The sky gradually darkened as howling cold winds swept outside. Within moments, goose feather-like snowflakes began drifting from the sky.
The biting chill seeped through the half-open window, making Shen Zhihe shiver where she stood by the windowsill. She raised her hand to close the window completely before quickly moving to the earthen stove. Lifting the pot lid, she saw noodles dancing in the boiling water. She casually took the washed and chopped cabbage and poured it in. Once the cabbage lost its raw texture, Shen Zhihe swiftly scooped everything out.
In the milky-white noodle soup floated several cabbage leaves, sprinkled with a handful of vibrant green scallions. Two golden fried eggs rested atop the noodles, making one’s mouth water just at the sight.
Meanwhile, the Dongpo Pork that had been simmering gently on the stove for two hours released its aroma through the cracks of the clay pot, slowly wafting toward the siblings. Fortunately, the Shen Family’s old residence was located in a remote area. Although the Wang family were their neighbors, there was considerable distance between the two households. This worked to Shen Zhihe’s advantage, allowing her to frequently stew meat dishes at home without detection. Otherwise, the rich meat aroma would be difficult to conceal.
Lost in thought, Shen Zhihe slowly approached the fire pit. She folded a damp cloth into a square, placed it over the clay pot lid, and carefully lifted the cover. An aromatic wave immediately assaulted their senses. As the steam dissipated, pieces of amber-colored meat soaked in rich sauce appeared before the siblings’ eyes.
Drawn by the intense meat fragrance, Shen Zhian kept circling around the stove. He had thought his elder sister’s Sweet Potato Stewed Pork Belly was the ultimate delicacy, but this Dongpo Pork proved even more irresistible. His eyes fixed greedily on the meat pieces in the clay pot as he continuously swallowed his saliva.
Seeing this, Shen Zhihe found it amusing. With more oily food available nowadays, Zhi An was becoming increasingly plump. She took a white porcelain plate and carefully used chopsticks to place four pieces of Dongpo Pork on it, then drizzled them with sauce. The small squares of deep red, glossy, and richly marbled meat lay against the pure white porcelain, bathed in crimson sauce, appearing exceptionally translucent.
“Zhi An, try this Dongpo Pork,” Shen Zhihe said as she picked up a piece of soft, glutinous, and fragrant meat and placed it in Shen Zhian’s noodle bowl.
Watching him eagerly pick up a piece and put it in his mouth – the meat was so thoroughly stewed that it melted instantly – Shen Zhian hadn’t even managed to taste it properly before it slid down his throat. His eyes widened in bewilderment as he looked at Shen Zhihe. “Elder Sister, why is this called Dongpo Pork? Why can’t it be called Beipo Pork?”
The child’s amusing question made Shen Zhihe smile. She reached out and pinched Shen Zhian’s nose, explaining with a laugh: “Legend has it that there was an official named Su Dongpo in the previous dynasty. While serving in various regions as an official, he was also a poet and gourmet. During his official service, he noticed that nobody seemed to enjoy eating pork. So he created this famous dish using pork belly, wine, and various seasonings – that’s how Dongpo Pork came to be.”
“He’s truly remarkable! In the future, I want to become someone like him,” Shen Zhian declared, his mouth corners stained with Dongpo Pork sauce, his dark bright eyes full of aspiration. Such an unrestrained life was truly enviable.
Hearing this, Shen Zhihe smiled faintly. It wouldn’t be bad if Zhi An could become as learned as the Dongpo Scholar, but it would be better for him to stay away from officialdom. Even someone as talented as the Dongpo Scholar frequently faced demotion – her foolish younger brother would probably offend people unintentionally the moment he stepped into official circles.
But the most important thing now was to quickly save some silver to send him to school. Including the five taels Young Master Zhou gave today, she had roughly saved up about ten taels. She didn’t know how much shop rents cost per month these days, so she decided to visit the brokerage shop after finishing her stall business tomorrow.
Under the deep night sky, after preparing the Wang family’s tofu brain, Shen Zhihe rubbed her sore arms and walked toward the bedroom, thinking to herself that she now had two stalls. However, making tofu brain was extremely time-consuming, yet she didn’t dare to abandon it lightly, as it was still a source of income. She decided to observe for a few more days; if the Wang family proved reliable, she might as well directly teach them the method.
Little did she know that within a few days, the Wang family would nearly ruin Shen Zhihe’s tofu brain business—though that is a story for later.
Exhausted, Shen Zhihe collapsed onto the bed. Seeing this, Shen Zhian quickly rushed to her side and began pounding her shoulders with his small fists.
As the rooster crowed, the tranquil town gradually awoke. Faint morning light filtered through the bare branches, casting mottled shadows on the snow-covered ground. A cold wind swept by, shaking the accumulated snow from the branches and startling a few scrawny sparrows.
Shen Zhihe opened the door, and the chilly, snow-laden air instantly enveloped her. Stretching lazily, she stretched her body and noticed a few wisps of smoke rising from the rooftops in the distance. Shifting her gaze, she picked up the wooden bucket of tofu brain beside her and slowly headed outside.
Clenching her teeth inwardly, she resolved that once she earned a bit more silver, she would definitely seek help from a labor broker. It would be even better if the helper knew some martial arts, as a lone woman with a young brother was inherently unsafe. The previous incidents had only been avoided due to luck—those people had merely wanted to ruin her business or take it for themselves.
They had given her a chance to escape, but if she ever encountered unreasonable people who resorted to direct violence, her slender arms and legs would surely leave her at a disadvantage.
“Young lady, why are you carrying this bucket out by yourself?” Wang Niangzi, who had just stepped out, immediately spotted Shen Zhihe standing outside her courtyard gate with a half-person-high wooden bucket at her feet.
“It’s no trouble.” Shen Zhihe snapped back to reality and met Wang Niangzi’s smiling face. No sooner had she spoken than she saw another person emerge from the house—it was Wang Dalan, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“Shen family younger sister, this bucket is really quite heavy. You can just call me to carry it. My employer is celebrating a happy event these days and gave me a few days off. If there’s any heavy work, don’t hesitate to ask me,” Wang Dalan said eagerly, having spotted the graceful young girl outside from afar. He had quickly finished the porridge in his bowl and rushed out without even wiping his mouth.
Shen Zhihe averted Wang Dalan’s intense gaze, a flicker of doubt arising in her heart. This mother and son seemed excessively attentive to her. They were merely business partners—the Wang family provided soybeans, while she contributed the technique and sweet potato meatballs. Why such enthusiasm? Could they have ulterior motives?
At this thought, Shen Zhihe lowered her eyes. “Thank you both for your kindness, but there’s no need for such trouble. I can move the bucket out before leaving each day. It’s getting late; let’s hurry to the market.”
With that, Shen Zhihe bowed slightly to Wang Niangzi and, without waiting for them to respond, walked toward the pushcart in her own courtyard. Left behind, the two exchanged somber expressions—this young lady was far too cautious, and after all this time, they still hadn’t found the slightest opportunity to exploit.
As the year-end approached, the Ji Shi was bustling with activity. Shen Zhihe pushed her cart along the road, noticing many people hurriedly purchasing New Year’s goods. However, she didn’t see any pastries packaged in gift boxes like those from later eras—those would have been perfect items for gifting.
An idea struck her. She thought to herself that since there were still some days before the New Year, she could visit the carpenter to custom-make some gift boxes and prepare pastries with auspicious meanings from later times. Perhaps she could make a substantial profit. At this thought, visions of dancing silver ingots floated before Shen Zhihe’s eyes.
Arriving at the spot where she had set up her stall the previous day, she waited for a while but saw no customers approaching to inquire. Puzzled, Shen Zhihe looked up at the crowd and noticed several familiar patrons standing not far away, their expressions seemingly conflicted. One of them met her gaze.
After a moment of silence, the person sighed and slowly approached Shen Zhihe’s stall.
“Young man, what’s the matter? Why do you look so troubled?” Shen Zhihe asked as the person drew near, lowering her head to neatly arrange the small wontons dusted with flour in the drawer to prevent them from sticking together.
Hearing this, the person took a deep breath and hesitated before speaking, “Young lady, do you know which family’s young master you offended yesterday?”
Shen Zhihe paused her movements and looked up at him. Meeting the genuine concern in his eyes, she felt a warmth in her heart—not everyone was here to kick her when she was down. “That young master slipped and fell on his own yesterday. It had nothing to do with me.”
Her voice was soft but firm and resolute. Hidden in the shadows, Granny Qian, who had been hoping to see her humiliated, scowled at these words. But then, remembering the threats Young Master Li had made yesterday, she felt a surge of delight. Surely, no one would dare buy food from Shen Zhihe’s stall today.
Just as Granny Qian was gloating, the sound of hoofbeats echoed through the street. Shen Zhihe turned to look and saw the young man she had met yesterday riding a tall horse, holding an exquisite food container, slowly approaching from the other end of the street.
From a distance, the young man met her gaze and smiled, “Young lady, same as yesterday—five portions of Xiao Long Bao and five portions of wonton. Also, my young master asked if you could prepare the soup base. The Zhou Family’s chef can’t replicate the flavor from your stall.”
As he spoke, the young man led his horse through the crowd, the jade pendant at his waist signaling his noble status.
“Young lady, why are these people gathered around your stall? Are they here to cause trouble?” With these words, the young man drew his sword, startling the crowd and causing them to step back.
Seeing this, Shen Zhihe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “These are all my customers. Please don’t accidentally harm them, young master. Besides, I’m just running an honest stall—no one would cause trouble for me. Thank you for your concern.”
Shen Zhihe quickly stepped out from behind the stall, pressed down the hand holding the sword, took the food container from him, and turned back to her stall. She deftly packed the wontons and Xiao Long Bao, then paused in thought before retrieving a relatively delicate porcelain bowl from the lower drawer. Inside lay a large, translucent, agate-like delicacy, which she also placed into the food container.
A faint aroma wafted out, tempting the onlookers to crane their necks for a glimpse of the contents. However, they only caught a flash of red before Shen Zhihe closed the lid.
As she turned to hand the food container to the young man, she noticed Shen Zhian shuffling hesitantly toward him, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes. Lowering his head, he whispered timidly, “Could you… teach me martial arts?”
“Why?” The young man had noticed Shen Zhian’s approach early on, but remained still out of curiosity about what he intended to do. Hearing this request suddenly, he looked down in slight surprise at Shen Zhian, who only reached his thigh.
“Once I learn martial arts, I can protect Elder Sister.” Shen Zhian clenched his fists, putting on a fierce expression that contrasted adorably with his soft features.
“Alright, Zhi An, stop pestering this gentleman. You’re still too young now. In a few years, Elder Sister will hire someone to teach you martial arts.” As she spoke, Shen Zhihe handed the food box to the young man, her eyes filled with apology.
“My name is Lu Li. You may call me A Li, young lady. My master’s name is Lu Jin Yu – please remember it.” Lu Li took the food box, weighed it in his hand, then said to Shen Zhian, “Practice horse stance every morning at dawn. When you can hold the stance steadily for two hours, I will teach you martial arts.”