The men remained seated, gazing at the translucent wontons floating in the milky-white broth within their porcelain bowls. Through the delicate wrappers, the pork filling was faintly visible.
Yet no one could discern what had been mixed into the pork filling—it carried none of the usual gaminess, instead boasting a tender freshness. As for the Xiao Long Bao, their amber-colored meat filling differed entirely from any previously tasted meats. They held a subtle sweetness that never cloyed, instead enhancing the overall savoriness. Dipped in vinegar, they revealed an entirely new dimension of flavor.
“Is this truly pork?” one man asked with disbelief. He had eaten pork before—whether braised or boiled—and it always carried a strong, unpleasant odor that made it difficult to swallow. This was why pork was often called “the inferior meat,” avoided by anyone of status.
Yet moments ago, Lord Zhou’s son and that young man had clearly eaten quite a lot. Though the young man was introduced as a cousin, his commanding presence suggested he might be the rumored nobleman. They hadn’t expected that their attempt to casually encounter Young Master Zhou would yield such an unexpected delight. Though no words were exchanged, they had finally met him face-to-face.
Noticing the nobleman’s apparent fondness for this young woman’s food, they considered lingering at her stall for another chance encounter.
“Absolutely certain,” Shen Zhihe replied, placing the food container aside. Observing their astonished expressions, she raised a hand to conceal her slightly upturned lips, thinking to herself how amusing it would be if that young man discovered he had been eating pork.
As they spoke, the distant rhythm of hoofbeats grew steadily closer. Soon, a youth dressed in a neat black short Jia’ao appeared, riding a sturdy brown horse directly to her stall.
The young man on horseback grasped the reins with one hand, halting precisely one zhang from Shen Zhihe’s stall before swinging down from the saddle. His fluid movements filled the watching Shen Zhian with envy.
Clutching his increasingly round cheeks, Shen Zhian stared unblinkingly at the youth before suddenly sighing. He lowered his head to pinch his plump little belly, a gesture that drew amused smiles from those around him.
“What troubles you, little one?” The newcomer had a lively disposition, and seeing Shen Zhian’s soft, jade-like cuteness made his fingers itch with the urge to pinch those cheeks.
Unable to resist, he reached out and squeezed Shen Zhian’s face—just as delightfully soft as expected. No wonder the young master, who normally disliked children, had teased him earlier, though he’d unfortunately overdone it and made him cry.
Now having his cheek pinched, Shen Zhian widened his large, round eyes in confusion at the stranger. Moments later, he scrambled off his stool and hid behind Shen Zhihe, peeking out with half his face to secretly observe the youth.
“Have you come to collect the five portions of Xiao Long Bao and wontons that Young Master Zhou reserved earlier?” Shen Zhihe soothed her brother hiding behind her while her gaze swept over the jade pendant hanging from the young man’s waist.
“You’re quite perceptive, miss,” the black-clad youth replied. “The young master sent me to retrieve the food and insisted I help you return the wooden table and stools to their proper place.” His eyes scanned the men still gathered around the table, clearly enjoying themselves and likely to remain awhile.
Without ceremony, he dragged over the low stool Shen Zhian had been sitting on and settled onto it, propping his chin in his hand as he watched the busy Shen Zhihe.
I wonder what is so special about this young lady. It seems that ever since Young Master Zhou saw her outwit a scoundrel at the tavern that day, he has been paying frequent attention to her. Now that she has changed her stall location, he has eagerly followed her here. The man who used to dread trouble the most has now voluntarily stepped forward to testify for her and even specifically instructed me to help her move the table back to its original spot. Thinking of this, the young man sighed again. Truly, a plucked phoenix is no match for a chicken—here he was, once so esteemed…
Shen Zhihe watched the young man sitting to the side, his expression shifting unpredictably, and found it amusing. The noble young man from earlier today seemed deep and thoughtful, so how could his attendant be so transparent, with every thought clearly written on his face?
After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the group finally finished eating and drinking. “Young lady, how much in total?”
“Wontons are seven coins per bowl, and Xiao Long Bao are four coins each,” Shen Zhihe quickly walked to the table and saw that they had eaten everything clean, even finishing the soup. She guessed they were quite satisfied with her cooking and immediately called out, “Please come again in the future.”
The man at the head of the group had been observing Shen Zhihe earlier. He placed the money on the table and, as he was about to leave, suddenly paused and turned to look at her. After studying her for a moment, he asked, “Young lady, are you Shen Erlang’s daughter?”
Hearing this, Shen Zhihe’s hands, which were clearing the bowls and chopsticks, stilled. Surprised, she looked up at the man. “You knew my father?”
“So it really is the daughter of an old friend, no wonder I thought there was a resemblance to Second Brother Shen in your features earlier.” The man clapped his hands joyfully.
He hadn’t known before and had assumed this girl had caught Young Master Zhou’s eye. Now, to think she was the daughter of an old friend—if he could leverage this connection, his business would surely thrive.
In his delight, he met Shen Zhihe’s puzzled gaze and remembered he hadn’t introduced himself. He slapped his forehead. “I am Chen Jing, a former classmate of your father’s. You may call me Uncle Chen.”
At noon, the sun broke through the clouds, casting its light on the accumulated snow atop the roofs. Shen Zhihe stood in front of her cart, gazing into the distance where a few wisps of smoke from kitchen chimneys drifted slowly upward.
The young man in black and Chen Jing’s group had left long ago. She pondered Chen Jing’s words quietly.
Not long before the Second Branch of the Shen Family fell ill, the Eldest Branch had expressed intentions to divide the family estate. Before they could act on it, they fell ill and passed away. If this were true, then her mother’s recent actions of adding belongings to the old residence would make sense. However, in her memory, her father was an extremely filial person. With their grandmother still alive, what could have happened to make him consider dividing the family?
“Achoo!” A sneeze from Shen Zhian behind her interrupted Shen Zhihe’s thoughts.
In this small town near the border, with no high mountains to block the wind, the chill from Saiwai swept in, making people shiver.
Snapping out of her reverie, Shen Zhihe turned to look at her younger brother, who was huddled in his cloak, his face still pale from the cold. She thought to herself, there were no clues for now. If Chen Jing’s words were true, the Eldest Branch of the Shen Family would eventually slip up. If her parents’ deaths were related to those two, she would not let them off, even if it meant mutual destruction.
“Let’s go home. Elder Sister will stew some meat for you when we get back.” Shen Zhihe’s eyes darkened with resolve. If she wanted to uncover the truth behind her parents’ deaths, she would have to find time to return to the Shen Family home.
Halfway along the road, Shen Zhihe suddenly recalled the image of that noble young man—his long legs folded awkwardly beneath the extremely low wooden table as he ate wontons with a pitiable expression. The corner of her lips twitched upward before she quickly suppressed it.
At this thought, Shen Zhihe paused mid-step and immediately dragged her cart toward the carpenter’s shop. Just like the previous days, the shop floor was scattered with wood shavings, and the elderly carpenter was bent over his work.
Hearing the commotion, he finally looked up. “What would the young lady like to purchase today?”
“Do you have any adjustable folding wooden tables in your shop?” Shen Zhihe scanned the surroundings but didn’t see what she had in mind. After parking her cart outside and locking it, she led Shen Zhian into the shop.
No sooner had she spoken than the old man looked up, his eyes filled with astonishment. “Adjustable tables and chairs? This old man has never heard of such things. Are you fooling me, young lady?”
“Certainly not. If you don’t believe me, do you have paper and brush here? If so, I can draw it for you right away.” Knowing he was skeptical, Shen Zhihe didn’t elaborate further and simply smiled.
The old man glanced at her with half-belief, stood up, and went to the back room. Moments later, he returned with paper and brush.
Seeing the brush, Shen Zhihe inwardly sighed in relief—fortunately, she had learned calligraphy in her previous life, or she would have been utterly clueless at the sight of it.
Before long, a table appeared on the yellowish paper. She had drawn the structure in meticulous detail. The old man’s hands trembled as he took the paper from her, his clouded eyes glistening with tears.
“Young lady, how much silver do you want for this blueprint? Could you sell it to me?” The old man looked up, his eyes full of longing.
“Don’t rush, old sir. If you can make this table, I’ll give you the blueprint.” Shen Zhihe was somewhat surprised but understood—adjustable folding tables and chairs were commonplace in later eras but still a novelty in this time.
“Really? This old man won’t take advantage of you. If you give me this blueprint, you may take any item from this shop in the future.” The old man accepted the blueprint as if it were a priceless treasure, burying himself in studying it and paying no further attention to Shen Zhihe still in the shop.
Seeing this, Shen Zhihe smiled wryly and led Shen Zhian back home.
Meanwhile, in the Zhou residence’s study, Zhou Yao sat facing the young man. “Young master, I thought you detested getting involved in troublesome matters. Why did you show yourself today for that Shen Xiaoniangzi?”
The young man lowered his gaze to the teacup in his hand, a faint smile curling his lips as if recalling something. “This remote town is dreadfully dull, but that woman is quite intriguing. She appears fragile, yet she’s remarkably resilient and has a clever mind.”
At that moment, the subject of their discussion had already returned home. After lighting the fire, she prepared to make Dongpo Pork. Having experimented the past few days, she found that adding Shao Daozi could mostly remove the gamey taste of the pork. She had been craving Dongpo Pork for several days.
Shen Zhihe took the pork belly she had bought that day, placed it skin-side down into the hot pan, and seared it until the surface turned slightly golden brown. She then removed it from the pan, cut it into cubes, tied them with cotton string, blanched them to remove the blood, and finally placed them into a clay pot. Adding various seasonings, she simmered it slowly for half an hour.
Gradually, the aroma of meat filled the entire room, enticing Shen Zhian, who had been squatting nearby playing with a stick. He swallowed his drool, stood up, and hovered around the fire pit, unable to tear his eyes away from the clay pot.
“Zhi An, how about noodles for today?” Shen Zhihe glanced at the nearly empty rice bag. Fortunately, she had bought plenty of flour recently for making wontons. Might as well make a bowl of noodles instead. She hadn’t eaten noodles since arriving here and was truly craving a taste.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhian wiped his drool and stuck close to Shen Zhihe’s side, saying: “Whatever food Elder Sister makes, Zhi An will love it.”
Shen Zhihe smiled, taking flour and eggs from the cabinet. She cracked two eggs into the flour, added a bowl of water, and began kneading the dough. Between rubbing, rolling, and stretching, uniform noodles of even thickness emerged between her fingers, dancing as nimbly as butterflies – a sight that left Shen Zhian watching in awe.