She knew in her heart that the business had officially opened for the night.
Sure enough, a moment later, the maid smiled as she returned: “The Little Master said these Honey Banana Cups taste excellent; my Madam would like three portions.”
Xue Li readily agreed. With practiced movements, she drizzled maltose over three Honey Banana Cups, took the copper coins from the maid, and hurriedly lowered the remaining bananas into the pot.
“Mother, Mother, I want to eat this!” A tender, childish voice suddenly came from diagonally in front of the stall cart.
Xue Li followed the sound and saw a little girl with twin buns tied with red silk ribbons, happily pulling her mother’s hand as she rushed toward the stall.
The girl was only three or four years old, carved like pink jade, with chubby round cheeks and a spark of intelligence in her eyes. The woman she called “Mother” paused to look. Seeing it was fried food, she frowned slightly: “Deep-fried food carries too much internal heat; a child shouldn’t eat it. How about Mother buys some sugar for you instead, Nannan?”
The little girl refused, pouting her lips and acting spoiled in a milky voice, tugging and swaying her mother’s sleeve. The red silk ribbons on her buns fluttered back and forth, making her look charming and innocent.
The woman was worn down by her persistence, her eyes full of doting laughter.
Seeing this, Xue Li chimed in at the perfect moment: “Two wen spent on cane sugar will stick to and ruin the teeth, but four wen for golden bananas nourishes the body! Moreover, bananas naturally have the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. When balanced against the heat of the frying, they neutralize each other. A lady as sensible as you surely knows which is the better deal.”
The little girl’s eyes lit up, and she immediately added fuel to the fire: “Nannan will eat half, and Mother can eat the other half!”
The woman was teased into laughter and lightly tapped her daughter’s little nose: “Fine, fine, I’ll indulge you this once.”
Then, she said to Xue Li, “Your food looks fragrant, Little Lady. Give me a skewer of these Honey Banana Cups as well.”
“Certainly! That will be four wen!” Xue Li wrapped the Honey Banana Cup with a beaming smile, bent down to hand it to the little girl, and cautioned, “This Honey Banana Cup is still hot, so you must eat slowly, Little Lady.”
The little girl took it solemnly with both hands, looked up to say a sweet thank you, then pursed her little mouth to blow gently on it. Immediately after, she couldn’t wait to take a bite where the amber caramel color was thickest.
“Does Nannan think it’s tasty?” the woman asked softly.
The little girl nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice, her eyes sparkling, with a few stray crumbs of sugar sticking to the corners of her mouth: “Mother, this banana moon is soft, sweet, and it even stretches!”
Xue Li explained with a smile, “My bananas are wrapped in a layer of glutinous rice mochi, which is stretchy and resilient. The bananas themselves are soft and sweet, so the texture is much richer than what you’d find at other stalls.”
The woman also took a bite and was indeed pleasantly surprised. She couldn’t help but look at Xue Li: “You are so young, Little Lady, yet your culinary skills are so remarkable.”
“You flatter me, Madam,” Xue Li replied with a graceful smile.
As they spoke, she suddenly felt a gaze directed at her from not far away.
She glanced to the side and saw a young gentleman standing by the bridge, holding a scroll. He was dressed elegantly and looked refined.
He stood there as if hesitating about something, his gaze frequently drifting toward the stall. He neither left nor approached, appearing quite bashful.
Xue Li was confident, but not overly conceited.
The gentleman’s eyes were fixed only on the oil-draining rack; clearly, he wasn’t looking at her, but had set his sights on the new batch of fried bananas she had just pulled from the pot.
But… if he wanted to eat, why did he hesitate to come over and buy?
Xue Li was puzzled. Her almond-shaped eyes shifted and landed on the little girl who was happily munching on her Honey Banana Cup.
Suddenly, her eyes brightened—so that was it!
The corners of Xue Li’s lips curled up as she began to call out: “Freshly made Honey Banana Cups! They aid digestion and nourish the spleen and stomach—suitable for both the old and young, and especially perfect for scholars studying hard through the night!”
She had barely called out a few times when the light in front of her dimmed. The previously hesitant scholar had actually walked briskly to the stall. His earlobes were slightly red as he asked in a low voice, “Just now, the Little Lady said these Honey Banana Cups are good for a scholar’s diet… is this true?”
Xue Li nodded with a straight face: “Of course it’s true!”
“The young master may not know, but bananas are neutral in nature and sweet in taste. After being coated in honey and deep-fried, they can lubricate the intestines and aid digestion. Have you ever read the Bencao Yanyi (Materia Medica)? It’s recorded clearly in there, stating they have the effect of ‘moistening the lungs and promoting fluid production, while nourishing the spleen and stomach.’ You exhaust your spirit with your studies, so you precisely need this to regulate your vital energy.”
“They actually have such a miraculous effect?” While the scholar was still speaking, he had already pulled out the copper coins that had been in his pouch for who knows how long. “Then I shall trouble the Little Lady to give me a portion as well.”
Xue Li reached out to take them—exactly four wen, and they were still warm.
As she packed the Honey Banana Cup for the scholar, she couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. She had seen through the scholar’s craving for the Honey Banana Cups long ago, but he probably felt embarrassed to step forward because the first two customers were children.
Indeed, men have been suffering for the sake of their pride since ancient times.
After being busy for a while, Xue Li hadn’t yet had a chance to taste the fruits of her labor. Just then, the fried chicken skins had finished draining their excess oil. She evenly sprinkled her homemade cornel powder over them, picked up a piece, and took a light bite.
Crunch.
The thin, crispy chicken skin exploded between her teeth. The outer shell was slightly flaky, overflowing with the aroma of fat, and it practically melted in her mouth. The cornel powder, combined with the hot oil, permeated the skin. The spicy fragrance of ginger, the woody scent of cornel, and the subtle heat of mustard seeds intertwined, even faintly bringing out a meaty flavor!
Xue Li couldn’t help but take another bite. As she chewed carefully, the crispy texture rustled against the tip of her tongue, and the fragrance of the fried chicken skin lingered for a long time.
If it weren’t for the fact that salt prices in the Song Dynasty were ridiculously high, adding a pinch of salt would have made this taste heavenly.
Even so, it was already enough to be addictive.
Xue Li bit down on a bamboo skewer, her heart filled with constant repentance—eating fried food late at night was truly a sin! But who could resist a pot of fragrant deep-fried delicacies?
She was so delighted by the taste that she swayed her head, chewing vigorously.
While she was savoring the flavor, a passing gentleman saw her like this. His curiosity was piqued, and he stopped at the stall to ask: “What is the Little Lady eating that makes such a rustling sound in her mouth?”
“I am eating the fried goods from my own stall,” Xue Li hurriedly swallowed the last bit of crispy fragrance and introduced it with a beaming smile. “This snack is called ‘Fried Golden Crisps.’ It is made from chicken skin. Although simple, it is crispy and fragrant with a remarkable flavor.”
She picked up a piece of fried chicken skin and held it out to the gentleman: “You may try it first, sir. If it suits your palate, it won’t be too late to buy.”
The gentleman in the scholar’s robe thought this was a good idea. He took the skewer of Fried Golden Crisps and put it in his mouth. As soon as his upper and lower teeth met, there was a crisp crunch. A hint of oil burst between his lips and teeth, and the slight spiciness of the cornel powder perfectly complemented the meaty aroma, leaving an endless aftertaste.
“What a fine crunch!” The gentleman’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t help but chew a few more times, feeling the fragrance linger. “When Scholar Su was exiled to Huangzhou, he once wrote the Ode to the Glutton, saying ‘to nourish my inner glutton.’ The ode never mentioned chicken skin—he must have never encountered such craftsmanship as yours!”
The gentleman was overjoyed: “I was just heading to the West Market to listen to a storytelling session. These Fried Golden Crisps are just perfect. Give me five skewers!”
“Then you have certainly chosen the right snack!” Upon hearing this, Xue Li smoothly sprinkled the seasoning over the fried chicken skins in the bamboo sieve and briskly packed them for him.
The gentleman paid the copper coins readily and left happily, carrying his Fried Golden Crisps.
Seeing this, the curiosity of the passersby was also piqued, and a few more people soon gathered around.
“How do you sell your fried goods?” A woman with a low hair bun stepped forward slowly, carrying a bamboo basket on her arm. She lowered her eyes and glanced at the fried skewers on the oil rack.
Xue Li was sharp-eyed and caught a glimpse of a wine jar peeking out from under the printed cloth in the basket. She made a quick calculation: judging by the hair bun, this lady was likely a married woman, and since she was carrying wine, she was most likely buying snacks to go with her husband’s drinks.
In an instant, Xue Li thought of her pitch and began to promote enthusiastically: “This item is called ‘Fried Golden Crisps,’ made from fried chicken skin. It is crispy and dry-fragrant. Five skewers are only three wen. It’s high quality and low price—perfect to pair with fine wine!”
When the young wife heard it was chicken skin, she frowned slightly, looking a bit hesitant. But then she heard that five skewers were only three wen, and she immediately felt tempted: “It’s cheaper than chicken gizzards… My husband lost money gambling yesterday; I might as well buy some meaty scraps to coax him.”
Xue Li was always sweet-tongued: “If you think of it that way, a single fried quail costs fifty wen, while you can taste the meaty fragrance for just three wen with chicken skin. If I were your husband, I would only think that you are wise in managing the household and that it is his great fortune to have married you.”
These words made the young lady feel extremely comfortable. Without saying another word, she immediately bought three wen worth of Fried Golden Crisps and returned home satisfied, carrying her wine basket.
…
As the night grew deeper, although the Zhou Bridge night market was still as bright as day—fitting the saying “the lights in the nearby districts are as bright as day”—Xue Li could no longer hold on.
She had been busy all day, and she had never worked this hard even during her livestreams.
On the way home pushing her small stall cart, she calculated tonight’s accounts: 150 skewers of Fried Golden Crisps sold out, and 32 Honey Banana Cups were also sold. The total income was 218 wen. After deducting the 30 wen stall fee and roughly 55 wen for oil and ingredients, the net profit was only 133 wen.
This profit was far less than what she made at the morning market. Moreover, after closing the night stall, she still had to clean the surrounding area. During festivals, she would even have to pay an extra 20 wen for lantern oil to the Office of City Command.
Xue Li sighed lightly. It seemed the night market could only be treated as a way to earn extra pocket money in her spare time. If she really wanted to make money, she still had to focus her energy on the daytime business.
Muttering to herself, she pushed the stall cart forward. Unexpectedly, a pebble underfoot caught a wheel, and a bundle of benches on the cart suddenly tumbled off, clattering to the ground.
Xue Li: “…”
She gritted her teeth and lifted the benches, struggling to set them back on the cart, secretly resolving: if this continued, she feared she would even collapse herself. Before this weekend, she absolutely had to hire a helper!
The next day, when the morning light was faint.
Yun Feng got up early and ran to the Xue family’s specialty stall at Xingguo Temple to line up for Cloud Flaky Buns.
The weather was very cooperative today, allowing him not only to be at the front of the line but also to have a stroke of luck and catch the first round of Cloud Flaky Buns fresh out of the oven.
As soon as the steamer lid was lifted, the aroma of flour and the sweetness of osmanthus honey drifted out, enveloped in rising white steam. Behind it, the Cloud Flaky Buns, stacked like mountain ranges, were quietly revealed, making one’s mouth water even before taking a bite.
Cloud Flaky Buns fresh from the oven were indeed fragrant!
Yun Feng carried two baskets of large buns in one hand and popped a Cloud Flaky Bun filled with honeyed bean and osmanthus into his mouth with the other. He took a bite; the soft, flaky pastry collapsed slightly, and the dense red bean filling, infused with the fragrance of sugar osmanthus, spread across his palate. His teeth were filled with a delicate, sweet scent.
“Sweet buns are indeed a hundred times tastier than the meat-filled ones, just as Little Lady Xue said.” Yun Feng chewed contentedly, his steps light.
Once this bite of the bun reached his stomach, he felt his internal organs finally at ease.
Yesterday, after returning to the Marquis’s Manor, he had chewed on the “Living Lamb Prepared Three Ways” made by famous chefs with a heart as cold as ashes—those were truly a variety of tastes, all of them awful! In his helplessness, he had vividly described the absolute deliciousness of these Cloud Flaky Buns to the guard, Ah Fu, who had stood watch for him, praising them as something found in heaven and nowhere on earth.
A few small guards nearby leaned in to listen, but not a single one of them believed him. They all said—
[Author’s Note]
“The lights in the nearby districts are as bright as day” is from Lu You’s Writing about Night Returning to Brick Street Lane.