When Yuan Niang followed the crowd to the bamboo grove, she saw from a distance several translucent glass screens encircling the pavilion. The servants had already set up the venison for roasting.
Beside the roasting rack stood a circular pearwood counter, which not only complemented the octagonal pavilion’s layout but also left the ventilation openings clear to disperse the oily smoke.
The maids had prepared warm, fragrant tea, steaming hot—just one glance made one feel cozy.
After taking her seat, Yuan Niang took a small sip of the fragrant tea and curiously observed the venison already sizzling over the fire.
Venison hadn’t gone extinct in later times; ordinary people could purchase it through e-commerce platforms or specific sales channels, though it still wasn’t as common as pork, beef, or mutton.
Yuan Niang had never eaten venison before. As a food blogger, she really shouldn’t have missed out on it. She had once planned to prepare a full venison banquet, but when she mentioned it to a friend, her friend advised against it. In later times, venison came from farmed deer, and since every part of a deer was valuable, deer farmers didn’t rely solely on selling the meat for profit. Usually, by the time a deer was slaughtered for its meat, it had been raised for several years, resulting in tough, dry meat with a terrible texture.
She had tried to find a reliable, legal source to order a young deer, but before she could finalize the arrangements, she found herself transported to this era. Little did she expect her craving would be satisfied here.
As Yuan Niang was lost in her thoughts, Fu Shuang placed in front of her a small dish of prepared ginger sauce, a plate of finely shredded orange peel, a serving of sour and crispy pickled plum radish, and several other side dishes.
Yuan Niang smiled. A single deer required eight different dishes to accompany it—this deer had truly lived a worthy life.
Chen Ge’er asked curiously, “Yuan Mei, what are you smiling about?”
Yuan Niang quietly shared her earlier thought with him, and Chen Ge’er also curved his lips into a smile, explaining, “Mother had these prepared specifically because she was worried that us children might have trouble digesting the venison.”
Yuan Niang glanced around and saw that it was indeed the case.
In front of Su Mai were prepared ginger sauce and mushroom paste, along with neatly cut cabbage leaves.
Before Wang Runzhi were placed large, leafy greens, likely to be used later for wrapping the meat.
In front of Su Shi was a platter of five pungent ingredients: ginger, mustard, smartweed, Chinese leek, and cornelian cherry.
Venison itself was heating in nature, and adding pungent flavors on top of that would only make it even more heating. Who would have thought that the famously health-conscious figure from history was like this in his youth? Yuan Niang’s eyes revealed surprise as she turned to whisper to Chen Ge’er, “Does Shifu really have such a preference for pungent and spicy flavors?”
Chen Ge’er nodded stealthily and replied, “That’s right.”
Thinking of her Shifu’s place of origin, Yuan Niang understood—after all, people from Sichuan had always had a fondness for pungent and aromatic flavors since ancient times.
Still, she felt a bit regretful. Her Shifu had never tasted the soul of later Sichuan cuisine—chili peppers! If he were to take just one bite, he would surely fall in love with them!
Seeing the mix of emotion and regret on Yuan Niang’s little face, Su Shi was momentarily puzzled, thinking she was just eager for the meat. So he asked, “Yuan Niang, do you prefer your meat tender or crispy?”
Chen Ge’er, growing impatient, answered for her, “Tender, tender!”
Yuan Niang laughed and said, “Only children make choices—I want both!”
Su Shi used a small silver knife to cut two tender pieces of roasted venison, placing them on Yuan Niang’s and Chen Ge’er’s plates respectively. Then, especially for Yuan Niang, he sliced off a slightly crispy piece of venison. The aroma of roasting instantly wafted to their noses, and tiny bubbles of sizzling fat still dotted the surface of the meat slice. Though thin, it radiated warmth.
Chen Ge’er blew on the meat and, without bothering to dip it in sauce, grabbed his chopsticks to stuff the venison into his mouth: “Mmm! Pure and natural flavor—so fragrant, so delicious!”
Yuan Niang followed his example and ate a piece plain. The meat was exceptionally tender, with a texture somewhere between chicken and pork—quite marvelous.
Su Mai laughed: “You two, gobbling it down in such a hurry—aren’t you afraid of the gaminess? Dipping it in mushroom paste would make it sweeter.”
Chen Ge’er replied: “Elder brother, you don’t understand—the first bite should always be tasted plain to appreciate the true flavor. Only after establishing the base taste should one adjust with salty, sweet, sour, or spicy according to preference.”
Su Mai nodded: “There is some wisdom in that.”
Yuan Niang took the advice readily. For her next piece, she followed Su Mai’s example and dipped it lightly in the mushroom paste. To her surprise, it truly enhanced the freshness! She couldn’t help marveling inwardly: These Su family members—each one more culinary than the last when it comes to eating.
Yuan Niang tried different sauces with each piece of meat, loving every single condiment! Unlike the heavy-handed sprinkling of chili and cumin in later eras that often overwhelmed the meat’s natural flavor, the seasonings here served to complement the roast—preserving the original taste while removing gaminess and enhancing fragrance and freshness. Quite extraordinary.
The group sat around the table enjoying roast venison and lively conversation, leaving the Golden Lion Cub quite anxious. At first it whimpered and whined impatiently, but when nobody paid attention, it sulkily lay down outside the pavilion, turning its back to everyone with its tail erect. Perhaps the aroma of roasting meat was too tempting, for it soon forgot its sulking over being ignored. After circling under the table without finding any scraps, it finally wagged its tail and settled between Yuan Niang and Chen Ge’er, watching them devour the food while drooling. Eventually unable to resist, it extended its paws to tug at Chen Ge’er’s and Yuan Niang’s clothes before letting out a soft “Woof!”
Seizing a moment when no one was watching, Yuan Niang saved half a piece of unseasoned meat and discreetly pretended to accidentally knock it off her chopsticks. The meat fell to the ground, and the Golden Lion Cub swiftly snapped it up.
The Golden Lion Cub was a greedy little dog—one piece was never enough. It wanted more.
When Chen Ge’er picked up another piece for it, Ren Momo caught him and scolded: “Ah, my young master! What a waste in these lean times! You’ll spoil the dog’s appetite.”
The Golden Lion Cub grabbed the meat from Chen Ge’er and dashed away before Ren Momo could chase it.
Chen Ge’er glanced cautiously at Su Shi’s expression. Su Shi pretended not to notice, allowing Chen Ge’er to resume eating with relief.
Later, when they’d nearly finished eating, Chen Ge’er taught Yuan Niang to wrap venison around shredded orange peel dipped in orange juice, and around pickled plum radish dipped in honey. Finally, the two children were so full they couldn’t eat another bite. Exchanging glances, they simultaneously eyed the Five-Spice Plate in front of Su Shi.
Su Shi happened to turn and see two pairs of wide, staring eyes. Immediately seized by mischief, he smiled and asked: “Want some?”
The two children nodded vigorously: “Yes!”
Su Shi quickly wrapped two venison slices around pungent ingredients from the Five-Spice Plate and handed them to Yuan Niang and Chen Ge’er, watching them with amusement: “Go on, try it!”
Yuan Niang wondered what passed for “spicy” in the Great Song dynasty. After all, many ingredients composing this pungent flavor were uncommon in later eras, with some even unheard of by later generations—such as polygonum and Yue peppers.
Accepting the venison from Su Shi’s hand, Yuan Niang brought it to her mouth with curiosity, determined to discover the truth.
Whoosh! An intensely pungent spiciness shot from her mouth through her nose straight to the crown of her head!! The sensation was indescribable—Yuan Niang instantly teared up from the heat!
She had learned her lesson! Never get curious about Sichuan people’s food—it can make you cry, make you question your very existence!
Seeing Yuan Niang eat it, Chen Ge’er followed suit and instantly scrunched up his little face in protest: “This… this is attempted filicide! Waaah!” He spoke while unabashedly crying from the spiciness.
Wang Runzhi looked at the two children’s miserable state, both exasperated and amused: “My dears, spit it out already!”
By then, Yuan Niang and Chen Ge’er had already swallowed, their stomachs burning fiercely!
Fu Shuang and Chen Ge’er’s wet nurse hurriedly brought warm tea for them to rinse their mouths. After much fuss, they finally managed to suppress the choking heat.
Yuan Niang wondered—how did her teacher manage to eat it bite by bite without breaking down in tears? His tolerance for spice must be so high that even later-era devil-level or insane-level spiciness would be no challenge. She was impressed, utterly impressed!
Yuan Niang wiped her tears with a clean handkerchief and said to Su Shi: “Hmph! Teacher played tricks on me again today. I’m not liking you for the rest of the day!” Before she could finish, Chen Ge’er pulled her away, and they ran off!
Su Shi’s hearty laughter echoed behind them. The two children paused mid-run, growing even more furious!
They decided to only play with the dog today! Not with someone who’s more dog-like than an actual dog!
The two children returned to the courtyard to feed the Golden Lion Cub. The puppy, who usually ate with enthusiastic nods, was clearly distracted today. It glanced at them several times before sighing and reluctantly starting to lick at the food.
Chen Ge’er wondered: “It doesn’t seem willing to eat today. Is it feeling unwell?”
After observing for a while, Yuan Niang shook her head: “Probably just being picky.”
Being a doting dog owner, Chen Ge’er stroked his chin thoughtfully: “Should I sneak some meat for it?”
“Forget it, unless you want a scolding from Momo!” Yuan Niang stopped him.
Chen Ge’er stroked the Golden Lion Cub’s fluffy fur and lovingly promised: “From now on, you’ll eat whatever I eat, alright?!”
The Golden Lion Cub glanced at him and continued eating half-heartedly.
Yuan Niang shook her head: “That will only make it pickier.”
“Ah? Then what should we do? If it doesn’t eat, won’t it starve?!” Chen Ge’er worried.
“It’s fine. Going hungry for a bit might actually help,” Yuan Niang said.
After thinking it over, Chen Ge’er agreed: “I suppose so.”
As the two whispered to each other, they suddenly noticed a shadow fall across the hall’s floor tiles. Turning toward the doorway, they saw who it was and simultaneously snorted lightly before turning away.
Su Shi stepped over the threshold, smiling: “Still angry?”
“We’re going to be angry all day!” Yuan Niang declared with conviction.
Su Shi shook the object in his hand: “Look what I have!”
Yuan Niang and Chen Ge’er’s eyes lit up. Chen Ge’er took one and put it in his mouth—crunch! He nearly cracked a tooth. Yuan Niang laughed: “You just ate your fill. Why bother stealing the Golden Lion Cub’s treats?”
“Ah? This is for the dog?” Chen Ge’er asked in disbelief, his eyes wide.
Su Shi nodded: “Be careful not to let Ren Momo see.”
With this shared secret, the three quickly made up as if nothing had happened!
Golden Lion Cub finally finished the syrup bran in its bowl. Yuan Niang broke off a small piece of still-warm venison jerky to feed it. The puppy was overjoyed, dashing around with the jerky in its mouth, weaving through the house as if unsure where to go. It even ran to the crabapple tree in the yard and began frantically digging a hole with its paws, trying to bury the precious jerky it couldn’t bear to eat immediately.
Yuan Niang chased after it: “Golden Lion Cub! Keep it down! Keep it down! Eat it quickly, stop running around! If you bump into Ren Momo later, you’ll regret it so much your guts will ache!”
As if on cue, just as Yuan Niang finished speaking, Ren Momo’s voice came from outside the courtyard gate: “Is the young lady home?”
Instantly, the courtyard descended into chaos. Sensing the tense atmosphere, Golden Lion Cub scurried into a corner with the jerky still in its mouth. Chen Ge’er grabbed the jerky from the table and began searching frantically for a drawer to hide it in. Fu Shuang hurried out to greet Ren Momo. Su Shi casually picked up a poetry collection, pretending to be checking lessons. He pointed at Chen Ge’er and said: “Chen Er, recite Xie Lingyun’s ‘Ascending the Pond Tower’ for me.”
Chen Ge’er asked in confusion: “Who is Xie Lingyun?”
Su Shi cleared his throat lightly to cover his embarrassment: “Xie An, Xie An’s poetry will do too.”
Chen Ge’er asked again: “Who is Xie An?” Then he added as a reminder, “Father, you’re holding the book upside down.”
By this time Ren Momo had already entered. Seeing Su Shi there, she couldn’t hide her surprise: “Why is the young master checking Chen Ge’er’s lessons in the young lady’s courtyard?”
“Ah! It’s warmer here,” Su Shi fabricated casually.
“Ai, the young lady is growing older day by day. The young master and young gentlemen should always remember the separation between men and women, and not wander around randomly. Go back now! Go back!” Ren Momo said.
Su Shi made a quick escape with his son, leaving Yuan Niang alone in the room worrying anxiously – had those two managed to hide the jerky properly?
Ren Momo draped the newly made floral-patterned jacket over Yuan Niang’s shoulders, saying as she adjusted it: “The new year is approaching soon. Try on this new jacket Momo made – does it fit properly?”
“Mm,” Yuan Niang responded softly with downcast eyes, though inwardly she was panicking terribly!