Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 13 Falling Into The Same Pit

Lin Yan had just returned home at the sound of the evening bell. As soon as he entered the door, he was informed that his grandmother was unwell.

"Elder Madam had complained about her stomach feeling out of sorts since half an hour ago. We have already sent someone to invite a doctor." Housekeeper Zhou reported.

"What did grandmother eat?" Lin Yan asked as he walked quickly to his grandmother's yard.

"According to Elder Madam's maid, for dinner, she ate a Sharpened Mutton Jade bought from an eatery outside, drank half a bowl of nymphoides soup, and then had a few pieces of raw fish."

Lin Yan frowned and nodded.

Looking at their Master's expression, Housekeeper Zhou helped to explain, "Shen Indelible Eatery is a new snack bar that just opened recently, their pointed steam buns are rather famous. Since Elder Madam’s appetite hasn’t been too good, the chef bought some for her to try."

The Elder Madam had always been gluttonous, and would sometimes complain about the repetitive meals served at home. In order to appease her, the cook occasionally went outside to buy some fresh-new foods for her to eat. Master knew that servants were only doing this to make the Elder Madam happy, seeing that they were still cautious, he turned a blind eye to this matter. Now that she had gotten an upset stomach, it’s hard to tell if the pointed steam bun was to blame.

When they arrived at her courtyard, there was a maid waiting outside the doors. She whispered to Lin Yan, "Elder Madam vomited once and also used the lavatory once, and is now no longer complaining."

Lin Yan entered her room and saw his grandmother feebly lying on the bed with a thin blanket over her belly.

"Don't worry, I feel better now." Elder Madam Jiang smiled.

Elder Madam was in good spirits lately and was able to recognize her grandson.

Lin Yan took two quick steps forward, sat at the edge of his grandmother’s bed, and put two fingers on her wrist to feel her pulse.

Everyone waited quietly for his diagnosis.

"It’s nothing major. It may be due to the hot weather, grandmother just hasn’t been digesting well, and felt uncomfortable after eating greasy food." Lin Yan let go of his grandmother's wrist, felt her forehead, and said warmly.

"A’Su said that the problem might be the pointed steam buns, but I thought it was fine. The outer skin was white and fluffy, stuffing was also very good. Along with the pig meat, they also added minced bamboo shoots; there’s also soup inside, it’s extremely very tasty."

Although his grandmother was already in this state, her mind was still filled with the thoughts of food. Seeing this, Lin Yan was torn between laughter and tears. "You can continue to eat it when the weather cools down, and also when your digestion is a little better."

While talking, a servant came in to inform them that the doctor came. Lin Yan went out to receive him and the doctor hurriedly cupped his hands to salute.

Lin Yan politely reciprocated the gesture and personally then led him to his grandmother's bed.

After examining the pulse on both hands and getting a detailed explanation of the Elder Madam’s symptoms from her maid, the doctor said, "Elder Madam is advancing in age so her digestive system is also growing weaker. Her current condition is due to eating an abundance of greasy food at night. It’s best if she is prescribed two doses of medication for improving her digestive tract and replenishing qi. They just need to be brewed and consumed while still warm. After a few days of eating lighter food, she should be fine."

Lin Yan thanked the doctor and asked the housekeeper to send him out. He then read the dosage on the prescription, seeing that it was mild and suitable for the elderly, he sent a servant to the pharmacy to purchase the medicine.

It wasn’t until late at night did the elderly take her medicine and fell asleep. Lin Yan stayed and watched her for a while before falling asleep in the room outside his grandmother’s bedroom. When he got up early the next day to attend imperial court, Elder Madam Liang was still sleeping. He lightly went to feel her pulse, and was relieved to find out she was much better.

Lin Yan went to his own courtyard to wash up, admonished the relevant cooks and servants, and finished two pending housework. As he hadn’t slept much last night, Lin Yan did not feel very hungry, and only drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and ate a single cooked chicken kidney before leaving. By the time he returned, the sun had already set.

He went to check on his grandma first. The elderly had recovered significantly. After eating, she played leaf cards[1] with her servants and maids. Lin Yan was reassured at the sight of his healthy-looking grandmother. He gave them a couple gentle lectures and went back to his courtyard, changed out of his official uniform, and washed up.

"Master, have you eaten dinner yet? The kitchen is still preparing, we have some high quality mutton and duck tonight." A maid asked with a smile.

There was a palace banquet at noon and Lin Yan had consumed a copious amount of wine. The dishes in the imperial palace were heavy in oil, salt, and sugar; his stomach still felt uncomfortable. Lin Yan waved his hand, "No need, I’m going out for a stroll."

After dismissing the servants who wanted to accompany him, Lin Yan walked out of the house alone, with a wallet at hand.

Walking slowly along the road of the Lane, the sound of chirping cicadas filled his ears. There weren’t many pedestrians on the street, with the occasional few people outside, enjoying the cool air. Along the way, Lin Yang also saw a drunk man coming out of a restaurant, staggering home with the help of his servants.

After walking a few steps forward, Lin Yan saw a lantern inscribed with ‘Shen Indelible’ swaying in the light night breeze.

This ‘Shen Indelible’ is presumably where the problematic pointed steam buns had been bought from. Lin Yan suddenly thought of the maid selling crepes at the gate of the Lane. She hadn’t been present at her usual spot for a while now, had she given up and gone back to Luoyang? Could it be...

Lin Yan stepped into Shen Indelible Eatery.

Although there was no one currently in the store, there was a bowl of glistening hot rice porridge on the counter, a plate of sliced salted duck eggs, a plate of lightly sauteed shredded lettuce, and a plate of fermented bamboo shoots with minced meat. It looked fresh off the stove, ready for the guests to enjoy.

Looking at such simple and ordinary home-cooked dishes, Lin Yan felt his appetite suddenly return.

There was a big water tank behind the shop, Shen Shaoguang and A’Yuan scooped up water to clean their hands and face after another busy day. A’Yuan took the basin of used water outside to drain and cleaned up the basin and soap beans[2]. Shen Shaoguang had a cloth towel over her shoulders, water still dripping from the hair on her temples. After walking into the store from the back door, she quickly noticed Deputy Magistrate Lin under the dim lights.

"Welcome, what would you like to have, Sir? We currently have freshly steamed glutinous rice with candied jujube zongzi or savory egg yolk zongzi." All of the steamed buns had been sold out, but the zongzi that would be sold tomorrow morning have already been steamed. The glutinous rice had a long shelf life, Shen Shaoguang always started the cooking process the night before, and allowed it to shimmer until the next day. This way, the glutinous rice would be softer and sweeter. The zongzi were fully cooked, so it was alright to serve a few now.

"Just this is fine." Lin Yan stated as he pointed to the porridge and side dishes on the counter. He then found a clean table to sit at.

"..." Shen Shaoguang fell silent. She didn't want to offend the Deputy Magistrate, so she took a small bowl and scooped out half of the rice porridge. As for the side dishes, since they would be difficult to split, she directly gave it all to Lin Yan. Thankfully there were still more salted eggs, Shen Shaoguang peeled and cut two more.

Lin Yan took a spoon and slowly stirred the porridge, it had gorgon fruits, lotus seeds, and a faint fragrance of lotus leaves.

When A’Yuan came back, she found that her food had grown wings and flew away. She couldn't help but pout, but since it was a guest, she was rendered helpless. Shen Shaoguang patted her hand. Knowing that the remaining dishes would not fill A’Yuan up, she went back into the kitchen and brought two zongzi over.

The shredded lettuce was lightly sauteed with vinegar and sesame oil, every bite was very refreshing; the diced bamboo shoots were pungent and salted, which paired perfectly with the porridge. The salted egg was also well brined, the yolk was oily, but was not too salty, and it had a light grainy taste. Before he knew it, Lin Yan ate the whole bowl of porridge, and ate most of the side dishes. The only thing he hadn’t finished was the salted egg, which he had four of the eight pieces.

With a full stomach, Lin Yan's overall condition also seemed to have improved. The government repository affairs that had bothered him all day no longer weighed on his mind. Knowing this, he could not help but ridicule himself– he and his grandmother were truly relatives, so much so he had even fallen in the same pit she did.

Lin Yan stood up with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth. He left a piece of silver and said to Shen Shaoguang, "Thank you for your hospitality."

In the flicking light, his smile just now felt a bit like the breeze coming from the lotus pond on a moonlit night. Shen Shaoguang was momentarily stunned, after a moment she then laminated– Sure enough, a beautiful person can only be viewed under the night light[3]. Although Deputy Magistrate Lin was also good-looking during the day, he looked aloof and intractable; nothing like that charming demeanor just now.

When Lin Yan went out, Shen Shaoguang held the piece of silver and weighed it in her hands. It was about two taels[4]. Mister handsome wasn’t just a looker, he’s also quite tactful!

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Footnotes:

[1] leaf cards - First known card game ever created. During the Tang Dynasty. Most believed that it was known as a ‘leaf game’ because cards are as thin and small as leaves. You can read more here - https://www.parlettgames.uk/histocs/leafgame.html 

[2] soap beans - otherwise known as Gleditsia sinensis or Chinese honeylocust is a versatile Chinese medicine, with a history of use dating back at least 2,000 years as a detergent. The thorns of Gleditsia sinensis have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including swelling, suppuration, carbuncle, and skin diseases, and may have antitumor properties. Moreover, the pod of this versatile plant is used as a soap substitute. The seed is edible, while the young leaves can be cooked.

[3] A beautiful person can only be viewed under the night light - comes from the saying '灯下看君子，月下看美人' which translated to 'Handsome man under the lamp, Beautiful woman under the moon'. It just means that in the haze, when you can't see clearly, a person who is not that good looking will become very pleasing to the eye.

[4] Tael- I forgot to make a footnote of this earlier. One tael is a unit of weight equal to 50 grams. And to reiterate– 1 tael of silver is equal to 1000 wen coins.