Chapter 5: All-Natural Flavor Enhancer

“What do you need help with?”

Chen Miaoyi looked at Xu Mo in confusion, not understanding what he wanted her to do.

Xu Mo took out a small string of coins from his person. “I still have twenty copper coins left. Could you help me buy a few things?”

“What things?” Chen Miaoyi asked, her expression puzzled.

“Winter mushrooms, little river shrimp… Oh, and it’d be best if you could get some dried scallops,” Xu Mo replied.

Chen Miaoyi hesitated. “Husband, dried scallops are expensive. With this little money, I’m afraid…”

Xu Mo had forgotten that Xinzou was far from the sea, and dried scallops were costly here—ordinary families could scarcely afford them.

“Then forget the scallops. Just get winter mushrooms and river shrimp. These two will be enough for what I need to make,” Xu Mo said.

“Husband, what exactly is this ‘essence of taste’ you keep mentioning?” Chen Miaoyi asked.

Xu Mo explained, “It’s a seasoning—just a pinch added to a dish will make it extraordinarily delicious!”

Chen Miaoyi frowned. “Husband, we still owe so much money, and you’re concerned about the flavor of our food?”

Xu Mo replied earnestly, “Miaoyi, it’s not what you think. Just help me buy the ingredients, that’s all…”

“But remember, you must not mention this matter of ‘essence of taste’ to anyone else, understand?” Xu Mo warned her.

In Chen Miaoyi’s heart, she felt her husband was fussing over something pointless and wasteful.

Still, she didn’t voice any objection, only nodded gently, took the money, and prepared to leave.

Xu Mo quickly pulled her back. “No hurry—let’s finish the fish first.”

Soon, the fish in the pot were gone, leaving only some broth.

Both of them were fully satisfied.

Chen Miaoyi glanced at the sky and said, “Husband, it’s not dark yet. I’ll go buy what you need.”

With that, she took her basket and left.

......

As dusk settled, Chen Miaoyi returned.

“Husband, I’ve bought everything. See if it’s all right?” She set the basket on the table in the main room.

Xu Mo came over at once to check. Inside were some half-dried winter mushrooms and a large bundle of little river shrimp wrapped in oil paper.

“Not bad,” Xu Mo said with a smile.

Chen Miaoyi reached out her hand. “Husband, there’s five coins left…”

Xu Mo looked at the copper coins she handed him and shook his head. “I don’t need them, you keep them.”

“Husband, you’ll be going to the Zhenxiu House again tomorrow. You’ll find it inconvenient if you’re not carrying any money.”

With that, she tucked the five coins into his hand.

Xu Mo refused, and the two began to push the coins back and forth.

After a few exchanges, Xu Mo suddenly put on a stern face and pretended to be displeased, “If you don’t keep them, I’ll get upset!”

At that, Chen Miaoyi said no more and put the money away.

Xu Mo then took the basket into the kitchen and began preparing to make the seasoning.

What Xu Mo intended to make was not the packaged seasoning sold in markets, but a purely natural flavor enhancer.

The method was simple: winter mushrooms and little river shrimp were to be stir-fried over a low flame until dry, then ground together into powder.

Though Xu Mo was a science student, he loved reading widely, and it was from a book that he had learned this method.

Simple as it sounded, Xu Mo ran into trouble during the process.

Several times he burned the shrimp because the flame was too high, making Chen Miaoyi, who watched from the kitchen doorway, anxious for the wasted ingredients.

“Husband, let me do it instead,” she offered—not out of a desire to help, but because she hated to see the ingredients spoiled.

Xu Mo, a little embarrassed, yielded the task to her.

After about an hour, Chen Miaoyi had dried all the mushrooms and shrimp perfectly.

Xu Mo picked up a tiny shrimp, crushed it between his fingers, and praised her, “Miaoyi, you’re amazing! They’re dried just right.”

Unused to his compliments, Chen Miaoyi lowered her head shyly. “Now we just grind them together?”

Xu Mo nodded, “Yes! But we must wait for them to cool completely, otherwise the moisture will make the powder spoil quickly.”

He then spread out the dried mushrooms and shrimp on the table, to be ground the next morning.

Afterwards, Xu Mo felt a wave of fatigue and said, “Miaoyi, it’s getting late. Let’s wash up and get some sleep.”

Oil for lamps was costly, so most common folk went to bed early—there was little to do after dark except, on occasion, for marital duties.

Chen Miaoyi was surprised and thought to herself, What’s with him tonight? Usually, he just goes to bed on his own without a word.

After washing up, Xu Mo went to the bedroom and lay down.

But after waiting a long time, he didn’t see Chen Miaoyi come in.

Curious, he got up and went out to the main room. “Miaoyi, what are you doing? Why aren’t you coming to bed?”

Before he finished speaking, he caught sight of a fair, slender figure undressing at the corner of the main room where a pallet was laid on the floor.

He was stunned by the sight—his eyes fixed, and he swallowed hard.

Hearing him, Chen Miaoyi turned quickly, saw Xu Mo staring, and blushed scarlet. She turned away, arms crossed over her chest.

“Why—why aren’t you asleep?” she stammered.

Xu Mo, startled, turned his back to her at once. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were…”

But halfway around, he stopped, thinking: Wait, she’s my wife. Why isn’t she sleeping in the bedroom, but making a bed out here?

He asked, puzzled, “Miaoyi, why are you sleeping out here?”

She replied in a low voice, tinged with grievance, “If not here, then where?”

Xu Mo was taken aback, and then the memories returned to him.

On their wedding day, an unfamiliar man had come to his predecessor in secret, asking him to give up marrying Chen Miaoyi, claiming the two of them loved each other deeply. The predecessor flew into a rage, drove the man away with curses, and then ignored Chen Miaoyi on their wedding night.

From the next day on, he no longer allowed Chen Miaoyi to sleep in the bedroom.

Of all this, Chen Miaoyi herself knew nothing.

After a pause, Xu Mo said, “Miaoyi, the floor is cold. Come back to the room to sleep.”

But Chen Miaoyi shook her head. “No, I’m used to it here. I can’t sleep elsewhere.”

She blew out the oil lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

As Xu Mo was about to urge her again, she had already slipped quickly under her quilt.

Her voice came through the darkness, “Husband, you should sleep too. Don’t let it affect tomorrow’s work.”

Xu Mo felt a pang of sorrow. “Miaoyi, why don’t we switch? You take the bedroom, and I’ll sleep here, all right?”

The main room was silent.

Xu Mo could only shake his head helplessly and return to the bedroom.