Ancient Foodie Survival Guide Chapter 84
Translated by Serena Love
Edited by Azure
Chapter 84: Over-Rice Sauces
Since the morning food stall had opened, Jiang Shuyao found herself with idle time. In the past, she had been preoccupied with recipe development and fine-tuning flavors, keeping her busy throughout the day. Now that her schedule had freed up, there was little for her to do besides offering advice to Zhou-shi.
During her busier moments, she hadn't paid much attention to Xie Xun, but now that she had time to spare, she realized something was amiss with him.
For instance, he couldn't seem to fall asleep in the middle of the night. He would watch her intently each day, as if hesitant to speak. His appetite, once hearty, had diminished.
However, the most significant reason Jiang Shuyao began to notice his odd behavior was the last point.
Today, he gloomily finished his dinner, put his chopsticks down, and stared at the empty bowl in a daze.
Jiang Shuyao had observed Xie Xun's behavior for several days, but his condition hadn't improved. Finally, she decided to ask him, "What's wrong with you recently?"
Xie Xun looked up at her, his expression blank and confused. "What?"
What else could Jiang Shuyao say? She couldn’t very well admit, "I’ve noticed your food intake has decreased recently. While still more than most, it doesn’t seem quite right." So instead, she said, "I think you have something on your mind."
Xie Xun thought for a moment, his confusion lingering. "No."
Fine. Jiang Shuyao fell silent, her thoughts briefly lingering on the possibility that it might simply be his physical growth slowing down, which had affected his appetite.
Later that evening, after bathing and changing into their sleepwear, they prepared to turn off the lights and settle into bed. As they lay side by side, Xie Xun extended his hand silently, as though tentatively reaching for hers, a gesture as familiar as it was unspoken.
Jiang Shuyao, mindful of his recent mood, gently squeezed his fingers, offering a small comfort in the quiet of the night.
It was this simple, tender action that stirred Xie Xun, a sudden wave of emotion breaking through. His voice, thick with longing, whispered, "I don’t want to be separated from you."
Jiang Shuyao, caught off guard, blinked in confusion before asking, "What?"
"The emperor has ordered the crown prince to thoroughly investigate the corrupt officials and oversee the reinforcement of the river embankment. We will all accompany him," Xie Xun explained.
Jiang Shuyao’s mind spun as the realization hit her. So, this was what had been troubling him over the past few days. It was merely a matter of leaving Chang’an for business, yet the weight of "separation" had shaken her.
Her heart softened. Gently, she ran her fingers over the back of Xie Xun’s hand, offering quiet reassurance.
Though still young, he had already taken on the responsibilities of a scholar-official, deeply concerned with the welfare of the country and its people.
"I believe you can do it well." She didn't understand these things, and she would inevitably look pale when she said comforting words. So she was just expressing her support for Xie Xun.
As Jiang Shuyao gently rubbed the back of Xie Xun’s hand, he instinctively squinted, comforted, like a cat being stroked. After a moment, he finally registered her words. "What?" He explained in a haze, "We've been investigating this matter for over a month, and we have all the evidence. We just need to convict the corrupt officials, imprison them, and then supervise the reinforcement of the river embankment."
Jiang Shuyao blinked in surprise. "Then why have you been so worried these past few days?"
Xie Xun hesitated, worry flickering in his eyes. "I don’t know how long this trip will take. From the looks of it, I might not see you for half a month. It’s not appropriate to mix personal matters with official business, so... we’ll be separated for that time."
Jiang Shuyao was at a loss for words. "So this was what you've been worried about these past few days?"
Xie Xun nodded, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance. "Yes," he said, "I used to leave Chang'an to work with the prince, and it never bothered me much. But now that I have a wife, everything's different." He sighed, recalling the past. "These days, after enjoying such good food every day, if I don’t eat well or sleep properly while I'm away, it feels... uncomfortable."
Jiang Shuyao silently withdrew her hand, tucking it back into her blanket.
Xie Xun stared at the bedsheet, his voice soft as he added, "I leave the day after tomorrow."
Jiang Shuyao let out a soft sound of acknowledgment.
Xie Xun, never one for words of love, didn’t quite know how to express himself to Jiang Shuyao.
After a pause, when Jiang Shuyao’s breathing had grown steady, he murmured, "I will be back as soon as possible."
"Alright," she responded softly.
Some time passed, and Xie Xun, hearing the gentle rhythm of Jiang Shuyao’s breathing, felt a twinge of discouragement. It dawned on him that perhaps he was the only one reluctant to be separated. Maybe she didn’t feel the same weight of it.
But as he thought it over, Xie Xun couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence hardly made a difference to her. She and the second sister-in-law spent their days thinking about food, while she discussed business with her mother. With him around, all she had to do was prepare one extra meal—lunch and dinner.
The more he thought about it, the sadder he became.
He reached out to idly tap the pendant hanging from the bed curtain, the corners of his mouth dropping in melancholy. A heavy discomfort lingered within him.
The next day, Xie Xun carried his food box as usual, but when lunchtime came, he ate in a distracted, restless silence.
This appearance made the colleagues gloat for a while. In the past, Xie Xun had so much appetite, and they could only watch. But now, when they were leaving Chang’an for business, everyone had to eat steamed buns together.
Since they were leaving the next day, everyone was allowed to finish their work early.
Xie Xun hurried back to the house, eager to spend some time with Jiang Shuyao before his departure. But as soon as he stepped into the yard, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.
He assumed she was experimenting with something new for the Lin family's market.
Xie Xun quietly entered the small kitchen, standing by the door, his gaze fixed on her as she cooked.
When Jiang Shuyao heard the movement, she turned around, surprised to see Xie Xun standing there. "You're back so early today?" she asked, her voice tinged with mild astonishment.
"Yes, I had to come back early to pack and conserve my energy for tomorrow's departure."
Jiang Shuyao nodded thoughtfully. "I just realized I forgot to ask you yesterday—what do you usually eat when you're out there?"
Xie Xun paused, a faint frown crossing his face as he thought of the long, grueling days ahead. Inspecting the river embankment was no simple task, and the matter was of great importance. Food was the least of anyone's concerns. At most, it would be a ration. If things went poorly, they might even skip meals entirely. Usually, they’d carry some buns with them, or wait for the local officials to send a basket of hot steamed buns. In any case, proper meals were out of the question.
"Bread or steamed buns."
Jiang Shuyao nodded and smiled, "I knew it."
Xie Xun didn't understand why she was smiling, and he was puzzled.
Jiang Shuyao explained, "You can only afford to be casual with food over there. A few days might be manageable, but if it's ten days or a month, it’ll become quite difficult."
Hearing her concern for him, Xie Xun immediately felt a weight lift from his chest. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile. "It’s nothing serious. It’ll be a bit uncomfortable, but I’ve done it before—when I worked with the prince, I spent over a month eating nothing but dry bread."
Jiang Shuyao smiled and teasingly hooked her finger at him. Xie Xun was a bit confused but leaned in anyway.
She raised her hand and patted him gently on the shoulder. "You're my husband. How could I let you suffer when it comes to food?"
Her words made Xie Xun's ears flush with warmth and his heart swell, but he still tried to decline her kindness. "We need to pack light for the trip. We can't bring too many things, and I don’t need food containers. Besides, with the time we’ll be away, it’ll spoil before I get the chance to eat it."
"I understand," Jiang Shuyao said with a nod, then gestured toward the small tubes on the desk. "I’m not packing you a full food box. But these over-rice sauces might help. They're not as good as a full meal, but they’ll at least add some flavor to the steamed buns. You can take a few bamboo tubes of sauce. It’ll make the buns more bearable."
This was the first time Xie Xun had heard the term "over-rice."
"Over-rice?" he asked, puzzled.
Jiang Shuyao smiled and explained, "It’s a sauce meant for rice or noodles. This one is mayonnaise, this one’s crab roe sauce, and this one’s mushroom sauce. Now, I’m preparing minced meat sauce."
As she spoke, she opened the saucepan, revealing a thick, brown-red sauce inside. A rich, savory aroma wafted up. Jiang Shuyao added the freshly fried minced meat to the saucepan, stirring it constantly with a spatula.
The sauce was extremely thick and shiny, and it took a little effort to stir it evenly. In order to prevent the pot from sticking, she was constantly stirring. The sauce becomes thicker and thicker, making a sloppy thick sound.
The whole room was filled with a strong scent of sauce, fresh and salty. Since the spice powders such as grass fruit, angelica dahurica, ginger, cinnamon, etc. are added when the sauce was boiled, it also had a rich medicinal and herbal aroma.
Finally, she poured in the red oil. The bright and translucent red oil was mixed with the brown-red minced meat sauce to give it a bright color and a hint of redness in the sauce.
Jiang Shuyao took a spoon and gave Xie Xun a little to taste it, "Try it. Just a little bit, it's quite salty."
Xie Xun took the spoon and tasted a little minced meat sauce with the tip of his tongue.
It was not salty at all. The first taste on the tip of his tongue was delicious, and then a strong sauce scent spread in his mouth. Various spices made the sauce lingering and rich, with a hint of hot and spicy aroma. After that, only the sweetness that blended with the sauce was left.
He put all the sauce from the spoon into his mouth. The minced meat sauce was still hot, and its fragrant, spicy taste intensified. The minced meat, finely chopped with a perfect balance of fat and lean, had a tender, juicy texture. It was satisfyingly chewy, with every bite offering a burst of flavor. No wonder it was called over-rice sauce. If paired with a bowl of hot rice or noodles, one could easily eat an entire bowl without growing tired of it.
Xie Xun's gaze lingered on the tubes on the desk, and Jiang Shuyao noticed, asking, "Would you like to try some?"
Xie Xun quickly shook his head, "No, I’ll try again tomorrow." If he sampled everything at once, the sense of anticipation and surprise would be lost.
After Jiang Shuyao cleaned up, looking at her hourglass, the time was almost up. She went to the yard to take out the bread baked in the earthen kiln.
As soon as she uncovered the outer wooden board cover, a rich milky scent emerged. The bread was square, and a delicate brown skin was baked on the outside, which looked soft and sweet.
Jiang Shuyao said to Xie Xun, "I'll prepare some sandwiches for you. You can eat them on the road. They are not as dry as steamed buns. But they tend to dry out quickly, so you'd better finish them tomorrow."
Xie Xun didn't expect that she would prepare so much food for him. He was a little at a loss, so he felt even more reluctant to leave.
Before dawn the next day, Xie Xun got up early to set off.
He woke up lightly to change clothes. He didn't expect Jiang Shuyao to wake up as well. She looked at the darkness outside and sighed, "Are you leaving so early?"
Xie Xun saw her waking up and feeling a little guilty. He said, "Yes, go back to sleep. It's still early."
Jiang Shuyao looked at him like this and finally felt a little bit reluctant about him leaving. Her heart surged. She lifted the quilt and said, "I can't sleep anymore. I'll send you out of the house."
Xie Xun coaxed her to sleep, but Jiang Shuyao was uncomfortable and got up to freshen up and dress herself.
She meant to send him out of the mansion, but Jiang Shuyao still reluctantly sent him to the palace gate after leaving the mansion.
Xie Xun couldn't say anything and could only follow her wish. Fortunately, he got up early today, and there was some time to ride in a carriage.
But the carriage was still slower than a horse. After arriving at the gate of the palace, his colleagues were already at odds and ends.
Seeing Xie Xun leaning out of the carriage with only a small package, everyone was inexplicably relieved. They felt that Xie Xun's wife could take care of Xie Xun's food even in this situation. But fortunately, they are thinking too much.
After taking a nostalgic look into the carriage, Xie Xun ordered the coachman to drive the carriage back home and prepare to get off the carriage.
The coachman was waiting to swing the whip, but the curtain was lifted, and Jiang Shuyao leaned out half of her body and grabbed Xie Xun.
Everyone looked over curiously.
What is happening early in the morning? So sour.
She whispered, "Remember to take care of yourself and eat well. Don't get too busy and starve yourself."
"I know, don't worry." Xie Xun nodded, "I have the over-rice sauces and sandwiches you prepared for me."
Everyone: ...It seemed that the conclusion just now was too early, oooooo.
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