Yummy Yummy Yummy

The past few days had reached new heights of heat. While the daytime was bearable, the nights were utterly windless. The cicadas outside chirped in long and short bursts, seemingly even noisier than during the day. Shen Shaoguang found herself suffering from insomnia, barely managing to fall asleep by midnight only to wake up early at dawn. Her pillow was damp with sweat, her back sticking to the bamboo mat, her entire body sticky and uncomfortable. Sigh —why was this summer so unbearable?

She got up and gulped down a cup of cold boiled water, finally feeling somewhat revived. It was strange—back when she lived in the palace's inner quarters, squeezed into a room with several others, she had slept through countless winters and summers, dozing off the moment her head hit the pillow. Last year, staying at Luminous Nunnery, even during the sweltering dog days, she hadn’t suffered from insomnia. But now, in her own home, with gauze curtains on the windows and wearing a strappy nightgown, why was she sleeping so poorly?

Shen Shaoguang chuckled self-deprecatingly. This was probably what they called "sleeping in hardship, waking in comfort."

A Yuan was still asleep, so Shen Shaoguang didn’t wake her. Instead, she gathered the bamboo mat, pillow towel, and her used nightgown and went to the well to wash them. After cleaning the mat and pillow towel, she laid them out to dry in the courtyard, but the nightgown had to be hung indoors—after all, she had to respect the sensibilities of the times.

She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and even rinsed her hair. Finally feeling refreshed, she loosely tied up her hair and headed to the front shop to see what Yu San was preparing for breakfast.

Noticing the dark circles under Shen Shaoguang’s eyes, Yu San frowned. "Were you out stealing at night?"

Shen Shaoguang put on an innocent face. It’s not like I wanted to—do you think being a panda is easy?

A Yuan soon arrived after washing up, and A Chang returned from the tofu shop with a bucket of tofu pudding. Yu San had just finished frying small sesame cakes. Shen Shaoguang helped fish out the freshly boiled eggs and sliced the pickled vegetables into strips, slices, and minced pieces. Yu San also prepared garlic paste, cornel chili sauce, sesame paste, leek flower sauce, and minced cilantro to top the tofu pudding. With that, Shen Ji’s breakfast spread was complete.

Tofu pudding was something Shen Shaoguang understood in theory but couldn’t make herself. After discussing it with Qiu Family Woman and a few trials, they had finally produced a very decent version.

"Quite a few people buy this tofu pudding," A Chang remarked, grinning. "When I go, I don’t have to wait—Qiu Family Woman serves me first." He looked smug.

Shen Shaoguang smiled. Indeed, children shared the universal human flaw of loving privilege, even in the smallest forms.

Since she had plenty of flaws herself, Shen Shaoguang didn’t demand much from those around her. She simply said with a laugh, "Don’t do that in the future. Others have been waiting too."

A Chang obediently agreed with a smile.

Shen Shaoguang ladled some of the shop’s old bone broth over her tofu pudding, adding a bit of garlic paste, sesame paste, cornel chili sauce, and a sprinkle of minced cilantro. The result was smooth, flavorful, and delicious.

Perhaps the tofu pudding had whetted her appetite. Though she hadn’t planned on eating much, Shen Shaoguang finished an egg and then polished off one of Princess Yu San’s freshly fried sesame cakes with the pudding. The small cake, no bigger than her palm, was layered with sesame paste and spiced salt, its golden-brown crust crispy and fragrant.

Youth was resilient. Despite several sleepless nights, a hearty and homely breakfast restored her energy. Shen Shaoguang led A Yuan and A Chang in drawing well water to wipe down the tables and chairs, clean the shop, inspect the vegetables delivered by the vendors, and help Princess Yu San prepare ingredients. Before she knew it, over an hour had passed.

By mid-morning, the fish vendor arrived. This time, he didn’t bring any cicada nymphs but instead carried a turtle weighing over two pounds.

Well now, this is something new. The fish seller was also proud. "Right under the Great Willow Tree, I couldn't see what it was at first. Only when it moved did I realize—it was this cunning thing! It was about to escape when I trapped it with my basket. Luckily, it was by the riverbank where the water was shallow, and it got tangled in the tree roots. If it had been in deep water, I wouldn’t have caught it."

There were many ways to prepare turtle—stewed in soup, braised in soy sauce, stir-fried with young chicken, simmered with pork knuckle, or steamed with mutton fat and salted duck egg yolks as they did in the palace. The most inhumane method Shen Shaoguang had heard of was placing the turtle on a heated iron plate, forcing it to crawl while continuously feeding it water mixed with seasonings, slowly roasting it alive. It was said this method produced an incredibly fragrant turtle, but Shen Shaoguang thought whoever came up with this idea must be a tyrant among chefs—or perhaps a chef among tyrants.

Shen Shaoguang was an ordinary person, so she chose to stew it with chicken. The method was simple: heat a little oil in the pot, sauté scallions and ginger, then stir-fry the chicken with a splash of yellow wine. Add water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and once the broth turned milky white, add the chopped turtle pieces along with a small cloth bag of spices like Sichuan pepper and black pepper, then let it simmer slowly.

It was too late for lunch, and the turtle was too small to serve guests, so she decided to stew it in the afternoon. By evening, when the heat had subsided, it would be perfect for enjoying the soup and meat.

But Shen Shaoguang was just giving instructions—Yu San was the one actually doing the work. For one thing, Shen Shaoguang couldn’t bring herself to kill the turtle.

A Yuan had never eaten turtle before. The aroma wafting from the kitchen made her restless, and she kept sneaking glances toward it.

In the quiet of the afternoon, with few customers around, Yu San and A Chang were resting in the backyard. Shen Shaoguang had intended to take a nap, but A Yuan’s fidgeting kept her awake.

She waved A Yuan over, who trotted up eagerly.

Lying lazily with one hand propping her head and the other slowly fanning them both, Shen Shaoguang mused, "When we’re rich someday, we’ll build a grand house by the Wei River. I’ll carry a fishing rod and basket every day to fish there. They say turtles love meat—if we bait with chicken gizzards or pork liver, we’ll probably catch one now and then. Then you can eat your fill."

A Yuan giggled. "Last time, you said we’d buy a villa in Zhongnan Mountain and hunt pheasants for me all over the hills..."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. It was just a bigger dream, that’s all. "We’ll have the villa in Zhongnan Mountain and the one by the Wei River. The mountains are cool this time of year—nothing like the city, where it’s too hot to sleep. And there’s plenty of game. We’ll set up skewers in the courtyard and grill lamb, chicken wings, venison, rabbit meat..."

Just as she was lost in her fantasy, the sound of the curtain being lifted interrupted her—it was Lord Lin.

Shen Shaoguang stood up and greeted him casually, "It’s been days since we last saw you, Lord Lin. How have you been?"

Lin Yan frowned slightly as he glanced at her, his eyes lingering on the faint shadows under hers. He opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated before replying, "I’ve been well. Thank you."

Shen Shaoguang’s resentment toward the wealthy flared up inwardly. Of course he’s well—living in a lofty mansion with ice basins and probably beautiful maids fanning him. If I had that, I’d be well too... Damn rich people!

Outwardly, she smiled and invited him to sit, asking what he’d like to eat today, then instructed A Yuan to bring him a chilled fruit drink.She had expected him to say, "Young Lady may arrange as you please," but instead, he said, "Whatever is ready will do. No need to trouble yourself with cooking."

Being spared from kitchen duty was naturally a good thing. Shen Shaoguang happily agreed and was about to turn away when it belatedly dawned on her—was this perhaps... concern for her?

Shen Shaoguang raised an eyebrow, giving Lin Yan a teasing, half-smiling look.

She thought someone of his temperament would at least offer an explanation like, "It's too hot; I don’t have much appetite." But to her surprise, Lord Lin merely glanced at her before calmly sipping his fruit drink as if nothing had happened.

Shen Shaoguang: "..."

She pursed her lips. Fine. Turning around, she headed to the kitchen.

Lin Yan, however, allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.

Originally, she had planned to serve him a couple of plates of pastries as a quick fix. But upon seeing the nearly stewed turtle, she changed her mind—she ought to make it worth the silver he had paid.

There was already dough resting in the kitchen. Shen Shaoguang pinched off a piece, stretched it into broad noodles as thin as chive leaves, and boiled them. She ladled out a bowl of turtle and chicken broth, added the cooked noodles, sprinkled chopped scallions, seasoned it with salt, and carried it out on a tray.

A Yuan sniffed the air. Hadn’t the young lady said this was for their own meal?

The steaming, fragrant bowl of turtle and chicken broth noodles made Lin Yan break into a sweat, dampening his collar.

Rarely seeing him in such a disheveled state, Shen Shaoguang grinned and asked, "Did the meal suit your taste, my lord?"

Meeting her mischievous gaze, Lin Yan sighed in resignation but couldn’t help smiling. "Very much so."

Standing over him, Shen Shaoguang watched Lord Lin eat his noodles. The legendary beauty He Yan, once suspected of wearing powder, had famously eaten hot noodles in summer, sweating profusely until "wiping his face with his crimson sleeve, his complexion grew even fairer." This scene probably wasn’t far off. Tsk, tsk!

The summer clothes were thin, and with the sweat, his figure became even more visible. Shamelessly, Shen Shaoguang stole another appreciative glance before leaving, thoroughly satisfied.

Drenched in sweat and feeling somewhat improper, and noticing Young Lady Shen seemed a bit tired, Lin Yan decided not to linger after finishing his meal and soon took his leave.

Returning home, he changed clothes and summoned Liu Chang. "About the fine horse you were tasked to find—you needn’t look anymore."

Liu Chang was puzzled. "Did Lang Pei not purchase that residence, so there’s no need for a housewarming gift?"

"Give him the horse I usually ride."

"And what about you, my lord?" Liu Chang was even more astonished—that was his master’s beloved steed.

"There are other horses in the stable. The chestnut one will do just fine."

Liu Chang: "..."

"Also, keep an ear out for any land, estates, or ready-made villas for sale in the southern mountains—somewhere to escape the summer heat."

Liu Chang understood. Though his lord’s salary was substantial, his expenses were high too. Buying a fine horse might leave him short for a villa. But why the sudden interest in acquiring property in Zhongnan Mountain? For the Dowager? The elderly often struggled with the heat. Still, how often would his lord have time to accompany her there?

"One more thing," Lin Yan licked his lips, "there’s a bamboo mat. Have an unfamiliar face take it and hawk it in front of Shen’s Shop."

Liu Chang: "..."

In a flash, Liu Chang understood. Ah, my lord... men...

The next day, the still sleep-deprived Shen Shaoguang encountered this "peddler" selling bamboo mats.

Shen Shaoguang knew quality when she saw it. "This is a Langzhou bamboo mat from Shannan Circuit, isn’t it?"

The peddler was exceedingly polite and amiable. "The young lady is quite right."The bamboo mats from Langzhou are exquisitely crafted, smooth as jade. It's said they're all made from bamboo grown on the shady side of mountains. When used in summer, they provide coolness without sweat. Every year they're sent to the capital as tribute, and they're also sold in the East Market at outrageously high prices.

The vendor smiled and said, "To be honest with you, miss, I obtained this after saving a nobleman's life—it was his gift to me. Someone of my humble means has no use for such finery. The pawnshop wouldn't offer much for it, so I thought I'd try selling it myself."

Shen Shaoguang still felt something was off. Could this be stolen goods?

"Small gains bring great losses," she reminded herself as she stroked the Jade Mat. It was truly exquisite. When I get rich, she dreamed expansively, I'll buy one—no, four! One for each of us four at home.

The "vendor" made another round outside before returning dejectedly to the Lin residence to report to Liu Chang. There was nothing to be done—this trick could only work once. Since the mat hadn't been "sold," they couldn't try again. Liu Chang pointed at the incompetent subordinate, signaling him to go receive punishment from their master.

After hearing the full story, Lin Yan couldn't help but laugh wryly. What a waste that A Qi didn't join the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review...

Author's note: The method of roasting live turtles while they crawl seems to have been inspired by roast goose, though I can't recall the source material.