Yummy Yummy Yummy

This time, Shao Jie didn’t come to Shen Shaoguang with drawings—he brought people instead.

Shen Shaoguang had been dragging her feet, and by the time she fully recovered from her illness, it was already the tenth month of the lunar calendar, nearly the Start of Winter. The Crab Competition was still ongoing, but Shen Shaoguang had already instructed her staff to bring out the stored hot pots and ordered a new batch.

When hot pots first became popular last year, Shao Jie hadn’t yet met Shen Shaoguang. He had only tasted "knockoff versions" back then and thought they were decent. Now, having tried the "authentic" version, he was utterly amazed.

"Just this milk soup with fish balls and meat slices—I could eat it every meal and never get tired of it!" Shao Jie devoured a hearty meal and even took two hot pots with him when he left—then promptly secured more funding. The pots were presented to Old Master Shao, who, after tasting them, agreed to his grandson’s suggestion and increased the investment in Shen Ji (Shen's Shop).

Shao Jie, with his impulsive nature, had been torn between two storefronts. Now, he simply discussed buying both with Shen Shaoguang. She gritted her teeth and said, "Buy them!"

Shao Jie stuffed another large slice of meat dipped in sesame paste with mashed garlic into his mouth. "That’s the spirit! We must sell these hot pots all the way to the barbarian lands. Let those savages see what a great nation is, what lavish feasts are, what real delicious food tastes like!"

Shen Shaoguang: "..." His ambition to civilize the barbarians remains undimmed. Well, go for it, young man!

Shao Jie was as efficient with spending money as he was with eating hot pots. The storefronts were purchased, and he took charge of the renovations. With prior experience from the Qinfang Lane shop, Shen Shaoguang barely needed to intervene—Shao Jie handled everything.

He also contacted slave traders to buy more people and brought them to Shen Shaoguang for training.

Shao Jie suggested, "Train them for a while, then distribute them between the Chongxian and Qinfang shops. Let the experienced staff guide them—after some time, even the greenhorns will learn."

Mentoring newcomers, like an internship? Young Master Shao is on point!

Shen Shaoguang agreed with Shao Jie’s idea but wanted to think bigger. "Young Master Shao, how about we host a 'Start of Winter Hot Pot Festival'?"

"A festival for hot pots?"

Shao Jie hadn’t lived in an era of artificial consumer holidays, where there could be festivals for carpets, beer, or even dog meat—where a day meant for lonely singles turned into a nationwide shopping spree.

Shen Shaoguang explained it was just a gimmick. "We’ll set up on the Start of Winter day, either in the East or West Market, with a grand display of hot pots, like a street stall. The goal isn’t to make money but to get our name out there and build our reputation."

She was adept at painting grand visions: "Think about it—those who try our hot pots that day will remember them the next year. If more and more people do this, who knows? Eating hot pots might become a new Start of Winter tradition. We might even get a saying like, 'Eat hot pot on Start of Winter, or your ears will freeze off!'"

Shao Jie: "..." If the customers don’t come up with it, the young lady surely will—and then inscribe it on the poetry wall outside.

Shao Jie wasn’t overestimating Shen Shaoguang’s scruples. She was already brainstorming how to maximize publicity for Shen Ji and hot pots—especially after meeting two of the newcomers Shao Jie had brought.

These two, Xu Silang and Zhang Erlang, were temple servants who had trained with secular storyteller monks for a long time. They could recite several Buddhist tales with eloquence.Shen Shaoguang had them perform two passages on the spot—one from the Vimalakirti Sutra Lecture Text and another from the Maudgalyāyana Rescues His Mother from Hell Transformation Text. These traditional religious stories were unexpectedly delivered in a highly entertaining manner.

Among them, Xu Silang was exceptionally articulate, his words tumbling out rapid-fire without a single stumble, like pouring beans from a sack.

Zhang Erlang, on the other hand, had a different strength. Though his speech wasn’t particularly smooth, he excelled at mimicry—imitating men, women, the old, and the young with uncanny accuracy in both expression and movement.

"Such talents!" Shen Shaoguang praised Shao Jie. "You actually managed to find people like this—you’re amazing!"

Shao Jie was baffled. Weren’t they just two slightly more articulate servers? They had previously followed scripture-preaching monks in temples and knew nothing about cooking. He had bought them simply because he thought servers ought to be quick-tongued.

Then Shen Shaoguang showed Shao Jie what it meant to "make the best use of every talent and every resource."

First, she organized the restaurant’s dish names and composed a Dish Reporting segment for her own shop.

Roast chicken, braised chicken, stewed chicken, white-cut chicken, crispy fried chicken, Farewell My Concubine Chicken; soy-sauce duck, roasted duck, marinated duck, drunken duck, Wealthy Fatty Duck… poultry, meat, fish, dried delicacies, fresh treats, specialty dishes—everything that could be listed was listed.

She had Xu Silang give it a try. As expected of someone with specialized skills, though he couldn’t memorize all the dish names at once, even these few lines already flowed smoothly.

Though it was Xu Silang who performed well, Shao Jie praised Shen Shaoguang instead: "You’re brilliant, little lady! From now on, this segment will be one of the restaurant’s signature acts. Whenever there’s free time, perform it to ‘add a dish’ for the gentlemen dining here."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. "Great minds think alike!"

The two of them exchanged business flattery and burst into laughter.

Shao Jie asked Shen Shaoguang, "Should we assign Zhang Erlang to the other shop? His speech isn’t as smooth as Xu Silang’s."

Shen Shaoguang grew even more smug. "Zhang Erlang is also a talent. This mountain hermit has her own clever uses for him."

She had him perform a skit. But he couldn’t do it alone—Shen Shaoguang pulled someone from the Tongren Lane branch to join, along with Xu Silang, and the three performed Being Helped Out of Shen's Restaurant.

The premise was a joke so overused in later generations—entering a restaurant leaning against the wall (from hunger) and leaving leaning against the wall (from overeating).

Zhang Erlang played a gluttonous diner, while A Dou, his scene partner, played the friend treating him to the meal. Xu Silang acted as Shen Ji’s server.

From the moment A Dou mentioned treating him, Zhang Erlang’s character starved himself until he was "front pressed to back," staggering into Shen Ji while leaning on the wall. Then Xu Silang began introducing dishes—since this was prepared for the Start of Winter Hot Pot Festival, all the mentioned items were hot pot ingredients.

With each introduction, Zhang Erlang would order a portion to taste, followed by exaggerated yet lifelike eating expressions.

And so it went—Xu Silang continuously introducing dishes, Zhang Erlang continuously eating with theatrical flair: stretching his neck comically to reach for Fish Brain Tofu, chasing Bouncy Meatballs around the bowl, even calling for a fishing net to scoop up meat…

Finally, Zhang Erlang let out a satisfied burp and declared sincerely, "When it comes to delicious food, no one beats Shen Ji."

His friend A Dou retorted, "You’d better lean on the wall again."

During the rehearsal, Shao Jie laughed so hard he nearly collapsed, imitating Zhang Erlang: "When it comes to delicious food, no one beats Shen Ji." Then he mimicked A Dou: "You’d better lean on the wall again."

To Shen Shaoguang, he said, "Hahaha! I bet these two lines will stick in the minds of many Chang’an residents—for years to come."Shen Shaoguing said objectively, "Repetition is power. If we perform it year after year and drill it into them, they'll have no choice but to remember."

Shao Jie: "...Hahahaha!"

Aside from these soft promotional performances, hard advertisements were also prepared—signboards painted with hot pots, banners bearing the name Shen Ji, and vehicle advertisements. As for service staff, hot pots, soup bases, ingredients, and dipping sauces, Shen Shaoguang didn’t need to worry much, as both shops had their own managers. As for notifying the market officials and securing a venue, that was Shao Jie’s job.

Shao Jie was reliable. At an open space near the bustling central crossroads of the East Market, Shen Ji set up their stall.

A large wooden sign for the Start of Winter Hot Pot Festival stood tall, while small banners from Shen Ji Tavern marked the perimeter. Rows of dining tables were arranged, each set with hot pots. Nearby, cooking stations were set up, with large pots emitting the rich aroma of broth. Over a dozen chefs and servers, dressed in matching uniforms, stood at the ready—it all looked very professional.

With such a setup, how could it not draw a crowd? Gradually, customers began arriving—some sat down to order hot pot bases and ingredients, but most stood outside the banners, watching curiously.

Then Xu Silang took the stage, standing in the center of the venue to perform a round of Dish Reporting .

This art form truly transcended time. His rapid-fire recitation earned enthusiastic applause.

But this was merely the appetizer—the "skit" that followed was the main course.

"...I’m picky about food. I don’t just go to any ordinary tavern or eatery."

"It’s not ordinary."

"Then it’s doubly ordinary?"

"Pfft—it’s Shen Ji , the place where even the Flower-Snatching Scholar dismounted to buy flower cakes during the Shangsi Festival!"

"Oh, then it really is doubly ordinary."

...

"Ah, Zhang Lang, why are you leaning against the wall? Are you unwell? Should we postpone our meal?"

"Don’t delay—I might not live till then..." Zhang Erlang clutched his stomach, speaking weakly.

By now, both seated diners and onlookers couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Xu Silang stepped forward: "It’s cold out—how about a hot pot, sir?"

A Dou looked at Zhang Erlang. Zhang Erlang: "Yes."

"Would you like a milky soup base? Made from chicken, duck, and pork bones—white as cow’s milk. Just smell it, the aroma’s already wafting over."

A Dou looked at Zhang Erlang. Zhang Erlang: "Yes."

"How about some fish brain tofu? It’s called tofu, but it’s not real tofu—it’s made from fish, even softer than tofu."

"Yes!"

Zhang Erlang’s acting was impeccable. Despite performing without props, he made it utterly convincing—stretching his mouth to receive the steaming fish brain tofu, burning his lips, unable to swallow it yet unwilling to spit it out... The crowd around him doubled over with laughter.

Some mischievous diners even called out, "One order of this fish brain tofu!"

The onlookers laughed even harder.

Xu Silang, both actor and real server, promptly brought over the fish brain tofu.

"How about some bouncy meatballs, sir? Made from pork—fragrant, chewy, truly bouncy." Xu Silang slipped back into character.

"Yes!"

Then Zhang Erlang began "chasing meatballs around the bowl."

The diners, playing along, also ordered bouncy meatballs.

Eventually, it turned into Zhang Erlang ordering whatever the customers ordered, and the customers ordering whatever Zhang Erlang ordered—each time, he’d shout, "One more order!"

Fortunately, after spending days at Shen Ji, Zhang Erlang and Xu Silang had sampled every hot pot ingredient multiple times. Even improvising like this, they never missed a beat.Watching Zhang Erlang's exaggerated performance and this "interaction" with real customers, the onlookers were thoroughly amused. Moreover, in such cold weather, with the copper stove's flames flickering and the rich aroma wafting through the air, who could resist?

Before the first act even finished, the dining tables were already fully occupied.

Zhang Erlang exchanged glances with Xu Silang and A Dou, signaling the end of their act.

"When it comes to delicious food, I only trust Shen Ji," Zhang Erlang delivered his line.

A Dou retorted, "You'd better trust the wall to hold you up!"

True to his words, Zhang Erlang patted his belly and "leaned against the wall" as he exited the stage.

The crowd cheered as if watching the Hundred Entertainments.

After a short break, Xu Silang and Zhang Erlang began their second act—first Dish Reporting, followed by another comedic skit.

Surprisingly, some audience members from the first show returned to watch again.

Not far away, in a tea shop, Shen Shaoguang and Shao Jie occasionally leaned in to discuss something. Both were pleased with today's stall. Shao Jie chuckled, "I'd love to set up this stall every day—so much fun! And the earnings aren't bad either."

"Plus, we save on buying a storefront, right?"

"Exactly!"

The two shrewd merchants laughed together.

Little did they know, an even bigger surprise awaited them—Princess Fuhui had arrived.

The princess had originally come to stroll through the East Market. Noticing the commotion here, she ordered her attendants to drive closer. Taking in the scene and the banners, she immediately knew it must be Young Lady Shen's idea.

"Go buy two hot pots," the princess instructed her attendant.

Xu Silang was a bit flustered by this situation, but the manager Xu Kai, having hosted the princess many times before and witnessed her friendly banter with their young lady, mustered his courage and joked with the attendant, "Please inform Her Highness that our shop sells the meat in the pot, not the pot itself."

The attendant, quick-witted, replied, "Do you think Her Highness wouldn't prefer to step down and eat it herself?"

Both diners and onlookers burst into laughter.

Even Princess Fuhui, still in her carriage, laughed without taking offense.

One could imagine how far this anecdote of the princess buying hot pot on the street would spread. Shao Jie glanced at Shen Shaoguang, who wore an innocent expression—this "planted audience member" definitely wasn't prearranged by her!