Jiang Yanyi took two plates of Houttuynia cordata (Zhe’ergen) out of the food box, saying, “What’s wrong with Houttuynia? It’s delicious!”

Earlier that morning, she’d gone to the market for fresh produce and found a farmer selling freshly dug Houttuynia.

She immediately bought a few bundles and, upon returning to the store, washed and prepared it into a cold dish to try.

Houttuynia can have a fishy taste when eaten raw, but mixed with prickly ash oil, salt, soy sauce, fragrant vinegar, and garlic water, it became a crunchy, refreshing dish with an increasingly pleasant aroma the more you chewed.

She looked at Feng Shuo and said, “Just give it a try.”

Under her expectant gaze, Feng Shuo picked up a small piece.

The moment it entered his mouth, his expression stiffened.

Chewing brought out a wave of the Houttuynia’s fishy flavor from its crisp stems.

He swallowed quickly and downed two gulps of chicken soup to suppress the taste.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yanyi could tell he didn’t like it.

Houttuynia was indeed a polarizing ingredient—people either loved it or avoided it.

Feng Shuo was clearly in the latter camp.

“Are you alright?” she asked, worried.

It was the first time Feng Shuo had such a strong reaction to her cooking.

Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he gritted his teeth and lied, “It’s fine; it tastes quite good.”

Seeing Jiang Yanyi’s doubtful expression, he attempted to prove himself by reaching back into the dish.

However, instead of picking up another piece of Houttuynia, he accurately picked up a flattened clove of garlic instead.

The previously pickled garlic was sweet and tangy, quite tasty.

But as soon as he bit down on this clove, he realized something was wrong.

His face went from stiff to utterly green.

The raw garlic’s sharp, spicy odor exploded in his mouth, an intense taste that shot straight to his head.

At a loss and under Jiang Yanyi’s curious gaze, he forced himself to swallow, hoping chicken soup might help.

But the hot soup only intensified the garlic’s pungency.

Desperate, he grabbed the water jug and downed ten cups of warm tea, finally easing the sensation in his mouth—though the garlic’s sting lingered at the back of his throat.

Jiang Yanyi looked puzzled, unable to understand why Feng Shuo had eaten raw garlic from the dish.

Could it be that yesterday’s sweet garlic had misled him?

Though perplexed, she wasted no time, grabbing an orange from the fruit platter and peeling it for him. “An orange will help,” she said.

He took it and ate it whole.

The sweetness and citrus aroma cut through the garlic’s intensity, and he felt some relief.

Jiang Yanyi peeled another, but Feng Shuo waved it off, coughed softly, and tried to explain, “Yesterday was… the first time I’d had garlic.”

The implication was that he hadn’t known what raw garlic tasted like.

Both amused and empathetic, Jiang Yanyi explained, “Yesterday’s garlic was pickled and cured in a jar for almost two months, so it had only a mild garlic taste. Today’s raw garlic wasn’t processed, so it’s much stronger.”

Feng Shuo glanced at her and saw that, aside from the hint of teasing in her smiling eyes, she wasn’t questioning his odd choice.

Feigning anger, he asked, “Is it really that funny?”

Jiang Yanyi instantly tried to contain her laughter, holding a straight face as she met his gaze, but barely lasted three seconds before collapsing onto the cushion, laughing.

Feng Shuo warned, “Are you still laughing? Do you want me to kiss you now?”

Eating raw garlic and then kissing? That was pure evil.

The threat was highly effective.

Jiang Yanyi immediately straightened up, sitting primly and focused on the travel notes in front of her.

But when she glanced up, she saw Feng Shuo peeling an orange for himself, and couldn’t hold back her laughter, doubling over.

Feng Shuo shot her a glare, dropped the orange, and moved to chase her.

Jiang Yanyi ran all over the room until he cornered her by the wall.

She could only cover her mouth tightly and murmur, “No kisses, no kisses…”

Feng Shuo looked down at her and, with a mischievous grin, ruffled her neatly arranged hair into a mess. “I’ll keep you waiting,” he teased.

In the following days, the cooks in the Feng residence suffered a bit.

Every time they served a dish with garlic, the prince would send it back and demand a redo.

They couldn’t understand it—why did their prince, who once only avoided vegetables, now also refuse any dish containing garlic?

---

The blacksmith was eventually released without charges.

When he was freed, Qiukui went to meet him.

Jiang Yanyi rented an ox cart to take her there, and upon seeing him, Qiu Kui broke down in tears.

Qiukui’s uncle was a gaunt old man, his back hunched from years of fieldwork. Behind him stood his son and daughter-in-law, who was holding a two-year-old child.

The body of Qiu Kui’s aunt, wrapped in a straw mat, lay on a cart nearby.

Her uncle’s face showed some sorrow, but her cousin and his wife only looked impatient.

When her uncle approached, the blacksmith stepped forward protectively, shielding Qiu Kui behind him.

Her uncle’s wrinkled, weathered face looked awkward.

His hands, rough from a lifetime of labor, folded into a clumsy salute as he spoke to Jiang Yanyi, “You must be Qiu Kui’s mistress?”

Jiang Yanyi nodded.

Her manner was neither warm nor cold but kept her distance.

Qiu Kui’s uncle said, “Thank you for looking after Qiukui. She’s had a hard life…”

Jiang Yanyi replied coolly, “Since you chose to sell her back then, there’s no need to say this now.”

Who are you trying to fool?

Qiu Kui’s uncle did not argue.

His cloudy eyes looked slightly wet, and he forced a smile. “It’s still something worth thanking you for.”

He then looked toward the blacksmith, and their eyes met but without words.

After a moment, he shifted his gaze to Qiu Kui.

Qiukui, with her naturally round face, had grown fuller and healthier under Jiang Yanyi’s care.

Her clothes were now proper and well-kept, making her uncle’s family look even more worn and impoverished by comparison.

Her uncle sighed, “I failed you, Qiu Kui. You have every right to resent me. But… I still hope you can have a better life from now on.”

Having said this, he turned toward the cart with his wife’s body.

Pulling the cart, hunched and faltering, he walked ahead.

His son pushed from behind, while his daughter-in-law followed, holding the crying toddler.

His shoes, patched over the years, were soon soaked by melting snow, and the cold seeped up from his feet.

This road was as difficult as his entire life had been.

With each step, the cold wind burned his throat, making him cough.

He lowered his head, hot tears falling into the snow, leaving tiny dimples that were quickly covered by footprints and wheel marks.

The year of the famine had hit the entire kingdom.

Their family had no food, and even his daughter-in-law, eight months pregnant, was so thin she was nearly skin and bones.

Qiu Kui, foolish and devoted, had come to seek help after her mother’s death.

Another mouth to feed brought only resentment from his wife.

When his wife decided to sell Qiukui, he had known about it.

But with an empty rice jar on one side and his orphaned niece on the other, he pretended not to see.

During a famine, even the wealthy families were letting their servants go, let alone buying new ones.

And Qiu Kui wasn’t clever; no one wanted her even for hard labor.

But she was pretty enough, so they sold her to a brothel…

Qiu Kui watched her uncle’s family disappear into the snowy distance.

Her resentment and anger seemed to fade, replaced by an unfamiliar feeling she couldn’t identify.

Tears rolled down her face, and her heart ached with bitterness.

Since her parents’ passing, she no longer had a true home.

Though she still had family, they were now no more than strangers.

The blacksmith gently said, “Don’t cry.”

But that simple phrase made Qiu kui break down like a child, crying openly.

Yet this time, it wasn’t Jiang Yanyi wiping away her tears.

Jiang Yanyi watched with a sense of melancholy.

All of Qiu Kui’s suffering stemmed from being sold to the brothel by her aunt.

People say that death erases all grudges, but her aunt’s family, who had sold Qiu Kui, never lived a good life either.

Now, they’d lost even more, perhaps as a form of karma.

With the death of Qiu Kui’s aunt, her accusation of kidnapping Qiu Kui also became moot.

The blacksmith Lou, who had been tirelessly working to restore Qiu Kui’s status and had spent much to pull strings, saw his efforts ultimately come to nothing.

On the way back, Jiang Yanyi asked him about his plans.

He replied, “I still have some money left. Before the new year, I’ll repair the house, and we can marry afterward. I’ll take on more work so Qiu Kui won’t have to worry.”

Blacksmithing was hard work, Jiang Yanyi knew, having commissioned various tools from him before.

Money was earned slowly, and as one aged without becoming a master, work became scarcer.

Considering her flour mill was understaffed, Jiang Yanyi offered, “If you’re open to a change, I could use a hand. As long as you’re diligent, you’ll earn no less than you do smithing.”

The blacksmith was well aware of the physical toll of his trade.

Though he was one of the best-known blacksmiths in Xizhou, he didn’t make much—each coin earned from countless hammer strikes.

While it was enough for a single man, marrying would bring greater expenses.

Straightforward as ever, he admitted, “If you still need help, I’d be happy to work for you, but you know I’m not much of a talker. I might ruin your business.”

Jiang Yanyi reassured him, “You’ll do just fine.”

If he came to work for her, he would make more money, giving him and Qiu Kui a stable future.

Additionally, if he ever mistreated Qiu Kui, Jiang Yanyi could step in directly.

The blacksmith nodded in agreement and said, “I still want to buy back Qiukui’s indenture.”

Since Qiu Kui had a criminal status, her contract couldn’t be canceled easily, unlike an ordinary bond, which could be canceled by the local authorities if the master agreed.

Only the emperor himself could pardon a criminal record.

Jiang Yanyi replied, “I’m only keeping her contract safe for her. I trust that you’re sincere about marrying her, but the future is unpredictable. Keeping it with me means that if you ever mistreat her, I can take her away.”

Holding Qiu Kui’s hand, she said, “I’m her family.”

The blacksmith acknowledged her concern and replied, “Thank you for your kindness. But once she’s my wife, her belongings should stay with her. If you don’t trust me, I’m willing to go to the authorities and sign a contract myself.”

He was willing to sign himself into servitude to help Qiu Kui retrieve her contract.

Jiang Yanyi nodded.

The ox cart then headed to the government office.

After signing the indenture, the blacksmith mentioned that he’d need a few days to transfer his smithy before he could start working for her, which Jiang Yanyi agreed to.

Back in the ox cart on the way to the restaurant, Jiang Yanyi told Qiu Kui, “Silly girl, this is all I can do for you.”

Qiu Kui, knowing that her contract was in Jiang Yanyi’s hands for her protection, thanked her with teary eyes, “Thank you, Huahua.”

Jiang Yanyi patted her head, “Why cry? Go and sew yourself a beautiful wedding dress. You’re going to be a bride soon.”

---

Perhaps due to the approaching New Year, good news kept coming.

Chef Li reported that the military was interested in her noodle recipe.

The cold conditions at the western garrison often made it difficult for sentries to eat hot meals, and instant noodles were an ideal solution.

Instant noodles could also serve as emergency rations for soldiers on the march, though the main troops would still require more filling food.

The recipe alone earned her 200 taels, and since the garrison lacked the facilities to produce noodles, they issued a 5,000-tael contract for Jiang Yanyi’s mill to supply them to each sentry post.

The mill was bustling with this large order, and she had even hired additional hands.

As she’d predicted, the method of making instant noodles was soon noticed by other mills hoping to capitalize on this lucrative market.

Among them, the Renfu Tavern’s manager, Xu, led the way, eager to secure military contracts.

Rumor had it that he even offered a bribe to a general but received no response.

Xu’s mill tried to undercut the competition, offering three noodle cakes for two coins, whereas Jiang Yanyi’s sold one for a coin. Busy with the military order, she didn’t have time to worry.

Meanwhile, Chu Shubao’s rouge business, after a slow start, was beginning to take off.

Naturally outgoing, she always managed to strike up a conversation with any woman who visited the shop, no matter how reserved.

It’s in a woman’s nature to love beauty, and Chu Shubao invested a lot in cosmetics.

She managed to get her hands on exclusive products from the capital and offered a complimentary sample box for female customers to try.

If anyone wanted to buy, she’d sell it at a 30% markup.

Thanks to this, many more women started coming to the shop, and Jiang Yanyi put extra effort into the services.

She added a place for customers to hang their cloaks and shawls and even ordered aprons from the neighboring tailor shop.

Customers could wear these aprons while eating hot pot to avoid any oil splashes staining their clothes.

Many women also wanted to learn makeup tips from Chu Shubao, as the trendy styles from the capital were rare in the Western Zhou area.

However, the counter was a small area, and there were also male customers around, which wasn’t very convenient.

So, Jiang Yanyi tidied up her old bedroom in the backyard, setting up small tables and cushions, creating a space where Chu Shubao could teach the women how to apply makeup.

Initially, there were only four or five participants, but soon the number grew to over ten, with customers vying for a spot.

Space was limited, and Chu Shubao taught only one session a day, so the women often had to reserve their place several days in advance.

With more female customers came more male customers, too.

Usually, men only got glimpses of noblewomen at gatherings or on the lake.

Now, they could “bump into” them over a meal.

Business at the Gu Dong Geng restaurant was booming like never before, and if they didn’t want to lose this growing clientele, expanding the restaurant was imperative.

With a large sum of money in hand, Jiang Yanyi decided to open a restaurant even grander than the popular Laifu Tavern!

If it’s competition they want, she thought, bring it on!