Shen Mingxuan suddenly looked up, disbelief flashing across his eyes, quickly followed by irrepressible joy.
A Tongsheng—the first step on the long road of the imperial examinations. For children of poor families like them, it was an immensely important milestone.
He nodded vigorously, his voice trembling with excitement.
“This student will certainly not disappoint Teacher’s expectations. I will give it my all!”
The teacher nodded in satisfaction, offered him a few more pointers on his studies, and then dismissed him.
Shen Mingxuan walked briskly along the stone paths of the academy, his heart filled with anticipation.
When the academy’s next holiday came, he would hurry home and share this good news with his parents. They would surely be overjoyed.
As he imagined the smiles on his family’s faces, the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl upward.
Most of the students in the academy were like him—children from humble families, carrying dreams of fame and official success. Though there was competition among them, there was also an unspoken understanding born of being fellow scholars.
Shen Mingxuan knew that every day here was precious.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Drunken Wind Pavilion in the city was far less peaceful.
Manager Zhou paced back and forth in the main hall with his hands clasped behind his back. His brows were knitted tightly together, his face full of anxiety.
In just a few short weeks, several restaurants in the city had introduced dishes that tasted similar to their two new specialties. Though the imitations were inferior in flavor, they had still stolen away quite a few customers.
Those two dishes had come from the recipes sold to him not long ago by a young girl.
Back then, she had handed over the recipes and left. She wouldn’t tell him her name, nor where she lived. Now, even if he wanted to find her, he had no way of doing so.
The more Manager Zhou thought about it, the more anxious he became.
If he couldn’t find her and develop new dishes to suppress the imitators, Drunken Wind Pavilion’s business would undoubtedly suffer.
“Manager! Manager!”
A young waiter came running in from outside, panting heavily but looking excited.
Manager Zhou stopped pacing at once.
“Any news?”
“Yes!” The waiter wiped the sweat from his brow. “I’ve been asking around for several days and finally found some clues. The girl who sold us the recipes seems to be surnamed Shen and lives in Cold Village.
“People say that when she’s free, she often delivers vegetables to the Third Alley entrance—sometimes eggs, sometimes fresh produce.”
“Shen? Cold Village? Third Alley?”
Manager Zhou’s eyes lit up, and the weight on his heart eased slightly.
“Good! Good! At last, we have a lead!”
He immediately made a decision.
“Tomorrow, come with me to the Third Alley entrance. We must find this Miss Shen!”
The waiter agreed repeatedly.
As Manager Zhou gazed out the window, he silently prayed that Miss Shen would once again bring a turning point to Drunken Wind Pavilion.
Early the next morning, Manager Zhou arrived at the entrance to Third Alley with a servant and the young waiter. They waited intently for the appearance of the girl surnamed Shen.
People came and went through the alley. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares and passersby chatting filled the air, yet the person they were waiting for was nowhere to be seen.
Manager Zhou’s heart once again rose and fell with anxiety.
Just as the morning sunlight spread across the gray brick roofs of Third Alley, Shen Weiwan, carrying her now-empty vegetable basket, was about to leave when she spotted several figures standing at the alley’s entrance.
Leading them was none other than Manager Zhou of Drunken Wind Pavilion.
His face was filled with urgency. The moment he saw her, he hurried forward, his servants following close behind.
“Miss Shen! Miss Shen! We’ve finally found you!”
His voice was warm and eager, and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, showing that he had hurried here.
Shen Weiwan stopped walking. Though she was puzzled, she remained calm.
“Manager Zhou? Is there something you need?”
“Yes, yes!”
Manager Zhou rubbed his hands together, a smile plastered across his face.
“The two recipes you sold us last time have been selling wonderfully! But in just a few days, there are already many imitators on the market. Their dishes are nowhere near as good, but they’ve still managed to take away some of our customers.
“So I’d like to ask if you could trouble yourself to create two more recipes—something innovative and difficult for others to copy.”
He paused and added emphatically,
“Don’t worry. This time, the price will definitely be higher than before. What do you think?”
Shen Weiwan lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the woven pattern of her basket.
“Manager Zhou, it’s not that I don’t want to help you,” she said sincerely as she looked up.
“Recipes depend on inspiration and timing. They can’t be rushed. You’ll have to give me some time to go home and experiment, to see whether I can come up with something different.”
After a pause, she added,
“If you can’t wait, perhaps you should look elsewhere. Maybe you’ll find someone suitable.”
“No rush! No rush at all! I’ll wait!”
Manager Zhou hurriedly waved his hands, afraid she might change her mind.
“This sort of thing can’t be hurried. I was the one being presumptuous.
“Take all the time you need. If you’re lacking ingredients or cooking utensils, just let me know, and I’ll have them delivered immediately!”
Seeing how sincere he was, Shen Weiwan nodded.
“Then I’ll spend the next few days experimenting. If I come up with anything, I’ll go to Drunken Wind Pavilion right away and let you taste it.”
“Good! Good! Excellent!”
Manager Zhou beamed with delight and quickly signaled for his servant to hand over an exquisite food box.
“These are some newly made pastries and several of our signature dishes. Please take them home and have a taste. It’s just a small token of my appreciation.”
Shen Weiwan declined several times, but she couldn’t withstand his persistence and finally accepted the food box before heading home.
The dirt road leading to Cold Village was somewhat bumpy, but the hand carrying the food box remained steady.
As she approached her house, she heard several chickens clucking inside the fenced yard.
Liu Shi was bent over, feeding the pigs in their pen, her apron speckled with mud.
“Mother, I’m back.”
Liu Shi straightened up and dusted off her hands.
“You’re back early today. Finished delivering the vegetables?”
“Yes. I ran into Manager Zhou from Drunken Wind Pavilion just as I left the alley, and he insisted on giving me this.”
Shen Weiwan lifted the food box.
At that moment, a man in a dark green robe stepped out of the house. His face was lean and refined, with a scholarly air about him.
It was her father, Shen Jingzhi.
Today was his day off, so he didn’t have to report to the Hanlin Academy.
“Wan’er is back?” Shen Jingzhi’s gentle voice sounded as his gaze fell upon the food box in her hands. “What’s this?”
“It’s from Manager Zhou of Drunken Wind Pavilion. He wants me to come up with two more recipes.”
Shen Weiwan briefly recounted what had just happened.
After listening, Shen Jingzhi fell silent for a moment.
“Do only what you can manage. Don’t force yourself,” he advised.
“We’ve only recently settled in the northern part of the city. All sorts of people live here. Be careful in everything you do and keep a low profile.”
Liu Shi also chimed in.
“That’s right. The chickens and pigs we’re raising can be sold next month for some money. Don’t overwork yourself.”
Shen Weiwan smiled and nodded.
“I know, Father and Mother. Don’t worry. I’ll go to my room and think about it. Maybe I really can come up with some new dishes.”
Carrying the food box, she entered her room, her mind already racing.
This wasn’t just about the silver Manager Zhou would pay her.
It was also about ensuring that, during these difficult days, her family could continue to stand firm and survive steadily.