Chapter 93 Duck is here! Happy New Year's Eve!

"At midnight, the tide is calm, and the fishing boats cast off their moorings—" [Note 1]

As the third watchman's clapper sounded, the area outside Tongjin Gate near Chenliu was still brightly lit and bustling with activity. Hundreds of ram's horn lanterns hung high above the masts, illuminating the busy docks and ferry crossings as if it were daytime.

"The salt boats from eastern Zhejiang have arrived—"

"The grain transport ships from Huainan have arrived—"

"The tribute boats from Liangzhe and Jinghu routes have arrived—"

Official ships and merchant vessels lined up end to end, their iron-clad bows slowly breaking the surface of the water. The closer they got to the tall blue stone bank of the canal wharf, the louder the splashing sound of anchors draped with water plants falling into the water could be heard.

Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi were carrying bamboo cages filled with ducks onto the deck, one trip after another.

The cargo ship they were on would also dock.

Among the boats that were about to dock, the largest was a grain transport ship. Its ten-zhang-long cedar hull pressed down so much that the waterline was almost level with the shore. This was the ship that Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi were riding on.

Behind them was another official ship with a gold-lacquered dragon head, carrying tribute. Crimson palace lanterns hung from its mast, and yellow silk was wrapped around its vermilion railings. It was the most eye-catching of all the ships [Note 2].

"Oh dear, my back is killing me again." Aunt Li had carried the load several times and her back was so sore she couldn't straighten up. Li Tiaozi felt sorry for her and quickly said, "You rest here for a while, I'll carry the rest."

During this period, Aunt Li has been taking care of the ducks almost entirely on the boat. Sometimes she even comes out at night with a candle to check on them, fearing that someone might steal them. She hasn't had a full night's sleep in a long time.

Li Tiaozi then went back to move more, while Aunt Li rubbed her lower back and looked out over the wide river.

The lights were reflected in the river at night, shimmering on the water.

Aunt Li stood there, lost in thought. These past few days had truly broadened her horizons; Nanjing was even more prosperous than Bianjing, and the Qinhuai River was filled with pleasure boats, the sounds of oars and stringed instruments never ceasing.

She and Li Tiaozi even went to visit Wuyi Lane and Zhuque Bridge. At the entrance of Wuyi Lane, there was a blind man singing something about the Six Dynasties and the passing of spring waves. Aunt Li couldn't understand it, but it sounded quite nice.

There were so many delicious things to eat: crab eye soup, elm seed cake, pre-Qingming Yuhua tea, water chestnut rice milk, candied cherry blossoms... Aunt Li and Li Taozi originally wanted to save some money, because even when they were traveling, they couldn't just squander the money given to them by the older sister...

But there were so many vendors hawking their wares along the street, and the food smelled so good, that the two of them couldn't resist buying a few things to try.

First, we ate the "Chain of Cold Food"—the candy seller stretched maltose into thin threads, wrapped them in fried dough sticks, and arranged them into a nine-linked ring shape. We picked them up with chopsticks and ate them; the sugar threads could be stretched into thin, unbroken strands like spider silk.

Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi only bought one candy, and they shared it. After each taking a bite, the sweet taste rolled from their throats to their hearts, and they thought of Gou'er—he had never tasted such good candy before.

Afterwards, we also had roasted goose. In Nanjing, geese are smoked with pine torches and fennel, and then the skin is brushed with a layer of osmanthus honey. The skin is roasted until crispy and extremely fragrant.

After tasting the crispy and tender roasted goose, Aunt Li was certain that Sister Shen had learned to roast duck from it—no wonder her cooking skills were so good; there were so many delicious things to eat in Jinling City that she had never tasted before.

The climate in the south is also warm. When Aunt Li sat in the "Zhang Xiansheng" shop under the Zhuque Bridge and ate fish slices that were so thin they were translucent, the river breeze of early spring in March blew in her face, and she didn't feel cold at all.

The maritime trade in Nanjing was thriving, and they also saw many Persians with blond hair and green eyes, selling imported glass mirrors, telescopes, and colorful carpets along the streets. They spoke in a language they couldn't understand. After staying in Nanjing for a few days, Aunt Li, who loved to join in the fun and listen to gossip, simply couldn't take it all in.

At that time, she really wished she had three brains and eight pairs of eyes so that she could remember all these scenes and then come back and brag about them to her old neighbors for three days and three nights.

Unfortunately, they only had half a day to shop around, buying plenty of ducks and some portable local products such as Yuhua stones and Yuhua tea cakes before immediately returning home.

After a month of tossing and turning on the ship, Aunt Li almost forgot all the good things she had seen in Nanjing. She fed the ducks with her eyes open and closed on the ship.

All I can hear in my head is the quacking of ducks.

At this moment, she leaned against the eaves of the boat and looked down. Hundreds of shirtless men, carrying three strands of ramie rope, jumped into the river, shouting in unison, bending over and pushing off the ground to pull themselves forward. The Bian River water quickly rose above the cowhide groin guards around their waists, the cold water clinging to their muscular bellies.

Most of the grain transport boats in the Song Dynasty were flat-bottomed boats. Without boat trackers, they could not leave the port or dock when it was time to set sail or come to shore.

Although the government has spent a lot of money to expand the locks, it is still necessary to use boat trackers to pull the boats.

They were the most inconspicuous yet most important "blood and flesh waterway" in the prosperous north-south canal transport.

Aunt Li looked away, barely able to bear it. The leather pads on the boatmen's shoulders were worn through, and the tow ropes were digging into their flesh.

It is said that there are 54 boat trackers' camps outside Bianjing City, with a total of 30,000 boat trackers. During the reign of the previous emperor, each person only received a daily wage of 30 coins. Now that the emperor has taken over, he has subsidized these 30,000 people with his own imperial treasury, and now each of them can receive 80 coins per day.

That's a good thing, I guess.

Turning her head, Aunt Li saw groups of porters with carrying poles slung over their shoulders. Before the boat even docked, they had already stepped onto the gangplank and were trying to climb aboard. They shouted at the top of their lungs, "Does this gentleman need to carry some goods? Twenty coins a load, no need to get your horns wet!"

Aunt Li was terrified.

"Are you out of your mind?!" The canal worker, who was patrolling with a lantern bearing the character "验" (inspection), quickly spotted them. He lifted the lantern handle and pulled the porters up, shouting angrily, "If you fall into the river and get crushed into a bloody pulp by the boat, don't blame us for not collecting your corpses!"

"No, no, we wouldn't dare." The porters bowed and scraped, laughing sheepishly as they fled back to shore, but they still kept standing on tiptoe, waiting as if they wanted to rush ashore as soon as a boat docked.

Several officials from the riverbank management office and the canal workers, used to seeing this group, shook their heads and continued their inspection. The leader yawned, and soon the others followed suit. They walked past the imperial plaque inscribed with "The Canal Transports the World" overhead, yawning all the while.

This inscription is said to have been written by Emperor Taizong Zhao Weizheng himself.

As soon as the ship came to a stop, the clerk, dressed in a black official uniform, took out an iron ruler and, while measuring the ship's waterline, called out to confirm: "Huainan Road grain transport ship, with a load capacity of 300 liao (approximately 18 tons), docked at Bingzi Wharf—" His ruler struck the bronze plaque embedded in the bow of the ship, making a clanging sound.

Every grain transport ship in the Song Dynasty was affixed with a bronze plaque issued by the Imperial Shipyard, which was the most important talisman for transporting grain back and forth.

Once the inscription on the bow of the ship, "Huainan Jiangzhe Jinghu Zhizhi Fayun Shisi" (meaning "Commission for the Administration of Transportation in Huainan, Jiangzhe, and Jinghu"), was confirmed to be correct, the clerk blew the horn hanging around his neck, and the archers from the patrol station on the shore immediately surrounded him.

They all had the character "粮" (grain) tattooed on their faces, carried bows and arrows on their backs, and had knives at their waists. They were specifically tasked with keeping an eye on the unloading crew of each cargo ship to prevent anyone from stealing the grain and smuggling it away.

The unloading of grain began quickly on the ship. Although the official ships that were specially made for the emperor's court arrived one after the other, the ship belonging to Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi was still unloaded first at the dock.

The management of the Grand Canal in the Song Dynasty was very strict. The officials on the ship had explained to them beforehand that, apart from the fast ships with yellow flags that carried border defense military rations and disaster relief rations, the grain ships with blue flags had priority, followed by the salt ships with white flags, and then the tribute ships with red flags.

“The ‘Baoyuan Canal Transport Order’ states that, apart from urgent border shipments, grain is the foundation of the state and salt is the necessity of the people. When these two types of grain ships arrive, general merchandise ships must avoid them [Note 3]. The government loves the people like its own children. Just recently, a large number of grain ships arrived in the capital, and some tribute ships were stuck at the Chenliu Wharf for a full seven days.”

The canal worker stood tall, seemingly proud of being assigned to work on the grain ship.

Aunt Li suddenly realized why they had been delayed for two days when they arrived in Caizhou. At that time, a group of military supply ships flying yellow flags arrived and entered the port ahead of them by blowing horns. In order to avoid the military ships, they drifted on the river for two more days.

However… Aunt Li vaguely remembered that it wasn’t like this during the late emperor’s reign. She also recalled a year when tribute ships from vassal states entered Bianjing, and the people on both banks had to kneel and kowtow upon seeing the tribute ships. But she was smart enough to simply nod and not dare to discuss the late emperor’s affairs further.

Li Tiaozi finally carried all the ducks onto the deck, breathed a sigh of relief, and stood next to Aunt Li, looking around.

When the two boarded the boat, it was empty, so they were quite relaxed. The dock wasn't too tense, and the boatmen and porters on board were picking their teeth, playing cards, and gambling, having a very leisurely time. A kind-hearted clerk accompanied them the whole way, and they had never seen such a sight of bows drawn and swords gleaming.

Looking down from the deck, the two of them felt a strange chill of fear.

More than six hundred ducklings chirped and scurried about in the duck coop. The two looked at each other for a long time, and Aunt Li couldn't help but pat her chest and say, "How scary it is down there, there are bows and arrows."

Li Tiaozi tried to remain calm: "It's alright, they're just doing their job. Besides, there's Tong Caoguan on the boat. When we boarded, the eldest sister came to see us off. He was so polite to her and did his best along the way. Our ducks are so lucky to have him; otherwise, who knows how many would have died. He'll help us."

Aunt Li felt a little more at ease when she thought of Tong Caoguan.

For the sake of their more than 600 ducklings, the canal official Tong specially built a temporary bamboo shed for them at the stern of the boat, with twenty neatly stacked bamboo baskets filled with chaff brought from Nanjing.

Every day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), when the clapper sounds, she gets up first to mix bran with minced snail meat to make a paste, which she then feeds to the ducks, cage by cage. For water, she uses reeds to make a trough, placing it between the duck cages.

It takes a lot of time to add water and food every day.

After a month-long journey, the ducks couldn't stay crammed into cages all the time. So, Aunt Li mustered up her courage and mentioned it to the boatman, Tong. Tong didn't mind her meddling at all and had the boatmen help set up a bamboo fence at the stern of the boat. Then, Aunt Li could lead the ducks out for a walk every day when the sun was shining.

At night, they were locked in cages and carried into the cabin.

Although the journey was arduous and tiring, fortunately, with the help of the canal official Tong, of the seven hundred live ducks that set off from Jinling, only about thirty died along the way, and the rest were all very healthy. She even tied a red string to the leg of each duck, just in case they got lost or were stolen.

Fortunately, no one on the cargo ship dared to steal anything.

After waiting for about an hour, until her legs ached, Aunt Li finally saw the hurried arrival of the canal official, Tong Caoguan, who was accompanied by a boatman with tattooed faces, who helped them unload the ducks.

After coming down, the clerk from the Pai'an Division came forward yawning to check the documents. Tong, the canal official, hurriedly handed over the customs document stamped with the Jinling Tax Supervisor's wax seal, and skillfully slipped a handful of copper coins into the clerk's sleeve: "Please do me a favor, clerk. These animals have been instructed by the authorities to be settled overnight."

Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi followed behind, not daring to breathe.

"I've already given instructions from my superiors." How could the clerk dare to accept the money? He hurriedly pushed the coins back, and after verifying the seal on the document, he immediately waved his hand and let him pass, saying, "I dare not delay your business, sir."

It seems the officials really value these ducks; even the clerks at the sluice gate know about it. The canal official, Tong, became even more concerned. He nodded and turned to the boatmen, saying, "Then load them onto the cart."

At three-quarters past midnight, the last cage of ducks was finally loaded onto the cart. Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi thanked the official Tong profusely and bid him farewell. After getting on the cart, Aunt Li discussed with the driver that the official Tong had found that they should take the ducks directly to Sister Shen's field on the outskirts of the city, instead of sending them to the inner city.

This saves you from having to travel back and forth twice.

Li Tiaozi, however, worried: "What if Sister Da's duck farm house isn't even built yet?"

Aunt Li didn't believe it: "It must be finished. Half of it was completed before the New Year. How could it have been delayed until today? Don't you know what eldest sister is like? She's not the type to dawdle like that."

"Where will we sleep?"

"Just stay at the duck farm for the night. Go back and let your eldest sister know first thing tomorrow morning. I'll stay here and watch the ducks."

Regarding matters concerning ducks, Li Tiaozi usually listened to Aunt Li, so he nodded sleepily and agreed: "Alright, then let's do it that way."

The two men, huddled among six hundred ducks, hugged the duck cage and swayed along with the ducks on the cart, before drifting off to sleep.

***

Aunt Li and Li Tiaozi had been on the boat for so long that they didn't realize that their second day in Bianjing was the Buddha's Birthday on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. Early in the morning, before dawn, Bianjing was already bustling with activity.

The two arrived at the duck farm that very night and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the newly built fence. Sure enough, it was all finished!

They couldn't get into the other places because they were locked, but the duck shed had been built before the New Year. Aunt Li had come several times and still had the key, so they first put all the ducks into the duck shed, and then spent the night there with Li Tiaozi, still in their clothes.

She got up early and urged Li to drive back to the inner city so she could tell her eldest sister.

As a result, he got stuck halfway through the journey before he even entered the inner city.

Shen Miao was unaware that the two of them had already returned.

At 3:45 AM, the morning sun had just shone over the eaves of the Shen family's courtyard. She had already been busy in the kitchen for quite some time, having rolled up her sleeves with her wrists – her ninth brother was going back to the academy today.

It happened to be the Buddha's Birthday, and the custom at this time is to eat lotus-shaped incense cakes, which are believed to bring peace and good fortune. So she prepared them for him, so that he could eat them before she saw him off. Therefore, she got up very early.

Making lotus-shaped incense cakes is quite complicated. Shen Miao actually started preparing and purchasing the ingredients a couple of days ago.

She bent down and scooped out the glutinous rice that had been soaking overnight from the earthenware jar. The rice had been soaking for six hours since yesterday, and now it melted into a paste with a pinch of her fingertip. This was the consistency required for making this cake; it would result in a smooth and soft texture. Afterward, she poured out all the rice and continued to mash it into a paste, bit by bit.

Lotus-shaped incense cakes require a high level of skill and meticulous preparation: the finely pounded glutinous rice paste is sieved several times, then mixed with acacia honey, flour, and citron powder and kneaded into a dough. This dough is then divided into small balls, and lotus patterns are pressed onto the balls using a lotus mold. Finally, the balls are carefully wrapped in lotus leaves.

The bottom of the bamboo steamer should be lined with three layers of kudzu cloth, with sandalwood chips between each layer. This prevents the cake from becoming soggy and watery at the bottom due to the steam. After steaming over high heat for half an hour, sprinkle with a little osmanthus powder, then reduce to low heat and steam for a while longer.

While the pastries were steaming, Chen Miao didn't rest. She turned around and started making scallion pancakes—today's breakfast was scallion pancakes and fresh tofu pudding that Liu Douhua's family had bought.

It was made in the early hours of the morning and is still warm.

After finishing the pancakes, Chen Miao started making the sauce for the tofu pudding. Savory tofu pudding usually includes wood ear mushrooms, cilantro, peanuts, and chopped green onions. Then, it's thickened with soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch water, poured over the tofu pudding, and topped with chili oil for extra flavor.

Since Shenmiao didn't have chili peppers, she added some chive blossom sauce instead.

I also made the syrup for sweet tofu pudding: it's very simple, just stir-fry brown sugar and minced ginger together to make syrup, and then remove the ginger at the end. But when eating it, use two spoonfuls of white sugar and one spoonful of brown sugar syrup, it's sweet and tastes especially good when mixed together.

If you are menstruating, eating a bowl of hot tofu pudding with brown sugar syrup will immediately warm your hands and feet and relieve some abdominal cramps.

Shen Miao has a wide mouth and enjoys both savory and sweet tofu pudding, making her a fence-sitter in the North-South tofu pudding debate—however, it is said that in addition to savory and sweet, there is also spicy tofu pudding! It is only in this three-way battle that the vastness and diversity of China are truly revealed.

By the time she finished preparing the sauce for the tofu pudding, the lotus-shaped incense cakes were ready. As she lifted the lid, the morning light streamed through the window lattice. Eighteen jade-like cakes lay nestled among the green leaves, their petals glowing with a sweet, honeyed light in the sunlight—fragrant and beautiful.

As a final step, Shen Miao turned around, picked up a chopstick, and gently placed a red yeast rice grain on the center of each cake.

According to custom, the first basket of incense cakes should be offered to the Bodhisattva. Chen Miao followed local customs and went into the courtyard to move a table and set up an incense altar.

She had just offered the first cake to the Buddha when she heard familiar footsteps outside the door. Looking up, she saw Xie Qi.

He led his little donkey, on which his bedding and book box were tied, with Yan Shu yawning beside him.

Before even entering the door, Yan Shu's nose started twitching. Then, she came in with a grin and said coquettishly, "Madam Chen, I think I can smell the aroma of pancakes and tofu."

"Go get it yourself, it's on the stove." Shen Miao smiled and rubbed his round little head. "The pancakes are freshly made, they're hot, so be careful when you get them. I made two kinds of tofu pudding sauce, see if you like it sweet or savory, and choose for yourself."

Yan Shu jumped three feet high with delight, immediately leaving Xie Qi behind and going into the kitchen to eat breakfast.

While Shen Miao and Yan Shu were talking, Xie Qi tied his donkey to the door, but didn't come in for a long time. Only after Yan Shu went inside did he loosen the donkey's rope, purse his lips, lower his head and step in. Without saying a word, he grabbed Shen Miao's wrist and led her into the depths of the alley.

Shen Miao raised an eyebrow and let him lead her away.

There is a small dead corner in Yangliu East Alley, with a narrow gap between two walls, about the width of a person, and the brick walls are covered with moss.

The low eaves filtered through fragments of sunlight, and the wind carried the scents of incense and conch shells. Xie Qi's neck was flushed and covered with a thin layer of sweat; when his Adam's apple bobbed, it would tug at the cedarwood scent emanating from his clothes.

Shen Miao leaned against the moss-covered, somewhat slippery brick wall, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him, barely suppressing a smile.

Someone like Ninth Brother needs to be destroyed before he can be established, she thought.

Yesterday's fleeting kiss in the washroom didn't really do anything to Shen Miao. He pulled her back like a hero going to his death, but all he did was lick her like a puppy before he frantically fell into the sink as if he'd been burned.

Soaked to the bone, with water on her face, and looking dazed, Shen Miao felt guilty. She felt like a tyrant who had abducted a woman.

He didn't come over for the rest of the day. When Yanshu came over for dinner that evening, his mouth was full as he said, "Ninth Brother is lying on the bed in a daze. I asked him, and he said he's not hungry."

Shen Miao wasn't in a hurry.

She simply believed Yan Shu's words and went about her own business, opening a shop to provide meals for families and even going to a fast food restaurant to give guidance to Yu Wushi.

Even now.

He's leaving today. A man as gentle and polite as him wouldn't leave without saying goodbye even if the sky were to fall. Shen Miao was certain he would come to see her, which is why she got up early to make cakes.

Sure enough, she guessed right.

So even though Xie Qi dragged her into this deep alley, even though he pinned her against the wall, she couldn't hide the little bit of smugness in her eyes.

“Ah Miao, I…”

He murmured, his face pressing down, and as his trembling eyelashes brushed against her nose, the distant, lively sound of conch shells mixed with chanting made her eardrums inexplicably burn.

Xie Qi lowered his eyes and pressed closer. The cool taste of his minty toothpaste filled her lips. The moment they touched, his breathing became rapid, almost like panting. His well-defined knuckles loosely covered her waist, and Shen Miao could even feel the calluses on his hands trembling as they brushed against her plain-colored dress.

But he just pressed his lips against hers and remained motionless. Suddenly, a thought struck Shen Miao: Did he think that just touching his lips was a kiss?

Realizing this, a silent vein throbbed on Shen Miao's forehead. She closed her eyes, ready to respond to him properly and show him what a kiss truly is!

Before she could make a move, the warm, soft touch on her lips was hastily withdrawn.

"I...I should go to the academy." Xie Qi suddenly took half a step back, his ears turning so red they could bleed. Shen Miao opened her eyes with a sigh, glancing at the heavy Adam's apple bobbing on the bamboo-shaped buttons of his collar, and completely lost her strength.

That idiot.

"I'm sorry." Xie Qi seemed to sense her emotions, but he seemed to have misunderstood. Feeling guilty and remorseful, he buried his burning face in the crook of her neck and said sadly, "I've wasted my time studying the classics... I've only gone through half of the six rites, and I've already treated you so lightly."

He paused, then continued his self-criticism:

"And I'm still unrepentant, I made advances on you twice..."

Shen Miao stood straight, her eyes vacant as she thought.

Is a sticker considered thin and light?

"But the thought of going back to the academy makes me..." Xie Qi's voice had already sunk into a muffled tone.

He thought about going back to the academy to study. He hadn't seen A-Miao for so many days. As soon as it was light, before he even left, he started to miss her.

The words that couldn't be spoken made Shen Miao's heart soften again.

He was so big, yet he hunched over, pressing the tip of his nose against her collarbone, his breath burning her shoulder, but he still didn't dare to get up.

Oh well, that's just the kind of person he is.

For him, sticking on the sticker twice would be the most unconventional thing to do, right? Helpless, Shen Miao raised her hand and rubbed the back of his head. Her fingertips touched his hair and she found that his hair felt quite soft.

Like stroking the fur of a unicorn.

"Alright, I'm not angry. I steamed some incense cake for you. Eat a couple before you go to the academy. Be careful not to get scolded by Mr. Feng if you're late." She gently rubbed the back of his neck to comfort him and coaxed, "When you come back from your Dragon Boat Festival holiday, I'll make you a big braised pork rice dumpling."

He still didn't move.

Shen Miao thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Raise your head, I have something to tell you. Hurry up, Yan Shu will be looking for you soon."

He slowly raised his head.

Shen Miao immediately smiled slyly and breathed into his ear, "Regarding what you said about being frivolous, I actually have a different opinion."

A moment later, Shen Miao leaned against the door frame of her courtyard gate, arms crossed, and watched with a smile as Xie Qi and Yan Shu led the donkey away.

"Zhou Da said Qiu Hao is already waiting at the academy..." After eating and drinking his fill, Yan Shu kept turning his head to look at Xie Qi, who was carrying incense cakes and walking with his arms and legs in unison. His clear, puzzled voice was carried back by the wind: "Ninth Brother, why is there a tooth mark on your neck?"

Upon hearing this question, Xie Qi's ears burned again, and he almost knocked over a fruit stall by the roadside.

Shen Miao couldn't help but laugh.

She hummed a little tune, then turned around, intending to go back and steam another basket of incense cakes for Xiangjie and the others who hadn't gotten up yet.

Before she even stepped inside, she suddenly heard a joyful and eager voice calling from behind: "Big sister! Big sister! Your aunt and I are back!"