Yun Yin worked quickly in the kitchen. By the time the steamed pork with rice flour and steamed ribs were done, her sour pickled fish was ready as well. She carried the dishes over to Fu Wang and said:
“You go ahead and eat. I won’t be able to attend to you.”
Fu Wang glanced at the growing crowd and quickly replied, “Miss Yun, go take care of your business. Don’t worry about me.”
He picked up his chopsticks and first tasted the powder-steamed pork that had been tempting him all along.
When Yun Yin finally finished her busy spell and looked over again, Fu Wang had already wiped out both the steamed pork and the steamed ribs completely. Only the sour fish dish still had some left.
She brought him a pot of tea and asked, “What brings you out of the city today, Young Master Fu?”
Fu Wang set down his chopsticks.
“Today is Qingming. I came out to pay respects to my family. And since I thought you’d be cooking again today, I stopped by for a meal.”
“During the Cold Food Festival these past few days, I couldn’t eat anything properly cooked. Now that cooking is allowed again, I naturally wanted to taste your cooking. I didn’t expect you to have new dishes—this one is completely different from the sour fish. The pork is rich but not greasy, and paired with mugwort, it tastes fresher. Combined with the steamed rice flour, the texture is soft and glutinous—truly delicious.”
He sighed as he looked at the untouched sour fish.
Yun Yin sat down across from him.
“Why the sigh? Didn’t you like the new dishes?”
Fu Wang smiled faintly.
“I’m just thinking… it’ll be a long time before I can eat your cooking again.”
Yun Yin paused. “You’re leaving?”
He nodded.
“My brothers have sent word—they’ll arrive in Long’an County in a couple of days. After that, we’ll head to the Western Regions.”
Yun Yin felt a trace of regret. Another regular customer would be gone for a long time. But then she remembered his promise to bring her seeds, and a spark of anticipation returned.
She smiled.
“Then I wish you a safe and smooth journey.”
“Thank you for your blessing,” Fu Wang replied warmly.
After a moment’s hesitation, he asked,
“I heard you’re planning to build an inn?”
Yun Yin paused mid-motion, surprised.
“Where did you hear that?”
Fu Wang glanced at Zhang Lin.
“I happened to hear it from him once. Building an inn requires quite a bit of money. I may not be able to help much, but I know quite a few merchant caravans. I could introduce you to some potential customers.”
“You want to sell more mushroom sauce, right? I know some caravans that travel year-round. A few are currently staying in Long’an County. If you’re interested, I can introduce you.”
Yun Yin did want to expand her mushroom sauce business, though she didn’t currently have enough mushrooms. Still, customers were always valuable.
She smiled.
“Then thank you, Young Master Fu.”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “I’ll just make the introduction. The rest is up to you. When are you free?”
After thinking for a moment, Yun Yin replied,
“Since you’ll be leaving soon, I’ll go with you to Long’an County tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Then I’ll come pick you up.”
“No need,” she said. “Just give me the address—I’ll find you.”
Just as they were discussing details, the sound of galloping horses approached from afar, accompanied by loud voices. Passersby turned to look.
Yun Yin looked up—and spotted a familiar figure.
“Song Shi?”
Sure enough, Song Shi had already seen her stall. He waved to his companions.
“This is the place! Hurry, I’m starving!”
He dismounted first, tied up his horse, and called out loudly:
“Miss Yun! I brought friends to support your business! Your stall is really hard to find—we rode for ages!”
Yun Yin brought out another table and greeted them.
“What brings you here today, Young Master Song?”
He grinned.
“It’s Qingming—time for an outing! You said you opened a stall along the official road, so I came to try your cooking. Took forever to find though—I thought I got lost.”
He seated his friends and looked around.
“Miss Yun, this place is too simple. You can only eat outdoors. We don’t mind, but if there are female guests later, it might not be convenient.”
Yun Yin poured tea. “Female guests?”
Song Shi beamed.
“I invited Miss Luo—and my sister Song Xuan. They’re right behind us!”
Yun Yin raised a brow. “The guests here won’t stay long.”
Song Shi shook his head.
“Forget it, I’ll go check nearby. I remember there’s a stream. If the scenery is nice, we can have a floating-cups gathering.”
Before leaving, he added:
“Miss Yun, I finally managed to invite Miss Luo out—make your best dishes! I want to treat her properly.”
His friends teased him mercilessly:
“Are we not worth treating well?”
“Exactly! Even if you become his brother-in-law someday, you’ll be the one flattering him!”
Song Shi flushed red.
“Xie Yan! Lin Hui! Shut up and help me find a good spot! And I brought fine wine—do you still want to drink or not?”
Watching the group leave noisily, Yun Yin couldn’t help but laugh. She turned to Fu Wang.
“Young people are so lively… makes me feel old.”
Fu Wang looked at her curiously.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty,” she replied with a shy smile.
He shook his head.
“Only twenty—just three years younger than me. To me, you’re like the morning sun—bright and lively.”
Yun Yin blinked, surprised. She had always thought of herself as more like the setting sun—steady but without much vitality.
Yet here, in just a few days, she had changed in others’ eyes.
Fu Wang continued:
“When I first saw you, you seemed skilled in martial arts and were running a stall on the official road. I thought you had some hidden agenda.”
“But after eating your cooking several times, seeing how happy you are when you cook—I realized I was wrong.”
“You’re simply a talented young woman. Your food feels warm and comforting. Not only is it delicious, but you yourself are cheerful and full of life—like the rising sun.”
Yun Yin hadn’t expected such heartfelt praise. Her cheeks flushed.
“You’re quite the flatterer, Young Master Fu. But even so, I won’t give you a discount.”
He laughed.
“I wouldn’t dare ask for one. Being able to eat your cooking is already my good fortune.”
At that moment, someone called for the bill. Yun Yin quickly got up to work again, while Fu Wang sipped tea, enjoying the rare moment of peace.
After sending off the last customers, Yun Yin let Zhang Lin rest and began preparing lunch for Song Shi’s group.
The steamed pork and ribs were easy—just leave them in the pot. Sour fish and salt-and-pepper shrimp were also quick to make.
Then she noticed a fresh perch in the water vat.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to make a famous dish—something worthy of Song Shi’s enthusiastic support.
She also remembered the oranges he had brought—rare for this season.
Since he had been so generous, she would make sure he tasted something special.
(It was a pity Fu Wang didn’t eat raw fish, or she would have let him try it too.)
She began preparing Golden Minced Sauce (Jin Ji)—part of the classic dish Golden Minced Fish Slices (Jin Ji Yu Kuai).
Traditionally, it was best made in late summer when perch was at its fattest. The ancient method used tangerine peel and chestnuts, but later versions simplified it with oranges.
Without chestnuts, Yun Yin mashed orange flesh into a paste, added fine salt, and mixed it well.
As for the fish, she would slice it last to ensure freshness.
Once the other dishes were ready, she began:
She cut behind the fish’s head and let the blood drain in water to whiten the flesh. Then she removed the bones and skin, slicing the meat into translucent, paper-thin pieces, arranging them like petals on a porcelain plate.
The original recipe called for aromatic herbs, but since she didn’t have them, she substituted with mint leaves. If perilla had been available, the flavor would have been even better.
She finely chopped mint and orange peel, sprinkling them in the center like flower stamens.
And just like that, the dish was complete.
Though slightly different from the ancient version, the taste would still be excellent.
She packed the dish into a food box and reminded the servant:
“This dish must be eaten fresh—don’t forget to tell Young Master Song.”
The servant nodded eagerly.
“I understand, thank you, Miss!”
After packing the rest of the dishes, Yun Yin moved on to preparing dessert.
It was another famous delicacy—though complicated—but with plenty of time, she could take her time making it perfectly.