The Double Seventh Festival was approaching, and Shen Shaoguang, accustomed to holiday economics from his previous life, naturally began preparing early.

The wooden molds for the Double Seventh Festival flower cakes, commissioned from a carving master, had arrived. Shen Shaoguang and A Yuan carefully sanded away the rough edges, oiled them, washed them, dried them, then oiled them again, washed and dried them repeatedly. After several rounds, the stark white poplar molds had developed some color, though it would be impossible to achieve that beautiful lustrous reddish-brown shade anytime soon.

A Yuan, still childlike, couldn’t put down one set of wooden molds, “Fish, cranes, turtles, tigers – these will be too pretty to eat when they’re made!”

Shen Shaoguang answered honestly, “They’re just for show. The fillings are still your usual red bean paste, mung bean paste, and date paste.”

Since following Shen Shaoguang, A Yuan had eaten countless rice cakes, going from wanting to devour them all at once to now treating them as ordinary.

“When things look good, they taste better too,” A-Yuan smiled.

Shen Shaoguang also smiled – had the little girl achieved enlightenment? Indeed, for food, “appearance” ranked even before “aroma” and “taste.”

It was for this reason that Shen Shaoguang had specially gone to the West Market to have the carver make several sets of molds: one set with seal characters for fortune, prosperity, longevity, and joy; one set with flowers and plants including plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, peony, and rose; one set with animals including cranes, divine turtles, swimming fish, and tigers; and one set with figures like Rahula, the Weaving Maid, the Cowherd, and Moon Palace immortals.

The designs were all drawn by Shen Shaoguang himself.

Although daily life in the Imperial Household Bureau was hard work with poor material conditions, the cultural education was excellent. There were Imperial Instructors specifically teaching palace servants classics, history, philosophy, and literature, as well as calligraphy, painting, laws and regulations, poetry, arithmetic, and chess.

Initially, these Imperial Instructors were scholars, many of them highly learned – those who could get close to the emperor usually had some real ability, after all, how many could be like South Village Scholar Chu?

The year the previous emperor passed away, these Imperial Instructors were replaced by eunuchs and palace maids. Shen Shaoguang secretly suspected there might have been some teacher-student romance, but never heard any such rumors.

Among the new teachers was a palace maid over forty, her hair already graying, with a calm demeanor who rarely spoke. She had excellent cursive calligraphy skills and was also good at seal and regular scripts. Shen Shaoguang had earnestly practiced calligraphy with her for several years. This teacher also played the guqin beautifully, but unfortunately, Shen Shaoguang had no talent for music – he could ramble about listening but couldn’t play. He didn’t know this teacher’s background but suspected she might have been from a criminal official’s family who was sent to the palace.

With his original body’s foundation and memories from his previous life, Shen Shaoguang had once been highly regarded by several instructors. Unfortunately, this talented lady-in-waiting became increasingly commonplace, diving into the imperial kitchen for the sake of food…

Thinking of the instructors’ expressions when looking at their “child prodigy,” Shen Shaoguang smiled. Competing with talent and looks to play palace politics for advancement? That had always been a battlefield from which few returned. Simply put, he was just more cautious.

Before Shen Shaoguang could celebrate the Double Seventh Festival, a matchmaker arrived. It was none other than Lu Third Lady who sold fried dough twists.

Madam Lu was an interesting person. She was somewhat jealous of Shen Shaoguang’s money-making ability, but since Shen Shaoguang was also her big customer, she didn’t dare openly offend her, though she couldn’t help occasionally making pointed remarks. However, Shen Shaoguang wasn’t a mute gourd but rather a shrewd performer – with palace-trained eloquence, matching every tone and tune. Every time Third Lady Lu would provoke and lose, then return after some time to make more remarks, only to be defeated by Shen Shaoguang again, and so it went.

Shen Shaoguang had quite enjoyed the verbal sparring with Third Lady Lu. Being slightly envied was quite pleasant because it represented acknowledgment of one’s success, and also because of that bit of mischievous pleasure – enjoying seeing someone who disliked you but couldn’t do anything about it.

This time, however, Third Lady Lu came to “return good for evil.”

“This match is truly excellent! Young Master Yang runs a silk business with a shop in the West Market, has servants at home, and is honest and capable, earnestly looking for a capable wife to manage the household. Aren’t you just such a capable young lady? It’s truly a match made in heaven!” Madam Lu smiled teasingly while nudging Shen Shaoguang, waiting to see her blush.

Shen Shaoguang nodded, “Indeed, this match does sound very good.”

Though she didn’t see the expected bashfulness, Madam Lu was pleased to hear her agree – it was rare to see her so agreeable.

“However, how could such a good match fall to an orphaned girl like me? It’s truly somewhat unsettling.”

Madam Lu leaned closer to whisper in Shen Shaoguang’s ear, who allowed the proximity.

“I heard he came to our ward looking for someone, ate your jade-tip dumplings, and has been thinking about you since. This gentleman knows my husband, so he asked me to inquire about your intentions.”

“To decide to marry a cook home because of a few jade-tip dumplings – then what if he later encounters sellers of steamed buns, noodles, roasted lamb…” Shen Shaoguang laughed at her imagination of collecting a harem of cooks.

Knowing Shen Shaoguang wasn’t easily fooled, Madam Lu told her the truth, “He is somewhat older than you, forty-five, but an older husband knows how to care for his wife.”

“His previous wife passed away half a year ago, and he’s seen several young ladies, but none were quite right – who knew he was waiting for you? You’ll be the mistress of the house when you enter the door, no longer having to work hard on the streets making a living.”

As she spoke, Madam Lu truly began to think this was a good match. Though the Yang household was somewhat remote, they did have a shop in the West Market and several servants at home. Yang Seven was indeed capable, and though much older than the bride, with her looks, he could only dote on her – wouldn’t it be like falling into a pot of honey? Unlike herself, spending all day in the wind and sun, smoked by oil fumes while frying dough twists.

Seeing Shen Shaoguang’s silence, Madam Lu brought out the “leftover women” argument: “You’re getting older, and without parents to rely on, you must think of yourself. Don’t miss out because of shyness. Later, when you’re even older, you could only be a replacement wife for someone sixty or seventy.”

The nineteen-year-old Shen Shaoguang took a sip of her drink and nodded. Madam Lu truly had a way with words, giving one the feeling of living through a lifetime in just a few sentences. She suddenly remembered Assistant Magistrate Lin’s words about “the age of peach and plum blossoms” when leaving the palace. So, in the minds of Tang people, was nineteen old or not?

The “leftover” Shen Shaoguang, after being attacked, good-naturedly poured more sour plum drink into Madam Lu’s cup and smiled, “I am indeed getting old, and my temperament is stubborn and peculiar. Isn’t Madam Lu’s daughter fifteen or sixteen? Why not suggest her to Master Yang? You know each other well, it would be even better.”

“How could that–” Madam Lu instinctively objected. She felt offended at the thought of her daughter being linked to a forty-something widowed merchant. My A Yu is of good age and looks, she should naturally marry a young gentleman from a scholarly family. If the young man passes the examinations, A Yu would be a Jin Shi’s wife!

But then Madam Lu realized this was just Shen Shaoguang’s mockery, making her even angrier, feeling like a donkey had kicked her when she was trying to feed it grass.

Thinking of “young scholarly gentlemen seeking office,” Madam Lu’s tense face showed a sneering smile, “Could it be the young lady is thinking of those refined gentlemen who come to buy your pancakes? I advise you to give up such thoughts. Which of them wouldn’t marry a young lady of equal status? Though you’re beautiful, you could only be a concubine. As a concubine, you’d have to serve the main wife daily…”

In a short while, Madam Lu had imagined several life scenarios, and Shen Shaoguang felt the need to stop her, “Doesn’t Madam Lu think that with my money-making abilities, I could become a wealthy person on my own? Buy houses and land, live freely and easily?”

“…” Madam Lu didn’t believe Shen Shaoguang truly thought this way, assuming it was just an excuse, but thinking of her new shop and jade-tip dumplings, she momentarily couldn’t find words to argue.

“I’ve been eyeing a villa on Mount Zhongnan for a long time,” Shen Shaoguang said with a serious face.

Madam Lu left with trembling hands, defeated as usual.