After the Laba Festival came the New Year, and time in the twelfth lunar month seemed to pass especially quickly. Shen Shaoguang was busy inspecting her shops, updating menu items, doing year-end accounting, preparing New Year’s courtesy visits, and somehow still finding time for romance.
Deputy Magistrate Lin was also busy and couldn’t visit Shen Shaoguang every day. When he did visit and she wasn’t there, though he would say “It’s fine” the next time they met, his eyes held a hint of “reproach.”
Perhaps because he was so handsome, this playful yet seemingly sincere “reproach” often stirred Shen Shaoguang’s heart – a man who knew how to act coy…
Could you reason with him at times like these? No! Shen Shaoguang just wanted to become like those tycoons who would spend fortunes just to make a beauty smile – “buy you a fifty-carat emerald necklace,” “buy a villa with three hundred rooms,” “buy eight or ten top-tier sports cars,” “buy a yacht,” “buy an island”… But thinking of her mortgage payments, she gave up. Time to wake up from that dream.
Seeing Shen Shaoguang’s changing expressions, Lin Yan smiled and asked, “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m contemplating ancient history. Suddenly I understood King You’s mindset when he lit the beacon towers just to make his beauty smile. What’s an ancestral legacy compared to making a beauty happy? What’s royal power and wealth? Don’t want it, don’t want any of it, don’t want any of it at all.” Shen Shaoguang waved her sleeve, acting like a wealthy nouveau riche.
Lin Yan couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Shen Shaoguang propped her chin with her hand, “Yan lang, how did you end up so handsome?”
“Those young nobles in the East Market may be dashing, but they lack the refined elegance of scholars; some examination candidates have that refinement, but lack dignity; occasionally when court officials come to dine at the tavern, they might have both elegance and dignity, but they’re not young anymore, and even the young ones aren’t handsome enough… To my eyes now, all other colors look like dirt.” Shen Shaoguang shook her head, “Why do you think this is? I wasn’t this picky before?”
Lin Yan laughed even more – my Aji knows how to sweet-talk, she could charm even the dead back to life.
Shen Shaoguang continued with other topics, “When I make my daily rounds of the shops and there are good new dishes, I think about how our Deputy Magistrate Lin might enjoy them and want him to try them another day; when there’s amusing entertainment, I want to tell you about it, but then feel it would be better for you to see it yourself, as my telling lacks flavor; passing through the horse market, I often look around, wondering which horse would suit our Deputy Magistrate Lin – even if I don’t buy cosmetics, I must buy a horse to give him…”
“Today when returning by carriage, I saw a figure that looked somewhat like you when lifting the curtain, and I kept looking back for a long while.”
“I want to be with you every day,” Shen Shaoguang sighed.
Lin Yan smiled at first, but later became quite touched – wasn’t he also often thinking of her, wanting to be with her all the time?
Lin Yan reached up to stroke Shen Shaoguang’s temples and face, looking at her tenderly, then leaned forward across the small table to touch his forehead to hers, “Aji ah—”
“Mm?”
“So this is how wonderful mutual affection feels.”
…
Through her eloquence, Shen Shaoguang saved herself from having to buy the fifty-carat emerald necklace, three-hundred-room villa, top-tier sports cars, yacht, and island. Not only did she gain Beautiful Lin’s understanding, but she also received a confession gift package, demonstrating in reality what “words worth their weight in gold” means.
Successful in love, Proprietress Shen’s business was also doing well. Just as the hotpot month ended, New Year’s banquets took over. All branch stores launched various feast options and seasonal dishes with auspicious names. The poetry wall was a sea of festive red, bustling with activity. There were also special New Year performances, and the poetry collection that Deputy Magistrate Lin had helped compile and write a preface for was now displayed in the stores and both the East and West Market bookshops.
Deputy Magistrate Lin was, after all, a talented scholar from Hedong and a young jinshi graduate. His preface, flowing between prose and parallel style, showed profound thought and elegant diction. It had both an overarching perspective, expressing the purpose and meaning of scholars’ studies and writing, and charm, stating that beyond national affairs and literature, one should have some pleasure – drinking tea and appreciating flowers, burning incense and listening to rain, feasting and composing poetry in response – one shouldn’t become a rigid, lifeless scholar.
With such a preface, the entire collection gained considerable prestige, transforming what was essentially an advertising booklet into something that felt like a proper publication. Many scholars came to browse the poetry collection, and just reading this preface made them click their tongues in admiration, asking who this “East Hall Master” was – Lin Yan had casually chosen this pen name because his residence was east of the current Shen residence.
The servers had been instructed by their master who only said it was a friend of the owner.
Some scholars asked, “Such writing couldn’t be from an ordinary person, likely a court official, right?”
The servers, like their master, smiled seemingly honest but cunning, “How would we know about our master’s affairs…”
Hearing feedback from her own shops and the bookstores, Shen Shaoguang felt her estimate that it would take “eight to ten years” for this poetry collection to make an impact had been too conservative – our Deputy Magistrate Lin had single-handedly compressed this timeline.
Before visiting Minister Li’s home, while having breakfast at the Shen residence, Shen Shaoguang heartily praised Lin Yan. Though Lin Yan’s poetry and prose were better than Shen Shaoguang’s, in face-to-face verbal skill, ten Lin Yans couldn’t match one Shen Shaoguang.
Lin Yan usually rose early, and when he arrived at the Shen residence, Shen Shaoguang was just about to have breakfast. Shen Shaoguang invited him to join, and Lin Yan naturally wouldn’t refuse. During the meal, Shen Shaoguang spoke of everyone’s praise for that preface, comparing Lin Yan to Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, and Liu Zongyuan.
Lin Yan smiled as he listened to her exaggeration, but his thoughts wandered elsewhere – how wonderful it would be to spend every clear morning for the next several decades having breakfast across from Aji, listening to her sweet laughter. Then he fell into a dilemma – he had to rise early for court, should he make her get up so early too… She was so delicate, perhaps she should sleep longer, only sharing breakfast on rest days.
While Shen Shaoguang was still heaping praise, she had no idea that the Deputy Magistrate Lin elegantly eating chicken wontons across from her was already thinking about their “morning and evening” life together.
After eating, like husbands accompanying their wives out, Lin Yan sat in the hall drinking tea and reading, waiting for the lady to dress in her inner chambers.
After quite a while, Shen Shaoguang emerged. Since it was the New Year holiday and they were visiting Minister Li’s home, Shen Shaoguang was dressed quite festively, feeling like a big red envelope.
Lin Yan smiled as he looked her over, “Beautiful.” Then automatically added, “Especially beautiful today.”
Shen Shaoguang laughed – he’d learned to answer preemptively, Deputy Magistrate Lin had a strong survival instinct.
Today was the third day of the New Year. Li Yue, now a Prime Minister, had specially set aside half a day to receive them, an attitude that moved and humbled Shen Shaoguang. When she saw him, she immediately performed the junior’s ceremonial bow. Lin Yan had already had detailed discussions with Li Yue before; this time was mainly for Shen Shaoguang to formally pay respects to this elder.
Li Yue, disregarding the separation between men and women, personally helped her up and examined her carefully, then sighed, “I didn’t notice before, but now I see your nose and mouth look exactly like your father’s, just softer, being a young lady. My eyes must truly be failing, I didn’t see it earlier.”
Shen Shaoguang apologized again.
Li Yue waved his hand, asking them to sit.
Looking at the beautiful young couple before him, Li Yue recalled what Chu Jiu had said before leaving: “Don’t arrange any more marriages for Deputy Magistrate Lin.” When he’d asked why, Chu Jiu had just smiled. So he had seen it early on. There used to be a saying at court about “Chu’s Half-Eye,” saying that Chu Jiu could see the mystery in criminal cases with just half a glance – it seems he hadn’t lost that skill. Then he thought of his old friend’s truncated official career and another old friend’s decline… Shen Wu had only this drop of blood left.
Li Yue continued looking at Shen Shaoguang – such a young lady, with no father or mother, growing up in a place like the imperial palace offices. Never mind her bearing, it was remarkable she was so open-minded – truly Shen Wu’s offspring!
Li Yue also remembered how years ago, Shen Wu had wanted to buy a famous painting from the previous dynasty but couldn’t bring himself to, saying “I need to save for Aji’s dowry.” Now the young lady was of marriage age, but he couldn’t see it.
Though Shen Shaoguang was also emotional inside, she maintained a smile on her face. Lin Yan was his usual self, occasionally glancing concernedly at his young lady from the corner of his eye.
The New Year wasn’t suitable for sad matters, so Li Yue smiled and said, “I saw that poetry collection from your tavern. Never mind whether the poems are good or not, but that preface is excellent.” Then he looked meaningfully at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan smiled and bowed, “It was just my casual work, Minister finds it amusing.”
Li Yue laughed: “We’re not strangers, why be so formal? When I say it’s good, it truly is good.” Then he turned to ask Shen Shaoguang, “What does the Lady of the House think?” With the Shen family having only this one daughter and no close relatives, Shen Shaoguang was the lady of the house. The young lady, Li Yue couldn’t use her childhood name anymore.
“Your child also thinks it’s very good,” Shen Shaoguang spoke familiarly, smiling sweetly.
Li Yue burst out laughing, Lin Yan also smiled helplessly, and the hall’s atmosphere became cheerful.
Having mentioned the poetry collection, they naturally discussed the poems within. Li Yue commented on a couple of lines from one of the hotpot-related poems, then laughed: “With all this snow and wine and pots, it reminds me of the hotpot His Majesty bestowed that snowy day. Last year when it snowed, His Majesty still bestowed the old-style small tripods, but this year it changed to hotpot, exactly like in your tavern.” The Prime Minister would dine at the Hall of Government Affairs at noon, and the Emperor would often bestow food and wine to show his love for his old ministers.
“Afterward, His Majesty asked how it tasted, looking quite pleased with himself, so I told him about your tavern’s thirty different hotpot varieties that never repeat in a month…” Li Yue smiled somewhat proudly.
Shen Shaoguang smiled, seeing that Uncle Li and the current Emperor had quite a good relationship, able to joke so casually.
“Ministers Zhou and Wu also said they must try it sometime.”
Shen Shaoguang smiled and said: “To avoid embarrassing Uncle, your child must make these pots even more abundant and delicious.”
“It’s already plenty varied and delicious enough,” Li Yue laughed, “Even those who can write poetry as soon as they eat – what more do you want?”
Shen Shaoguang and Lin Yan both laughed, knowing he was referring to the entertainment related to the Nanzhushu pot.
“Such a mischievous young lady!” Li Yue smiled at Shen Shaoguang, “I guess you compiled this book?”
Shen Shaoguang didn’t “take credit,” instead telling him her method of collecting stories.
Li Yue was surprised: “Our Lady’s method rather resembles the court’s ‘folk song collection.'” ①
This time Shen Shaoguang really couldn’t brazenly accept the praise, she looked at Lin Yan – your time has come, Deputy Magistrate Lin!
Li Yue had already noticed that glance, and before Lin Yan could say anything, he laughed: “Speaking of that Nanzhushu hotpot, Anran’s writing has improved considerably – could it be from eating too much of that pot?”
Shen Shaoguang and Lin Yan simultaneously thought of Nanzhushu’s “kidney-nourishing and essence-replenishing” effects and their teasing from two days ago. Shen Shaoguang blushed ingloriously, but Lin Yan maintained his composure, smiling and saying: “Indeed, he’s eaten quite a lot.”
Li Yue laughed, seeing this young man’s confident manner, he felt somewhat bitter – if Shen Wu were here, he would certainly give him a hard time. Then looking at Shen Shaoguang’s girlish manner, he felt even more bitter – but even if Shen Wu were here, what could he do? A grown daughter cannot be kept at home.
Author’s Note: ① “Folk song collection” refers to the court’s practice of gathering folk songs and ballads to understand public sentiment.
—–
Regarding whether Shen Shaoguang or Lin Yan has thicker skin, it’s quite hard to say…