In response to Jiang Yanyi’s question, Qiu Kui shook her head in confusion, “I don’t know…”

After her parents passed away, her aunt sold her to a brothel, and from there, she ended up in a military camp.

She had been living in a daze for so long, but meeting Jiang Yanyi had given her a renewed sense of purpose.

Now that Jiang Yanyi had found her family, though Qiu Kui didn’t say it, she secretly envied her.

When she was sold to the brothel back then, her aunt had taken her to the market, and perhaps her uncle was unaware of what had happened.

So, when her aunt recently came to tell her that her uncle was critically ill, she followed her with a glimmer of hope.

However, the place her aunt took her to didn’t look like a place to care for someone ill but rather a place of vice.

After hearing her story, Jiang Yanyi frowned, “Was she trying to sell you again?”

But since Qiu Kui was now a bonded servant, selling her again would require her indenture contract.

Her aunt had sold her once, so she should know this well.

Qiu Kui, clutching the corner of her clothes with teary eyes, said, “When I noticed something was wrong, I tried to run, but my aunt grabbed me. A few women from the brothel came out, gagged me, and dragged me inside. I overheard my aunt discussing payment, and they said they’d only pay after a ‘physical examination’…”

At this, Qiu Kui bit her lip, tears pooling in her eyes.

If this had happened in the past, she wouldn’t have cried, having resigned herself to a life of hardship.

But after spending time with Jiang Yanyi, her dark past felt almost distant.

Now, the thought of being thrust back into that hell made her determined to resist.

Everyone yearns to live in the light.

Jiang Yanyi felt both distressed and furious, “You silly girl, why didn’t you tell me about such a big thing?”

Tears streamed down Qiu Kui’s face.

Jiang Yanyi had been at the Chu household at the time; she couldn’t just go over and tell her she was being mistreated.

By the time Jiang Yanyi returned, several days had passed, so she didn’t mention it.

Choking back tears, she said, “Don’t be mad, Hua Hua. I didn’t suffer any losses. When they tried to drag me inside, we bumped into a blacksmith delivering goods nearby. He recognized me and threatened to report them if they mistreated me, so they let me go.”

However, her aunt, who didn’t get her money, cursed her, calling her a curse who had brought her parents to ruin.

The blacksmith defended her, but her aunt turned on him, insinuating a relationship between them.

She even publicly humiliated Qiu Kui by revealing her past as a brothel and camp girl, saying the cruelest things imaginable.

Since then, the blacksmith, who used to drop by to help sharpen knives, had stopped coming altogether.

Qiu Kui felt deeply hurt. “Living with Hua Hua, I felt I could live like when my parents were still around, even if I was just seen as a little foolish. But now, when others look at me, they see something filthy…”

In that moment, Jiang Yanyi realized that Qiu Kui’s innocence protected her.

Though her physical scars had faded, the wounds of slander would last a lifetime.

The world was harsh on women.

Though Qiu Kui had been a victim, the mere fact of her time in a brothel and as a camp girl made others cast judgments and think the worst.

Men would either criticize her with sanctimonious judgment or degrade her with vulgar humor.

Tragically, many women would shun her, and some would even gossip with disdain.

Throughout history, rumors have been a blade that kills without bloodshed.

Jiang Yanyi held Qiu Kui’s hand, saying, “Those with dirty minds see dirt everywhere. Pay them no mind.”

What concerned her now was how Qiu Kui’s aunt had found her and why she was so determined to lure Qiu Kui away.

Jiang Yanyi asked, “Do you remember where your aunt took you?”

Qiu Kui nodded, “The Red Lantern building in Xishi’s Willow Lane, the grandest building there.”

Xishi’s Willow Lane was a known red-light district.

Could her aunt really be trying to sell her?

Jiang Yanyi reassured her, “Don’t worry. If your aunt dares to come again, I’ll report her to the authorities.”

Since there was no more information to glean from Qiu Kui, finding out her aunt’s intentions might require questioning the aunt herself.

Jiang Yanyi encouraged Qiu Kui to calm down and return to the kitchen.

The dishes were almost ready, and Jiang Yanyi took charge of preparing the soup base herself.

Considering that people in the shop had varying levels of spice tolerance, Jiang Yanyi decided to make a divided hot pot with two broths.

For the mild side, she prepared a clear broth using a rich stock made from pork bones and an old hen.

The spicy broth used a base prepared with seasoned oil, maximizing the fragrance of the spices.

Jiang Yanyi carefully simmered the oil, briefly cooking prickly ash and peppercorns in it before removing them, then lowering the heat to caramelize sugar.

Caramelizing sugar in oil requires skill. If the heat or timing is off, the entire pot of oil and sugar can be ruined.

The red hue of the spicy broth comes not only from the chili oil but also from the caramelized sugar, which adds a rich color without sweetness.

Properly caramelized sugar enhances the umami and helps moderate the heat.

Jiang Yanyi took extra care with the sugar, watching it melt until golden bubbles rose to the surface, the steam carrying a faint sweetness.

She then added scallions, ginger, and garlic to the pot for aroma, followed by several spices like amomum, cloves, and star anise.

Once the fragrance developed, she added the bone broth, a pinch of salt, and the previously cooked prickly ash and peppercorns for a final simmer.

As the water boiled vigorously, the aroma of spices blended with the tingling spice of prickly ash and the heat of the chili, tantalizing the senses.

The spices also act as natural preservatives, so making a larger batch of the spicy base allowed it to last a few days.

After turning off the heat, Jiang Yanyi ladled some of the prepared spicy base into the divided pot, then added boiling water, ready for skewers to be cooked directly.

Even though she had caught a cold due to someone’s negligence, she didn’t forget that someone in the neighboring palace.

She asked Yang Xiu to bring over the spicy base along with some skewered ingredients for them to enjoy.

Chu Yangu’s limited mobility and the shop’s increasing crowds made it inconvenient for him to dine with everyone. Rather than moving him in and out, Jiang Yanyi prepared a separate pot for him and Duke Chen, while she joined the rest in the front of the shop.

The western courtyard was now their residence, and the shop’s staff rarely ventured there.

Hot pot skewers are perhaps the ultimate comfort food.

Seeing a full pot of skewers, Qiu Kui’s previous worries melted away.

She had been with Jiang Yanyi the longest, developing her own preferences.

She put all the meat skewers in the spicy side and kept the vegetables in the mild broth.

Chef Yao and the old scholar, both older and with weaker stomachs, preferred the mild broth.

Seeing Qiu Kui filling the mild broth with vegetables, they looked at her indignantly.

“You brat! How could you hog all the meat to yourself?” Chef Yao grumbled, snatching a few cilantro-wrapped beef skewers to cook in the mild broth.

Qiu Kui looked innocent. “Meat tastes best cooked in the spicy broth.”

“Says who?”

“Huahua says so!”

Jiang Yanyi, who was steeping a floral tea nearby, was caught off guard.

Skewers are more convenient than traditional hot pot, as there’s no need to search for food in the pot—just grab what you want with the skewer, and there’s no need for extra chopsticks for sharing.

Jiang Yanyi also learned that ancient people were more particular than modern people when it came to communal eating.

Even close friends each had two sets of chopsticks: one pair for personal eating and another for picking up food.

Seeing her preparations, Chef Yao couldn’t help but praise her. “Boss, you should sell hot pots like this!”

Jiang Yanyi refused outright, “Skewering each item is too much hassle.”

It was manageable for friends, but if it were a business, it would be far easier to just sell hot pot—customers could choose their ingredients from pre-sliced plates.

Chef Yao thought about it and agreed.

When the cilantro-wrapped beef skewers were ready, Qiu Kui quickly handed two to Jiang Yanyi.

The new staff members were initially hesitant to eat freely, but after tasting the skewers and seeing everyone else focused on grabbing meat, they joined in, loosening up.

The thinly sliced beef was tender and juicy, with the cilantro adding a layered texture, while the pickled long beans provided a crispy, tangy contrast to the spicy and numbing flavors—a symphony of tastes for the palate.

The level of spiciness was nothing for Jiang Yanyi, but the others, who found it quite intense, were chugging flower tea to cool down, yet they still couldn’t stop eating from the spicy pot.

Even Chef Yao and the old scholar, seeing everyone’s enjoyment, couldn’t resist trying a bit by dipping their meat from the clear broth into the spicy one for a taste.

---

When Feng Shuo heard that Jiang Yanyi had sent over food again, he promptly asked Xing Yao to bring it in.

With a conflicted look, Xing Yao reported, “On the way over, I encountered the Grand Dowager Consort enjoying the plum blossoms in the front courtyard. When she heard it was food from Jiang Ji next door, she decided to accept it on your behalf.”

Feng Shuo’s expression turned complicated.

He set down his documents and said, “I’ll go have a look at Mingtan Courtyard.”

The Grand Dowager Consort’s courtyard was always heavily guarded.

Outsiders couldn’t enter, and the attendants couldn’t leave.

Even if the Grand Dowager Consort wanted them to run errands, they’d pass messages to the guards at the gate.

However, if she wanted to go out herself, the guards wouldn’t dare stop her.

Everything in Mingtan Courtyard had been remodeled to resemble the Grand Dowager Consort’s former palace, so when she had episodes, she would think she was still in the palace and not thousands of miles away in the western region, which would prevent her from causing a commotion about wanting to return to the capital.

Feng Shuo didn’t dare go in directly; he stood outside the warm room, listening to the sounds within.

“The royal kitchen staff are getting creative, making this classic soup in such an unusual way.”

“My lady, this isn’t from the royal kitchen; it’s a hot pot from Jiang Ji next door.”

“These meatballs are crafted so intricately, with different flavors inside and out.”

Feng Shuo peeked through a crack in the door.

The Grand Dowager Consort held a pair of ebony chopsticks while her nanny, who was helping her eat, carefully removed the cooked meat and placed it in a gilded jade bowl, as though serving a child. “This has strong spices, my lady; eat less of it to avoid upsetting your stomach.”

Though her tongue tingled from the spice, the Grand Dowager Consort’s spirits were high. “It’s rare for me to enjoy such a satisfying meal, so no more nagging.”

With no choice, her nanny continued serving her, as she alternated between sipping tea and eating in a mixture of pleasure and discomfort.

Feng Shuo lingered at the door for a long while before leaving.

Fu Xi, hearing that he had visited, feared a quarrel between mother and son if the Grand Dowager Consort had an episode.

Seeing Feng Shuo leave without his usual dark expression, Fu Xi couldn’t hide his joy. “Your Highness, Her Ladyship…”

Feng Shuo signaled Fu Xi to be silent, glanced back at the warm room, and said, “My mother seems to enjoy food from Jiang Ji. Buy more of it for her in the future.”

Fu Xi quickly nodded.