Compared to Dongpo pork, in her previous life Shen Shaoguang actually preferred the ordinary braised pork—for no other reason than it was simpler to make.
In this life, Shen Shaoguang had gained a bit more patience. What was the rush? Hurrying forward like a salmon swimming upstream—rushing to school, rushing to graduate, rushing to earn money, rushing to fall in love, rushing to marry, rushing to have children, and then rushing to grow old, rushing to die? Or, like her, not even finishing the rush before— snap —transmigrating to another world. Well, all previous efforts were reset, starting from scratch!
Sighing over the unpredictability of life, Shen Shaoguang lined the large clay pot with a bamboo steaming tray to prevent scorching. On the tray, she arranged scallion whites and ginger slices, then evenly placed large cubes of pork belly—blanched to remove blood—on top. Next, she added clear soy sauce, sugar, and wine. The wine was freshly brewed, with faint green bubbles—what Lao Bai called "green-ant new brew." Thinking of it this way, even this pot of pork seemed poetic.
She simmered the poetic pork over the gentlest charcoal fire, letting it braise slowly.
Meanwhile, by another small stove, Shen Shaoguang mixed batter, waiting for customers to arrive for morning pancakes.
A Yuan returned from the tofu shop with fresh soy milk and exclaimed "It smells amazing!" the moment she stepped inside.
After pouring the soy milk into a large pot and lighting the fire beneath, A Yuan wandered over to the small stove, circling the clay pot of braising pork, sniffing repeatedly. How could it smell so good?
Shen Shaoguang chuckled. If she had stir-fried twice-cooked pork with chili peppers, the aroma would have been even more intense—this silly girl would probably have crawled right into the pot!
Speaking of which, chili peppers were truly a magical ingredient. When paired with meat, they could produce a fragrance where one plus one equaled ten—especially in terms of aroma. Thus, the later popularity of Sichuan cuisine made perfect sense. Unfortunately, this dynasty had yet to introduce chili peppers—a true pity.
It wasn’t just A Yuan who was enticed. Customers also kept glancing at the clay pot, drawn by the scent. Those familiar with her couldn’t help but ask, "Little miss, what are you making? It smells so good."
She couldn’t very well invoke Mr. Dongpo’s name, so Shen Shaoguang borrowed the imperial banquet naming convention and rebranded it—Agate Meat.
Such a grand, luxurious name, paired with such an intoxicating aroma, only made the customers even more eager.
Shen Shaoguang smiled. "This is a labor-intensive dish—it still needs more time. Perhaps come back at noon or for dinner. The meat is rich and tender, perfect with wine or rice."
The customers had no choice but to endure for now, eating their pancakes with extra gusto, spurred on by the tantalizing scent. Pastries, porridge, and soup sold far more than usual. Only then did Shen Shaoguang realize—had she just poisoned everyone with temptation first thing in the morning?
After finishing the morning sales and tidying up, the meat was nearly done braising—but not quite. It still needed steaming.
And this steaming had its own intricacies. The best method was to place it in a sealed jar for double steaming, a technique favored by imperial chefs, emphasizing "no contact with water"—steam would dilute the flavor.
After steaming for another half-hour, the meat was finally ready.
It was neither morning nor noon, so there were no customers. Seizing the opportunity, Shen Shaoguang and A Yuan decided to taste-test first.
She took out four pieces, arranging them skin-side up on a pristine white plate, then drizzled them with the braising liquid. Indeed, the glossy, ruby-red sheen lived up to the name "Agate Meat."
Shen Shaoguang quickly stir-fried some greens, and the two sat down to an early lunch with thick, sticky rice porridge.
She picked up a piece with her chopsticks, placed it in a small bowl, and savored it slowly.Perhaps it was because the wine of this era was genuine rice wine, or perhaps because the pigs weren't raised on feed and grew slowly, making their meat superior. Of course, it might also be that she hadn't tasted this flavor for so long that she missed it dearly. Whatever the reason, Shen Shaoguang felt this meat was even better than what she'd eaten in famous restaurants in her previous life. Truly rich without being greasy, tender and fragrant.
Even so, Shen Shaoguang stopped after one piece—and that piece wasn't small, about the size of a child's fist.
The remaining three pieces all went to A Yuan. Unexpectedly, as A Yuan ate, she suddenly burst into tears.
Shen Shaoguang took out a handkerchief to wipe the silly girl's tears and the meat juices at the corners of her mouth. What was wrong?
Sniffling, A Yuan looked somewhat embarrassed at her young mistress. "It's... it's too delicious."
"..." So "so delicious it makes you cry" wasn't just an exaggeration?
As a cook, receiving such praise from an eater left Shen Shaoguang both flattered and surprised. "If you like it, we'll make it often from now on."
A Yuan's sobs grew even more intense. "Before... we could only have one bowl of watery millet porridge and one millet cake mixed with vegetables per meal. I never imagined we'd have days like this, wuwu..."
So she was moved by memories of her past hardships. Shen Shaoguang patted the girl's head and sighed. "Eat up. As long as the world remains peaceful, we'll never have to suffer like that again."
At noon, while selling soup dumplings, Shen Shaoguang reheated the meat and displayed it. Its appearance and aroma immediately caught the customers' attention.
To compare, the jade tip noodles in the shop were also fragrant, with juices flowing at first bite, but they were still wrapped in dough—much more restrained compared to this Agate meat, which presented itself boldly without any buffer, vividly stimulating people's senses.
If Shen Shaoguang had to make an analogy, jade tip noodles would be like a fashionably dressed beauty, while Agate meat—was a naked woman! In its presence, no one cared about style or elegance.
The meat sold itself without any promotion, especially with those who had been craving it since morning. It sold out instantly.
In the afternoon, another pot was made, and by evening, it sold out again.
This trial run went much better than expected. Shen Shaoguang had originally thought that since this district had many wealthy, discerning people who could afford mutton, the soup dumplings were accepted because of their juicy selling point and the fact that pork was indeed more suitable for fillings than mutton. Promoting pork dishes might not be so easy.
Moreover, people here usually ate pork steamed, dipped in garlic paste or various sauces, similar to the white-cut meat of later generations. Her heavily seasoned pork might not suit everyone's taste.
But now it seemed the people of the Tang Dynasty were actually of the "as long as it's delicious" school?
Shen Shaoguang went to purchase the largest clay pot, planning to first promote Agate meat to its fullest potential.
She also retrieved the wooden stand previously used for Flower Cake advertisements and set it up at the entrance, with large characters announcing "Try the New Agate Meat!" She planned to keep this stand permanently as a menu board.
Looking back at her small shop, Shen Shaoguang felt a tinge of regret. It was a pity it was so small—only suitable as a takeout food stall. If it were larger, allowing customers to sit in groups, it could transform into a tavern, serving various dishes along with wine, which would bring much higher profits.
But you can't rush Agate meat. Take it slow.Author's Note: ①This metaphor was inspired by Yi Shu's "Xi Bao," which likens cash to a naked woman.
OpenNovel