As soon as Shen Zhihe finished speaking, the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed intently on the few people standing in front of the stall.
Watching the Shen Family’s main branch members remain silent, the surrounding onlookers watched with great interest, their gazes shifting back and forth between Shen Zhihe and the Shen Family Grandmother. After a moment, several acquaintances began whispering among themselves.
Perhaps feeling guilty, their actions appeared to the Shen Family Grandmother as if they were accusing her of mistreating Erlang’s child. Her cloudy eyes fixed fiercely on Shen Zhihe as she tremblingly raised her hand to point at her. “This old woman isn’t dead yet! You, an unmarried girl, dare speak of dowry—have you no sense of shame!”
Shen Zhihe snorted coldly, thinking to herself that she must find a way to resolve this issue with the entire family today. Otherwise, if they kept causing trouble every few days, she wouldn’t be able to conduct her business.
“Is Grandmother unwilling to give it, or unable to? Could it be that my mother’s dowry was all taken by Uncle to pay off his gambling debts?”
Hearing this, the Shen Family Grandmother met Shen Zhihe’s seemingly all-seeing gaze and nearly choked with rage. Trembling all over, she pointed at Shen Zhihe’s nose and angrily scolded, “Nonsense! How dare you try to divide the family property when this old woman isn’t even dead yet!”
“Granny Shen, that’s not right for you to say,” Wang Niangzi sneered. “The dowry belonging to Shen Xiaoniangzi’s mother naturally belongs to the young lady. How can that be considered Shen Family property?”
Hearing this, Shen Zhihe glanced at Wang Niangzi in surprise, never having known before that this person possessed some sense of righteousness.
The morning market was particularly crowded, and gradually Shen Zhihe’s stall became surrounded by three layers of spectators inside and out, all watching the drama unfold. Aunt Shen, Sun Qin, seeing the crowd growing larger while her mother-in-law was being provoked into losing composure by that wretched girl’s words, grew anxious and instinctively tugged at Shen Dalang’s sleeve.
“Head of household, don’t bother arguing with that girl. The reason we came today is to make her hand over the recipe for making tofu brain.”
Hearing this, Shen Dalang supported the Shen Family Grandmother, his hand gripping her shoulder tightly. The Shen Family Grandmother looked up in pain and was about to speak when Shen Dalang said, “A He, don’t be stubborn. It was your aunt’s fault earlier for arranging your engagement to her distant nephew without consulting you. But I’ve seen that boy—he’s handsome and educated. If you marry him, you won’t suffer in the future. Why don’t you come home with Uncle today?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Qin immediately frowned. Her nephew was a scholar who would later marry an official’s daughter—how could Shen Zhihe be worthy of him? She was about to refute this but swallowed her words when she met Shen Dalang’s gloomy gaze.
Shen Dalang believed that by lowering his pride, he could coax Shen Zhihe into returning home. Once she was back, he could manipulate her however he wished.
Little did he know that Shen Zhihe had been watching their interactions all along. The young girl’s bright eyes stared directly at Shen Dalang. Just when everyone thought she would agree, she suddenly chuckled lightly. “When did either of you ever discuss arranging my engagement to Aunt’s nephew with me?”
Shen Zhihe had initially considered simply letting everything fall apart and allowing others to know that she had been driven out of the house by Sun Qin. But then she thought again, realizing that with just her own words alone, it would be difficult to convince everyone. Instead, it would be better to use that shop to sow discord between the eldest branch of the Shen Family and the grandmother. Once they started fighting among themselves, they would surely be too preoccupied to bother with her.
By then, they probably wouldn’t have the energy to come looking for trouble with her.
As she spoke, Shen Zhihe’s wandering gaze fell on Sun Qin’s face. She saw that Sun Qin was looking at her with utter disgust, clearly feeling that Shen Zhihe was unworthy of her nephew. Her face pale, Shen Zhihe turned to Shen Dalang and said, “Uncle, Auntie seems very unwilling.”
“You little wretch, don’t be so ungrateful when given face! Your dead parents left early, and with no one to rely on, you still need me to find you a good match. My nephew is a scholar—naturally, you’re not worthy of him. But since your looks are passable, you could enter his household as a concubine. That would still be marrying above your station.” Sun Qin, who had been holding back for a long time, ignored Shen Dalang’s attempts to stop her. With one hand on her hip and a sidelong glance, she looked Shen Zhihe over as if appraising goods.
As soon as she finished speaking, there were murmurs of disapproval from the crowd. Seeing Sun Qin’s haughty demeanor, everyone understood: no wonder Shen Xiaoniangzi, an orphan girl, was out in the dead of winter, dragging her young brother along to set up a stall. Scornful glances fell upon the eldest branch of the Shen Family, sharp and uncomfortable as needles.
“Nonsense! Even though Shen Xiaoniangzi has no parents now, it’s entirely inappropriate for you to say in public that she should become someone’s concubine.” Wang Niangzi arranged the wooden bowls one by one. The Shen Family’s commotion had already wasted a lot of time, and now, hearing such words about Shen Xiaoniangzi—the very girl she had chosen as a wife for her own son—how could she allow her to be insulted so publicly?
Shen Zhihe glanced at Wang Niangzi with a trace of gratitude, her eyes reddening as she said, “Auntie, I know you came for that shop, but why must you humiliate me like this? If I become a concubine, how will Shen Jia Da Jie’er ever marry in the future?”
Hearing this, Sun Qin’s face filled with contempt. She was about to speak again when Shen Family Grandmother shot her a glare, forcing her to reluctantly close her mouth.
“Who do you think you are? How dare you repeatedly interfere in our Shen Family affairs!” Shen Family Grandmother slapped away Shen Dalang’s restraining hand. After scolding Wang Niangzi, she turned to Shen Zhihe. “Of course, we won’t make you a concubine. But if you’re determined not to come home with us today, then hand over the recipe for this tofu brain and the deed to that shop.”
“Grandmother, you already know the shop has been mortgaged. The deed is now in Lin Ye’s hands. Perhaps you could go ask him for it.” As she spoke, Shen Zhihe timidly glanced at Sun Qin. “Or you could have Auntie go find him.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Startled, Shen Zhihe looked at Shen Dalang in surprise, raising a hand to cover her mouth. “Could it be that Grandmother and Uncle didn’t know that Auntie sent Lin Ye to me to mortgage the shop?”
No sooner had she spoken than a gasp arose from the crowd. Shen Family Grandmother, unable to bear the shock, had fainted, her eyes rolling back. Shen Dalang, ignoring everything else, immediately picked her up and pushed through the crowd. Before leaving, he shot a venomous glare at Shen Zhihe.
Little did he expect that, though she wore a look of terror, her lips then parted slightly, silently forming a sentence. A cold sweat instantly broke out on Shen Dalang’s back.
Watching the Shen family gradually disappear into the crowd, Shen Zhihe offered an apologetic smile to the surrounding customers. “I’ve disturbed everyone’s enjoyment today. This humble woman offers her sincerest apologies. To make amends, today’s fried meatballs will be complimentary! Additionally, I’ll be introducing some new dishes in the coming days and hope for your continued patronage.”
“The young lady is most generous.”
As usual, the tofu brain sold out completely before long. While cleaning up, Shen Zhihe spoke with Wang Niangzi about entrusting the stall to her sole management.
Wang Niangzi’s mind immediately became active with schemes. Her risk of offending the main branch of the Shen family by speaking up for Shen Zhihe today hadn’t been in vain. She promptly agreed with a smile, though inwardly dismissed Shen Zhihe’s instructions. She planned to secretly raise prices later and keep the extra profits for herself. Originally, she had intended to send that wretched girl Erya to follow Shen Xiaoniangzi, hoping she would learn all the secret recipes from Shen Zhihe. But that foolish girl was as dumb as a pig—after returning that day, she claimed she couldn’t learn anything and refused to go back, instead returning to Qin Jia to work as a kitchen maid. It seemed obtaining the recipes would require longer-term planning.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhihe walked through the bustling Ji Shi holding Shen Zhian’s cold little hand. Sensing her younger brother’s unease, she paused before a sugar painting stall. Bending down, she lifted Shen Zhian into her arms and said softly, “Zhi An, look—see if there’s any design you like. We can ask Grandpa to make one for you.”
Shen Zhian, who had remained silent since the Shen family’s departure, buried his face in Shen Zhihe’s chest upon hearing his elder sister’s gentle voice, his eyes reddening. A tearful voice emerged from her chest, “Elder Sister, Zhi An is useless. I couldn’t protect you.”
Shen Zhihe gently patted her younger brother’s back while offering an apologetic smile to the vendor. Softly comforting him, she said, “Zhi An was very brave today, standing in front of your elder sister. Without Zhi An, I wouldn’t have dared to confront Grandmother and the others. You gave me courage. Now, don’t cry—you look like a little painted kitten.”
Comforted, Shen Zhian blushed with embarrassment and busily pretended to examine the sugar paintings on the stall. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a majestic monkey design at the far right and wouldn’t budge.
Understanding, Shen Zhihe pointed to that particular sugar painting and had the vendor hand it over, placing it in Shen Zhian’s hands.
Before long, the siblings found a carpenter’s shop. Upon entering, they were greeted by the scent of wood with wood shavings scattered across the floor. Holding Shen Zhian’s hand, Shen Zhihe watched her step, searching for clear places to walk. A honest-looking middle-aged man sat nearby, focused on his woodworking.
Hearing movement, he looked up and saw two children, assuming they were playful kids who had wandered into his shop. “Children, where are your parents?”
When no answer came after a moment, he looked up again to find Shen Zhihe already standing close to the pushcart he was making. Her delicate face was full of admiration. She knew ancient carpentry skills were refined, but hadn’t expected such exquisite work. Though the pushcart appeared ordinary, it could hold a stove, contained money drawers, and even included hooks the carpenter had thoughtfully incorporated.
“Shopkeeper, how much for this pushcart?” Shen Zhihe asked, her eyes shining as she stared at the cart without turning her head.
Hearing this, the carpenter paused his work in surprise, craned his neck to look outside but saw no adults, then turned his attention back to the two children. “Three hundred coins.”
Though it pained her to pay the sum, Shen Zhihe was overjoyed with the new cart. She immediately began pushing it home, already formulating plans. Tonight she would make Suan Cai Fei Chang Mi Xian to taste-test – if it matched the flavors she remembered from her previous life, she could start selling it at a stall tomorrow. However, since some might not care for fatty intestines, she decided she could also prepare some wontons to sell.
Since she’d be making wontons anyway, why not steam some soup dumplings too? Those delicate-skinned dumplings bursting with rich broth, releasing an explosion of fragrance with each bite – she resolved to make them tonight.
“Zhi An, what would you like to eat today?”
“Zhi An loves everything Elder Sister makes.”
As dusk settled with distant barks echoing outside, the interior buzzed with activity. Shen Zhihe rolled up her sleeves and kneaded the flour, soon producing smooth, round dough balls under her skilled hands. Noticing Shen Zhian’s eager expression, she smilingly pinched off a small piece for him to play with, watching him delight in the simple pleasure.
After settling Shen Zhian, Shen Zhihe turned to prepare the fillings. The key to good soup dumplings lay in the broth – she took the previously prepared meat jelly, chopped it finely, and mixed it with the ground pork. Taking the kneaded dough, she skillfully rolled it out with her rolling pin, creating thin, even wrappers.
Scooping a portion of filling, her fingers danced as she wrapped, soon producing a plump, adorable dumpling bulging with soup – truly thin-skinned yet generously filled.
Before long, a neat row of soup dumplings stood arranged before Shen Zhihe.