Shen Shaoguang squinted her eyes as she crouched by the water vat in the narrow alley behind the shop, using tweezers to remove hair from a pig’s head.
In this dynasty, pork wasn’t considered high-class fare, and pig’s head was regarded as particularly lowly. Yet Shen Shaoguang had a special fondness for such humble foods.
In her childhood, there was a smoked meat shop near her home that sold various pork offal, sausages, smoked chicken, and occasionally braised beef. Shen Shaoguang loved meat from an early age. When the adults gave her pocket money, besides buying small trinkets that other girls liked, she would spend it at the ice cream shop in summer and at this meat shop when the weather turned cool.
Shen Shaoguang didn’t care for braised beef, finding it lacking in tenderness, somewhat dry, and not fragrant enough. Smoked chicken was sold whole, which was beyond a child’s pocket money, so she was left with the options of pig’s head meat and sausages. Among these, Shen Shaoguang particularly loved the pig’s head meat.
This shop’s pig’s head meat was first braised and then smoked, making it less greasy and giving it a peculiar charred fragrance.
On her way home from school, Shen Shaoguang would first buy a freshly baked huoshao bread—it had to be straight from the oven, still steaming when torn open. Then she’d go to the shop to buy a small portion of pig’s head meat, asking the owner to slice it thinly and stuff it into the bread. She would hold it with both hands and take big bites.
She would eat while running around the streets with her friends, or find places to play jump rope and bean bag games, only returning home when it got dark, getting nagged by her parents, then hurriedly eating dinner, doing homework, and washing up…
Later, after Shen Shaoguang graduated and became involved in the culinary circle, despite having tasted countless masterpieces from renowned chefs across the country, she still yearned for that shop’s pig’s head meat. She would visit every time she returned home and even considered writing a promotional article about the elderly aunt’s deli, wanting to know what smoking method she used that made it so different from others.
She kept putting it off until one visit when she discovered that the shop had been merged with the neighboring grocery store and turned into a large real estate agency. The elderly aunt had reportedly gone to live with her son overseas. The mystery of how the meat was smoked became permanently unsolved.
Shen Shaoguang gazed at the wispy white clouds in the deep blue sky, let out a quiet sigh, and lowered her head to continue preparing the pig’s head. Though she couldn’t smoke it, she was skilled at braising meat, following roughly the red-braising method with a rich sauce and heavy seasoning. When braised long enough, the taste wouldn’t disappoint—though the preparation was troublesome.
Shen Shaoguang specifically paid extra to the butcher shop to ensure they scraped off the pig hair thoroughly, but even then, she wasn’t satisfied and had to check again herself. If a customer found pig hair while eating… that would be disgusting.
Yet despite such caution, trouble still arose.
While the sun was still high, just as the evening drums began to sound, two unfamiliar customers entered. One wore a blue silk robe, the other a brown cloth garment. Both had high bridges of their noses, deep-set eyes, and curly hair—they were Hu people (foreigners).
Long’an City had many Hu people, so Shen Shaoguang paid it no mind, greeting them with a smile and inviting them to sit wherever they pleased.
The two ordered signature dishes: agate meat, lion’s head meatballs, braised pig’s head meat, and pig’s feet—all substantial meat dishes—along with three jiao of wine.
One jiao was equal to four shengs, and while gentlemen like Assistant Magistrate Lin would only drink one sheng, these two ordered twelve shengs…
Restaurant owners don’t fear big eaters. Shen Shaoguang quickly prepared everything and had A’yuan deliver it on a tray.
The shop grew increasingly crowded, soon filling up. Some customers finished and left while new ones arrived, some drinking wine, others simply buying jade-tip noodles or meat dishes—it was quite lively.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted inside.
Shen Shaoguang put down her work and went to investigate.
It was the two Hu people who had ordered three jiao of wine, pointing at their plate and saying, “There’s hair in the meat! Your place is unsanitary!”
Though always considering herself clean, wearing an apron and sleeve covers while cooking, with a cloth wrapped around her head, and A’yuan dressed similarly, what if something had happened? Shen Shaoguang approached with an apologetic smile, “Please don’t be upset, customers. Where is this unsanitary item?”
The Hu man in blue looked at Shen Shaoguang sideways, lifting one corner of his mouth in a smile, pointing at the plate that had held the agate meat: “Right here.”
The plate was empty of meat, with only sauce remaining, and indeed there was a hair in the sauce.
Many of the remaining customers stopped eating, either turning away or gathering around to look.
The blue-robed Hu man belched, his wine breath hitting Shen Shaoguang’s face, “How about that, little miss?”
The agate meat was always served fresh from the clay pot onto plates, and for a bright red color and enhanced flavor, an extra ladle of sauce was added. Given this process, if there had been hair in the plate, both Shen Shaoguang and A’yuan would have to have been blind not to notice.
Looking at the table full of mostly eaten meat dishes and empty wine vessels, Shen Shaoguang understood—they were trying to cause trouble after eating and drinking their fill…
The Hu man persisted: “Little miss needs to give us an explanation, or if we start talking about this outside…” He turned to the surrounding diners, “What do you all think?”
Some customers began frowning, examining their plates, while others looked at Shen Shaoguang.
A’yuan exclaimed anxiously, “Impossible! Our place is the cleanest, how could there be hair?”
The brown-robed Hu man glared, “Then how do you explain this hair in the plate?”
Shen Shaoguang carefully examined the hair and smiled, “Don’t worry, customers. I’ll show you a magic trick to reveal how this dirt got into the plate.”
At the mention of a magic trick, those checking their plates stopped and all turned to watch Shen Shaoguang.
“Bring two white porcelain bowls, one filled with clean water, along with a pair of chopsticks, some bath beans, and a clean white cloth,” Shen Shaoguang instructed A’yuan.
A’yuan complied quickly, soon returning with the items.
Everyone watched Shen Shaoguang intently.
What could Shen Shaoguang do? Just wash the hair.
Imitating a magician’s style, having everyone inspect all the items first, Shen Shaoguang cleaned the hair with bath beans, rinsed it thoroughly, then gently dried it with the cloth before placing it in the empty bowl.
“Can anyone see what’s special about it now?” Shen Shaoguang asked with a smile.
Some couldn’t see anything noteworthy—it was just a hair, wasn’t it? But others with keener eyes exclaimed, “It’s curly and yellowish! It’s one of these Hu people’s hair!”
The hair’s true nature wasn’t apparent in the sauce, but once cleaned, its original form was revealed.
The crowd looked between the two Hu men, then at Shen Shaoguang and A’yuan’s hair, then back at the hair in the bowl. Even the slowest among them now understood—this was an extortion attempt!
“How does yellow hair prove it’s ours?” the brown-robed Hu man said anxiously.
A customer drawled, “True, it could be from a cat or dog or some other animal.”
Everyone froze for a moment before bursting into laughter at the two Hu men.
The two were already drunk, and being provoked by the crowd while facing what they perceived as a weak woman, they decided to act completely shameless. “Your food is unclean, and you’re falsely accusing us!” they said, attempting to flip the table.
Fortunately, the table was long and fixed to the wall, so they couldn’t overturn it.
Some righteous customers were about to step forward to subdue them, but A’yuan moved faster, grabbing the blue-robed man’s hair with one hand and the brown-robed man’s collar with the other. Caught off guard, the two men stumbled as the stout girl yanked them.
The two tried to struggle, but being firmly held by A’yuan at their weak points and quite drunk, they couldn’t break free.
The crowd unanimously stepped back, making room for A’yuan, and those who had wanted to help sheepishly withdrew their hands.
Shen Shaoguang was all talk and had been quite nervous when things got physical, but now relaxed: “Drag them outside!”
As they were causing a commotion at the door, the ward constables happened to arrive.
Shen Shaoguang hurried forward to explain, and with other customers helping to clarify the situation, several constables dragged away the two still-cursing troublemakers.
While people hadn’t dispersed yet, Shen Shaoguang quickly moved to prevent similar future false accusations—clearing her name thoroughly and explaining everything clearly, so that no one would believe such future accusations.
First, explaining the situation: “You see, if it weren’t for them being Hu people with yellow curly facial hair, or if these scoundrels had thrown a fly or moth into the sauce, how could I have cleared my name from such an accusation today?”
Everyone nodded—indeed, that was true.
Then appealing to their observation: “In my small shop, even in the hottest weather, my servant and I wear full protective aprons and coverings. You can all go check the kitchen—aren’t we clean?”
Regular customers nodded again—this was indisputable.
Then playing for sympathy: “I’m just a lone woman who ended up here, fortunate to have the neighborhood’s support, selling some pastries and vegetables. I never expected to encounter something like this…”
The crowd’s sympathy was aroused, feeling that this Miss Shen truly had it tough.
…
A servant in gray clothes approached a carriage parked under trees by the street, quietly reporting, “Young Master, I’ve already put in a word, asking them to investigate thoroughly.”
Lin Yan glanced at Shen Shaoguang, who maintained a pitiful expression while addressing the crowd at the small shop’s entrance.
“Thank you, gentlemen, for your keen judgment in helping me clear this matter…” Shen Shaoguang gave a slight courtesy bow to the crowd.
Although the crowd had merely been spectators “witnessing a miracle,” they now felt as if they had participated in catching the troublemakers and helping this pitiful young lady, and all returned the bow.
“Young Master, shall we still buy the lion’s head meatballs and orchid beans?”
Lowering the carriage’s window curtain, Lin Yan ordered, “No need. Let’s go.”