Yummy Yummy Yummy

Shen Shaoguang was in the kitchen peeling cattail shoots.

In her previous life, she had only known that the finest cattail shoots came from Huai'an and Jinan.

Huai'an, located further south, harvested cattail shoots in late spring. The most common way to prepare them was to wrap them in pork and cattail shoot dumplings, with shrimp added for those who preferred a fresher taste. Alternatively, they could be added to old hen soup—once the broth was ready, the cattail shoots were tossed in, seasoned with salt, and served immediately, resulting in a rich soup with tender shoots. They could also be stir-fried with eel shreds, dried shrimp, steamed Lion's Head Meatballs, or simply stir-fried in plain oil for a fresh and delicate flavor.

Jinan, further north, enjoyed cattail shoots in the summer. At home, they could be stir-fried plain, with shredded meat, pan-fried, or battered and deep-fried. But the most classic and famous dish was Milk Soup with Cattail Shoots.

However, whether due to bad luck or misunderstanding, every time Shen Shaoguang had tried "Milk Soup with Cattail Shoots," the so-called "milk soup" had been a flour-thickened broth mixed with shrimp, ham, and sea cucumber. Though the dish looked beautiful and tasted good, she always felt a sense of disappointment—in her understanding, the "milk soup" should have been made from slow-simmered bone broth.

She never expected that in the Tang Dynasty, in Chang'an, she would find fresh and tender cattail shoots. Was this heaven giving her a chance to try making bone-broth milk soup with cattail shoots?

The vegetable vendor said these cattail shoots came from the banks of the Wei River. After being harvested, they were wrapped in wet mud and rushed to Chang'an by fast carriage. The vendors would wash them again before displaying them on their stalls or delivering them to noble households, taverns, and restaurants.

"Otherwise, how could they be this fresh and tender? They're almost like bamboo shoots," the vendor chuckled.

Given the effort involved, they weren’t cheap, but Shen Shaoguang still bought a good amount and arranged for more to be delivered if available.

These shoots were best peeled and eaten fresh. Since Yu San and A Chang rose early in the morning and were busy in the kitchen at noon, Shen Shaoguang let them rest in the afternoon while she prepared ingredients for the evening meal—sorting vegetables, marinating meat, and keeping an eye on the simmering pots.

A Yuan came over to help peel the cattail shoots, but Shen Shaoguang shooed her away. "It's too hot, and you're not feeling well. Go rest."

A Yuan stood up, wandered around, then came back. "I’d rather help you peel the vegetables, miss. I’m so hungry that resting won’t be comfortable anyway. Might as well distract myself with some work."

Shen Shaoguang smiled helplessly.

The night before, A Yuan had eaten a lot of roasted lamb, some jade tip noodles, and two large peaches before bed—she might have eaten another if Shen Shaoguang hadn’t stopped her. She had also slept with her belly uncovered, seeking coolness, and by dawn, she was running to the outhouse repeatedly. By morning, her stomach was still unsettled.

Shen Shaoguang took her to see the local physician, who checked her pulse, examined her tongue, wrote a prescription, and advised, "Eat light these next few days. A good fast will do you good." It vaguely reminded Shen Shaoguang of the scene in Dream of the Red Chamber where the imperial physician treats Qiaojie.

Hearing this medical advice, A Yuan’s face fell immediately.

She hated dieting, and Shen Shaoguang usually didn’t push her, but now that she was truly ill, supervision was necessary.

At noon, Shen Shaoguang specially prepared millet porridge for A Yuan and, considering her appetite, mercifully made a small bowl of steamed egg custard. But for A Yuan’s bottomless stomach, this was like a drop in the bucket.A Yuan cast a resentful glance at Yu San, who was heartily chewing cumin-flavored lamb, making his enjoyment all the more obvious. She then turned to A Chang, who had stuffed Agate meat into a steamed bun and drenched it in thick gravy. A Chang subtly turned his body, giving A Yuan only half his back.

A Yuan: "..." The young mistress is much kinder!

Shen Shaoguang was eating shredded meat with cattail shoots and cucumber with eggs, accompanied by the same millet porridge as A Yuan.

Even the few shreds of meat in the stir-fried cattail shoots looked delicious to A Yuan. She gazed at Shen Shaoguang with hopeful eyes and tentatively reached out with her chopsticks.

Yu San coughed.

A Yuan reluctantly put down her bamboo chopsticks.

Shen Shaoguang had no choice but to console her: "If you don’t recover properly now, your stomach will act up every time you eat meat in the future. You might even lose your appetite for it altogether. Just hold out for a couple more days. Once you’re fully better, I’ll roast a lamb leg for you."

A Yuan pouted but agreed.

Having not eaten her fill at lunch, she was even hungrier by mid-afternoon. While helping the young mistress peel and wash the cattail shoots for dinner, A Yuan sniffed the aroma of the Milk Soup simmering on the stove. "At noon, all the customers praised the young mistress’s Milk Soup with cattail shoots. They said it looked light but was unexpectedly flavorful."

Shen Shaoguang felt rather proud. The Milk Soup with cattail shoots she had made at noon was indeed a success—tender green shoots floating in milky-white broth, garnished with bits of cured meat. It was visually appealing, the broth was rich, and the shoots were crisp and tender—simply delicious. The only downside was that it had been a bit too hot to enjoy fully at noon. She resolved to drink two hearty bowls in the evening.

A Yuan was equally smug. "They have no idea the Milk Soup was simmered with pork bones, old chicken, and old duck! With ingredients like that, even boiled straw sandals would taste good! If it were just boiled water with greens and a bit of starch to thicken it, they’d surely throw their plates in protest."

Just as Lin Yan entered, he overheard the little maid’s words from the kitchen and couldn’t help but smile. Truly, the servant reflects the master.

Shen Shaoguang laughed. "Some people actually enjoy boiled water with greens—usually nobles from wealthy households who’ve grown tired of rich food and want a change of taste, like Lord Lin, who often visits. It just goes to show that 'the greatest flavors are often the simplest'... That’s true refinement."

Thinking of the wealthy seeking a change in diet reminded Shen Shaoguang of the movie The Dream Factory , where a tycoon sent to a rural village ended up eating all the chickens in the entire village. If Lord Lin were sent there, could he maintain his current dignified and graceful demeanor?

As she amused herself imagining Lord Lin with disheveled hair, wrapped in a black cotton-padded jacket, crouching at the village entrance waiting for rescue, she heard a soft cough outside.

Shen Shaoguang widened her eyes. Surely not? What a coincidence! It really was true—one shouldn’t speak ill of others behind their backs...

Pushing aside the kitchen curtain, she stepped out and offered Lin Yan an ingratiating smile. "Good day, Lord Lin. Please come in. Would you like a chilled plum Fruit Drink to cool off first?"

Lin Yan kept a straight face, but a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. "Yes, thank you, young mistress."

Shen Shaoguang smiled sweetly. "No trouble at all."

A Yuan had already gone to fetch the plum Fruit Drink from the backyard, sparing Shen Shaoguang the errand. She then proceeded to ask Lord Lin, as usual, what he would like to eat.

"How about the 'greatest flavors are often the simplest' greens you mentioned earlier?"

Shen Shaoguang: "...Of course!"

Knowing she was at fault, Shen Shaoguang accepted the teasing gracefully and was about to leave when he added, "Young mistress, your earlier words in the kitchen seemed unfinished. What about 'the greatest flavors are often the simplest'?"Shen Shaoguang turned her head to look at him. Lord Lin's brows and eyes were slightly curved, with a faint smile that wasn't quite a smile—unlike his usual solemn and reserved demeanor, it bore some resemblance to his friend Young Master Pei. With such an expression and asking such a question, it was clearly teasing.

Shen Shaoguang felt a flutter in her heart, her cheeks warming slightly. So Lord Lin could also adopt such a charmingly flirtatious manner—truly... the tricks of a talented man are indeed unfathomable!

She steadied herself, exhaling slowly. Things had grown so ambiguous; she couldn’t let this continue unchecked.

Instead of heading to the kitchen, Shen Shaoguang sat down opposite Lord Lin and smiled. "What I said earlier in the kitchen was merely to tease the maids. Strong flavors have their merits, and mild ones their charm—there’s no need to take it too seriously. Please don’t dwell on it, my lord."

Lin Yan’s expression grew serious and composed as he quietly regarded her.

"About 'the greatest flavors must be mild'—there’s little to discuss. But I do have another question. While in the palace, I once read in the Book of Songs : 'All things have a beginning, but few reach their end.' Later, I came across a book by a certain Master Hong: 'It is better to avoid long-standing weariness than to inspire fleeting joy upon first acquaintance.' I find this quite profound. What does Lord Lin think?"

Lin Yan studied Shen Shaoguang for a long moment, while she maintained her serene smile.

Pursing his lips, Lin Yan said, "Listening to you speak, there’s a hint of Lao-Zhuang philosophy. Yet observing your late father’s conduct, he was a Confucian scholar."

Shen Shaoguang raised an eyebrow.

"I, too, am a follower of Confucianism. We Confucians uphold 'setting our will on the Way, grounding ourselves in virtue, leaning upon benevolence,' striving with all our heart to achieve it—that is all." Lin Yan’s gaze was steady and earnest, unwavering as he looked at her.

Shen Shaoguang was momentarily speechless. So your Confucian zeal for engagement with the world manifests in every aspect...

"The Book of Rites states: 'The Confucian is like a treasure on the mat, awaiting employment; he studies diligently day and night, awaiting inquiry; he harbors loyalty and trust, awaiting recommendation; he practices diligently, awaiting selection.'" Lin Yan moistened his lips, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "For me to say this may seem presumptuous, but I ask the young lady to consider it carefully."

Shen Shaoguang: "..."

The Confucian is like a treasure on the mat, awaiting employment; he studies diligently, awaiting inquiry; he harbors loyalty and trust, awaiting recommendation; he practices diligently, awaiting selection. Was he comparing himself to a "treasure on the mat," waiting to be "employed and selected" by me?

Wait—are you freaking confessing to me?

Is this how people in the Tang Dynasty confess? Through philosophical debate?

Shen Shaoguang forced a smile. "You Confucians really are something—why must you 'persist even when you know it’s impossible'?"

"Without trying, how would one know it’s impossible? Perhaps it’s... very possible..." His tone softened at the end, the trailing "perhaps" carrying endless implications. Despite the ostensibly serious words, there was a hint of flirtation in them. Lin Yan lifted his Fruit Drink to take a sip, somewhat awkwardly, revealing glimpses of multicolored silk threads from his sleeve.

Watching his jawline and the movement of his throat as he drank, Shen Shaoguang’s thoughts strayed a little at his "perhaps it’s very possible." How possible? Sharing books and tea, entwined in love’s embrace, raising children together, growing old side by side?

She swallowed hard and gave a dry laugh. "It seems, well, Confucianism and Daoism truly are vastly different, vastly different... I’ll go prepare the soup for you now."

Lin Yan watched her near-fleeing figure and couldn’t help but smile.Shen Shaoguang was in the kitchen, cutting the cattail stems into sections and slicing two pieces of cured meat along with a few slices of ginger. She poured a bit of oil into the wok, stir-frying the ginger and cured meat while her emotions churned in turmoil. Who would have thought that Lord Lin would have such a domineering CEO-like demeanor—refusing to take no for an answer and outright clarifying their relationship... This Confucian scholar was proving to be quite—persistent.

A Yuan came in to add to the chaos: "Young Mistress knows so much, even able to discuss scholarly matters with the Tanhua scholar."

Shen Shaoguang gave a dry laugh: "...It's better not to know, better not to know."

A Yuan was puzzled. "Why is that? Didn’t you often urge me to learn more characters?"

Shen Shaoguang spoke with grave sincerity: "Knowing characters is enough. Some Confucian texts are better left ununderstood."

A Yuan was even more confused, but seeing that the young mistress seemed lost in thought and unwilling to elaborate, she didn’t press further.

Shen Shaoguang ladled the finished Milk Soup with Cattail Stems into a bowl, casually adding some steamed buns and side dishes before having A Yuan carry them out.

Lin Yan glanced at A Yuan, who explained on Shen Shaoguang’s behalf: "My young mistress is pondering matters of 'Confucianism.'"

Shen Shaoguang in the kitchen: "..."

Lin Yan chuckled.

Author’s Note:

Author: When Taoist inaction meets Confucian "create conditions where none exist"—this is the inevitable communication breakdown. Let me tell you, Lord Lin, your beliefs are incompatible. Happiness is impossible.

Lord Lin shoots a sharp glare.

The author turns to tease A Qi: Kicked an iron plate, didn’t you? This man isn’t easy to handle, is he?

A Qi shoots another glare.

Author: Take these two brats away—anyone who wants them can have them!

————

① Shen Qian’s Miscellaneous Remarks on Lyric Composition comments on Xin Qiji’s poetry: "The craft of lyricists is truly unfathomable." (Modified slightly.) —Just realized the heroine’s father shares a name with this rhyme scholar.

② Caigen Tan (Vegetable Roots Discourse) .