On the day of the Beginning of Spring, Zhenzhen prepared the spring platter early and invited Xin Sanniang, A Che, the gardener, and others to share it. When Lin Hong returned from playing the qin, he still went alone to the study to dine by himself.
Zhenzhen presented the spring platter with crispy mountain she had prepared that morning, yet she still held a sliver of hope as she urged him, "Sanniang, A Che, and the others are all dining together in the hall, chatting and laughing, enjoying themselves greatly. Why not join them, Teacher?"
Lin Hong shook his head, unmoved.
"Teacher..." Zhenzhen glanced at the solitary set of utensils before him and voiced the speculation she had pondered for a long time, "You dine alone because there is no one you like to accompany you, isn't that so?"
Lin Hong frowned and glanced at her, a glint like a cold star flashing in his eyes.
Zhenzhen seemed unaware. She looked at the painting of Luo Shen, then went to the kitchen to bring another lacquered box to the study. Smiling at Lin Hong, she said, "This box contains the spring platter I prepared for Sister Luo Shen, to thank her for always being here to accompany you, Teacher, and to bless us."
Lin Hong did not respond, but he silently allowed Zhenzhen to take the spring platter from the lacquered box and place it before the statue of Luo Shen.
The spring platter still contained five-colored vegetables and thin dough wrappers, accompanied by a paste Zhenzhen had made by fermenting fish and meat with salt, wine, spices, soybean paste, and wine starter. It was savory and fragrant, perfectly suited to accompany the spring rolls. In the center of the spring platter was a small animal Zhenzhen had shaped with fine pastry cream. Its body was conical like a snowman, its head round like a ball, and its ears like two smaller balls. It had round eyes, a pointed nose, and a curved mouth made from embedded dried nuts.
Seeing Lin Hong staring at the spring platter with an unusual expression, Zhenzhen said sheepishly, "This is my first time shaping with pastry cream, and my skill is poor... I originally wanted to shape a crane, but when the cream dripped, I saw it had no legs, so I thought of shaping a swan instead. But I accidentally made the body too round, and I didn't know how to shape the swan's long neck... Then I tried to change it into an owl, but that didn't look right either... Or perhaps Sister Luo Shen could see it as a little bear..."
"Get out," Lin Hong interrupted her, his tone icy, his gaze as gloomy as dark clouds passing by.
"Did I do too poorly?" Zhenzhen asked anxiously. She had made many failed dishes in front of Lin Hong, some worse than this little animal, but she had never seen Lin Hong wear such a severe expression.
"Get out!" Lin Hong pointed at the layers of meat slices beneath the "little bear" and shouted, "Immediately, take your pork and spring platter and leave!"
Beneath the little bear, among the vegetables, were several extra layers of thinly sliced pork, what Lin Hong referred to as pork, precisely the streaky pork sent by Uncle Gu Qi, steamed and sliced. Zhenzhen had practiced her knife skills for a long time, and these meat slices were evenly and neatly cut, with beautiful marbling of meat and fat. Zhenzhen had also taken great pains with the presentation, layering them like clustered petals. She had thought Lin Hong might be dissatisfied with the pastry cream shaping, but she never expected that these fresh, finely sliced, and artfully arranged meat slices would anger him. Originally, this was the surprise she had prepared for him. In Pujiang, every year, Qiu Niang and her female disciples would arrange pork flowers on the spring platter, combining meat and vegetables to make the seasonal delicacies even more abundant and beautiful.
Under Lin Hong's furious gaze, Zhenzhen hurriedly placed the spring platter back into the food box and rushed it back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Lin Hong's voice calling for A Che clearly reached her ears. He was ordering A Che to quickly fetch water to clean the study and burn incense to dispel the impurity.
The delicacy she had so carefully prepared was, in his eyes, nothing but impurity.Zhenzhen set down the spring platter and stumbled out of the kitchen in a daze. The scene before her eyes began to ripple like a reflection in water. Feeling tears about to fall, she ignored Xin Sanniang’s calls and swiftly ran away from the place.
After running aimlessly until her tears had dried, Zhenzhen realized she had unconsciously arrived at the cliffside where Lin Hong played the qin. Exhausted, she sat down in the pavilion, facing the endless mountains and valleys, the flowing water and drifting clouds. Her heart felt desolate, thinking that her family was broken and scattered, and now even her teacher despised her. In this vast world, there truly seemed no place left for her.
In the distance, the peaks were tinged with deep blue, while mist rose like smoke from the mountain slopes at her feet. Having rushed out from a warm room, Zhenzhen was thinly dressed. After sitting still for a long time, she gradually felt a bone-chilling cold. Hugging her knees, she was shivering when suddenly a cloak descended from above, still carrying the warm fragrance of an orchid-filled room, enveloping her in spring.
She turned her head to look and saw A Che, under her astonished gaze, leisurely taking a seat beside her.
This handsome youth, two years younger than her, now looked at her with a brotherly kindness. “Hurry back. It’s cold in the mountains, and there might even be wild beasts. Don’t end up as a spring platter for them.”
Zhenzhen glared at him. “You and San Niang both deceive people like this. If there were wild beasts, would you and the teacher come here every day?”
A Che laughed. “Even without wild beasts, encountering bad people would be terrible. Do you think everyone is as kind as the master?”
“Ah,” Zhenzhen sighed deeply. “The way the teacher looked at me today, it seemed he wanted to tear me to pieces.”
“Everyone has certain taboos that must not be touched. For the master, pork is one, Luo Shen is another. You offering pork to Luo Shen happened to violate both,” A Che said. “The master believes pork can cause sudden weight gain, attract wind ailments, and deplete heart energy, so he never eats it. Although he never explicitly told you before, didn’t you notice he never touched this meat?”
Recalling Lin Hong’s diet, Zhenzhen realized he did prefer vegetarian food, but she hadn’t paid attention to his avoidance of pork. Then she remembered what Fengxian once said: “What you see as honey, he might see as poison. What we think is good isn’t necessarily liked by others.” Deeply aware of her own recklessness, she sighed to A Che, “This time, it really was my mistake.”
“Then I might as well say it—this isn’t the first time you’ve made a mistake,” A Che said with a smile. “Last time, when you scrubbed the green patina off the master’s bronze vase, he silently felt like vomiting blood inside.”
Seeing Zhenzhen’s surprise and complete lack of awareness about the issue, he patiently explained, “That square vase the master uses is an ancient bronze artifact excavated from the ground. Having been buried for years, it absorbed deep earth energy, which caused it to develop a thick patina. However, that patina can kill insects and prevent decay. Using it to hold water and arrange flowers keeps the water from spoiling easily, and the flowers stay fresh for many days, as if still on the branch—buds bloom quickly but wither slowly. By scrubbing off the patina, you greatly diminished this effect.”
Only then did Zhenzhen understand why Lin Hong showed no joy upon seeing the cleaned bronze vase that day. She sighed again in remorse and asked A Che, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“The master told me not to mention it,” A Che replied. “He said you cleaned the vase with good intentions. Even though you made a mistake, it was an unintentional one. If you were scolded for it, you’d surely be very upset, so he let it go and told me to act as if it never happened.”Seeing Zhenzhen bow her head in silence, A Che continued, "The young master doesn't like to talk much, nor does he often ask about others' feelings. But though he doesn't ask, he puts himself in others' shoes, seeing things from their perspective. So he endures what he can, and when he can't endure anymore, he vents his anger. Once he remembers your good points, he'll probably sigh, roll up his sleeves, and go cook for you again."
Zhenzhen wanted to laugh but felt rather guilty. She asked softly, "Will Teacher forgive me so quickly?"
A Che replied, "I'll bet you five coins that he's cooking for you right now. He doesn't care about fame or fortune, so why would he hold a grudge over such a small matter?"
The corners of Zhenzhen's lips lifted, finally revealing a bright smile. A Che smiled back at her, then turned to gaze at the sea of clouds and distant mountains before them, singing clearly: "Green mountains await, white clouds love, never dreaming of purple robes and golden belts. A thatched cottage, wildflowers bloom. Who cares whose house rises or falls, whose success or failure? Even in humble lanes with simple fare, there is joy. Poor, spirit unchanged; prosperous, ambition unchanged."
Returning to Woodcutter Inquiry Post, Zhenzhen first went to the study. Sheepishly, she apologized to Lin Hong, recounting both mistakes she had made and begging for his forgiveness. Lin Hong neither accepted nor rejected her apology, merely gesturing for her to leave. As it was already late and there was no sign of him inviting her to dine, Zhenzhen felt somewhat disappointed, thinking she might have to accept A Che's five coins after all. Stepping outside, she encountered Xin Sanniang, who was bringing clean tea utensils to Lin Hong. Sanniang immediately exclaimed loudly, "Zhenzhen is back! You haven't had dinner yet, have you? I still have some steamed buns and side dishes in my kitchen. Go get them to eat."
Xin Sanniang knew Lin Hong valued cleanliness, so she had set up a separate kitchen. She, A Che, and the gardener all prepared their meals in her small kitchen, not sharing with Lin Hong.
Before Zhenzhen could respond, she heard Lin Hong speak calmly from inside the room, clearly addressing her: "There are three leftover Mountain and Sea Pouches in my kitchen steamer. They won't keep until tomorrow. If you don't mind, you can have them."
Mountain and Sea Pouch was a food made by wrapping mung bean starch sheets into pouch shapes, filled with diced spring bamboo shoots, fish, and shrimp. After steaming, it was seasoned with sauce, oil, salt, and pepper, wrapped in the mung bean sheets, and served with a drizzle of vinegar. The bamboo shoots came from the mountains, and the fish and shrimp from the sea, hence the name "Mountain and Sea."
Zhenzhen suddenly remembered that Lin Hong had been vegetarian for many days. Moreover, he usually controlled his meal portions with extreme precision, cooking exactly how much he would eat. Unless intentional, there would never be leftovers for the next day. So these Mountain and Sea Pouches might indeed, as A Che had said, have been specially made for her.
Zhenzhen looked uncertainly at A Che behind Lin Hong. A Che faintly smiled and winked at her.
Zhenzhen felt joy in her heart, but faced with her teacher's kindness, she found herself tongue-tied, unable to find the right words to express her gratitude. In the end, she awkwardly uttered something contrary to her true feelings: "It's so late... I shouldn't eat... I'll gain weight."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it so much she wanted to slap herself: Why refuse? I'm obviously hungry, I need the Mountain and Sea Pouches, especially since Teacher Lin made them...
Fortunately, Lin Hong didn't accept her refusal. He said, "Eating when hungry won't make you gain weight. Weight gain comes from eating too much when the stomach and spleen don't need it—like eating for social obligations, to vent emotions, to avoid waste, or to pass time. That's not your case, so there's no need to worry."Zhenzhen happily agreed and was about to rush to Lin Hong's kitchen when he added, "There's also some Emerald Stream Broth—I made too much. You should drink it as well."
(To be continued)
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