Lin Yan braved the night curfew to return home, only to hear upon entering that his grandmother was unwell.
"Grand Madam Jiang complained of stomach discomfort two quarters ago. We've already sent for the physician," Steward Zhou reported.
"What did she have for the evening meal?" Lin Yan asked as he hurried toward his grandmother's courtyard.
"According to the maids attending her, she ate several jade tip noodles bought from outside, drank half a bowl of Water Fringe Soup, and had a few bites of fish sashimi."
Lin Yan frowned and nodded.
Noticing his master's expression, Steward Zhou offered an explanation: "A new Shen's Shop opened in the neighborhood, selling excellent meat mantou. Since Grand Madam hasn't had much appetite lately, the kitchen bought some." The elderly woman had developed a craving, having grown tired of household food. To please her, the kitchen occasionally purchased novel dishes from outside. The young master likely indulged his grandmother and turned a blind eye, seeing they were being cautious. They wondered if the jade tip noodles might be the culprit.
Entering the courtyard, maids were already waiting and whispered to Lin Yan, "She vomited once and had one bowel movement, but has been calmer recently."
Lin Yan entered the room to find his grandmother reclining on the daybed with a thin blanket over her stomach, looking weak.
"Don't worry about me, I'm feeling better," Grand Madam Jiang said with a smile as she opened her eyes.
Lately her mind had been clear enough to recognize her grandson.
Lin Yan quickly approached and sat beside her, taking her wrist to check her pulse.
Everyone waited quietly as he examined her.
"It's nothing serious. Probably the hot weather and Grandma's weak digestion, combined with greasy food, caused discomfort," Lin Yan said gently after releasing her wrist and feeling her forehead.
"A Su thought the jade tip noodles might have been unclean, but they looked fine to me—delicately pleated with good filling: pork mixed with bamboo shoots that released fragrant broth when bitten," the grandmother said.
Seeing her still thinking about food in this state, Lin Yan found it both amusing and exasperating. "Wait until cooler weather when your stomach recovers before eating that again."
As they spoke, the physician arrived. Lin Yan went to greet him, and the physician hastily bowed in respect.
Lin Yan returned the courtesy politely and personally escorted him to his grandmother's bedside.
After checking both wrists and asking the maids a few questions, the physician said, "Given Grand Madam's advanced age and weak digestion, combined with rich evening meals, this condition arose. I'll prescribe two doses of spleen-nourishing, qi-boosting medicine to regulate her digestion. Take it as decocted, maintain a light diet for several days, and she'll recover."
Thanking the physician, Lin Yan had the steward see him out. Noting the prescription's mild dosage suitable for the elderly, he sent someone to pound on the pharmacy's door to get the medicine.
The commotion lasted until midnight. After the elderly woman took her medicine and slept peacefully, Lin Yan kept watch for some time before resting in the outer chamber. When he rose early for court the next morning, she still slept, but her pulse showed improvement.
After washing up in his own courtyard, Lin Yan sternly admonished the relevant kitchen servants and handled two household matters. Having slept poorly, he wasn't hungry—just sipping some porridge and eating a boiled egg before leaving. By his return, countless household lights already twinkled.
He first visited his grandmother, who had greatly improved. Having finished dinner, she was playing leaf cards with her maids. After some final instructions, Lin Yan finally relaxed and returned to his courtyard to change out of his official robes and wash up.
"Young master, have you eaten dinner? The kitchen has kept some excellent mutton and duck ready," a maid asked with a smile.There was a palace banquet at noon, where much wine was consumed, and the food was heavy with oil, salt, and sugar—now it all sat greasily in his stomach. Lin Yan waved his hand, "No need, I'll take a walk outside."
Tucking his money pouch away and gesturing for his attendants and servants not to follow, Lin Yan stepped out alone.
He strolled slowly along the lanes, his ears filled with the sound of cicadas. There were few pedestrians on the street, occasionally spotting some enjoying the cool evening air or a drunkard stumbling out of a tavern, swaying as he was helped home by his servants.
After walking a few more steps, Lin Yan caught sight of a lantern swaying gently in the night breeze, bearing the characters "Shen Ji."
The jade tip noodles that had caused trouble yesterday were from this "Shen Ji," likely this very shop. Suddenly, he recalled the palace maid who sold pancakes at the entrance of the district. She hadn’t been there these past few days, and he had assumed she had finally given up and returned to Luoyang. Could it be...?
Lin Yan casually walked into Shen Ji.
Before seeing anyone, his eyes landed on a bowl of jade-green rice porridge steaming on the dining table, accompanied by a plate of sliced salted duck eggs, a dish of simple shredded lettuce, and another of sour bamboo shoot and diced meat—as if waiting for guests to take their seats.
Despite the plain and ordinary home-style dishes, Lin Yan suddenly felt an appetite.
The large water vat was at the back of the shop. After a busy day, Shen Shaoguang and A Yuan scooped water to wash their hands and faces. While A Yuan stayed behind to pour out the water and tidy the washbasin and soap beans, Shen Shaoguang, a cloth draped over her shoulder and droplets still clinging to her temples, walked through the back door into the shop. She immediately spotted Lord Lin under the lamplight.
"What would you like to eat, sir? The kitchen has freshly made glutinous rice jujube zongzi and egg yolk zongzi." The buns were already sold out, but the zongzi for the next morning had been steamed. Glutinous rice took time to soften, so Shen Shaoguang always steamed them the night before, leaving them covered with residual heat to keep them warm. By the next day, the rice would be even softer and sweeter. They were already done now, so serving him a few wouldn’t be an issue.
"This will do," Lin Yan pointed to the porridge and dishes on the table, then seated himself at a dining table.
"..." Shen Shaoguang pressed her lips together but ultimately didn’t want to offend him. She ladled a small bowl of porridge from the pot for him. The side dishes couldn’t be divided, so she gave them all to Lin Yan. Fortunately, there were more salted eggs, so she sliced two more.
Lin Yan slowly stirred the porridge with his spoon. It contained gorgon seeds, lotus seeds, and a faint fragrance of lotus leaves—a nourishing and cooling porridge, quite refined.
When A Yuan returned, she pouted upon finding their dishes had mysteriously disappeared. But since it was for a guest, she couldn’t complain. Shen Shaoguang patted her hand reassuringly and, worried she might still be hungry, fetched two glutinous rice zongzi from the large pot.
The shredded lettuce, dressed with vinegar and sesame oil, was refreshing. The sour bamboo shoot and diced meat had a stronger, saltier flavor, perfect with the porridge. Even the salted eggs were well-prepared—the yolks oozed oil but weren’t overly salty, with a slightly grainy texture. Unconsciously, Lin Yan finished the entire bowl of porridge and most of the side dishes, though he only ate four of the eight salted egg slices.
With his stomach satisfied, Lin Yan’s mood lightened, as if the frustrations of the day’s official duties no longer weighed on him. He even teased himself for following in his grandmother’s footsteps, wading into the same small stream.
Lin Yan stood up, a faint smile on his lips, and left a piece of silver behind. "Thank you for your hospitality, shopkeeper," he said to Shen Shaoguang.The lamplight flickered, and the smile that had just graced his lips carried a hint of a gentle breeze over a lotus pond on a moonlit night. Shen Shaoguang was momentarily stunned, thinking to herself that indeed, the best way to admire beauty was under the soft glow of lanterns. In daylight, this Deputy Chief of the Capital Prefecture was also handsome, but there was always a certain coldness and aloofness about him—nothing like the captivating charm he had just displayed.
As Lin Yan walked away, Shen Shaoguang weighed the two-tael silver piece in her hand and mused that not only was the man beautiful, but he also knew how to be considerate!
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