Chapter 132 - 133: Visitors to the Shop
The aroma drew Deng Yuanhang over as well, and he simply removed the lid completely.
"What’s this?" Staring at the pile of duck necks, duck feet, and some miscellaneous organs, Deng Yuanhang was stunned speechless.
"Go on, try some. My wife specially braised these for us to snack on and kill time on the road."
After speaking, Ancient Wen Heng silently made a mental note. ’It’s true my wife braised them, but it was a big pot she made a while ago. I just stored it in my space and took it out today.’
"It smells amazing, but how are we supposed to eat this?" Zhou Ping rummaged through the upper and lower tiers of the container but couldn’t find any chopsticks.
Ancient Wen Heng uncapped his waterskin, gave his hands a quick rinse, and picked up a piece with his bare hands. "This is the only way to eat these things. You guys give it a try."
’Back in his school days, whenever there was a get-together in the dorms, these snacks were always the main event.’
Seeing Ancient Wen Heng eating with such relish, the other two could no longer hold back. Following his lead, they each picked out a piece they thought they could stomach.
The moment Deng Yuanhang took a bite, his eyes widened. "This is incredible!"
Zhou Ping silently gnawed on the wing in his hand. A moment later, he was gasping, his mouth open. "My mouth is all numb! Where’s the water?"
"The spice must have gotten to you," Deng Yuanhang said with the air of a seasoned expert. "But in this cold weather, eating a little of these chilis can help ward off the chill."
Ancient Wen Heng looked up at Deng Yuanhang. "Senior Brother Deng, have you had these chili peppers before?"
"So that’s what they’re called? Chili peppers?" Deng Yuanhang nodded. "A fitting name. Our family’s escort agency travels all over, and sometimes we escort merchant caravans beyond the frontiers. Some of our men brought these back once."
Ancient Wen Heng’s interest was piqued. "I wonder, does your family have any left, Senior Brother Deng?"
Deng Yuanhang shook his head. "At the time, the escorts just thought they were a curiosity and brought a few back. The kitchen used a little here and there, and they were gone long ago.
Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since anyone hired our escort agency for a trip beyond the frontiers, so there’s been no way to get more.
By the way, Wenheng, how did you get your hands on these?"
"I happened upon a merchant caravan once and traded for them," Ancient Wen Heng explained. "My wife loves to experiment with this kind of stuff, and by combining them with our family’s secret braising spice blend, she managed to create a new flavor.
It’s just a shame our supply of these chili peppers is limited, so she can’t use them as freely as she’d like. That’s why she told me to keep an eye out for more while I was away."
Zhou Ping gulped down two mouthfuls of water, but found the lingering flavor irresistible. He grabbed a duck foot and started gnawing on it again.
"You’re a lucky man, Wenheng, to have married such a virtuous and capable wife. You know, when that fellow Li Hesen delivered a letter to your house, he came back and commented sourly, ’Imagine that, a young woman who can actually read and write.’"
’Of course, there had been other sour grapes—comments about how "a woman’s ignorance is a virtue," and criticisms of his wife for showing her face in public—but there was no need to bring those up now.’
"Let’s not talk about that killjoy," Deng Yuanhang said with a frown. ’Honestly, Li Hesen has done so many obnoxious things lately. His once somewhat refined disposition has turned sharp and mean-spirited.’
’It was just one Scholar examination. So he failed. He could just try harder next time. But now he’s stirred things up so much that no one in the whole academy has a good impression of him.’
"Still, our Wenheng is a true brother, always thinking of us when he has good food," Deng Yuanhang said, completely forgetting his earlier expression of distaste. The compliments now came easily.
"But is such a small box going to be enough? I bet we’ll finish it all before we’ve even gone ten li." As he spoke, his eyes were glued to the box. "Wenheng, you must eat this stuff all the time at home. Coincidentally, my mother packed me some pastries. Here, you try them."
Without waiting for Ancient Wen Heng’s reply, he stuffed a large bag of pastries into his arms and turned to start divvying up the snacks with Zhou Ping.
Ancient Wen Heng was speechless. "..."
***
Jin Qianqian was surprised to see Li Cuicui suddenly appear at the shop entrance. "Mother, did you come by yourself?"
Li Cuicui pointed to an ox cart not far off. "Shulin came to the government office to register a red contract today. I thought I’d come have a look too, so we traveled together."
Only then did Jin Qianqian notice Gu Shulin leading the ox cart. A few clansmen and villagers were seated on the cart, all of them staring curiously in her direction.
Jin Qianqian walked over to them. "Everyone, would you like to come in and have some water?"
Gu Shulin replied, "I won’t come in just yet. I still have to go to the government office to get this red contract registered. I’ll come ask for a cup of water after my business is done."
"Don’t mind us, Scholar’s wife," the village chief said. "We’re just here to buy a few things. We’ll gather back at your shop entrance when we’re finished." With the village chief having spoken, the others didn’t dare to object, no matter how curious they were.
"Well then," Jin Qianqian said, "everyone must come back for a drink later. Get to know the place. Next time you come to the city, you’ll at least have a spot to rest your feet."
Jin Qianqian’s words resonated with everyone. They always felt apprehensive coming into the city, but having an acquaintance here made all the difference. Even if they got lost, they could always find their way back to this shop.
Everyone exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking their things and dispersing.
In contrast, Li Xiaohua, who had come with the group, jumped down from the cart. "As your sister-in-law, I have no idea how well my little sister-in-law is doing. Aren’t you going to invite me in for a look?"
Jin Qianqian took Li Cuicui by the arm. "Mother, you haven’t seen my place yet. Come on, I’ll give you a tour."
Seeing Jin Qianqian walk straight past her while holding onto Li Cuicui, Li Xiaohua stamped her foot, then gritted her teeth and followed them. As she went, she didn’t forget to grab the basket of vegetables she’d brought to trade for copper coins.
Just outside the door, a peculiar, enticing aroma filled the air, making both Li Cuicui and Li Xiaohua sniff appreciatively.
"Well, I never knew Seventh’s wife was hiding such skills. With talent like this, how come you never showed it off before?"
Jin Qianqian said, "Mother, please have a seat here. I’ll go get you something to eat."
"Sister-in-law, make sure to bring out a lot! I’m starving after the journey. You can’t be stingy with us."
Jin Qianqian ignored her and walked behind the counter.
"Can you give it a rest?" Li Cuicui’s face was stern. "Even though you’re sisters-in-law, you are, after all, two separate households now."
"Mother, don’t keep reminding us of that. Even if our households are separate, they’re still blood brothers. Besides, Sister-in-law is doing so well now, she won’t care about a few little things."
Jin Qianqian returned with a tray. "No matter how well we’re doing, we earned it little by little. Besides, in all the time I’ve been part of this family, I’ve never had so much as a drop of water from Third Sister-in-law."
Without giving Li Xiaohua another glance, she placed the plate directly in front of Li Cuicui. "Mother, try these new pastries. I hadn’t perfected the recipe the last time you visited. Please, try one."
Li Cuicui nodded repeatedly before even taking a bite. "Those other pastries were already so delicious! But you don’t need to be so extravagant for us next time. We country folk can get by with simple food. You should save these to sell. Seventh will have plenty of expenses in the future."