"Miss, Miss, look at that string of goose lanterns! When the wind blows, they look like they're really flying!"
"This lotus lantern is even bigger than the ones at Luminous Nunnery!"
"Miss, Miss, isn't this a phoenix?" A Yuan chattered excitedly in Shen Shaoguang's ear. Clearly, she wasn't naturally quiet—just suppressed before, now increasingly letting her true nature shine.
Shen Shaoguang examined the lantern carefully, then studied A Yuan. Child, your eyesight... In legends, phoenixes are beautiful creatures adorned in five colors.
"That's an ostrich. The Kingdom of Tuhuoluo once presented one to His Majesty as tribute. They run very fast but can't fly," Shen Shaoguang said dryly.
A Yuan suddenly understood, "I thought it was just a phoenix that got fat."
A phoenix that got fat... got fat... Shen Shaoguang felt her breath catch in her throat.
A muffled laugh came from behind. Shen Shaoguang and A Yuan turned to see Liu Feng.
Shen Shaoguang smiled and curtsied to him.
Liu Feng wiped the grin off his face and returned the greeting properly.
After sending the opening gift that day, Liu Feng hadn't visited the shop for several days. Later, he resumed his routine of buying breakfast to-go and gradually started coming in the evenings for soup dumplings too. When the Double Seventh Cake sign went up, he even ordered several boxes, making Shen Shaoguang worry slightly for his wallet. A ninth-rank official earning just over ten thousand coins a month really couldn't afford to eat like this...
Shen Shaoguang now earned over ten thousand coins monthly too, not counting short-term profits like the Double Seventh Cakes—those few days' sales nearly matched a month's regular earnings. She earned much but spent little, a true miser, so she couldn't help feeling motherly concern for this spendthrift youth.
The oblivious "moth" still smiled, "There's a revolving lantern at the street corner, Miss. You should go see it."
Shen Shaoguang nodded primly, curtsied again in farewell, and continued strolling with A Yuan. Unexpectedly, Liu Feng and his servant followed at a distance, as if escorting them or simply going the same way.
Feeling awkward but unable to ask directly, Shen Shaoguang considered stopping ahead to buy A Yuan a snack.
Then she remembered the joke about the fat phoenix turning into an ostrich. Glancing down at A Yuan's waistline, which had grown rounder... Better to keep walking.
Maintaining a serene expression amid Chang'an's dazzling lantern displays and festive crowds, her mind was occupied with a customer's expenses and her maid's weight gain—Shen Shaoguang's vulgar concerns knew neither time nor place.
Rounding the corner, she unexpectedly encountered refinement. Under a crape myrtle tree by the roadside stood Lord Lin supporting an elderly lady with graying hair, with Qin Wuniang and Pang Erniang nearby. The young lord stood tall and graceful, the maidens lovelier than flowers. Night breezes stirred, lantern shadows danced, petals drifted down—a scene fit for a painting.
Seeing them, they naturally saw Shen Shaoguang and Liu Feng too.
Shen Shaoguang didn't approach, merely curtsying from afar. Behind her, Liu Feng noticed his superior accompanied by young female relatives and also bowed distantly before following Shen Shaoguang down another lane.
"Who might that young lord and maiden be?" Grand Madam Jiang asked pleasantly.
"A clerk from my office, Liu Feng," Lin Yan replied gently.
Grand Madam Jiang nodded. "The maiden carries herself beautifully."
Lin Yan glanced at the lantern-lit street corner and smiled slightly, offering no further explanation.Qin Wuniang merely smiled, while Pang Erniang was momentarily dazzled by Lin Yan's smile and stood there in a daze.
Grand Madam Jiang smiled at Qin Wuniang and Pang Erniang, saying, "How lovely to see such radiant young ladies like you."
Qin Wuniang replied with a smile, "I'm truly delighted to see you again, Grand Madam. The last time we met was several years ago."
Grand Madam Jiang glanced at her grandson. Was that so? Then she frowned slightly, trying to recall—whose daughters were these young ladies again?
"The night breeze is chilly, and standing too long will tire you. Let me help you back," Lin Yan said softly to his grandmother.
Grand Madam Jiang had suffered from leg ailments since her youth and couldn't stand for long. Indeed, her legs now felt heavy, and though she wished to linger, she reluctantly nodded. "Very well, let's return."
Yet she didn't want to dampen the young people's spirits. Though she couldn't remember who these girls were, she could sense the situation—it was high time A Yan married. "Let A Su and the others escort me back. You—"
Lin Yan had already turned to Qin Wuniang and Pang Erniang. "We won't keep you from enjoying the scenery any longer. Farewell."
Qin Wuniang curtsied gracefully to Grand Madam Jiang, and Pang Erniang had no choice but to follow suit.
Grand Madam Jiang smiled at the two girls. "Enjoy yourselves."
Lin Yan supported his grandmother as they walked slowly back, followed by their servants.
Once inside the Lin residence gates, Grand Madam Jiang chuckled. "A Yan, I thought those two young ladies were quite lovely. Especially the one in the crimson dress. Who did you say she was again?"
"That's Qin Pushe's granddaughter."
Grand Madam Jiang frowned, unable to recall, and simply asked, "Would she not make a suitable match?"
Lin Yan was amused by his grandmother's bluntness, and she laughed too. "Don't mind my meddling. My mind comes and goes—I can't make decisions for you anymore, and you've always been so independent. But you should really consider marriage. Without a mistress or children in the household, just the two of us—it's far too quiet..." Her expression grew wistful.
Lin Yan replied softly, "Yes, Grandma."
Shen Shaoguang wandered the streets for a while and concluded that the reality of the Tang lantern festival paled in comparison to its reputation. Perhaps the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first lunar month would be more impressive? Even if it were, she wouldn't go—crowded festivals were prime opportunities to make money. Just look at how the street vendors selling candied fruits were raking it in today.
She bought a skewer each for herself and A Yuan. The taste fell far short of what they made at home, Shen Shaoguang thought. A Yuan finished the remaining half of Shen Shaoguang's skewer and agreed with the assessment.
Returning to the nunnery gate, Shen Shaoguang turned and gave a slight curtsy to Liu Feng, who stood not far away, as a gesture of thanks before gracefully slipping inside. A Yuan, however, shot Liu Feng a glare and slammed the gate shut with a loud "bang."
Truth be told, Shen Shaoguang was also at a loss with this Mr. Liu. He reminded her of those men in her past life who only sent "goodnight" messages on WeChat every evening—what exactly were they trying to achieve?
There was another lantern festival on the 16th of the seventh month, but Shen Shaoguang couldn't be bothered to go out again. She stayed at the shop, giving A Yuan some money to enjoy the festivities on her own.
With limited time, the shop only prepared some rose sugar cakes and Ai Wowo (Glutinous Rice Cake) for the evening. Regular customers from the neighborhood stopped by when they saw the shop open, and the small stock sold out quickly. Watching the copper coins pile up in the basket, Shen Shaoguang mused that making money was indeed far more enjoyable.
After the Ghost Festival passed, several days of continuous rain brought the first hints of autumn.Shen Shaoguang sharpened her knife with vigor—it was time to launch the "Autumn Fattening" plan.
Ever since her soup dumplings became an instant hit, she had been contemplating adding more pork dishes to the menu.
Perhaps due to the heavy influence of northern nomadic cultures after the Wei and Jin dynasties, pork—an ancient staple meat—had surprisingly declined in popularity. Nowadays, mutton was all the rage, and beef was also favored—though strict laws heavily restricted the slaughter of plow oxen. Then there were all kinds of fish.
As a die-hard pork enthusiast, Shen Shaoguang felt it was her duty to revive pork cuisine. This reminded her of another pork aficionado with the same idea—the esteemed Scholar Su. By the Song dynasty, pork was still "as cheap as dirt, disdained by the wealthy and poorly cooked by the poor."
Hmm... maybe she should start with Dongpo pork?
OpenNovel