The smell was foul and fishy.

But his parents insisted on buying it, saving what little they could to build a leak-proof house for their family.

Only during the Chinese New Year would they spend extra to buy some fatty meat.

Then, disaster struck—a flood devastated the area, leaving countless homeless. His parents perished from starvation, and he was sold into slavery. Fortunately, he ended up with the Xiao family.

Since then, he had not suffered and had never denied himself good food. With his monthly wages, he indulged in meat, trying to make up for the years of deprivation. After ten years in the Xiao Mansion, he had become somewhat plump.

He agreed to let Nanny Tian come mainly because he noticed some people seemed disdainful, and he feared that the head of the family would be displeased by the lack of manpower. So, he made an effort to participate.

The Xiao family had saved him, and he felt the need to repay their kindness.

No matter how unappetizing the pig offal might be, he had eaten it before!

Who didn’t know how to give compliments?

He hoped to win the appreciation of his master through this effort.

As he prepared his exaggerated praise, the plate was finally set before him.

Quickly, he picked up a piece of pig intestine with his chopsticks and took a bite, intending to start his well-rehearsed praise. However, he was stunned by the rich aroma of the braised sauce that enveloped his mouth.

He struggled to articulate the words he had prepared. After chewing a few times, the texture of the pig intestines revealed itself—crispy, salty, and fragrant. There was no strange taste; in fact, it was quite delicious!

As he continued eating, his eyes welled up with tears.

How wonderful it would have been if his parents could have tasted such delicious pig offal while they were alive.

Yan Qiushu had been listening intently to the comments from the others when she noticed a young boy in the second row with red eyes, silently sobbing while eating. Most of the others appeared normal, except for a few who hesitated before taking a bite. Once they started, their eyes lit up with excitement, eager to share their praise.

The boy, looking about seventeen or eighteen, was slightly plump and stood out with his tear-streaked face.

Curious, Yan Qiushu asked, “You in the second row, why are you crying? Are you sad about not getting to eat?”

Xie Qingyun and Xiao Huaiqi turned their attention to him as well.

The servant wiped his tears in embarrassment, then smiled and replied, “I was thinking about my parents. When I was a child, I had pig offal, and it tasted terrible back then. I always begged for meat, but my parents were reluctant to buy it, only treating me during the Chinese New Year. Now that I’ve tasted such delicious pig offal, I wish my parents could have enjoyed it too.”

Yan Qiushu felt a knot in her stomach and a slight bitterness. There were far more impoverished people in ancient times than today. The country had invested so much in her past life to gradually achieve poverty alleviation and prosperity, especially in a monarchy like this.

She was momentarily speechless.

Xie Qingyun smiled and said, “If your parents could see you enjoying this delicious food, they would be so happy.”

The departed are gone, and all that remains is to look back.

The servant nodded vigorously with satisfaction: “Yes, Madam is right!”

Due to this exchange, everyone finished eating.

They were also sharing their love for pig offal.

You see, this ingredient is only half the price of meat. If it can be cooked so deliciously, why choose meat?

“Master, Madam, Miss Yan, I’d gladly pay ten cents for a pound of this. That’s a steal!”

“Absolutely! Ten cents can’t even buy a pound of meat, but this tastes much better!”

“My mother spent twenty cents on a pound of lean meat before, but it was bland and greasy. This pig offal, prepared like this, is simply a delicacy!”

“…”

All twenty people gave the same response.

Then we had them try pig stomach and pig heart. After tasting, they praised these dishes even more than the pig intestine!

The texture of pork belly is chewy—not as tough as lean meat or as greasy as fatty cuts—making it unique compared to other meats, especially with the salty and fragrant braised flavor.

The pig heart offers a different experience. It’s less elastic than the pig stomach but is crisp and refreshing.

If we had to rank them, pig’s stomach would be the most popular, with people more willing to spend money on it. Next would be pig’s large intestine, followed by pig’s heart.

It’s a bit surprising since, in her past life, pig intestines were more favored.

There are many ways to prepare pig intestines, and grilled versions are particularly popular, though they weren’t available this time.

However, it makes sense when you think about it. Many people see pig intestines as a lower-quality option, so they naturally choose something better if they can. While pig tripe tastes decent, the small piece of pig heart—just one thin, slightly translucent slice per person—might also make it less appealing.

Once everyone finished, Yan Qiushu nodded and looked at Xie Qingyun.

Xie Qingyun stood up to thank them and asked them to leave. After they had gone, she said, “That looked really delicious. Ah Shu, are you really going to price it at ten cents?”

Yan Qiushu smiled and replied, “Ten cents is sufficient. Regular farmers would happily pay seven or eight cents for pig offal to try it. If the price is higher, the cost of the whole pig offal would increase, making it unaffordable for them. Besides, this marinade can be reused, so one pot can marinate many pig offal pieces. The only cost is for cleaning.”

Xie Qingyun smiled, saying, “You’re very thoughtful.”

Xiao Huaiqi added, “Ah Shu, that’s a great consideration. In that case, I’ll ask Manager Yao to raise more piglets at the beginning of the year. If we want to open a store now, we can purchase some from elsewhere.”

“Alright, you guys can decide,” Yan Qiushu quickly responded. “I’m not great at business, but I’ll send you the brine recipe when the time comes, so you don’t have to worry!”

Xie Qingyun was taken aback. She had seen people eager for power and profit and others indifferent to money, but rarely had she met someone who so willingly pushed away such great benefits!

Her voice softened: “Since you don’t want to take a share, we’ll handle it, but what’s rightfully yours will remain yours.”

“It’s a 20/80 split!” Yan Qiushu said with a smile. “I won’t accept any less.”

Xie Qingyun’s smile grew even brighter. “It’s almost time for dinner. Am I so shameless to ask if I can stay for a free meal?”

“Sure,” Yan Qiushu agreed with a smile, “but I want to cook these dishes, okay?”

“Of course,” Xie Qingyun readily agreed.

At the same time, she felt glad that the child was so considerate. After speaking, she turned her head and caught sight of her husband’s narrow eyes. Her cheeks flushed. She shot him a reproachful glare and followed Yan Qiushu. “This is a great chance for me to see how Ah Shu cooks on a daily basis.”

Yan Qiushu’s cooking was actually quite simple.

Nanny Xu, Shui Yu, and the others had all been trained by her. Regardless of what they wanted to prepare, they only needed to follow her orders, and the ingredients would be ready. She only needed to handle the final cooking.

Today’s main dishes were vinegar-braised pork intestines, stir-fried pork stomach, and stir-fried pork heart with celery.

But since only Yan Qiushu was eating, she prepared as usual and used just three small plates for the dishes. The rest was given to Shui Yu and Aunt Xu to prevent waste.

Besides the main dishes, she cooked other items for the guests, including pan-fried tofu, stir-fried bok choy, and spicy diced chicken.

All three of these main dishes were braised and didn’t require much additional preparation, which sped up the cooking process. The other three dishes were also very convenient. The only one that required a bit more effort was the spicy diced chicken, which included an extra frying step.

However, due to the previous delay, they were now busy and just in time for dinner.

Earlier, when the weather was colder, the aroma of the braised dishes had dissipated as they cooled. Now, as they were stir-fried again, the scent returned. Alongside the simple braised aroma, there was the spicy flavor from stir-frying and the tang from the vinegar, creating an even more enticing fragrance.

Since Yan Qiushu’s yard was close to the main courtyard, many people caught a whiff of the delicious scent as soon as it wafted through.

It was incredibly fragrant!

Shen Pingyu stared at the character “香” (fragrant) that he had written absentmindedly, falling into silence.

He was supposed to be practicing his essay, but he had tossed and turned all afternoon, unable to sleep. Finally, he had to ask a maid to find out what the wonderful smell was that kept filling his senses.

Separated from the study, the aroma was less potent than at noon, making it almost imperceptible, which Shen Pingyu couldn’t ignore.

His thoughts kept drifting, and his writing turned into a chaotic mess.

Finally, he sighed, put down his pen, and stepped outside.

“Where are you going, young master?” the nanny asked, putting down her needlework.

Shen Pingyu pursed his lips. “Just taking a walk. No need to follow me.”

Seeing this, the nanny settled back down.

Shen Pingyu sighed in relief. Once outside, he didn’t even need to think about where to go; he just followed the enticing fragrance to a yard he had avoided that morning. 

Strangely, the scent was likely from the very dish he disliked earlier.

How curious!

Should he go in?