Chapter 01: The Taste of Heaven

After finishing breakfast, Zhang Jianzhi entered his bedroom. On the simple wooden bed lay a neatly folded sky-blue robe—his mother had carefully laundered it the day before. While other clothes could be beaten with a washing club, she had cautiously hand-scrubbed this particular garment. In her eyes, this robe was just like her son—both were her pride and joy.

Seeing her son don the robe, Zhang Jianzhi’s mother squatted down and vigorously smoothed out the wrinkles. Her son was going to visit the marquis’s estate today to pay New Year’s respects to his teacher, so he needed to be dressed properly.

Gazing at her spirited and heroic son, the old woman could hardly believe she would ever see such a glorious day. Her son was studying at the academy under those renowned scholars and great Confucian masters—many wealthy families in Chang’an didn’t have this qualification, yet her son, the son of a singing girl, had actually achieved it. While attending school, he could even support the family. This made many wealthy merchants in the southern district who had previously looked down on her son green with envy. The family her son used to work for was especially affected—when the family head now met her son, he would address him as “Brother Zhang,” a form of address that in the past was only used among official and scholarly families.

Visiting the marquis’s home was an honor, though the gift seemed rather modest—just a bolt of hemp cloth she had woven herself. However, this hemp cloth was woven with great care—densely woven with few thread joints. Anyone would say it was fine cloth, though she wondered if the marquis’s household would appreciate it. When she was a singing girl, she had visited wealthy families where everyone wore silk and satin.

“Son, perhaps you should bring along some pastries as well?” the old woman said anxiously to her son.

Zhang Jianzhi smiled and took his mother’s rough hands, saying, “Mother, you don’t know this, but the pastries made by the teacher’s household cook are the best in Chang’an—no, in all of Great Tang. When students visit their teacher with gifts, it’s about propriety, not showing off wealth. Teacher values sincerity above all. If I used all our family’s money to buy gifts, that’s what would make teacher look down on me. The hemp cloth you wove is excellent—teacher will like it. When I return, I’ll bring you pastries from the Yun estate. They’re truly delicious.”

The old woman smiled and playfully swatted her son, saying, “How improper to visit your teacher’s home for New Year’s and come back with food!”

Zhang Jianzhi glanced at the sky, picked up the bolt of hemp cloth, and said as he walked, “This is what the senior students taught me—when visiting teacher’s home, one must never be overly polite. I just hope they’re not fooling me again this time.”

Just as he stepped outside, a carriage stopped at the front door. A portly fellow poked his head out and shouted, “Brother Jianzhi, hurry! If we’re late, we won’t make it back to Chang’an!”

Zhang Jianzhi loudly responded and ran out the door. His mother also followed out. Seeing this luxurious carriage, she was somewhat dazed. The portly fellow had already nimbly jumped down to greet the old woman. Flustered and at a loss, the old woman quickly helped the young man up while looking toward her son.

“Mother, this is Lei Tong, my classmate I often mention. We arranged long ago to go to Yushan together. Please go back inside—I’m leaving now.”

With that, he and Lei Tong climbed into the carriage together. The driver called out, and the luxurious carriage shot forward, quickly exiting through the ward gate and turning onto Vermillion Bird Avenue.

Madam Hua, who was stitching shoe soles, asked the old woman curiously, “Madam Zhang, was that Jianzhi who just got in the carriage?”

“Yes, he’s going to Yushan to pay New Year’s respects to his teacher. A classmate came to fetch him. I don’t know how good the food at the marquis’s household must be—the two boys couldn’t even wait. Look how flustered they were.” The old woman’s face was full of pride.

With a carriage, the journey to Yushan was quick. After just over an hour, they arrived at the Yun Family estate. Lei Tong gave the driver a few copper coins to find food on the street himself, then carried two enormous gift boxes and entered the Yun estate together with Zhang Jianzhi.

The estate was already quite lively. Many senior students were already seated in the reception hall drinking tea, waiting for the teacher to emerge. The steward and accountant handling gift registration waited with smiling faces at the side room entrance. When they saw Lei Tong and Zhang Jianzhi being led over by servants, Second Steward Old Zhao came forward to bow, thanking them for coming to pay New Year’s respects to the marquis.

Lei Tong’s gift was impressive—a scroll of an ancient painting. Just by looking at the leaping postures of the horses in the painting, it was likely an authentic work by Zhan Ziqian. Old Zhao, who had previously dealt in jewelry and jade, could certainly recognize this. He carefully rolled up the scroll and returned it to the box, saying to Lei Tong, “Young master is thoughtful, but you know your teacher’s temperament—sending such a gift will inevitably earn you a scolding. Better quickly take it back before teacher sees it.”

Seeing the steward’s firm attitude, Lei Tong had no choice but to retrieve the scroll and present another gift box. When the steward opened it, he was delighted to see a complete set of clay figurine dolls inside—charmingly naive and quite festive. He quickly accepted the gift and recorded it on the gift list. Seeing his carefully selected gift appreciated by the host family, Lei Tong naturally beamed with joy.

Old Zhao received Zhang Jianzhi’s bolt of hemp cloth and rubbed it for a while before giving a thumbs up, saying, “Fine material—smooth surface, virtually no joints, thick and substantial. The entire bolt feels soft to the touch. The old matriarch has been looking for good hemp cloth to make undergarments for the two young masters of the estate. This will do perfectly. It’s truly rare for young master’s household to have such skilled hands.”

After recording the gift list, Zhang Jianzhi and Lei Tong went to the courtyard together. After making rounds greeting “Brother He,” “Brother Yang,” “Brother Wen,” and the like, it was already noon.

Old Qian had long prepared the banquet, explaining that the marquis had been detained at the palace by His Majesty and couldn’t come out. He would host everyone for the feast, and since they all shared the intimate bond of master and disciples with the marquis, they must not take offense but should eat and drink well, advancing their studies to even greater heights this year.

Everyone knew their teacher was a close minister to the Son of Heaven, so being detained at the palace naturally meant he wouldn’t return anytime soon. They all relaxed and heartily feasted at the Yun estate.

Zhang Jianzhi thought he already ate without much grace, but to his surprise, Lei Tong beside him had even less composure—his plate held a pig’s trotter while his eyes were already fixed on the large chunks of preserved meat.

“Little Lei, your family doesn’t lack meat—why are you trying so hard?” Zhang Jianzhi nudged Lei Tong sheepishly.

Lei Tong didn’t even lift his head as he said, “Can my family’s meat compare? It doesn’t even match the academy’s food. I had the cook at home make red-braised pork, but what he produced—I immediately fired the family cook! My father didn’t believe the academy food could be better than home cooking, so during a rest day, I brought home a portion of red-braised pork. My old man ate it all in one go and said *this* was truly eating meat, that firing the family cook wasn’t unjust. Try this—these pig’s trotters are authentic.”

With that, he brazenly speared another half trotter and placed it on Zhang Jianzhi’s plate. They were all fifteen or sixteen-year-old youths, many experiencing their first time acting as adults paying respects at someone’s home. Initially somewhat restrained, once someone took the lead, who would hold back? They had competed for food at the academy before. Before long, they were eating with complete abandon.

Old Qian loved seeing such scenes. While Yun Ye might feel distressed seeing it, Old Qian stubbornly believed that guests eating heartily showed the greatest respect to the host family, proving that the Yun estate’s culinary reputation remained undiminished. Carrying a wine pot, he continuously urged them to drink, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

How could these young men be a match for an old fox like Old Qian when it came to drinking? After Old Qian made rounds of seven or eight tables, seven or eight empty wine jars piled up behind him—all strong liquor. Before long, some began swaying and talking nonsense.

The meal lasted a full hour or more. Seeing the hour growing late, Zhang Jianzhi, clearly quite drunk, supported Lei Tong, who was like a dead pig, as they left the Yun estate. In his hands he carried two bamboo baskets and a scroll.

Inside the bamboo baskets were return gifts from the Yun household—four varieties of exquisite pastries with a small cream cake in the center. Zhang Jianzhi struggled to support Lei Tong, afraid this fellow would damage the baskets. Only when Lei Tong’s driver came up to meet them did he breathe a sigh of relief.

The journey there had taken over an hour, but on the return journey, the driver urged the carriage to fly, because his young master had already vomited three or four times and kept shouting “what a waste” at his vomit, seeming to have the impulse to eat it back.

The sky had darkened somewhat. Zhang Jianzhi was again delivered to Chang’an by the driver. At Lei Tong’s home, he personally returned Zhan Ziqian’s “Standing Horse” painting to the Lei household and explained why the Yun estate couldn’t accept it. Old Master Lei praised the academy teacher’s noble integrity again. When Zhang Jianzhi handed over the Yun household’s return gifts, Old Master Lei looked at the five-colored礼 items inside, then at his thoroughly drunk son, and knew they had enjoyed themselves immensely at the Yun estate. This was good, very good—it was good that merchants weren’t looked down upon. Seeing Zhang Jianzhi also swaying unsteadily, he ordered the driver to send him home and invited him to visit their household at his leisure.

As darkness was about to fall, the old woman, seeing her son still hadn’t returned, couldn’t help but worry he might be toyed with at the banquet. After all, she had witnessed such scenes countless times as a singing girl. In her anxious state, whenever she heard footsteps outside, she would hurriedly open the door to look, only to be disappointed again and again.

A carriage stopped at the door. Seeing her son being helped down by the driver, swaying unsteadily, she quickly went to support him. Though nearly overcome by the strong alcohol fumes, she understood that this trip to the marquis’s estate had gone well for her son—he didn’t seem to have suffered any humiliation.

Struggling to maintain composure, Zhang Jianzhi collapsed onto his bed. As heavy drowsiness overtook him and he was about to fall asleep, he seemed to remember something and struggled to get up again. From the doorway, he retrieved the basket and delivered it into his mother’s hands, saying, “Mother, try it—pastries from the Yun estate. Once you taste them, you’ll know how delicious they truly are. These are return gifts from the marquis’s household.”

The old woman helped her son onto the bed, removed his outer garments, gave him some water to drink, wiped his feet with a damp cloth, and only then covered him with a blanket. She stared at her sleeping son for a while before returning to the low table. Opening the bamboo basket’s lid, she gazed at the exquisite pastries inside and took a long breath of the sweet fragrance within. How many years had it been since she’d smelled such a wonderful aroma?

She dug out a small bit of cream with her finger and put it in her mouth, unable to suppress a moan. Was this the taste of heaven?