Shen Shaoguang directed Yu San to climb the ladder and replace the original food shop sign, hanging up the newly made tavern signboard. A Yuan was also directing from the side, “Too high, too high, too low, too low…” prompting Yu San to turn around and glare at her.

Yu San had initially paid little attention to his hostility towards A Yuan, but later, perhaps feeling too disadvantaged or finding the shop days genuinely boring, he began to fight back. The two became like needle and thread, resembling a pair of arch-enemies.

There were benefits though – under Yu San’s provocation, A Yuan’s wit improved by leaps and bounds, almost leaving no trace of her former simple-minded servant self. Shen Shaoguang was quite pleased with this development.

While making pancakes, Shen Shaoguang apologized to customers in advance, “On the fifteenth, two days from now, this small shop will officially become a tavern, specializing in wine and meat dishes, along with various pastries and baked goods. However, we will no longer serve breakfast in the mornings. I hope all valued customers will continue to patronize us as frequently as you do now.”

Immediately, some regular customers expressed their disappointment, “Ah? Where will we get such delicious pancakes in the future?”

Others chimed in from all sides: “Oh my, wouldn’t it be better if Young Miss continued selling breakfast?”

“My young master must eat these pancakes before going to school every day. If you suddenly tell him there aren’t anymore, what if he refuses to go to school?”

A scholar in white robes shook his head, “I was about to travel far, thinking I could still eat Young Miss’s pancakes when I returned to Chang’an, but now…”

Hearing these regrets and praises, Shen Shaoguang felt satisfied. Perhaps this is how people’s hearts work – if there’s no reluctance when leaving, it feels somewhat tasteless, even though such reluctance won’t change the traveler’s mind.

However, there was one customer whose regret Shen Shaoguang felt somewhat undeserving of.

Since that day when Liu Feng’s marriage proposal was unsuccessful, he rarely came to the shop, but his servants still frequently bought multiple sets of pancakes.

Naturally, Shen Shaoguang had informed his servant about the change. That evening, Liu Feng personally came to congratulate Shen Shaoguang, saying with a regretful smile, “It will be hard to eat Young Miss’s pancakes in the future. How will those gluttons at the office manage?”

Shen Shaoguang could only respond with a smile, unsure what to say. This Young Master Liu was truly a gentleman.

Regarding the cessation of the morning breakfast service, Shen Shaoguang had given it serious thought.

Currently, the morning pancake sales contributed little to the income but required considerable effort – preparing the night before, rising early the next day, busy until the sun was high, and then buying ingredients for lunch preparation. Being busy with three meals a day was truly tiring; it was time to make some choices.

Moreover, taverns typically didn’t serve breakfast. Since they were changing to a tavern, they might as well follow the conventions – to avoid giving others reasons to find fault. Shen Shaoguang sneered.

For the past two or three months, Shen Shaoguang had been concerned about the Yunlai Tavern matter. Strangely, there had been no movement from that side.

Could they be plotting something? Or were those two ward runners deceiving people? Or perhaps – was there some “auspicious cloud” covering herself, helping to arrange things? Shen Shaoguang felt like she had jumped from a farming novel into a suspense novel.

Yunlai was also frustrated, especially seeing Shen Shaoguang boldly changing to a tavern sign. Manager Feng laughed helplessly – young ladies, beautiful young ladies with powerful backers, were indeed formidable.

Unaware that Manager Feng had cast her in a romantic novel role, Shen Shaoguang decided to steadfastly follow her path of common market cultivation.

Based on the scale, location, background, and abilities, Shen Shaoguang positioned Shen’s Tavern as a mid-range specialty establishment.

Chongxian Ward was an upper-middle-class neighborhood. While not home to high officials or wealthy merchants, even ordinary residents had some disposable income. Here, a run-down small restaurant would not only yield low profits but would likely be looked down upon. Large restaurants, while prestigious, might be too ambitious – after all, this wasn’t the East or West Market, and a single ward probably couldn’t support one. Of course, Shen Shaoguang couldn’t afford to open such an establishment either. Therefore, a clean, atmospheric mid-range tavern seemed appropriate.

Shen’s was a bit small compared to normal mid-range establishments like Yunlai Tavern, but considering it was within the ward with limited customer flow, it was barely acceptable.

Speaking of restaurant class, one must mention the dishes, which relate to another positioning – specialty.

Shen’s Tavern’s specialty was making elaborate dishes from simple ingredients, or as Yu San put it, “making the common precious,” using refined cooking methods to add value and premium pricing to ordinary ingredients.

Current mid-range taverns mostly served fish, mutton, and beef dishes. High-end restaurants, besides having luxurious settings and more refined cooking, also used more premium ingredients, offering deer tail, bear paw, and camel hump delicacies in addition to fish, mutton, and beef dishes.

However, Shen Shaoguang wanted to play a differentiation marketing strategy, firmly sticking to pork dishes while adding chicken, duck, and other poultry – in this era, chicken wasn’t considered meat and was also cheap.

Speaking of chicken not being considered meat, there was an amusing story. During the Zhenguan period, the famous minister Ma Zhou loved eating chicken and would eat it whenever he visited local areas. Someone reported this to the emperor, and Emperor Taizong said, “I forbade officials from eating meat, fearing the burden on local counties, but what does eating chicken matter?” Look, look, Emperor Li Er, himself said chicken doesn’t count as meat!

The chicken wasn’t considered meat, supposedly because chickens were small and didn’t require professional butchers for slaughter. However, Shen Shaoguang thought it might be because chickens required little grain to feed and were easy to raise. Many people kept them in both villages and cities, so chicken meat was cheap, and because it was cheap, it wasn’t considered “meat.”

Both chicken and pork were delicious and could be made into exquisite dishes, elevating their status. Carrying the banner of revitalizing chicken and pork, Shen Shaoguang felt a great responsibility.

To match the refined cooking methods and mid-range dish prices, Shen Shaoguang even specially acquired a set of cups, plates, and porcelain ware, including cups and pots, plates in three sizes (large, medium, and small), soup bowls, rice bowls, soup spoons, and more. They were uniformly clean white in body, with fine and lustrous glazing, without patterns or carvings, possessing a simple and elegant beauty.

The porcelain merchant said they were Xing kiln wares. Shen Shaoguang wasn’t knowledgeable about famous kilns and didn’t know if this was true, but in terms of quality, they were very good. Crucially, they weren’t very expensive.

The merchant explained that although the Xing kiln was an established famous kiln, it had somewhat declined, and many people now preferred the Ding kiln.

“How could Ding kiln have such even and thin bodies?” the merchant complained, looking like a loyal minister suffering injustice.

Shen Shaoguang smiled and paid, earning the reputation of a connoisseur from the porcelain shop owner.

Shen Shaoguang also taught Yu San about plating techniques, color combinations, and the charm of white space… At first glance, you might think she was teaching Yu San Chinese painting.

“Following Young Miss’s plating method, one dish could be divided into three!” Yu San looked at Shen Shaoguang suspiciously.

Shen Shaoguang wasn’t upset at being suspected of being a profiteer, “Using less food isn’t the goal, beauty is the goal. Of course, we can’t sacrifice substance for form – after all, people come to eat, not to eat plates.”

Yu San nodded, feeling that the Young Miss still had hope.

Shen Shaoguang also urged Yu San to practice carving radish flowers and cucumber designs.

Those who study Chinese painting can usually manage to carve their seals. Shen Shaoguang had carved a “Shen” character seal for herself, the one stamped on pancake bags, but she wasn’t very good at carving vegetable flowers. Surprisingly, Yu San showed promise right from the start – this must be a natural talent.

Seeing them having fun, A Yuan also joined in, but after carving halfway, she looked at what was in Yu San’s hands, then at what was in Shen Shaoguang’s hands, angrily stuffed her creation into her mouth with a “crunch! crunch!” and gave up any thoughts of learning flower carving.

With the accumulation of experience from the food shop period, Shen’s Tavern was much easier to run than a truly new establishment – both in terms of customer flow and its operating methods.

Lunch business was still somewhat lacking, as many officials and merchants weren’t around, but evenings were almost always full, including many wealthy patrons.

While Shen Shaoguang was doing the accounts, an elderly man with three strands of beautiful beard wearing brocade-faced fur clothing entered.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people in the shop. Shen Shaoguang invited the elderly man to sit wherever he liked and brought over a drink on a small tray, smiling, “Elder, please warm yourself with some hot jujube and wolfberry drink.”

It was already late autumn and early winter, with the first snow expected any time. To ward off the cold, Shen Shaoguang had made this jujube and wolfberry drink with ginger, which would warm the whole body when consumed.

Since Yu San’s arrival and the cessation of the breakfast business, Shen Shaoguang had more leisure time for things like brewing special drinks. Later, when regular customers came, she would share a couple of cups, and eventually, it became the shop’s complimentary beverage.

Hearing Shen Shaoguang address him as “Elder,” the old man smiled somewhat emotionally, expressed thanks, and while holding the drink, observed the shop’s decoration, his gaze falling on the painting of the village shop.

Shen Shaoguang handed over the menu. The elderly man looked at the characters on the menu, then glanced at the painting again, “Young Miss, who did you ask to write this menu?”

“A humble shop like ours can’t be too particular, I wrote it myself carelessly.”

The elderly man looked at Shen Shaoguang with some surprise, “Is that village shop painting on the wall also done by Young Miss?”

“Yes, just casual sketching, please excuse my poor work.”

“May I ask who Young Miss studied under?” After asking, he laughed at himself – how could a small shop owner have studied under anyone? But perhaps she was from a fallen noble family. Thinking of the shop name “Shen’s,” he carefully observed Shen Shaoguang, as if trying to see another person’s shadow in her face.

Shen Shaoguang made up a story: “It was a rice-pounding Madam Li.” This wasn’t entirely made up – that forty-something-year-old palace maid teacher had indeed done rice-pounding work before, and even after she transferred to teaching, the calluses on her hands remained.

The elderly man couldn’t see any trace of an old acquaintance in this beautiful young woman’s face, so he nodded. There were many talented people among common folk and many who had experienced hardships. Today, revisiting old places with old memories lingering in his heart, he found himself questioning everything he saw.

The elderly man casually ordered the signature dishes “Lion’s Head,” “Agate Meat,” “Chicken Breast with Diced Eggplant,” “Fried Chicken,” “Fish and Mutton Delicacy,” “Lotus Meat,” along with “Vinegar Fish,” “Braised Cabbage,” “Vinegar Celery Stems,” “Eight Treasure Tofu,” and a horn of wine.

The dishes started coming out one after another, with A Yuan carrying them over and placing them on the dining table.

A Yuan, having grown up in the common markets and being naturally unrefined, despite Shen Shaoguang’s teaching, still couldn’t help but be somewhat rough in her movements. The elderly man slightly furrowed his brow but said nothing.

Shen Shaoguang took the hot water kettle from A Yuan’s hands, smiling, “Shall I warm a small pot for Elder first?”

The elderly man nodded.

Shen Shaoguang sat properly beside him, slowly poured hot water into the wine-warming vessel, considering the timing, touched the kettle wall with her finger, and when the temperature was suitable, picked up the wine pot, shook it slightly to ensure even heating of the wine inside, wiped the bottom of the pot with a snow-white cloth, and only then poured a bowl for the elderly man.

The elderly man smiled and nodded, but his praise was for something else, “Young Miss makes excellent Agate Meat.”

To praise something before eating it either means flattery or having eaten it before – this elderly man must be the latter.

Shen Shaoguang smiled and thanked him, invited the guest to enjoy his meal at leisure, and then took the kettle back to the kitchen.

Usually, the shop would just bring up the wine-warming vessel, pour in water, and leave the customers to warm their wine, but just now A Yuan’s movements were rough and seemed to have displeased the guest, so Shen Shaoguang went to make amends.

This elder must be either wealthy or noble, with strict household rules where servants maintain absolute silence and caution, never having seen someone like A Yuan…

Shen Shaoguang was protective of her own – she felt that while A Yuan’s movements might be a bit large, they couldn’t be considered crude, at most they were… naturally vivacious. Others didn’t see it this way. Ah, the service industry…

Shen Shaoguang was also puzzled – given this elder’s wealthy or noble status, why didn’t he bring any servants or attendants, coming alone to drink at a tavern?

While pondering this, the elder’s servants arrived, bringing along a familiar face – Assistant Magistrate Lin.

“Anran, come!” the elderly man smiled and called to Assistant Magistrate Lin.

Addressing him by his courtesy name, yet remaining seated when Assistant Magistrate Lin appeared – likely not just senior in age but also rank. Shen Shaoguang guessed this must be a high official of the court, third rank or above.

Sure enough, Assistant Magistrate Lin stepped forward to pay his respects, addressing him as “Minister Li.”

Wow! A current Grand Councilor.

As the two high officials exchanged greetings, the Grand Councilor’s servant came over to request the booking of the entire establishment.

Shen Shaoguang smiled and agreed – she loved private bookings, less work with good pay. She promptly wrote “Reserved for Distinguished Guests, We Apologize for Any Inconvenience” on paper, personally pasted it on the wooden board usually used for advertising dishes, and set it up at the entrance.

A cold breeze snuck into the cotton robe’s collar. Shen Shaoguang tightened her collar and sleeves, looking at the sky – it was a bit gloomy, and likely to snow tomorrow. Entering the shop, she casually closed the door, lowered the felt curtain, and then went to the kitchen to give Yu San and A Yuan a few instructions, hoping the guests would enjoy their meal and leave a generous tip beyond the booking fee – wealthy people were usually generous.

Returning to the counter, she realized she’d forgotten to serve Assistant Magistrate Lin the jujube and wolfberry drink, but seeing they had already started drinking wine, she let it be and just stayed quietly behind the counter.

A Yuan carried the vinegar fish on a tray, her movements much gentler this time. Shen Shaoguang silently praised her pupil’s improvement.

Li Yue tasted the vinegar fish with his chopsticks, “Light and refreshing, with the taste of Jiangnan’s misty rain!”

Lin Yan smiled and also took a bite. Indeed, it was fresh and light, quite different from the heavy steamed fish common in the capital, more like fish sashimi. Lin Yan glanced at the shop owner behind the tall counter – his grandmother’s taste was indeed sharp; Shen’s had indeed changed cooks.

“Back then, during leisure time, I would drift on the lake, not returning even in light wind and rain. Wearing a straw rain cape and hat for half a day, I could always catch a few fish, mostly carp and crucian, occasionally a mandarin fish, and once even caught a four-gilled bass – if only there had been honored guests to share it with.” Li Yue’s smile gradually faded.

After a pause, Li Yue smiled again, “When in Jiangnan, I often missed the capital’s rich sauces, the morning sesame scent of Hu flatbread, and the mutton from the Western Market’s Hu taverns. Now back in the capital, I find myself missing Wuzhong’s water shield soup and bass sashimi. People are really strange that way.”

Lin Yan responded calmly: “Jiangnan is humid and warm, while the capital has distinct seasons. Each region’s cuisine is connected to its climate and local products…”

While doing accounts, Shen Shaoguang kept her ears perked to listen to their conversation. Ha! The Minister was being so poetic, while the Assistant Magistrate was being so unromantic!

The old Minister spoke of Jiangnan’s misty rain and thoughts of water shield and bass, while Assistant Magistrate Lin talked about adapting to local conditions and changing food with location – it was like comparing poetry to a natural science lesson… Assistant Magistrate Lin was truly wasting that poetic face of his.

Shen Shaoguang secretly glanced at the Minister’s profile – he was truly a handsome elder, with gentle eyes and an open-minded bearing. Thirty years ago, he must have been quite the ladies’ man. Compared to this well-aged genuine Huadong ham, Assistant Magistrate Lin was just half-cooked first-year goods. The “literary girl” Shen Shaoguang immediately began to look down on this Assistant Magistrate.

But Li Yue didn’t mind, nodding quite emotionally, “You speak well! Thinking too much only adds regret.”

Lin Yan’s cool eyes finally couldn’t help but flash a trace of regret, quickly returning to calmness.

Whether due to the cloudy sky or earlier nightfall, the room gradually darkened. Shen Shaoguang brought over a large candlestick, placing it near the two guests, lit the wall lamps, and warmed their wine again.

Watching the tavern owner’s gentle, graceful movements and elegant, quiet face, Li Yue suddenly remembered her calling him “Elder” and laughed, “No wonder I keep reminiscing! When you called me ‘Elder’ earlier, I was stunned for a moment. Though I haven’t quite reached ‘forgetting to eat in pursuit of goals, forgetting worries in joy,’ I am indeed ‘approaching old age.'”

Li Yue had married late, and his earlier children hadn’t survived. He still had no grandchildren, and his colleagues usually used his official title. Being suddenly called “Elder” made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Shen Shaoguang’s hand paused, then continued wiping the wine pot’s bottom with a white cloth, gently pouring wine for Minister Li, “Young Lord, please enjoy.”

Both Li Yue and Lin Yan were stunned, then the Minister burst into laughter, and even Lin Yan couldn’t help but smile.

“You, young lady—” Li Yue pointed at Shen Shaoguang, laughing, “are quite mischievous.”

Shen Shaoguang, thick-skinned, smiled, “Earlier, I was the one who addressed you incorrectly.”

Li Yue laughed again.

Lin Yan glanced at Shen Shaoguang – while warming the wine she had somewhat resembled a noble lady, but now smiling with curved eyes, she seemed like a playful child. Thinking of her various strange remarks in the past, he once again labeled her as “glib-tongued.”

A Yuan brought up the fried chicken, and Shen Shaoguang helped place it on the table, smiling, “This dish uses tender chickens less than three months old, first boiled, then double-steamed, and finally fried, creating a crispy exterior with tender meat inside. It should be eaten while hot. Please enjoy, young lords.” After speaking, she gave a slight curtsy and retreated behind the counter.

Today, Li Yue came to Chongxian Ward revisiting old places, recalling many past events. Combined with an old friend’s request regarding Lin Yan, he began to feel emotional and sentimental. However, this sentimentality was largely dispelled by Shen Shaoguang’s “Young Lord,” so he stopped talking about unhappy matters and turned to focus on his old friend’s errand.

“How old is Anran?” Matchmaking always starts with asking about age.

“I am twenty-five.”

“It’s time to take a bride. Does the Madam at home have anyone in mind?”

Shen Shaoguang almost clapped her hands – hadn’t she said she was a half-immortal hindered by cooking? The “must find a good wife” prediction was coming true, and with a Minister as matchmaker, it must be a noble lady.

“I do not know,” Lin Yan answered.

Not knowing meant there wasn’t one. Li Yue smiled, “The other day I visited Vice Director Qin’s home for wine and saw that his Fifth Miss has grown even more lovely. Last time I saw her, she was just a three-foot child with two hair buns, but could already recite the complete ‘Analects’ and ‘Book of Songs’ and compose simple poems, though she was quite mischievous. This time, she’s completely grown into a young lady, and her temperament has become more steady…”

Lin Yan just listened.

“Anran, have you met this Fifth Miss Qin?” Li Yue changed his tone, raising an eyebrow with a smile.

“I have met this lady.”

Li Yue just smiled at him like that.

Lin Yan pressed his lips together and said seriously, “My family’s status has declined; I fear we are not worthy of the Qin family’s daughter.”

Shen Shaoguang’s pen paused on the account book – a noble, beautiful, and talented lady like Fifth Miss Qin, and he didn’t want her? So, Assistant Magistrate Lin was indeed still thinking of his former fiancée, maintaining his image as a devoted man? Such a good man…

A moment later, Li Yue asked, “Is Anran still bothered by Minister Cui’s exile and Vice Director Qin’s failure to help back then?”

Lin Yan looked at Li Yue, and after a while said, “I dare not blame anyone, it’s just that — my way of doing things differs from the Qin family’s. Even if we were to marry, it wouldn’t be harmonious.”

Li Yue wasn’t known for having a particularly good temper, but he was patient with this younger generation.

Looking at the felt-curtained door, Li Yue spoke slowly: “Since returning to the capital, this is my first time visiting Chongxian, though I used to come every few days back then. Two old friends of mine lived in this ward, one of whom you should know – Master Xiliu from Guangping Academy.”

Master Xiliu was a great contemporary Confucian scholar who had resigned from office to teach about ten years ago, highly respected by scholars.

“He lived behind your residence, which seems to be a temple now.”

Lin Yan was somewhat surprised. While it wasn’t uncommon for nobles in Chang’an to donate their homes to monks and nuns, he hadn’t expected Master Xiliu to do the same, and to have lived so close.

Lin Yan waited for Li Yue to mention the other friend, but Li Yue didn’t.

“Back then, we often drank together at Chu Nine’s place.” Master Xiliu’s surname was Chu, and he was the ninth child.

“Chu Nine was younger than us, only in his twenties, unmarried,” Li Yue looked at Lin Yan, smiling, “just like you.”

Lin Yan smiled slightly.

“You still have your grandmother at home, but he was the eldest in his household, so we always went to his place, drinking wine, practicing swordplay, composing and singing poetry… until the Prince of Wu incident.”

Shen Shaoguang gripped her pen tightly. The Prince of Wu incident, Chu Nine… The Minister’s other friend must have been her father from her original body, or rather, the father she had never met in this life.

Carefully searching through memories, there were some about this Uncle Chu – a proper young man with a square face and jaw who, despite his proper appearance, would secretly slip candy into children’s hands — perhaps this was why she could remember him. But she couldn’t recall anything about his home that was now Guangming Temple; presumably, her father never brought children when he visited.

Shen Shaoguang looked at Minister Li over there but had no impression of him.

“The Prince of Wu was most refined, and we all associated with him.” Speaking of this rebellious prince from the previous emperor’s time, Li Yue showed little taboo – the case had been somewhat fabricated from the beginning, and there had been no reversal of the verdict to this day, partly because it was decreed by the previous emperor, and partly due to practical factors.

“…Among us, Shen Five shared poetry and songs with him the most, they were kindred spirits. When the Prince of Wu got into trouble, we all tried to help, and Shen Five especially went everywhere seeking assistance, even kneeling before the Daming Palace, pleading for the Prince of Wu, saying that someone with such a free-spirited nature couldn’t possibly harbor rebellious thoughts. Those steps before the vermillion stairs of the palace were where Shen Five wept blood.”

Lin Yan’s lips pressed tightly together – when he had been desperately trying to help Master Cui back then, rushing around helplessly, how similar he had been to this Shen Five. He only regretted that his position had been too low then, unable to seek an imperial audience or plead his case before the vermillion stairs…

“Shen Five’s actions greatly angered the previous emperor, and later…” Li Yue closed his eyes, unable to continue.

After composing himself, Li Yue’s voice became calm, “When Minister Cui got into trouble, I heard you rushed around trying to help him, and that reminded me of him.”

Lin Yan nodded, somewhat understanding why this Minister showed such favor to him – it was because he resembled an old friend. Further calculating the timing, Minister Li’s exile to Jiangnan and Master Chu’s angry resignation from office must have been related to this matter.

The Minister brought the topic back to Vice Director Qin, “Back then, Qin Thirteen also spoke up for the Prince of Wu and was publicly rebuked by the previous emperor, it wasn’t that…”

Li Yue speculated: “When Minister Cui got into trouble, Qin Thirteen didn’t help you, perhaps because he was frightened by what happened to Shen Five.” Li Yue didn’t say out loud that it might also have been fear of the previous emperor’s madness in his final years.

“He is not a heartless person.”

Lin Yan stood up and formally bowed to the Minister, “Thank you, Minister, for telling me these old stories. I am deeply grateful.”

Li Yue raised his hand indicating him to sit down: “Telling you this isn’t entirely for the sake of advocating for Qin Thirteen’s young lady. It’s also because visiting these old places in Chongxian Ward today stirred up memories, and I really needed someone to talk to.”

“I injured my leg in my early years, and now whenever the weather changes, it becomes increasingly uncomfortable, and my heart occasionally aches. Perhaps I will retire from office in a year or two. After thirty years floating in the sea of officialdom, I’ve managed to begin and end well, which brings some comfort to this old man’s heart. Qin Thirteen is also not far from retirement age, as are several other old officials. The court will rely on you young people to support it in the future.”

Lin Yan listened respectfully.

“…You must be more cautious.”

After several years in office, Lin Yan had lost his former passion — crucially, he had also lost the person who inspired that passion. The Minister’s earnest advice, like a true elder to a junior, like Master Cui to himself back then, touched Lin Yan, who respectfully nodded in agreement.

Lin Yan suddenly asked: “May I ask Minister about this Lord Shen’s official name?”

“Shen Qian, son of the Shen family of Luoyang, ranked fifth, serving as Vice Minister of Rites when the incident occurred.”

Lin Yan’s eyes widened slightly, he nodded slowly, then slightly turned his head toward the counter, where the dim lamplight illuminated a half-lowered pretty face, solemn and quiet, her pen wavering, unknown what she was calculating.

Lin Yan turned back, poured a cup of wine for the Minister, then one for himself.

With old stories accompanying them, the two finished that horn of wine. When they left, the Minister’s steps were somewhat unsteady, with Lin Yan and the servants supporting him on either side.

Shen Shaoguang led A Yuan to see them off, “Distinguished guests, walk carefully.”

Lin Yan turned his head, meeting those reddened eyes that insisted on curving into a smile.

Lin Yan nodded to her.

At some point, Minister Li’s guards and servants had arrived outside with carriages and sedan chairs, and Lin Yan’s servants were waiting as well. Lin Yan bid farewell to Minister Li and watched his carriage leave.

Lin Yan turned around, then looked back at the slender figure under the swaying wind lantern before slowly walking home, his servants quietly following.

Entering the gate and seeing the desolate bamboo shadows in the front courtyard, Lin Yan suddenly turned back and instructed his attendant Liu Chang: “Look into which household with fifth-rank or higher officials in this ward had a surname of Shen ten years ago.”

Liu Chang bowed and answered “Yes.”

The steward Zhou beside him smiled and said: “The owner of this residence before Assistant Director Fang seemed to be surnamed Shen.”

Lin Yan stopped, turning back.

“This old servant just heard it mentioned by long-time ward residents and remembered it.” Then in a lower voice, “That family seemed to have met with misfortune.”

Lin Yan nodded and continued walking. He first went to his grandmother’s courtyard. The lights were already out inside. The night servant came out to quietly report the usual matters about the Old Madam’s meals and sleep – nothing unusual. Lin Yan gave a few instructions and left.

“Is Young Master not returning to his chambers?” Liu Chang asked. Lin Yan’s courtyard was next to Madam Jiang’s for convenient care, but now he was clearly not heading that way.

“Just ate, want to walk a bit. You all may disperse,” Lin Yan instructed.

“Let me hold the lantern for Young Master?”

“No need.” Lin Yan took the lantern from Liu Chang’s hand.

The attendants all bowed and withdrew.

Lin Yan slowly walked to the garden pavilion, sitting on the stone seat to sober up.

Tonight was cloudy without moonlight. All the garden’s flowers and trees had withered, leaving only tangled branches and vines shivering in the wind, expressing an indescribable desolation.

The lantern was inserted in the railing, faintly revealing old carved marks on the nearby vermillion pillar, with notes reading “A Ji at three years,” “A Ji at five years,” “A Ji at six years,” “A Ji at eight years,” and higher up two more lines: “A Zhang at eleven years” and “A Zhang at thirteen years” – carved casually with an air of natural grace.

Lin Yan had seen the previous owner Assistant Director Fang’s writing – proper and restrained, not at all like this.

“A Ji…” Lin Yan seemed to see those bright apricot eyes again.

“Back then, Military Advisor Pang must have felt quite wronged following the First Lord, after all, the First Lord was in the business of selling shoes and mats.”

“What if Young Miss were the Weaving Maiden?”

“Beat him! Beat him until he cries for his parents!” Shen Shaoguang had said fiercely.

“Why? Because of the ‘foster mother’s’ educational investment! Just like our pork dishes…”

Who would have thought that behind that crafty impudence, proud air, and easy contentment lay such a tragic family history…

Lin Yan had met other children of convicted officials, most either cautious to the point of timidity or pitifully cynical. Rarely had he seen one blooming so brightly – was it resilient character, or… natural heartlessness?

Actually, being heartless might be better, Lin Yan thought of Cui Ning. If at that time she could have… Lin Yan closed his eyes. Enough, each person has their own fate.

The Capital Prefecture Recording Assistant, an old official of the capital, knew many local stories and loved to talk. When Lin Yan casually mentioned it, he poured out information like beans from a bamboo tube.

“That Vice Minister Shen was about the same age as this humble official, a son of the Shen family of Luoyang, a proper Metropolitan Graduate, talented and refined, elegant in appearance…”

While Lin Yan was investigating the Shen family’s past, Shen Shaoguang was experimenting with hot pot.

After hearing so much about her family’s past and comparing it with her memories of people and events, whether because the matters were truly sad or due to blood ties, Shen Shaoguang felt deeply melancholic and dreamed of the original body’s childhood for several nights in succession.

That tiny child seemed both herself and not herself – the elegant and loving father, the refined and somewhat proud mother, the steady older brother, the green bamboo in the front courtyard, the crabapple trees in the back garden, the parrot under the corridor, the swing frame in the tree… When she woke, her pillow was wet.

To fight against this sadness, Shen Shaoguang accelerated her pace of innovation.

Since she hadn’t died, she had to live vigorously.

What innovation? Hot pot!

The great gourmet Yuan Mei said to “abstain from hot pot,” believing that throwing all ingredients into the pot to boil regardless of what they were was too crude, and posed the soul-searching question “can its taste even be questioned?” Although Shen Shaoguang studied the Random Garden Food Notes as a textbook, she couldn’t agree with this point. Winter without hot pot would truly be tasteless.

Taking sliced beef, lamb, chicken, pork, fish, various balls made of shrimp, fish, and meat, mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, Chinese cabbage, rape vegetable, crown daisy, and various other vegetables, even some beef and lamb offal and bean products, throwing them into the pot according to personal preference, dipping them in oil sauce, sesame paste sauce, or mixed sauces of sesame paste, minced garlic, fermented bean curd, and seafood sauce, then eating with gusto…

Simply impossible to stop!

The beauty of hot pot perhaps lies in its boisterous atmosphere and epicurean spirit, which is why the refined Yuan couldn’t accept it.

Hot pot existed in this dynasty too. The palace would set up small tripods in winter, dipping ingredients in sauce, cooking and eating on the spot.

The difference was that they only cooked one type at a time – beef, lamb, fish slices, or venison, occasionally other game, unlike the later generation’s mixture; the soup was usually made from bone broth, without the various magical broths of the chili pepper era; the dipping sauces were also different from later times, mostly clear sauces with sesame oil, sometimes with vinegar added.

Shen Shaoguang felt it was necessary to let the fun-loving Tang people taste the lively hot pot of later generations.

The first step was to commission several pots.

Shen Shaoguang drew the design of later-era copper hot pots and asked craftsmen to make them. They worked quickly and the craftsmanship was good. Some places showed traces of handwork, and each pot was quite weighty, looking sturdy enough to last until the end of time – and therefore, very expensive! In this era of metal currency, ten pots made Shen Shaoguang’s heart ache.

The second step was promotion – how about a hot pot food festival? Draw a hot pot picture, write “Red Charcoal Copper Stove, Hundred Flavors Small Cauldron,” or perhaps ride the Light Snow solar term with something poetic like “Evening comes as snow threatens, shall we drink a cup?” After consideration, Shen Shaoguang chose the former. It must be said that being literary is actually a technical skill – with her doggerel-level poetry talent, better not embarrass herself.

Of course, the most important part of a food festival was coordinating discounts. People from an economic society knew that various “festivals” meant discounts and spending money.

Yu San was familiar with this cook-and-eat style – showing that his previous employer was truly a gourmet. Even with the pot’s shape, Yu San accepted it well, especially after Shen Shaoguang demonstrated the magical functions of removing and pressing the fire cap, nodding in approval.

Rarely seeing this proud “little princess” so supportive, Shen Shaoguang became even more pleased explaining the relationship between the channel shape, air flow speed, and fire intensity.

However, the “little princess” couldn’t agree with Shen Shaoguang’s “hundred flavors cauldron” approach of throwing everything in, “Wouldn’t that mix all the flavors?”

“That’s exactly the point!”

Yu San was left speechless by Shen Shaoguang.

A Yuan laughed from the side. Though she hadn’t tried it yet, she had already decided she liked this thing called hot pot.

Finding a free moment, Shen Shaoguang first treated A Yuan and Yu San to a preview meal.

Yu San reluctantly complied, forced to give in under Shen Shaoguang’s tyranny.

But later, Yu San’s forced compliance turned into casual acceptance. Judging by the amount he ate, Shen Shaoguang felt he probably ended up enjoying it, though of course, Princess Yu San would never admit it.

A Yuan didn’t care about any of that, just focusing on eating heartily – how could this thing be so satisfying! Young Miss was amazing!

Many shared A Yuan’s opinion, though some were in Yu San’s camp, initially ordering only one type of meat to cook traditionally, with traditional clear sauce. But they couldn’t resist the temptation of the neighboring tables’ abundant displays and enthusiastic eating – why not try?

Once they tried, they couldn’t stop.

Shen Shaoguang had prepared seven or eight kinds of dipping sauces: clear sauce with sesame oil, sesame paste, clear sauce with Sichuan pepper oil, three-combination oil of rice vinegar, clear sauce, and fragrant oil, plus Chinese chive flower, shrimp paste, minced garlic, and pepper powder for self-adding. Condiments were uniformly arranged in small jars on the sauce table for customers to help themselves.

Whether due to customer flow or the warming atmosphere, the small tavern seemed twice as lively as usual.

When Lin Yan entered and saw such clamor, he couldn’t help but slightly furrow his brows. Looking around, he saw Young Miss Shen helping a table of customers add a tube to a strange stove. In her new rouge-colored Hu-style thick jacket, her eyes relaxed with a hint of smile, she looked quite different from that night under the wind lantern at the door.

Seeing him, Shen Shaoguang came over to greet him, “Young Lord Lin, please sit this way.”

Lin Yan nodded, following her to a seat near the edge – somewhat separated from the noisiest table, showing her usual considerateness.

Unfortunately, her next words were not so considerate, “Our shop’s new hot pot can cook any vegetables and meat right at the table, would Young Lord like to try?” Shen Shaoguang pointed at the numerous plates and dishes on the other tables, smiling.

“…Very well.”

Shen Shaoguang smiled and handed over the special hot pot menu, “Young Lord, please choose. Today we have fresh carp that can be sliced, fresh lamb, and newly made soup meatballs, though one must be careful while eating not to soil one’s clothes…”

After listening to Young Miss Shen’s energetic recitation of dishes, Lin Yan said coolly, “Just the carp for the hot pot will do. Plus the original sweet and sour cabbage, pan-fried tofu, and clear soup meatballs.”

“…” Her previous judgment was indeed correct – this Assistant Magistrate Lin was truly without sense of fun!

But on the surface, she smiled and asked: “Would you like some wine? Or what kind of noodles? We have four kinds of jade-tip dumplings: pure pork, shrimp and pork, sour shepherd’s purse with pork, and cabbage with pork.”

The sour shepherd’s purse had been pickled in spring and the jar was just opened these days. Shepherd’s purse was everywhere in the wild during spring, even worthless in the city, but became a rare treat when light snow was about to fall, thus very popular. Shen Shaoguang pondered that when spring came, she must pickle much more.

Hearing her say “sour shepherd’s purse,” Lin Yan suddenly remembered the “A Ji at three years,” “A Ji at five years” on the pavilion pillar.

“Or would you like some chicken soup noodles?”

Lin Yan coughed slightly, somewhat uncomfortable, “The noodles will do.”

Still unaware that her childhood name was known to others, Shen Shaoguang was still amusing herself internally, thinking that Assistant Magistrate Lin must truly love chicken soup noodles.