Madam Ruan Yu did not follow Granny Wang’s words to criticize Yuan Niang. Instead, she smiled apologetically, “Actually, I feel guilty. Some days ago when your family came to look at the house, my unruly second son actually spoke ill of your granddaughter. I—”
The woman’s hair was coiled at the back of her head, with a gray-blue cloth forming a wrapped bun at the crown. There was no adornment at the temples, only a silver pin securing the hairstyle.
Her attire was also very plain: a light stone-blue narrow upper garment tucked into an indigo-white floral skirt that reached the floor. The hem was long enough to drag on the ground, but it was not dirty, clearly indicating the woman seldom went out. Moreover, she wore a light blue draped scarf, showing she was a refined person. This was a fashionable style among wealthy families in Bianjing; ordinary market women did not have such leisure or elegance.
Such plain attire stirred a subtle feeling in the hearts of the two women in the courtyard who had been widowed for many years.
The woman carried a basket and, upon seeing Granny Wang, first bowed respectfully.
She was naturally fair-skinned and dignified, with graceful manners. Though a stranger, she immediately evoked a sense of goodwill.
The woman spoke slowly: “I am Madam Yu of the Ruan family, living in the fifth house behind the one directly opposite. Earlier, my second son saw your family moving some luggage into the house, so I assume you are the new owners of this residence. On your first day moving in, with many matters to attend to, as a neighbor I didn’t know how to help, so I made some pounded tea and brought it over. Please accept it.”
It turned out the neighbor had seen them moving into the new house and brought some food. Granny Wang immediately swept away her previous surprise and spoke warmly.
“Yu Niangzi is too polite, truly kind-hearted. My granddaughter just arrived at the new house and hasn’t even done any work yet, but she’s already complaining about hunger. The pounded tea you brought is just right—a timely help that can fill this mischievous monkey’s stomach.”
As the person being mentioned and harshly criticized as a mischievous monkey, Yuan Niang indignantly pursed her lips.
After entering the new house, she hadn’t said she was hungry! Mother had warned her beforehand not to speak carelessly on the first day moving into a new house, and she remembered!
At most!
At most, she couldn’t resist temptation on the way and secretly glanced at the vendors shouting about selling cooked food.
Especially among them were chicken skin, kidney offal, etc. Though they were scraps, somehow they were prepared so savory and fragrant, seemingly able to lure out one’s cravings. She hadn’t seen such things in the markets of counties she had visited before—at most they were boiled, but not with this aroma.
And they were cheap, just seven or eight coins for a portion.
The cooked food shop also sold goose, rabbit meat, duck, etc. Single portions were more expensive, but only fifteen coins.
Though indignantly thinking Grandma exposed her shortcomings in front of outsiders, too embarrassing, Yuan Niang recalled that fragrant cooked food and couldn’t help saliva secreting, her stomach growling. She looked around, seeing Mother and her younger brother hadn’t turned to look at her, so she felt relieved.
Probably she only heard her stomach growling loudly; others couldn’t hear it.
Otherwise…
Her being a gluttonous food lover would definitely be confirmed, then occasionally brought up to mock her.
Yuan Niang completely missed Madam Cen and Chen Kuo Cang simultaneously curling their lips.
Truly a greedy girl!
Madam Ruan Yu did not follow Granny Wang’s words to criticize Yuan Niang. Instead, she smiled apologetically, “Actually, I feel guilty. Some days ago when your family came to look at the house, my unruly second son actually spoke ill of your granddaughter. I have punished him to kneel and copy the ‘Book of Rites’ for three hours daily, but whenever I recall it, I still feel uneasy. Today I also came to apologize.”
Granny Wang prided herself on being someone who didn’t indulge children, but hearing this, she couldn’t help but click her tongue in surprise.
She couldn’t resist advising, “The punishment seems too severe. It’s just a child’s playful remark.”
As soon as Ruan Xiaoer’s mother mentioned this, Granny Wang recalled what had happened.
Although Chen Yuanniang had handled herself confidently and cleverly when facing Ruan Xiaoer, appearing very composed and intelligent, once she returned home that day, she wagged her tail proudly, running to every family member with a boastful recount of the incident.
She emphasized her quick wit, describing how she had intimidated that brash little boy.
Granny Wang listened while tidying up, offering a perfunctory “hm” or two. Since her granddaughter hadn’t been bullied, there was no need to dwell on it.
Madam Cen listened attentively and gently, generously praising Yuan Niang to show support.
As for Chen Kuocang, Yuan Niang didn’t need any reaction from him. Instead, she pretended to be the elder, patting his shoulder earnestly and instructing, “If anyone bullies you, remember to follow your elder sister’s example.
“Of course, if you offer up all the money Grandma gave you for sweets, I’ll take care of any future arguments for you!”
Chen Kuocang dutifully handed over the twenty coins Granny Wang had just given him to his elder sister.
Yuan Niang was quite pleased with this.
The siblings’ playful antics naturally didn’t escape Granny Wang’s notice. She and her daughter-in-law were sewing clothes under the lamp at that time, and upon hearing the commotion, they exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with helpless affection.
Now, as Granny Wang recalled it easily, although Ruan Xiaoer had initially mocked Yuan Niang, he hadn’t gained any advantage in the end. Moreover, it was indeed just a verbal spat that hadn’t escalated. Punishing so severely for mere mockery was truly inappropriate. Even as the elder of the ‘victim’s’ family, Granny Wang felt it was excessive.
Ruan Xiaoer’s mother appeared to be a woman who seldom ventured beyond her home, fair-skinned and delicate. At first glance, one might assume she was inherently gentle, fragile, and utterly meek.
However, when she heard Granny Wang’s persuasion, she frowned and shook her head, her expression stubborn, unwilling to show any leniency. “No, my husband passed away early, and my second son is already more mischievous than other children. If I’m not strict, I fear he might stray into wrongdoing later.”
Granny Wang thought, indeed, that explained it.
When she first saw Ruan Xiaoer’s mother, she had noticed her attire was overly plain, which would be reasonable if she had been widowed for many years.
With the conversation at this point, Granny Wang couldn’t advise further, only offering some irrelevant polite remarks.
After sending them off, Granny Wang closed the small gate, sighing lightly and shaking her head inwardly. Although she admired Ruan Xiaoer’s mother for appearing delicate yet having a firm backbone, she couldn’t help but feel regretful. The woman likely raised her children strictly following ancient texts, overly rigid and regimented, treating severity as the standard. Granny Wang wondered if this was truly beneficial.
Granny Wang merely sighed briefly and soon let it go.
How others raised their children wasn’t something she could comment on. Not only was it inappropriate to speak deeply with shallow acquaintance, but could she herself guarantee that her grandchildren would become outstanding talents in the future?
An old woman should mind less about others’ affairs to avoid becoming bothersome.
Granny Wang was well aware of her limits.
Meanwhile, Yuan Niang nearby was already exclaiming in surprise.
She didn’t directly lift the cloth covering the basket, but the aroma of pounded tea kept wafting out. Just standing close enough, one could smell the rich fragrance filling the air.
“So fragrant, so fragrant!”
“Is pounded tea this fragrant?”
Chen Yuanniang was no stranger to pounded tea. Every citizen of the Great Song Dynasty loved tea. Though they couldn’t compare to the literati and high officials in Bianjing who could afford all twelve pieces of the customary tea set to leisurely grind and whisk tea, there were simpler, rougher methods.
That was pounded tea.
All you needed was a mortar and an earthenware basin.
As for what to add after pounding the roasted tea leaves, each household had its own way, and it depended on one’s means. Wealthier families would add pine nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and the like, along with ground Sichuan pepper and salt.
Yuanniang had only tasted pounded tea once. It was when Wu Taoniang’s elder brother was getting married. Her grandma had gone to help for three days beforehand. By custom, those who helped were provided an evening meal and could bring their own children.
Wu Taoniang’s mother had made pounded tea then.
Chen Yuanniang still remembered the flavor and the process to this day. After pounding the tea buds, she added sesame seeds, ground Sichuan pepper, salt, and roasted flour. Pouring boiling water over it—how fragrant it was!
Taking a sip from the rim of the bowl, her mouth filled with the aroma of nuts, and it was piping hot. It was winter at the time, and it warmed her right up.
It left a deep impression on Yuanniang, who hadn’t seen much of the world.
Just hearing the words “pounded tea” made the rich scent of nuts with a slightly bitter tea aftertaste seem to linger around her nose.
But the aroma of the pounded tea Ruan Yushi had sent today was clearly different—a bit crispy and scorched, with a hint of sweetness, and the nutty fragrance was even more intense.
Yuanniang didn’t have to wait long. Granny Wang lifted the cloth with a flourish, revealing the contents of the basket: a large teapot, steam still rising from its spout. It must have been brewed and placed in the basket right away. Moreover, Ruan Yushi, considering that the new neighbors had just moved in and likely hadn’t yet gathered all their belongings, had thoughtfully included several white porcelain bowls and spoons.
With no proper place to sit in the yard, serving tea directly on the ground would have been unseemly. Granny Wang simply carried the basket into the main hall, where a table in the center was relatively clean.
Granny Wang set out the bowls and began pouring the pounded tea from the teapot, saying, “What kind of yard is this, so empty? When I have time, I must buy a set of stone table and chairs. We could sit in the yard on summer evenings to enjoy the cool breeze and escape the heat.”
Yuanniang obediently placed a spoon in each bowl, then looked up with a sweet smile. “Grandma, how about adding a swing set too? This yard is so big; even with a stone table, it still looks empty.”
Granny Wang had already taken her first sip with a spoon and nodded in approval. “What skill!”
Then, she glanced at Yuanniang. “Add it if you like. After all, both the yard and the house are empty now. If there’s anything you fancy, say it sooner rather than later. But there’s one condition…”
As she spoke, her tone grew stern. “Don’t say you like something today and then fuss about changing it in a few days. Good or bad, it’s your own choice. Understand?”
Chen Yuanniang immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice, almost wishing she could swear to the heavens, guaranteeing she wouldn’t be fickle or change her mind every few days.
But since her grandma disliked people who swore too easily, and she herself didn’t dare make such a promise—Yuanniang had some understanding of whether she truly had a tendency to love the new and discard the old—she decided not to speak too absolutely and just kept nodding vigorously.
Whether Granny Wang saw through this little devil’s thoughts or not, she didn’t say anything more.
Chen Yuanniang knew this matter was considered settled. She eagerly began to savor the Bianjing-style pounded tea made by Yu Niangzi. With the first sip, she was greeted by an exceptionally rich texture, with bits of walnuts and pine nuts adding complexity and preventing it from becoming cloying.
Upon closer tasting, the pounded tea lacked the sticky, floury heaviness. Beyond the nutty aroma and initial savory notes, it left a lingering sweetness reminiscent of Jiao.
Yuan Niang couldn’t help but feel curious. “Grandma, this pounded tea is truly delicious, and it even has a sweet taste.”
Granny Wang, quick and natural in her movements—and also because the pounded tea was genuinely delightful—had already nearly finished her bowl, leaving only a shallow layer at the bottom. After draining it in one go, she wiped her mouth and said, “Yu Niangzi is quite skilled. Instead of using cooked flour in this pounded tea, she substituted it with crispy sugar cakes. No wonder it’s both sweet and fragrant!”
Chen Yuanniang had never tasted crispy sugar cakes, but that didn’t stop her from nodding with an expression of sudden understanding and proceeding to savor the tea slowly, half-spoonful by half-spoonful.
She couldn’t bear to finish it too quickly.