Chapter 8

“Her Majesty the Empress is such a kind person. A little bamboo shoot raised by her could never grow crooked!”

“Besides, you just lied to Dongfang Heng. He’s the sort who always chases the next new thing. Once he gets over Jiang Xian, there’ll be a Li Xian, a Zhao Xian—he’ll never run out.”

“Don’t worry. You’ve just gained a few more people to support you, not a few more enemies.”

“My family is like me. They’ll stand behind you.”

“When we get to the capital, I’ll protect you. And if I can’t, we’ll go ask my maternal grandfather at the border for help. He can protect you!”

Sister Hui’s eyes suddenly reddened. Her nose tingled, and she reached out to stroke the top of my head.

“I’m going to make you something delicious. You’ve probably never had hotpot, have you? I’ll make it so good you’ll be dazzled. Just wait!”

Lin Zheng brought over some ointment. “Did the thorns cut your back? Let me check.”

I looked at his hand instead.

“My clothes were thick, so the thorns didn’t hurt. Your hand is the one that must hurt. Give it here. I’ll put ointment on it.”

He lowered his head, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Anhe, Sister doesn’t blame you. She doesn’t dislike you, either. We… we both like you.”

Then he ran straight into the kitchen to find Sister Hui.

15

Sister Hui really did have a natural gift for this.

The broth bubbled in the pot. Thin slices of lamb and chicken, tender intestines, and fresh greens—everything tasted delicious.

Even my uncle, the prefect of Lizhou, whose frightening face could stop a child from crying at night, kept exclaiming that the food was wonderful.

He ate so differently from how he usually did that Auntie clutched her stomach, laughing.

“Old Qiu, slow down! No one’s going to steal it from you!”

“Careful, you’ll burn your mouth. You’re so funny you could make someone’s molars fall out!”

I grabbed Sister Hui’s hand.

“Sister, this way of eating, this flavor—if you bring it to the capital, your business plan is far too modest!”

16

In the capital, a long line stretched outside Huixiang House.

Whether you were a prince or noble, or an ordinary commoner, everyone had to queue. Everyone understood the rule.

If they wanted a quieter place, they could pay extra to reserve a private room on the second or third floor.

At first, I asked Sister Hui, “There are so many customers. Why limit how much you make?”

She rubbed her chin. “We’ll add a little at a time. No need to rush.”

“If too many customers show up, the kitchen will turn into chaos. We won’t be able to prepare the food carefully, and the flavor absolutely can’t suffer.”

“It doesn’t matter whether there are more customers or fewer. Set the rules in advance and stick to them. That way, things won’t get out of hand when you’re working.”

“Then the guests won’t get upset after they eat.”

?

I understood. If you set clear rules, you wouldn’t get worked up.

17

“My precious daughter, your father misses you so much he’s about to burst! I’ve been longing for you to come home!”

“Little Friend Lin drew the plans. I hired skilled craftsmen to build Huixiang House according to them. How does it look? Burp.”

“Miss Lin is so talented. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you came to work at the Ministry of Works?”

Mother was holding Sister Hui’s hand and teasing Father. “Why would she work at the Ministry of Works? To haul lumber for you men? Burp.”

“Why not take me as your godmother instead? Just call me ‘Mother’ and this bracelet is yours. Come home with me, and I’ll sew you several beautiful dresses.”

My brothers all grew anxious.

“Mother, Miss Lin is so wonderful. Don’t say things like that. Burp, burp, burp.”

“A Xing, ask the family physician to make some digestive soup. Father, Mother, and everyone else have eaten themselves sick.”

“Make sure to bring a bowl to Grandmother’s residence, too.”

“Especially these three brothers of mine. They ate until their stomachs were rock-hard and can’t even speak properly.”

My brothers were still thinking about the hotpot broth.

“Little sister, let us take the broth home. It’ll be perfect for tossing with noodles tomorrow.”

Me: …

A Xing looked a little embarrassed. “The family physician is taking a few days off. This servant will go invite another doctor.”

“Where did he go?”

“I heard he woke up in the middle of the night to queue outside Huixiang House, ate his fill, then went home to sleep it off.”

I tugged at Sister Hui’s sleeve. “When will you open another branch, Sister?”

She lowered her head and whispered in my ear.

“Your three brothers aren’t exaggerating at all. They’re all handsome. Every one of them is quite a feast for the eyes.”

“Now that we’ve eaten and had our fill, we should go out and have some fun. Why not invite them on an outing in the countryside? We’ll have barbecue skewers!”

“Barbecue skewers? Like those Baba Chicken skewers?”

Lin Zheng said, “Sister, you’ve had too much to drink again.”

Sister Hui replied, “I haven’t had any wine.”

18

“This wine is wonderful!”

At the palace, the Emperor downed a cup and praised it without end alongside the Empress.

With a wave of his hand, he personally wrote three characters—Huixiang House—and ordered a signboard bestowed upon the restaurant.