Chapter 16 : Setting Up a Street Stall

At the crack of dawn the next day, Shen Miao woke up.

She instructed Ji Ge and Xiang Jie to take care of the house, then packed up her table, round stools, food, charcoal, griddle, and two stoves. 

With Gu Tusu, who had been waiting for her at the door, she set off in a hurry toward Jinliang Bridge.

Gu Tusu pulled the cart while Shen Miao quickly secured everything in place—especially the seven or eight wooden food boxes filled with ingredients and the jars of seasonings. 

If any of them spilled, she would be heartbroken.

As she tied the ropes around the cart, Gu Tusu watched her swift and skillful movements, a stark contrast to the helpless girl who used to cry at every little problem. 

His heart filled with a mix of admiration and sorrow. 

Back then, she had never needed to work so hard just to make a living. 

But now, there was no point in dwelling on the past.

Yangliu East Alley was very close to Jinliang Bridge, so they arrived in no time. 

By then, the bridge was already crowded with vendors setting up tents, umbrellas, and stalls. 

Shen Miao had arrived just in time.

As she made her way to her spot, the other vendors on the bridge subtly sized her up.

It wasn’t uncommon for new vendors to appear on Jinliang Bridge, but a young and beautiful woman like Shen Miao was a rare sight.

Many men stole glances at her—until the striking figure of a tall, dark-skinned man appeared behind her, pulling her cart. 

At that moment, they quickly averted their eyes.

Gu Tusu helped her unload the stoves and griddle while Shen Miao set up the small square table from home, which fit perfectly into the vacant space of her stall. 

Unfortunately, this meant that Ji Ge and Xiang Jie who were eating the steamed buns and fried pastries she had left for them, would have to stand by the stove to eat their breakfast.

“I’ll head back to the shop now,” Gu Tusu said after making sure she was settled. 

He then pulled out a large oil-paper umbrella from under the cart, tied it securely to a stone block, and gave it a shake to test its stability. 

“What time will you be heading home? I’ll come pick you up.”

Shen Miao waved her hands. 

“I’ll go back on my own once I sell everything.”

She had only brought fifty pancake skins today, planning to leave as soon as she sold out. 

She also wanted to find a school for Ji Ge—he was already nine years old, and keeping him cooped up at home all day was not a long-term solution.

“That’s a lot to carry for a woman on her own,” Gu Tusu said, glancing at the supplies before looking up at the sky. 

He tightened his grip on the cart and added, “I’ll estimate the time and come back for you. Wait for me.”

Before Shen Miao could refuse, he was already gone.

As soon as he left, the plump woman from the neighboring stall giggled and leaned over. 

“Your husband looks scary, but he treats you with such care!”

Shen Miao felt awkward. 

She couldn’t possibly tell every curious stranger that she was divorced and raising two children on her own.

She simply shook her head. 

“He’s not my husband.”

The plump woman blinked in surprise. 

She looked at Shen Miao’s married-woman attire, then peeked at Gu Tusu’s retreating figure before lowering her voice and whispering, “Then… is he your lover?”

Shen Miao: “…”

Seeing her speechless expression, the woman suddenly clapped her hands as if she had figured it out. 

“Oh, I see! You’re a widow, aren’t you? And that dark-faced man has taken a liking to you and wants to marry you!”

Shen Miao: “… In any case, he’s just my neighbor.”

The plump woman clearly didn’t believe her but was distracted when a potential customer walked by. 

She quickly turned back to her stall and started calling out, “Freshly brewed tea soups! Jujube tea, perilla tea, salted fermented soybean soup! A clay pot for twenty wen, a small cup for two wen, and a medium cup for three! Even officials love drinking this fine tea!”

Her bright voice successfully attracted two young women carrying vegetable baskets. 

One bought a bowl of jujube tea, while the other opted for Apo Soup.

Shen Miao watched them curiously—wasn’t this the ancient version of modern-day young women going out for bubble tea?

She unconsciously smiled.

In the Song Dynasty, it was customary to drink a bowl of “medicinal tea” before or after meals. 

Tea soup shops, like the plump woman’s, were as common as milk tea shops in later generations. 

Aside from food stalls and taverns, they were one of the most widespread businesses.

Despite the word medicinal in the name, not all of these teas had a strong herbal taste. 

Many had specific health benefits—for example, the salted fermented soybean soup was good for digestion, while perilla tea helped with coughs and asthma. 

Another common type, Erchen Soup, was known for relieving hangovers and boosting alertness.

Of course, young women preferred sweet and fragrant varieties like sour plum soup, papaya tea, osmanthus tea, jujube tea, and Apo Soup. 

The Apo Soup that one of the young women had ordered was made by slowly simmering roasted chestnuts, white sesame seeds, walnuts, and olives, with a touch of yellow sugar. 

The flavor was rich and mellow.

Shen Miao pondered: since the Song Dynasty’s northern neighbor, the Liao Kingdom, was home to nomadic tribes, milk tea hadn’t yet become popular in Bianjing. 

Would people be interested if she introduced it?

Lost in thought, she was snapped back to reality by the crisp sound of coins clinking in the plump woman’s money jar. 

The woman had just sold two bowls of tea for four wen.

The clear, metallic sound jolted Shen Miao into action—she had better start making pancakes!

***

The sky was turning a pale white as dawn broke, and the lanterns hanging outside the shops along the streets were gradually being extinguished. 

A thin mist lingered in the morning air, and the tea stalls and food stalls on the bridge market had already opened for business. 

Steam rose from all directions, mingling with the enticing aromas of various foods, making passersby stop in their tracks.

Just one street away from Jinliang Bridge, in the western Bell and Drum Alley of Daxiangguo Temple, Xie Chi perched a falcon on his shoulder. 

Taking advantage of the fact that his father was at court, he led his servants over the courtyard wall and slipped out for some fun.

One servant held a dog’s leash as they strolled up Jinliang Bridge, heading toward Jinming Pool to walk the dog and let the bird stretch its wings.

Xie Chi was a regular in the marketplace and knew all the long-time vendors on the bridge. 

The best jerky came from Wu Da’s stall—it was the chewiest and most flavorful. 

Fat Liu’s wife made the most refreshing licorice iced drink. 

Zheng the butcher always had the freshest venison…

But then—huh?

A new, irresistible aroma suddenly caught Xie Chi’s attention. 

He followed the rich, buttery scent and saw a young woman he had never seen before. 

She had fair and smooth skin, arched brows, and a warm, gentle gaze. 

She was skillfully making pancakes at a stall that had already drawn quite a crowd.

Before her was a small table neatly arranged with various ingredients—cucumber sticks cut to finger-length, spring greens torn into bite-sized pieces, golden-brown fried meat strips, a basket of eggs, and several jars of sauces.

To her left were two small clay stoves with griddles set on top, fueled by red-hot charcoal beneath them. 

She brushed oil onto the griddles, and as soon as the pancake dough touched the sizzling surface, it crackled and released an intense wheat aroma, enhanced by the melting fat. 

Soon, the pancakes turned a golden brown. 

Even while cooking on both stoves simultaneously, she handled everything with ease, cheerfully responding to customers:

“This gentleman, a pancake with only vegetables is three wen; with meat, five wen; and if you add both meat and egg, that’s our ‘Double Happiness’ special—just two extra wen.”

She wore a blue floral apron tied snugly around her waist, emphasizing her slender figure. 

With a thin wooden spatula in hand, she turned and smiled warmly. 

The burly man she was speaking to, despite his rough appearance, suddenly blushed and nodded hastily, saying, “Yes, yes, that’s fine!”

Without missing a beat, the woman cracked a red-shelled egg against the edge of the griddle. 

The golden pancake immediately got a coating of fresh egg. 

Using her spatula, she swiftly spread the yolk and egg whites evenly, then lifted the pancake’s edges and flipped it over. 

She then layered on cucumber sticks, two pieces of crispy fried chicken, a few spring greens, and a strip of fried dough before asking, “Would you like bean sauce or white sauce?”

“This white sauce is my own special recipe,” she explained with a smile. 

“No other vendor has it. Since you’ve ordered the premium pancake with meat and egg, this sauce is the perfect pairing—but adding it will cost one extra wen.”

The burly man waved a hand. 

“Add it!”

She scooped a spoonful of sauce and spread it over the filling, then neatly folded the pancake’s edges inward before wrapping it in a square piece of oil paper. 

Handing it over, she said, “Here you go, sir—your ultimate deluxe meat and egg pancake! Thank you for your patronage, enjoy!”

The man didn’t even wait for it to cool down. 

He took a big bite, stuffing both pancake and fillings into his mouth. 

Before he could even swallow, his eyes lit up, and he immediately took another bite.

In just a few mouthfuls, he finished the entire thing and immediately called out, “Three more of the same!”

Watching the man devour the pancake, crumbs falling everywhere, Xie Chi couldn’t help but feel tempted himself.

Besides… this woman was quite clever. 

She had turned a simple pancake into something so elaborate!

Xie Chi came from an aristocratic family. 

Though the power of the nobility had waned since the Huang Chao Rebellion of the previous dynasty, and his father was now just a minor scholar-official in the Secretariat Department, his family still had vast inherited farmlands and a household full of servants. 

With so many siblings, they had never known hardship or hunger.

As the burly man left, a traveling merchant with small trinkets stuck in his hat and clothes passed by, calling out, “Bamboo pinwheels! Two for one wen!” 

The man was about to continue on when he was drawn in by the rich aroma of the pancakes. 

It seemed the young woman recognized him because she greeted him with a smile. 

“Ah, we meet again! I bought a pinwheel from you before. What can I make for you today?”

The merchant glanced at the food options and, after some thought, ordered a plain pancake. 

Even though it was the simplest option, he held it in both hands and savored it with a satisfied, almost blissful expression.

Then, a matchmaker in a red top and green skirt, with flowers pinned in her hair, bought two pancakes. 

She leaned lazily against the bridge railing, eating with obvious enjoyment.

Xie Chi’s appetite was now thoroughly awakened. 

He realized that in his rush to sneak out, he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. 

He turned to his servant and ordered, “Get me one of those ‘deluxe family feast’ pancakes with the egg.”

He added, “It looks clean enough. Buy extra—send them home. And don’t forget to take some to Ninth Brother’s quarters. Ever since he returned from Chen Prefecture, he’s had no appetite and has been sulking. This might be just the thing to cheer him up.”

Then, sighing, he continued, “Not that I can blame him. Not only did he get scammed out of all his silver while traveling, which is common enough, but to have his marriage engagement fall apart so suddenly? That would break anyone’s spirit.”

He shook his head, lamenting his younger brother’s misfortune while instructing the servant to buy twenty pancakes in total. 

He kept one for himself to try, sent most home as a filial gesture to his parents and siblings, and generously gave the remaining ones to his attendants.

Xie Chi was no stranger to luxury. 

Having dined at the grandest establishments like Fan’s Tavern and other renowned restaurants, he was accustomed to delicacies. 

He spent his days idly roaming the city, indulging in all manner of fine foods. 

He seriously doubted that a mere street food stall could serve anything particularly remarkable.

This woman was probably just skilled at marketing—attractive, with a pleasant voice, good at drawing in customers with enticing descriptions.

A pancake with some meat and vegetables? 

Sure, it smelled good, but how delicious could it possibly be?

He bit into it with casual disdain.