Yang Shenglin fell into the water and caught a chill, soon developing a fever all over his body. Even after returning to Pujiang, he showed no signs of improvement. Yang Yu and his wife were both anxious and furious. Yang Yu pointed at Zheng Shi and scolded, "Look at the fine marriage you arranged! For the sake of a trifling profit, you nearly cost our son his life!"
Zheng Shi wiped her tears and said, "How was I to know that Wu Zhenzhen would turn out to be such a shrew? What’s wrong with a man having three wives and four concubines, or occasionally visiting pleasure quarters? At first, I saw that Shenglin liked her, and in a moment of weakness, I thought to fulfill their wishes. Who could have imagined she would be so ungrateful and cruel-hearted? Truly, she is the lowborn spawn of a pickled vegetable peddler!"
Wu Qiuniang had initially opened her shop specializing in pickled vegetables, preserved melons, salted fish, and shrimp. To this day, the side dishes at Suitable Treasure Tower remain renowned far and wide, which is why Zheng Shi contemptuously referred to her as "the pickled vegetable peddler."
Yang Yu slammed the table and declared, "This marriage cannot go on. If she is this domineering before even entering our household, should she truly become our daughter-in-law, at best, the whole family would be thrown into chaos, and at worst, Shenglin’s life would be in danger. Go to the Wu family at once and inform them of the annulment."
That day, Zhenzhen was chatting idly with her mother’s eldest disciple, Fengxian. Besides excelling in culinary arts, Fengxian also loved needlework and reading. Though she had never formally attended school, she diligently studied writing, calligraphy, and arithmetic under Pu Bo’s guidance and often borrowed Zhenzhen’s poetry and books to read. Zhenzhen teased, "Sister, you are so eager to learn. Could it be that you wish to marry a presented scholar in the future and become a titled lady?"
Fengxian’s cheeks flushed crimson as she softly denied, "Don’t talk nonsense. I simply don’t want to be an illiterate fool. How could I entertain such fanciful thoughts?"
While the two were still laughing and chatting, they heard that Zheng Shi had come to visit. Sensing her ill intentions, Fengxian stopped Zhenzhen and went out to receive her herself.
Zheng Shi directly stated her intention to annul the marriage. Fengxian politely explained that the mistress had gone to Mingzhou to purchase ingredients. Due to recent rough seas, foreign merchant ships had been delayed and had not yet arrived in Mingzhou, so the mistress had not yet returned. As the annulment was a matter of great importance, no one in the household dared to make a decision at present. She hoped they could wait a little longer and discuss the matter once the mistress returned home.
Zheng Shi sneered, "I did not come here to negotiate with you. My son has been humiliated by Wu Zhenzhen to such an extent that we will absolutely not allow her to enter our Yang family. This marriage must be annulled now. Are you making excuses because you still hope to force Wu Zhenzhen upon our family, so you can bask in our glory and sell a few more pounds of pickled vegetables?"
Though displeased, Fengxian continued to reason gently, explaining that with no one in charge at home, they must wait for the mistress to return. Zheng Shi pressed further, demanding that Zhenzhen agree to the annulment. In her words, she repeatedly mocked the Wu family’s obscure origins, claiming they had risen from selling cheap pickled vegetables to the poor. In contrast, she boasted that the Yang family had been wealthy for three generations, were prominent figures in Pujiang, and had a maternal uncle in Lin’an who ran a grand, reputable restaurant where many officials and wealthy families took pride in savoring its delicacies... Finally, she made it clear that Yang Shenglin would eventually go to the capital to take the imperial examinations and become a presented scholar, and he would never marry the daughter of a shrewish pickled vegetable peddler.
At that moment, the curtain behind Fengxian was abruptly drawn aside, and Zhenzhen appeared in their sight. She looked directly at Zheng Shi and declared resolutely, "The marriage can be annulled. There’s no need to wait for my mother to return. We can settle this matter with a written agreement right now."
Zheng Shi said, "Then the betrothal gifts..."
"Will all be returned to your family."
Zheng Shi chuckled, "In that case, please sort them out quickly, miss. I will bring people to collect them in two days. Since you are so straightforward, I won’t haggle over details. You only need to return the betrothal gifts you received. I won’t ask you to reimburse the money we spent on the grand banquet when the engagement was made."Zhenzhen curved the corner of her lips upon hearing this: "Since we are breaking off the engagement, it would be best to settle all financial matters clearly. The betrothal banquet was hosted by your family, so two days from now, I will also host a disengagement banquet, inviting the same relatives, friends, and local gentry who witnessed the betrothal. This will let everyone know that Shenglin and I are parting on good terms, each going our separate ways."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Mrs. Zheng readily agreed and arranged the time for the banquet and the retrieval of the betrothal gifts before returning home to inform Yang Yu and his son of the proceedings.
Yang Yu had no intention of attending any disengagement banquet, but to his surprise, Yang Shenglin threw a tantrum upon hearing that Zhenzhen had agreed to break off the engagement, insisting that he was fond of Zhenzhen and would never cancel the marriage. Yang Yu grew even angrier and declared, "In that case, I must attend this disengagement banquet and take the opportunity to tell everyone that I absolutely refuse to accept this daughter-in-law!"
After Mrs. Zheng left, Zhenzhen gathered all the female disciples, maids, servants, and attendants of Suitable Treasure Tower, assigning tasks to each and meticulously preparing for the next day's banquet. Privately, she said to the six female disciples, "I have some recipes that are not particularly difficult to prepare, but the ingredients may be troublesome to source. I hope you, my sisters, will take extra care to help me prepare them. The day after tomorrow is no ordinary occasion—we must do it well and not let Suitable Treasure Tower or Mother's reputation suffer."
All the female disciples agreed, but Fengxian appeared somewhat worried and asked Zhenzhen if they should wait for Qiu Niang to return before making any decisions.
"The words have already been spoken; how can they be taken back?" Zhenzhen replied. She then pulled Fengxian aside to a secluded spot and privately instructed her, "There is one dish that only someone as skilled in both cooking and needlework as you, sister, can prepare. Please find some helpers who are good at needlework and put in extra effort to complete it overnight. Once this is done, I will surely reward you handsomely."
Fengxian was also curious and asked what dish it was. Zhenzhen whispered into her ear, and Fengxian, finding it utterly unheard of, widened her eyes in astonishment.
Two days later, the invited relatives, friends, and local gentry from both families arrived one after another at Suitable Treasure Tower, and the Yang couple also made a cold-faced appearance. Both sides drafted the disengagement document and confirmed their signatures. Zhenzhen ordered the neatly arranged betrothal gifts to be brought out, and after the Yang family had them checked and retrieved, everything was settled one by one. Zhenzhen then invited everyone to take their seats, and the banquet commenced immediately.
On the guests' tables, there was already a row of dried fruits: lotus seeds, hazelnuts, torreya nuts, ginkgo nuts, longans, and large steamed dates; a row of carved candied fruits: carved plum balls, carved bamboo shoots, candied winter melon fish, carved oranges, carved kumquats, green plums, and lotus leaves. Maids continuously served a row of fragrant salted and sour delicacies: fragrant medicinal papaya, pepper-plums, carved cherries, carved daylily fronds, shredded ginger plums, licorice flowers, and assorted plum cakes; a row of cured meats: shredded meat strips, dried shrimp, wine-vinegar meat, minced salted fish, milk curd, and Yunmeng twists; a row of sliced fruits: spring lotus root, goose pear cakes, sugarcane, green tangerines, and milk pear crescents. There was also a row of exquisite wrapped fruits: lychee nectar cakes, lychee polygonum flowers, lychee fine gentlemen, wrapped peach strips, crispy walnuts, wrapped date rings, wrapped pear meat, and sugar-frosted jade bees.
The guests were dazzled by the array and were just beginning to taste the delicacies when a servant suddenly announced: Magistrate Cui Yanzhi and a friend were passing by and, seeing the grand spectacle of Suitable Treasure Tower's disengagement banquet, wished to come inside for a look. Zhenzhen personally went out to welcome them and escorted Magistrate Cui and a friend who introduced himself as surnamed Ji to the best seats in the tower.After the county magistrate and Mr. Ji were seated, Zhenzhen raised her hand, and music began to play in the tower. Maidservants presented fine wine, and the banquet officially commenced. The main courses were served alongside each round of wine. The first round featured steamed quail with flowers and mandarin fish disguised as clams; the second round consisted of three-crisp soup and tender tripe. Mrs. Zheng and Yang Yu exchanged glances, silently criticizing: This looks like Hangzhou cuisine... This girl must have visited Hangzhou for a few days, eaten at some grand restaurants, and brought back only superficial knowledge. She surely lacks the skill of my aunt’s uncle’s family chef. In the end, it’s nothing more than a clumsy imitation.
When the wine reached the third round, the dishes served were lamb head rolls and a plate of scallion relish. The lamb head rolls were made by wrapping thinly sliced lamb head meat in a delicate layer of lamb caul fat, then frying them into crispy rolls. The meat strips were first marinated with scallion shreds, ginger shreds, soy sauce, wine, spiced salt, egg white, and broth. Upon tasting, the guests found the outer shell delightfully crispy, the lamb fat fragrant and rich, while the lamb inside remained tender and flavorful, with no hint of gaminess. They couldn’t help but praise it.
Mr. Ji smiled at Zhenzhen and said, “I often eat lamb head rolls in Hangzhou, but none of the meat used there is as exquisite as this. The texture of this lamb head meat is fine and smooth, yet I wonder how it was prepared?”
Zhenzhen replied, “The key to this dish lies in the selection of ingredients. Each lamb cheek has a piece of the most tender meat. My lamb head rolls use only that tender part, hence the texture.”
Mr. Ji exclaimed in surprise, “Only the tender meat from both cheeks of the lamb? How many lambs were needed to make these lamb rolls today?”
Zhenzhen smiled and said, “Just about twenty or thirty.”
Mr. Ji sighed softly, then pointed to the scallion relish before him and remarked, “This scallion relish is also unique—fragrant, sweet, and intoxicatingly delicious, refined and delicate, with a yellow hue rather than green. If the server hadn’t explained, I would never have guessed it was made from scallions. How were the ingredients selected?”
Zhenzhen calmly explained, “The scallions are first lightly blanched in boiling water, and all the outer layers and roots are removed. They are then cut to the appropriate length according to the size of the plate. After peeling away several outer layers, the innermost core, which resembles yellow chives, is taken and soaked in light wine vinegar. That’s all.”
Mr. Ji glanced at the scallion relish placed before each guest and asked again, “Then how many scallions were used for today’s relish?”
Zhenzhen shook her head and said, “I didn’t make it myself, so I can’t say for sure. I estimate around seventy or eighty catties.”
Mr. Ji fell silent and quietly drank a cup of wine.
The fourth round of wine and dishes continued, featuring spring bamboo shoot fish and crab wonton. The fish used was the local mudskipper, with flesh as white as silver and as tender as tofu. The best part was the meat around its gills, which resembled broad bean segments. Because the fish breathes and moves frequently, this part is the most flavorful. And the meat served at the banquet was precisely these small, bean-like pieces.
All the guests gazed at the plates of bean-shaped fish meat before them, sighing in admiration. Most praised the Suitable Treasure Tower for its extraordinary efforts and Zhenzhen’s selection of dishes, which displayed the elegance of a master and were unparalleled in Pujiang. Zhenzhen clasped her hands and smiled graciously in thanks, specifically addressing the ashen-faced Yang Yu and his wife, inviting them to taste the crab wonton.
The crab referred to here is the green crab. Yang Yu, having grown up savoring delicacies, took one bite and knew that the meat in the wonton was entirely from the two large claws of the crab. The meat fibers were shorter and finer than those from the crab body, offering a fresher and more refreshing taste.
Yang Yu’s expression grew even darker. He had prepared a barrage of scornful remarks for the Suitable Treasure Tower but now found himself at a loss for words.When the wine had been served for the ninth round, a basket of steamed buns was brought out. Everyone tasted them and recognized the filling as scallions mixed with pork. Lady Zheng snorted coldly and whispered to those beside her, "This main dish is rather ordinary. In our shop, it would only cost two wen each."
Hearing this, Zhenzhen let out a clear laugh and, facing Lady Zheng, said, "If I were to sell these buns, I'm afraid they would have to go for a hundred wen."
Lady Zheng laughed in disbelief. "Could it be that these buns are made of gold, to be worth a hundred wen?"
Zhenzhen did not answer immediately. Instead, she used her chopsticks to split open a bun, picked out a single scallion thread, and gently unfurled the curled scallion with a silver needle. She then lifted it toward the sunlight, inviting everyone to take a closer look.
Immediately, several curious onlookers gathered around, peering intently. They saw that the slender scallion thread was covered with intricate, hollowed-out patterns. Upon closer inspection, someone exclaimed in awe, "It's a pattern of auspicious clouds!"
Zhenzhen glanced at the stunned Lady Zheng and smiled contentedly. "The value lies in the craftsmanship."
(To be continued)
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