept asking to taste the fish yesterday, her eyes always darting around.

Pei Jianing was stunned to see her Fourth Sister-in-law so angry, especially with a kitchen knife in hand, ready to defend her.

Before Xu Qinyu reached the gate, Pei Weixuan grabbed her, “Yuniang, don’t go. Wait for her to come.”

Xu Qinyu paused, realizing the old woman had two motives: to get free food and learn the delicious fish recipe. She had come when the adults were not home, hoping to rummage through the kitchen. Xu Qinyu guessed the old woman would show up again when she was cooking fish.

Going to her house now wasn’t a good idea. If the old woman had strong men at home, Xu Qinyu couldn’t fight them off. Even if her husband went with her and they fought, the authorities would see it as them causing trouble. It was better to wait for the old woman to come again.

Xu Qinyu turned to comfort Pei Jianing, “Ning Jie’er, don’t be afraid. Fourth Sister-in-law will stand up for you.”

Surprisingly, Pei Jianing didn’t feel as upset anymore. Seeing her Fourth Sister-in-law so protective made her feel warm inside.

Xu Qinyu decided to set aside the matter with the old woman for now and started processing the fish they had bought.

Pei Jianing hesitated for a moment, then took the initiative to help her sister-in-law move the two basins of grass carp to the well and started scraping the fish scales.

Xu Qinyu couldn’t help but smile. Ning Jie’er was slowly growing up, which was wonderful.

When they first entered the house, the courtyard gate was open, and Xu Qinyu decided to leave it that way. She was very efficient at cleaning fish. While she had already scraped the scales off seven or eight fish, Ning Jie’er managed only one, and her husband did three.

Xu Qinyu handled the gutting because she didn’t want them to accidentally puncture the fish’s gallbladder. If the bile leaked into the fish, it would make it bitter, no matter how well it was cooked. With only one kitchen knife, she had to do it herself.

In fact, chefs are very particular about their knives. Xu Qinyu had dozens, all custom-made. But for now, she made do with one knife and still managed to work wonders. Once the fish were cleaned, she rubbed them with salt, ginger slices, and Shaoxing wine to remove the fishy smell.

When the fish were almost done marinating, Xu Qinyu started braising them. This time, she took out the spices from the cabinet and placed them on the cutting board.

Soon, the aroma spread from the kitchen, filling the entire alley.

Old Lady Luo at the end of the alley smelled it and immediately followed the scent to the Pei household. Seeing the courtyard gate open, she was delighted and walked right in.

Pei Jianing was still playing in the snow with the two children. When she saw Old Lady Luo, her face turned cold. “You dare come back?”

Old Lady Luo ignored her and headed straight for the kitchen.

Entering the kitchen, she saw the young lady from yesterday busy cooking. The pot was filled with braised grass carp, covered in sauce, and the aroma was irresistible. On the cutting board were five or six types of spices, the same ones she had seen in the cabinet that morning.

Old Lady Luo was thrilled, thinking she had discovered the secret to the young lady’s delicious fish. She believed the spices were the key and planned to use them to make her own fish to sell at a higher price. She hadn’t considered that using these spices wouldn’t make the fish sell for just five or eight wen each.

In fact, the spices were a decoy. The secret to Xu Qinyu’s delicious braised grass carp wasn’t the spices.

The spices were for braising intestines. The key to her fish was how she cleaned, marinated, and cooked it. The sauce was also important, but it only contained soy sauce, vinegar, and a bit of star anise powder. Even if she used star anise, it was in very small amounts. Her fish had no fishy smell and retained its fresh flavor. Using spices carelessly would only make the fish taste worse.

Old Lady Luo memorized the spices and then started shouting, “Young lady, you said yesterday that if the fish wasn’t good, you’d refund the money. The fish was terrible, and my family said it was inedible. Give me my money back.”

Xu Qinyu, holding a kitchen knife, angrily asked, “Since you say my fish was bad, it must have been inedible. Give me the uneaten fish, and I’ll refund your eight wen.”

Old Lady Luo was speechless. She had no fish left.

Yesterday, the pot of fish was taken home and cooked with vegetables. Her son and husband said it was delicious, and she only had a few bites herself. Her husband and son almost entirely ate the whole fish, and her daughter-in-law and two granddaughters didn’t get a single bite.

Old Lady Luo quickly said, “The fish was so bad I threw it out to feed the stray dogs.”

Xu Qinyu laughed in exasperation. This old woman was shamelessly lying!

Having worked in the food industry for many years, Xu Qinyu had encountered her fair share of difficult customers and knew how to handle them. She didn’t mind dealing with troublesome customers like this. “Fine, I can refund you.”

“Then hurry up and do it.”

As they spoke, the neighbors heard Old Lady Luo’s shouting.

Smelling the aroma, they knew the young lady next door was back and still making braised grass carp. They didn’t want Old Lady Luo to bully her, so they quickly came over, greeted Pei Jianing in the courtyard, and entered the kitchen.

The aroma was even stronger inside, and the two neighbors avoided looking at the stove. Chefs disliked others stealing their techniques, and such behavior could be reported to the authorities.

One neighbor was a woman in her twenties, and the other was an older woman about the same age as Old Lady Luo.

Seeing the situation, they angrily said, “Old Lady Luo, have you no shame?”

Old Lady Luo glared at them, “She said she’d refund me.”

The two women couldn’t help but look at Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu, holding the kitchen knife, said, “Did you push my sister this morning? Apologize to her, and I’ll refund you.” She called Ning Jie’er into the room.

Pei Jianing entered, glaring at Old Lady Luo.

Old Lady Luo pouted, “Girl, I was wrong this morning. I apologize.” She then looked at Xu Qinyu with a smirk, thinking she had seen the secret to making delicious fish. She believed the young lady didn’t realize what she had lost.

Without a word, Xu Qinyu took out eight wen from her pouch and threw it at the old woman. Some coins fell to the ground, and Old Lady Luo picked them up, blowing off imaginary dust, and left happily.

After she left, the two neighbors felt a bit embarrassed.

The older woman apologized, “Young lady, it’s my fault. I should have warned you about Old Lady Luo when I saw her buying fish from you yesterday. She’s a shameless troublemaker. I didn’t expect her to cause trouble and try to get free food when you sold us such delicious fish at a low price.”

Old Lady Luo was notorious in the alley. She had sold her daughter to a brothel to marry off her son. The daughter couldn’t bear it and eventually took her own life. The old woman used the money to marry off her son, and the daughter-in-law was also a pitiful woman, who was sold by her family. After marrying into Old Lady Luo’s family, she had two daughters.

Old Lady Luo treated her daughter-in-law and granddaughters poorly, constantly scolding and beating them. Any food in the house was reserved for her son and husband. Yesterday’s fish was no exception, and the daughter-in-law and granddaughters didn’t get a bite.

Hearing this, Xu Qinyu frowned, feeling uncomfortable. She finally said, “It’s not your fault. No one expected her to do this. But from now on, we won’t sell any food to her.”

The woman agreed, “Of course, we shouldn’t sell to her anymore.”

The woman also advised, “Young lady, remember to lock the courtyard gate when you’re cooking. Don’t let anyone steal your recipes.”

Xu Qinyu smiled, “Thank you for the reminder.”

She had intentionally let Old Lady Luo see the spices. If the old woman had sincerely apologized instead of trying to steal the recipe, Xu Qinyu would have let it go. But if she had any bad intentions, she would only bring trouble upon herself.

Xu Qinyu saw the two women out and continued braising the fish.

Pei Jianing, having received an apology from Old Lady Luo, felt relieved and thanked Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu gently said, “It’s good that you’re okay, Ning Jie’er. From now on, don’t open the door for anyone when you’re home alone.”

Still feeling uneasy, she turned to Pei Weixuan, who was tending the fire and said, “Fourth Brother, I want to get a dog to guard the house. What do you think?”

With the adults out working, only three children were left at home. Ning Jie’er was only eleven or twelve, still a child herself. If bad people came, she wouldn’t be able to protect the younger ones.

Pei Weixuan nodded, “Alright.”

Xu Qinyu added, “Make sure to find a dog that can grow big and fierce and knows how to protect its owner.”

Big and fierce, and can protect the owner.

“Alright, I’ll find one,” Pei Weixuan said, lowering his eyes and noting Yuniang’s request.

Ning Jie’er listened to her Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law’s conversation, feeling a bit uneasy. She remembered that in the palace, everyone thought her Fourth Brother was reclusive and liked to keep strange and fierce pets, which were very obedient and protective.

No, it shouldn’t be like that. This isn’t the palace. Where would he find such fierce creatures?

Ning Jie’er felt a bit more at ease, thinking that, at most, her Fourth Brother would find a wolf-dog hybrid, which she had heard could grow very large and protective.

Xu Qinyu quickly set aside the matter with Old Lady Luo and focused on braising the fish. She was completely absorbed when she cooked, never letting other matters distract her.

Pei Weixuan’s gaze fell on Yuniang’s face. When she cooked, she seemed to radiate light, glowing and captivating, making it hard for anyone to look away.

…

The three pots of fish were soon ready. Xu Qinyu placed them on the cart and began calling out to sell them in the alley.

Hearing the young lady’s voice, the ten or so households in Osmanthus Alley instinctively brought out their pots and money. They greeted Xu Qinyu with smiles, and some women brought their children along. The children clung to their parents’ clothes, peeking out shyly like kittens hiding in the shadows.

Some older children, around eight or nine, smiled shyly at Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu smiled back at the children.

The three pots of fish sold quickly, all bought by the residents of Osmanthus Alley.

Old Lady Luo’s house remained closed, and she didn’t come out to buy fish. The two households next to Xu Qinyu took the opportunity to tell the neighbors about Old Lady Luo’s antics at noon and in the afternoon.

The residents were furious and scolded Old Lady Luo. They told Xu Qinyu, “Young lady, if you’re busy during the day, your children can come to our house. We have two children, and they can play together. If the children don’t want to come, and there’s any trouble at home, just have them shout, and we’ll hear and come to help immediately.”

Xu Qinyu gratefully agreed and thanked them.

After selling the fish, Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan returned home.

Madam Wen came back at dusk, having earned another thirty wen.

Xu Qinyu told Madam Wen about the day’s events.

Hearing that her daughter was almost bullied, Madam Wen was heartbroken and decided not to go to the East House to wash clothes tomorrow. She wanted to stay home and watch the children.

Pei Jianing, no longer as fearful, knew her Fourth Sister-in-law cared for their mother and didn’t want her to wash clothes for others. So she said nothing, happy to have their mother stay home.

Old Lady Luo took the eight wen and returned home, feeling very pleased. However, upon seeing her daughter-in-law working with her two granddaughters, her face immediately darkened. She scolded, “You wretched woman, what are you dawdling about now? Get out of my sight and go to the back.”

Madam Lin, scolded by her mother-in-law, kept her head down and said nothing. She got up and went to the kitchen to start cooking. She had two daughters, one eight years old and the other six. After giving birth to her younger daughter, she had health issues and hadn’t conceived again in recent years. This made her mother-in-law increasingly displeased, leading to frequent scolding and beatings.

Old Lady Luo continued to grumble. Seeing her daughter-in-law go to the kitchen, she glared at her two granddaughters, who were trembling with fear. She called them over to massage her shoulders and legs.

The granddaughters, only eight and four years old, were being raised with the intention of marrying them off for money when they were older. If they couldn’t fetch a bride price, Old Lady Luo thought it would be better to sell them to a brothel. With the money, she could have her son divorce this “barren woman” and marry another wife to bear a son.

The daughter-in-law busied herself in the kitchen, cooking.

Soon, Old Lady Luo’s husband and son returned home.

Her son was a peddler, and her husband spent his days driving a donkey cart around town, looking for people who needed transportation.

Recently, business had plummeted due to the cold weather, and they only earned about twenty wen a day. Fortunately, they had some savings from better times, so they could still get by.

When Old Man Luo entered the house, he told his son, “The whole alley smells of fish. Let’s add some bean sprouts and tofu to it. We’ve had enough radishes and cabbage.”

He then asked Old Lady Luo, “Wife, did you remember to buy fish this afternoon? I smelled the aroma all over the alley. Every household’s chimney was smoking. That young lady’s fish is really delicious. We’re lucky to be neighbors and get it at a good price.”

Old Lady Luo came out, beaming, and said to her husband and son, “Old man, son, you won’t believe it. I learned the recipe for that young lady’s fish. I didn’t buy fish today and even got back the money we spent on fish yesterday. Don’t worry, tomorrow I’ll buy fish and spices and cook it for you. If it’s good, we’ll set up a stall and sell it in the east and west of town. We can sell each fish for dozens or even hundreds of wen and make a fortune!”

“What did you say?” Old Man Luo thought he had misheard. “How did you learn the recipe? Did they teach you?”

Old Lady Luo didn’t mention her shameless behavior at the young lady’s house. She simply said, “I saw it at the young lady’s house this afternoon. Don’t worry, old man. Tonight, we’ll make do with some boiled tofu.”

She believed that Xu Qinyu not only used those spices to braise fish but also to cook pig offal for meat sandwiches, which sold for eight wen each. Once she mastered it, she planned to sell them too. She intended to buy some spices, fish, and pig offal to try it out.

Old Man Luo and his son frowned but didn’t say much. If they really had the recipe, it would be great. They could make it at home and sell it for a lot of money. With the money, they could buy a big house and no longer live in this shabby one.

In the kitchen, Madam Lin heard this and her eyes showed disdain. She knew exactly how her mother-in-law had caused trouble at someone else’s house at noon and in the afternoon. She was certain that the old woman had deliberately gone to the young lady’s house under the pretense of getting a refund to steal a look at the recipe.

The next day, Xu Qinyu continued to set up her stall at the dock. This time, she had braised more intestines, enough for about 110 meat sandwiches.

In the morning, Master Xia bought seven, Shao Ge’er had one, and her family ate six, leaving over ninety to sell.

At the dock, the meat sandwiches sold quickly. Even the crew from another merchant ship with a large “Shen” character couldn’t resist the aroma and wanted to buy some to try. However, the line in front of the stall was long, with each person buying three or four. By the time it was their turn, the sandwiches were sold out. So, the Shen crew tried to buy one from those who had already bought them. But those who had bought the sandwiches immediately ran back to their ship, clutching their precious food.

Seeing this, the Shen crew tried to negotiate for just a bite, but the response was the same—everyone ran away with their sandwiches.

What a joke! The young lady had brought twice as many sandwiches as the previous day, but it was just enough for the Han merchant ship crew. If the Shen crew got a taste of it and realized how good they were, they would compete for it the next day. The young lady had said that ninety sandwiches were her limit for the day, and she couldn’t make more.

The more they were denied, the more curious the Shen crew became. They decided to get up early the next day and line up first. They didn’t believe they couldn’t outwait the Han merchant ship crew!

Once again, Xu Qinyu sold out early.

After packing up, she bought vegetables and went home, unaware that Old Lady Luo had also bought fish, pig offal, and the same spices from the pharmacy. Although the spices were also medicinal herbs, they were commonly sold in pharmacies.

Old Lady Luo didn’t dare buy too many spices at once, purchasing a little of each, but it still cost her nearly a tael of silver, which pained her. However, thinking of the potential profits, she felt very pleased.

To show off, she waited until her son and husband returned in the evening before starting to cook dinner.

She could cook, but her skills were very basic, and her food lacked flavor. This time, to improve the taste, she added extra lard, filled a pot with water, and added all the ingredients, including spices, ginger, soy sauce, and salt. She bought five fish and cooked them all in one pot, thinking that was how the young lady did it.

Using a similar method, she used the family’s iron pot to braise the fish and a small stove to cook the pig offal. She washed the intestines twice with water, holding back her disgust, and then threw them into a clay pot to cook.

Meanwhile, the other families in Osmanthus Alley were already enjoying the young lady’s braised fish.

However, the alley was filled with a strange, unpleasant smell, a mix of fishiness and medicinal herbs.

Someone couldn’t help but say, “What’s that smell? It’s awful. Is someone boiling medicine?”

But even boiling medicine wouldn’t smell this bad. This smell was nauseating.

In the Luo household, Old Man Luo and Luo Dagen looked displeased. Old Man Luo couldn’t help but scold, “Wife, are you sure you got the recipe right? Is this really how the young lady cooks fish and pig offal? It smells terrible. When she cooks, the whole alley smells like meat.”

Old Lady Luo, embarrassed, said, “Maybe it just smells bad while cooking. It’ll taste good when it’s done. Let’s wait and see.”

Old Man Luo, his face dark, said nothing.

As the pot began to simmer and reduce, the smell grew even worse.

Old Man Luo’s face darkened further.

Finally, when the sauce had reduced, Old Lady Luo eagerly lifted the lid, only to be hit by an even stronger stench. She gagged and realized something was wrong. She tasted a piece of fish, and her face turned pale. The fish was bitter and fishy and had a strong medicinal taste. It was unbearable—worse than her usual cooking, much worse.

Seeing her reaction, Old Man Luo tasted a piece himself, chewed twice, and spat it out. He punched her in the face, “This is the recipe you learned? You said we could make it ourselves and sell it to restaurants for big money? Taste this! Even stray dogs wouldn’t eat it! You wasted a tael of silver. Do you know how long it takes me and Dagen to earn a tael of silver?”

Old Lady Luo was punched in the eye and screamed in pain, trembling as she said, “No, isn’t there still a pot of pig offal? Maybe…”

Before she could finish, Old Man Luo walked to the stove and lifted the lid. The smell was even worse than the fish. He held back his nausea, took out a piece of intestine, cut a bit, and put it in his mouth. This time, he couldn’t hold back and vomited immediately.

Old Lady Luo was completely stunned.

Old Man Luo couldn’t take it anymore and beat her up.

Old Lady Luo cried and shouted, “Old man, stop hitting me. I’ll go talk to that young lady and get her to compensate us.”

“You fool!” Old Man Luo scolded. “Do you want to end up in jail? How did you get this recipe? By stealing it from her!”

Old Lady Luo was speechless. Indeed, how could she demand compensation? If the young lady reported her, how could she explain to the authorities that she had stolen the recipe and failed to replicate it? Stealing someone’s craft could land her in jail.

The only reason she got the eight wen back for the fish was because the young lady had promised it. But stealing the recipe was not something the young lady had agreed to.

Old Lady Luo felt extremely frustrated.

“Sigh,” Luo Dagen sighed. “Does this mean we’ll never get to eat that delicious fish again?”

Covering her swollen eye, Old Lady Luo said, “Son, don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll have your wife buy fish from the young lady. I’ll apologize to her once my eye gets better.”

She thought the young lady seemed soft-hearted. If she apologized sincerely and mended their relationship, she might eventually learn the secrets of the braised fish and intestines.

…

The Pei family had finished their dinner, and Xu Qinyu was preparing to braise the intestines, hoping to finish early and rest. As soon as she put the intestines in the braising pot, she smelled the unpleasant odor.

Xu Qinyu’s expression turned strange. She guessed what had happened. Old Lady Luo must have seen the spices on her stove, memorized them, bought the ingredients, and tried to cook them all together, thinking it was like making a regular dish. The fish and intestines weren’t cleaned properly, and the wrong proportions of spices were used, resulting in a terrible smell.

In her opinion, the old woman deserved it. Who does such a thing?

Fortunately, the other neighbors were kind and easy to get along with. Some even checked in on her today, worried that Old Lady Luo might cause trouble. Madam Wen was also home, concerned about her children and grandchildren being bullied.

Pei Weixuan sat by the stove, tending the fire, his expression indifferent despite the unpleasant smell.

Soon, the aroma of braised intestines filled the kitchen again.

Smelling the familiar meat aroma, the residents of Osmanthus Alley finally felt at ease and fell asleep to the scent of braised intestines.

The next morning, Xu Qinyu went to the dock to set up her stall. Before she even reached her spot, she saw a long line of people waiting. It turned out that the crew from another merchant ship, who hadn’t been able to buy meat sandwiches for two days, had come early to line up.

Most of the crew were strong young men in their twenties and thirties, with big appetites and lots of energy. The line was a bit chaotic, with some pushing and shoving. But when they saw Xu Qinyu and Pei Weixuan, they immediately stopped and started shouting, “Young lady, you’re finally here.”

The people in the back of the line also shouted, “Young lady, do we get any meat sandwiches today?”

Seeing the long line, Xu Qinyu had no choice but to say, “Today, there are still only about a hundred meat sandwiches, but each person can only buy two.” This way, everyone would get a chance.

There were groans from the front of the line, but cheers from the back.

In less than half an hour, all the meat sandwiches were sold out.

The soldiers from the official ships began to wonder. Initially, they thought the merchant ship crew were just eating pig offal because they hadn’t had good food before. But after several days, they still hadn’t had enough and seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Could it really be that good? The aroma was certainly enticing. But having previously said that even dogs wouldn’t eat pig offal, they couldn’t bring themselves to line up with the merchant ship crew.

In the afternoon, Xu Qinyu sold braised fish in Osmanthus Alley as usual.

The residents were familiar with the routine and came out with their pots as soon as she called.

Xu Qinyu made about a dozen braised fish each day. She hadn’t planned to increase the quantity yet, as her pot wasn’t big enough, and making more would be exhausting.

As soon as she called out, the residents opened their gates and came out with their pots.

Once she was busy and had sold most of the fish, a thin, sallow-faced woman approached and said, “Young lady, I’d like an eight-wen braised fish too.”