With the new tavern just opened, Shen Shaoguang spent most of her time in Qinren Ward. “Young Miss just left,” “Young Miss should be back soon,” “Young Miss is staying in Qinren Ward today…”—lately, every time Lin Yan visited the tavern, Shen’s round-faced manager would say such things.
Lin Yan was visibly unhappy. Looking at the manager, he wondered if Ah Qi particularly liked round faces, seeing how all her servants had round, plump faces—yet she wasn’t round at all.
Riding to Qinren Ward with Pei Fei, Lin Yan was still pondering this question. With how busy things had been lately, he wondered if she had gotten even thinner. Just then, he turned his head and that huge chrysanthemum fish caught his eye, along with those dignified four characters.
Even without seeing the sign, he knew it was Shen’s. Looking at those few characters, Lin Yan pursed his lips, feeling as if someone had infringed upon privileges he hadn’t yet enjoyed—Ah Qi had never…
Pei Fei commented beside him, “Anran, you should smile more. Your young lady is so playful and fun, while you keep a straight face all day, even more solemn than that Han clerical script on the wall—how can this work?”
Lin Yan glanced at him but did enter Shen’s with a slight smile.
Shen Shaoguang was behind the counter discussing matters with Manager Xu Kai. Though Xu Kai was capable and had trained at the old store for some time, this was his first time managing a tavern, and there were still many areas needing improvement.
Just then, the door curtain rustled, and Shen Shaoguang looked up: “Lord Lin, Lord Pei—”
She hadn’t expected these two to come to show their support so soon. It was almost afternoon—had they come after the court dismissed? If so, they should have eaten at the corridor meal… Though of course, they might have saved their appetite specifically to eat here.
While contemplating this, Shen Shaoguang joked lightly, “My lords, truly ‘life brings meetings everywhere.'”
Pei Fei laughed heartily, and even Lin Yan’s eyes crinkled in amusement.
Being so familiar with them, Shen Shaoguang handed over the menu and began introducing “today’s specials,” “Today we have roasted pheasant. The hunters brought fresh pheasant this morning, already basted with oil, very tender and fatty. When roasted it has a slight char fragrance, sprinkled with cumin powder—perfect with wine.”
“We also have fresh bass, though not the four-gilled bass from Songjiang, it’s still quite rich. Would you like it braised, or simply sliced raw? Today’s bass is very large, not suitable for steaming, otherwise steamed would be excellent too.”
Pei Fei was eating for free, so he let Lin Yan choose.
Lin Yan thought of the “Beauty good enough to eat” outside, but said only “Whatever Young Miss arranges is fine.”
Shen Shaoguang said, “Then let’s do raw fish slices. It best preserves the fresh flavor, and my lords can try our newly made golden sauce.”
She also arranged several other dishes: stir-fried crown daisy greens, honey-glazed lamb chops, eel with chestnuts, shrimp with tofu, and a mushroom spinach soup.
Hearing about the spinach soup, Pei Fei nodded with a smile: “That soup is excellent.”
Shen Shaoguang didn’t understand—was spinach soup worth such a radiant smile?
When Princess Fuhui entered, she saw Pei Fei’s beaming face, hm…
Shen Shaoguang turned and hurried to welcome her.
The princess was a long-time resident of Qinren Ward, and many in the ward knew her. Seeing her arrive, the diners, including Lin Yan and Pei Fei, formally bowed. The princess waved her hand and went directly to sit at the table above Lin and Pei—all the high tables were occupied, so they were still using small dining tables.
With the princess’s arrival, other diners dared not eat in her presence and quickly left. Shen Shaoguang instructed Manager Xu Kai to give them discounts, some even free—Shen Shaoguang thought with some pain, hoping those noble guests would make up for the loss.
Shen Shaoguang presented the menu, asking what the noble guest would like to eat.
“That one on the wall outside,” Princess Fuhui glanced at her and smiled, “For the rest, Young Miss can decide.”
Shen Shaoguang agreed and was about to withdraw when Princess Fuhui asked, “Haven’t I seen Young Miss somewhere before?”
“I originally ran a tavern in Chongxian Ward. Your Grace came to eat hotpot there and bestowed arm bangles.”
Princess Fuhui looked at Shen Shaoguang again, “Ah, now I remember…”
Seeing no other instructions, Shen Shaoguang went to arrange the kitchen.
Serving only these three people didn’t take long, so Shen Shaoguang led the servers in bringing dishes one by one.
Looking at the chrysanthemum fish before her, Princess Fuhui tried a bite with her chopsticks, “Very good!”
Shen Shaoguang smiled apologetically—of course, it was good, following your taste, she had added two extra spoons of sugar compared to normal.
Princess Fuhui glanced at Pei Fei, then looked at Shen Shaoguang: “Both times so suitable to my taste, could Young Miss’s palate be similar to mine?”
Lin Yan frowned, about to say something, but Shen Shaoguang had already replied seriously: “Please forgive my directness, Your Grace. My taste is likely very different from yours: Your Grace, born noble, loves dishes with flowing colors and sweet flavors; I, raised in the countryside, only like plain ones.”
Shen Shaoguang pointed to the sliced bass being served, “Though it looks plain, it’s quite flavorful, mixed with golden sauce and green mustard, spicy with a touch of sourness—quite strong!”
Princess Fuhui looked at Shen Shaoguang, who smiled apologetically.
Plain… Princess Fuhui looked at Lin Yan with sudden understanding. Though Princess Fuhui was uninhibited, she normally wouldn’t treat a high-ranking official in crimson robes this way, but who told him to be Pei Fei’s friend?
Lin Yan pursed his lips, while Pei Fei also looked rather awkward—they had just been compared to dishes by the two ladies…
After a moment, Princess Fuhui raised her beautiful eyebrows and asked with a smile: “Is it really that strong?”
Shen Shaoguang swallowed: “It stings the nose! Your Grace, who prefers sweetness, might not be used to it.”
Princess Fuhui burst out laughing, looked at the two differently prepared fish dishes, and after a while said, “Indeed, quite different tastes.”
Shen Shaoguang nodded in agreement, yes, yes, fortunately, different tastes.
Princess Fuhui continued eating her chrysanthemum fish with great interest, also trying the candied yam, honey-glazed lamb chops, pickled goose feet, and finally a small bowl of osmanthus wine-soaked rice balls.
“If hungry at midnight, a bowl of this is enough to satisfy hunger,” Princess Fuhui put down her bowl and praised, “But why not use fresh osmanthus flowers?”
Shen Shaoguang explained, “Probably because they’re difficult to store, so few sell fresh osmanthus flowers in the market.”
Princess Fuhui waved her hand: “I’ll send you some then, those osmanthus trees in the back garden are just growing there anyway.”
Shen Shaoguang hurriedly thanked her, and pushed her luck: “Since we’re using Your Grace’s osmanthus flowers, might I request Your Grace to bestow a name?”
Princess Fuhui thought for a moment: “How about ‘Chixa Osmanthus Balls’?”
“In that case—we also have osmanthus porridge, osmanthus sugar cake, osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root, osmanthus duck…” Shen Shaoguang couldn’t help but laugh first.
Princess Fuhui had never seen someone so good at taking advantage of an opportunity, and said somewhat ruefully, “If I had been as clever as you back then, besides this Chixa Garden, I could have gotten both the Tong Garden on Mount Zhongnan and the Bitan Manor by the Wei River—how could I have let Ninth Sister and Eleventh Sister take them?”
Shen Shaoguang felt for her—a villa on Mount Zhongnan, a holiday house by the Wei River… So the princess also had similar unfulfilled property dreams!
Shen Shaoguang spoke with infinite longing: “At this time, the wild game on the mountain is all fattened up. Taking people to hunt rabbits, deer, pheasants, and such on Mount Zhongnan, putting them on skewers—if you like sweet flavors, brush them with honey sauce while roasting layer by layer; if you prefer salty, dip them in pepper salt; if you like spicy, sprinkle with prickly ash and cumin pepper…”
“One year, Eighth Brother caught something strange-looking, a brown body with black and white fur on its head, neither cat nor raccoon dog. We roasted it like this on the mountain, very fragrant and tender. Later when Song Fu heard about it, he asked if the beast had ‘a white tail with a mane,’ saying it might be a ‘pangpang,’ keeping one could dispel worries.” The princess was talking about events from over ten years ago, “Eighth Brother” being the Prince of Heyang who had a beautiful male concubine.
Shen Shaoguang thought for a moment and offered professional advice: “If you catch another one, Your Grace might try salt-curing it, then steaming it in honeyed wine, slicing it thinly to eat.”
Princess Fuhui nodded: “When cured, it shouldn’t be too greasy.”
Listening to the two discussing how to eat mythical beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Lin Yan had a bad feeling—being so close to Princess Fuhui’s residence, with Ah Qi frequently interacting with this unrestrained princess, hopefully, she wouldn’t be led astray…
“But spring is better spent by the Wei River, fishing during the peach blossom flood, might catch some big fish.” Their topic had already turned to the Wei River.
Shen Shaoguang felt the princess was too poetic, too good at living: “Peach blossoms in flowing water, mandarin fish grow fat”—at this time, mandarin fish meat is most tender, even just boiling it with some salt makes a very fresh soup.
Shen Shaoguang gave Princess Fuhui more suggestions: “Spring softshell turtles are also delicious, that’s why southerners say ‘when rape flowers yellow, softshell turtles fatten.’ Softshell turtles are tricky, but using chicken liver or mutton as bait, they’ll surely bite. Spring softshell turtles are great braised, steamed, in soup, or stewed with chicken or venison.”
Leaving Lin Yan and Pei Fei aside, Princess Fuhui and Shen Shaoguang chatted from food and drink to property, then from property back to food and drink, and finally about current trends.
Only when they tired of talking did Princess Fuhui smile and say: “Finally found someone who can talk! I’ll come find you another day.”
Shen Shaoguang smiled: “I would be honored.”
Lin Yan maintained a solemn face, while Pei Fei remained quite calm.
When leaving, the princess didn’t leave money—showing she didn’t view Shen Shaoguang as an ordinary merchant. Shen Shaoguang appreciated her respect but thought another pair of gold-inlaid jeweled arm bangles wouldn’t have been disrespectful either.
Unexpectedly, the next day, the princess sent a box of fresh osmanthus flowers, even larger than the box of roses Lord Lin had sent before, and crucially, these weren’t for processing—they were a gift. The princess was magnificent! Shen Shaoguang loved the princess most! She immediately became a devoted fan. So many fresh osmanthus flowers, how many delicious things could be made.
Two days later, while Shen Shaoguang was still experimenting with those fresh osmanthus flowers, Princess Fuhui sent another gift—a palm-sized, half-inch thick silver plaque inlaid with gold cloud patterns around the border, about the same size as the daily specials board behind the counter, inscribed with “Chixa Osmanthus Fragrance,” and most wonderfully, it had several small rings at the bottom for hanging items.
Shen Shaoguang was truly moved—the princess was so lovely. She immediately hung this exquisite gold-inlaid silver plaque on the specials board hook, with several small signs hanging below: “Osmanthus Sugar Cake,” “Osmanthus Duck,” “Osmanthus Chestnut Soup.”
Manager Xu Kai’s life had become somewhat surreal lately. Previously managing affairs for a county lieutenant, seeing a county magistrate was the highest it got. After being sold to this capital city tavern, on the first day he met the Deputy Mayor of the Capital who came in casual dress. Assigned to this branch store, hearing it shared a ward with Princess Fuhui, he had wondered if he might someday see this noble lady pass by. Who would have thought the princess would come to dine in person, and even send osmanthus flowers and a menu board?
Xu Kai felt this was enough to talk about for a lifetime.