Unknowingly, it was Laba Festival again. Just like last year, Shen Ji prepared Laba porridge with various grains and beans to treat customers. The Chongxian branch made an especially large batch, distributing it not only to patrons but also to neighbors and nunneries. Naturally, a jar was sent to the Lin residence—Grand Madam Jiang had been quite fond of it last year, and Shen Shaoguang had even returned to her old home because of this porridge.
Thinking back to Lin Yan's stern expression when they met in the carved corridor and his "happiness survey," Shen Shaoguang chuckled. How had she responded to him back then? She vaguely recalled mentioning how her hands and feet would freeze in the palace, saying that enduring constant cold was bearable, but sudden warmth from a brazier was the hardest to bear—using it to reject his pity and concern. Who would have thought she'd now be dating this very "brazier"?
Was this the essence of human nature—the inevitable surrender to temptation? Well, so be it. As someone who cooked for a living, was she really afraid of such temptations?
Shen Shaoguang personally delivered porridge to Luminous Nunnery and chatted for a while with Yuanjue and Jingqing. The elder nun, unsatisfied after finishing The Classic of Cakes , now wanted to write The Classic of Pastries . She showed Shen Shaoguang the draft she had just begun, starting with the peach blossom cake from Jiangnan:
"The peach blossom cakes made by Zhang Wuniang of Carp Lane in Suzhou are brilliantly colored, fragrant like peach blossoms, with fine, delicate flour and a subtle sweetness, best paired with light tea..."
"How wonderful," Shen Shaoguang sighed. "What a pity I can't taste it."
Yuanjue laughed. "The Ai Wowo and Fisherman-Woodcutter Cakes you make are no less impressive. They deserve to be recorded in detail as well."
With the casual familiarity of an old friend, Shen Shaoguang grinned. "Excellent! When this book is passed down through the ages, I’ll have my name immortalized too."
Yuanjue burst into laughter.
Jingqing also smiled—Young Lady Shen was truly a delight!
When Shen Shaoguang left, Jing Ci, the guest-receiving nun, saw her off. Nowadays, Jing Ci treated Shen Shaoguang with great courtesy, reminding her of the story of Su Qin returning in glory, where his sister-in-law’s attitude shifted from arrogance to deference. But Shen Shaoguang was more easygoing than Su Qin—human relationships ebbed and flowed, and that was perfectly normal. There was no need to dwell on it.
Upon returning, Shen Shaoguang tidied up briefly before heading out to inspect her shops. In the morning, she visited the existing branches in the residential wards, and in the afternoon, she went to the East Market, staying until closing time before returning home.
Lin Yan was waiting for her.
Shen Shaoguang smiled. "You're back early today?" Since the start of the twelfth month, he had been increasingly busy. Before buying the house, he had used the pretense of stopping by the shop for a bite to eat, but now he skipped the late-night snack and only dropped by the house briefly in the evening.
Lin Yan smiled. "Today, I’m here on orders. Grandmother is very grateful for the porridge you sent and would like to invite you over for a simple meal when you have time."
Shen Shaoguang paused—was this a meeting with the family?
"A Qi," Lin Yan said carefully, "Grandmother doesn’t mean anything else. She just feels she should meet you."
Shen Shaoguang understood Grand Madam’s intention. If the elders never appeared, what kind of courtship was it for the young couple to decide things privately? Before formal proceedings, a meeting to exchange pleasantries and build rapport showed respect and carried the weight of "parental approval."
Shen Shaoguang imitated the manner of gentlemen and bowed. "I humbly accept."
Lin Yan laughed and added, "The day after tomorrow is my day off. I’ll send someone to fetch you."
Shen Shaoguang nodded.Although she had met Grand Madam Jiang before, this occasion held a different significance. Shen Shaoguang dressed up properly—applying makeup was a sign of respect for others, a principle that held true both in ancient and modern times. She usually wore Hu-style clothing, sometimes even men’s attire, but today she donned a silver-patterned blouse and a pomegranate-red skirt. She painted her eyebrows, adorned her forehead with floral stickers, and styled her hair into twin buns instead of her usual casual Hu-style topknot. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought she looked quite lovely.
Lin Yan came out to greet her. After gazing at her for a moment, he smiled and said, “You look beautiful.”
Such a typical straight-man compliment! Shen Shaoguang narrowed her eyes and grinned. “My lord is most discerning.”
Lin Yan coughed lightly. “You look especially beautiful today.”
Suppressing a laugh, Shen Shaoguang replied, “Today, my lord is especially discerning.”
Watching her playful demeanor, Lin Yan felt the cat in his heart scratching again. He exhaled slowly. “Let’s go. My grandmother is waiting for you.”
The two walked ahead, followed at a distance by A Yuan and A Qing, passing through courtyards and covered walkways on their way to Grand Madam Jiang’s residence. When they reached the carved corridor, they exchanged a smile, recalling their conversation here in the past.
“Were you planning to interrogate me about Huan Qilang back then, Lord Lin?” Shen Shaoguang asked with a smile.
“Mm,” Lin Yan nodded.
“Then why didn’t you?” Shen Shaoguang raised an eyebrow.
“Such a clever solution couldn’t have been thought up by anyone else, so there was no need to ask,” Lin Yan replied with a smile.
Shen Shaoguang’s eyes curved with amusement. Lord Lin had evolved quickly in answering life-or-death questions. But she wasn’t about to let him off the hook. “I thought perhaps Lord Lin considered me too cunning—‘clever enough to reject advice and eloquent enough to gloss over faults’—so asking would be pointless.”
Lin Yan turned to look at her, his expression earnest. “To possess such ‘eloquence’ and ‘cleverness’ is no small feat.”
Shen Shaoguang: “…”
Meeting his warm gaze, she burst into laughter, and Lin Yan joined her.
Perhaps the paths lovers walk together always feel shorter. In no time, they arrived at Grand Madam Jiang’s quarters.
After paying her respects, Shen Shaoguang took the gift box from A Yuan. “I’ve made some winter-friendly sweets for you to try, Grand Madam.”
Grand Madam Jiang quickly had someone take it and pulled Shen Shaoguang to sit beside her. Studying her, she remarked, “Lovely. Are the young ladies in the capital favoring the ‘distant mountain eyebrows’ again these days?”
Shen Shaoguang nodded. “Some also paint willow-leaf eyebrows.”
Grand Madam Jiang laughed. “When we were young, the distant mountain eyebrows were in vogue for a long time. Then, for some reason, a strange trend emerged—everyone started painting osmanthus-leaf eyebrows or even downward-sloping eyebrows. Later, it became downright chaotic…”
Both Shen Shaoguang and Grand Madam Jiang chuckled.
Shen Shaoguang revealed the truth. “The chaos continues. Last year, everyone was painting connected eyebrows—so thick they nearly merged. Only someone like ‘the ruler between the brows’ could pull it off.”
Grand Madam Jiang laughed heartily.
Lin Yan also smiled, listening to their lively conversation while savoring the sweets Shen Shaoguang had brought, enjoying this peaceful, sweet moment.
Grand Madam Jiang praised the treats. “This candy is as fine as spun silk—so delicate. What’s it called?”
“Silver-thread candy,” Shen Shaoguang replied with a smile. In later times, it was also called dragon’s beard candy.
Grand Madam Jiang nodded, picking up a piece to taste. “Crisp, fluffy, and sweet—delicious.”Shen Shaoguang began explaining the method of making the candy. "First, the maltose is boiled until soft, then taken out and repeatedly kneaded. It's dipped in cooked glutinous rice flour and continuously stretched, twisted, and pulled until it becomes like this. My skills are lacking—those who are truly skilled can stretch it finer than a strand of hair."
Grand Madam Jiang smiled. "This is already more than good enough."
Shen Shaoguang had also brought sesame candy, ginger candy, and walnut brittle—all new additions to the shop's offerings. With the New Year approaching, these festive sweets added to the celebratory atmosphere.
From the silver-thread candy, Grand Madam Jiang and Shen Shaoguang's conversation shifted to silver-thread noodles, then to Youzhou's famous silver-thread rolls, and eventually to Yuanjue's Classic of Cakes and Classic of Pastries .
Grand Madam Jiang chuckled. "A couple of days ago, Yuanjue brought her works over and mentioned the illustrations were drawn by you, young lady?"
Shen Shaoguang nodded. "Yuanjue was kind enough not to reject my humble attempts, so I dared to contribute a few strokes."
"I found the illustrations quite vivid, with some emphasizing charm over formality..."
Their discussion then turned from food to calligraphy and painting.
Lin Yan sipped his tea, watching them with a smile as he reached for more candy.
Unnoticed by him, Grand Madam Jiang turned to look. Lin Yan's eyes widened slightly.
With an exasperated expression, Grand Madam Jiang consulted Shen Shaoguang. "Shall we just give him this plate of candy too? He's still reaching for more even though there's nothing left."
Only then did Lin Yan realize he had already finished all the assorted candies in the tray.
Shen Shaoguang smiled gently. "As you wish, Grand Madam."
The old lady and the maids burst into laughter. Lin Yan looked somewhat abashed but smiled faintly with lowered eyes, while Shen Shaoguang maintained a dignified expression.
After ganging up on Lin Yan, Grand Madam Jiang and Shen Shaoguang returned to their earlier topic. Shen Shaoguang genuinely liked this grand madam. In her past life, though she had never met parents of a partner, many of her friends had, and most would point out their sons' flaws—laziness, untidiness, bad temper—likely hoping the girls would be more tolerant. As one friend aptly put it, "They act like parents sending their child to kindergarten."
Grand Madam Jiang, however, was far more delightful and dignified.
They chatted until Lin Yan had to interrupt. "Grandmother, it's time for your medicine and rest."
Grand Madam Jiang glanced at the sunlight filtering through the window lattice—indeed, it was nearly noon.
Shen Shaoguang stood up.
Grand Madam Jiang smiled. "You've sat with me for so long, young lady—you must be tired. Eldest Grandson, why don’t you accompany her for a stroll in the garden? I wonder if the plum tree has begun to bud?"
Shen Shaoguang and Lin Yan took their leave.
Grand Madam Jiang reminded them to return soon for the meal.
Once outside, they circled the plum tree in the garden—a tree Shen Shaoguang didn’t recall, likely planted by a later owner.
"A Qi," Lin Yan licked his lips and smiled at Shen Shaoguang. "How about visiting my courtyard for a while?"
Author's Note: Mei Jian Chi is the son of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, with a notably wide space between his eyebrows.
————
Today was another day of Lord Lin struggling with life's trick questions.
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