Shen Zhengze was not a man who mistreated his subordinates. Seeing that everyone had been busy following him back and forth for the past few days and was truly exhausted, he gave his silent consent.
Han You was overjoyed and immediately signaled for his brothers to hurry to the stall. Before they had even dismounted, he called out, “Boss Jiang, we’re here to eat wontons!”
Jiang Mo looked up, a ripple of a smile appearing in her peach-blossom eyes. However, the moment her gaze touched Shen Zhengze behind them, she quietly tucked the smile away.
The customers at the wonton stall, seeing a group of yamen runners, chose to avoid trouble; they hurriedly finished their wontons and slipped away one by one, leaving the tables open for the officers.
Han You counted the men beside him. “Boss, twelve bowls of wontons!”
Li Dahu was startled. He turned and carefully counted the men again, puzzled. “Little Han, did you count wrong? There are only ten of us here.”
“No, no, I’m eating two bowls myself!” Han You laughed heartily.
Li Dahu: “…” “That still doesn’t add up. If you eat two, where is the extra bowl going?”
“That bowl is, of course, for the Lord,” Han You said matter-of-factly. He couldn’t very well just eat two bowls himself while the Lord had none—that would be far too conspicuous.
Shen Zhengze sat not far from the large pot, occupying a table by himself. Jiang Mo dropped the wrapped wontons into the boiling water one by one. Once they floated to the top, she scooped them into bowls, poured in the fragrant, rich broth, and added small dishes of homemade radish pickles before placing them before Shen Zhengze.
“Please enjoy, my Lord.” Her voice was delicate, soft, and sweet, seemingly trailing off at the end.
Looking at the bowl of wontons, they suddenly seemed much more appealing. Shen Zhengze, accustomed to the dangers of being swayed by beauty, remained unmoved. His gaze fell upon the two bowls of wontons, and he slowly picked up his soup spoon to take a sip of the broth.
Having become numb to food, he held no expectations for these wontons. Unexpectedly, as the spoonful of soup entered his mouth, a rich, fresh flavor he had never tasted before exploded across his taste buds, rushing straight to his crown. His mind, unprepared, was rocked by this sudden deliciousness. Before he could react, his brain had already equated this sensation with the “chicken soup mini wontons.”
But how could that be? He shouldn’t be able to taste anything.
Not wanting to believe it, Shen Zhengze waited for the taste of the chicken soup to fade slightly, then scooped up a wonton. He stared at it intently for a few moments before slowly placing it in his mouth. The skin was silky smooth and melted instantly. The meat filling, seasoned with a secret recipe, had a flavor distinct from the broth, accompanied by the umami of seaweed and dried shrimp.
This time, Shen Zhengze’s internal shock did not subside for a long time. He turned his gaze toward the owner of the wonton stall.
Jiang Mo was sharp; she immediately sensed his gaze. Her veil hid her cheeks, but it couldn’t hide the confusion and anxiety in her peach-blossom eyes. Why is this man suddenly looking at me? Is the wonton not to his taste? Or have we met before, and he has recognized me?
She felt a pang of regret. There weren’t many women born with a mole between their brows. Had she known, she would have found a way to cover it. Now, it was too late. Jiang Mo simply feigned ignorance, blinked her innocent eyes, and then curled her lips in a smile.
Shen Zhengze withdrew his gaze and began to eat the wontons with focus. He ate very slowly, as if meticulously savoring every aspect—from the skin and the meat filling to the seaweed and coriander. It was as if he weren’t eating mere wontons, but a peerless delicacy.
Jiang Mo: “…” Was it really that good?
While she was still wondering why he was eating so cherishably, a loud shout erupted nearby. “Boss Jiang! Another bowl of wontons!” It was Li Dahu.
Looking at the table, the wonton bowl was already empty, not a drop of soup left. Following that call, other tables chimed in.
“Boss Jiang, I want another bowl too! These wontons are amazing, the broth is absolute perfection!”
“Me too! I’ve never eaten wontons this delicious!”
“I think they taste better than the food in the big restaurants!”
“It would be even better if you had some flatbread to go with it!”
Han You poked Li Dahu in the elbow. “You’re getting a free meal and you’re still complaining? There’s a steamed bun seller next door; go buy one yourself if you want!”
Li Dahu scratched his head. “No way! I’ve had those, they taste terrible!” The bun seller, eavesdropping nearby: “…”
“Besides,” Li Dahu continued righteously, “I don’t just want any flatbread or buns; I want flatbread and buns made by Boss Jiang!”
Han You was tempted as well, looking at Jiang Mo with expectation. Jiang Mo had heard them all. Selling only wontons was indeed limiting, but it was just a stopgap measure. First, the seaweed and dried shrimp for the broth were rare; she was running out. Second, she planned to save the money to rent a small shop for a proper restaurant.
“The stall is small and there are few of us,” she replied. “Once the restaurant opens, I will consider it.”
Han You’s eyes lit up. Before he could ask about the restaurant, he noticed Shen Zhengze stand up and walk to the neighboring stall to buy two large steamed buns. Han You’s pupils shook; he opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept silent. He knew those buns were mediocre. It was his fault for overlooking the Lord’s appetite—he never expected that the Lord, who usually ate so little, would find two bowls of wontons insufficient.
Shen Zhengze held the two buns, folded the greaseproof paper, and took a bite. As usual, he tasted nothing. He paused, chewed a few times, and slowly swallowed. He took another sip of the soup; it remained incomparably fresh. At this moment, Shen Zhengze finally realized it wasn’t that his condition had improved, but that there was something unique about the food from this stall.
Without much time to ponder, the others were finished and waiting. He drank the remaining soup, took a piece of silver from his chest, and placed it on the table.
Only after they left did Jiang Mo go over to retrieve the silver. She weighed it—it was a full two taels! Her eyes lit up. This wasn’t just a customer; this was a god of wealth!
Iris was also happy. “As expected of an official, he’s truly generous!”
“I thought I would have to save for a while longer, but with these extra two taels, we can go look for a suitable shop once we close the stall today.”
Iris froze. “A shop? What are we looking for a shop for, miss?” An incredible thought popped into her head—could the miss be planning to open a restaurant?
“To open a restaurant, of course,” Jiang Mo said as if it were obvious.
Iris looked worried. “But… what if the separate residence (Shen mansion) finds out?” If it were an ordinary family, it would be fine, but the Prefect wasn’t an ordinary man! How could he let a young lady open a restaurant and appear in public?
“I haven’t even met him, why should I care what he does?” Jiang Mo ignored the existence of the Prefect.
Once she earned enough money, she would find a way to leave the Shen residence and stand on her own. Although Iris was anxious, she couldn’t make decisions for Jiang Mo and could only resign herself to helping her look for shops.
After looking at four places, Jiang Mo settled on one near Sajin Bridge—it was lively at night, and the rent was manageable. After cleaning, moving in furniture, and hanging a sign that read Peach Blossom Haven, she quietly opened for business.
Early one morning, Nuomi was sent out to buy buns. Passing by the river, she thought of the candied hawthorns she had encountered at the night market. They were so delicious, she thought. Too bad I haven’t seen them since.
Just as she was feeling regretful, she looked up and saw the new restaurant had opened. A familiar maid was moving a straw stand out to the door—and it was covered in candied hawthorns! Nuomi felt ten thousand internal screams of joy.
Candied hawthorns!!
She dashed over like a bolt of lightning. “Six skewers of candied hawthorn!”
Her loud voice startled Iris. “Coming, please wait a moment.” Iris skillfully wrapped the hawthorns in oil paper and handed them over.
As Nuomi pulled out her purse, a waft of steamed bun fragrance drifted to her nose. “Huh?” She looked up at the sign, Peach Blossom Haven. “Do you sell buns here?”
Iris smiled and shook her head. “We don’t just sell buns; we have chicken soup mini wontons and century egg and lean meat porridge.”
Nuomi was baffled. She understood buns and wontons, but what was “century egg and lean meat porridge”? Century egg? Egg under a century?
Iris pushed her advantage. “Today is our first day of business; the first customer gets their porridge for free.”
Nuomi’s confused expression instantly turned alert. “Truly free?”
“Truly.”
Nuomi decided instantly. “Then give me a basket of buns!” If the porridge is free, who wouldn’t want to drink it?
Welcoming her into the restaurant, Nuomi looked around curiously. “Where is your boss?” She remembered the beautiful girl with the red mole from that night.
“Our boss is in the kitchen,” Iris replied.
Nuomi looked on with adoration. Anyone who can make such delicious food must be super amazing. As she was thinking this, Iris brought over two bamboo tubes filled with flat bamboo sticks.
“Would you like to order buns directly, or draw lots?”
Nuomi was surprised. “Draw lots? You can do that?”
“Yes, it’s a little game our boss came up with. You can tell us what you don’t like, and we’ll filter those out; whatever you draw, it’ll be a surprise.” Iris admired Jiang Mo’s ideas. “You can even draw limited-edition dishes not on the menu.”
Limited-edition dishes?! Nuomi was excited. She wasn’t a picky eater, so it didn’t matter. “I’ll draw.”
She picked two sticks from the meat tube—she preferred meat. Cabbage and pork buns. Signature three-delicacy buns.
“If you sell buns, why is it called Peach Blossom Haven instead of ‘Bun Shop’?”
“We don’t just sell breakfast; we have lunch and dinner as well.” Iris brought over a pot of tea and poured a cup.
A faint floral fragrance drifted from the cup. Nuomi took a deep breath. “What is this water? It has the scent of flowers!”
“This is osmanthus tea, roasted by our boss.” Iris felt a sting of reluctance serving this—they had only two jars total, and Jiang Mo had specifically instructed that osmanthus tea was only for female guests; male guests were to be served Longjing.
Nuomi took a few sips. The tea was sweet, infused with floral fragrance, neither too strong nor too light. She fell in love with it instantly.
“Do you sell this tea?” she asked without hesitation. My young lady will definitely love this!
“We don’t sell it,” Iris replied as expected.
Nuomi felt a bit of regret.
Ding-ding.
The kitchen bell rang. Iris brought over two baskets of buns and the century egg and lean meat porridge. The steaming mini buns were neatly pleated, white and cute. Nuomi’s appetite was piqued. She picked one up with her chopsticks.
“Such cute little buns, you must be delicious. Don’t be afraid, just be good and go into my tummy—that’s your final destination!”
Nuomi laughed wildly.
Iris: “…” QAQ. Suddenly a little scared. What’s going on?
The bun was soft, and the chopstick tips left two marks in its dough, making it look pitiful. Nuomi didn’t hesitate and took a big bite.
The next second, tears streamed down her face.
AHHH—So hot! So hot!!
She couldn’t swallow, she couldn’t spit it out. After waiting for a moment with teary eyes, she finally managed to swallow it and took several gulps of tea to soothe her tingling, numbed tongue.
Iris was about to go over to offer comfort when she saw Nuomi poke the remaining half-bun aggressively.
“I underestimated you, daring to burn me! Watch me teach you a lesson—I’ll suppress you in my tummy so you’ll never have a chance to flip over again!”
Iris kept a straight face and left her to it.