The first month of the year was packed with festivals—no sooner had Renri passed than the Beginning of Spring arrived, followed by the three-day Lantern Festival with its sleepless nights.
During this season, eating spring plates was all the rage. The so-called spring plate involved wrapping vegetables in thin pancakes.
In this era without greenhouse vegetables, with temperatures below freezing, the term "spring vegetables" was more symbolic than literal. Most wraps consisted of overwintered radishes, cabbage, scallions, and the like. Even in the imperial palace, the selection only extended slightly to celery, garlic sprouts, or yellow chives.
Getting out-of-season vegetables was truly a delight. Just as iced milk drinks were bestowed in summer, the emperor would gift spring plates to nobles and high-ranking officials on the Beginning of Spring to express his favor. When Censor Zhou Fengqing welcomed a son on this very day and coincidentally received the emperor’s spring plate, he named his child "A Pan," echoing the tradition of Confucius naming his son "Li" (Carp).
The spring plates given as political gifts by the palace were exquisitely prepared. The vegetables were finely shredded into red, white, green, and yellow strands, neatly arranged. They were accompanied by four or five dipping sauces—fermented flour paste, chive flower paste, meat sauce, and others. A separate plate held the pancakes, which differed from later pan-fried spring pancakes. These were made from a batter of eggs, fine salt, and sesame oil, spread thin and cooked until fragrant and tender.
Back when she worked in the imperial kitchens, Shen Shaoguang could devour three of these wraps in one sitting, paired with a bowl of minced lamb soup.
Now, though she no longer had access to out-of-season vegetables, she was also free from constraints. Shen Shaoguang decided to recreate the spring pancakes of later generations. As for the lack of vegetables—meat could make up for it!
First, the pancakes: while thin crepes were quicker, pan-fried ones had more texture, perfect for wrapping. She mixed the dough with hot water, divided it into portions, brushed oil between two layers, rolled them thin, and cooked them on a griddle over low heat.
The vegetables were straightforward—radishes, cabbage, and scallions, peeled of tough outer layers, with only the tender parts finely shredded for the raw platter. Cooked dishes included scrambled eggs, stir-fried bean sprouts with glass noodles, and shredded tofu.
Then came the meats: classic braised pork knuckle, pork belly, smoked chicken, cured meats, even pig ears and snout—all sliced into strips and arranged on platters for diners to pick and choose.
To eat, one would peel apart two pancakes, spread them with fermented flour paste, add scallions and radish shreds, then layer on the meats, eggs, and bean sprouts before rolling it up and taking a hearty bite.
This spring plate was an instant hit. The colorful array of dishes on the table, fragrant and enticing, was a rare luxury for ordinary families. Best of all, it wasn’t expensive—pork was cheap. And most importantly, it was genuinely delicious. What began as a seasonal novelty turned into a true culinary delight.
The spring plates sold like hotcakes starting the day before the Beginning of Spring. Even after the festival, many came to try them out. At first, customers ate in the shop, but soon takeout and delivery requests poured in. Sales continued strong until the Lantern Festival, when they slowed slightly. But Shen Shaoguang believed demand would persist even after the holidays—especially in the second and third months when fresh spring vegetables arrived, making the wraps even tastier.
"By then, cabbage and radishes won’t do. We’ll switch to chive and egg, spinach with glass noodles, shredded pork with shepherd’s purse, and maybe even young cucumbers with their blossoms still attached..." Shen Shaoguang mused as she wrapped tangyuan with A Yuan.A Yuan swallowed her saliva and chimed in, "I could eat eight or nine of these spring pancakes."
Shen Shaoguang: "..."
Shen Shaoguang glanced at A Yuan's waistline. "A Yuan, have you ever heard the saying, 'If you don't lose weight in February, March, and April, you'll regret it in June, July, and August'?"
A Yuan shook her head decisively. "No!"
A snicker came from behind—no need to turn around to know it was Yu San.
After thinking for a moment, A Yuan said, "I'll start my diet after eating this spring plate with spinach and cucumbers."
Shen Shaoguang nodded. As long as there was a deadline, it was fine.
A cool voice came from behind: "By the time the cucumbers are in season, you'll be eating the 'summer plate.' Looks like regret in June, July, and August is inevitable."
A Yuan glared at Yu San indignantly but said nothing.
Actually, Shen Shaoguang had slipped up earlier. In later times, cucumbers were incredibly common and a must-have for spring pancake rolls.
Shen Shaoguang turned to give Yu San a warning look and then joked to cheer A Yuan up. "Actually, cucumbers do exist in spring—they're just rare. Let me tell you about the previous dynasty—"
Whenever she said "the previous dynasty," it meant the young mistress was about to tell an old tale. A Yuan and A Chang immediately pricked up their ears, and even Yu San slowed his movements.
"One New Year's Day, the emperor wanted to eat cucumbers and sent a eunuch to buy some. But where could you find them in the freezing cold? Well, he happened to run into a man selling two cucumbers at the East Market. The eunuch was overjoyed and asked how much they cost. The seller said, 'Fifty taels of silver for one, so one hundred for both.'"
A Yuan and A Chang gaped.
"The eunuch thought it was too expensive—in summer, you could buy several for just two coins. The seller said, 'If it's too expensive, don't buy them. I'll keep them for myself.' And with that, he actually crunched into one of the cucumbers."
A Yuan and A Chang's jaws dropped even wider. A Chang murmured, "Fifty taels of silver... just eaten like that..."
"The eunuch panicked, afraid the seller would eat the last one too, and hurriedly offered to buy it. But then the seller raised the price—the remaining cucumber now cost one hundred taels."
Yu San smirked. He'd long known the young mistress's stories had twists—and sure enough...
"The eunuch complained again, and the seller said, 'If it's too expensive—' Hearing this, the eunuch quickly handed over the money and bought the last surviving cucumber."
A Yuan and A Chang burst into laughter, and even Yu San chuckled before lowering his head to continue making silk cage cakes.
At this time, the Lantern Festival wasn't yet dominated by yuanxiao (sweet rice balls). Different households ate meat porridge, silkworm-shaped dumplings, silk cage cakes, or even fire moths, jade beam cakes, and fried pastries. Boiled porridge, steamed cakes, fried pancakes—all kinds of foods were in chaotic competition.
Since things were already this chaotic, a little more wouldn't hurt. Tangyuan (sweet rice balls) had to make an appearance too. Shen Shaoguang made the classic black sesame tangyuan and recommended them to customers dining on Lantern Festival day.
People of this dynasty had a fondness for sweets, and most customers accepted tangyuan quite well—like Lord Lin.
During the three-day Lantern Festival, the city gates stayed open all night, and the entire capital reveled in celebration. "Lanterns lit every market, music and songs in every tower." Such a prolonged, large-scale carnival for nobles and commoners alike posed major public safety concerns.
Every year during this time, multiple departments in the capital—including the Imperial Guards and the Capital Prefecture—coordinated to prevent major incidents. Though minor troubles—like a maidservant eloping or a petty thief stealing silver—were unavoidable.As the Deputy Chief of the Capital Prefecture, Lin Yan was one of the principal officials on duty. After working two consecutive days, he finally had a chance to rest on the third day. Initially, he had planned to stay home with his grandmother—Grand Madam Jiang was elderly and frail, with weak legs and back, making it difficult for her to venture outside during winter, let alone go out to see the lanterns.
Yet the grand madam insisted on sending him out. "Go out for a stroll during the Lantern Festival—ward off evil spirits and pray for good health."
Unable to refuse his grandmother's earnest affection, Lin Yan smiled and agreed. He thought he would simply walk around the neighborhood for a while to partake in the festive atmosphere before returning to keep her company.
The streets weren’t as crowded as he had expected, as it was already the third day of the festival. Many had grown tired of the nearby sights and expanded their revelry elsewhere—some went to Anfumen to watch the dance performances, while others headed to Chongrenfang to enjoy the Hundred Entertainments.
Without the usual jostling crowds, Lin Yan found himself genuinely enjoying the stroll. Standing at the street corner, he looked ahead—lanterns and illuminated trees lined the road, scholars guessing riddles, young ladies surrounded by maidservants, children running with lanterns in hand... A scene of prosperity and joy under the festive night.
After walking a short distance, he spotted Shen's Shop.
Lin Yan approached slowly and glanced up at the lantern hanging at the entrance. It was an ordinary drum-shaped lantern, but the decorative cutouts pasted on it were quite novel—depicting dumplings, jade tip noodles, roasted chicken, skewered meats, and other delicacies.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Lifting the door curtain to enter, he immediately heard Young Lady Shen’s cheerful voice: "These are called 'Beauty Dumplings.' See how white and soft the wrappers are—just like a pretty maiden’s cheeks!"
The elderly woman who had brought her grandson for snacks laughed. "What a delightful name!"
Shen Shaoguang was merely jesting. If some poet happened to eat these "Beauty Dumplings" and composed verses praising them, leading future generations to describe fair-skinned beauties as having "skin like dumpling wrappers"... that would be quite the blunder.
Hearing the door chime, she looked up and greeted him with a gentle smile. "A joyous Lantern Festival to you, Master Lin."
Young Lady Shen’s demure smile, the lively cutouts at the entrance, and the name "Beauty Dumplings" perfectly illustrated the contrast between appearances and reality. Fortunately, Lin Yan was somewhat accustomed to it by now and returned the smile. "A joyous Lantern Festival to you as well, shopkeeper."
"Would Master Lin care to try our glutinous rice dumplings? They’re filled with sesame paste—sweet and fragrant."
Lin Yan nodded. "Very well."
The dumplings cooked quickly and were soon served.
Lin Yan scooped one up with a spoon, took a small bite, and found it truly delicious—soft and flavorful.
The grandmother and grandson sitting further inside finished their meal and headed out. "Grandma, this gentleman is eating a beauty too!"
"Not a beauty—'Beauty Dumplings,'" the old woman corrected her grandson.
"What’s a beauty?"
"This shopkeeper is a beauty."
The child nodded. "The young lady is tasty."
Shen Shaoguang, who was clearing the dishes: "..."
Lin Yan, mid-bite into his dumpling: "..."
Well, children say the darndest things. Shen Shaoguang carried the dishes to the kitchen to wash them.
Lin Yan glanced somewhat awkwardly at her retreating figure before placing the remaining half of the black-filled, white-skinned dumpling into his mouth. It was soft and sweet between his teeth. He took a sip of the broth, his expression easing. This contrast between appearance and taste... it really was somewhat reminiscent of...Shen Shaoguang finished washing the bowls and brought out a small box containing some uncooked glutinous rice balls. Seeing that Lin Yan had finished his bowl of tangyuan, she said, "It's been a while since I last saw the Dowager. I hope she's been well? These are some raw glutinous rice balls with the same filling, just prepared slightly differently. Please take them back for the Dowager to try."
Lin Yan thanked Shen Shaoguang. He wanted to mention the matter of her father's books, but the topic seemed too abrupt. During such festive times, bringing up painful memories made him unsure how to broach the subject.
Shen Shaoguang raised an eyebrow and casually made small talk: "There aren't many people in the ward today—they've all gone to Anfu Gate to watch the dancing. Why didn't you go see it, Lord Lin?"
She speculated that with his reserved personality, he was probably a homebody who disliked going out. Of course, he might also be an overworked official—as the Deputy Governor of the capital, he likely hadn't had much free time during these citywide celebrations. Now that he finally had some leisure, he probably didn't want to be in crowded places.
"The lanterns in the ward are quite nice," Lin Yan replied with a faint smile.
Shen Shaoguang nodded, then suddenly asked with a laugh, "Back then at Anfu Gate, why did you let me go? At the time, I thought I'd surely be sent to Luoyang."
Originally, she had assumed he might have been avoiding trouble or staying out of messy affairs. But after their interactions, especially after overhearing the conversation between Lord Li and this Deputy Governor Lin, she learned that even when he was a low-ranking official, he had done things similar to what her father in this life had done. That meant he definitely wasn't the timid, smooth-talking type.
Of course, he had been lucky—or perhaps precisely because he was a minor official, he hadn't angered the emperor enough to warrant execution.
In any case, her previous assumptions no longer held. Having just mentioned Anfu Gate, she suddenly wanted to ask.
Lin Yan pursed his lips. "The Emperor's decision to release palace maids was an act of benevolence, meant to reduce resentment in the inner court. Since you had a plan, why shouldn't I help you?"
After a moment's thought, Shen Shaoguang smiled and gave him a slight bow. "Thank you, Lord Lin, for complying with heaven's will and showing such kindness."
Her words of thanks were a mix of sincerity and politeness, like the subtle yet powerful moves of masters in Romance tales. Lin Yan chuckled, wondering if her eloquence was innate or honed during her time in the palace.
Since they had touched upon the subject of Anfu Gate, Lin Yan continued, "During the New Year cleaning, I found some of your father's books in my residence. I'll have them sent to you when convenient."
Shen Shaoguang looked up in surprise and thanked him, but her earlier liveliness faded.
Lin Yan wanted to offer some words of comfort, but they weren't close enough, and the pain of losing a parent couldn't be eased with shallow platitudes. Yet standing to leave or changing the subject now would be inappropriate, so he simply sat with her in silence.
Yu San, A Yuan, and A Chang returned from outside. When they lifted the curtain, they saw this scene: under the lantern light, the solemn young lord and the lovely young lady sat quietly facing each other.
Earlier, the young lady had even joked about "the moon hanging over willow branches, lovers meeting at dusk." Yu San glanced at Lin Yan again—he did cut a fine figure...
"Young lady, the lantern tower is several zhang tall, with hundreds of lanterns..." A Yuan exclaimed excitedly.
Shen Shaoguang turned her head and asked with a smile, "Really? I heard there's a rotating lantern wheel—is that true?"① The spring pancakes in Shaoguang are inspired by Liang Shiqiu's essay "Thin Pancakes." Regarding the winter-spring vegetables and spring plate of the Tang Dynasty, I've consulted some materials, though not entirely definitive. This section includes some inferences and my own fictional elements—dear readers, please don't scrutinize too closely.
② The story originates from Mr. Deng Yunxiang's "Yunxiang's Culinary Tales." As for whether there's an earlier source, I'm not certain.
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