AT THE SAME TIME
XAVIER
I carried one of the roasted ducks back to my stall and placed it on the cutting board. A crowd immediately gathered again.
"What is Chef Wei doing now?"One of them asked.
"Is he making another kind of bun?"Another one joined.
"I just got in line!"A third one said.
"You’ve been in line since sunrise."A merchant smirked.
"I know!"He smirked.
"I am curious."The duck chef folded his arms.
"So am I."Ana admitted.
"Master Wei."Hin quietly brought over a bowl.
"Thank you."I said as I picked up my knife.
"First..." I carefully removed the crispy skin. The duck chef’s eyes widened.
"He knows where to cut."He nodded in approval.
"Good roast duck deserves respect."I smiled.
He nodded without saying anything. I slowly pulled the meat from the bones, and unlike pork, the duck had a richer aroma. The roasted skin crackled softly while the meat remained juicy underneath. Soon the duck was completely shredded into thin pieces. I added finely chopped scallions, fresh ginger, a little garlic, a splash of light soy sauce, and a spoonful of the duck’s own rendered fat, then I mixed everything. The aroma immediately became even richer.
"You are using the duck juices."The duck chef leaned closer.
"Of course." I looked up. "Throwing them away would be a crime."
"I like you."The older chef suddenly laughed.
"I think you just won another chef over."Ana whispered,
"I was only cooking."I said.
"You keep saying that."Ana shook her head in disbelief.
I placed a spoonful of the duck filling onto each round piece of dough. Hin watched carefully.
"You changed the amount." She said.
"Duck is richer than pork."I nodded.
"So less filling?"Hin asked.
"Exactly."I nodded.
"I understand."She smiled.
"I don’t."Ana looked between us.
"It will make sense after you taste one."I laughed.
Soon dozens of neatly folded duck buns sat on the tray. They looked almost identical to the pork buns. Only a small decorative fold on top marked the difference.
"So customers can tell them apart."The duck chef noticed immediately.
"Exactly."I nodded.
"Thought of everything."He grinned.
"I try." I opened the hot oven.
A wave of heat rolled across my face, one by one, the duck buns disappeared inside. The heavy lid closed and now we waited.
"The bun chef is experimenting."The nearby chefs wandered over again. "What flavor now?"
"I heard it’s duck."Another one said.
"Inside bread?" The noodle master scratched his head. "He keeps putting everything inside bread."
"That’s not entirely inaccurate."I looked at him.
The crowd laughed. A few minutes later steam escaped from the vent. Then a completely different aroma spread through the street. Rich roasted duck, sweet wheat, fresh ginger, savoury juices. People stopped walking again.
"What is that?"One of them asked.
"It smells different today."A lady said.
"It isn’t the pork buns."A kid guessed curiously. "New buns!"
The line somehow became even longer.
"I can’t even see where it ends anymore."Ana looked toward the end of it. "I think it turns the corner."
"I think it turned two corners."Hin calmly replied.
I lifted the oven lid. Whoosh. Golden buns rested inside, their tops beautifully browned as the duck aroma became even stronger. I picked up the first one.
"This..." I smiled. "Is our newest menu item. Roast duck bun."
The duck chef accepted the very first bun. He held it carefully, everyone watched as he took one bite. The soft bread gave way to juicy roasted duck and his eyes widened. He chewed slowly and then took another bite. Without realizing it, he had already finished the entire bun.
"..." He looked at me, then suddenly burst into laughter. "You little genius!"
The entire street looked at him. He pointed at the empty bun.
"You didn’t copy my roast duck." He shook his head. "You transformed it." He slapped my shoulder hard enough to make me stumble. "The crispy skin, the juicy meat, the bread." He laughed again. "They belong together!"
"I will take that as approval."I rubbed my shoulder.
"Approval?" He grinned. "If anyone asks..." He raised his voice for everyone nearby to hear. "I officially recommend Chef Wei’s roast duck buns!"
"I want one!"The crowd erupted.
"Me too!"A lady asked.
"One pork and one duck!"Another one joined.
"I’ll take four duck buns! My wife loves roast duck!"An elderly man nodded.
"My husband will steal mine if I only buy one!"Another man added.
Coins immediately began piling onto the counter again. Ana hurried to collect payments, as Hin smoothly organized the growing orders.
"Pork buns, table three. Six duck buns. Eight mixed, next, please."Hin said already doing her best.
The duck chef stood beside me, laughing as he watched the endless line.
"You know..." He smiled warmly. "I came here worried you woud ruin my business."
"And now?"I looked over.
He watched another customer happily bite into a duck bun.
"Now." He chuckled. "I think you’ve helped people fall in love with my duck all over again."
"Then let’s keep feeding them."I couldn’t help smiling.
"Gladly, Chef Wei."The duck chef nodded.
The duck buns disappeared even faster than the pork ones. I barely had time to place a fresh batch into the oven before another tray was empty.
"Six pork buns! Four duck buns! I’ll take one of each! Don’t forget my order! I have been waiting since sunrise!"People kept shouting orders.
"I know!" Ana laughed. "So has everyone else!"
Even the roast duck chef had given up trying to compete, instead, he was standing beside my stall, proudly. Whenever someone hesitated, he pointed toward me.
"Try the duck buns."He said. "They are worth every coin."
"You really don’t have to advertise for me."I smiled.
"I’m advertising my duck."He crossed his arms.
"Fair enough."I nodded.
Not far away, two men dressed as ordinary travelers walked through the crowd. One wore simple black robes, his long black hair was tied behind his back. His handsome face attracted more attention than he wanted. Beside him walked his trusted guard, Shen.
"Your Majesty."The guard leaned closer.
"Lower your voice."A man said.
"Yes... Young Master."Shen said.
"So this is the famous bun stall."Lang Li looked toward the enormous crowd gathered around a single stall.
"The one everyone has been talking about."Shen nodded.
Even from several streets away, the aroma reached them. Lang Li stopped walking.
"..." Fresh bread, roasted duck, savory meat, and warm spices. The scent somehow felt comforting, unlike the elaborate dishes served inside the palace.
"It smells..." He searched for the right word. "Honest."
"I have never heard food described like that."Shen blinked.
"Neither have I."Emperor nodded.
They quietly joined the end of the line.
"First time?"A nearby merchant noticed.
"Yes." Lang Li nodded.
"Buy more than one."The merchant grinned.
"Why?"Lang Li asked,
"You’ll regret buying only one."The merchant said.
"My wife sent me back because I only brought home two yesterday."Another customer joined the conversation.
"My son cried because I ate his."A third sighed dramatically.
"They are that good?" Lang Li raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."The three customers answered together.
Nearly forty minutes later they finally reached the front. I looked up while wiping my hands.
"Welcome, what would you like?"I asked.
The man wore plain clothing, nothing about him suggested wealth. Still there was something strangely familiar, his posture, calm eyes and presence. Weird, maybe he just reminded me of someone.
"One pork bun."The man looked at the trays. He paused. "And one duck bun."
"Coming right up." I placed both buns onto a wooden plate.
"Eight copper coins." Shen paid immediately.
Our eyes met for just a brief moment as Lang Li accepted the plate. Then my body froze.
"..."I stared for a moment too long.
Why, why did this guy look familiar? No, impossible. The Emperor wouldn’t stand in line for buns. Would he? I quickly shook the thought away, that was too ridiculous. Lang Li stepped aside as he picked up the pork bun first. Steam escaped as he broke it open. He took one bite and everything around him seemed to disappear. Before he realized it half the bun was gone.
"Young Master?"Shen quietly watched.
"It’s gone."Lang Li looked down.
"You ate it."Shen said.
"I don’t remember doing that."Wei sighed.
Shen tried very hard not to laugh. Then he tried the duck bun, the roasted duck remained the star. The bread absorbed the juices perfectly, fresh ginger balanced the richness, and the crispy skin added texture.
"Remarkable."Lang Li closed his eyes for a brief moment.
He looked back toward the stall as the chef was already serving another customer. Moving quickly, smiling and laughing with villagers. His snow white hair caught the sunlight. Lang Li frowned. A quiet Beta who used to stand silently in the palace gardens, always waiting, hoping for attention, always looking at him with admiration.
"Wei?"He whispered.
"Your Majesty?"Shen looked surprised.
"It can’t be..."Lang Li kept staring.
"Bun Uncle!" The white haired chef laughed as a child proudly called out.
"Only because you keep stealing extra buns."The chef laughed.
"I don’t steal!"A kid grinned.
"You absolutely do."Wei laughed.
"I borrow them."The child puffed out his cheeks.
The customers burst into laughter. Lang Li’s golden eyes widened slightly, that smile he had never seen it before.
"Wei." Emperor whispered. "It’s him, the one I kicked out."
His least favorite concubine. The quiet Beta he had barely acknowledged, the one he had considered utterly forgettable. Now the entire capital was lining up just to eat food made by his hands Lang Li looked at the empty plate in his hands. Then back at Wei, and for the first time, he realized he knew almost nothing about the man who had once lived in his palace.