Yummy Yummy Yummy

Shao Jie once again arrived at Shen Ji Tavern in Chongxian Ward.

Shen Shaoguang greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Shao, you've come at the perfect time. The preserved goods merchant you recommended sent several jars of Cangzhou Sugar Crabs. Would you like to try a couple steamed?"

After some thought, Shao Jie waved his hand, "No, I'd better not. Since partnering with you to open this tavern, my waistline has expanded by several inches. Even my mother, who used to always say I was too thin, now says it's just right. I'm afraid if I keep gaining weight like this, I won't be able to find a bride."

Shen Shaoguang studied Shao Jie carefully. He had indeed put on some weight, but it wasn't excessive. The aesthetic standards for men in this dynasty still carried some influence from the Wei-Jin period, where handsome men were expected to be tall and graceful. For others, the standard was different—broad shoulders, round waist, and a robust physique. Shao Jie didn't fit the first category, but by the latter standard, his current figure was just right.

She offered half-hearted consolation, "Young Master Shao, you're still far from needing ten girdles like Yu Zisong. No need to worry."

Shao Jie tilted his head and teased her, "I have a question. Lord Lin has been eating at Shen Ji longer than I have, so why hasn't he gained weight?"

When it came to verbal sparring, Shen Shaoguang rarely lost. She replied earnestly, "There's something in the human body called 'genes.' Lord Lin probably has the 'never-gain-weight gene.'"

Though Shao Jie had never heard of "genes" before, he understood. "So you're saying it's innate?"

Shen Shaoguang nodded solemnly.

A Yuan passed by, her face lighting up with a smile, "I knew it! It has nothing to do with how much or what you eat—it's all given by your parents!"

Shen Shaoguang: "..." She felt like she'd dropped a rock on her own foot and had a premonition that A Yuan would break her diet today.

Shao Jie laughed, "Silly girl! Your mistress was just complimenting someone. Can't you tell?"

A Yuan stopped and asked cheerfully, "Huh? Complimenting who? Me?"

Shao Jie: "..."

A Yuan happily carried a box away, leaving Shen and Shao exchanging glances before bursting into laughter.

Since he was dieting, Shen Shaoguang served two cups of the clearest possible tea—no ginger, pepper, sugar, salt, dried or fresh fruits, and certainly no mutton fat, pork, milk, or cheese.

Shao Jie took a sip and frowned.

Shen Shaoguang smiled inwardly and asked if he had found any suitable new shop locations.

Shao Jie nodded and pulled out a scroll from his sleeve, listing several shops with their addresses, sizes, prices, and rough sketches.

Shen Shaoguang took it to examine.

Shao Jie was truly playing the tycoon—no sooner had the first branch stabilized than he was already planning the second and even third branches.

But Shao Jie wasn't reckless. More branches meant centralized management and bulk purchasing, which could save costs. Most importantly, their current funds and profits could support this expansion, so Shen Shaoguang let him proceed.

She circled two options and agreed to visit them together later.

This was the tavern's first time steaming Sugar Crabs. A Yuan brought over a tray, "Yu Sanlang asked Young Master Shao and Mistress to taste and see which method is better—steaming them over water or steaming them with wine and cinnamon."

The crabs had already been cut open, revealing their caramel-colored roe.Shen Shaoguang looked at Shao Jie, who ultimately set aside his barely touched cup of clear tea. "There's so much intricacy in steaming crabs? I suppose adding wine and cinnamon during the steaming process would enhance the flavor?" Shao Jie mused that perhaps the young lady was right—whether one was plump or thin depended on some "chicken-something factor," and eating a bit more or less hardly mattered.

Shen Shaoguang invited him to help himself first.

Shao Jie picked up a piece, starting with the crab roe. "Mmm, sweet, fragrant, and savory—was this steamed over water?"

A Yuan nodded.

After finishing the water-steamed crab, Shao Jie tried the other kind, savoring it carefully. "The water-steamed one is sweeter but has a stronger crab aroma. The one steamed with wine and cinnamon is milder in sweetness and less fishy—though I prefer the water-steamed version. Isn’t that the true essence of eating crab? What do you think, young lady?"

Shen Shaoguang was meticulously picking meat from a crab claw. At his question, she grinned slyly. "Why choose when we can let them compete? The tavern could host a 'Crab Showdown,' letting customers vote. For the winning variety, we’ll draw three lucky voters, each receiving a basket of six crabs and a jar of fine Xinfeng wine."

Shao Jie: "..."

Shen Shaoguang continued, "This round could be Sugar Crab versus another method, next round Sugar Crab versus Dregs Crab, followed by preserved crabs versus live ones. Later, we could even pit fried crabs against steamed ones... Why not declare it Crab Month?"

What could Shao Jie say? He praised her sincerely, "With such ingenious ideas, young lady, we’ll surely fill the entire capital with our taverns, then expand to the eastern capital, northern capital, Hedong, Shannan, even Jiangnan."

Now it was Shen Shaoguang’s turn to be speechless. So, Young Master Shao had already mapped out a nationwide business empire in his mind?

She licked her lips. "Why not open a few in the barbarian lands too?"

Knowing she was teasing, Shao Jie played along. "Not a bad idea... Let those savages taste our cuisine instead of always hacking at half-raw meat with their little knives."

Shen Shaoguang: "..." The ethnic pride of Tang citizens truly knew no bounds.

"If you put it that way, our food carries the essence of poetry and propriety. So, opening shops in foreign lands would count as civilizing them?"

Shao Jie: "...Young lady thinks too far ahead."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. "The real question is, shouldn’t the imperial court subsidize us for this?"

Both burst into laughter—dreaming was wonderful!

Shao Jie wasted no time, contacting several crab suppliers to secure stock, and both branches launched their crab-themed promotions.

The Poetry Wall outside naturally followed suit.

A Yuan wiped the wall with chalk powder, sighing regretfully to Shen Shaoguang, who was contemplating the new design beside her. "All the effort you put into painting this, and now it’s gone after just a few days. What a pity..."

The advertisement outside rotated with the tavern’s new dishes. What A Yuan erased was an ink-wash painting of a leisurely perch, its tail swaying gracefully, accompanied by a fitting verse: "Why journey south for perch and water shield?"A Yuan only thought the fish was vividly drawn, but didn't feel much about "nostalgia for water shield and perch." In fact, she was more preoccupied with the roasted lamb leg from the previous issue. "That lamb leg painted last time, even after several days, I still dream about it." A Yuan swallowed her saliva.

That lamb leg combined meticulous detail with freehand brushwork, using vibrant colors. Shen Shaoguang had even specially painted the sparks from dripping lamb fat, with amusing ad copy—"Sizzle," mimicking the sound of dripping grease. Some customers joked that this mural seemed to "carry sound and flavor."

Shen Shaoguang laughed, "No worries, no worries. Even without lamb, there are crabs. Just keep dreaming slowly."

A Yuan was reluctant to let go of the old but couldn't help looking forward to the new.

After being busy for several days, when Lin Yan came to Shen Ji, the "Crab Battle" was already in full swing.

Looking at the crab on the Poetry Wall outside, Lin Yan chuckled—A Qi's painting was truly "free-spirited."

On the wall was an enormous crab, golden with hints of red, its shell half-opened to reveal plump meat and rich roe. This wasn't particularly special, as similarly massive and vividly colored Chrysanthemum Fish and lamb legs had already appeared in previous issues.

What set this one apart was the person beside the crab—outlined only in ink, shorter than the crab's legs, wearing a headscarf, a robe sketched in a single stroke, with an obvious beard, two dot-like eyes, and an expression of astonishment. The accompanying inscription read, "How Mighty This Crab!"

Li Bai once wrote, "Snowflakes in Yanshan as big as mats." A Qi's version was "A crab as big as a house." Smiling, Lin Yan entered Shen Ji.

The lunch crowd had already dispersed. A Yuan was counting "votes," while Shen Shaoguang sipped tea nearby, watching her with a smile.

Seeing Lin Yan enter, Shen Shaoguang greeted him, "Master Lin—"

Lin Yan nodded, suddenly recalling how she had called him "Yan Lang" that day. He wondered when he might hear her say it again.

A Yuan reported, "Steamed Sugar Crab still leads by a wide margin. Over the past few days, Wine-Steamed Sugar Crab has fallen behind by over thirty votes."

Lin Yan asked with a smile, "Is this a 'Crab Contest'?"

Shen Shaoguang flattered, "As expected of Master Lin, you understood immediately. Yes, it's a 'Crab Contest' indeed!"

Such smooth talk! Looking at her grinning face, Lin Yan couldn't help but feel...

Shen Shaoguang asked cheerfully, "Would you like two crabs, Master? Our signature Sugar Crab for this round, or two live ones steamed fresh?"

Lin Yan smiled, "The live ones, please."

Shen Shaoguang added another compliment, "Master has excellent taste! For such fresh delicacies, steaming them alive is the greatest respect—it best preserves their natural flavor. Sugar Crab and Dregs Crab are mostly solutions for when crabs are hard to store or transport."

Lin Yan was thoroughly amused by her words, and Shen Shaoguang squinted her eyes, smiling back at him.

Over by the crab station, Yu San rolled his eyes. Who had been singing praises of Sugar Crab just days ago? Claiming that Emperor Yang of the previous dynasty ate Sugar Crab adorned with gold-carved dragons and phoenixes, calling it "Gold-Carved Dragon-Phoenix Crab." Or how Cangzhou Sugar Crab, Guangling Sugar Crab, and Jiangling Sugar Crab were the three great tribute crabs—Cangzhou for its rich roe, Guangling for its fresh crab butter, and Jiangling for its tender meat... Ha! The young mistress's silver tongue!

Nowadays, whenever Lin Yan visited, Shen Shaoguang would set aside her tasks to sit with him.

Though sitting face-to-face with a beauty in silence was amusing in itself, to truly delight the beauty, one had to say something.Shen Shaoguang, with her clever tongue, told Lin Yan a joke: "They say there was once a monk who, when the autumn winds rose and the crabs' legs itched, followed the ways of the mundane and bought crabs to eat."

Though he had only heard the beginning, Lin Yan's lips already curved into a smile.

Shen Shaoguang pressed her lips together. Your sense of humor is off, you know?

Lin Yan suppressed his laughter. "Go on," he urged.

Reinvigorated, Shen Shaoguang continued, "The crabs scratched and clawed at the sides of the pot. His young disciple tending the fire couldn't bear it and clasped his hands in prayer. The monk thought he should also say something, so he chanted, 'Amitabha, Amitabha, it'll be fine once they're cooked, it'll be fine once they're cooked...'"

Lin Yan smiled as he watched her.

Shen Shaoguang was now fairly certain that Lord Lin lacked any entertainment sensibilities. He was probably the type to cheer at the wrong moments during operas or mis-time his reactions during crosstalk performances... Ah well, he was a beauty, after all.

Just as Lin Yan was about to speak, a waiter brought over the steamed crabs, along with ginger-vinegar dipping sauce and wine.

Shen Shaoguang smiled. "One cannot eat crabs without wine. My lord, please have some."

Lin Yan nodded with a smile.

Shen Shaoguang personally warmed the wine for him. First, she slowly poured hot water into the warming vessel, gauging the time before lightly touching the side of the wine pot to check the temperature. When it was just right, she picked up the pot, gave it a gentle shake to evenly distribute the heat, wiped the bottom with a cloth, and poured a cup for Lin Yan.

Watching her graceful movements, Lin Yan recalled drinking here with Li Xiang last year. Who could have imagined then that the two of them would be like this now?

Lin Yan washed his hands in the clean water brought by the waiter, picked up a crab, removed its shell, and began carefully extracting the meat and roe into a small dish.

Ming Nu approached and sat solemnly by the dining table.

Shen Shaoguang was amused by its aloof and haughty demeanor. She broke off two crab legs, extracted the meat, and fed it to the cat while lecturing, "You can't eat too much of this. It's cooling and bad for your stomach. The princess's cat has already fallen ill—let that be a lesson."

Lin Yan continued shelling the crab while watching her play with the cat.

After using a crab claw to push the meat from the pincers into the dish, Lin Yan scooped some ginger-vinegar sauce over it and slid it toward Shen Shaoguang. "Eat it while it's hot."

Shen Shaoguang glanced at him and accepted his attentions with a smile.

Only then did Lin Yan begin shelling a crab for himself. As he worked, he casually asked, "A Qi, did the princess say something to you?"

Author's note: The story about the monk eating crabs is a joke I heard somewhere when I was little.