Even at noon, the “Xue’s Rare Delicacies Stall” at the bridgehead of Xingguo Temple was still bustling with voices. The long queue wrapped around the stone bridge and extended all the way to the street corner, making it quite a lively scene.
In the queue, two maidservants grew tired of waiting and began to chat idly.
“Say, Sister, how long have you been queuing?” asked the maidservant wearing a green satin lined vest, turning her head.
“Sigh, don’t mention it. I’m afraid I’ve been standing here for more than half an hour.” Another maidservant in a pea-green ruqun peeked forward. Seeing the dense crowd still ahead, she couldn’t help but complain in frustration, “My mistress specifically asked for this ‘Seven-White Beauty Broth.’ I just bought a trip’s worth this morning, and now she’s urging me to make another run.”
“What a coincidence! My Second Lady also sent me to buy it. Tell me, isn’t this just a bowl of whitish soup? Does it really have such miraculous effects?”
“I heard it’s made by the stall owner herself, grinding and boiling seven white medicinal herbs. It’s very nourishing for the skin…” The maidservant in the pea-green ruqun paused, looking towards the very front, and pointed for the other to see. “Besides, look at Young Lady Xue’s skin; it’s as white as mutton-fat jade. She sets up her stall every day and works so hard, yet there isn’t a hint of fatigue on her face. Who’s to say it isn’t actually nurtured by this broth?”
“That makes sense.” The maidservant in the green satin lined vest nodded thoughtfully, smacking her lips as she said, “If it can truly nourish the face, five copper coins a bowl isn’t considered too expensive. I’ll buy some to try today as well!”
The crowd was bustling, and the line in front of the stall continued to stretch on. Seeing that the broth in the vermilion wooden bucket had reached the bottom, Xue Li hovered the bamboo ladle over the rim, straightened her back, and took a breather.
Isn’t it true that the economic development of the Song Dynasty was genuinely excellent? Most commoners didn’t have to worry about having enough food and warm clothing; they even had a surplus to buy health-nourishing soups.
Xue Li picked up her handkerchief and dabbed the fine sweat on her forehead. While counting the heads still lined up in front of the stall, she mentally calculated how much Seven-White Beauty Broth she should boil for tomorrow.
When she originally named her stall “Xue’s Rare Delicacies Stall” instead of “Xue’s Breakfast Stall,” it was because she didn’t want to rely solely on the Cloud Crisp Buns for her livelihood, but planned to gradually expand her offerings.
As the saying goes, “Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.” She observed that this applied not only to studies but also to the catering industry.
Most of the breakfast shops around Xingguo Temple were long-established eateries that had been open for decades. Although her “Cloud Crisp Bun” was novel and unique, once others tasted it a few times, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn’t figure out a similar method, or even create a superior, improved version. Only by constantly bringing forth new ideas and blazing a new trail could she remain invincible.
Amidst her thoughts, she bent down to pack the last bowl of Seven-White Beauty Broth. Standing on tiptoe, she shouted to the crowd, “Honored guests, I apologize! Today’s Seven-White Broth has been scraped clean right down to the bottom of the bucket. Thank you for your long wait! Tomorrow at exactly four quarters past the hour of Mao (approximately 6:00 AM), the stall will open on time, and the first twenty customers will enjoy a buy-one-get-one-free offer!”
As soon as she finished speaking, sighs rose and fell in the crowd.
“How is it gone? I finally made it to the front of the line!” “Young Lady Xue, please boil another pot!”…
Xue Li wanted to boil another pot too, but the white poria and lily bulbs for the broth were completely used up. Missing two main ingredients, how could this broth still be considered “Seven-White”?
Furthermore, she had another calculation in mind: “Only when starving does one know the fragrance of a meal; only when dying of thirst does one realize the value of a drop of water.” Appropriate hunger marketing could create a sense of missing out, and customers willing to spend time queuing were mostly not stingy with their money. If they tried it once and felt the effects were good, they would be more accepting of high-priced medicinal meals launched in the future.
Watching the crowd gradually disperse from the stall, Xue Li sorted out the copper coins, stuffing them one by one into her pouch. Once she had packed everything up properly, she pushed her small stall cart back to her residence.
As usual, she took inventory of the remaining ingredients in the kitchen, recorded them in a small notebook so as not to forget, and then planned to pick a free day to restock. Having bustled about for many days, she should also give herself a day off, and buy a few new sets of tableware while she was at it.
Just as she was calculating, a weak “rumble” suddenly sounded from her stomach.
She clutched her stomach and smiled wryly; even the rumbling of her intestines sounded so feeble. It seemed she really needed a full meal.
Xue Li searched high and low in the kitchen. She remembered that three Cloud Crisp Buns were left over from yesterday’s stall. Although they couldn’t be sold again, they shouldn’t be thrown away and wasted, so she carefully kept them for the next day’s meal.
In ancient times, the most proper way to store food was using an ice chest. However, she was unwilling to spend too much silver specifically to buy an ice chest for leftovers, so she used a method widely spread among night market vendors: storing the food covered in a bamboo steamer, stuffing fresh reed leaves in the gaps, and placing it in a cool spot. When it was time to eat, she simply took the steamer to reheat it, which was convenient and straightforward.
Reed leaves contain flavonoids, which can inhibit mold. Trying it out over the past few days, it had actually proven quite effective.
Xue Li was thinking about those soft Cloud Crisp Buns oozing with fragrant oil. Unable to wait, she lifted the lid of the steamer, but upon looking inside, she immediately froze.
Inside the steamer, where were her plump, white Cloud Crisp Buns?
The steamer basket was empty, with only a few green reed leaves lying there solitarily. The reed leaves, slightly curled from the steam, seemed to silently mock her full-hearted joy.
Xue Li’s heart skipped a beat. Thinking she was so hungry her eyes were playing tricks on her, she hastily closed the lid. Taking a deep breath, she silently counted down from three, and then lifted it again—
Still empty!
Xue Li: “……”
Who the hell stole her buns?!
Xue Li was so angry that the tips of her ears turned red, and she nearly crushed her teeth. Stealing was one thing, but striking when she was at her hungriest—this thief was a huge bully!
She forcefully suppressed her anger, took a few deep breaths, and tried hard to calm herself down. But thinking about it carefully, this kind of thing seemed to have happened more than once. Since the first day she set up her stall at the night market, things would occasionally go missing from the kitchen.
The first time was one night when she returned home and noticed that the green fruits she had bought to marinate for appetizers seemed to be missing five or six pieces. At that time, she was dizzy from staying up late and just assumed she had misremembered, so she didn’t take it to heart.
The second time was when she was practicing making Hibiscus Cakes. She had originally left a small plate of scraps, thinking of making dessert soup another day. However, when she looked the next day, only scattered cake crumbs remained. At the time, she thought her house was infested with mice, so she specifically went to the grocery store, bought rat poison, and sprinkled it in every corner of the kitchen.
The third time was when she was making the meat filling for the Cloud Crisp Buns. After finishing, she rushed to the latrine due to an unbearable stomachache. But when she came back, the porcelain bowl that had held the cooked mutton filling was unusually clean; not a speck of meat was left, only floating oil…
And this time, not even a shadow of her Cloud Crisp Buns was left!
Xue Li’s face darkened.
This little thief was growing increasingly bolder. If she didn’t deal with this person soon, wouldn’t they move her entire kitchen away next time?
However, no matter how angry she was, her stomach was still hungry. Xue Li clutched her stomach, which was aching slightly from hunger, her eyes darting around as a plan formed in her mind—since this little thief was gluttonous, she would make him fall right into her trap!
Xue Li rummaged through the kitchen. Seeing that there weren’t many ingredients left, but there were still quite a few spring bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms remaining from making the bamboo shoot and meat, and vegetarian steamed buns a few days ago, it was just right to use them to make a few “Surpassing Meat Buns.”
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened, and the rain pattered down, but inside the kitchen, it was warm and cozy.
On the food prep table lay a pile of spring bamboo shoots with muddy green shells. Xue Li rolled up her sleeves, ladled well water to wash them clean, and carefully peeled off the shells. After arranging them neatly, she flicked her fingertips, firmly gripped a sharp knife, and with a series of rhythmic chopping sounds, the snow-white bamboo shoot flesh was crisply diced into fine pieces.
The soft shiitake mushrooms took even less effort.
The copper cauldron on the clay stove bubbled with boiling water. Using the flat side of her knife, she gathered all the chopped ingredients and swept them into the boiling water, tossing in a few slices of ginger as well. The diced bamboo shoots and mushroom bits tumbled freely in the plain water. Facing the warm steam, she gripped a wooden pestle and pounded walnuts into coarse granules, occasionally glancing at the ginger slices in the boiling water.
People of the Song Dynasty had a method for testing the toxicity of fungi, which was to boil ginger with the mushrooms. If the ginger didn’t change color, it meant the mushrooms were fully cooked and safe to eat.
Seeing that the color of the ginger slices remained a bright yellow, she scooped out the blanched bamboo shoots and mushrooms, mixed them with the coarse walnut granules, and then poured in soybean paste and fennel powder. Next, she heated oil in a pan, and once it was hot, she poured it over the sauce. With a sizzle, a rich, savory aroma was released, enveloping the entire room in the mouthwatering scent of heavy oil and dark sauce.
With the filling prepared, the next step was the dough. Xue Li had always loved making pasta dishes herself, so she had long developed considerable wrist strength. When rolling dough, one needed steady, resilient force to roll it as thin as rice paper without breaking it. Next, she used a porcelain spoon to scoop the filling. After the dough wrapper enclosed the filling, she folded it in half, then used her fingernails to nimbly pinch it, creating pleats resembling water caltrop flowers. When she was nearly done wrapping the buns, she could preheat the iron griddle, ready for pan-frying against the sides.
She arranged the raw buns in the pan in the shape of a flower, frying them slowly over low heat. Before long, a faint crackling sound came from the griddle.
Oil splattered slightly, and golden-brown charred spots gradually appeared on the bun wrappers. The fresh fragrance of the mushrooms and bamboo shoots intertwined with the rich scent of the nuts, complementing the fresh, moist earthy smell after the spring rain outside the window, making one’s mouth water.
Xue Li intentionally fried the Surpassing Meat Buns until they were fragrant and crispy. She picked one up with her chopsticks, blew on it, and popped it into her mouth. Biting into it produced a soft crunch; it was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and incredibly delicious.
It was truly worthy of its name, derived from a flavor that surpassed meat. With such an exquisite taste, why eat meat at all? It was just a slight pity; if conditions permitted, adding some pine nuts would undoubtedly elevate the flavor even further.
Xue Li was already hungry, and the hot, fragrant Surpassing Meat Buns in front of her were too tempting to resist, so she ate three in a row.
But she hadn’t forgotten the main business. Once she was fully satisfied, she deftly took out a small porcelain bottle from her embroidered pouch. Unhurriedly, she mixed the powder inside into the leftover sauce from the filling, then used a brush to evenly coat the remaining Surpassing Meat Buns.
“Hmph, go ahead and steal a taste. It’ll hurt enough to make you cry for your parents!” Xue Li admired her “masterpiece,” carried this plate of Surpassing Meat Buns to the side of the stove, and deliberately placed it in the pot she usually used for reheating food, pretending to keep it warm.
Tonight, she would see how this little thief would handle it.
……
The night was late and quiet; not a sound could be heard.
In the corner of the kitchen, Xue Li squeezed herself into a large earthenware vat, an oversized bamboo sieve covering her head. She only opened a sliver of a crack to secretly observe her surroundings.
It’s already this late, why hasn’t the little thief shown up yet? Could it be that they went to steal from another house tonight? Xue Li’s legs and feet were numb from squatting, and she couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. Could it be that tonight’s Surpassing Meat Buns aren’t fragrant enough? Or does the little thief not like mushrooms and bamboo shoots?
Drowsiness crept in, and she forced her eyelids to stay open. Thinking about how she had to get up and start work at the hour of Mao tomorrow, yet here she was, huddled in this narrow earthenware vat waiting to catch a thief, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of sorrow.
Xue Li sighed, just as she was about to change her posture to stretch her stiff legs and feet, she unexpectedly heard a soft squeak from the window, followed by the rustling sound of clothing brushing against something.
Someone had climbed in through the window.
[Author’s Note]
Green fruit: Olive
Walnut: Hutao (an older term for walnut)
The recipe for the Surpassing Meat Bun is referenced from the book Mountain Home Pure Provisions (Shanjia Qinggong).