Outside, the twilight was deepening, with a few cold stars dotting the horizon. A chilly wind swept through the forest, rustling the trees.
Shen Zhihe lit the fire pit and placed the earthen pot, as large as a washbasin, on top. She layered the bottom with ginger slices and scallion segments before adding the neatly cubed pork belly and a spice bundle wrapped in cheesecloth. Finally, she poured in the pre-mixed seasoning sauce, covered the pot, and let it simmer.
After placing the xiao long bao in the steamer, Shen Zhihe stood by the table and suddenly remembered the suancai she had pickled days earlier. She hurried to the window, and before she even bent down, the tangy aroma reached her nose, making her mouth water. Delighted, she knew it was ready.
Bending over, she lifted the stone weighing down the napa cabbage. The originally white stems had turned yellow. Shen Zhihe quickly scooped out the suancai, thinking that although she had bought fatty intestines today, they were too troublesome to prepare and likely wouldn’t be eaten today. Instead, she decided to make sauerkraut pork dumplings.
Without delay, she tiptoed to retrieve the pork hanging from the beam, cut a large piece of well-marbled pork belly, and minced it into a paste. She transferred the minced meat to a large bowl, then peeled and washed several suancai leaves, chopped them finely, and mixed them into the meat filling.
The sauerkraut pork filling was now ready. The next step was to roll out the dough. Unlike in later times, when dumpling wrappers were machine-made, everything from kneading the dough to rolling it into uniformly thin wrappers had to be done by hand.
If there was one thing Shen Zhihe dreaded most, it was kneading dough. It took nearly half an hour each time, leaving her arms sore and aching. Having not exercised in a long time, she felt she was developing muscles just from kneading.
Shen Zhian, who had been idling nearby, watched as Shen Zhihe held a wrapper in her hand, deftly pinched it, and produced a plump, white dumpling resembling a silver ingot. Curiosity piqued, he scrambled onto a high stool with his short legs.
“Elder Sister, Zhi An wants to try too.”
Pausing her work, Shen Zhihe looked up at Shen Zhian, who was clinging to the edge of the table and gazing at her eagerly. Her heart softened. She took a few wrappers from the stack beside her, scooped some filling into a small bowl, and placed both in front of Shen Zhian.
Excitedly, he waved his chubby little hands, mimicking Shen Zhihe’s movements. Confidently, he picked up a wrapper, spooned some filling into the center, and squeezed hard—only to end up with a misshapen dumpling.
Frowning so deeply it could crush a fly, Shen Zhian stared fixedly at the flattened dumpling in his hand, feeling utterly defeated. He had watched his elder sister effortlessly form a round, plump dumpling with a simple pinch, yet the wrapper in his hands seemed completely uncooperative.
Seeing Shen Zhian’s furrowed brow and troubled expression, Shen Zhihe couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out with her flour-dusted hand and pinched his delightfully soft cheek. “Don’t rush, Zhi An. Try again.”
Encouraged by this, Shen Zhian picked up another dumpling wrapper, only to produce the same shapeless, limp dumpling as his first attempt. Frustrated, he tossed the dumpling aside and slumped onto the table, his small face crumpled in dismay, sending Shen Zhihe into fits of laughter.
Wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, she said, “Don’t rush, Zhi An. When you’re older, Elder Sister will teach you how to wrap dumplings properly.”
Shen Zhihe worked with remarkable speed, and within a quarter of an hour, the entire basin of filling on the table had been neatly wrapped into dumplings.
Outside, dusk was falling. The siblings, their stomachs growling from hunger, could already smell the aroma of Cherry Meat wafting from the kitchen. Fortunately, the water in the pot had been boiling for some time, so all that remained was to drop the dumplings in and cook them.
Meanwhile, the Zhou residence was brightly lit. The elder Zhous sat at the head of the hall, with Lu Jinyu and Zhou Yao on either side of them. All eyes were on Zhou Ying, who stood in the center of the room. “Why did you take it upon yourself to invite that Shen Xiaoniangzi to prepare pastries for the tea banquet without consulting us?” they questioned. “Don’t you know the original pastry chef has been with your second brother’s shop for over a decade? How do you think he feels being replaced for no reason?”
“Mother…”
“Quiet! This girl’s willfulness is entirely your and your eldest brother’s doing,” Madame Zhou snapped, shooting a glare at Zhou Yao before letting out a cold humph.
“It’s just that the chef’s pastries haven’t improved in over a decade—they’re still cloyingly sweet,” Zhou Ying muttered under her breath, staring at her toes and feeling not the least bit remorseful.
Though she claimed to be muttering, her voice was loud enough for everyone except Madame Zhou—all of whom possessed sharp hearing—to catch every word. They could only shake their heads in resignation.
“What are you mumbling? Speak up,” Madame Zhou said, though she hadn’t heard clearly. Knowing her daughter all too well, she was certain it was nothing respectful. Rising to her feet, she approached Zhou Ying and asked in a gentle tone.
Zhou Ying shuddered instantly. The calmer her mother’s voice, the angrier she was—a clear sign she was on the verge of fury. Quickly, Zhou Ying looped her arm through her mother’s and cooed, “Mother, why not taste Shen Xiaoniangzi’s pastries before passing judgment? Besides, Second Brother has already invited her—we can’t go back on our word now.”
“You…” Madame Zhou sighed, tapping her daughter’s forehead affectionately. What could she do? This was her daughter, after all. “But you must make proper arrangements for Wu Shifu.”
“That’s easily settled. They can work together that day,” Zhou Yao cut in before Zhou Ying could respond, anxious lest his sister say something else to provoke their mother. “With so many guests expected, Shen Xiaoniangzi is young and might struggle to handle everything alone.”
Seeing the matter resolved so swiftly, Lu Jinyu bowed to the elders, then plucked a LvDouBing from the table and nibbled on it as he strolled out, hands clasped behind his back. He realized he hadn’t seen Shen Xiaoniangzi since that one morning he’d eaten at her stall. Yet, being particular about food, he had Zhou Yao send someone to buy treats from her stall daily.
Though the LvDouBing had cooled, the crisp, golden crust encasing the subtly sweet and soft mung bean filling offered its own unique delight. Suddenly, the image of the young woman’s smiling face surfaced in his mind. It occurred to him that he still didn’t know her name.
“You mentioned that Shen Xiaoniangzi’s younger brother begged you to teach him martial arts?” Lu Jin Yu stood by the window, gazing at the full moon hanging at the edge of the sky.
Upon hearing this, Lu Li, who had been following behind him, replied, “That is correct, young master. However, Shen Xiaoniangzi’s younger brother appears rather plump and somewhat short-limbed, making him quite unsuitable for martial arts training. I told him that if he could hold a horse stance for an hour, I would teach him.”
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Jin Yu rubbed the jade pendant at his waist. He had also observed the child that day and agreed that the boy was not cut out for martial arts. However, the child seemed to be at the age to begin his education. Perhaps tomorrow he could arrange for a tutor to start his schooling. Once the child attended daily classes at the Zhou residence, he would have no trouble catching glimpses of the young lady.
Suddenly, his smile faded as doubt crept into Lu Jin Yu’s heart. Why was he so concerned about this young lady he had only met a few times? He clearly had more important matters to attend to.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps it was because he was extremely particular about food, and only the dishes prepared by this young lady suited his palate perfectly. That must be why he wanted to help her. Lu Jin Yu quickly convinced himself.
Meanwhile, Lu Li standing to the side thought to himself: Although the young master is not an unfeeling person, this is the first time he has shown such interest in a woman. How peculiar.
At the same time, Shen Zhihe—the center of conversation at the Zhou family—was carrying two plates of Sauerkraut Pork Dumplings to the table. The plump dumplings lay neatly arranged on the plates. She placed one plate before Shen Zhian and gently reminded him, “Be careful, they’re hot.”
Watching as Shen Zhian picked up a dumpling, blew on it, and then put it in his mouth, she felt reassured and began eating herself. The crispy, tangy sauerkraut wrapped in the meat filling was so delicious it could make one dizzy with delight. Shen Zhihe was somewhat accustomed to it, having often eaten Sauerkraut Pork Dumplings in her previous life.
But for Shen Zhian, it was different. He had never seen sauerkraut before, let alone tasted it mixed with pork in dumplings. Experiencing the unique texture of the sauerkraut, he buried his head in the plate, eating with complete satisfaction. He even drank a bowl of dumpling broth.
Just as the siblings put down their bowls and chopsticks, a knock came at the door, followed by Wang Niangzi’s voice outside, “Is Shen Xiaoniangzi at home?”
Hearing the commotion outside, Shen Zhihe had no time to clear the table. She casually picked up the self-made brine from the table, turned to instruct Shen Zhian to return to his bedroom, and hurried to the door. As soon as she opened it, she saw Wang Niangzi holding an account book, with Wang Dalan behind her carrying a wooden barrel as tall as a person.
“Wang Niangzi, I have matters to attend to tomorrow and will be away for a few days. This is the brine for making tofu brain during this period. Just add one spoonful to each bucket of soybean milk. This should be enough for five days.” Shen Zhihe took the account book with one hand and handed the brine to Wang Niangzi with the other.
“Is the young lady going to the Zhou family tomorrow to prepare for the Tea Banquet?”Wang Niangzi’s narrow eyes gleamed with shrewdness as she tentatively asked.”
Shen Zhihe’s hand, which was flipping through the account book, paused. She cast a scrutinizing look at Wang Niangzi’s face. “How did you know about that?”
Wang Niangzi smiled at this, inwardly sighing that even after almost half a month as neighbors, the young lady still distrusted her. “The young lady sells Chaoshi at the stall. The vendor next to you selling Oily Shortcake is my sister-in-law. She told me about it today.”
“I see. It’s getting late, you should return and rest early. I’ll return this account book to you tomorrow after I finish checking it.” Shen Zhihe offered an apologetic smile, bowed slightly to the Wang mother and son, then turned and walked toward home.
Left behind, Wang Niangzi stared grimly at Shen Zhihe’s retreating figure. “Eldest Son, go invite the main branch of the Shen Family tomorrow.”