You should know that this ginger was something she bought from Renhetang, costing her a whole tael of silver just for a single jin.

She wasn’t sure if the people here simply didn’t know how to grow ginger properly.

But for Jian Xiu, the most crucial step in growing ginger was simply covering it with a layer of plant ash.

Or maybe the reason ginger was so expensive here was that people couldn’t afford to buy ginger seeds from the herbal shop?

Regardless of the reason, she was determined to plant ginger.

Thinking this over, she realized that the little bit of ginger she had bought really wasn’t enough.

It seemed she would have to spend a few more taels of silver to buy several more jin.

Just as she had prepared everything, Zhang Zixuan returned from buying fish.

“Why are you back so soon?” she asked.

“I ran into Uncle Dashi, and he was about to buy some fish, so I picked out the biggest one. What do you think?”

“This big?” Jian Xiu’s eyes widened.

Looking at the fish, it had to be at least ten jin.

“Didn’t you say you wanted a big one?”

“Is this a grass carp?”

“Yeah, and it’s still fresh! Here, give me the kitchen knife, and I’ll chop it up.”

“Just split the fish head open and leave it to me,” Jian Xiu instructed.

“Got it!”

“And for the fish body, remove the central bone and slice the meat into thin pieces—I need it for something.”

“Alright!” Zhang Zixuan agreed readily.

His knife skills were impressive.

In just a blink of an eye, the fish slices she needed were already prepared.

Next, Jian Xiu cracked an egg white and mixed it with a packet of seasonings, continuously kneading it in.

“Is this a new dish?” Zhang Zixuan asked curiously.

“Yes, try it later and see how it tastes,” Jian Xiu said with a smile.

“Are you planning to sell it to Shopkeeper Wu?”

Hearing this, Jian Xiu immediately shook her head.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sell it—she just didn’t have all the necessary ingredients yet.

For these dishes, the key lay in the seasoning. Without the right seasonings, she wouldn’t be able to create the perfect flavors.

Since she didn’t want to sell it, Zhang Zixuan didn’t ask further.

He knew she always had a plan.

Then, Jian Xiu grabbed a handful of soybean sprouts.

She had grown these sprouts herself.

In fact, that was when she first realized that the people here didn’t even know how to cultivate soybean sprouts.

“Zixuan, chop those chilies into small pieces.”

“Got it!”

While Zhang Zixuan was chopping the chilies, Jian Xiu started making Sichuan-style boiled fish slices.

The marinating time for the fish was just right.

She hadn’t eaten this dish in a long time.

Here, cooking for herself was fine.

But if Wang Xiuying cooked, the food would be so bland that it barely had any flavor.

She used too little oil, too little salt.

Jian Xiu had told her many times, but she never changed.

Well, that was understandable. Back when they lived at the old house, they mostly survived on plain boiled vegetables.

By comparison, life here was already much better.

But when she cooked, it was different—she never skimped on oil or salt.

No matter how poor one was, in her eyes, food was not something to be compromised.

“You just drop the fish into the boiling water like that?” Zhang Zixuan asked as he watched her.

“Yep! Don’t underestimate this dish—it’s incredibly delicious!”

“Alright, I believe you. Just the smell alone is making me hungry,” Zhang Zixuan admitted.

Next, Jian Xiu added the fish head to the pot.

“Turn up the heat!” she instructed.

“Sure, but you’re not just going to steam the fish head, are you?” Zhang Zixuan asked curiously.

“You’ll see,” Jian Xiu said mysteriously.

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

She had been here for months now and hadn’t had the chance to eat dishes like this.

Even at Yuexiang Lou, they didn’t serve the dishes she truly craved.

Today, she was finally going to satisfy her own taste buds.

Then, she stir-fried the chopped chilies in hot oil.

Once the aroma was released, she added the seasonings she had brought from the supermarket.

Without a doubt, the most important part of cooking was the seasoning.

Without the right seasonings, no matter how skilled a cook was, the dish would only be mediocre.

“It smells amazing! Jian Xiu, what are you making?” Rong Zihe exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.

“I guarantee it’s something you’ve never eaten before,” Jian Xiu replied without hesitation.

“Ha! Is there any dish I haven’t tried?” Rong Zihe scoffed.

Jian Xiu didn’t argue.

She enjoyed seeing Rong Zihe get proven wrong.

She was certain he had never eaten these three dishes before.

Even at Yuexiang Lou, she hadn’t found them.

And even if he had eaten them before, they wouldn’t taste like hers.

She needed to start making her own seasonings soon.

As she thought about these things, her hands never stopped moving.

She took the fried chilies and poured them over the fish head.

Just like that, “Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chilies” was complete.

After finishing the first two dishes, the last one was “Sour Pickled Fish.”

She had bought the pickled vegetables from the supermarket earlier and had already chopped them up.

She then stir-fried them with her seasonings to remove the moisture before setting them aside.

Next, she boiled the vegetables in water until they were cooked.

Finally, she added the pickled vegetables to boiling water.

Once it was bubbling, she carefully placed the fish slices in.

After waiting a bit longer, she lifted the entire pot and poured everything into a large serving dish.

The bowl was packed to the brim.

Even Zhang Zixuan thought it looked like too much.

Finally, she quickly stir-fried some leafy greens in an iron wok.

For Jian Xiu, no matter what, leafy greens were a must.

At every meal, there had to be at least one plate of vegetables on the table.

But when she and Zhang Zixuan brought the dishes out, Rong Zihe was stunned.

“Jian Xiu, are you trying to feed an army? Don’t tell me this is just for us?”

“Of course not. My big brother and Zixuan’s third brother will join us too!”

“Even with two more people, it’s still too much!”

“Just try it. It’s delicious. I’m worried there won’t be enough!” Jian Xiu said with a grin.

Then she turned to Zhang Zixuan, “Go call my brother and your third brother for dinner.”

Since Zhang Zixuan had been practicing martial arts in the backyard, the two of them had been busy making wheelchairs.

Now, the people who went out to harvest Smilax glabra roots would bring their lunches with them.

That saved a lot of trouble.

Knowing that an important guest was visiting today, the two of them had initially refused to sit at the table.

It wasn’t until Jian Xiu told them that this guest was the owner of Caifang Zhai that they finally agreed.

After all, she had mentioned before that she would arrange for them to work as waiters there.