Hua Zhi ordered some steaming pots and the like. Since these were items that had never been made before, the production took longer. Her inspection method was simple and crude—she had someone kill a fish and steam it. Timing it carefully, she took it out, drizzled it with a sauce prepared by Fu Dong, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth. Hmm, it had been steamed a bit too long; the texture wasn't tender enough.
Spitting out the residue, she set down her chopsticks and said, "Everyone, taste it."
Fu Dong was the first to try it, and her comment aligned with her young lady's thoughts: "The meat is tough."
"Redo it. Light an incense stick."
Using an incense stick allowed for more precise timing. Once set, this would become the standard for steaming fish in the future. It would also prevent the newly burdened cooks from constantly lifting the lid to check if the fish was done.
When it came to cooking, Hua Zhi knew her limits. She could cook, but compared to doing it herself, she was better at instructing and eating. Simple dishes were manageable, but cooking fish well was not easy. It took three attempts before it met the standard.
"Sea fish are different from the fish we usually eat. We can't apply our past experience to judge them," Hua Zhi said, turning to Fu Dong. "Can we leave the culinary studio to manage on its own now?"
"This servant has taught everything that needs to be taught, and it's almost ready. This servant will assign Liu Juan to oversee it."
Hua Zhi remembered Liu Juan—the young girl who had nearly been violated at the estate. "Do you think highly of her?"
Fu Dong nodded, not hiding her fondness for Liu Juan. "She has a naturally keen sense of smell and is willing to put effort into studying in private. She's just not quite ready to take charge independently yet."
"Then train her well. It'll be good for you to have an extra helper."
Fu Dong bit her lip. If Liu Juan could handle things on her own, would she be able to return to her young lady's side?
For several days in a row, Hua Zhi immersed herself in seafood, teaching them how to handle various types of seafood. Following the recipes she had written herself, she explained how to prepare each dish step by step. With Fu Dong offering additional guidance, everyone quickly grasped the key techniques. The only thing that took them a little longer to accept was the fact that the young lady knew how to cook.
Gu Yanxi still came to the Hua family for dinner every day, openly sharing news from the court with her. From him, Hua Zhi learned that the grain storage scandal had been exposed, and the situation was even more severe than she had described. The Emperor was furious and had dispatched an imperial commissioner to handle the matter. Seizing this opportunity, the previously debated plan to purchase grain from the Flame Country was finalized, with the Left Vice Minister of Revenue sent to the Flame Country.
"Xie Jin saw the potential merit in this and pulled strings to secure a position, but your grandfather struck his name from the list."
Hua Zhi had a poor impression of Xie Jin and couldn't help but overthink it. "Will he try to pull some underhanded tricks?"
Gu Yanxi laughed. "Lord Zhu has stood firm in the court for many years—do you think he's an easy target? He's probably hoping Xie Jin will try something so he can seize the chance to deal with him. By the way, I've looked into that marriage matter. Xie Jin deliberately leaked the news to Qin Li. Qin Li is the brother of that Qin Yiniang in your household."
"Does he have someone backing him?"
"Nothing escapes you." Gu Yanxi pinched A Zhi's cheek, his expression perfectly serious as he continued, "It's the Feng family. His first wife was from a collateral branch of the Feng family. Without some support, how could he have risen to the fifth rank in just a few years?"
Hua Zhi rubbed her cheek, her ears slightly red but otherwise seemingly unaffected. "Did his former wife's family pressure him to marry a Hua family daughter as a replacement?"
"Something along those lines."This is truly the most ridiculous thing under heaven—a new trick of kicking someone when they're down. How badly must they want to humiliate the Hua family to repeatedly disgrace its young women like this? Suppressing her anger, Hua Zhi asked again, "What does the Feng family want? Just to shame the Hua family?"
Gu Yanxi gently uncurled her clenched fingers one by one. "Because the Hua family has you holding it up and hasn't collapsed as they hoped. Also because they realize the Hua family won't become the next He family. They can only stomp on you while you're weak—how they do it doesn't matter, they'll stomp as hard as they can. After all, the enmity between our families already exists. To them, a little more makes no difference."
Hua Zhi's face turned frosty. Because it made no difference, they'd lured that fool Hua Yan into throwing away her entire life.
"The capital has never lacked such people. The He family was once known for widespread goodwill, and that goodwill saved their female relatives. But what happened later? They were still ruined until they had nowhere to stand. With you here, the Hua family won't fall to that state. Those people aren't worth you angering yourself over."
But in that lifetime she hadn't experienced, they might have pressed the Hua family step by step just like this! Hua Zhi closed her eyes, gradually suppressing her raging emotions. When she opened them again, she had regained her usual calm. "Has Haoyue made any moves?"
"She found excuses to meet Chen Qing several times, but discussed trivial matters. Probably she doesn't know much more either."
Hua Zhi rubbed her temples. Too many thoughts crowded her mind, making her head ache.
Gu Yanxi rose and stood behind her, pressing her to lean against him. His large hands massaged her temples, his voice filled with unconcealed concern. "Rest a while. Even if someone wants to destroy our Daqing, it won't happen in two or three days. We still have time."
The corners of Hua Zhi's lips lifted as she closed her eyes, savoring this moment of intimacy.
Two days after the Autumn Examination, the seafood shop opened.
True to her word, Hua Zhi had Chen Liang post several notices in Green Moss Alley and Oriole Cloud Alley. On opening day, they hung the plaque, unveiled the Red Silk, and set off a string of firecrackers—that was all.
She had never worried this business would do poorly, and indeed, there was no need for concern.
Shortly after the firecrackers ceased, another round exploded. Thinking some remained unlit, Hua Zhi turned to see Bao Xia rushing in. "Miss, Young Masters Liu, Peng, and Qi are here. They set off the firecrackers."
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. "The three young gentlemen we met at the dock?"
"Yes."
Arriving so early with their own firecrackers—they'd probably come to show support. Was this goodwill earned through Dried Meat? Hua Zhi couldn't help laughing aloud. For food lovers, building connections through edible treats was the most practical approach.
Xu Biao escorted the three to the second floor, serving them fine tea and water. Without waiting for their order, he brought a plate of fried yellow croaker—fragrant and crispy—immediately making the three food enthusiasts forget their supportive intentions. Order! Order! Order!
Later, Jiang Huanran arrived with a group of friends, Cai Zhiming brought classmates, and families close to the Hua family like the Lu and Zhu families sent younger members. Just these guests occupied nearly half of the second floor.
Then came the scholars who had received the news. Having endured nine days and seven nights, they well knew how much convenience the young lady's basket of supplies had provided. Such convenience might seem insignificant, but at that time, they had been truly grateful.When given a peach, return a plum—today, on the day of the young lady’s new shop opening, they naturally came to show their support.
Counting them one by one, each and every person who showed up was connected through personal ties. Upon realizing this, Hua Zhi felt both amused and deeply touched. They were protecting her in this way, even though she didn’t need it, but she had to accept their goodwill.
“Go and tell Xu Biao that today we’ll only charge half price.”
“Yes.”
PS: Finally finished writing all the trivial plot details. The good news is that the next chapter will dive into a major storyline. The bad news is that there will only be one update tomorrow—Kongkong’s birthday, la la la!
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