Before the shop opened, Shen Miao had specially ordered a clay pot, which had been sitting idle for a long time.
Today, it finally came into use.
Shen Miao had started preparing the marinade last night, putting the meat in to soak before bed.
She hadn’t had a chance to check on it yet and wondered how it had turned out.
As dawn broke, Shen Miao got up early to open the shop and welcome customers.
A few familiar regulars were already waiting at the door.
When she moved the door panels aside, they greeted her cheerfully and walked in, picking a table to sit at.
The instant noodle craze had finally passed.
Although they were still the best-selling item in the shop, they no longer caused the same sensation as before.
Shen Miao wasn’t disappointed, though.
It allowed her to return to her usual pace of business, just like before.
After removing the door panels and leaning them against the wall, Shen Miao looked out at the bustling street, already alive with activity.
She pushed her small cart to the door and stacked up the steamers.
Inside the cart, a red clay stove was already lit, the charcoal fire heating up quickly.
Soon, the aroma of steamed buns filled the air, the steam escaping through the lids and wafting down the street.
No longer needing to fry instant noodles, Shen Miao had returned to selling her signature breakfast item, “Xiaolong Mantou” (steamed buns).
Xiangjie, after a long break, had also resumed her “morning shift.” She loved “working,” and as the weather warmed, she no longer needed to be called.
She would get up on her own, dress, and brush her teeth with a small toothbrush dipped in tooth powder.
Shen Miao had specially bought her a child-sized toothbrush from a camel merchant.
It was made with softer horsehair bristles, much more expensive than regular toothbrushes, but Xiangjie found it much more comfortable, as it didn’t irritate her gums like the larger ones did.
After getting herself ready, Xiangjie eagerly climbed onto a high stool, holding a giant egg pancake Shen Miao had made for her, and began calling out to customers.
Jie Ge, after finishing his egg pancake, came over to help his sister with the accounts and wrapping the oil paper packages.
Now that the chores of fetching water and chopping wood were taken care of by Youyu, he had more time to focus on these tasks.
Especially since the Imperial Academy had posted the results, he had given himself a day off last night, not reading a single page and going to bed early.
Today, he woke up refreshed and in high spirits, so much so that even Xiangjie remarked,
“Brother’s smile is reaching his ears.”
Jie Ge brushed off the comment, but the joy in his heart was like waves washing over him.
There was no helping it.
Yesterday, he had suddenly received the good news, and his emotions had been a mix of excitement and complexity.
He had to restrain himself from showing too much pride in front of others.
Now, after a day had passed, all the noise and distractions had faded away, leaving only pure happiness.
Shen Miao returned to the shop and noticed that among the early customers were Old Bai and Dr. Yao.
She smiled and asked, “The usual?”
Old Bai nodded, “Two bowls of fried sauce noodles, please.”
Dr. Yao, however, thought for a moment and changed his order,
“Today, I’ll have the lamb noodles.”
He had tried all the noodle dishes on the menu and had taken a liking to the steamed noodles, eating them for several days in a row.
But yesterday, after receiving his salary, Dr. Yao decided to try something new today.
Shen Miao’s noodle dishes were all excellent, so the lamb noodles were sure to be delicious.
The only downside was that her shop had a limited variety.
Even if he ordered everything on the menu, he would have tried it all in a few days.
“Just like usual, I’ll have another portion later to take away,” Dr. Yao said, handing over his bowl.
Nowadays, whenever he went out to eat noodles, he always brought an extra bowl so he could take a portion home for Ruyi.
Shen Miao smiled and took the bowl.
Some of the other customers ordered lamb soup with steamed buns, while others wanted dumpling soup.
Shen Miao asked Jie Ge to bring in two steamers of buns while she hurried to the kitchen,
“Alright, coming right up. Please take a seat, everyone.”
The lamb soup and dumpling soup were already prepared.
Shen Miao served them first and then started making the fried sauce noodles and lamb noodles.
Since the broth and fried sauce were also ready, these dishes were quickly prepared and served.
After that, more people came in for soup.
Madam Ning, who often acted as a matchmaker, would come by every few days to have the lamb soup.
She praised Shen Miao’s lamb soup endlessly, always finding new ways to compliment it.
Her eloquence as a matchmaker was evident, and her words almost made Shen Miao feel like she was floating on air.
Especially when Niu Dachuf’s Hengshan lamb shop occasionally ran out of stock, Shen Miao would switch to using Yanchi lamb for the soup.
Madam Ning could immediately tell the difference, clearly a connoisseur of lamb.
The kitchen was filled with steam, like a cloud.
After the busy breakfast rush, Nian Auntie arrived on time with Youyu to start work.
The two of them had set out from home before dawn, walking from the outer city to the inner city, a commute that took nearly an hour and a half.
Shen Miao had wanted to give Nian Auntie a few extra coins each day so she could take the earliest bus, sparing them the long journey.
But Nian Auntie shook her head, “I want her to walk.”
Nian Auntie sighed, “The bus stops along the way to pick up passengers, going around in circles. If she accidentally misses it, she might get lost, especially if she can’t remember the way. If she encounters a kidnapper, it would be a disaster.”
“Shen Miao, I know you’re kind and generous, but… this is our fate.”
She lowered her head and wiped her tears with a handkerchief,
“I’m an old woman who gave birth late in life. I don’t know how many more times I can take her on this journey. While I’m still here, I’ll walk her through it again and again. One day, she’ll remember the way, and even if I fall ill or pass away, she’ll be able to walk it alone without getting lost.”
Shen Miao felt a pang of sadness and quickly said,
“Don’t talk like that. Youyu can’t lose her mother. You must take good care of yourself.”
Nian Auntie wiped her tears and smiled simply,
“Yes, I’m just preparing for the worst. I still want to save up for a small room for Youyu, even if it’s just a tiny one in the southern slums. As long as she can live on her own and take care of herself without relying on her brother and sister-in-law, I’ll be at peace. If I can see that day, I’d be willing to close my eyes immediately.”
“Don’t say such unlucky things. Spit it out.”
Nian Auntie laughed and let Youyu enter the shop, then bid farewell to go to work.
As she was leaving, Shen Miao quickly packed two egg pancakes for her and handed her a jar of date soup,
“I made too much today. It’ll go to waste if left here. Take it and eat it.”
Nian Auntie was taken aback and tried to refuse twice, but Shen Miao’s insistence was too strong.
She ended up accepting it with a thousand thanks.
Shen Miao sighed as she watched Nian Auntie tuck the egg pancakes into her clothes and hurry away.
Once, Nian Auntie hadn’t come to pick up Youyu all night.
Shen Miao had let Youyu sleep with Xiangjie.
Later, from Youyu’s stammering and unclear explanation, Shen Miao learned that Nian Auntie had also taken on a job, sewing and washing costumes for performers or women in the brothels behind Pearl Lane.
That day, she hadn’t come because she had fainted from hunger in the back alley of the brothel, a place frequented by all sorts of people.
No one had paid her any attention, and a thief had even stolen the money she had earned that day.
She had lain on the ground all night until the next morning when the madam saw her and, thinking she was dead, called two soldiers to throw her onto a cart and take her to the mass graves outside the city to be buried.
But when they threw her onto the cart, her head hit the wooden board hard, waking her up.
After waking up, she didn’t go to treat her injuries but instead stumbled to Shen’s shop.
Seeing Youyu with a healthy glow, pouring water into the vat, she finally relaxed.
Shen Miao took the opportunity to ask her in detail, and Nian Auntie reluctantly admitted that she earned about seventy to eighty coins a day by sewing and washing clothes for others.
For those seventy to eighty coins, she couldn’t even afford lunch, eating half a dry cake at home in the morning that was so hard it could choke her, and then having a bowl of coarse rice porridge at night.
When she was hungry during the day, she only drank cold water to fill her stomach, living day by day like this.
Half of the money she earned went to support the family, and the other half was secretly saved for Youyu, as a “house fund” for her future.
“Shen Miao, please don’t tell anyone. My husband, son, and daughter-in-law don’t know about this,” Nian Auntie said nervously,
“They don’t know I’m saving money for Youyu. I lied to them, saying that living in the inner city is expensive, and I can only earn thirty to forty coins a day.”
After hearing this, Shen Miao promised not to tell anyone but didn’t say anything else.
From then on, whenever she made breakfast for the family, she would not only make a portion for Youyu but also for Nian Auntie, making enough for two meals so that Nian Auntie could have half in the morning and the rest at noon.
Things like egg pancakes, though not as tasty when cold, didn’t harden and were still nutritious and filling.
The date soup was sweet, helping to raise blood sugar and provide energy, preventing her from fainting again.
Youyu, carrying a patched-up cloth bag, came in with a silly smile.
As soon as she entered, she clumsily rolled up her sleeves, ready to start working.
She was already familiar with the layout of Shen’s house and had developed her own routine: first, she would wash the dishes because customers could suddenly appear at any moment, and clean dishes were essential.
After washing the dishes, she would chop firewood and stack it neatly.
Then, she would carry a shoulder pole to fetch water, making four or five trips, which would take up most of the morning.
During the quieter midday, she could nap with Leiting on the back porch.
In the afternoon, she would accompany Xiangjie to play around the neighborhood, acting like the king of the mountain in the alley, playing until her back was soaked with sweat.
In the late afternoon, she would fetch water twice more, and then, when the night market opened, she would truly get busy.
At that time, she would stand firmly by the stove like a rock, tirelessly tending the fire for Shen Miao, or washing dishes in between.
Tending the fire, washing dishes, tending the fire, washing dishes.
When the sky darkened and the shop emptied, her mother would come to pick her up.
Throughout the day, Youyu’s happiest moments were during meals.
Every meal was delicious, and every meal was filling.
Now, besides her mother, her favorite people were Shen Miao, Xiangjie, and Leiting.
Jie Ge didn’t talk much and sometimes pinched Xiangjie’s ears, which was scary.
And the little yellow dog always followed the chickens, licking their droppings, which was gross.
Shen Miao didn’t know that in Youyu’s simple mind, she had already taken in every detail of the Shen household.
When she saw Youyu arrive, she casually picked up a clean cloth from the kitchen and wiped the fine layer of dust from Youyu’s face after her long walk.
Then, she called her over to eat the egg pancake,
“Eat first, then wash the dishes. No rush.”
She ushered her to sit on the porch to eat.
The cool morning breeze of early summer blew through, refreshing the heart.
Youyu ate with her feet swinging, and suddenly, she caught a whiff of the rich aroma of the marinade wafting from the kitchen, filling her nose with an irresistible fragrance.
In fact, she had already smelled it earlier, but between wiping her face and being ushered out, her mind hadn’t had time to process it before she found herself sitting on the porch.
Curious, she stood up and ran to take a look.
In the corner, there was a large clay pot filled with marinated pig’s head, large chunks of pork belly, and trotters… Shen Miao had spent the night slowly simmering them over a very low heat.
The dark, glossy marinade enveloped the ingredients and various spices, and even without lifting the lid, the aroma had already spread from the kitchen to the front of the shop.
It was just after the morning market had ended, an awkward time when the shop should have been quiet.
But the aroma of the marinade had wafted into the street, enticing many passersby to stop and ask:
“Shopkeeper, this marinated meat smells amazing! What do you have? How much is it? I can’t resist, cut me a piece to try while it’s hot!”
Shen Miao had just set up a table by the counter and placed the clay pot on it when customers started coming in.
The term “xün ròu” refers to meat that has been cooked for a long time, essentially what we now call marinated meat.
Marinated meat wasn’t uncommon in the Song Dynasty, and many shops in Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng) with signs advertising did brisk business.
When Shen Miao bought the pig’s head, she had also inquired about the market and tasted some from other shops, getting a rough idea of the competition before starting her own.
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