The cooks at the Lin residence fell into a professional crisis, becoming increasingly anxious, and had no choice but to ask those close to Young Master.
Liu Chang accepted a large plate of various pastries from the cooks and comfortingly smiled, “It’s fine. Young Master is just suffering from the summer heat.”
“But we are truly anxious, not knowing what to make for Young Master.”
Liu Chang, thinking of what he saw when picking up Young Master at Shen’s tavern, spoke hastily, “Make some seasonal dishes, like cold-dressed locust leaf noodles with meat sauce topping, and plenty of cucumber strips, bean sprouts, cowpeas, lettuce stems and such vegetables.”
The cooks nodded in thanks but still felt uncertain. In previous years, Young Master hadn’t shown a particular fondness for cold noodles, preferring light porridge and small dishes instead. But since someone close to Young Master said so, they had to try.
Thus, cold-dressed noodles became a frequent sight at the Lin family’s evening meals.
Madam Jiang was pleased about this, “These vegetables are well added. Cold noodles didn’t have so many ingredients before. This fish slice topping has a hint of Bianzhou’s Huixian Tower style. Our kitchen staff has become more attentive lately.”
Though the Lin household had only two main members, they prepared five or six kinds of toppings – there was pork sauce, lamb sauce, mushroom sauce, perch slices, tender chicken breast with bamboo shoots, and duck meat with pickled cucumber dice. There were also many side dishes, on small plates, too many to fit on one dining table.
Lin Yan served another small portion of cold noodles to his grandmother, changing the topping, and adding vegetables and garlic paste drizzled with sesame oil. He mixed it himself and smiled as he handed it to Madam Jiang, “Since Grandmother enjoys it, just let them make it regularly.”
The Grand Madam reminisced with her grandson, “Huixian Tower’s fish was good because it was next to a lake connected to the Grand Canal. Though it was a lake, it had flowing water. Huixian Tower kept fish traps in the lake, and when someone ordered, they’d catch, kill, and cook the fish right away, that’s why it was so fresh.”
Lin Yan nodded, suddenly remembering young Miss Shen who was similarly full of food stories. If she were here, she would probably have a delightful conversation with Grandmother. He recalled the scene of her bringing walnut cream porridge and chatting with Grandmother – even making porridge led to a discussion of gentlemanly principles of harmony without uniformity. Lin Yan’s lips curved into a smile.
After dinner, leaving Grandmother’s courtyard, Lin Yan looked at Liu Chang who was following him.
Liu Chang knew he was found out and gave an awkward laugh, clasping his hands in apology, “This servant didn’t dare say anything else, only suggested the cooks try making cold noodles… This servant… this servant is willing to accept punishment.”
Lin Yan glanced at him again and said coolly, “Let it go for now, but if you transgress again, go receive punishment yourself.”
Liu Chang let out a breath of relief and hurriedly clasped his hands in acknowledgment.
“I have a task for you,” Lin Yan gave instructions after a light cough.
Two days later, Shen Shaoguang received a large box of roses delivered by Liu Chang.
Shen Shaoguang: “…”
“Young Miss makes excellent honey-preserved flowers, our cooks can’t achieve that flavor. We request Young Miss to preserve these flowers for us.”
Shen Shaoguang breathed a sigh of relief – she had thought Deputy Magistrate Lin had been struck by lightning and wanted to court her, hahaha!
But then he thought, in this dynasty, if courting a young lady with flowers, one should send peonies and peonies, as the saying goes, “When a gentleman meets a lady and wishes to jest, he gifts her peonies.” This was still the classical tradition from the Book of Songs era. Roses didn’t have such romantic connotations in this dynasty.
“So many… all to be sugar and honey preserved?” Shen Shaoguang asked – how long would it take to eat all this?
The wooden box, three chi long, two chi wide, and two chi high, was filled to the brim with roses, all with stems cut off, leaving only the flowers – quite an impressive sight.
Shen Shaoguang suspected they cleared out someone’s entire rose garden just for eating.
Too wasteful! How could Deputy Lin, a disciple of the sages and member of the gentry, do something like what those Republican-era warlords would do?
But with so much, it would be convenient to get some for herself…
“Young Miss can handle it as you see fit,” Liu Chang smiled.
“Then I’ll also distill some flower water.”
Liu Chang bowed with a smile, “Everything is up to Young Miss.”
Shen Shaoguang nodded, accepting this task.
Those who have read Dream of the Red Chamber would be familiar with rose preserve and rose water. Rose preserve is roses preserved in sugar and honey, while rose water is distilled.
Distilling flower water was once very popular among noble ladies in this dynasty, and considered a sign of “kitchen competence.”
The palace kitchen had several sets of flower distillation equipment, various steamers and strainers specially made, some copper, some ceramic. Every spring and summer when various flowers bloomed, they would always distill some for use or consumption by the palace concubines.
Shen Shaoguang had seen Hu-style ceramic distillation pots in the West Market, several hundred coins, not expensive, but hadn’t bought one since there was no use for it. Now that she had taken on the Lin family’s fresh flower processing business, she found time to buy one.
Whether sugar-preserving, honey-preserving, or distilling flower water, Shen Shaoguang was skilled, but Yu San, A Yuan, and others found this flower water distillation quite novel.
Yu San walked around the distillation pot, “So flower water is made by steaming?”
Shen Shaoguang asked with a smile, “Didn’t the ladies at your previous household distill this?”
Yu San paused, “No.”
Could it be a north-south difference? Flower water distillation was mainly popular in the capital region, that’s possible.
Shen Shaoguang washed all the petals with clean well water, preserving one-third in sugar, and one-third in honey, and putting one-third into the distillation pot.
This ancient distillation method was simple in principle – let steam carry the flower essence upward, condense on the cold lid into water drops, and flow into the container for storage. With the right equipment, even first-timers could operate it.
But the experience still mattered – if the fire was too strong, the water dried quickly before the flower essence was extracted; if too weak, there was little steam, leaving the essence in the dregs below, resulting in little water of poor quality. Worse still, if burnt, the scorched smell would ruin the whole batch.
Yu San watched, understood the principle, and that was it; A Chang usually didn’t care about these things; only A Yuan kept thinking about it, coming to check frequently, because Shen Shaoguang had promised her, “When it’s distilled, I’ll mix you a bowl to drink first.”
Shen Shaoguang kept her word. After the flower water was ready, she indeed first mixed a bowl with well-chilled water for A Yuan, and Yu San and A Chang got some too.
“Mmm, fragrant!” A Yuan nodded vigorously.
“If you want it sweet, you can add some sugar, but don’t add honey – that would mix up the flavors.”
A Yuan said, “This is already very good.”
Shen Shaoguang smiled – it was just the novelty, this thing was elegant but really in terms of taste, our great sour plum drink is better!
To match this elegant flower water, Shen Shaoguang specially bought several white porcelain bottles, four or five cun long, with small mouths, long necks, and round bodies, somewhat like the Pure Vase from immortal dramas. She filled them with flower water, plugged them with wooden stoppers, and put them together with the jars of sugar and honey-preserved flowers, just waiting for Deputy Lin to send someone to collect them.
Before Deputy Lin came, his attendant Liu arrived first. He came to deliver his Young Master’s monthly meal payment.
Shen Shaoguang let him take all the bottles and jars, and soon he returned with a return gift – a painted screen.
“Our Grand Madam thanks Young Miss for helping make honey-preserved roses and flower water.”
Shen Shaoguang looked at the screen – sandalwood frame, fine silk, painted with a lotus pond scene, pink lotus flowers in full bloom, one kingfisher flying, another preening its feathers, creating a leisurely atmosphere, perfect for summer display.
If it were an extremely valuable gold-painted screen or a very intimate bedside screen, Shen Shaoguang would have rejected it without thinking. But this screen walked a fine line, semi-casual yet not quite casual. However, it wasn’t appropriate to keep accepting such things – they weren’t families of equal status exchanging gifts. Besides, was this really from the Grand Madam? This Deputy Lin…
Seeing Shen Shaoguang’s intent to refuse, Liu Chang smiled and pleaded, “We’ll inevitably need Young Miss’s help again in the future, please don’t refuse, otherwise how could we dare come ask again?”
Shen Shaoguang thought for a moment and said seriously, “Please report to the Grand Madam, there’s no need for such courtesy in the future, we truly feel unworthy.”
Liu Chang bowed and took his leave.
Returning to the Lin residence, Liu Chang went to the inner study to report, “It has been delivered to Young Miss Shen.”
“Mm.” Lin Yan, who was reviewing documents, nodded.
“Young Miss said there’s no need for such courtesy in the future,” Liu Chang said carefully, glancing at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan’s brush paused, “Understood.”
Liu Chang looked at the six-panel large screen covered in cursive script poems, then withdrew.
The large screen separated Young Master’s bedroom, and in the bedroom was a small screen – sandalwood frame, fine silk, with spreading lotus leaves, several pink lotus buds, and two egrets leisurely strolling by the lotus pond. Without looking closely, one could tell it depicted the same lotus pond as the screen that was given away.
Liu Chang wanted to know what Young Master’s regular bedside screen looked like…