“You’re still talking!” Qi Yue’s reddened eyes stared hopelessly at that innocent, doll-like face. Her anger flared up again. As she took a deep breath, her nostril flared, and she accidentally blew a massive snot bubble, sending Jiang Xiyu into fits of laughter.
Qi Yue hurriedly pulled a handkerchief to cover her face. Her eyes, sharp with humiliation and annoyance, landed on Jiang Xiyu, frightening the latter into immediate silence. Holding back her laughter, Xiyu said with forced seriousness, “Little Sister Qi, you needn’t be so hard on yourself. With A’li’s level of culinary skill, anyone who eats here for half a month is bound to put on some weight. Besides, I’ve been looking for ages and I don’t see you looking any fatter than before. Tell me yourself, where exactly are you fat?”
While sniffing, Qi Yue complained through teary eyes, “And you say I’m not fat? Today I even snapped my silk sash, and I can’t even tie it back…”
“If you ask me, the way you bound your waist before was like a gourd; you were one step away from squeezing your ribs right into your spleen and stomach.” Xue Li held the handkerchief and wiped away the snot for her. “You eat three meals a day here with low oil and low salt—your nutrition is perfectly balanced. It’s just that you’ve eaten a larger volume, so you’ve gained a tiny bit of weight, and it’s healthy weight at that.”
As she spoke, she specifically used two fingers to gesture the measurement of “a tiny bit.” Seeing that “tiny bit” was only the size of a grain of rice, Qi Yue’s expression finally softened, and she stopped sobbing.
“How about this: tomorrow I’ll find a carpenter to make a specialized portion-control tray for you. The staple, vegetables, and meat will each have their own compartment. The amount you should eat per meal will be set, and once you’re done, the tray is taken away. That way, you won’t have to worry about losing control, deal?”
Qi Yue let out a teary hiccup, half-believing and half-doubting. “Truly?”
“Truly!”
“Hmph, that’s more like it…”
Qi Yue blew her nose clean. As soon as her airway cleared, she caught a sweet scent. Her nose twitched. “Mmm, this smell… it’s so familiar.”
Xue Li grinned and brought the freshly steamed Yam Plum Blossom Cakes to her. “Didn’t you say yesterday that the yam flavor in these was a bit too faint? When I ground the yam paste today, I intentionally didn’t grind it too fine, leaving some granular yam bits. I thought that might better preserve the original flavor. Do you want a bite?”
Qi Yue put on an air of reserved hesitation for a moment, pouting. “Only because you’re asking me to help you test the flavor.”
“Yes, yes, this lowly one is filled with gratitude.”
Xue Li couldn’t help but laugh. Knowing the girl was a glutton but too embarrassed to eat more, she picked up a piece of cake and, before Qi Yue could react, stuffed it directly into her mouth.
“Well?”
Caught “mouth-off” guard, Qi Yue closed her teeth. The soft, warm pastry bloomed with a clear fragrance between her lips. The mellow sweetness of the yam mingled with the honeyed flavor of the red dates. As she chewed, every bite felt like a spring breeze blowing across a mountain—fresh and lingering—making her loath to swallow.
“Compared to the one you tasted yesterday, isn’t this much more refreshing and sweet?”
Qi Yue narrowed her eyes to savor the flavor. Hearing Xue Li’s question, her mind suddenly recalled the box of Yam Plum Blossom Cakes she had been sneaking in the pavilion today. Oh no! How could she have forgotten to take it with her? If her brother found it… her reputation in this life was likely to be ruined by that tiny box of cakes.
Mapping it out in her head, the more Qi Yue thought about it, the more pained and regretful she felt, shaking her head.
Forget it, forget it. What is past cannot be mended, what is to come can still be chased. That box of pastries in the pavilion likely couldn’t be retrieved. Since that was the case, she might as well eat the ones fresh out of the oven.
She swallowed the remaining half-piece of Yam Plum Blossom Cake and brushed the crumbs from her fingertips. “The flavor is excellent. Pack a box for me to take back to the estate.”
Jiang Xiyu teased, “What, you’re not clamoring about losing weight anymore?”
Qi Yue gave a high-and-mighty huff. “Even if I am to be thin, I cannot waste the beautiful things in life.”
Listening to the two bicker, Xue Li smiled gently. “Alright, let’s head to the front. I’ll have Mo’er pack a box for you.”
The three walked to the front shop, chatting and laughing. Qi Yue felt that the diners eating in the hall looked so satisfied that she was afraid her own hunger would possess her like a starving ghost, so she hurried to stand outside the shop for some fresh air.
The shop to the west sold “Jing Guo”—dried fruits and nuts. In the wooden grid compartments of the counter, mounds of dried fruits, preserves, and sugar-oil snacks lay comfortably, bathing in the sunlight. The fruity scents of dried dates, lychees, and longans seemed to overflow into the air; just smelling it made one’s heart feel warm.
The shop to the north sold “Guan Fei”—stuffed lungs. Although it was offal, it had its own unique appeal. The shop sign bore four large characters: “Freshly Stuffed On-Site.” Unlike typical stuffed lung shops where a gruff man held the ladle, the owner here was a clean-looking, upright young lady. She looked not much older than A’li, but her skill in handling the lungs was masterful and seasoned. With a few swift movements, she washed the impurities from the sheep lungs, moving nimbly without damaging the outer membrane.
Next came the process of stuffing the seasoned flour paste into the lungs.
Qi Yue watched as the female owner pressed the filling into the lungs, momentarily entranced. Her mind unconsciously drifted back to the sausages Xue Li had made for her last time.
What ingredients did A’li add last time?
Qi Yue carefully recalled the flavor. Minced meat was a given—sausages made in their own shop definitely didn’t skimp on meat. When bitten, the flavor filled the mouth. It seemed there were also many crushed pine nuts and walnuts?
Presumably, these stuffed lungs were similar. After steaming to set the shape, they were sliced. They could be boiled in soup or fried in oil. When eaten, they were dipped in sauce, vinegar, and mustard, or drizzled with a thick gravy. The texture was springy and tender, the flavor rich—truly wonderful.
Qi Yue licked the corner of her lips, her gaze shifting to the cooked meat shop to the east.
She recognized this cooked food stall; it was an old, established brand in Bianjing. Their “Ao Ya”—braised duck—was peerless. Even the head chef in the Marquis’s estate, who had thirty years of experience, sighed in inferiority.
Smelling the aroma of the braised duck, she began to ponder. She remembered what the head chef had said when he was discussing braised duck with her: “If you want the braised duck to be fragrant, the secret lies in the broth!”
It even rhymed!
She had heard that the old broth at that meat shop was made using a secret ancient method, a recipe passed down from the original ancestor. It was now inherited by the tenth-generation grandson. It sounded mysterious, and she didn’t know if it was true.
“Ten whole ducks! Seal them in jars with the braising liquid and deliver them in three days…”
An extravagant customer seemed to have arrived at the meat shop, ordering ten braised ducks at once and even requesting them to be “sealed in jars with liquid.” How meticulously they ate!
But then again, for a household that could buy ten braised ducks at once, it wouldn’t make sense if they weren’t meticulous about their food.
While the braised duck at this shop wasn’t as famous as “The Qian Family Braised Duck,” each still cost a hundred and fifty wen. Ten would be one string and five hundred wen—even for the Marquis’s estate, that was quite a bit of money.
And…
Qi Yue frowned slightly. This arrogant tone of the purchase sounded somewhat familiar, similar to her estate’s head chef.
A moment later, she shook her head with a smile, dismissing the thought.
How could that be? The dishes for the Marquis’s estate were mostly homemade; only in very rare cases…
“I know, deliver them to the estate of the Marquis of Ningwu, Supervisor Guo!” The meat shop proprietor smiled as he took up the conversation. “Buying ten ducks at once—is the Marquis’s estate holding another banquet?”
The man addressed as “Supervisor Guo” replied with a smile, “Indeed. The Grand Matriarch is holding a flower-viewing banquet; shouldn’t it be grand?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Qi Yue’s face froze.
She looked back and saw that the man standing before the meat shop was round and plump, with a face as square as a field. Who else could it be but Guo Lixiang, the kitchen supervisor of the Marquis’s estate?
And that flower-viewing banquet?
To put it elegantly, it was a gathering of noble ladies for refined pursuits. To put it bluntly, it was a match-making event organized by her grandmother for her brother to find a Marchioness.
Qi Yue couldn’t help but grumble internally. The next moment, she saw Guo Lixiang finish his instructions to the proprietor and leisurely stroll toward her direction with his hands behind his back.
Terrified, she zipped back into the shop.
The priority now was to leave this place immediately. If she was caught by Guo Lixiang and he reported her to her brother, things would go south!
Coincidentally, Xue Li handed over the boxed Yam Plum Blossom Cakes at that moment, smiling brightly. “They turned out well today, so I packed an extra layer for you.”
Qi Yue hurriedly took the box and bid a hasty farewell. “Thanks, A’li! But something came up at home today, so I probably can’t have dinner here. Don’t wait for me, you and Xiyu!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she had already vanished through the shop’s side door like a ghost.
Xue Li: “…”
What act was this? Running away as if she’d seen a ghost?
Xue Li looked out onto the street in confusion. The market was as bustling as ever, with peddlers’ cries echoing one after another. Where was there any sign of trouble?
Just as she was wondering, she suddenly heard Madam Lu across the way screaming in her highly recognizable, loud voice: “Aiya! Why has this man collapsed? Someone, come quickly!”
Hearing the shout, Xue Li leaned out to look. Amidst a crowding throng of people, a round, plump gentleman had collapsed to the ground. His face was as pale as death, his lips were blue, and his body was shivering as if he’d been pulled from an ice cellar. His teeth were chattering.
Passersby stopped to watch, but no one dared to approach. Low murmurs rose from the crowd:
“Is this man suffering from some sudden acute illness?”
“He’s shaking so hard; could it be a seizure?”
“The weather isn’t even cold; why is he shivering like this?”
Xue Li squeezed through the crowd. With one glance at the plump gentleman’s face, she immediately noticed the signs.
Cold sweat was seeping from his temples, and his knuckles were blue, but his face was neither red nor black—there were no signs of a stroke.
She stepped forward, squatted in front of him, and reached out to check his pulse. She found his limbs were icy cold and his breathing was erratic. Looking closer, she saw the hem of his robes was damp, with some faint traces of mold growing on it.
He likely spent his days in damp, humid places, making it hard for the cold energy in his body to dissipate. Combined with recent overwork, this had led to an internal excess of cold-dampness, trapping his internal organs and causing the spasms and collapse.
Her mind set, she turned to call for Jiang Xiyu behind her. “Are there any Ginger Jujube Cakes left in the shop?”
Jiang Xiyu was staring curiously at the fallen man. Hearing this, she blinked. “Yes! I’ll get them now!”
“And a bowl of Perilla Drink!” Xue Li added.
Jiang Xiyu moved swiftly and returned in moments. Xue Li took them, tore the Ginger Jujube Cake into small pieces, and fed them into the plump man’s mouth. She then scooped two mouthfuls of the Perilla Drink for him to take.
The ginger in the cake was spicy and sharp, while the jujube paste was warming and tonifying—perfect for dispelling cold and warming the stomach. The Perilla Drink helped circulate Qi and blood, as well as dispersing cold from the surface. The two combined were perfect for dispelling dampness and warming the internal organs.
Before long, the man’s originally blue-purple lips gradually gained color, and his breathing steadied. His shivering stopped, and his eyes slowly regained focus, as if he had come back to his senses.
The surrounding people, seeing that Xue Li had saved a life with just a small cake and a bowl of drink, broke into continuous praise.
The plump gentleman took a breath and leaned on her hand to sit up, his voice as raspy as sun-dried cattail. “Sigh… cough, cough… Young lady… thank you for saving my life.”