On the second day of the New Year, Shen Shaoguang spent half a day visiting Master Yuanjue at Guangming Temple.

Master Yuanjue’s “Book of Breads” was in its initial draft, containing descriptions of various soups with bread, pan-fried bread, steamed bread, and baked bread. It included the ox heart and bear white bread favored by noble families in the capital, the peach blossom and apricot petal bread from small taverns in Jiangnan, and the massive ten-jin sesame flatbread made by the bearded men near Yangguan Pass.

The elderly nun didn’t just write about different breads; she wrote about people and customs, narrating golden ages that could never return. As Shen Shaoguang read it, she saw the prosperity of the great Tang dynasty unfold before her eyes.

This time, Shen Shaoguang didn’t offer excessive flattery, only sighing softly, “How wonderful, how wonderful.”

Master Yuanjue looked at her and smiled slowly.

On the third day, Shen Shaoguang followed tradition by visiting neighbors, exchanging New Year’s greetings, giving small gifts, and accepting candies in return.

The Qiu family from the tofu shop insisted that Shen Shaoguang stay for a New Year’s feast. Madam Qiu had prepared a young hen stewed with mountain mushrooms, using minimal seasonings without Shen Shaoguang’s usual elaborate techniques. A small pot brimmed with meat in a rich, thick broth. She also prepared pan-fried tofu and steamed lamb.

The elderly Madam Qiu kept urging, “Young Miss, try this chicken,” “Young Miss, see if the lamb is tender enough,” “Young Miss, taste these meatballs our eldest daughter-in-law made.”

Shen Records was the Qiu family’s tofu shop’s biggest customer, and Shen Shaoguang had taught them how to season and develop various products like tofu skin, dried tofu, and bean curd sheets. The Qiu family had earned considerably more because of this, and they were using the New Year as an opportunity to show their gratitude.

Though Madam Qiu looked simple, she was quite clever with her words: “Mother is joking about my cooking again; how dare I consider it good in front of Young Miss Shen?” Then to Shen Shaoguang: “Though it’s humble fare, please don’t look down on it, Young Miss. Do eat your fill.”

To show genuine appreciation for Madam Qiu’s cooking, Shen Shaoguang ate heartily and praised the food extensively, making Madam Qiu beam so much that her eyes became slits.

After such a feast at noon, she only had a bowl of millet porridge for dinner, accompanied by Third Princess Yu’s pickled vegetables.

Third Princess Yu had a particularly noble approach to making pickled vegetables. She prepared six or seven small dishes, including pickled Chinese cabbage, radish, cucumber, and purple ginger, some shredded, some chunked, some minced, some dressed with sesame oil, others with vinegar, and some with sesame paste and minced garlic.

Shen Shaoguang took two bites of each, finishing her bowl of porridge comfortably, her stomach at ease.

After a few more lazy days, they finally reached the sixth day when the business would reopen. The current dynasty didn’t have the custom of welcoming the God of Wealth on the fifth day, so most shops opened after the fifth, with many waiting until after the Lantern Festival.

Shen Shaoguang, A Yuan, Third Yu, and others cleaned the entire establishment inside and out, lit firecrackers at the entrance, and thus began the tavern’s new year.

Seeing Shen Records open, regular customers soon appeared.

Shen Shaoguang exchanged New Year greetings with them, and they responded, “We’ve truly missed Shen Records’ dishes these past few days. Yesterday at a New Year’s feast, they even served hotpot, but it was far inferior to yours.”

“After all these days of rich food, I’ve been craving Third Yu’s sweet and sour cabbage.”

Some even moved their planned home celebrations to the tavern, ordering classic dishes like “Agate Meat,” “Lion’s Head Meatballs,” “Crispy Fried Chicken,” “Lotus Meat,” and “Eight Treasures Tofu,” accompanied by a jar of fresh green wine, finished with two baskets of fine wheat noodles, leaving both hosts and guests thoroughly satisfied.

The first day of reopening was busy until evening when Shen Shaoguang finally had time to cut paper designs.

By later generations, the seventh day’s Human Day gradually declined and was no longer a nationwide holiday, but at this time it was still quite important.

“Human Day” allegedly originated from the legend of Nüwa creating humans. It was said that Goddess Nüwa created chickens on the first day, dogs on the second, and subsequently created pigs, sheep, cattle, and horses. On the seventh day, having accumulated sufficient experience, she created wise humans, hence the seventh day became “Human Day.”

On Human Day, the most popular custom was making colorful ornaments from gold foil, silk, and colored paper, either cut, folded, or assembled, to be displayed on screens and windows or worn as hair ornaments.

The palace was particularly particular about these delicate, artistic items. Each year, palace maids would create new designs to showcase their skills and please the nobles, as well as to pass the time.

Shen Shaoguang had focused her skills on cooking, with some attention to reading and writing. She wasn’t particularly skilled in traditional women’s needlework and embroidery, but she was quite good at paper cutting. Thus, Shen Shaoguang firmly believed she had skilled hands and that her poor needlework was merely due to a lack of practice.

When she was in the palace, Shen Shaoguang’s paper-cut designs of abundant harvests and fruits and vegetables served as the imperial kitchen’s showcase. Everyone who came to collect meals would express their admiration.

While other palace maids’ paper designs were typically small and dainty, Shen Shaoguang’s were larger and more intricate. Her produce designs featured no fewer than twenty types of fruits and vegetables, with grapes next to pears, and watermelons partially covering cherries, all arranged harmoniously.

Her ability to cut such complex patterns was primarily thanks to her good art education. Once the composition was planned, it was simply a matter of patience and meticulous work, and the cutting and carving techniques weren’t particularly difficult to learn.

Shen Shaoguang first cut a few simple flowers for practice, and seeing A Yuan nearby, playfully cut out a chubby figure with double buns and hands on hips for her.

A Yuan treasured it, carefully holding it while repeatedly saying, “It’s so beautiful, so beautiful!”

Both Third Yu and A Chang were surprised by Shen Shaoguang’s skill. Third Yu picked up the lotus flower he had just cut and looked at her, saying, “So you have this talent too.”

A Chang also smiled, “I never imagined Young Miss would be so skilled with her hands.”

A Yuan looked up from her paper figure with complete conviction, “This is nothing, Young Miss can do anything!”

A Yuan’s blind devotion made Shen Shaoguang feel pressured. Just as she was about to explain, Third Yu quietly commented, “Yes, she can do anything. Even the banners fluttering outside are crying.”

Shen Shaoguang: “…”

A Chang suppressed a laugh.

A Yuan was indignant: “What’s wrong with the banners? What’s wrong with them? As long as they can flutter, isn’t that enough?”

Seeing her fans’ dedication, Shen Shaoguang gave up explaining and contentedly began cutting her fruits and vegetables design.

Since this wasn’t her first time making this design, and she had already drawn the labor-intensive pattern during the lazy New Year’s days, all that remained was to patiently work with scissors and a carving knife.

Even so, it took until late at night to complete. Shen Shaoguang told A Yuan not to stay up, but A Yuan firmly upheld her principles as a devoted fan, sitting on the bed wrapped in a quilt watching Shen Shaoguang cut until she finally dozed off against her pillow.

Early the next morning, A Yuan, without even eating breakfast, busied herself with hanging these large paper designs.

A Yuan asked Shen Shaoguang where to hang them, and Shen Shaoguang smiled, saying, “On the outer wall, where the old man posted his lost dog notice and where Young Miss Chu posted her missing person notice.”

“All right!”

A Yuan hung the smaller flowers and other designs on the shop’s windows and small screens, except for the chubby figure which she kept hidden.

The bright red paper designs caught everyone’s eye, making passersby turn to look, reminding them that Shen Records was open, which in turn reminded them of all the delicious dishes. Cravings are peculiar – you don’t notice them until they’re triggered, but once triggered, they won’t be satisfied until indulged. After not visiting Shen Records for several days during the New Year, people missed it.

If yesterday’s visitors were Shen Records’ die-hard fans, today saw the return of the main fan base. Shen Records was packed again.

Yunlai Tavern hadn’t reopened yet – during the New Year, most people chose to entertain at home with fewer dining out, so they typically opened after the tenth day. Manager Feng wandered around the ward, saw the bright red persimmons, loquats, and watermelons on the wall and the steady stream of customers, shook his head helplessly, and left.