Chapter 26 A Pastry Secretly Hidden in the Lotus Pond
The poetry gathering was scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM, after breakfast, so Lu Qiong and the others started preparing before dawn.
Wisps of smoke rose from the roof of Lu Ji's house, and the sounds of pouring water, lifting lids, and frying oil rose and fell. A few lamps were lit in a corner of the house, casting the shadows of several people working on the wall.
Two pots were burning in the kitchen, one for simmering bayberry juice and the other for simmering papaya juice. They dissolved quickly without needing to simmer for long. Lu Qiong lifted the lid of one pot, poured in half a bowl of rock sugar, and stirred it a few times with a long wooden dagger. A sweet aroma filled the air—it smelled wonderful!
After all, today we chose papaya, which has an orange-yellow peel. Compared to the greener papaya, the flesh of this papaya is softer and more tender, and it won't feel hard even when eaten raw.
The water was still steaming hot. Lu Qiong scooped it into a container, dragged it to the corner, and put ice in it before leaving: "This can be used to steam cakes too."
Sister Yang agreed and placed the first batch of shaped Guanghan cakes on the steamer, put it behind the pot, and covered it with the wooden lid. She would put the next batch on the newly built stove next to it after she finished shaping them.
Lu Xuan sat close to the stove, her knees together, her head bowed close to the fire. After a while, her face turned red from the heat, and she fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan.
Lu Qiong had just managed to rest for a while when she saw Jin Niang still kneading glutinous rice balls. She roughly estimated that there were only about a hundred, which was far from enough. So she took out some more glutinous rice flour and planned to knead more dough.
She was worried that Jinniang would not be used to getting up early, but when she arrived at Jinniang's house, she found that the woman had put on her coat and was waiting for her. Without exchanging many pleasantries, she hurriedly went to Lu's house in the dark.
Jinniang stretched the newly kneaded dough into a long strip, rolled it into a thin strip, pinched off a small piece and rolled it into a ball. When she heard her talk about this, she smiled and said, "I'm used to getting up early every day. I take out the beans that were soaked the night before and go grind them."
Lu Qiong's hands slowed down a bit as she kneaded the tofu: "Then we won't be able to sell any tofu today?"
Jinniang was thinking of finishing quickly so she could go back to sell tofu sooner, but she forgot that making tofu also takes a lot of time.
However, Jinniang didn't mind and instead comforted her, laughing, "Qiong-jie, don't worry, my husband can go sell them. Actually, he's the one grinding the beans all the time, I'm just supervising him."
Then she started talking about her family. Jinniang said that she and her husband had arrived in Bianjing in late spring, only three or four months earlier than Lu Qiong. At first, they lived near the Rainbow Bridge, and later moved to Tongji Lane after they had earned some money. Apart from daily expenses, they would send most of their money back to their hometown, so after half a year in Bianjing, they had not saved much money.
At this point, Jinniang sighed, "Bianjing is too big, and it's not easy to find a way to make money. Fortunately, I can support my family with a skill."
In comparison, Lu Qiong is lucky.
Without the burden of supporting a family, she could save money faster and earn even more after taking over the shop. She then fell silent, focusing on quickly finishing kneading the dumplings in her hands; saying anything now would be inappropriate.
The glutinous rice balls jumped into the pot with a thud, splashing a lot of small water droplets onto the stove. After scooping them out and rinsing them in cold water, they were almost done.
They had all tasted the chilled glutinous rice balls yesterday; they were not only sweet but also refreshing and cooling, and they were sure to be popular with many people, so they made a little extra.
The lotus-shaped pastries were fried last, because they wouldn't be crispy if left out for too long.
Lu Qiong needed to break the ice, and Yang Jie'er needed to prepare to open her shop, so the task was handed over to Jin Niang. Fortunately, Jin Niang was prepared in advance and fried them into crispy pastries in one go. The lotus-shaped pastries were translucent and steaming hot, and were packed into food boxes as soon as they came out of the fryer.
Just as the drinks and dumplings were served with ice, servants from Yingtian Academy happened to send someone to meet them.
They first loaded the wooden buckets containing drinks onto the cart, followed by candied fruit and tea, and finally placed the food boxes containing pastries, stacking them up to be half a person high.
Lu Qiong, supporting the food box, thought about how business had been slow lately. Even without her, Yang Jie'er and Lu Xuan could take good care of things: "You can all stay here. I can go by myself. Yang Jie'er, remember to add ice to the customers' drinks, and Xuan'er, remember to collect money and keep accounts."
Sister Yang readily agreed, and Lu Xuan's handwriting had improved these days, and she had also learned the basics of bookkeeping. As long as it didn't involve calculations, it wasn't too difficult.
But Jinniang frowned as she looked at the cart full of food: "Can you manage all this by yourself?"
Lu Qiong wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled with narrowed eyes: "Of course I can manage. Jinniang, you should go back early. You can still set up your tofu stall now."
"Alright, there will be someone to help you then. If you get too busy, just call me. Anyway, this academy isn't far from Longjin Bridge."
Jinniang was still worried after she finished speaking. She watched them leave until they crossed the bridge and disappeared into the crowd before she was willing to go home.
*
When we arrived at Yingtian Academy, it was still early.
The pageboy from that day was gone; another servant was waiting at the door instead. After exchanging greetings, he had the food boxes unloaded one by one, and then led Lu Qiong into the courtyard.
She carried a tea bag by herself and listened as the servant recounted the history of the academy, the mountain, and the character of the headmaster. Before long, she arrived at the lotus pond.
Several tables were set up by the pond, with cups, bowls, and plates already laid out, indicating that it was for two people per table. After all, before the Song Dynasty, separate meals were still the preferred practice. Even though academies were more particular and retained the customs of the previous dynasty, large banquets were mostly for one person per table.
The academy's servants would distribute the pastries and drinks in order, and place some candied fruit and dried fruit on a tall plate, and the poetry gathering could begin.
The courtyard was filled with ancient trees that provided ample shade, so it wasn't too hot, but Lu Qiong still peeked out from under the eaves.
The students, dressed smartly and beaming with joy, all seemed eager to compete at the poetry gathering. Once seated, they debated and discussed poetry and literature, their words sharp and their insights unique.
Lu Qiong found it boring after listening for a while, so she picked up a plate of snacks and went to the pavilion. There she saw a man sitting on the ground, dressed in coarse cloth clothes, holding a yellowed old book in his hand.
This person looks familiar; I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.
But there was only one pavilion by the lotus pond, and she couldn't sit with the group of students; it would look quite out of place. Thinking this, she stepped up the stairs and placed the tray on the stone table with a thud.
Fortunately, the scholar standing nearby remained unaffected, muttering to himself, "Things have their roots and branches, affairs have their beginnings and ends. To know what comes first and what comes last is to be close to the Way..."①
Lu Qiong pinched a small piece of pear blossom pastry in her left hand. She had just taken a bite and hadn't even had a chance to savor its salty and fragrant flavor before crumbs fell all over the ground.
She was a little choked up, and afraid of disturbing the person reciting their lessons, she silently pounded her chest, and it took her a long time to calm down.
Feeling it wasn't right to eat alone, Lu Qiong pushed the pastries toward the scholar: "Young sir, would you like to try a piece of pear blossom pastry?"
Du Yan bowed respectfully, but declined her offer: "Thank you for your kindness, but my appetite is already satisfied."
It took Lu Qiong a while to digest the information before she understood that he wasn't hungry and didn't want to eat.
But I still wanted to promote my own pastries: "Pear blossom pastries are a bit greasy, how about Guanghan cake? It only has a light osmanthus fragrance, and it uses the finest white flour, so it's not too sweet."
Perhaps it was the overpowering aroma of the Guanghan cake that made Du Yan swallow his saliva repeatedly. He had only eaten thin porridge for breakfast, and now, enticed by the aroma, he really felt a bit empty in his stomach.
He accepted it, comforting himself that it was an invitation he couldn't refuse...
Lu Qiong pretended to be watching the students in the courtyard reciting poems, but her eyes were actually glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
Du Yan had already closed the book and placed it on the stone table. He took a bite of the Guanghan cake, and his pupils dilated slightly, his brows relaxed, and he exuded an aura of joy.
"If you feel a little thirsty, go get some water. It's sweet and sour, and it's even served with ice, so it's very refreshing!" Lu Qiong reminded him with a smile when she saw him try the second piece. After all, it was always nice to have one's own dessert appreciated.
Du Yan was caught red-handed. He looked a little embarrassed, straightened his back, and remained silent, but quietly ate the rest of the pastries.
Seeing that there was still quite a bit left on the plate, I thought I'd take a few portions back for Du Zai to try.
The poetry gathering was drawing to a close, and Lu Qiong needed to find the headmaster to collect the remaining payment. Asking a servant for directions, he learned that the headmaster was hiding somewhere, enjoying the cool shade.
Surrounded by bamboo forests, the path was paved with pebbles. With her thin-soled shoes, she could feel the curve of the pebbles with each step, which was like a foot massage.
Fortunately, the path was not long. After passing through the bamboo forest, we saw the abbot sitting under the pavilion. In front of him were several pastries, water, and a pale green glass cup filled with translucent glutinous rice balls, as well as a few pieces of ice that had not completely melted.
Nearly half of the pastries on the plate were eaten, especially the lotus flower pastry, which was completely devoured, leaving only a few crumbs.
Lu Qiong was meeting the headmaster for the first time. He was about the same age as the hall master and looked more serious, but she never expected that he had such a sweet tooth.
The headmaster had wanted to try a peach blossom pastry, but seeing her approach, he stopped, smoothed out his clothes, and said in a deep voice, "The pastries you brought today are all quite good, with a perfect balance of sweet and savory."
"Fu Sheng."
The pageboy standing to the side sighed and took out a purse from his sleeve, handing it to Lu Qiong: "Here is the remaining eight taels of silver, young lady, please keep it safe."
Lu Qiong smiled and accepted the money, hanging it on her waist next to the lotus root starch purse. She chatted with the headmaster about trivial matters before saying goodbye and leaving along the same route.
Passing by the lotus pond, they also met the head of the hall, who, seeing Lu Qiong's bulging purse, teased her, "Manager Lu, you've had quite a haul today!"
Lu Qiong noticed a faint smell of oil and pastry, assuming it was from her clothes, so she suppressed her doubts and replied with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Master. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"Where did you learn your rhetoric from? You've picked up someone's style. Never mind, I have to go to the front yard to handle some matters." The hall master smiled and left with his hands behind his back, but a corner of the oil paper in his sleeve was visible.
The headmaster secretly hid the pastries, so someone else must have gotten the most!
And the direction the headmaster went seemed to be towards the kitchen...
One is a mountain head, and the other is a hall head; both are gluttons. Is the poetry gathering really just for eating?
*
I gave a deposit of two taels a few days ago. With today's eight taels and after deducting costs, this deal has netted me more than six taels, which is equivalent to Lu Ji's profit for nearly a month.
As Lu Qiong walked, she pondered how to spend the money.
This month, the shop rent is two taels, the street office tax is one tael, and the house rent is five hundred cash, which reduces the amount by nearly half. There is still one tael of silver left for Jinniang.
She had planned to move to a larger house this month, preferably one with its own well and space to raise livestock.
But nowadays, money is spent like water, and it's impossible to save much money at all.
However, since she could live a more comfortable life from now on, Lu Qiong decided to buy some household items and improve her living conditions.
She hadn't gone far when she saw Jinniang standing by the Longjin Bridge, with only a few tofu pieces left on the board. She smiled at her and said, "What a coincidence, I was just about to go back too."
Lu Qiong smiled without saying a word, untied her purse, and secretly slipped a piece of silver into Jinniang's hand: "This is your reward."
Before Jinniang could react, she mistook the silver in her hand for a stone: "You're really good at fooling people, where did you find this stone from..."
Wait, this feels so heavy. She realized it now, looked down and was blinded by the silver light, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't utter a word.
"This, this is actually... silver..."
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Author's note: Second day of the Lunar New Year, got up early! Wishing everyone great wealth and prosperity! [cat paw emoji]
①From "University"
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