In late spring, the days dawned earlier. As the eastern sky turned pale, the Morning Drum had sounded past its midpoint, and those heading to court, merchants, and people with errands all gathered at the ward gate, waiting for the drumbeats to cease before they could pass.
Not far from the gate, several small food stalls steamed with activity, catering to these early risers.
The familiar faces were all there—Zhao Ba selling wontons, Qiu Da with his basket of Sesame Flatbread, and Lu Sanniang frying dough twists. But today, there was a new face—a rather striking young woman. With almond eyes, fair skin, and a tall figure, she would have been considered a beauty if only she were slightly fuller.
Before her stood a charcoal stove with a flat iron griddle on top. Beside it was a small bamboo rack holding plain white ceramic bowls filled with sauces and condiments.
The young woman brushed a layer of oil onto the griddle, then ladled out a spoonful of batter and poured it onto the iron surface. With a quick turn of her scraper, the batter spread evenly. She cracked an egg over it, and in moments, it formed a thin pancake.
Flipping it over, she spread on some sauce, sprinkled scallions and cilantro, wrapped it around a fried dough twist, sliced it in the middle, and folded it together—a finished pancake.
Instead of handing it over directly, she used a small spatula to slide it into a prepared coarse bamboo paper bag. Paper was a luxury, and using it to wrap food was truly refined.
Soon, someone stepped forward to ask the price—ten coins. Not exactly cheap, but given the care put into it, it wasn’t unreasonable.
The man opened the bag and took a bite. Hmm—the pancake was fragrant and soft, unlike the usual tough flatbreads, likely because of the egg. The fried dough twist inside was crispy, paired with a savory, spicy sauce and the aroma of scallions and cilantro. Delicious.
Seeing his enjoyment, others came to buy as well. Even the nobles on horseback or in carriages sent their servants over, and soon the stall was crowded with people.
Lin Yan, the Deputy Chief of the Capital, lifted the gauze curtain of his carriage window and caught sight of the commotion not far away. The woman wore foreign-style clothing, her hair in loops, with willow-leaf brows and almond eyes, a faint smile on her lips… Wasn’t that the palace maid released a few days ago?
Swallows that once nested in the halls of kings and nobles now flit happily through the streets and alleys…
A servant in blue-green approached the window and asked softly, "A Lang hasn’t eaten breakfast yet. Shall I buy some pastries?" It was mostly a formality—his master had never been fond of the greasy, coarse fare sold outside.
"...Very well," Lin Yan nodded, lowering the curtain. "Buy a few more."
Buy a few more? The servant paused, glancing at his master through the gauze before turning to look at the young woman selling pancakes. Suddenly understanding, he tossed the reins to his companion and hurried toward the food stalls.
Inside the carriage, Lin Yan pressed his fingers to his temples. He hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days, and his eyes ached.
Today, the emperor was going to the Circular Mound Altar to pray for rain. The imperial procession was a major affair—while the Imperial Guards were responsible for security, the Capital Office had to handle crowd control along the route. The commander of the Imperial Guards, Qin Xiang, had once been the emperor’s personal attendant and carried himself with considerable arrogance. Just thinking about the eunuch’s influence made Lin Yan’s temples throb.
His thoughts drifted to the capital’s public order. Recently, prices had remained stable, with a modest increase of about ten coins per peck of rice. As long as the canal transport remained unobstructed and the Ever-Normal Granary reserves held, the people of the capital wouldn’t face food shortages. But the drought had unsettled the populace, giving rise to rumors like "The river beast appears, Heaven’s eye closes." Rumors…
By the time the three thousand Morning Drum beats ended and the ward gates opened, the blue-green servant finally returned with several pancakes. "A Lang, eat them while they’re hot.""You can divide them among yourselves." Lin Yan tapped the carriage wall, signaling to move forward.
The blue-clad servant was taken aback. He glanced at the swaying gauze curtain of the carriage window, then turned to look at the young lady still busy over there. Could it be that I was mistaken?
The early morning crowd had already left, and the sun was now up. After selling another round of breakfast to late risers who didn't go out early, Shen Shaoguang packed up her stall like the other vendors.
Shen Shaoguang positioned her pancake business as a "mid-to-high-end" breakfast option: this was an upscale neighborhood where most residents had decent purchasing power. Her pancakes contained eggs and rich sauces, making them worth a few extra coins compared to Sesame Flatbread. She also provided paper bags—though this increased costs—for hygiene (appealing to those who might find it unseemly to get sauce, scallions, or crumbs on their clothes) and convenience (easy to hold while walking or riding).
Today's trial run proved this positioning was sound.
Shen Shaoguang weighed the coins in her purse and estimated that after costs, she'd earned about eighty or ninety coins. At this rate, she could make over two thousand coins a month—enough for a lone young woman's expenses, though still far from enough to buy property in Chang'an. More effort was needed.
Pulling her cart back to the nunnery where she was staying, Shen Shaoguang encountered the guest prefect Jing Ci waiting at the gate.
Jing Ci eyed Shen Shaoguang and the small stove and rack on her cart with a sidelong glance, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Young Lady Shen has been quite busy this morning, hasn't she?"
Shen Shaoguang smiled cheerfully. "Yes, just getting some fresh air."
"Fresh air," indeed! Clearly, she'd been engaging in vulgar commerce! Jing Ci's lips curled in a sneer. Truthfully, Jing Ci had no issue with merchants—especially wealthy ones who came to offer incense—but her tolerance didn't extend to street vendors. Shen Shaoguang's behavior, in her view, tarnished the nunnery's dignity. Unacceptable!
As Shen Shaoguang maneuvered her cart past her, Jing Ci fluttered off like a gaudy moth to find Jingqing.
"That Shen Xiao Niangzi was actually selling pancakes on the street! It's utterly improper. Senior Sister, you must inform the Abbot and have her expelled."
Jingqing coughed awkwardly. "You forget—she's paid rent..."
"So what? Just return it." As the guest prefect handling finances, Jing Ci cared little for Shen Shaoguang's meager rent.
"It's not that simple," Jingqing reasoned patiently. "If word gets out that we broke our agreement, it could harm the nunnery's reputation."
At the mention of "reputation," Jing Ci sobered slightly. After a pause, she relented, "Fine. Let her stay the full three months."
Jingqing recalled how, days earlier, Shen had brought pancakes to the Abbot.
As the Abbot ate, Shen had quoted, "If wealth were a pursuit one could count on, I would do it even as a whip-holding servant." The Abbot had replied, "Young Lady truly embodies the Master's teachings—admirable!"
Selling pancakes on the street, embodying Confucius' words! The Abbot had no principles when it came to good food. Forget three months—at this rate, she might soon allow Shen to open an eatery right in the nunnery.
But such thoughts couldn't be shared with the other disciples. The Abbot's dignity had to be preserved.Jing Ci continued muttering to himself, "How could a noble lady stoop to such a trade? She must be a fake aristocrat!"
If Shen Shaoguang were here, she would surely scoff at this. Noble ladies? Even emperors have had to fold matchboxes—just look at the last emperor Puyi!
Author's note: ① "The Analects of Confucius - Shu Er"
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