Chapter 50

Madam Wei’s words were sincere. As long as Zhizhi could eat well, feel full, and still lose weight, making her healthy, she was willing to do anything.

After speaking, Madam Wei couldn’t help but add, “If Young Lady Xu is willing, I can pay you twenty taels of silver per month. You don’t need to run errands yourself. After preparing breakfast and dinner each day, I’ll have my maid or servant come to pick it up, so it won’t interfere with your other tasks.”

“Madam, there’s no need to pay so much each month,” Xu Qinyu smiled. “You may not know, but my restaurant in the west city will open in a few days. At that time, Young Lady Yang can come directly for breakfast and dinner. I’ll adjust the dishes she orders, and you can settle the bill according to the prices on the menu.”

She had previously run a private kitchen and had prepared weight-loss meals for people, which were quite popular.

Making weight-loss meals taste good was challenging. If they were unappetizing, people wouldn’t want to eat them and would naturally crave milk tea, hot pot, and barbecue. Therefore, the taste of weight-loss meals was essential.

Even weight-loss meals could be made to taste amazing.

Madam Wei smiled and said, “Then I wish your restaurant great success and prosperity. However, your business will start in half a month, and you’ll be busy with the preparations. Even after opening, the breakfast and dinner you prepare for Zhizhi will be different and more troublesome. So please don’t refuse. I’ll pay you twenty taels a month, and you can continue to prepare Zhizhi’s meals.”

She thought that paying more would ensure the young lady put in extra effort. Otherwise, preparing Zhizhi’s meals separately would be troublesome once the restaurant opened and got busy. What would they do if the young lady found it too bothersome and didn’t want to continue?

Earning twenty taels a month for preparing breakfast and dinner was a good deal, so Xu Qinyu didn’t refuse. “Since that’s the case, I won’t decline. Rest assured, Madam, I guarantee that Young Lady Yang’s meals will be varied every day. She might lose weight more slowly, but it won’t harm her health, and she’ll feel full.”

That was all Madam Wei wanted.

Since they were willing to pay twenty taels a month, Xu Qinyu wouldn’t be stingy and invited Madam Wei and Yang Zhizhi to stay for breakfast.

For breakfast, the family had custard buns, milk buns, and some bean porridge. The bean porridge had a bit of polished rice added for a better texture and was served with some pickled vegetables, making for a simple meal.

Since Yang Zhizhi and Madam Wei stayed for breakfast, Xu Qinyu used the leftover beans from yesterday. She took a clay pot, added water, and washed a handful of polished rice to cook with the beans. Once the porridge was ready, she added some salt for seasoning and put in marinated fish slices. The fish slices were thin as cicada wings and cooked just with the heat of the porridge. Finally, she sprinkled some chopped green onions on top.

This simple fish porridge was suitable for weight loss because it included some whole grains and no oil, making it light and fresh. The fish porridge also had the soft and fragrant texture of beans, adding to its richness.

The fish porridge alone wasn’t enough, so Xu Qinyu stir-fried some shredded spring bamboo shoots and made an egg crepe with two eggs, using only a few drops of oil.

The egg crepe was rolled with shredded bamboo shoots, making it a perfect weight-loss dish.

Yang Zhizhi and Madam Wei sat in the main hall, and Madam Wen served them two cups of tea. While drinking tea, they smelled the rich aroma of the porridge and a hint of freshness.

Donglai Restaurant also had meat porridge, but they wondered how Young Lady Xu’s fish porridge would taste.

Because of Madam Wei, today’s breakfast was served in the main hall.

The fish porridge was divided into two bowls, one for Yang Zhizhi and one for Madam Wei, just to let Madam Wei taste the weight-loss meal that Yang Zhizhi was eating. The rest of the custard buns, milk buns, and pickled vegetables were for Madam Wei, and Yang Zhizhi couldn’t eat them. However, Xu Qinyu saw her eyes lingering on the custard buns and gave her one.

Yang Zhizhi happily asked, “Young Lady Xu, can I still eat this custard bun?” She had been craving it since she had it at Yunlan’s place.

Even for weight loss, Xu Qinyu didn’t advocate giving up favorite foods entirely. Eating a little was fine.

She handmade the custard buns, which had no additives and just a bit of sugar, so they could be eaten in moderation.

Xu Qinyu smiled and said, “Go ahead, just one.”

Yang Zhizhi happily took a bite, savoring the sweet but not greasy filling and the rich milk flavor, enjoying it with her eyes closed in delight.

Seeing her daughter like this, Madam Wei remembered hearing about the custard buns over a month ago and had even inquired at Qingfeng Pastry Shop and Donglai Restaurant. She couldn’t resist trying one herself. After taking a bite, she looked at Xu Qinyu in disbelief. The taste was truly amazing, with a sweet and delicate filling and a soft, fluffy exterior, perfectly balanced and rich in milk flavor.

This was made by a young cook who is only fifteen or sixteen years old.

Truly impressive.

She thought that if Miss Xu’s restaurant opened, it would likely be very successful in the future. Honestly, it was much more delicious than the food at Donglai Restaurant. No wonder her husband mentioned the banquet at Officer Xu’s house this morning and smacked his lips.

After eating the custard bun, Madam Wei tried the fish porridge. The fish slices were tender and delicious, with no fishy smell at all. The porridge was also fragrant and rich, with the added beans giving it a fresh aroma. The beans were soft and glutinous, unlike the sometimes hard beans in the porridge made by the cook at home, which made her dislike bean rice or bean porridge. She didn’t expect the fish porridge with beans to be so delicious.

Eating such delicious food while losing weight, Madam Wei thought no one could refuse.

The egg crepe roll was only for Yang Zhizhi. It was also very tasty, with a light flavor. The egg aroma and the crisp and tender bamboo shoots make it a clean and satisfying meal.

After eating, Yang Zhizhi was about eighty to ninety percent full.

Xu Qinyu added, “Young Lady Yang can eat some fruit after each meal, such as pears, tangerines, and water chestnuts. Drinking more warm water at other times will improve the weight loss effect.”

In ancient times, during this season, there were only pears, tangerines, and water chestnuts. Tangerines and water chestnuts were relatively expensive, and ordinary families couldn’t afford them. However, Yang Zhizhi’s family seemed quite well-off; otherwise, they wouldn’t spend twenty taels a month on her weight loss.

Yang Zhizhi nodded vigorously, “I will remember.”

After breakfast, Madam Wei and Yang Zhizhi left.

When Madam Wei was leaving, she couldn’t resist buying some custard buns, milk buns, and pickled vegetables from Xu Qinyu.

Xu Qinyu now made fewer custard buns, mostly for her family to eat, and didn’t make them often, only once every two or three days. Her family ate them, and she sold some to the Xu and Xia families. Because each custard bun was the size of a fist and sold for more than a meat bun, the people in Osmanthus Alley were reluctant to buy them.

Currently, fewer custard buns are being made. Once the restaurant opens, custard buns and milk buns will become the main breakfast items, and the prices can be raised. Moreover, Xu Qinyu is not worried about running out of milk because Uncle He has found another milk supplier for her. This family is a large cattle breeder, mainly raising cattle to sell calves. Although calves are expensive, they are excellent for plowing. Wealthy merchants, officials, and landowners with large fields often buy cattle. Even moderately wealthy families with a few acres of land would consider buying calves for plowing when they grow up. Therefore, their dairy cows are almost always in lactation, and they have several lactating cows, enough to supply the restaurant with milk buns, custard buns, and milk tea.

However, Xu Qinyu still needs to take some time to visit the family and sign a contract in the next few days. Currently, Uncle He helps her buy a bucket of milk and brings it over. She also asked Uncle He to inquire if the family would be willing to sign a long-term contract to supply several buckets of milk daily. The family is naturally willing, as the extra milk that the calves can’t consume has no other buyers.

After Yang Zhizhi left, Xu Qinyu rented a carriage to visit the family.

The family lives in Shunxi Town, a bit far from Yuanbao Town. It would take an hour to reach by a regular donkey or ox cart, but a carriage can get there in half an hour, allowing her to return in time to prepare fish in the afternoon.

The rented carriage comes with a driver, a man. Madam Wen, worried about Xu Qinyu going alone, accompanied her.

Upon arriving in Shunxi Town, Xu Qinyu found the family’s home using the address provided by Uncle He. The family, surnamed Wan, has elders still living, and two brothers run the cattle business.

Xu Qinyu explained that she planned to open a restaurant and would need fresh milk daily for cooking. She intended to buy five to ten buckets of milk from them each day, with each bucket containing about ten pounds of milk. She also mentioned that if the business went well, she might buy more in the future and was willing to pay twenty wen per bucket.

These buckets of milk usually couldn’t be sold, and no one would buy them for ten wen. Now, someone was willing to buy them for twenty wen per bucket, which would be two hundred wen for ten buckets, amounting to six taels of silver per month. Six taels of silver is not a small amount. The Wan brothers could each get three taels, so why not?

Xu Qinyu’s condition for paying twenty wen per bucket was that they must supply her with five to ten buckets of milk daily during the restaurant’s operation. If they wanted to increase the milk supply, they couldn’t raise the price. The price would remain twenty wen per bucket, and each bucket must contain ten pounds of milk. If they raised the price without reason or refused to sell her milk when they had it, they would have to compensate her with twenty taels of silver.

The two brothers thought it over and signed the contract. They figured that since no one would buy a bucket of milk for ten wen, and this young lady was willing to pay twenty wen per bucket, why would they raise the price or refuse to sell it to her?

After signing the contract, Xu Qinyu told the brothers that Uncle He or someone from his family would come to collect the milk daily.

Naturally, Uncle He would be paid a few hundred wen a month for helping her collect and deliver the milk to the restaurant.

Xu Qinyu put away the contract and returned to Osmanthus Alley with Madam Wen.

In the evening, Xu Qinyu prepared dinner for Yang Zhizhi, which included steamed shredded eel drizzled with her special sauce. She also made a radish and egg pancake with a bit of salt and five-spice powder, using minimal oil, and served it with a bowl of mixed-grain rice.

Madam Wei personally came to pick up the dinner and brought Xu Qinyu two small ingots, exactly twenty taels of silver.

In the morning, Madam Wei hadn’t brought any money, so she delivered it all at once.

After receiving the money, Xu Qinyu began preparing breakfast and dinner for Yang Zhizhi daily. A maid named Chun Hong from the Yang family would come by carriage to pick up the meal box.

In the following days, Xu Yunlan and Yang Zhizhi would occasionally visit Xu Qinyu to play.

With Cheng Ge’er around, Xu Qinyu could rest for two hours each day. During her free time, she could sit in the courtyard and chat with the two of them, discussing family matters and gossip from East and West Streets, which Xu Qinyu found quite entertaining, like listening to celebrity gossip.

If she was busy, Xu Yunlan and Yang Zhizhi would sit in the courtyard and play with Hei Yu.

Half a month passed, and Yang Zhizhi had already lost seven pounds.

Yang Zhizhi didn’t weigh herself every day, as it was a bit troublesome, so she decided to weigh herself once every half month.

As the restaurant’s opening day approached, Xu Qinyu frequently visited to check on the progress of the renovations, which were almost complete.

The kitchen had also been renovated, and Xu Qinyu added a cooking station. Previously, there was no cooking station, and chopping and washing vegetables were done on long tables. This cooking station made washing and cleaning much more convenient.

The kitchen had three large stoves, and she bought several other stoves of various sizes, enough for her needs. However, she hadn’t found any assistant cooks yet.

She posted a notice at the restaurant’s entrance, stating that she was looking for two assistant cooks proficient in either pastry or hot dishes and had one or two signature dishes. The restaurant’s head chef would teach cooking skills. The assistant cooks she hired could become head chefs in other restaurants or small inns, so everyone wondered if the head chef of this small restaurant was a famous chef. Otherwise, how could they be so confident?

But why would a famous chef stay in a small restaurant? They would likely be sought after by major restaurants in any bustling city.

People couldn’t figure it out. Some curious individuals asked the female shopkeeper of the nearby cosmetics shop about the restaurant’s head chef.

The shopkeeper always shook her head with a strange expression, saying she didn’t know.

However, a few chefs came to Osmanthus Alley to apply for the job. At first, they cheerfully asked about the salary. Xu Qinyu offered three taels of silver. These assistant chefs, who had skills suitable for working in restaurants or small inns, were usually paid three to four taels of silver.

Xu Qinyu’s offer of three taels was satisfactory, but these chefs also hoped that if a famous chef was the head chef, they could become the chef’s apprentice, even if it meant working without pay.

So after asking about the salary, they naturally asked who the head chef was. While asking, they couldn’t help but look around, hoping to see an older person. Famous chefs were usually over fifty years old. They thought the young lady answering their questions was a family member of the famous chef.

To their surprise, the pretty young lady smiled and said, “I am the head chef.”

The chefs were stunned and then angrily left, thinking it was a joke.

Xu Qinyu found it amusing and frustrating. She wanted them to stay and taste her cooking before deciding, but they wouldn’t listen.

The main issue was that these chefs came to apply around noon or early afternoon. The Pei family only had enticing food aromas during breakfast and dinner, so there was no food aroma at other times.

If they had come during breakfast or dinner, they might have hesitated after smelling the aroma. But the timing was wrong, and seeing a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl claiming to be the head chef, they thought she was joking and got angry.

So, no assistant chefs had been found yet.

Xu Qinyu could only go with the flow.

Cheng Ge’er, the kitchen helper, mainly handled chopping vegetables, which helped him improve quickly.

Xu Qinyu was the only chef, which was manageable but tiring.

A few more days passed, and the restaurant was fully renovated. They just needed to clean up and wait for the wood varnish to dry completely before opening, which would take about five or six days.

Regarding the ingredients, there’s no rush. She was already very familiar with these processes from running her private kitchen. Preparing everything the day before the opening would suffice. Some ingredients and vegetables would need to be bought in the morning to ensure freshness.

The next day, Wen Shuncheng and Wen Shungong came over, both with undisguised joy on their faces.

Xu Qinyu immediately knew that something good had happened in their family.

The happy event in the Wen family’s third household was likely the division of the family. Even if the third master of the Wen family made a lot of money, it wouldn’t be considered a happy event in the third household.

Xu Qinyu asked, “Cheng Ge’er and Gong Ge’er, what happened to make you so happy?”

Wen Shungong eagerly replied, “Fourth sister-in-law, our family has divided!”

It turned out that last night, before Wen Shuncheng and Wen Shungong returned home, the third master of the Wen family, Wen Zixiao, had just returned home for dinner.

The Wen family was still having dinner when he returned, dusty and tired, and sat down at the table to eat.

The dinner didn’t taste very good, and the eldest sister-in-law, Madam Yue, couldn’t help but say, “Sister-in-law, why is today’s food salty again, and there are small stones in the vegetables?”

Madam Meng gently replied, “Elder sister-in-law is right. I’ll pay more attention next time.”

Wen Zixiao’s face darkened upon hearing this.

“Elder sister-in-law, since you find her cooking unpalatable, why don’t you cook yourself? Ever since we came to this remote place, you’ve been treating our third household as servants. My wife, mother, and daughter do all the laundry, cooking, and cleaning in the house. Even though I’m just a concubine’s son, I’m still my father’s biological son. My wife and daughter shouldn’t be subjected to such humiliation. If this continues, our third household won’t stay here. I request to be separated.”

As soon as Wen Zixiao finished speaking, Od Master Wen slammed the table and angrily said, “Third son, you’re being ridiculous! How can you speak to your elder sister-in-law like that?”

Wen Zixiao got up, walked over to the old master, and knelt in front of him with a thud.

Wen Zixiao lowered his head and said calmly, “If Father thinks it’s normal for the whole family to treat my wife, daughter, and mother as servants, I have nothing to say.”

“You, you unfilial son!” Old Master Wen was furious. “When did I ever say to treat them as servants?”

Wen Zixiao replied, “If that’s the case, why do the first and second households not have to do any chores, while the third household has to handle all the household affairs? Do they have a servant’s nature and enjoy working? Besides, in the third household, I’m the one earning money. Although I don’t hand over much to Father each month, I still work hard outside. I never thought that while I was wholeheartedly working for the family, my brothers and sisters-in-law would treat my wife, daughter, and mother as servants. It pains me deeply, and I don’t want my wife, daughter, and mother to continue being treated as servants.”

Old Master Wen was speechless and couldn’t respond for a moment.

Old Madam Wen was displeased. “What’s wrong with having your wife do some work? She comes from a humble background, unlike your elder and second sisters-in-law, who are from prestigious families and don’t know how to do these chores. If you really think they’re bullying you and want to split the family, we can only separate you. But you must know that we’ve lost everything in exile, and we can’t give you any extra money or this house. If we give it to you, where would your father, mother, and brothers live? Since we can’t give you anything, you can only take your wife and daughter and live elsewhere. Don’t say the first and second households are bullying you then!”

Old Madam Wen had long wanted to stop supporting the third household. In her opinion, the third household was inefficient, and it would be better to buy servants. Otherwise, the daily expenses would still have to include the third household.

“Nonsense!” Old Master Wen never thought of splitting the family. All three were his sons, and although he favored the two legitimate sons more, splitting the family and sending the concubine’s son away would invite gossip.

Madam Yue, the eldest sister-in-law, also wanted to split the family. The third household was a burden to them. If the shop opened and made money, even if it was said to be funded by her dowry, they would still have to support the third household, which she was unwilling to do.

Seeing her father-in-law still objecting, Madam Yue tugged at her husband’s sleeve.

The eldest son of the Wen family sighed and patted Wen Zixiao’s shoulder. “Third brother, your first and second sister-in-law don’t know how to do housework, so they let your wife take on more. But how can you say they treat her as a servant? Doesn’t that imply even I am bullying your household? If you really think so, then let’s split the family. We don’t have to endure this anymore.”

Wen Zixiao remained expressionless.

Old Master Wen glared at his eldest son but still disagreed with splitting the family.

Wen Zixiao said, “If Father doesn’t agree to split the family, I will take my wife, children, and mother and move out. If anyone asks, I will say that the third household in the Wen family is treated like servants. Even if it means going to the authorities and getting punished, I will accept it!”

No matter what, even if they were separated, he didn’t want his family to continue living in this house.

Even the second son of the Wen family came out and pretended to be concerned, saying, “Third brother, what are you doing? The three of us brothers have always had a good relationship. How can you let this small matter damage our brotherly bond?”

Wen Zixiao remained silent.

Old Madam Wen tugged at Old Master Wen’s sleeve.

Seeing his stubborn son, Old Master Wen knew that if they didn’t split the family today, he might really take the third household and leave the Wen family to live independently. So, he got a bit angry and said, “If the third son wants to split the family, it’s not impossible. But apart from the two taels of silver you give each month, there is no other income. Your mother and I have no money, and the house and the two shops were bought with your first and second sisters-in-law’s dowries, so they can’t be divided. So, in this split, you won’t get anything. Are you still willing?”

Wen Zixiao replied, “I am willing, but I am useless and can only earn two taels of silver a month. So, in the future, I can only give half of my monthly earnings to you and Mother. Please don’t despise me for it.”