Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 23 Mooncakes Stuffed with Mixed Nuts

Housekeeper Zhou knocked on the door of the eatery.

Shen Shaoguang looked up and saw a middle-aged man around fifty years old with a kind appearance. Behind him were two younger servants. Shen Shaoguang greeted him with a smile, "Welcome Sir. Are you here to order wine or take out?"

Housekeeper Zhou smiled and replied, "Miss, my master wants to order some pastries for the Mid-Autumn Festival[1]."

…

Shen Shaoguang had been recently immersing herself in creating new dishes and remodeling her store, so she hadn’t realized that it was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. She had made a killing selling her floral cakes on the Double Seventh, so Shen Shaoguang naturally would not miss the opportunity to sell mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Truth be told, the name ‘mooncake’ had yet to exist during this era. On the fifteenth of the eighth lunar month, the people of the Tang Dynasty still reunited with their families, admired the moon at night, drank wine, and composed poems, but the Mid-Autumn Festival had not yet developed into a ‘mooncake festival’. As for when mooncakes got their name and when they became a custom of every family, such a question was something Shen Shaoguang didn't know the answer to.

Shen Shaoguang was lost in nostalgia, and started reminiscing about the different styles of mooncakes. She decided to base her mooncakes on what was most notable in her past life. The outer layer was either a thin layer of baked sweet dough or pre-cooked glutinous rice flour made into a snowy skin. The mooncake fillings were either sweetened bean paste, jujube paste, osmanthus, black sesame, salted egg yolk, and lastly mixed-nut, the filling that was assiduously hated by the netizens in the modern web.

Shen Shaoguang had never liked the mixed-nut filling back when she was a child. She especially despised the green red julienne mixed-nut mooncakes and believed that their great ancestors made this thing just to prevent children from enjoying the holiday. It was truly an evil dish, darker than the night of a new moon.

This idea stayed with her until junior high school, when Shen Shaoguang ate mixed-nut mooncakes made by one of her classmates. Goodness, it wasn’t that the mixed-nuts weren’t good tasting, it was because she hadn't eaten any deliciously made ones! The sweetness of the filling was moderate, and the minced pine nuts, walnuts, and peanuts were crunchy and fragrant. There was no greediness, didn't choke the throat, didn't smell like oil, and most importantly, they didn't contain green red julienne.

Later, when she read <Dream of the Red Chamber[2]>, and saw it mentioning a mooncake containing ‘melon kernel oil and pine nut’, Shen Shaoguang guessed that it was probably a mixed-nut mooncake made according to the imperial kitchen’s recipe. Grandmother Jia[3], who had enjoyed riches and honor all her life, did not dislike it, so it should be delicious… Moreover, this recipe didn’t seem to call for any green red julienne.

And a little later after that, when she saw it in the listing of good foods by the legendary foodie Yuan Mei, Shen Shaoguang completely lost her dislike for mixed-nut mooncakes. She even wished to have sampled the imperial mooncake.

Since she didn't have the chance to make it in her previous life, Shen Shaoguang was ready to do so now.

Truthfully, mixed-nut filling should be rather easy to make. Shen Shaoguang analyzed that the mixed-nut mooncakes eaten in her previous life were not delicious mainly because the fillings were meticulously prepared, or even just not fresh. Especially some that had been put on sale for several days, how could she not lose her appetite?

Hence Shen Shaoguang paid special attention to the selection of ingredients. She went to a dried fruits and nuts store in the West Market and picked out the best pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, and chestnuts. She then asked the attendant to ground everything into fine powder to simplify the cooking process. When she got back, Shen Shaoguang added sugar and lard to the mixture and then wrapped it into a dough, stamped the top using a mold, and baked it in the oven. After it was completed, she tasted a piece and thought it was not bad. However to call it ‘to die for’ would be an overstatement.

When she changed the outer wrapping to snowy skin, the same filling’s texture and flavor unexpectedly became much more complex! Was this what Yuan Mei called ‘sweet but not greasy, chewy but not sluggishly so’? It must be this, right? Right?

Shen Shaoguang was ultimately satisfied with her mixed-nuts as well as the other fillings, and was wholeheartedly determined to make another big profit from these mooncakes. Due to her successful Seventh Double Cakes, many repeat customers had arrived to place their orders before Shen Shaoguang even put up her latest advertisement.

…

Shen Shaoguang wasn’t aware which Residence Housekeeper Zhou was a servant of, so she just asked with a smile, "How many are you looking to order, sir? Do you have a specific preference?" She pointed to the samples and introduced various flavors, colors, and prints; due to the large variety of choices, the combinations were endless.

Housekeeper Zhou hadn’t done a small errand like this in a long while, moreover, he hadn’t expected such a small shop to have so many options for pastries. Providentially, Housekeeper Zhou was an experienced servant, so after a short contemplation, he replied with a smile, “Other than the sets for our Residence’s personal use, we’ll take the 'Splendid Reunion Box' for the rest. Preferably all of them to be using the baked skin, else it couldn’t be good if they break before the gifts are sent out. As for the ones for our Residence..."

Housekeeper Zhou pondered for a while. "It’s better to have them all wrapped in this soft snowy skin. A box of every stuffing you have available. Our Elder Madam has chewing difficulties and likes to eat softer foods. There’s no preference for the patterns, our Master doesn't pay much attention to them."

Shen Shaoguang nodded. This servant had put a lot of emphasis on their elder madam when purchasing, it seemed that the head of this residence was filial and easy to talk to. However, since this was for a holiday... Shen Shaoguang still suggested, "Our store also released a new set of Inscribed Mooncakes. It is specially made to cater to the Mid-Autumn banquets hosted by wealthy families, maybe your Master and his Madam would also like it?"

"There is a classic poem on each piece of cake, and on the back is a lottery-like divination. It's just a game, and it will entertain everyone at the banquet." Shen Shaoguang flipped a piece and showed it to him. 

As a capable aristocratic family’s servant, Housekeeper Zhou was well versed and well read. After some questioning, he quickly deduced that all of the ‘divinations’ were auspicious and propitious, so he couldn’t help but laugh. "This is interesting, we’ll also take a set of these." Their master was usually insipid and indifferent, unlike the usual temperament of people his age. This may allow him to have some fun.

Shen Shaoguang happily added another box to the order. The next blank was to be filled with the client's name, so she asked, "Excuse me, sir, may I ask for your Master’s appellation?"

"It is for Deputy Magistrate Lin’s Residence."

Shen Shaoguang raised her eyebrows, smiled, and lowered her head to jot down. "Okay."

Housekeeper Zhou was unsure why their Master wanted to specifically order the cakes from this shop. He presumed it was because their foods were delicious, and even their Sharpened Mutton Jade was ceaselessly praised by their Elder Madam– even though it had upset her stomach that time.

When he returned, Housekeeper Zhou went to the study to report to his Master.

Lin Yan nodded, thanked him for his hard work, and said nothing more.

Housekeeper Zhou obediently withdrew but Liu Chang, the chamberlain who stood behind Lin Yan, fell deep in thought.

Liu Chang accompanied their Master on almost every outing. He believed that their Master acted differently towards the proprietress of Shen Indelible. If anything, it was particularly strange when their Master had asked him to go to Lane Gate to buy multiple of her crepes back then. And after making the purchase, their Master didn’t even take a bite...

Moreover, two days ago, when their Master passed by Shen Indelible Eatery, he had asked him to buy Orchid Beans and Lion’s Head. Their Master rarely ate outside, so how did he know what that eatery sold?

By sheer coincidence, Liu Chang witnessed the proprietress ‘outsmarting the rogue’, and went out to report to their Master. Their Master immediately ordered him to call the Lane Guards while leaving him to wait in his carriage alone by the roadside. Why go so far for such a trivial matter?

After interrogating the two hooligans, the two soon confessed that they were hired by the Incoming Cloud Tavern. Incoming Cloud Traven was a business of the Vassal King, Prince of Zhao[4], so their Master asked Housekeeper Zhou to order Mid-Autumn cakes at Shen Indelible Eatery with great fanfare...

Liu Chang felt there was something weird about this matter! Something is definitely off!

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Footnotes:

[1] Mid-Autumn Festival - The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture; its popularity is on par with that of Chinese New Year. It’s on the 15th of the 8th lunar month.

[2] Dream of the Red Chamber - is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for its psychological scope, and its observation of the worldview, aesthetics, life-styles, and social relations of 18th-century China.

[3] Grandmother Jia 贾母 - or née Shi, also called Dowager Shi, or simply the Dowager, is a major character in the 18th century Chinese novel ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. She is the daughter of Marquis Shi of Jinling. She is also Baoyu and Daiyu's grandmother and the oldest and most respected authority of the Jia Clan.

[4] Prince of Zhao - It’s the title of one of the Vassal Kings. In ancient times, China had a number of vassal states that paid tribute to the Chinese imperial court. Some examples include the Kingdom of Khotan, the Kingdom of Kucha, and the Kingdom of Yarkand, which were located in what is now Xinjiang province in western China. The Vassal King is the ruler of any of these given states. They are there to enforce and consolidate the Chinese's political power.