Chapter 19: Tasting the Agate Meat

Compared to Dongpo Pork, in her previous life, Shen Shaoguang actually preferred ordinary braised pork—for no other reason than it is less troublesome.

In this life, Shen Shaoguang had gained much more patience. What was the rush? Hurrying forward like spawning salmon—rushing to start school, rushing to graduate, rushing to make money, rushing to fall in love, rushing to get married, rushing to have children, then rushing to grow old, rushing to die? Or like herself, before finishing all that rushing, “bang”—transported to another world. Well, all previous efforts reset to zero, starting over from scratch!

Contemplating life’s impermanence, Shen Shaoguang laid bamboo strips at the bottom of the large clay pot to prevent sticking. She arranged white scallions and ginger slices on the strips, then evenly placed the large cubes of blood-cleaned pork belly on top, followed by clear soy sauce, sugar, and wine. The wine was fresh, with slightly green bubbles—precisely what Master Bai referred to as the “green foam of new wine.” Thinking of this, even this pot of pork seemed to take on a poetic quality.

She let this poetic pork simmer over the smallest charcoal fire, slowly rendering.

At another small stove, Shen Shaoguang prepared batter, waiting for breakfast pancake customers to arrive.

A’yuan returned from the tofu shop with fresh soy milk, exclaiming “How fragrant!” the moment she entered.

After pouring the soy milk into the large pot and lighting the wood fire underneath, A’yuan walked to the small stove, circling the clay pot of stewing meat, repeatedly sniffing—how could it smell so wonderful?

Shen Shaoguang smiled, thinking if they were to stir-fry twice-cooked pork with chili oil, that fragrance would be even more enticing—wouldn’t this silly girl try to climb into the pot?

Speaking of which, chili was truly a magical ingredient. When combined with meat, it could create a fragrance that was more than the sum of its parts—especially in terms of aroma. That explained why Sichuan cuisine became so popular in later generations. Unfortunately, chili hadn’t been introduced to the current dynasty yet, which was truly a shame.

It wasn’t just A’yuan who was tempted; customers followed the scent with their eyes toward the clay pot. The familiar ones couldn’t help but ask, “Young Miss, what are you cooking? It smells wonderful.”

Unable to mention Master Dongpo’s name, Shen Shaoguang employed the imperial naming method—Agate Meat.

Such an elegant name, combined with this aroma, made the customers even more eager.

Shen Shaoguang smiled, “This is a dish that takes time. Please come back at noon or dinnertime. The meat has a rich, tender texture, perfect for accompanying wine or rice.”

The customers could only endure, for now, eating their pancakes while surrounded by the meat’s fragrance. They bought more pastries and porridge than usual, making Shen Shaoguang belatedly realize—did she inadvertently tempt them too much this early morning?

After finishing breakfast service and cleaning up, the meat was nearly done stewing, but it wasn’t complete—it still needed steaming.

The steaming process had its expertise. It was best to steam it in a sealed jar over water, following the imperial kitchen’s traditional method, emphasizing “no direct water contact”—steam would dilute the flavors.

After another half hour of steaming, the meat was thoroughly done.

During this quiet period between meal times, Shen Shaoguang and A’yuan had their first taste.

Taking four pieces from the jar, she arranged them skin-side up on a snow-white plate, pouring the original cooking sauce over them. Indeed, with their glossy, bright red appearance, the name “Agate Meat” was well-deserved.

Shen Shaoguang quickly stir-fried some mallow greens, and the two enjoyed their brunch with thick rice porridge.

Shen Shaoguang placed a piece in a small bowl, savoring it slowly.

Perhaps because the wine in this era was genuine rice wine, or because the pigs weren’t fed with commercial feed and grew slowly, resulting in better meat quality, or maybe because she had missed this taste for so long—Shen Shaoguang found this meat even better than what she’d eaten at famous restaurants in her previous life. It was truly rich without being greasy, tender, and fragrant.

Even so, Shen Shaoguang stopped after one piece—though one piece was substantial, about the size of a child’s fist.

The remaining three pieces went to A’yuan. Unexpectedly, as she ate, she suddenly began to cry.

Shen Shaoguang took out a handkerchief to wipe the silly girl’s tears and the meat juice from her mouth corners, asking what was wrong.

A’yuan sobbed, looking at her mistress somewhat embarrassedly, “It’s, it’s too delicious.”

“…” So “crying because it’s too delicious” wasn’t just an exaggeration?

As a cook, receiving such praise from an eater left Shen Shaoguang feeling quite honored. “If you love it, we’ll make it often.”

A’yuan’s sobbing intensified, “Before, I could only have a bowl of thin millet porridge each meal, with one vegetable-mixed millet pancake. Never imagined I’d have days like this, wuu…”

So she was reminiscing about her past. Shen Shaoguang patted the child’s head, sighing, “Eat up. As long as times remain peaceful, we’ll never have to eat such bitter meals again.”

At noon, while selling soup dumplings, Shen Shaoguang reheated and displayed the meat. With its appearance and aroma, it immediately caught customers’ attention.

While the shop’s jade-tip buns were also fragrant and burst with soup when bitten, they were still wrapped in dough, making them much more subtle compared to the Agate Meat. This meat presented itself directly, stimulating people’s eyes and noses with its vivid appearance and aroma.

If Shen Shaoguang were to make a comparison, the jade-tip buns would be like a fashionably dressed beauty, while the Agate Meat—was a nude! In its presence, style, and elegance became irrelevant.

The meat needed no promotion from Shen Shaoguang, and with those who had been anticipating it since morning, it sold out instantly.

In the afternoon, another pot was prepared, and it sold out again at dinner time.

This trial run went much better than expected. Shen Shaoguang had originally thought that since the neighborhood was wealthy and refined, and people could afford lamb, the pork dumplings had only been accepted widely because of their soup feature and because pork was indeed more suitable for filling than lamb. Promoting pork dishes might not be as easy.

Moreover, at this time, people usually ate pork steamed, dipped in minced garlic or various sauces, similar to the white-cut meat of later generations. This richly flavored pork might not match everyone’s taste.

Now it seemed that the Tang people were simply “if it’s delicious, it’s good” types.

Shen Shaoguang went to purchase the largest clay pot available, planning to first popularize the Agate Meat.

She also brought out the wooden frame previously used for flower cake advertisements and set it up at the entrance, writing in large characters “Fresh Agate Meat.” She planned to keep this board permanently as a menu board.

Looking back at her small shop, Shen Shaoguang felt somewhat regretful—it was too small, only suitable as a food shop. If it were larger, allowing customers to sit in groups, it could transform from a food shop to a tavern, offering various dishes and wine, which would bring much higher profits.

But haste makes waste—or in this case, won’t get you Agate Meat. Take it slow.