The bustle and noise of the Bathing Buddha Festival faded away like the tide, and Bianjing City returned to its usual pace. After a day of rest, it was only on the third morning that He Mingyu pushed her little cart back to the familiar street in front of the Imperial Academy.
Having not seen them for a few days, Sun Erniang, who sold shredded chicken strips next door, raised her voice to greet them as soon as she saw them: “Oh my! Yu Niang, you’re finally back! I heard you went to Daxiangguo Temple these past two days? Your business must have been booming!”
He Mingyu deftly set up the stall, placing various items in convenient spots, and replied with a smile: “Thanks to your blessing, Erniang, it was passable. The alley in front of the temple was packed; it was lively, but truly exhausting.”
“That goes without saying.” Sun Erniang deftly flipped the strips in the oil pan; the golden, crispy chicken shreds sizzled in the hot oil, filling the air with a rich aroma. “I heard from Auntie Li that under the old locust tree diagonally opposite the temple gate, there was a small stall selling novel snacks that was doing incredibly well! I heard the cakes were shaped like lotus flowers; many students have been talking about them these past two days.”
Hearing this, He Mingyu smiled, pressed her lips together, and didn’t say much. She simply bent down, took a bamboo basket from the lower tier of her pushcart, removed the plain cotton cloth covering it, and presented it to Sun Erniang: “Is this what you’re talking about, Erniang?”
Inside the basket, arranged neatly, were the garlic-flavored lotus cookies that had been so popular at Daxiangguo Temple. They were a pale, golden-brown, with edges slightly curled, emitting an alluring, savory aroma.
Sun Erniang paused, her eyes widening. The long bamboo chopsticks she had been using to flip the food stopped in mid-air, and her face showed complete disbelief: “This… this was made by you?”
“Just some little things I messed around with at home; don’t laugh at me, Erniang.” He Mingyu pinched a cookie and handed it over: “Try it and see if the taste is passable?”
Sun Erniang hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron, took the cookie, inspected it closely for a moment, and then carefully took a bite. The crispy texture, accompanied by a mellow but not pungent garlic aroma and the scent of wheat, melted in her mouth. The saltiness was handled perfectly, and the more she chewed, the more fragrant it became.
“Mmm! So fragrant and crispy! I should have guessed it was yours.” She gave a sincere thumbs-up. “Your ingenuity is truly top-tier!”
He Mingyu smiled, turned to take a clean oil-paper bag, and deftly picked many from the small basket to fill it up: “As long as you like it, Erniang, take these home for the children to have a taste.”
Seeing this, Sun Erniang was startled and hurriedly waved her hands: “That won’t do, it’s enough to just have a taste, how can I take so many! No, no…”
“Erniang, you’re being too formal with me.” He Mingyu insisted, placing the oil-paper bag onto her stall cart: “I brought this small basket today specifically for everyone to try. I’ve relied on your help many times, so just accept it.”
Sun Erniang knew she was sincere and felt a warmth in her heart. The oil-paper bag was heavy in her hand; it must have been nearly a jin. “Alright, then I’ll be thick-skinned and accept it. If you need anything in the future, just tell me!” She carefully placed the items into her basket, planning to let her husband and boys have a taste that evening.
Once the cookies were put away, her mind became active. She leaned in closer, lowered her voice, and gestured with her chin toward the empty stall diagonally opposite: “See that? The family across the way hasn’t come today either. Including the days of the Bathing Buddha Festival, this is the seventh day they haven’t been seen. Could it be that the scandal last time was too big, and they were too embarrassed to show their faces? Or were they so scared by the Street Department that they don’t dare to appear?”
He Mingyu glanced over there as well, feeling some doubt in her heart. While that couple was greedy for short-term profits, they didn’t seem like the type to give up this trade easily because of one setback. She didn’t reveal anything on her face and just said faintly: “Perhaps something happened at home to hold them up…”
“I don’t think so.” Sun Erniang shook her head, and just as she was about to say something more, she remembered another important matter and changed the subject: “By the way, have you heard? The date for this year’s Spring Examination has been set.”
“The Spring Examination?” She paused in her movements.
“That’s right, it’s set for the thirteenth of the fourth month! Notices have been posted at the Ministry of Rites; many people are gathered around to look at them.” Sun Erniang counted on her fingers: “It’s the tenth today; at most, there are only three days left.”
“So soon?” He Mingyu was somewhat surprised.
“Isn’t it!” Sun Erniang lowered her voice, with the mystery of one who had been through it: “Let me give you a tip: when those two days arrive, don’t just stay stuck here. Set up a temporary stall over by the Imperial Examination Hall; it’s a sure thing.”
He Mingyu was puzzled: “The Examination Hall? Isn’t the Spring Examination a sealed exam? The candidates can’t come out; what kind of business can you have there?”
“That’s where you don’t know.” Sun Erniang looked at her with an “you finally asked the right person” expression, her eyebrows raised: “The candidates can’t come out, but how many scholars are there in Bianjing? Many boys or low-level scholars who haven’t reached the age or whose studies are lacking just love to gather outside the Examination Hall those two days to soak up the literary atmosphere, hoping that next year they too will ‘leap over the Dragon Gate’! Where there are people, there are mouths to feed. How could business be bad?”
Before she could finish, the light in front of the stall dimmed, and a deep male voice sounded: “Young Lady He, is there yam in the garnish for the steamed pork today?”
He Mingyu looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a uniform with an iron ruler at his waist standing in front of the stall. It was Chen De, the head of the Street Department, who often patrolled this area. She hurriedly put on a smile: “Greetings, Chief Chen. Yes, there is yam, freshly steamed this morning—very fluffy and soft.”
A subtle smile appeared on Chen De’s stern face: “My girl is a foodie; she just loves the steamed pork you make, especially the yam inside. She says it’s even more refreshing and sweet than taro. Please pack a portion for me, Young Lady He.”
“Alright, one moment please.” He Mingyu replied crisply, nimbly lifting the steamer lid; steam and the aroma of meat surged upward. She carefully picked pieces with uniform meat and thick layers of yam, wrapped them in clean bamboo leaves, and tied them neatly with thin hemp rope.
Sun Erniang, standing to the side, had already switched to a more enthusiastic smile, flattering him: “Chief Chen truly dotes on his daughter; what a blessing! You are so busy with official business, yet you still think of buying food for the child—truly a compassionate father!”
Chen De waved his hand, his demeanor more relaxed than usual. Sun Erniang’s eyes darted around, gauging his expression, and she boldly asked: “Chief, that family selling buns across the way hasn’t opened for business these past few days. Did… something happen?” She pointed at the empty stall. “On this street, we are all familiar faces. Suddenly missing one family, the neighbors are whispering to each other, fearing there might be something improper that disrupts the rules of our street…”
Seeing both women looking at him curiously, he pondered for a moment, coughed lightly, and said in a low voice: “It shouldn’t be spoken of, but… since you are rule-abiding people who do business here often, it doesn’t hurt to say, just don’t go spreading it around and causing unnecessary trouble.”
Sun Erniang immediately patted her chest to guarantee: “Naturally! Don’t worry, Chief, our mouths are tight! It’s just that we were unsettled, so we asked.”
“That couple…” Chen De’s voice was extremely low, “After being taken to the office last time, their identity and household registration were checked according to regulations. This check revealed some problems: the man’s travel permit and household registration documents were all forged. There is no such person registered in the local area or their supposed hometown. The Kaifeng Prefecture suspects their identities are fake, or they are fugitives with criminal records. They have now been detained. The woman has local household registration, but until this matter is cleared up, their stall naturally cannot be set up.”
Forged registration? No such person?
He Mingyu understood. It was no wonder that man’s actions had a sense of unscrupulousness; he was truly rootless. She nodded slightly, silently congratulating herself that she hadn’t come into conflict with them earlier. If they really were desperate criminals, she would have been looking for trouble herself.
Sun Erniang gasped, a look of lingering fear and surprise on her face: “Oh my! Heavens! So that’s how it is! It’s a good thing they were exposed last time, otherwise leaving someone so mysterious here doing business—just thinking about it sends chills down my spine!”
He Mingyu had already packed the steamed pork, handed it to him with both hands, and threw in a bag of lotus cookies: “Chief Chen, these are vegetarian cookies I made myself; the ingredients are clean, and they aren’t worth much. Let the child have a taste, or you can have them to fill your stomach during your rounds. We’ve always been looked after by you and the other officers; please don’t decline this small token of my heart.”
Her words were appropriate and natural, making it difficult to refuse. Chen De looked at the neatly packed cookies, then at He Mingyu’s clear, frank smile. He hesitated slightly, then accepted them with a smile: “You have a kind heart, young lady. Then… I thank you on behalf of my daughter.”
After seeing off Chen De, several more regular customers came to the stall. During the gaps in the busyness, Sun Erniang was still sighing, repeatedly lamenting how “you can know a person’s face but not their heart.” He Mingyu responded on the surface, but half of her mind had already drifted elsewhere.
The sun moved slowly westward. On the way home, Yingzi chattered like a little bird, never stopping. He Mingyu pushed the now-light pushcart, but her gaze involuntarily fell on the poem board standing beside the cart.
On the rough wooden board, the ink marks were deep and light, the handwriting varied—there were neat and upright official styles, flying and elegant cursive, and strokes that looked slightly immature. In the past, she had only treated it as a prop for attracting business and had never truly looked at it closely.
At this moment, those ink marks, whether dark or light, seemed to have been given a heavy weight under the dimming light.
“Sister? Sister!” Yingzi called twice, shaking the grasshopper made of grass in her hand, finally pulling her back from her drifting thoughts. “Sister, did you hear what I said? The grasshopper the peddler sold today is too realistic, look.”
He Mingyu came to her senses and stopped, her gaze still lingering on the words. Instead of answering, she asked softly: “Yingzi, Shitou, come take a look.”
She pointed to the dozens of poems on the board: “In your opinion, which character on this board is the most beautiful?”