Among the lower-middle-class households in the capital, the birth of a daughter is highly prized…
“Run Jie’er, Run Jie’er?”
“Wake up!”
“If you don’t get up now, we won’t make it to Deputy Commander Wu’s house in time, and your mother will scold you again.”
“Run Jie’er? My darling, hurry and get up. Granny has bought you some Peng-cake from the Cao Family snack shop by State Bridge, and some White Lamb Intestine from the Lu Family south of the Vermilion Bird Gate. These are best eaten fresh and hot; don’t you dare be cross with me if they get cold!”
The warm yellow sunlight filtered diagonally through the lattice window, reflecting onto the plain green bed curtains. It crept through the gap opened by the old woman, quietly crawling onto the young lady’s fair and beautiful face. Her tightly closed eyes twitched slightly as if disturbed by the light, and she began to mumble dizzily.
“Mm, just fifteen more minutes.”
The young lady reached out with her eyes closed, pulling the quilt over her head. The old woman seemed to say something else, but she didn’t hear it clearly and simply drifted back to sleep.
Until…
A rich aroma of sizzling fat wafted into the room, mixed with the savory scent of fresh lamb, rushing straight into her nose.
In an instant, a head with messy hair emerged from under the quilt. Before her eyes were even open, she rose from the bed like a boneless blade of grass, her nose sniffing deeply. “Smells good!”
At that moment, a steaming hot white cloth was slapped onto her face by quick hands. She hissed from the heat, followed by a relentless and vigorous scrubbing. One might have thought she was having a mole rubbed off rather than having her face washed.
Lu Runrun immediately grimaced and cried out for mercy. “Ow! Granny, gentler!”
“I barely used any strength. Rest easy, your tender face won’t break.” The old woman wore her hair in a bun meticulously bound in a brown cloth, without a single stray strand—it must have been smoothed down with scented oil. She wore simple silver earrings threaded with red string, a thin upper blouse, and baggy trousers without an overskirt. She looked bright and energetic, clearly a person of efficient labor.
Lu Runrun rubbed her reddened cheeks, frowning and pouting in pain. She grumbled inwardly about how that was “no strength”—this was a face, not pigskin!
Still, it did the trick; she was wide awake.
She covered her mouth and yawned, placing her feet on the footstool and fumbling for her shoes.
She needn’t have bothered; a pair of warm, strong, and calloused hands caught her wandering feet and slipped on her socks and shoes. Then, a bamboo Tooth-brushlet coated in salt was pressed into her hand. She began to brush her teeth with practiced ease.
Limited by the era, the Tooth-brushlet consisted of two rows of holes in a bamboo handle fitted with horsehair. Brushing with it was stiff and uncomfortable, but Lu Runrun had been here for over a decade and had grown accustomed to it. Regardless, it was much better than chewing on willow branches.
As she brushed, her eyes drifted shut again, though she could do this by touch alone.
As for the rinsing water and the tile basin beneath, Nanny Chen took care of all that. If it weren’t impossible to put her soul into someone else’s body, Nanny Chen would have gladly eaten, drunk, and performed every basic function for her, just so Lu Runrun could spend her days lazily enjoying her life in bed.
Just as Lu Runrun gargled a mouthful of warm water, Nanny Chen began her incessant nagging over her head.
“Your mother went to Deputy Commander Wu’s manor to prepare a banquet, and just to show off, she took that girl Huan’er along to serve tea and water. There isn’t even anyone at home to help me boil water. I had to spend money in the street to buy face-washing water—two whole cash! And they didn’t even fill the basin. All the money is being made by those black-hearted people.
“Unlike us, who do good deeds every day. That Madam Qian said she’d be two days late with the House-rent fee, but now it’s been four or five days. Never mind that her husband is a clerk who handles documents for the officials at the government office; how could they lack funds? She must be planning to drag it out day by day until she can cheat us out of a month’s House-rent fee. Don’t think I don’t know, hmph! That thieving woman is a greedy ghost reincarnated!
“Run Jie’er, stay away from their family. Their daughter looks like she’s up to no good.
“Oh, by the way, it’s the fifteenth in two days. You made a vow before the Buddha, so don’t forget to make the pastries with your own hands. I’ll prepare vegetarian meals for you all day. Whatever you do, don’t sneak off to the State Bridge night market to eat Savory snacks and taste meat; it would be disrespectful to the Buddha!”
As Nanny Chen spoke, she pressed her palms together and piously chanted, “Amitabha.”
But her piety lasted only a moment before she added happily, “Our Run Jie’er truly is filial. To ensure your mother’s recovery, you vowed to go to the Da Xiangguo Temple every first and fifteenth of the month for a year to give alms and vegetarian pastries. In this, you are exactly like your own grandmother. She served her parents with all her heart and was famous for her filial piety; that’s what led your grandfather to send a matchmaker to propose. Your grandfather was truly blessed…”
Nanny Chen had been the maid of Lu Runrun’s grandmother, and she could go on forever when praising her former mistress.
Lu Runrun had just woken up and couldn’t listen closely. She brushed her teeth carefully while mumbling vague responses to get through it.
Just as she thought she was in the clear, Nanny Chen started in on her again.
The old woman let out an “Aie,” slapping her thigh in frustration. “My dear, why aren’t you alert yet? Could you have snuck off to the Wazi to play last night?
“If your mother finds out, she’ll scold you. She already blames me for spoiling you too much. Don’t let her know I brought the basin and Tooth-brushlet in for you. But you’ve just woken up; how could I let you stand in the cold draft of the courtyard? Raising boys and girls requires delicacy. You don’t know how your grandparents raised your father.
“If you had been born years earlier, you wouldn’t be sharing a single maid with your mother; you’d have three or four maids following you at all times…”
When it came to Lu Runrun’s paternal grandparents, whom she had never met, and the former glory of the Lu residence, Nanny Chen was a never-ending font of chatter. After all, Nanny Chen had been part of her grandmother’s dowry and later became her father’s wet nurse; her heart belonged entirely to the Lu family.
Lu Runrun was used to it; she had heard it so often she had calluses on her ears.
Roughly speaking, the Lu family had been prominent two or three generations ago. An ancestor—likely her grandfather’s grandfather—had been a Jinshi who served as a seventh-rank official right here in Bianjing. His wife had managed the household brilliantly and was skilled in business, amassing this residence and a substantial family estate.
At their peak, the family owned four or five shops on Ma Xing Street and many fields in the capital’s outskirts and other regions.
Unfortunately, no great scholars emerged in the generations that followed. Specifically, Lu Runrun’s grandfather’s father lacked literary talent—never even becoming a Juren—yet he possessed all the refined tastes of a literati. He loved playing with calligraphy and paintings and was extremely particular about his food and drink. He only ate the most expensive things: for shad, he would only eat the “crescent meat” by the gills; for lamb’s head skewers, he would only use the meat from the cheeks, discarding everything else. A single dish would consume two whole sheep.
Fortunately, the family estate was large enough to sustain his extravagant lifestyle until the day he died.
By the time it was her grandfather’s turn, he wasn’t so lucky. He could only barely maintain the appearance of wealth while the family’s interior was already stretched thin. Most of the shops and fields had been sold off.
Especially when her mother, Tan Xianniang, married into the family, they went all out for the sake of appearances, hosting banquets for three full days and distributing baskets of copper coins to beggars. They even pawned ancestral calligraphy and paintings.
Her grandparents passed away a few years after that, having lived a life of wealth and honor without suffering.
The following year, her father died as well.
The responsibility fell to her mother, Tan Xianniang. By the time she took over, everything that could be sold had been sold. Living off her dowry was just waiting for the end, so she modified the large three-entry residence. She opened two extra gates and rented out the front and back rooms to provide a steady income.
Furthermore, Tan Xianniang possessed an ancestral skill. She managed to have her “Wangchuan Map” presented at the birthday celebration of the Princess Consort of Bohai Commandery.
It wasn’t a painted scroll, but a creation made of fruits, vegetables, and meats, using techniques like Sliced raw fish, sauces, and frying. When first served, it appeared as twenty separate dishes of pavilions and towers, but when the twenty dishes were combined, they perfectly reconstructed the “Wangchuan Map.”
It was a sensation.
Once her reputation was established, Madam Tan became a highly sought-after Professional female chef for banquets, and from then on, the family never lacked for money.
However, she wasn’t the most famous among them. Bianjing in the Great Song was at the height of its prosperity, a place where treasures and talented people gathered. Even the profession of a Professional female chef was highly specialized, with countless masters of the craft. The chefs hired by the wealthiest families could even combine beauty, literacy, accounting skills, and refined grace with their culinary expertise—not to mention their worth was exorbitant.
But one didn’t necessarily have to reach that level to be popular.
Ultimately, it was about a gimmick. There were chefs famous for their luxury, using only gold and silver utensils and incredibly wasteful, expensive ingredients.
Others were famous for a single specialty. For instance, Song Wusao was known for her fish soup; after being summoned and praised by the Emperor, people competed to buy from her, and she rose from poverty to become a wealthy woman. There were also those famous for Sliced raw fish, lamb trotters, Whisked tea art…
As a modern person, Lu Runrun reflected that this was simply marketing.
Fortunately, her mother, Madam Tan, had already established their reputation. She didn’t need to worry about making a name for herself; in the future, she only needed to say she had inherited her mother’s skills to be hired.
She planned to master the culinary arts.
After all, although the empty rooms at home could bring in House-rent fee, they weren’t always occupied. The government collected taxes, and they also had to pay “tribute” to the local patrol station. Relying solely on rent made for a tight budget; they needed more sources of income.
Her mother had said that in the future, they would take in a uxorilocal husband for her. If she didn’t learn a good craft, how would she support the household?
Lu Runrun deeply agreed. She hadn’t expected her Song Dynasty mother to be so open-minded, and she couldn’t let her down.
Moreover, whenever she went to other manors to help with banquets, she got to see a lot of excitement, and the rewards from the hosts were quite generous. She found it very enjoyable.
At this thought, Lu Runrun suddenly felt energized. After washing her face, she dressed efficiently, putting on a bright red Moxiong embroidered with gold hydrangea patterns. Over it, she wore a simple green short-sleeved Beizi. The Beizi was plain and elegant, as people of the time prized understated beauty, but the borders along the front were hand-painted with intricate scenes of lotuses, duckweed, fish, rocks, and egrets—a very complex and beautiful design.
This was a necessity; being a Professional female chef wasn’t as simple as tying an apron around one’s waist.
In this era, especially among lower-middle-class households, raising a daughter was like cradling a precious pearl. Those who were intelligent and beautiful were taught various skills. The most talented could become Needlework artisans or Zaju performers. A Professional female chef was considered the lowest among these skilled professions, and they were only employed by the extremely wealthy.
A family as prominent and wealthy as Deputy Commander Wu’s placed great importance on the pomp of hiring a Professional female chef. Therefore, the chef also had to dress elegantly; otherwise, the host would be mocked.
This was the rich and prosperous Bianjing, after all!
Otherwise, why would someone pay dozens or even hundreds of strings of cash in wages and rewards? if she were like a common servant woman, wearing only coarse cloth and baggy shirts, unable to even afford a proper skirt, she would only earn a hundred cash a day.
Fortunately, Lu Runrun wasn’t the head chef like her mother, so she didn’t need an elaborate high bun or waist pendants; she only needed to look simple and pleasing.
Thus, when she was pulled before the dressing table, Nanny Chen chose a bright red hair ribbon for her and hung a silver “Ruyi” longevity lock pendant around her neck. As she moved, the beads at the bottom of the silver lock tinkled together with a crisp sound.
As for earrings, she didn’t wear any. Last time Lu Runrun had followed Madam Tan to a banquet, she had lost a jade earring, which had pained her greatly. It had been sent by her eldest maternal uncle, a military official, from the border—it was worth at least three or four strings of cash.
While Nanny Chen was busy styling her hair, Lu Runrun grabbed a plate and began eating the seared White Lamb Intestine.
It had cooled slightly. The lamb intestine no longer had the piping hot aroma and thin, crispy skin it had right out of the pan, but the flavor remained. Inside was tender lamb blood, likely mixed with Sichuan peppercorn or ginger-scallion water, as there was no gamey smell at all—it was even slightly savory. The lamb fat had been fried to a snowy white-yellow hue, and each bite was juicy and delicious.
Lu Runrun was quite satisfied; it truly lived up to the reputation of the Lu Family shop south of the Vermilion Bird Gate.
To be fair, though her mother was a professional chef, when it came to this seared White Lamb Intestine, the shop’s version was superior. There must be other ingredients and a different method for curdling the lamb blood. Exactly how, Lu Runrun couldn’t guess—that’s why it was a secret recipe.
By the time she finished, her hair was done: a charming “double-fork” bun for a young maiden, with the hair tied into two buns on either side below the ears.
In the center of each bun, Nanny Chen had inserted a silver-plated Huasheng with embossed lotus root patterns. A real pearl hung in the center of the lotus pattern, looking like a fresh white lotus seed—a clever and lively design.
Combined with the tinkling longevity silver lock, she looked spirited and a bit cheeky, clearly a girl raised with love in a good home.
As soon as her hair was finished, Lu Runrun couldn’t wait. She grabbed two pieces of bright green Peng-cake from another plate and ran out without looking at the ground. One of the red dates on top almost fell off, but Lu Runrun’s eyes and mouth were quick; she ducked her head and caught it in her teeth.
Seeing her in such a rush, Nanny Chen began to worry.
She waved her hand urgently at Lu Runrun. “Oh, slow down, slow down! I’ve already called the small sedan chair to the door. You can get in as soon as you go out; you won’t be late! You can finish eating in the house before going out; at most, the porter will just have to wait a bit.
“Watch where you’re going!
“I’ve already paid the sedan fee, so don’t let them trick you into paying again!”
Despite Nanny Chen’s shouting, Lu Runrun’s figure disappeared out the door, leaving only a blurry image of a waving hand in response.
Lu Runrun boarded the small blue-cloth sedan chair carried by two men. She began eating the Peng-cake amidst the gentle swaying. It was made from white mugwort, rice flour, and cane sugar. It wasn’t sticky like some cakes, but rather loose and crumbly, melting in the mouth with a sweet but not cloying taste.
She loved it!
Compared to the sweetness and stickiness of water dumplings, the dryness of tea pastries, or the softness of steamed buns, the texture of Peng-cake was much more to her liking. The honeyed dates on top added a slight tartness and the fragrance of fruit, enriching the flavor.
Although the man-powered sedan chair was a bit shaky, it didn’t have the nauseating smell of gasoline like modern cars. Eating didn’t affect Lu Runrun’s appetite; she even intentionally wiggled her hips to the rhythm of the swaying chair, humming a tune from a Zhuge Palace Melodies she had heard at the Wazi the day before, a sense of joy rising from her heart.
She reached out and lifted the curtain. What met her eyes was a continuous stream of people. The sedan was crossing the Rainbow Bridge, which spanned over twenty feet across Bianjing. Both sides of the bridge were packed with carts, porters, and Floating stalls. Some stalls hung wooden signs under large umbrellas listing prices—for example, five cash for a bowl of sweet bean soup, ten cash for a lychee drink. Others hung small flags on their carts with the names of stalls like “Scented Beverages” or “Granny Cai’s Meat Pies.”
A single glance revealed a sea of vendors shouting and hawking their wares.
Simple hawking would have been fine, but commerce in the Song Dynasty was highly developed, and competition among vendors was fierce. Each one came up with creative ways to sell: those selling buns sang “Bun Melodies,” while those selling scented beverages like thirst-quenchers or boiled waters sang “Sweet Water Melodies.” Each had its own tune, and mixed together, they formed a cacophony of rising and falling sounds that filled the ears.
When Lu Runrun had first arrived here at the age of two or three, she would sometimes be carried out to see the sights and would be stunned into silence, her round eyes darting everywhere. Now, she was used to it.
Just as she was about to drop the curtain, a voice that was unusually different—a sorrowful cry—piqued her curiosity.
Most hawkers praised their own goods or sang the names of their products in high-pitched tunes.
But this one…
“A loss~ It’s a loss for me~~”
The author has something to say:
1.
Tooth-brushlet: Toothbrushes existed during the Tang and Song Dynasties. In the Song Dynasty work “Collected Records of Health Preservation” by Zhou Shouzhong, it says: “One should not use a Tooth-brushlet early in the morning, for fear that the roots will become loose and the teeth will easily wobble. Over time, it will cause toothaches, for Tooth-brushlets are all made of horsehair.” Moreover, Song Dynasty toothbrushes were very similar in style to modern ones: long handles with holes drilled at one end to plant horsehair. They were generally made of bamboo, wood, or animal bone, though some extravagant ones used ivory. Of course, they weren’t as common as today, but one group was required to maintain good hygiene: monks. Their precepts required them to wash their faces and brush their teeth, and Song Dynasty monks even invented portable “tooth fragrance sticks.”
2.
Song Wusao: Her being praised by the Emperor and becoming a wealthy woman by selling fish soup happened during the Southern Song Dynasty. Although this story is a fictional world blending Northern and Southern Song elements, since it’s set in Bianjing (Northern Song), I’m providing this clarification.
3.
“Among the lower-middle-class households in the capital, the birth of a daughter is highly prized…”: This passage is adapted from “Yanggu Manlu” by Hong Xun of the Song Dynasty: “Lower-middle-class households in the capital do not value the birth of sons. Every time a daughter is born, she is loved and protected like a precious pearl. As soon as she grows up, she is taught skills according to her aptitude to serve as entertainment for officials… Among these, the Professional female chef is the lowest, yet they are only used by the extremely wealthy families.”