Chapter 422: Spicy on the Mouth, Not in the Heart

Chapter 422: Chapter 422: Spicy on the Mouth, Not in the Heart

Staying the night was out of the question. Even though Ji Huan was so exhausted she couldn’t be bothered with the distinctions between a real and a fake couple and just wanted to fall asleep, Dabao was still at home.

Ji Mingfang was there with him, but if she didn’t return for the whole night, who knew if he might have another episode.

’If Dabao really threw a tantrum, Ji Mingfang might not be able to handle him...’

The carriage left Yeyang just before the city gates closed.

Not long after they set out, the sky turned completely dark.

Ji Huan sat inside the carriage, wrapped in a quilt, drowsy and ready to fall asleep.

But listening to the wind howl outside, she couldn’t bring herself to fall into a peaceful sleep.

With some effort, she peeled the cotton quilt off herself and tried to pass it to Guan Shan, who was driving outside, only for him to push it back without room for argument.

After a bit of back-and-forth, Ji Huan no longer had the energy to argue with him. Clutching the quilt, her head bobbed as she finally drifted off to sleep.

The winds of the Northern Pass had always been fierce, especially the cold winter gales at night. They often blew with enough force to bore through mountains and shatter cliffs. The road home was mostly through open country, where the wind raged without restraint.

The carriage could block a fraction of the wind’s force but couldn’t stop the chill that seeped in from all sides. The quilt wrapped around her felt like it was made of iron, offering no warmth. Even in her dreams, there was only an endless cold.

Ji Huan couldn’t stop shivering, and if you got close, you could hear her teeth chattering.

Guan Shan lifted the carriage curtain and came inside. He stared at her face for a long time, waiting for the cold air clinging to him to dissipate before leaning over, half-embracing her, and pulling the quilt over them both.

This time, he didn’t ask for her opinion. He simply reached out and began to knead her shoulders with the lightest possible touch.

Ji Huan was truly exhausted and didn’t react at all, but the tight furrow between her brows slowly began to smooth out.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but she felt the cold clinging to her suddenly vanish. It was as if a warm wall had encircled her, holding her securely within.

Ji Huan groggily opened her eyes and met Guan Shan’s deep, dark gaze.

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or awake.

She turned her head to look at the swaying curtain. The wind lantern hanging outside cast a faint glow.

Ji Huan became a little more lucid.

She had indeed been worried about Guan Shan freezing, but she had only thought of giving him the quilt, not daring to call him inside.

After all, an unmanned carriage was no laughing matter.

"You came in, so... so..." Her tone was a little frantic.

"Jifeng knows the way," Guan Shan interrupted her. "Don’t worry."

Ji Huan: "...Oh."

’So Jifeng has an auto-navigation system installed... Ah, no, it must be that an old horse knows the way.’

’Although, Jifeng probably wouldn’t be happy to hear that.’

With the safety concern resolved, she realized her current situation was rather improper, but she was powerless to refuse.

’Who could refuse a fire on a winter’s night?’

Sleepiness washed over her again, and Ji Huan closed her eyes.

His embrace was so steady and reliable, like a mountain that would never fall. The hand on her shoulder was hard as a rock, yet it carried a clumsy gentleness.

Ji Huan suddenly thought of someone else at this inopportune moment.

’It wasn’t because of some unforgettable old flame. She just felt... how unpredictable life was. Even if two people had once traveled the same road in the same carriage, even if they had once been so close, didn’t they still end up with nothing to say to each other, drifting further and further apart until all contact was lost?’

’And the man beside her, would he be the same?’

The carriage rolled on smoothly. The sound of the wind rose and fell, like a restless heart.

"Guan Shan," Ji Huan said suddenly, her eyes still closed. "Have you... thought about when you’re going to leave?"

The movement on her shoulder paused for a moment, then resumed.

"...Go to sleep."

Ji Huan buried her face deeper into the quilt and said no more.

When they arrived home, Dabao was, as expected, waiting at the door of the main hall, his hands and face ice-cold.

Ji Mingfang hadn’t left. He told Ji Huan that Dabao had been on edge since nightfall and hadn’t eaten his dinner properly, but he hadn’t made a fuss about going out to find her.

There was still food left in the pot. Ji Huan had Guan Shan heat it up and eat with Dabao. She wasn’t hungry at all. After a hasty wash-up and a short talk with Dabao, she went into her room and fell straight to sleep.

The next day at the shop, she repeated the same routine as the day before, but at least things weren’t as hectic.

Just as the sun was rising, the shop’s first customer arrived.

It was the greedy old gourmand.

He had told Ji Huan that the duck necks would be better if they were spicier, and she had told him to come back and try them again today. He was so excited he hadn’t slept well all night and had come over bright and early.

He hadn’t been this excited even when he was a young man meeting a girl for a date.

Before he even got close, he smelled the same unique fragrance as yesterday, but this time, it was mingled with a hint of pungent spice.

When he got closer, he saw two stoves and two pots, both bubbling away.

The gourmand recognized the soy-sauce red one as yesterday’s braising pot. The other, with a bright red, glossy surface, was undoubtedly a new one.

Large quantities of dried red peppers tumbled inside it. The ingredients, like duck necks and duck feet, simmered in the braising liquid, revealing a dazzling color and releasing an appetizing aroma.

"Proprietress, is this..."

Ji Huan looked up and saw it was him. She invited him into the shop and picked out a spicy braised duck neck for him to try.

The gourmand took a deep sniff. The smell alone was enough to make him swoon.

He took a bite and chewed.

"The color is vibrant, the flavor is savory and fresh, it’s marinated through and through, spicy on the tongue but not in your gut, and incredibly satisfying to gnaw on!"

Just as he finished saying "spicy on the tongue but not in your gut," sweat began to bead on his forehead. The chewing motion in his mouth seemed to want to slow down, but as if he couldn’t bear to, he started chewing even faster.

By the time he had meticulously chewed his way through the entire duck neck, his face was beet red and beads of sweat were rolling down.

He then tried the duck feet and gizzards, and in the end, he was hissing through his teeth, exclaiming how satisfying it was.

"This is good, this is good too... Give me four or five of the duck necks, and weigh me some of the other things too. I’ll take it to go! And that platter—I bought one yesterday, and my granddaughter loved it. She can’t eat spicy food."

"Right away!" Xu Laifu came over enthusiastically to pack his order.

The gourmand thought of another question and asked Ji Huan, "Proprietress, is it unhealthy to eat too many of these spicy duck necks?"

Ji Huan smiled. "As you said, our duck necks are spicy to the taste, but not in your gut. Eating them won’t upset your system."

Duck meat is ’cooling’ in nature, and eating it often can soothe the liver and reduce ’internal heat.’ The duck necks themselves are high in protein and low in fat, and they also help lower blood lipids. When paired with the spices and over ten different medicinal herbs, it even has a warming, qi-replenishing effect.

The spiciness helps detoxify the body, and the numbing sensation stimulates the appetite. Plus, this is an authentic numbing spiciness, with no artificial or unhealthy additives.

"But even the best things should be eaten in moderation. Even if there’s nothing wrong with my duck necks, you can’t be gnawing on eight or ten of them a day, right? So I suggest you buy some of both the spicy and non-spicy kinds. You can alternate between them and switch up the flavor."

The gourmand stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "Makes sense, makes sense! I’ll take your advice then. Give me two more platters!"

Anyone who knew the old gourmand knew how picky he was. Just then, a few acquaintances happened to be passing by and were drawn over by his laughter.

Xu Laifu and Ji Huan didn’t even need to greet them. The old gourmand automatically took on the role of commentator, giving them an incredibly detailed explanation.

It was the first time these people had come. Although they were skeptical about the ingredients, seeing that even the old gourmand had been won over, they all happily paid up.

The old gourmand felt a great sense of accomplishment and decided not to leave. As subsequent waves of customers arrived, he was at the forefront, enthusiastically recommending the items from the spicy braising pot.

Most of them were customers from yesterday. They had bought the braised platter to take home, only to have it devoured in the blink of an eye.

Everyone, young and old, had praised how delicious it was! So, they had rushed over as soon as they were out and about today.

They had originally come for the braised platters, but they couldn’t resist the old gourmand’s spiel, especially when Xu Laifu brought out a tray of samples at the perfect moment.

After one taste, those who liked spicy food wanted to buy it immediately. Even those who didn’t eat spicy food themselves but had family members who did refused to be left behind.

The entrance to Ji’s Flavor Industry quickly became as bustling as it had been the day before.

Meanwhile, in the back kitchen of Quanju Xuan, Manager Quan was in a thundering rage.