Chang’an Small Restaurant

Chapter 9 The Beautiful Scenery by the Riverbank

"I heard A’Pang is recently residing at a nunnery to worship Buddha and pray for blessings?" A maiden, in a pomegranate-colored silk dress decorated with gold ornament, asked with a smile.

Second Young Lady Pang stood on the edge of the pavilion, she was humbled to hear the maiden’s question. She smiled and respectfully affirmed, "Yes."

"Which nunnery is it?" The maiden in the pomegranate-colored dress asked with a smile.

All the noble ladies turned to look at Second Young Lady Pang.

"It's the Guangming Nunnery in Chongxian Lane," Second Young Lady Pang then added after some contemplation, "their abbot, Senior Buddhist Nun Yuanjue, is a Buddhist of profound doctrine."

"Guangming Nunnery—" The maiden in the pomegranate-colored dress smiled meaningfully.

Standing beside her was a maiden in a jade-colored dress. She fanned herself gently with a round fan as she turned to ask with a smile, "The Lixia cakes sent by Guangming Temple this year were quite different but very delicious. Could it be A’Pang's recipe?"

Second Young Lady Pang subconsciously glanced at Shen Shaoguang, but was a little hesitant to deny taking the credit; afterall, it was a rare opportunity to show off.

"The Pang Residence also has their own family recipe? It must be an old recipe compendium from Jingzhou or Sichuan." The maiden in the pomegranate-colored dress curved her eyes and smiled.

The Pang Residence had a shallow foundation, they were incomparable to the aristocratic clans that had recipes inherited from countless generations ago. As for the mentioned locations of Jingzhou or Sichuan, it was to satirize the Pang Residence fabricating ancestral ties.

The seemingly charming conversations between noble ladies oftentimes carried a cruel connotation, like sharp needles hidden in cotton.

All the maidens laughed.

Standing near the middle, a maiden in a gold-embroidered medallion-yellow dress smiled and lightly slapped the hand of the girl in the pomegranate-colored dress. "Twelfth Young Lady is always so mischievous!" Then she turned to smile at Second Young Lady Pang. "Don't mind her, A’Pang."

Second Young Lady Pang’s face turned pale. She bit her lip, wanting to turn around or say something, but held back in the end.

Shen Shaoguang adjusted the heat of the small stove with a fire poker and began reheating the zongzi while lightly clicking her tongue twice. Second Young Lady Pang, a domineering overlord, was currently being bullied and ostracized...she almost looked somewhat pitiful. Since they don’t see you as part of their class, it's better not to get involved with them.

The maiden in the gold-embroidered medallion-yellow dress looked a little older, she seemed to be the leader. "We've had enough rest, let's go take a look over there."

The little maid next to her lightly suggested, "There are many people there, Fifth Young Lady. Take caution from being bumped into."

The girl in the pomegranate-colored dress interrupted with a faint laughter, "There’s no harm. The people from the city’s government repository also seem to be there." She then winked at the girl in the gold-embroidered medallion-yellow dress.

The maiden in the medallion-yellow dress glared at her and also laughed. Soon after, the girls crowded out of the pavilion and walked along the road towards a certain direction.

As they passed Shen Shaoguang's stall, the girl in the jade-colored dress was bewildered to see a circle of aiwowo rice cakes on a bamboo plate. She looked at Shen Shaoguang and then at Second Young Lady Pang who was right behind her. Perhaps hit with a sudden urge of kindness, the girl didn’t use this opportunity to add to their previous slander.

Second Young Lady Pang only knew that Shen Shaoguang was selling zongzi and sour plum beverage. At the unexpected appearance of the aiwowo cake, her unsightly complexion deteriorated even further.

The girl in the jade-colored dress slowed down her pace. When Second Young Lady Pang approached her side, she softly reprimanded her, "You should be more mindful! You think all nobles will allow you to ride their coattails?" Then she walked away at a brisk pace.

Second Young Lady Pang stopped. She was holding back her tears just now, but after being reprimanded with gracious intent, she could no longer suppress herself and started to cry.

In this awkward situation, Shen Shaoguang could only hurriedly lower her head, acting as if she was in the middle of a nap.

Unexpectedly, Second Young Lady Pang came over and exposed her in a nasally voice, "Stop pretending! I know you heard it all."

Shen Shaoguang smiled stiffly and touched her nose. "Second Young Lady Pang, would you like a cup of jasmine tea to quench your thirst?"

Shen Shaoguang asked offhandedly. Noble ladies were particular about their intake, and oftentimes their maids would bring their own food and drinks when on an outing.

She thought that Second Young Lady Pang would completely disregard her and walk away. However, unexpectedly she actually accepted the cup after giving a glance at Shen Shaoguang.

A maid servant next to her reminded softly, "The Fifth Young Lady and the others have already left the vicinity..."

Second Young Lady Pang muttered, "I've already been humiliated multiple times, what’s the point?"

Looking at Second Young Lady Pang's delicate semblance ruined by her two caterpillar-like brows, Shen Shaoguang inwardly sighed and lamented– Alas, she is still a child, at the young age of sixteen.

Shen Shaoguang put a few aiwowo rice cakes on a small white porcelain plate and pushed them near Second Young Lady Pang’s hands. Afterwards, she lowered her head and resumed rolling out more glutinous rice dough.

Second Young Lady Pang actually started to eat it; the maidservants looked at each other, and then at Shen Shaoguang, but did not make a sound.

Once Second Young Lady Pang finished her cake and tea, she seemed to be in a better mood. In a quiet voice, she said, "I'm leaving." She was about to express her gratitude but hesitated in the end.

Shen Shaoguang snorted. Brat!

Shen Shaoguang was omniscient when it came to gossip. Although she didn't know the identities of those noble ladies, from their conversation, the verbal dispute just now seemed to be related to the young and handsome Deputy Magistrate.

After the chance encounter that day, Shen Shaoguang offhandedly inquired about him during a chat with the abbot. It was then she found out that this city Deputy Magistrate was from the Lin Clan of Hedong.

Lin Clan was a long-standing clan, ranked near the top of the list of aristocratic families. They had a legacy lasting several dynasties; in the early Tang Dynasty, two of their clan members were even appointed as Grand Chancellors. However during the Zhou Dynasty, their clan was struck with catastrophe. Many of their people were killed or exiled, causing the Lin Clan to decline—Even so, in the eyes of the landed gentry, who advocated their ancestors’ glory, the Lin Clan was not something that a parvenue like the Imperial Duke Lu’s Residence could match up to.

Moreover, that young man was already a fourth-rank official— The head ministers of each department were only third-rank[1]. To be conferred such an important role, as the capital city’s deputy magistrate, it further validated his importance to the Emperor and his boundless prospects.

Shen Shaoguang shook her head. Second Young Lady Pang's puppy love was most likely a wasted effort.

While her mind was occupied with other people’ tragic stories, Shen Shaoguang continued to nimbly work on refilling her aiwowo rice cake. More and more people started to arrive at the riverside; it seemed that it was nearing the 7th earthly branch(11 am-1 pm), the dragon boat race was about to commence.

Shen Shaoguang's business was getting better and better. The attractive aiwowo rice cakes quickly sold out, the zongzi were also moving at a steady pace, but the jasmine tea remained unfavored.

If the tea doesn’t sell, there’s no point forcing it. Shen Shaoguang poured some into her commonly-used coarse porcelain mug, and drank the tea in small sips.

With the sound of gongs and drums by the river, calling hordes of people to crowd together. Burst into cheers resounded from time to time; the dragon boat race had begun.

Shen Shaoguang could only see the backs of people's heads from where she was standing. Although she couldn't see the surface of the river clearly, she still craned her neck and made do while fanning herself with a hand fan.

After several rounds, the red team seemed to have won the competition. The red team was the ‘Imperial Dragon Boat Team’, composed of the crown prince and several of his generals. Shen Shaoguang smiled. Unspoken rules were everywhere.

…

Now that the race was over, those who could attend the imperial banquet left to attend the imperial banquet. Those who could not go to the imperial banquet had various gatherings or family banquets to attend to. The common people would eat the food they brought from home or make a quick purchase before making their way back. The crowd dispersed early because the sunlight was just too intense today.

Shen Shaoguang moved her stall under the shade of the trees and steamed the remaining zongzi in the basket as she watched the mob of people gradually thin out by the river. She took out the stoll she had brought, rested her sore legs, and mentally estimated her profits today. At the same time, she didn’t forget to imagine her dream of owning real estate in the capital city. In fact, if she had enough money, being a landlord by a land with verdant hills and limpid water also seemed pretty pleasant.

Now that the imperial family had returned to the palace, the imperial army naturally followed suit, whilst the follow up at Qujiang District was handled by the city’s government repository. Magistrate Bai was in the autumn of his life, so he returned to the government repository first. Lin Yan stayed and continued to lead the remaining officials around their last shift for the Dragon Boat Festival.

The sun was beating down strongly, causing the surface of the river to shine brightly, dazzling the eyes. Lin Yan slowly strided away from the arbor with his hands behind his back.

Two green-robed officials and a few bailiffs wanted to follow, but were stopped by Lin Yan, "I’m going to take a simple stoll, this way I wouldn’t have come to Qujiang’s riverside in vain during the Dragon Boat Festival."

No matter how bad their superior's joke was, the officials and bailiffs all laughed out loud and respectfully watched the Deputy Magistrate trudge away by the river bank.

Shen Shaoguang was nodding off, about to fall asleep when Lin Yan knocked on her stall table. Suddenly awakened, Shen Shaoguang blinked her bewildered eyes. She wiped the suspicious liquid from the corner of her mouth, stood up, and asked with a smile, "Sir, would you like to try a zongzi or drink some jasmine tea?"

Recalling the ice-cold concentrated smoked plum beverage served to the imperial army in the morning, Lin Yan replied with a faint smile, "Jasmine tea it is."

Since no one brought her tea, Shen Shaoguang had already stored away the stove responsible for boiling water. She remedied by moving the refilled pot of water to the stove for heating the zongzi. With a small fan, she controlled the fire to brew a new batch of tea.

Lin Yan sat down on one of the many stools Shen Shaoguang had prepared and waited quietly.

Once the water was boiled, Shen Shaoguang rinsed the cup, put in the tea leaves, and poured the water slowly. The bits of tea powder and jasmine flowers floated up onto the surface, and the tea gradually turned a pale yellow-green. It was much paler than the medallion-yellow dress on that maiden from this morning. 

Lin Yan picked up the porcelain cup, took a sip, and put it down. "Miss, are you content in the haunts of the common people?"

Shen Shaoguang looked at him in surprise. What’s with the sudden metaphysical question? Was this a common topic for strangers to talk about? However, Shen Shaoguang soon remembered a broadcast by a certain news network in her previous life–was this a random local happiness survey from the Deputy Magistrate?

Shen Shaoguang curved her eyes and answered, "In this current state, where the earth is clean and the waters are clear, Chang'an City is populous, affluent, and tranquil. My life is peaceful and blissful, extremely so." Shen Shaoguang believed her answer should have passed with flying colors, she had smoothly incorporated flattery in the most adroit way.

Lin Yan glanced at Shen Shaoguang with a spurious smile. He didn’t comment on her answer and slowly continued to drink his tea.

Shen Shaoguang took a rag to wipe all around her station. She was tidying up her things, preparing herself for when the driver of the donkey cart came to pick her up.

After Lin Yan finished his tea, he stood up.

Shen Shaoguang smiled and said, "The tea is five wen, Sir."

Lin Yan took out his purse, put five wen coins on the table, and walked away.

This straightforward act garnered Shen Shaoguang’s disappointment; she had been hoping to end the day with a good tip.

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Footnote:

[1] Head Ministers of each department (尚書) - The Six Ministries were government agencies directed by the Department of State Affairs. Each ministry was headed by a Minister (尚書) who was assisted by two Deputy Minister (侍郎). Each ministry was divided into four bureaus (四司) responsible for local administration, each headed by a director (郎中), who was assisted by a deputy director (員外郎). 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Departments_and_Six_Ministries#:~:text=They%20were%20the%20Ministries%20of,Justice%2C%20Works%2C%20and%20Revenue.