Chapter Fifty-One: A Delicious Accompaniment

Regarding the column, the editor said she would go to the magazine office to ask about it, and if possible, she would do her best to help Chen Xin secure the opportunity.

Food safety may not be a pressing concern for those outside the industry, but since her husband worked in this field—and their magazine covered gourmet topics too—there was a high likelihood of collaborating with brands. Ensuring the quality of partners was therefore essential.

The day after the family dinner, Liu Chunyan’s sister-in-law arrived with her brothers from her hometown. Chen Xin did not meet with them; instead, she bought a train ticket for the same day and quietly took her leave.

She didn’t return to C University but detoured to wander around the county where the Zhang family’s ancestral home was located.

People there had a penchant for spicy food—every household grew chilies, and their chili sauce-making skills were exceptional. As Chen Xin explored the area, she sampled several homemade chili sauces. Most were similar in spiciness and simplicity, consisting mainly of chopped chilies. Only one family’s sauce stood out, as it included additional ingredients in the chopped chilies, offering four or five varieties for sale.

Coincidentally, this family’s village was in the same township as the Zhang family’s, with one in the mountains and one below.

Besides chili sauce, the owner’s family sold rice noodles—a craft passed down for a century. Their chili sauce was designed to accompany the noodles. Chen Xin stayed at a small inn in town, and each morning she’d go downstairs for a steaming bowl of rice noodles, sometimes topped with lamb offal or slices of mutton.

Next to the town was a local geological survey unit. Though the unit had its own canteen, many employees preferred to spend their own money to eat out, drawn by the shop’s noodles, flavorful broth, and the irresistible chili sauce.

After chatting with the proprietress for three or four days, Chen Xin finally revealed her intention: she wanted to buy the recipe for the chili sauce.

“There’s no secret recipe,” the proprietress replied with a hearty laugh, a trace of shyness coloring her sun-darkened face. “If you like it, I’ll teach you how to make it. I can tell you’re not from around here, so you won’t compete with our business.”

Their main product was rice noodles; the chili sauce was merely a condiment, sold cheaply. Anyone eating noodles at their shop could help themselves to the sauce, just not take it away. So when Chen Xin asked to buy the recipe, the proprietress found her request a bit naïve. Every housewife in these parts could make chili sauce, though some did it better than others. Plus, the taste depended largely on the quality of the chilies; without excellent chilies, the sauce would never be outstanding. Without much ado, the proprietress led Chen Xin to the backyard.

“As it happens, I’m making chili sauce today. Just follow along, and you’ll see. It’s simple—the fermentation time and degree, you’ll need to master yourself. As for the other ingredients, you can adjust them to your taste.”

The proprietress was straightforward and didn’t hold back in her teaching. After only two days of work, Chen Xin had learned the craft. Just as the proprietress had said, the methods for making chili sauce were more or less the same; it was the choice and combination of ingredients that depended on talent.

Chen Xin believed she had a flair for it. She bought some ingredients from the proprietress and made a jar herself. It would need to ferment for seven to ten days before stirring, after which it could be eaten.

This type of chili sauce, not preserved in oil, wouldn’t keep long. For longer storage, vegetable oil would need to be added.

Chen Xin left her jar with the proprietress, agreeing to return in seven days to open it. If it turned out well, she’d take it with her; if not, she’d discard it.

“If you really want to make delicious chili sauce, you should visit Linshan Village. Their chilies are the best. When my father-in-law was still around, it was a must to use chilies from Linshan Village. But after my in-laws passed, my husband got busy, and I had to take care of the children and help with work, so I haven’t had time to go up the mountain to buy them.”

The proprietress sighed with some regret. Linshan Village was a bit far, and rarely did anyone bring chilies down especially for them. Their demand wasn’t large, and hiring someone for a special trip cost more than buying treats for the children. In recent years, fewer people ate chili sauce, so it was even less likely they’d make a special trip to the mountains.

Chen Xin’s eyebrows rose—Linshan Village sounded familiar, as if she’d heard of it before.

She checked the map and found it was separated from the Zhang family’s village by just one mountain valley.

In truth, “close” was still a relative term—these mountains were massive. Crossing the valley meant climbing two mountains, a round trip that would take an adult most of the day. If Chen Xin were to go, she’d have to set out at dawn and would be lucky to reach the other village by nightfall.

Now that she had this information, Chen Xin jotted it down in her notebook, planning to discuss it with Big Brother Zhang and Second Sister Zhang once she reached their home. Besides, she reckoned that if the chilies from Linshan Village were so good, the Zhang family’s village—at a similar latitude and elevation—couldn’t be much worse. She’d have to make a comparison when she had the chance.

On the afternoon she finished making chili sauce, Chen Xin caught a ride to the Zhang family’s village. By the time she arrived, it was dinner time. Her sudden appearance startled the family.

“Xin, you should’ve let us know you were coming back. Big Brother could have picked you up,” someone said.

“There’s no need for that. It’s not like I can’t find my way. Actually, I’ve been back for a few days, wandering around the county and staying in town for a bit. Now the holiday is nearly over, so I hurried up the mountain.”

Hearing this, Second Sister casually asked what she’d been doing in town.

“Learning how to make chili sauce,” Chen Xin replied, shoveling noodles into her mouth—she was genuinely hungry. She’d hardly eaten at midday, and after climbing the mountain, she could devour a whole bowl.

Yan Chunhua, who was meeting Chen Xin for the first time, watched with curiosity and a hint of reserve. This was the “Aunt Xin” to whom everyone referred, the university student from the big city.

“You must be Teacher Yan, here to teach Big Brother some technical skills? Hello, I’m Chen Xin, Zhang Zhang’s aunt. Please just call me by my name.”

After introducing herself to Yan Chunhua, Chen Xin didn’t stand on ceremony.

Once she finished eating, Zhang Zhang sidled up, hugging her neck, little face full of mild grievance.

“My, you’ve gotten heavier, little fatty. What delicious things has Grandma been feeding you? Did you save any for your aunt?” Chen Xin teased him, then soothed him with toys she’d brought from the south.

“This time, I didn’t have much chance to shop. I brought a watch for Big Brother, a jacket for Second Sister, and clothes for Grandpa and Grandma Zhang. But it wasn’t convenient to carry everything by myself, so I mailed a parcel home. It should arrive in the next couple of days.”

Only the watch for Big Brother and a few small toys for Zhang Zhang had been brought along. She hadn’t expected the technical instructor to be a young woman, so she hadn’t prepared a gift. Fortunately, on her way back from the south, she’d come across a sale at a silk shop. The scarves were lovely and inexpensive, so she’d bought ten as gifts—now they’d come in handy.