Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 89.1 Lin Yan's Housewarming Token 

The Winter Solstice was a major solar term, second only to the New Year, and is known as the ‘Lesser New Year(亚岁)’. Many rituals are similar to those of the New Year: the Emperor must go to the Circular Mound Altar in the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices to Heaven, hold a grand court session, host a great banquet, and receive homage from countless officials and diplomatic envoys. 

Now that Shen Shaoguang had spent more time outside the palace, met more people, and expanded her business, she could no longer celebrate as modestly as last year with just a small gathering over dumplings—though, of course, dumplings were still a must. Shen Shaoguang prepared gifts in advance— for Princess Imperial and the Shao Residence, a few of her larger suppliers, close neighbors, and, of course, Lin Residence.

What would be sent? It was nothing more than tea, wine, and pastries, along with Shen Indelible's own preserved game and cured meats. The gifts received in return were generally similar—staple goods with a touch of each family’s uniqueness. For example, the grain shop added several kinds of imperial rice while the seafood shop included a few softshell turtles and two baskets of very large crabs.

Princess Imperial of Fuhui took a more original approach. She sent Shen Shaoguang a small box of cosmetics, all items crafted within the imperial palace: face cream in a white jade container, lip rouge in jade-engraved ivory tube, and assam indigo powder (eyeliner) and facial powder in jewel and gold-inlaid box—a Tang Dynasty version of a luxury makeup gift set.

Inside the box was also a note:

"… Rouged lips red, face powdered with grace; 

Delight is found in the mirror’s embrace, 

No need to look towards the Tanhua’s face…"

"No need to look towards the Tanhua’s face…" Shen Shaoguang chuckled. Indeed, the Princess Imperial of Fuhui embodied the spirit of a woman dressing up solely for her own pleasure.

Shao Residence’s return gift included some common silk, muslin crafted from Suzhou, and two bolts of exquisitely patterned silk fabric—likely brought back on a grain transport from the south. The vibrant colors of the silks were well-suited for a young woman, reflecting the Shao Residence’s thoughtful nature.

The return gift from the Lin Residence was undoubtedly the most elegant and precious of all, but to call it unique… Shen Shaoguang suspected it was something arranged by their housekeeper.

Her intuition proved correct. After receiving the festive gift from Shen Indelible, Housekeeper Zhou presented the list of items to Lin Yan the very evening he returned.

With a knowing smile, Housekeeper Zhou inquired, "What do you think, Master? What should we send back in return?" As the steward of the residence, Housekeeper Zhou was well aware of his Master's intentions. However, the two families had not yet formalized an engagement, so it would be inappropriate to return the gift as if they were in-laws. The Shen Residence lacked elders, making it unsuitable to reciprocate based on official rank, and treating them as merely an ordinary merchant family wouldn’t be fitting either...

"Just prepare the highest quality gift in return," Lin Yan instructed.

Housekeeper Zhou complied, cupped his hands, and left the room.

While the Winter Solstice gifts were easily managed, Lin Yan found himself preoccupied with thoughts of what to present to her as a housewarming gift...

…

Time flew by, and before long, the Winter Solstice had arrived. Business was unfrequented and slow in the taverns, so Shen Shaoguang and Shao Jie decided to close the stores and take a three-day holiday; this way everyone could relax. Moreover, Shen Shaoguang could use this opportunity to move into her new house.

The relocation was simple for Shen Shaoguang. With plenty of hands to help, and with the new and old residences being in the same lane, the process was straightforward. There was only a limited amount of items that needed to be moved—if this were in the modern era, they wouldn't even need to hire a moving company; two taxis would have sufficed.

The rear courtyard of Shen Indelible Tavern, along with all its furniture, was left to Steward Chen Xing. Since he had a family, it would be convenient for him to live there. The unmarried young men—the waiters assigned to the Chongxian Lane tavern and the new ones still 'in training'—moved with her to the new house. With plenty of side courtyards, having more people around would bring more life.

With so many people in the residence, a housekeeper was needed to take charge, especially when Shen Shaoguang wasn't around. This role naturally fell to Princess Yu San, who, despite his somewhat unpleasant temperament, was reliable in his duties. In fact, he had been handling this responsibility all along—now it was just made official.

…

Two days ago, Shen Shaoguang requested Shao Jie to help purchase a few tall and strong guards for the courtyard. With them, the waiters, and Princess Yu San—who could wield a butcher knife with deadly precision—they had nothing to fear, even if ten or so thieves showed up.

Shao Jie insisted on gifting her a few maids as well, saying, "You'll need people to clean and maintain the place. Besides, when you go out, you should have a couple of maids with you—it's the propriety of a noble lady."

Shen Shaoguang laughed. "Am I lacking in propriety now?"

Shao Jie hesitated, clearly uncertain how to respond.

Shen Shaoguang chuckled, "No need to explain yourself!"

A’Yuan wasn't too pleased with the arrival of the new maids, acting much like an oldest sibling in a family with a new baby.

Shen Shaoguang quickly reassured her, "You're different from the others."

A’Yuan narrowed her eyes and smiled, her expression bearing a resemblance to the cunning look of Shen Shaoguang whenever her crafty schemes succeeded. People, after all, just long for that feeling of being "different" in someone's eyes.

…

Since they had already given the place a thorough cleaning beforehand, it took less than half a day to get the new home organized and settled. As for the finer details—such as placing pots of daffodils on corner tables, hanging a landscape scroll on the right wall, or adding a folding screen near the couch—those could be attended to gradually, adding personal touches over time until the house truly felt like home.

By noon, everyone—regardless of status, whether master, servant, or staff—gathered together in the new home to share a meal of large quarter-moon wontons, a dish that would later evolve into what we now know as dumplings.

The filling was prepared personally by Shen Shaoguang, the master herself: tender lamb, mixed with minced ginger, salt, sugar, soy extract, yellow rice wine, and sesame oil. It was stirred in one direction, while ginger-infused pepper water was gradually added, making the stuffing juicy and tender, bursting with flavor at every bite.

The new servants, many of whom had never witnessed Shen Shaoguang cook before, were astonished as they savored the exquisite lamb and scallion wontons, realizing that their Miss was not only a savvy businesswoman but also a skilled cook. In truth, Shen Shaoguang felt somewhat distracted while preparing the filling and wrapping the dumplings, as it appeared to be quite some time since she last stepped into a kitchen.

With the holiday season in full swing, Shen Shaoguang didn’t impose strict rules on the group of young and old under her care, permitting them to go out and enjoy themselves—with the only conditions being that they must not wander alone, avoid causing trouble, and return before the Lane Gates closed.

The young waiters cheered exuberantly—after all, Miss had just distributed generous holiday bonuses, and they were eager to head out and revel in the festivities.