The two young ladies were mistress and servant by their dress, and not only was the young lady as beautiful as a painting, but even her maid was fair and pretty. However, both looked quite bedraggled – the young lady wore a kingfisher-feather cloak trimmed with fur that must have been stunning when new, but now its hem was filthy. The maid had no outer garment for protection against snow, her cotton damask skirt was wet to the calves, and her exposed shoes looked like they’d been fished from muddy water.
“It’s cold, young lady, please come warm yourself by the stove.” Seeing their condition, they weren’t out enjoying the snow… Shen Shaoguang, who disliked prying into others’ troubles, simply invited them to warm up.
The young lady gave Shen Shaoguang a grateful smile and thanked her. The maid was lively, also expressing thanks before busily attending to her mistress. Both spoke with melodious voices, quite pleasant to hear, unlike the formal tones of Chang’an.
“Miss, please remove this cloak. It’s warm inside, and it’ll be more comfortable,” the maid said while helping to undo the cloak’s ties.
Glancing at Lin Yan sitting there eating candied hawthorn, the young lady’s face slightly reddened as she gently pushed away her maid’s hands, only extending her hands toward the stove.
The maid was startled, belatedly noticing Lin Yan, and then understood – her young mistress was embarrassed to reveal her muddy skirt and shoes with a young gentleman present.
The maid could only take out a handkerchief to wipe her mistress’s hands and borrowed a cloth from A-Yuan to clean the mud and water from the cloak.
A-Yuan asked with a smile, “This cloak is so luxurious and beautiful, what kind of bird feathers is it made from?” Then added, “You’re still wet yourself, come warm up first.”
The young lady also urged her maid to warm herself by the fire.
Shen Shaoguang brought two cups of red date and wolfberry drink, “Young lady, have some drink to warm up.”
The young lady thanked her again, holding the cup and taking small sips by the stove. The maid gratefully curtsied to Shen Shaoguang before accepting her cup.
A-Yuan, spoiled by Shen Shaoguang into speaking whatever came to mind, asked, “How did young miss end up out in such weather? From your accents, you don’t sound like you’re from Chang’an?”
The young lady’s pretty face reddened as she glanced at Shen Shaoguang, then cast a look at Lin Yan, “We’re not locals, we’re here visiting relatives, and our carriage broke down on the way…”
“Which relatives are you visiting? Do they live in this ward?”
“A-Yuan, aren’t the meatballs ready by now?” Shen Shaoguang hurriedly stopped her questioning.
“Oh my! Miss, I almost forgot.” A-Yuan, eager for gossip, quickly set aside her curiosity and ran back to the kitchen.
After she left, Shen Shaoguang softly apologized, “The servant girl doesn’t know proper manners, please don’t mind her.”
The young lady smiled slightly: “It’s no matter…” She unconsciously glanced again at that elegant figure nearby, and pursed her lips, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.
Lin Yan, having finished his candied hawthorn, was studying the menu. In weather like this, a hotpot would indeed be nice. His grandmother always loved Shen’s food but hadn’t tried their hotpot yet – perhaps he should order some to take home…
The young lady finally spoke up: “Might you know if there’s a gentleman surnamed Huan living in this ward? He’s… my cousin.”
Shen Shaoguang searched through the surnames of customers she knew but hadn’t heard of anyone named Huan. “Cousin”… in this era had ambiguous implications comparable to “classmate” in later generations, especially since this young lady had come from afar with only a maid, one couldn’t help but wonder…
Shen Shaoguang suddenly thought of an issue – if she was eloping, did the young lady have proper papers? Would she be considered a fugitive? The deputy mayor of Chang’an was sitting right there, and according to Tang law, such unregistered persons had to be sent back… For a young lady, being officially repatriated would be more than just embarrassing.
“Proprietress-“
Shen Shaoguang responded, walking to Lin Yan’s side, smiling, “What would my lord like to order?”
“One clear broth pot and one milk broth pot, with portions of lamb, fish, and all varieties of meatballs, plus vegetables and tofu, packed in carriers – I’ll take them home.”
Oh my, has this single-dish animal finally started appreciating the charm of variety? Shen Shaoguang smiled smugly inside while answering cheerfully, “Certainly! I’ll have someone go with my lord to help pour the broths and light the stoves.”
Seeming to know he was being secretly mocked by Shen Shaoguang, Lin Yan quietly looked at her before saying: “Good.”
Shen Shaoguang squinted, showing a genuinely fake smile.
The kitchen had most hotpot ingredients ready, and A-Yuan and A-Chang efficiently packed two large carriers and brought out two pots of milk broth and clear broth.
Lin Yan nodded to Shen Shaoguang and walked out, with A-Yuan and A-Chang following behind, taking advantage of his carriage.
Just before leaving the tavern, Lin Yan turned back to look at Shen Shaoguang, “Might I take two of these candied hawthorns?”
“…Please help yourself, my lord.”
Lin Yan nodded and indeed took two.
After Magistrate Lin left, the atmosphere in the tavern relaxed.
The young lady’s maid asked with a smile, “That gentleman had such an imposing manner, could he be royal kin?”
Shen Shaoguang laughed – clearly, the saying that “throw a tile in the capital and you’ll hit three yellow-belted nobles” was well known everywhere, past and present, but this time the guess was wrong: “How would royal kin come to my small tavern in such weather?”
The young lady scolded her maid with a smile, “Don’t talk nonsense in public.”
Shen Shaoguang apologized to the young lady again, saying she didn’t know of anyone surnamed Huan.
The young lady’s expression dimmed, and her maid looked worriedly at her mistress.
Shen Shaoguang was a practical person, and seeing these two vulnerable women, she couldn’t help but ask: “Have you two found lodging? If he’s definitely in this ward, it’s not that big a place – you’re bound to find him.”
Hearing the latter part first comforted the young lady, then considering the first question, “We haven’t found lodging yet. We had just entered the ward gates when we saw the tavern’s sign and you standing at the door, so we boldly came in.”
Shen Shaoguang frowned, “There are no inns in this ward. There are some near the West Market, but most inns are in Chongren Ward in the east of the city.”
The maid said, “But we’re here to find someone – staying far away might be inconvenient.”
Shen Shaoguang pondered for a moment, then suggested: “There’s a nunnery in this ward called Guangming Temple – you could ask there.”
The young lady’s face lit up with a smile, truly “like flowers in early spring,” “Thank you so much, proprietress.”
Having found Chongxian Ward and potential lodging, the young lady relaxed and, smelling the aromas from the kitchen, realized she was hungry.
The mistress and servant ordered jade-tip noodles with vegetable and tofu soup. The maid didn’t eat, attending to her mistress first.
The young lady pushed her, “Eat with me. After we eat, we’ll go find Guangming Temple to stay.”
So the maid sat at the lower seat and ate as well.
Near noon, customers gradually arrived, and seeing two beautiful women inside, they couldn’t help but stare curiously – quite different from the earlier visitor who kept his eyes straight ahead.
The young lady and her maid grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny. After finishing their jade-tip noodles and taking a few more sips of soup, they paid their bill, got directions, thanked Shen Shaoguang again, and went out into the wind and snow.
With A-Chang and A-Yuan away, customers grabbed Yu San, who was temporarily serving as a waiter, “Who’s family is that beautiful young lady from?”
Yu San looked incredulous, “How many times have you been here? Don’t you recognize our proprietress?”
The customer rolled his eyes – so in your eyes, only your proprietress counts as a beautiful young lady?
Yu San realized – oh, those two from earlier. The problem was Yu San had been busy in the kitchen, and while aware of two female guests, hadn’t seen what they looked like.
“I don’t know,” Yu San shook his head expressionlessly and walked back to the kitchen.
Shen Shaoguang brought a pot to add broth to this customer’s pot, efficiently lit the charcoal, and then smiled, “Please enjoy, sir.”
The customer looked at Shen’s female proprietor – beautiful she certainly was, but different from that young lady’s delicate beauty. This Young Lady Shen in her tight-sleeved Hu-style clothing, with her bright eyes and confident air, was quite spirited – perhaps too spirited.
Then again, how many of those small stalls lasting decades ever became taverns? If this person were a man, she might even become a wealthy merchant.
Such a young lady – what’s the point in asking about her when I’m already married?
A-Yuan and A-Chang returned, stomping snow from their feet before entering the kitchen.
Shen Shaoguang told them to change their shoes first. A-Yuan laughed, “Who’d be like those two young ladies, looking like they’d been in the water? Their shoes only cared about looks – in this snow, you need leather boots.”
Shen Shaoguang looked at A-Yuan and A-Chang’s black pigskin boots, then at her own “just for looks” velvet shoes – well, you have a point.
A-Yuan reported to Shen Shaoguang: “My goodness, that Lin mansion is huge! And beautiful! There’s this corridor where the lattices are carved with all kinds of flowers – peach blossoms, peonies, plum blossoms, orchids, and many I didn’t recognize, all different.”
Shen Shaoguang squinted, thinking – yes, there was such a corridor carved with the Hundred Flowers pattern, though it wasn’t just flowers but also pines, willows, and other trees, actually totaling more than a hundred varieties.
In “her” childhood, she counted flowers, grasses, and trees multiple times while learning to count, but got different numbers each time. Father just smiled, asking her to count again, Mother watched like it was entertainment, while Big Brother acted properly brotherly, wanting to guide her counting by hand. But “she” was stubborn, insisting on counting by herself…
“The Old Madam was so kind, saying we’d come out in such heavy snow and had people give us extra reward money.”
Shen Shaoguang woke from her memories, smiling, “Perfect for buying treats when we go out for the Winter Solstice Festival in a few days.”
A-Yuan laughed, “Outside food is just for the experience – it can’t compare to our own.”
A-Chang quickly chimed in, “That’s true! So true!”
The earlier melancholy dissipated like smoke, and Shen Shaoguang joined in smugly, “I’ve spoiled your tastes – what are we to do about that?”
Yu San hurriedly carried out dishes – the kitchen was simply unbearable.
The remaining three all laughed.
A-Yuan continued gossiping: “That Lord Lin may seem cold and aloof outside, but he’s very good to the Old Madam. When he smiled-” A-Yuan tilted her head, trying to find the right description, but her vocabulary wasn’t quite large enough and she knew too few rhetorical devices. After pondering for a while, she still couldn’t express it.
Shen Shaoguang imagined Lin Yan’s features softening as he smiled at someone, and mentally completed A-Yuan’s thought – that smile was like a gentle breeze brushing past, like fresh green on spring mountains.