Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 109 (End)
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 109 (1): Bonus Chapter - Delivery
It was the end of summer, with the heat lingering in the air and cicadas still chirping from the treetops. It should have been a time of relaxation, but Duke Xie's mansion was buzzing with activity.
Jiang Shuyao's body was growing heavier by the day—this was her first child. The maids kept a watchful eye on her, worried that something might go wrong.
Jiang Shuyao only hoped that she could recover comfortably after giving birth and maybe even enjoy a cold drink before the end of summer.
Over the past month, Xie Xun had been unable to sleep well at night. Even when he finally managed to fall asleep, he would wake up in the middle of the night to check on her, terrified that he might miss something important if he slept too deeply. Despite being young and strong, the constant worry had left him looking a little haggard.
On that day, he was on duty, and the eunuch came into the room with a message from Duke Xie's mansion.
Xie Xun was originally worried about Jiang Shuyao's birth, and when he heard the words "started," he rushed back to the mansion.
As he rode his horse along the way, countless terrible thoughts flashed through his mind. His heart went up and down suddenly, and his soul was not ready.
After getting off the horse, he didn't stop breathing hard and ran to the third branch's courtyard in one breath, panicking extremely.
However, the expected panic scene did not appear. The maids were methodically busy with things in the yard. Some people passed him empty-handed as if nothing had happened.
Didn’t they say that Jiang Shuyao had already gone into labor? Although the courtyard had been cleaned and a room specially prepared for the delivery, it was impossible for everything to be completed so quickly.
Could it be that the situation was too critical, and they took her somewhere else?
In any case, chaotic thinking was always frightening.
Xie Xun's face turned pale, and he caught a little maid passing in front of him. He asked coldly, "Where did they take your Madam?" The little maid couldn't react for a while but was shocked when she met Xie Xun's cold face. She stuttered, "Responding to the third master, Madam... Madam didn't go anywhere."
Xie Xie was originally anxious. Hearing her stumbling, he became more anxious, "Where is your madam now?"
The little maid swallowed her saliva, she raised her arm tremblingly and pointed in the direction of the east wing.
Xie Xun couldn’t believe it and strode towards the room. The maids evaded him one after another. Before reaching the door, he heard Xu-shi's voice, "Are you still eating?"
"Yes." This is Jiang Shuyao's voice, which sounds wrong.
Xie Xun was dumbfounded. He took a few breaths and looked into the east wing.
Jiang Shuyao was frantically sweeping the food on the table, and Xu-shi looked at her lovingly.
"Why are you back?" Jiang Shuyao was choked on an egg. Just after taking a sip of hot water, she saw Xie Xun at the door.
Xie Xun took a few steps forward and hesitated, "Didn't you start?" He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, "Why do you sit here now..." and eating wildly?
Although he didn't say everything, Jiang Shuyao could understand what he meant, "Sister-in-law guesses that I will not officially start until midnight, so they let me eat more now so that I won't lose energy at that time."
Xie Xie nodded. His emotional ups and downs were too great. His three spirits and six souls hadn't returned yet, and he looked a bit silly. Who knows what he was thinking? He sat down on the patio chair in the third courtyard.
Just after he sat down, Zhou-shi came over with a bowl of steaming rice porridge in her hand. She was surprised to see Xie Xun, "Why did the third brother come back?"
Xie Xun pulled the corner of his mouth helplessly and made a wry smile.
Zhou-shi didn't understand his thoughts and didn't follow up. She entered the east wing and put down the bowl in her hand.
"Second Sister-in-law, your craft is getting better and better." Jiang Shuyao praised as she ate, "Each has its own special "flavor," it is simple but more delicious than fine cuisine."
Zhou-shi's mouth curled, "What sort of craftsmanship? It was just making a big pot of rice." Although the expression on her face is disgusted, her tone is very happy. "
Xu-shi's gentle words couldn't persuade Jiang Shuyao, so Zhou-shi's "tough" method came in handy. After taking the food away, she helped Jiang Shuyao up to walk around in the courtyard.
Xie Xun didn't go back to the East Palace either. He just sat in the courtyard, with his heart hanging high.
Xu-shi estimated the timing of the delivery, and in the evening, Jiang Shuyao started. Although they had been prepared, the group of people was still in a hurry. Zhou-shi and Xu-shi rushed to the delivery room, but Xie Xun, who wanted to help, was kicked out.
Xie Xun was uneasy, standing outside the room, squatting for a while, then stood upright. For a while, there is no sound. He was scared and clinging to the doors shouting, "How come there is no sound?"
Xie Li stayed in the courtyard to pull him back and prevent him from delaying the process, "Don't be surprised."
After a while, there was a painful cry from the delivery room. Xie Xun couldn't stand anymore, with cold sweat on his forehead, "Why is it so loud? It must be so painful." He hurriedly asked the old madam standing by, "Will the midwife be enough? The doctors? Are the doctors waiting?"
He was chattering endlessly, not at all like him on normal days.
Jiang Shuyao's first delivery was very smooth. At midnight, the midwife opened the door and congratulated Xie Xun on having a pair of twins.
Xie Xun heard nothing. He just saw someone push the door, and he rushed in like a gust of wind. The people inside couldn't stop him.
The smell of blood in the room was strong. Xie Xun felt dizzy and trembling when he walked to the bed.
Jiang Shuyao had just finished giving birth and was utterly exhausted, drifting in and out of consciousness. When she noticed the figure by her bedside, she forced her eyes to focus and realized it was Xie Xun.
Her silky black hair clung to her forehead, damp with sweat, and her once-glossy red lips had lost their vibrant hue. It pained him to see her looking so haggard and fragile.
Xie Xun was so distressed. He lowered his body near her when he saw that she was about to open her mouth to say something.
Jiang Shuyao opened her lips and uttered two words with all her strength, "Get out!" She didn't want Xie Xun to see the way she was like at the moment.
Xie Xun held her hand, "No."
Jiang Shuyao stared at him.
Xie Xun couldn't laugh or cry, but he could easily see through her thoughts, "You look beautiful like this." After saying that, he kissed the back of her hand.
A warm and soft touch fell on the back of her hand. Somehow, Jiang Shuyao suddenly lost her strength and fell asleep within a few seconds.
Xie Xun leaned his forehead on the back of her hand. He was completely relieved and muttered, "We will never give birth again, never give birth again."
Xu-shi and the others left some room for Xie Xun and his wife. After a while, it was time to call Xie Xun out to prevent him from obstructing the new mother's rest. But they didn't expect to see Xie Xun fall asleep lying on the bedside, holding Jiang Shuyao's hand.
Zhou-shi covered her mouth and snickered, "Obviously, Third sister-in-law was the one who gave birth, but Third younger brother is the one who is exhausted."
Xu-shi was also laughing and said strangely, "Well, don't make fun of Third brother. He hasn't closed his eyes for more than a month. Let him sleep and get the maids to stay outside."
Xie Xun said that they would not have another child again, so even a few years later, they only had one son and one daughter under their knees.
Chapter 109 (2): Bonus Chapter - The Children
When the children were a little older, Xie Xun asked to be released from his position. The Emperor originally wanted to train Xie Xun and others to become future ministers of the crown prince, so he naturally agreed.
So Xie Xun dragged his family and started a trip to his new position.
Everyone thought that the new governor was young and easy to handle. Still, they didn't expect Xie Xun's thunderous method of cleaning up a group of old officials. He became famous as soon as he arrived.
Over time, the public gradually came to understand Xie Xun and grew increasingly curious about the newly appointed official. He was young, handsome, talented, and highly skilled—a figure shrouded in mystery. Just how enigmatic was such a character?
When Xie Xun showed his face, the local unwed maidens were unable to hold back their hearts. They asked to know who his wife was and whether they still had a chance.
Jiang Shuyao was not accustomed to being an official's wife and didn’t know how to socialize. They wanted her to host a banquet for the families of local officials, but she wouldn't see people all day, and who knew what she was busy with. They euphemistically mentioned it to Xie Xun several times, but Xie Xun didn't agree with their ideas. After several times, everyone stopped thinking about a banquet.
The aides thought they would be suffering there, but it didn't take long for many food and beverage shops to open up in the local market. It was in line with the local customs, and the price was low. The aides have much fewer complaints in their hearts, and they work with peace of mind.
But no matter how you resisted socializing, banquets were still indispensable.
After waiting for too long, people who wanted to come to the mansion were about to break the threshold. Everyone had different thoughts, and the banquet was extremely lively.
The thoughts of the officials are unknown, but the thoughts of their family members are very obvious.
"I heard that Mrs. Governor is from the capital city. Hopefully, we can see the delicacies from Chang’an today."
Everyone agreed.
When the table was opened, the expressions of a group of people suddenly froze.
"This is Guiyun Pavilion's signature dish, right?"
"This dish is also familiar. I just ate it a few days ago. It should be a dish from Liuxianlou."
Everyone recognized at least half of the dishes on the table.
Mrs. Yirong, with a long face, squeezed her handkerchief. "I thought I could see the capital city's dishes, but look at these small dishes from restaurants." Overtly and secretly, she almost pointed out that Mrs. Governor was out of her mind.
Someone retorted in a low voice, "But these dishes are worth eating. If you want to buy it, you have to queue for more than a month."
Rong Chang twitched her lips, "The governor ordered them for a banquet. Could it be that Mrs. Governor still needs to queue?" She took a deep breath, with pride on her face, "This is all made by our town's restaurants. I think it is probably Mrs. Governor who thinks the dishes in Chang’an are inferior and especially prepares it for us."
Someone retorted, "That's wrong. We hadn't seen these dishes when we were young. Besides, these restaurants opened just a while ago. Who is behind them? No one has figured it out yet."
Rong Chang's face was still stiff, but suddenly she felt a pain in her back.
As soon as she turned around, she saw a young girl with bright eyes and white teeth staring at her. She was pouting her mouth, and she looked annoyed.
Even though she was mean by nature, she had to admit that this little girl was born so beautiful.
The little girl frowned and said angrily with a cute voice, "These are my mother's recipes. The restaurants were also opened by my mother!"
Everyone looked at each other, and they didn't know what to say for a while.
"Children's nonsense." Someone rescued the scene. No matter what happened, the owner behind these restaurants could not be a woman.
The little girl was still waiting to say something, but a little boy hurriedly came behind her and grabbed her, "Sister, why are you running around again!"
The little boy was also handsome, and he looked familiar.
The little girl shook his hand and stomped her feet, "They are talking badly about mother!" She raised her hand and pointed to the table.
All the women present were a bit stiff, trying to scold this unruly girl but couldn't speak.
When the boy who was still scolding his sister heard this, his face suddenly became cold. He raised his eyes lightly and glanced at the person sitting at the table. Then he led his sister and walked away without looking back.
The group of people felt panicked by the boy's look, carefully recalling whether they had said something wrong just now.
"Where did this young boy come from? So arrogant." Rong Chang said stiffly.
Xie Xun's table was also not peaceful. His group of subordinates, each with their own agendas, couldn’t help but think of their daughters who were of marriageable age. Xie Xun was a formidable man with a bright future ahead—his career was bound to flourish.
However, Xie Xun didn't mention anything, and no one had the courage to mention their family members.
But this food was really delicious.
Everyone was busy dropping chopsticks and almost forgot about the business.
Suddenly a maid came over with a tray, covered with a copper cover, which looked like an extremely precious and rare delicacy.
Everyone stopped their chopsticks and looked at Xie Xun subconsciously.
After hearing what the maid said, Xie Xun's eyebrows suddenly stretched out, and he uncovered the lid. There was an extremely ugly thing that looked like a steamed bun on the plate.
Xie Xun's face remained unchanged. He picked up the strange steamed bun and took a bite gracefully, showing an expression of admiration on his face.
It made a group of people feel as though ants were crawling all over them. Could such an unsightly steamed bun actually taste good?
"Very good," Xie Xun nodded, "The craftsmanship has improved." As soon as these words left his mouth, everyone began to speculate.
This must be the work of Mrs. Xie, they thought. Master Xie was a man of noble status—what delicacy hadn’t he tasted? Yet here he was, praising this misshapen bun. Could it be that his wife had a fiery temper, and Master Xie was simply too afraid to say otherwise?
Several people exchanged glances, and they affirmed each other's thoughts.
Until a soft "Daddy!" broke the weird atmosphere of the table.
A little girl ran over with a stern stare and smoothly climbed on Xie Xun's knees, looked at the steamed buns in front of Xie Xun, and suddenly smiled, "Daddy did you eat the flower roll made by me?"
Xie Xun touched her little hair bun, "I have eaten. My daughter's cooking skills are getting better and better."
The little girl shook her head and was held down by Xie Xun, "Daddy is still going to be here for half an hour. Don't run away."
This scene was so surprising. The group of people was dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.
Just when they were in a daze, a boy came over with a cold face. He was carved out of the same mold as Xie Xun.
When he stood next to Xie Xun, the women at the table just now understood why he looked so familiar. They could see that the boy's clothes were the same style and color as Xie Xun from such a distance. When they thought about it again, the coldness between his eyebrows and eyes also followed Master Xie.
The boy scolded the little girl, "Sister, just forget it. Now my father is hosting a banquet to entertain all the adults. How can you be so unruly?"
The little girl pouted as she slid off Xie Xun's lap, clutching the corner of the boy's clothes.
The officials at the table finally recovered and praised the boys, nothing more than words of "great potential" and "a tiger father has no dogs children."
Even with a bunch of compliments, the boy's face remained unchanged.
Xie Xun started introducing his children, and by the way, he introduced today's banquet, "These are all meticulously prepared by my wife. These are the signature dishes of Guiyun Pavilion. These are..."
Everyone was puzzled after hearing his introduction. The food in these restaurants couldn’t be bought with money, but was the food from restaurants considered "meticulously prepared"?
They only understand after Xie Xun's last sentence was finalized, "Yes, I forgot to mention that my wife owns these restaurants, and she created every dish. Maybe you have heard of the Lin family in the capital, which is my wife's family."
Everyone's eyes widened suddenly. When they went to Chang’an to report on their work, their favorite was Lin's street food market in the middle of the capital city.
Before they could digest this fact, they heard the boy standing behind Xie Xun saying with his hands behind his back, "Father, you should remember to mention my mother a lot in the future, lest my mother act too low-key and cause trouble." He led his sister away. His hand and tone were exactly the same as Xie Xun's usual speech, which caused a group of old officials to suddenly get goosebumps. "For example, today, Song Changshi's wife and Li Sima's wife thought that my mother was not dedicated, and even said that she was fooling people."
After speaking, he took the little girl and left without looking back, leaving a group of people to face Xie Xun fearfully.
When the banquet finished, no matter whether their wife had the thoughts or not, she was educated by the husband when they returned. The thoughts that should and shouldn't be dissipated. Just one thing, could their daughter compare to Madam Xie? She was the famous eldest lady of the Lin family. Even the Emperor praised her cooking skills. Rather than working hard to pry a corner, they might as well get a good relationship with this lady. At least there will be no need to queue for more than a month in the future to taste the food from those restaurants.
As soon as she arrived, Jiang Shuyao, who was busy with her food business, did not find anyone coveting Xie Xun. When she wrote to Xu-shi and Lin-shi, she laughed at them for thinking too much. The folks here are simple and honest. No girls care about Xie Xun, and no subordinates send beauties. How relaxing and happy her life is?
Later, this letter was seen by her pair of children, and they had to express helplessness to their mother's lack of awareness.
[T/N: Can't believe that it is over? I know, I can't believe it either. I feel itchy for more dog food (and human food as well), but unfortunately this is where the author ended the story.
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