Besides spring bamboo shoots and cured meat, the best ingredients for “Yan Du Xian” also include some black fungus.

Conveniently, Qin Rong’s guesthouse had several bags of dried black fungus.

She first soaked the fungus in water to rehydrate it, then cut off a whole chunk of cured meat and placed it in a steaming pot.

After it was thoroughly steamed, she cut it into pieces.

Next, Qin Rong fetched some chili peppers from her space, removed the seeds, and chopped them up.

Her knife skills were quite good—she could cut the spring bamboo shoots into beautiful oblique slices. Each piece looked especially tender when laid out on the plate.

The next step was blanching the bamboo shoots.

This was essential, otherwise, they would have a bitter taste and be unpleasant to eat.

She heated a pan and added cold oil, then put in the cured meat.

Once the fat began to sizzle, she added the bamboo shoots and stir-fried them briefly before adding water.

After simmering for a while, she evenly divided the dish into two clay pots and placed them over the stove to stew slowly.

As the soup in the clay pot bubbled and boiled, the fresh aroma of bamboo shoots mixed with the savory scent of cured meat.

When the broth turned a creamy white, Qin Rong tossed in a few pieces of the soaked black fungus.

After stewing for a while longer, the Yan Du Xian was finally ready.

It had simmered for quite some time and was full of flavor.

Qin Rong wrapped the clay pot in cloth, placed it in a basket, greeted Qin Yue, and then headed to the Bai household.

At that moment, a light spring rain was still falling.

The air was filled with the fragrance of fresh grass.

Holding an umbrella, Qin Rong enjoyed her first spring rain since coming to the ancient era.

The Bai household wasn’t far from Qin Rong’s home.

She arrived shortly after.

The gate was open, and Old Master Bai was playing a game of Go with a man in fine robes.

Qin Rong hesitated briefly, but still knocked on the door.

Hearing the sound, Old Master Bai looked up and, seeing it was her, stood up.

“Miss Qin, what brings you here?”

Qin Rong stepped into the courtyard and brought out the pot. “I made some Yan Du Xian with the spring bamboo shoots Uncle Bai gave us. I brought a portion for you to try.”

Old Master Bai had always been a foodie.

In the past, whenever he had leisure time in the capital, he would seek out good food. Even after being demoted and sent to Lingnan, his passion for culinary delights remained unchanged.

“That’s wonderful, Miss Qin. I won’t stand on ceremony then. Zhu Yu, you’re in for a treat today.”

“The gentleman is right.”

Before the finely dressed man could finish speaking, Old Master Bai had already lifted the lid of the pot.

A rich aroma wafted out, so tempting that he didn’t even wait for chopsticks—he picked up a piece of bamboo shoot with his hand and popped it into his mouth.

Chewing and nodding with his eyes closed, Old Master Bai said, “Delicious. Absolutely delicious! Zhu Yu, you must try some.”

Qin Rong didn’t linger.

Smiling, she took her leave.

Since the rain was still falling, she needed to deliver some rain gear to Lady Yu.

Later, the Yu family also received a portion of the Yan Du Xian.

The dish gained fame thanks to that visit.

Even Yu Dashan began to envy his younger brother for having tasty food every day.

..

It rained continuously for three days in Licheng Town.

The ground was surrounded by water, and the air was especially damp.

Qin Rong felt sticky all over.

Bathing wasn’t very convenient in ancient times, so she wanted to buy a large wooden tub to soak in.

She retrieved a money pouch from under the bed’s compartment. Inside were some silver ingots and copper coins.

She calculated that the money she had earned lately just about covered her initial costs.

She strung together 800 copper coins—this was the capital that Lady Yu had given her at the start.

The remaining 318 coins were placed back into the pouch; they were reserved for buying ingredients.

A large wooden tub cost about 80 coins, and she didn’t quite have enough at the moment.

She still had the 2 taels of silver she got from selling a ring, but unless it was absolutely necessary, she didn’t want to touch that money.

Three days without setting up her stall meant a significant loss of income.

Still, street vending was a livelihood that depended on the weather.

It would be best to save up and open a proper shop.

Shops facing the street in Licheng Town’s West Market were quite expensive. Renting one would cost about five taels of silver per month, while buying one could range from 110 to 150 taels.

While Qin Rong was dazing off in front of her money pouch, Lady Yu came in with a smile.

“Ah Rong, guess what I brought back?”

“A spring blouse?”

Lady Yu didn’t expect Qin Rong to guess correctly. “Our little A’Rong is so clever.”

Just then, Qin Yue and Qin Yi came in upon hearing the commotion. “Mom, you’re back!”

Smiling warmly, Madam Yu placed her bundle on the chest next to the bed. “I made spring blouses for you all. Try them on and see if they fit.”

Qin Rong picked a light yellow set. “Mom, this fabric is quite nice. But haven’t you received your wages yet?”

Madam Yu replied with a grin, “A few days ago, Yang’s Cloth Shop cleared out some slightly flawed fabric. I thought it looked fine and teamed up with a few embroiderers to buy some. Opportunities like that don’t come often. Now that the spring clothes are done, our biggest remaining expense is just the rent.”

Qin Rong felt a warm glow in her heart.

She carefully changed into her new spring blouse, which lit up Madam Yu’s eyes.

“My daughter Ah Rong looks beautiful.”

“Big sister looks pretty!”

“Mhm, mhm…”

Since they didn’t have a mirror at home, Qin Rong thought she’d step into her space later to check how she looked in the blouse.

What girl doesn’t like to look nice?

Qin Rong was no exception.

Carefully folding the spring blouse, Qin Rong handed the strung 800 coins to Madam Yu.

“Mom, take this.”

Lady Yu was surprised. “Isn’t this your vending capital?”

“I’ve already earned it back. We don’t have anything big to buy right now, and I’ve set aside money for supplies. You’re handling everything at home—it’s better if you have more money with you for peace of mind.”

“You earned it back so quickly?”

“Yes. From now on, I’ll cover our family’s daily meals,” Qin Rong said with a smile.

“I’ll contribute the money I earn from knot-tying,” Qin Yue added.

“Then what will I do?” Little Qin Yi pouted, feeling useless since she couldn’t earn money yet.

“Our Little Sister can help me watch over the plants in the field—they’re all cooking herbs. My cooking tastes good thanks to them,” Qin Rong quickly scooped up Qin Yi to comfort her.

Cheered up, Qin Yi nodded earnestly. “Okay! From now on, I’ll be in charge of them!”

Seeing her daughter’s adorable face, Madam Yu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

What a joy. Getting divorced was… truly freeing.