Chapter 16: A New Beginning

Cao Xi woke up in the morning and saw Qin Zhao sleeping beside him. His face turned slightly red, his mouth slightly open, and he looked peaceful as he slept soundly. Slowly, Cao Xi shifted his body, carefully getting out of bed without disturbing him.

In the kitchen, Cao Xi reheated the food from last night, while Qin Zhao went to the well to fetch water. The cold morning air had already made the well water chillier than usual.

Qin Zhao, still half-asleep, walked over and saw Cao Xi kneeling by the well, holding pig intestines wrapped in a cloth, scrubbing them with odd motions. The sight was rather strange.

He shook himself awake and approached, the strong smell of pig intestines hit him. Holding his breath, he couldn’t stand the stench but stretched his hand out to help Cao Xi scrub.

Cao Xi quickly stopped him. “Don’t help, I’m almost done. You go wash up first. The food is ready, so we can have breakfast and then start making the braised pork.”

“Alright,” Qin Zhao agreed and went to wash up.

After tidying up the table and placing the food on it, Qin Zhao called out, “Cao Xi, come and eat.”

Cao Xi quickly finished what he was doing, wrapped up his work, and entered the room. The food was all neatly arranged, with a few pieces of meat and some braised pork bones on Qin Zhao’s plate.

Cao Xi picked up a piece of meat from his bowl, put it in his mouth, and squinted his eyes in enjoyment. “Why does it feel like the meat Qin Zhao gave me tastes better than usual?”

Qin Zhao, still a bit distracted, didn’t answer. He buried his head in his bowl, eating rice without picking any vegetables.

“Pass me your bowl,” Cao Xi said, taking the leftover meat scraps from his plate and dumping them all into Qin Zhao’s bowl. He used his chopsticks to remove the meat from the bones and fed it to Qin Zhao, who was still focused on eating. Cao Xi, meanwhile, chewed on a bone and threw it aside.

Cao Xi said with a smile, “Once we make the braised pork, you can eat as much as you want.”

Qin Zhao shot him a side-eye. Sure, let him eat all he wanted, but was it going to be a plate full of stinky pig intestines?

Seeing Qin Zhao’s disbelieving expression, Cao Xi just laughed it off, not bothering to explain. He wanted Qin Zhao to taste it and see for himself.

After they finished eating, Qin Zhao cleaned the bowls and set a pot of water to boil, while Cao Xi continued working with the pig intestines, cutting them into pieces. He added peppercorns, spices, ginger, and spring onions to the pot with the pig intestines, cooking them for flavor.

The strong smell of the pig intestines gradually faded, and they fished out the water, adding it to the marinade. This process was all done by Cao Xi, while Qin Zhao helped by chopping wood and preparing the side ingredients. His face was flushed with exhaustion from all the work.

With the pig intestines in the pot, they had to wait.

At first, Qin Zhao didn’t believe the dish would turn out well, but as time passed, the smell grew stronger and more appetizing. He swallowed a few times, and Cao Xi couldn’t help but smile at his obvious craving.

After simmering for an hour, they finally opened the pot.

“It smells so good!” Qin Zhao swallowed hard, eyes wide with anticipation.

“Try it and see if it’s any good,” Cao Xi said, cutting a piece of fatty intestine and offering it to Qin Zhao.

It was a bit hot, so Qin Zhao blew on it a few times before popping the whole piece into his mouth. The flavor was rich and tender, and Qin Zhao gave Cao Xi a thumbs up, nodding in approval. “It’s amazing! You really know how to cook.”

Cao Xi carefully sliced a piece of braised pork and offered it to Qin Zhao, who tried it and nodded in satisfaction. “It tastes great. Selling it to the tavern should be no problem.”

“Help me grab the jar from the corner, clean it, and bring it here,” Cao Xi instructed, taking the pig intestines out of the pot.

“Okay!” Qin Zhao eagerly ran to fetch the jar, carrying it back while humming as he scrubbed it clean by the well.

Once Qin Zhao finished cleaning the jar, he brought it over to Cao Xi. “Cao Xi, I’ve cleaned it. Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Cao Xi said, wiping down the jar. “I’ll change my clothes, then we can head out.”

After cleaning the jar, Cao Xi carefully packed the pig intestines, pig liver, pig kidney, and pig lung into it. He sealed the jar with a lid, taking all necessary precautions to keep the contents warm. Qin Zhao, eager to get going, rushed toward the tavern in the city.

Their first stop was the old Jixiang Tavern, as it had been their most frequent place and had always been friendly to them.

“Two customers?” The tavern worker glanced at them with a look of confusion. “Are they looking to eat?”

“We’re not here to eat,” Cao Xi replied, smiling. “We’re here to sell something.”

The tavern worker’s eyes narrowed, his gaze falling on the jar Cao Xi was carrying. It didn’t look like the kind of thing they would typically sell at the tavern.

“This is some kind of pickled food, isn’t it?” he asked skeptically.

“We don’t need pickles,” the worker said, gesturing toward the jar as he began to turn away, ready to dismiss them.

Cao Xi quickly interjected, “It’s not pickles. Wait, I’ll show you. Let me give you a taste.”

Cao Xi opened the jar, and a delicious aroma immediately wafted through the air, causing the tavern worker to hesitate in his tracks.

“Wow, it smells amazing!” he exclaimed, drawn in by the enticing scent.

Cao Xi used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised fatty intestines and handed it to the worker. “Brother, give it a try. It’s absolutely delicious.”

The worker, who was originally ready to turn them away, now found himself intrigued. He didn’t expect something as simple as pig intestines to smell so fragrant. Despite their reputation for being stinky and unpleasant, these intestines were giving off an irresistible aroma.

The worker took a bite and immediately reached for another piece with Cao Xi’s chopsticks, unable to stop himself.

The smell soon attracted attention from other patrons in the tavern. “What’s that smell? It’s incredible! Let me try!” Several customers eagerly approached, wanting to sample the dish.

Seeing the crowd starting to gather, Cao Xi quickly interrupted. “Brother, we really need to speak to the tavern owner.”

The tavern’s manager, hearing the commotion, soon appeared from the crowd. “Sorry, everyone. These two are new to the business and didn’t mean to disturb your meal. Let me take them to the back.”

“Let’s go, I’m the owner here,” the tavern manager said, having just seen how eagerly the worker had devoured the food, drawn in by the delicious aroma that filled the air.

Cao Xi, Qin Zhao, and the manager walked into the tavern’s guest hall.

The manager, unable to hold back his curiosity, asked, “What brings you to see me?”

“Manager, my younger brother made these dishes, and I brought some for you to try,” Cao Xi said with a sweet smile, giving the impression of a child visiting a relative rather than someone looking to sell something.

“Oh? What kind of dishes are these?” the manager asked, his voice casual, but there was an evident impatience behind his calm demeanor. His restrained excitement was a sign of how much he was anticipating the taste.

Cao Xi carefully picked out a portion of the braised pig intestines, pig kidney, pig liver, and pig lungs from the jar and placed it on a lid, then pushed it over to the manager, offering a fresh pair of chopsticks.

The manager, being a sharp and observant person, quickly grabbed the chopsticks and tasted the food. “Mmm, this is really good. I have no idea how you made this, but it’s delicious.”

Qin Zhao subtly tugged at Cao Xi’s sleeve, noticing that the manager was continuing to eat from the lid, his chopsticks never stopping. Qin Zhao became anxious, worried that the manager’s overeager eating might be a sign that they were close to losing the chance to negotiate.

Cao Xi, noticing Qin Zhao’s concern, asked the manager, “What do you think of the taste of this dish?”

The manager, realizing that the food was truly good, paused and wiped his mouth, then said with some thought, “This dish is delicious, but I’m not sure what kind of deal you’re offering for it.”

“We want to sell the recipe to the tavern. How much would you be willing to pay for it?” Cao Xi asked, observing the manager’s thoughtful expression.

“Are you professionals?” The manager hesitated. He had no idea who they were, and although the food was excellent, he didn’t want to make a deal that could cause problems later. He wasn’t willing to be careless about the matter.

“This is something my younger brother developed. Our parents told us to make the decision ourselves,” Cao Xi quickly added, fabricating a story to avoid any suspicion of danger.

The manager, stroking his short beard, muttered, “I see… So, how much are you asking for?”

“My parents told us to start small,” Cao Xi said, pretending to be uncertain about the price.

“This is our first time selling a recipe. Could you give us a price for the dish?” Cao Xi asked, looking directly at the manager with a hopeful gaze.

After a moment of thought, the manager responded, “I would say about fifty taels of silver.”

Cao Xi considered the offer, factoring in the costs of running a business in this era, and felt the price was too low for such a dish. But he still accepted, knowing it was a good start.

“I also have other ways of preparing pig intestines. Would you be interested in hearing them?” Cao Xi added, now hoping to sell a few more recipes while things were going smoothly.

The wind howled as it swept through the streets, but inside the tavern, Cao Xi and Qin Zhao were having a different kind of conversation.

“Ah, I see. Could you let me try some of the other dishes?” The manager seemed intrigued by the idea.

Cao Xi smiled politely. “Would you mind if I use your kitchen for a moment?”

“Not at all! Second Brother, take this young lady to the kitchen,” the manager said, his voice suddenly brighter, clearly excited by the prospect of more food.

Cao Xi turned to Qin Zhao. “Stay here and wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”

“Of course,” Qin Zhao replied, his posture straight and calm, his tone cool and composed. He had an air of nobility about him, something that made the manager pause in surprise.

“I’ll take good care of him,” the manager added, then motioned for Second Brother to bring Qin Zhao some osmanthus cake and a cup of tea.

In the kitchen, Cao Xi quickly prepared a few dishes: spicy stir-fried pig intestines, dry pot pig liver, cold-salted pig lungs, and “couple’s lung slices” (a spicy Sichuan dish). The manager tasted each dish, impressed by how delicious they were despite using pig offal, which was usually quite unappetizing.

After a long moment of contemplation, the manager finally spoke. “For the pickled dishes and these four recipes, how does seventy taels of silver sound? Is that acceptable?”

Cao Xi thought for a moment but knew this was a fair price given the market conditions. “Let’s go with that,” she agreed.

The recipe was verbally agreed upon, and the manager wrote it down as Cao Xi dictated. They signed an exclusive contract, and as they were preparing to leave, Cao Xi reminded the manager, “For the braised sauce, don’t use pig offal. Instead, use quality meat and bones; it makes the flavor much better.”

The manager’s smile grew wider, and his demeanor became even warmer than before. He bid them farewell with a friendly tone, encouraging them to send more recipes his way whenever they had them.

Throughout the entire process, Qin Zhao remained a silent observer, his elegant presence commanding attention without him needing to speak. The manager, still a little taken aback by his poise, couldn’t help but wonder about the young man’s background.