Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 26 Two Late Visitors

Shen Shaoguang asked Liu Feng to sit by a small table, while she sat opposite him, and asked A’Yuan to serve buttermilk.

As soon as Liu Feng glanced at Shen Shaoguang, his face flushed red, so he quickly turned to stare at the wood polish on the table. "Is there something Miss would like to say to me?"

"Sir, do you know about my life experience?" Shen Shaoguang mildly asked.

"I’ve heard a bit from Master Jing Qing of Guangming Nunnery."

Shen Shaoguang nodded, and could visualize what Jing Qing had said— 

"A noble lady from the Shen Clan in Luoyang" 

"Although her family is in decline and is forced to personally sustain herself, Benefactor Shen is well versed in poetry and classics, and has extensive knowledge..." 

"Worthy of good virtue and noble character," "temperate and gentle," and other compliments could have been said without hesitation. 

Jing Qing was a kindhearted individual, she must have believed it would be a lucky chance if Shen Shaoguang could end up with a gentleman such as Liu Feng. This way, it would free her from the toils of the streets, and therefore, she must have put in countless good words for her.

"I’m only temporarily staying in Guangming Nunnery. There are some things that Master Jing Qing isn’t aware of." Shen Shaoguang explained to him with a faint smile.

"I was born into the Shen Clan of Luoyang, and was released from the Lateral Courts in the imperial palace this spring."

Liu Feng raised his head abruptly. The daughters of aristocratic families were usually sent to the imperial palace as concubines; they seldom became palace maids, unless their family members had committed a crime and were forced into the Lateral Courts. Since Miss Shen was dismissed, this obviously meant she would not be an imperial concubine, so she could only be...

Shen Shaoguang could tell Liu Feng understood her words. Since he had sincerely proposed to her, she had to return this favor; it would be rather impolite of her to leave him with the enmity of ‘discriminating against the poor’ or ‘reaping the consequences of one's words’. Therefore, Shen Shaoguang had already prepared an excuse for rejecting his marriage proposal, "I’m currently not looking to settle down. I just want to pursue my dreams, earn money to support myself, buy a house in the color of cream… And cook countless poultry with stealth..." As she got to the end, Shen Shaoguang could not help herself and bursted into laughter.

Liu Feng also smiled slightly.

"It was I who acted irreverently." After a moment of silence, Liu Feng stood up and cupped his hands towards Shen Shaoguang.

Shen Shaoguang also stood up, solemnly reciprocated the ceremony, and replied with a smile, "It's my honor."

Liu Feng licked his lips, with words lingering at the tip of his tongue. In the end, he remained silent and walked out with his head down.

Unexpectedly, he bumped into his superior, Deputy Magistrate Lin at the door. Was he here for dinner?

Liu Feng saluted to Lin Yan.

Lin Yan nodded and walked into the eatery.

"Welcome! What would you like to order, Sir? How about a bowl of chicken bótuō noodle soup with a side of some cowcumber salad and chicken kidneys sauteed in prawn paste?"

"Okay."

After faintly hearing the name of the dish reported by Miss Shen and the concise and comprehensive reply from his superior, Liu Feng quickly dismissed his suspicions. Miss Shen and Deputy Magistrate Lin… were impossible.

Liu Feng guessed that Deputy Magistrate Lin was probably tortured by Duke Zhang from the Court of State Ceremonial[1] until night. After finally being released in the late hours of night, Deputy Magistrate Lin must be visiting to have a quick meal to ease his stomach.

Recently, the diplomats from the vassal states had made an appearance at the imperial court. Although the Court of State Ceremonial was mainly in charge of receiving them, the capital city needed to cooperate in many matters; and the person in charge of the capital was Deputy Magistrate Lin.

Thus the two departments often come in contact with one another. 

Liu Feng had some understanding of this high ranking official from the Court of State Ceremonial. The word ‘meticulous’ would be an understatement for Duke Zhang; even the matter of the horse-drawn carriages had to be “discussed further.” What followed— "The <Book of Rites> states… During the Han Dynasty… When the second Emperor of this dynasty...During the reign of Emperor Gaozong...When Emperor Xuanzong was ruling..."

What a headache.

This afternoon, Liu Feng went to find Deputy Magistrate Lin to approve an official correspondence. However he could not find him because Deputy Magistrate Lin was said to have gone to the Court of State Ceremonial... Liu Feng felt a little sympathetic to this young boss. The people of distinguished official positions also had their troubles...

…

Shen Shaoguang was a little helpless. Why does this person always come to eat at this hour? Everything is sold out, okay?

She could only make do with what was left. There was no more Earthen Jug Chicken, what remained was a bit of chicken broth. Shen Shaoguang quickly kneaded some noodles, put in some vegetables, and cooked a bowl of chicken bótuō noodle soup. She then grabbed a cucumber, peeled it, and smashed it into pieces. It was then mixed with sliced garlic, soy essence, and sesame oil as a cold dressing. Lastly, she took out a couple chicken kidneys, a handful of garlic chives, a spoonful of shrimp paste, and stir-fried it all in a pan. They were all quick dishes, and could be finished in a short while.

The sound of the knife on the chopping board and the sizzle of the frying pan…  Although the store had been remodeled and the kitchen was no longer visible, the sound was engrossed with life.

Lin Yan turned his head and looked at a certain painting on the wall; the inked mountain a faint, besides a long passing stream, was a thatched cottage with incomplete beams. There was a hanging banner beside the door, and a boy was sitting underneath the banner, peeling a lotus seed head. There were no colors used in this painting, only ink and wash was used to outline and shade. The art was nothing to marvel at, but it had a sense of erudite and serenity. Although it wasn’t inscribed, signed, or stamped with a seal, Lin Yan could tell the owner of the eatery painted it herself.

Lin Yan suddenly recalled what happened at the gate of the imperial palace that day.

That day there was a court meeting, discussing various measures to combat the drought. After the session was concluded, and in the passing, he went to Anfu Gate[2] to have a look. Although the matter of dismissing the palace maids was trivial, it was a good political move to combat the drought, it was imperative that nothing goes wrong. 

From a distance, he could see a smiling young lady amongst a group of crying old maids.

The current sovereign was not yet in his thirties, and had yet conferred anyone as his Empress. He also didn’t have many high-ranking imperial concubines either. It could be said they were all people of the palace...

Regardless, the lively enthusiasm after she had freed herself from the shackles. What did she say it was? "Due to illness"... 

It was clear as day that she was not originally on the list of dismissed maids, but rather she had made up her mind to beseech herself. To make this happen, she must have used quite a bit of her wealth. 

At that time, infected by her energy and enthusiasm, his heart fell into a momentary trace, and he let her go.

After she was extricated, she continued to live with passion, with the ‘thriving spirit’ that is rarely seen among the high-born. Similar to the sprouts that emerge in spring, piquing the curiosity of others, wondering just how much it could grow.

Now that she had left the palace, the first thing she did was sell food in a small eatery. Was such a thing fascinating or interesting? Lin Yan glanced around the humble room, and then took another look at the painting. To a degree.

Perhaps all of the high ranking officials in court had a dream of being a hermit, just as how everyone outside of the political office had a dream of authority. Lin Yan was indeed moved by the image of living in seclusion as depicted in the painting, but for a young lady of the Shen Clan... Recalling Court Scribe Liu's dispirited look just now, and the fact that he would rather be hungry than to go without Miss Shen's crepes before– Could it be that...

Lin Yan frowned suddenly. Why was he thinking about such irrelevant things? Back during his childhood, just the appearance of a moth could entice a whole saga in his mind. Had he not rid himself of this bad habit? 

He soon turned to focus on the diplomatic mission at hand.

Shen Shaoguang brought the sides and bótuō noodles using a tray and placed them on the table. Shen Shaoguang discovered a particular detail about this Deputy Magistrate Lin– he never sat in front of those long tables, most probably because he didn't like ‘facing the wall’...

"Please enjoy."

Lin Yan nodded as a thanks.

A’Yuan brought in the cleaned cups, plates and chopsticks from the back. Shen Shaoguang was almost done tidying up the kitchen, so she asked A’Yuan to go back with the hot water for their bath and that she would lock the door by herself.

"I'll wait for you, Miss."

Shen Shaoguang replied softly, "You go first. There are still many people on the street outside, it's okay." The young girl looked quite tired during the day; she must not have gotten enough sleep, so she wanted to let her go back to wash and sleep early.

A’Yuan stubbornly shook her head. Seeing that there was no more work left, she went to sit on the steps outside the store, and patiently waited for Shen Shaoguang.

Shen Shaoguang helplessly smiled.

Shen Shaoguang stood behind the counter, resting her chin on her hand, and began to think about the matter regarding Liu Feng.

How could there be so many who fall in love at first sight and refuse to marry unless it was the one they decided on? As normal civilians, everyone should be doing normal things. Notherthless, she had crossed over without having a boyfriend or getting married during her previous life. It seems she was fated to remain single during this lifetime as well; no wonder she’s living at a nunnery. 

Once she grew old and lonesome—Shen Shaoguang imagined herself living in a grand courtyard mansion, surrounded by servants and maids. Watching the snow in winter, eating melons in summer, and finding someone who can read to narrate the legendary stories of the past... seemed pretty good!

So, let’s make money first!

After Lin Yan finished his meal, he turned his head and saw Shen Shaoguang's serene expression. "Proprietress—"

"I’m here! Have you enjoyed your meal?" Shen Shaoguang quickly put on her polite and hospitable smile.

Lin Yan nodded.

"That’ll be one hundred wen, Sir." Of the total, twenty wen was the cost while the rest was labor and overtime charge. This was the price she had charged several times; this man always came during off hours and needed her to use whatever she had remaining into a special stir-fry. Hence this was not considered a rip-off even if she charged a little more.

Lin Yan took out a small piece of silver from his wallet, placed it on the table, and then walked out.

He left behind two taels again.

Feeling that she was one step closer to the landlady's life, Shen Shaoguang inwardly rejoiced.

After washing the dishes, blowing out the lights, and locking the door, Shen Shaoguang went out to pat A’Yuan awake, "Let's go, you can continue sleeping when we get back!"

.

.

.

The author has something to say:

Later, Deputy Magistrate Lin regretted: If only I could go back in time and give myself a beating! His stubbornness at that time was the very reason why his wife wouldn’t let him sleep with her on the bed now.

Shen Shaoguang coldly smiled: Oh, how could they be relevant?

—

Footnotes:

[1] Court of State Ceremonial (鸿胪寺 / 鴻臚寺) - was the name of a official institution in ancient china. It was one of the Nine Courts, and was in charge of foreign guests and the ceremonial protocol of the imperial court.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Courts 

[2] Anfu Gate (安福门) This is one of the gates of the Imperial Palace in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. It's on the west side of the Imperial Palace, with the gates facing north. Basically this was where the first chapter took place; where the palace maids were dismissed.