Upon hearing this, Chen Jing was momentarily stunned before finally revealing a helpless smile. Gazing at the resemblance in Shen Zhihe’s brows and eyes, he secretly sighed, thinking how unexpected it was that the honest Second Brother Shen had such a clever daughter. Fortunately, she hadn’t yet spoken with Second Young Master Zhou, so there was no rush. “Then the day after tomorrow it is. I’ll trouble you, young lady.”
“Young lady, please give me a portion of You Zhi Bao de Xiao Long Bao as well.”
“Of course, how many would you like? Would four be alright?” Shen Zhihe kept her head lowered, her hands never stopping as she swiftly recorded the customers’ Xiao Long Bao orders.
By midday, the crowd gathered around the stall gradually dispersed. Shen Zhihe stood up, rubbing her sore neck and right hand. Like a thief, she glanced around before taking out a bowl of glistening, ruby-red cubed meat from the drawer.
“Young lady, I’ve been meaning to ask—what kind of food is this?” Wu Yong’s deep voice sounded above Shen Zhihe, startling her so much she nearly dropped the porcelain bowl in her hand.
Shen Zhihe sighed helplessly and looked up at Wu Yong. “Why haven’t you left yet, sir?”
“Oh, earlier I saw you slipping a bowl of meat into Lu Li Xiao Lang Jun’s food box. It smelled incredibly fragrant, so I wanted to ask what kind of meat it was.” Wu Yong’s gaze fell on the porcelain bowl in Shen Zhihe’s hands, his eyes flashing with admiration. Even the famous restaurants in town had never served such exquisite-looking food.
Being close to the Northern Border and neighboring tribes like the Xianbei, the local cuisine had become quite similar to theirs due to trade. Meat was generally either roasted with a sprinkle of salt or boiled plain, served with minced garlic and ginger. Fortunately, the cattle and sheep nowadays were free-range, grazing on grasslands, making the meat firm, fresh, and without any gaminess—so plain boiling was quite acceptable.
Occasionally, one might find braised beef or lamb in restaurants, but the red meat in the young lady’s hands was clearly pork. The top layer of skin had been stewed until translucent, shimmering enticingly with every movement of her hand. The rich, savory aroma wafted through the air into Wu Yong’s nostrils, and he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“Young lady, could you sell me some of this meat?” Wu Yong was a true food enthusiast and had been visiting Shen Zhihe’s stall every day since it opened.
Hearing this, Shen Zhihe paused her movements. She glanced at Wu Yong, then looked down at the bowl of red meat in her hands, somewhat troubled. “You’ve come at an unlucky time today, sir. I only stewed two pieces of this meat—one, as you saw, was reserved by Lord Zhou’s household, and the other is for my younger brother and me to eat for lunch.”
Seeing Shen Zhihe’s hesitant expression, Wu Yong knew he was asking too much. But having seen the meat right before his eyes yet being unable to taste it was truly agonizing.
“How about this—could you spare a small portion for me to try? Then, when you return home today, prepare a portion for me, and I’ll come to collect it tomorrow. This will serve as a deposit.” Wu Yong took a sizable piece of broken silver from his sleeve and placed it on Shen Zhihe’s counter.
Shen Zhihe pondered for a moment, thinking to herself that given the silver offered, she might as well share some with him. After all, the Dongpo Pork would be sold sooner or later, and today seemed as good an opportunity as any. Though she reasoned this way, when she used her chopsticks to divide the already small piece of red-braised pork, her heart ached with regret.
Had she known this would happen, she shouldn’t have given away that piece of Dongpo Pork as a favor. Gritting her teeth, she lamented—that pork had been simmered for hours in a clay pot over a low fire with plenty of spices, perfectly calculated for just her and Zhi An to share half each. Now, with Wu Yong cutting in and taking a small portion, it was fortunate he was honest and paid generously.
Her household spices were running low. With Wu Yong ordering Dongpo Pork today, others would likely want to buy it tomorrow. After closing the stall, she needed to visit the herbal shop to buy some spices and then order some small bowls. Calculating roughly, if she were to sell Dongpo Pork, the costs would be significantly higher than those for wontons and such. She had to think this through carefully.
Meanwhile, Wu Yong took the Dongpo Pork handed to him by Shen Zhihe. He gazed at the square-cut piece, glistening with red sauce, layered with fat and lean meat, its color resembling agate. Unable to wait, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks and took a bite. The rich, sweet, and savory sauce burst in his mouth, leaving an unforgettable aftertaste. Likely due to the long, slow simmering, the meat was thoroughly infused with the delicate broth, offering a fragrant, intense flavor that melted in the mouth.
After finishing the Dongpo Pork, Wu Yong set down his chopsticks with a sense of loss, sighing inwardly. Could pork really be made so delicious? This Shen Xiaoniangzi was truly remarkable.
“Might I ask, young lady, what is this dish called?”
“This dish is called Cherry Meat.” Shen Zhihe’s tongue tripped, swallowing the name “Dongpo Pork” that had almost slipped out, and she gave the dish a new name. Since the Great Ye dynasty wasn’t recorded in later histories, she didn’t know if Su Dongpo existed in this world. To avoid complications, it was simpler to change the name.
“Cherry Meat—its color red as cherries. A fine name!” Wu Yong clapped his hands and laughed, satisfied, before leaving the stall.
“Elder Sister, didn’t you say this dish was called Dongpo Pork yesterday? Why is it called Cherry Meat today?” Shen Zhian trailed behind Shen Zhihe like a little shadow, helping her fetch water for washing hands and bowls and tidying the cart.
Hearing this, Shen Zhihe looked up. It was getting late, with a hazy mist spreading across the horizon, suggesting snow might be on the way. She glanced around and noticed all the nearby vendors had already packed up and gone home, even the old man next door had left early. Now, she was the only vendor still on the street.
She pulled over a chair and drew Shen Zhian in front of her. “Zhi An, don’t you think Cherry Meat sounds better than Dongpo Pork? Besides, the name Dongpo Pork is a secret between you and me. Don’t tell anyone else.”
“Okay! Zhi An will definitely keep the secret!” Shen Zhian’s eyes lit up, and he straightened up abruptly, patting his small chest.
Worried about the impending snow, Shen Zhihe took Shen Zhian’s hand and headed toward the grain shop, planning to quickly buy the urgently needed ingredients. As for the spices, they could wait for better weather.
“Has Shen Xiaoniangzi come again? What would you like to buy today?” The woman behind the counter, dressed in brown short attire with a shrewd expression, glanced up at the sound before lowering her head again, her abacus clattering incessantly.
Shen Zhihe parked her cart outside the door and locked it before leading Shen Zhian into the shop. “I’d like five more pounds of flour today. Does Zhou Niangzi’s shop have red beans and mung beans available?”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Niangzi paused her movements and looked curiously at the young woman before her. She naturally knew that Shen Xiaoniangzi was in the food business, but red beans were mostly bought for making congee or pastries to sell, while mung beans were used for cooling mung bean soup during summer heat. This young woman was supposed to be in the breakfast business – her own husband had tried her food at the roadside once and couldn’t stop praising her cooking skills since returning.
“We do have them, but may I ask how much you need and for what purpose?”
Shen Zhihe smiled. “With the New Year approaching, I was thinking of making some pastries to sell. I’ll start with two pounds of each today to test the market. If they sell well, I’ll certainly be back to buy more from your shop.”
“Of course.” As Zhou Niangzi had expected – she had tasted pastries made with red and mung beans before. Those were mixed with lard and overly sweetened, truly greasy and throat-clogging. But this young woman was currently enthusiastic about her idea, and if she offered unsolicited advice, she might earn resentment instead. Better to let her learn from her own mistakes.
Meanwhile, in the Zhou Family’s Hua Ting, a group of people gathered around the circular table. Lu Jin Yu, whom Shen Zhihe had met before, sat to the right of an elderly gentleman. The table was laden with numerous exquisite dishes, including fish – something Shen Zhihe hadn’t seen since arriving here.
Yet none of them paid attention to the fish, instead all gazing at the simple porcelain bowl at the center of the table. Inside was a square piece of food, about the size of a grown man’s palm. “Was this sent by that Shen Xiaoniangzi?”
Lu Jin Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth. This young woman was quite tactful in her dealings. Probably having noticed that day that he and Brother Zhou hadn’t finished their meal due to interruptions, she had taken advantage of Lu Li picking up food today to add an extra piece of meat. Though the meat looked quite refined, the portion was rather small. After the three Zhou elders took their shares, there probably wouldn’t be much left for him.
“Yes.” Standing behind Lu Jin Yu, Lu Li noticed his master’s pleased mood with some surprise. Ever since the young master had been tricked by his mother and driven out of the capital, he had been in poor spirits. But since witnessing Shen Xiaoniangzi outsmarting those ruffians, the young master’s condition had been improving day by day. Pity his picky eating habits remained unchanged. Thankfully, this town had Shen Xiaoniangzi – otherwise, the young master might have starved to death here before returning to the capital.
“Oh? Is this the woman you two helped yesterday?” The elderly gentleman looked up with interest. His disciple actually had the inclination to champion someone else’s cause, and a woman at that.
“Father, that kid from the Li family was too arrogant yesterday. Seeing that young woman’s exceptional beauty, he tried to seize her in public but failed, then falsely accused her of harassing him instead. If Jinzhi hadn’t appeared, that young woman might have been in grave danger.” Seeing that Lu Jin Yu showed no intention of speaking, Zhou Yao sighed inwardly and resigned himself to explaining.
“That young lady actually caught the eyes of you two? How unusual. Perhaps we should…”
“Teacher, please try this quickly. The meat won’t taste good once it gets cold.” Lu Jin Yu suddenly spoke up, interrupting the old man’s words, his expression revealing no particular emotion.
Meanwhile, after Shen Zhihe brought the ingredients and molds back home, she realized the Wang family hadn’t delivered the account books for two days. Assuming Wang Niangzi had forgotten due to recent busyness, she decided to wait until she stabilized her pastry business over the next few days before finding time to inquire about it.