After the Shangsi Festival, spring arrived in full force—no longer the delicate freshness of early days, but an overwhelming wave of green, bright sunshine, birds chirping every morning to disturb sweet dreams, endless spring outings and banquets, and the occasional gossip about romantic escapades between men and women.
Shen Shaoguang stood behind the counter, tallying accounts while eavesdropping on the nearby diners exchanging juicy tidbits.
"This Zhao fellow has been bedridden for a year, barely more alive than a corpse. Yet now his wife suddenly claims to be with child, saying she dreamed of her husband and that heaven took pity, blessing her with this pregnancy. The Zhao family is even happily distributing celebratory fruits and eggs everywhere. Truly... the morals of our times are declining." One diner shook his head, sighing as he took a sip of wine.
"You don't understand. The Zhao family has such vast wealth but no heir. Even if the old parents know the truth, they’ll turn a blind eye. At least the child born will be considered their own descendant—better than letting distant relatives inherit everything," his drinking companion explained the reasoning behind it.
"Those distant relatives are still descendants of the Zhao family! Isn’t that better than a bastard child with a mother but no father? Merchants, after all, have no sense of propriety or rules!"
His friend scoffed. "Merchants lack propriety, but others have it? I heard that Princess Fuhui—" He suddenly stopped, realizing he had spoken carelessly, and chuckled awkwardly before taking another sip of wine.
Not long after the two fell silent, Young Master Pei—who had some connection to Princess Fuhui—and his friend Lord Lin walked in.
Lord Lin was a frequent visitor, so his presence wasn’t particularly noteworthy. But Young Master Pei seemed somewhat haggard, making Lord Lin appear almost radiant by comparison. Shen Shaoguang smirked to herself—generous tips really do add a flattering filter!
She led them to a table by the window, where the half-open frame offered a view of the bright spring scenery outside—the willow and elm trees lining the road, like brides bathed in the setting sun... More importantly, it was far enough from the gossipers to avoid awkwardness.
With a smile, Shen Shaoguang asked, "Lord Lin, will you have the bamboo shoot stir-fry and chicken with wild mushrooms again? Today’s spinach is very tender—perhaps some two-colored fish balls with spinach juice?"
At the mention of spinach, Lin Yan paused briefly before nodding with a smile. "Very well."
Pei Fei raised an eyebrow, glancing between the composed Lin Yan and the smiling Young Lady Shen. Hah...
"And what would Young Master Pei like?" Shen Shaoguang asked cheerfully.
Pei Fei studied the menu and noticed many changes. The once extensive hot pot section had been reduced to just two lines, while spring stir-fries and fresh seasonal vegetables now took center stage. The spring plate was even listed separately.
Seeing Pei Fei’s gaze linger on the spring plate, Shen Shaoguang—as a responsible and conscientious proprietor—warned him to think twice. Eating a spring plate late in the evening might not suit one’s health. More than a few customers had overindulged in it, so the restaurant now offered digestive aids with every spring plate order.
Pei Fei laughed, and even Lin Yan’s lips curled slightly.
A straight-faced comedian couldn’t afford to laugh herself. Shen Shaoguang recommended some light vegetable stir-fries instead. "Unlike stews, these dishes are quickly stir-fried in small pans—fresh and crisp, perfect for this season."
Fresh and crisp... Her description made it sound irresistible. Pei Fei studied the menu carefully, tempted to mischievously order multiple spinach dishes. But after a glance at Lin Yan, who was quietly sipping tea, he restrained himself and opted for celery with scrambled eggs, stir-fried cured pork with scallions, eel strips, and vinegar-tossed bean sprouts—a balanced mix of meat and vegetables.Shen Shaoguang took the menu and said, "Please wait a moment, your food and wine will be ready shortly."
She brought it to the kitchen and handed the menu to Yu San. Watching A Chang tend the fire and prepare the vegetables, A Yuan chop and prep the ingredients, and Yu San take charge of the stove, the three of them worked in perfect harmony. Satisfied, Shen Shaoguang stepped out and returned behind the counter.
During the cold autumn and winter months, the tavern mainly served stews and steamed dishes—soft, tender, and piping hot, warming both body and soul. Now that spring had arrived, people craved something crisp and fresh, so the tavern's specialties became the spring plate and seasonal stir-fries.
In this era, the popular cooking methods were steaming, boiling, roasting, and stewing. Although "stir-frying," the dominant cooking method of later generations, had already emerged, it wasn't widespread—mainly due to the limitations of the times. Not every household had a suitable iron wok for stir-frying, and cooking oil was another issue.
But for a tavern or restaurant, this wasn't a problem. From the moment Shen Shaoguang opened her tavern, she had custom-ordered various sizes of cauldron pots and pans, stocking up on all kinds of vegetable and animal fats. As the saying goes, "A craftsman must first sharpen his tools."
Stir-frying was particularly suited to taverns: the cooking time was short, allowing dishes to be served quickly; the vegetables remained crisp and tender, their colors vibrant, making them visually appealing without elaborate plating; and the endless combinations of meats and vegetables offered limitless variety.
During autumn and winter, stir-fried dishes had been available, but their popularity wasn't as noticeable. Now, with the arrival of spring and the updated menu, orders for stir-fries had increased. Seasonal vegetable stir-fries were especially popular among patrons—like Lord Lin, for instance.
Lately, Lord Lin had been frequenting the tavern, often ordering stir-fries, with stir-fried spring bamboo shoots and pork being his favorite.
Fresh, tender bamboo shoots stir-fried with slivers of pork belly were delicious, but Shen Shaoguang suspected Lord Lin's fondness for bamboo shoots might also stem from a scholar's sentiment.
In later generations, wasn't there the renowned gourmet Su Dongpo who said, "Better to eat without meat than to live without bamboo. Without meat, one grows thin; without bamboo, one becomes vulgar. Thinness can be remedied, but vulgarity is incurable"? His friend even teased him, "If you're truly returning for the bitter bamboo shoots, you might as well shed your official robes tomorrow." Listen to that—willing to give up his official post just for bamboo shoots.
Lord Lin, that lofty and unapproachable flower, was certainly not vulgar. Since he already had bamboo where he lived, he naturally pursued "eating bamboo shoots" as well.
Thinking of the bamboo in his residence, Shen Shaoguang felt a pang of melancholy. Ah, well...
With no new customers arriving for the moment, Shen Shaoguang went into the kitchen to help. Seeing that A Yuan had already sliced the fish fillets and noticing the uncut greens, she asked A Yuan to handle the vegetables while she took up the knife to scrape the fish paste.
Scraping fish paste was a delicate task. One had to secure one end of the fish and slowly scrape the blade from that end toward the other, collecting the paste on the knife and transferring it to a bowl layer by layer, bit by bit, without rushing. If one were to haphazardly chop and mince the fish, the resulting fish balls wouldn't be as tender, and one would need to add starch to prevent them from turning into a pot of fish porridge.
A Yuan disliked this meticulous work, preferring the satisfying rhythm of chopping vegetables. Seeing that the young mistress was willing to take over, she grinned and handed the task to her, then went to slice the vegetables.
After scraping the fish paste, Shen Shaoguang added a pinch of salt, pepper, and water, then vigorously stirred it in one direction with chopsticks until the fish paste was ready.Then, she mashed the already blanched spinach, placed it in a cheesecloth net to squeeze out the juice, mixed half of the fish meat with this juice, and stirred it again. The remaining half of the fish meat remained white. She scooped both mixtures with small spoons and blanched them in boiling water, creating fresh and tender two-colored fish balls.
While mashing the spinach, a new customer arrived. Shen Shaoguang handed the half-finished work to A Yuan and went out to greet the guests.
It was an elderly woman and a child. Since few elderly women and children frequented the tavern, Shen Shaoguang immediately recognized them as the grandmother and grandson who had come to eat tangyuan during the Lantern Festival.
Shen Shaoguang invited them to sit. The old woman ordered meatball jade tip noodles and spinach egg drop soup, skipping any side dishes.
Shen Shaoguang served them hawthorn fruit drink and said with a smile, "It’ll be ready soon. Grandma and young master, please wait a moment."
In no time, the dishes for Lord Lin and Pei Fei were ready, and the soup for the grandmother and grandson was also served.
More customers arrived one after another. As Shen Shaoguang was attending to them, she suddenly heard a child’s crying from the main hall.
She hurried over.
The old woman frowned, while the little boy pouted, on the verge of tears.
"What’s the matter? Does the jade tip noodles not suit the young master’s taste?" Shen Shaoguang asked with a smile.
The old woman looked apologetically at Shen Shaoguang. "He likes the steamed buns well enough, but he won’t eat the greens."
Shen Shaoguang nodded. "Has the young master ever heard of someone called Popeye the Sailor?"
"Once upon a time, there was a sailor who was usually very weak. But once he ate spinach, he became strong and mighty," Shen Shaoguang patted her bicep and made a fist. "The muscles here would bulge—very impressive!"
"Like a knight-errant?"
Well, East meets West in this Romance. Shen Shaoguang nodded. "Yes, just like a knight-errant, punishing evil and upholding justice—a great hero."
The child frowned at the bowl of spinach egg drop soup. "Fine, I’ll drink it!"
"That’s the spirit. Good boy," Shen Shaoguang praised with a smile.
The old woman also smiled. "Remember what the young lady said," she thanked Shen Shaoguang.
As Shen Shaoguang turned to leave, she glanced up and saw Young Master Pei wearing a mocking, amused expression, while Lord Lin lowered his eyes and drank his fish ball soup calmly.
Had these friends quarreled? Though Lord Lin might not be much of a talker, Shen Shaoguang had a feeling Young Master Pei was the one being suppressed. Since they weren’t crying or making a scene, she didn’t need to intervene and simply returned behind the counter.
As the night deepened, Shen Shaoguang stood at the door to see off her big customers. "Safe travels, gentlemen."
Pei Fei returned the farewell with a beaming smile, while Lin Yan nodded slightly with a smile.
The moon was round and bright as Lin and Pei walked slowly back to the Lin residence under its glow.
Pei Fei tilted his head to look at Lin Yan, then let out a scoffing laugh.
Lin Yan continued walking, ignoring him.
"So even you have a day like this…"
Lin Yan knew what Pei Fei was referring to and thought he was making a fuss. Accustomed to mingling in flowery circles, Pei saw everything through a lens of flirtation. Lin Yan pursed his lips and finally said, "Don’t overthink it."
"I’m not overthinking anything. I’m just surprised you’re eating spinach—something you never touch…"
"I find spinach crisp and tender now. It’s not bad to have occasionally," Lin Yan replied indifferently.Occasionally... this "occasionally" probably specifically referred to times at Shen's Shop. Pei Fei nodded, "That's excellent, truly excellent. Perhaps one day An Ran could also 'silver saddle shining on white steed, swift as shooting stars across the sky.'"
Lin Yan shot him a glance, "You're truly drunk!" and strode ahead toward the Lin residence.
Pei Fei ambled behind with hands clasped behind his back, humming a tune: "Night drums sound, the world grows still, flowers fragrant under cold moonlight, love's presence masked as indifference, ah..."
Author's Note:
①There are debates about stir-frying as a cooking method in the Tang Dynasty. Here we adopt one interpretation—please don't scrutinize too closely.
②From Li Bai's "Ode to Gallantry."
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