Seeing that it was still early, Nie Qinghe went to the counter and asked Second Shopkeeper Lin for an advance of ten taels of silver. She then had Laishun drive the shop’s delivery donkey cart to take her all over Jintai City to find the materials she needed.
Laishun was now utterly impressed by her. With Nie Qinghe around, Second Shopkeeper Lin didn’t even scold him!
After chatting with Laishun, Nie Qinghe also asked some local elders about the old trees in the city. She learned that while there were honey locust trees, they didn’t have the fat gleditsia or round soapberries she was looking for.
They first bought a long basket of honey locust pods at a nearby general store, along with some ready-made bars of soap. She had the shop deliver these to Liu’s Shop and also asked them to procure several sacks of round soapberries and fat gleditsia from the Southern Merchants who came up the Grand Canal.
Passing by a porcelain shop, Nie Qinghe went inside to buy a batch of slightly flawed but perfectly usable porcelain bottles. For convenience, she chose three sizes—large, medium, and small—mostly selecting wide-bellied, narrow-necked yuhuchun vases, dan bottles, and tianqiu bottles, as well as a few wide-mouthed ones. Since the porcelain was too cumbersome to carry, she had the shop deliver it directly to Second Shopkeeper Lin at Liu’s to settle the payment.
Finally, using the promise of a large order of porcelain bottles the next day as leverage, she managed to haggle the price down by seventy-six wen. Laishun’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Nie Qinghe led Laishun on their shopping spree. At three different apothecaries, they purchased over twenty types of medicinal herbs, including Soapberry fruit, He Shou Wu, Wood Lingzhi, Angelica Sinensis, Rehmannia root, and Aged Mugwort.
Next, they visited a dried goods store, where she bought a large basket of old ginger and a few pounds of peppercorns, which were quite expensive at forty-eight wen per pound.
Afterward, they headed to the large vegetable garden in the southwest corner of the city to buy several bundles of Silver Elixir Herb (mint). While there, they also picked up a basket of mulberry leaves.
In the South City, they found a grove of Platycladus trees and cut a whole basket of their leaves.
By the time they were finished, they had purchased over thirty different items. With the donkey cart completely full, Nie Qinghe arranged for the merchants to deliver the goods directly to Liu’s for final payment.
She had planned her route with meticulous care. Although they had traversed the entire city, she had moved systematically from the north to the west, then south, before circling back via the oil mill in the east. She hadn’t wasted a single step.
When Laishun heard they were going to the oil mill to buy camellia seed cake, he asked curiously, “Miss Nie, can you actually wash your hair with that?”
“Of course,” Nie Qinghe replied. “It has many benefits.”
In the modern era, tea seed cake was the residue left after camellia oil was extracted and chemically processed. In ancient times, however, it was simply the pressed cake remaining after oil extraction. It contained tea saponins, proteins, and natural camellia oil.
Boiling it in water created a shampoo that could remove dandruff, relieve itching, strip away excess oil, and act as an antibacterial agent. It could even repair scalp cells, stimulate hair regrowth, and reduce hair loss.
Camellia trees were common throughout the country, a long-established oilseed species. In Jintai City, the seeds were transported in large quantities from the Dabie Mountains and Shanxi, making it easy and inexpensive for Nie Qinghe to purchase camellia seed cakes.
She bought a substantial amount and even pre-ordered all future stock.
After calculating the exact ratios and quantities needed—including potential waste—she decided to diversify her sources. She purchased dozens of different medicinal herbs in varying amounts from several different suppliers, ensuring no one could deduce her secret formula.
Beside the oil mill was a fish pond, where she bought a large grass carp. While boneless fish cost over twenty wen per catty, cheaper varieties like silver carp, grass carp, and common carp were only thirteen wen. She purchased a nearly four-catty grass carp, which was tied with hemp rope and hung from her donkey cart as she headed back to the shop. The fish continued to thrash its tail vigorously the entire way.
By the time they returned, dusk was falling. Nie Qinghe sent Laishun to settle the accounts with Second Shopkeeper Lin while she went to inspect the storehouse.
Shopkeeper Liu had allocated a small courtyard specifically for her. It contained two storage rooms filled with jars, vats, and urns of various sizes, along with two shelves and a pair of tables and chairs. Everything she had purchased was already sorted and stored inside. Shopkeeper Liu and Nie Qinghe each held a key; no one else was permitted to enter.
At the time, a sense of secrecy was second nature to everyone. They guarded their methods fiercely, terrified that others might steal their formulas. Even simple folk remedies for children’s ailments were kept secret for a lifetime.
Shopkeeper Liu considered this a secret formula from the Flower Immortal, so it absolutely could not be stolen.
Nie Qinghe taught her eldest brother the steps for brewing the medicinal liquid, instructing him to have Chen Zijian help with the preparations. She also warned them about which herbs were mildly toxic, telling them to keep the ingredients away from their mouths and to rinse their eyes with clean water if any got inside.
For her first batch, she planned to brew a medicinal liquid she had made in her past life. It was a comprehensive and potent formula from an old Chinese medicine practitioner, though it was slightly toxic and required careful dosing.
The eighty-nine-year-old grandfather, whose hearing and sight remained sharp, was a devoted fan who loved watching her videos and livestreams. He had gifted her his formula as a donation and even guided her online on how to brew it. Nie Qinghe had made a large batch and given it away to her followers as a lucky draw prize. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many urging her to produce it in bulk for sale. But she was too much of a slacker—just like the old practitioner, she was indifferent to fame and fortune. She had simply brewed a few batches to give away to her fans.
After finishing her work, Nie Qinghe grabbed the fish and headed out to meet her younger siblings.
It was late in the day. Her cousin had also just finished work, and Father Nie had warned them that morning he would be home late, so they shouldn’t wait for him.
When Nie Honghua saw the massive fish Nie Qinghe was carrying, her mouth watered instantly. Nie Xiaoli rushed forward, poking and prodding it with excitement. The large grass carp thrashed its tail, sending a slap across his face. The blow made him jump, leaving him standing frozen in the street.
His stunned expression drew laughter from everyone.
“Second Sister, how much did you earn today?” Nie Honghua asked, her eyes gleaming.
“We’re eating fish tonight,” Nie Qinghe replied, “so no snacks.”
Their mother had already complained about the candied plums they’d bought a few days ago, saying Nie Qinghe spoiled her siblings too much—especially Honghua, who was far too greedy. Though disappointed, Nie Honghua’s face lit up at the thought of fish for dinner.
By the time they reached home, Mother Nie had already returned from the market near the East City Gate. In Jintai City, farmers from outside the walls would bring their produce—vegetables, poultry, fish, and eggs—to sell.
She refused to buy the fresh, crisp vegetables in the morning when they were most expensive. Instead, she preferred to wait until later in the day, when the produce was slightly wilted but still good, and therefore much cheaper.
She had also bought a dozen eggs, including four cracked ones, which had cost her only half price.
Seeing Nie Qinghe carrying a large fish, Mother Nie hurried to meet her. “Oh my, my daughter has struck it rich!”
Nie Qinghe laughed. “Mother, if you say that every time I come home, I’m sure I’ll keep striking it rich.”
Mother Nie burst into laughter, wiping her hands on her apron before waving to the rest of them. “My eldest niece is rich, my eldest daughter is rich, my second daughter is rich, and my little boy is rich too!”
The family’s joy filled the alley with laughter.
Two houses away, Madam Huang heard the commotion and scowled.
She worked on needlework alongside Mother Nie, but her stitches were never as fine, and Mother Nie constantly criticized her. Madam Huang felt she was being singled out. After all, her own daughter, Huang Xiaoying, was also on First Madam Liu’s list of candidates—the same list of “lowly daughters from minor families” for the Liu family’s concubines’ sons to marry.
“Hmph,” she scoffed. “Look at them, flaunting their wealth the moment they get a few coins.”
Her husband cautioned her, “You’re still working with her on the embroidery. Don’t offend her to her face.”
After all, the needlework brought in over a hundred coins a month, a vital supplement to their family income.
Madam Huang pursed her lips. “I know. If she didn’t rely on us to make money, would they be living such a merry life?” Mother Nie was always biased. Why did she give the others nearly two hundred, but only give her one hundred thirty?
The Nie family was discussing what to have for dinner.
They had four eggs to eat—broken eggs would spoil quickly in the summer heat. The fish also needed to be consumed, as flies would easily contaminate it.
In the end, Nie Qinghe made the decision. “I’ll make a boiled grass carp,” she announced. “It’ll be fragrant and delicious.” As for the four eggs, frying them would use too much oil, which they couldn’t afford. Boiling them would result in a runny mess, and making soup would cause them to wake up to urinate at night. It was better to simply add some pickled vegetables and green onions to make a steamed egg custard.
She asked Mother Nie to sharpen the knife for her. With a swift motion, she chopped off the grass carp’s head. Then, using corn husks to prevent her hands from slipping, she split the fish in half and sliced the meat into fillets.
Seeing her nimble movements, Mother Nie and the rest of the family were stunned.
To be honest, they had never eaten at a restaurant and had never seen such skillful knife work. At home, they usually just lightly fried fish before braising it, steamed it, or chopped it into chunks to stew with soybean paste. Such fancy knife skills were truly unnecessary.
Where did she learn this?
Mother Nie and her cousin exchanged a glance.
Without even looking up, Nie Qinghe knew exactly what they were thinking. “Didn’t I tell you?” she asked. “During those days I was unconscious, I dreamed every night. It was like my soul had traveled to another place. A celestial maiden took me there and taught me how to comb my hair. She couldn’t have let me starve, right? I actually ate several wonderful meals.”
Nie Honghua’s eyes widened. “Second Sister, did you eat big pork trotters?”
“Of course!” Nie Qinghe replied. “And braised pork hock, soy-marinated beef, iron-pot stewed goose, and—”
“Sister, stop!” Nie Honghua cut her off, too hungry to listen anymore. Her second sister got to eat all that delicious food and didn’t even take her along! She wanted to be unconscious for three days. She wanted to fall into a big pit too.
Nie Qinghe knew she couldn’t cook like a professional restaurant, nor did her family have the ingredients for it. They didn’t even have chili peppers.
Mother Nie always said they were too spicy and only served to make people eat more rice, so she never bought them, believing they weren’t necessary and unsuitable for children. Even seasonings like Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, used only for meat dishes, were rarely purchased.
Mother Nie would only buy a small amount for the New Year or accept a handful if someone gave it to them.
When Nie Qinghe mentioned that the poached fish needed chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, Mother Nie climbed a rickety ladder to lean over the wall and ask Auntie Zhang, a close neighbor, for three chili peppers and a pinch of peppercorns.
Auntie Zhang’s family lived in the countryside and brought over local specialties every month.
Nie Qinghe started by frying a half-spoonful of Sichuan peppercorns in oil. Once they sizzled, she tossed in chopped scallions until they released their fragrance. Next, she added ginger slices and garlic cloves, stirring them briefly before throwing in the cut chili peppers. She also added two star anise that had been dried on the windowsill since the Dragon Boat Festival.
Water was added, brought to a rolling boil, and then the fish head, tail, and bones were added to the pot. A splash of Father Nie’s corn wine went in next. She covered the pot, letting the fish head and bones simmer until they were nearly cooked. Then, she uncovered the pot and slid in the fish fillets.
The fillets were sliced evenly and cooked instantly by the billowing steam.
The aroma was so intense it seized the entire family’s senses. Even Auntie Zhang, next door, kept asking what was cooking that smelled so delicious.
Nie Honghua practically wanted to catch her own drool in a bowl. Nie Xiaoli was chewing on his tongue, unable to contain his hunger.
“If we had more chilies and peppercorns, it would be even spicier and more numbing,” Nie Qinghe said with a smile. “That’s when it’s truly fragrant.”
“It’s already fragrant enough to make my jaw drop,” Mother Nie replied. “Any more and it’ll make us eat too much rice. We don’t have enough grain to spare.”
Since Father Nie hadn’t returned yet, Nie Qinghe set aside some fish and a stewed egg for him. The rest was served in a clay basin and brought to the table.
Big Brother got meals at the workshop, and he often had meat and fish there, so there was no need to worry about him missing out.
Mother Nie glanced at Nie Honghua, whose eyes were gleaming like a little wolf’s, and quickly cleared her throat. “Wait a moment. Let me see how many pieces of meat there are, and we’ll divide them up.”
Nie Honghua’s expression immediately wilted. If the meal were a race of speed and dexterity with chopsticks, she would have definitely won first place.
“Second Sister bought the fish,” Mother Nie said, “so she should have an extra piece. No objections?”
Everyone murmured their agreement.
“Big Sister earns money with her embroidery, so she should—”
Nie Honghua pouted, her voice laced with discontent. “I embroider too! Xiaoli does nothing at all, and he’ll be spending money on his studies later. Don’t give any to him.”
Nie Xiaoli fell silent.
Nie Qinghe and her cousin quickly intervened, urging Mother Nie to stop dividing the food and just let everyone eat. The four-pound grass carp had been sliced into thin fillets by Nie Qinghe, and with the head and tail included, it filled a large basin.
As soon as Mother Nie gave the signal to start, Nie Honghua’s chopsticks became a blur.
The pale, tender fish slices curved like small boats floating on the surface of the soup. They had to be picked up gently and carefully, or they would break.
When a piece was stuffed into the mouth, it released a burst of fragrant heat. The fish was smooth, tender, and savory, and each bite released a rich, delicious juice that made one want to exclaim in delight.
“Delicious! So fragrant! This is amazing!” Nie Honghua exclaimed.
“This meat is so tender,” Nie Xiaoli added. “And there are no bones! Second Sister, your cooking is god-tier. You’re as good as a professional chef!”
Nie Honghua shot her younger brother a glare. Trying to steal my thunder?
She immediately went into overdrive, scooping fish into her bowl while showering Nie Qinghe with praise.
She covered every angle—Nie Qinghe’s beauty and kindness, her knife skills, her cooking, her embroidery, and even the way she combed her hair. It was a full 360-degree tribute, leaving no stone unturned.
Nie Qinghe, who had been both praised and vilified to numbness in her past life as an internet celebrity, simply smiled and gestured for her cousin to eat more.
Nie Xiaoli rubbed his arms as he ate. “It’s so hot out, yet I’ve got goosebumps.”
Mother Nie couldn’t listen to any more of it. “That’s enough. Just eat. If you keep this up, your sister will think she’s a culinary deity.”
“Haha, then I won’t hold back!” Nie Honghua laughed.
Though she ate with gusto, she was still thoughtful. She didn’t hog all the best pieces. After a few bites of the prime meat, she started eating the fish bones, leaving the boneless slices for her younger brother.
Seeing this, Nie Qinghe felt a wave of warmth. She resolved to buy better food more often to improve their diet.
For an ordinary family, she thought, life is all about food and clothing. Good food leads to a good mood and a greater sense of happiness. That’s what makes life worth living.