Chapter 28 Red Bean Dumplings Red bean dumplings on a rainy day, shumai, eggs...
For some reason, the spring rain in Bianjing this year has been relentless, never stopping since it started.
The road in Yangliu East Lane was completely impassable, with mud everywhere you went. Eventually, all the families in the lane contributed money and labor, raising a total of three strings of cash. They carried back seven or eight loads of flat river stones from outside the city and tamped them down, so that everyone no longer had to live in the mud.
Shen Ji hadn't gone to Lanxin Bookstore to copy books for three days, but since his elder sister had taken on work for the Xie family, Shen Ji hadn't planned to go anyway. So this morning, when he heard the noisy shouts outside, he opened the courtyard gate to look and found that the alley was being tamped down with gravel.
Gu Erge and Gu Shu were the leaders. The father and son were tall and strong, and their skin was so dark that it was almost impossible to tell them apart in the rain. When Gu Shu put stones on the ground, Gu Erge simply took off his shirt and carried a thick, round wooden stake tied with several hemp ropes on his broad shoulders. He slammed the stake hard on the ground in time with his father's shouts.
The stones were then driven one by one into the muddy ground soaked with rainwater.
Whether it was Shen Ji's overthinking or not, Gu Erge (Second Brother Gu) compacted the section of road in front of the Shen and Gu families' houses exceptionally well and carefully, even using more stones than other houses. Gu Erge also specially selected several square stones of similar size and neatly laid them in front of the Shen family's house, as if there was already a stone-paved road in front of the house.
Aunt Li grumbled about it several times. But Shen Miao had also paid 100 coins for tamping the ground, and it wasn't her husband, Li Tiaozi, who did the work, so she could only grumble to herself.
Poor Li Gou'er and Xiang Jie'er secretly raised two tadpoles with their tails not yet completely fading in the muddy puddle in front of their house. These were tadpoles that had not yet turned into big frogs but had already grown four legs.
I heard that Xiangjie went to the well with her older sister and struggled to bring it back.
Who knew that in the blink of an eye, the two clams were crushed into pancakes by the stones that Brother Gu had pounded on the ground. Xiang Jie picked up the frog pancakes, held them in her chubby little hands, and came back to the yard. She raised her head and started wailing.
Shen Ji carried her on his back and comforted her for almost half an hour, but finally couldn't carry her anymore. His face flushed, he put his younger sister down. When he looked at her, she was still crying, clutching the dirty frog cake. Every time she looked at the frog cake, a tear would fall. In the end, Shen Ji was at his wit's end. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he suggested, "Xiang-jie, why don't you feed this thing to the chickens? That way, it'll be a worthwhile death."
Xiangjie raised her red, tear-filled eyes and looked at him in shock. Then she tilted her head back and cried even louder.
Shen Ji was at a loss.
He really didn't understand. Didn't Sister Xiang catch grasshoppers to feed the chickens before? In his mind, there was no difference between clams, earthworms, and grasshoppers. He really didn't understand why Sister Xiang was crying so much this time.
Then his older sister came out, bent down and whispered in his ear: "Ji-ge, you don't understand. Yesterday, she and Li Gou'er squatted by the puddle and fed two mosquitoes to this clam. So, this clam is like our little chicks. She raised them, so they are very different in her heart."
Shen Ji was completely bewildered. If she had fed him, did that mean he was no longer a clam? Wasn't he still just an ugly clam?
Finally, it was Shen Miao who baked the fish-shaped "taiyaki" (fish-shaped pastries) using two frogs.
Because of the continuous rain these past two days, they didn't go to the market to set up their stall. As a result, they had more red beans than they could use, so Shen Miao had to find ways to use them up. Thus, the Shen family ate red beans at every meal for the past two days.
But in Shen Ji and Xiang Jie'er's hearts, even if they ate red beans every meal, they would still look forward to these three meals a day.
Because my older sister can make red beans into flowers.
This morning, we had a bowl of thick red bean paste with glutinous rice balls for breakfast. The three of us sat by the door, each holding a bowl of hot, chewy red bean paste with glutinous rice balls, watching the rain. My older sister even added a little sweet rice wine that she bought from the Gu family. So, the smooth, sandy texture of the red beans paired with a hint of sweet rice wine made it even better. The glutinous rice balls were soft, chewy, and fragrant with rice, and after eating, we felt warm from head to toe.
For lunch, we ate "taiyaki," which was made to appease Xiangjie.
Shen Miao scooped a spoonful of batter, tested the temperature of the griddle with her hand, and thought to herself, "Typical taiyaki should be made in the shape of a fish, but... in this emergency, I'll try making a frog shape today."
She didn't have a mold, and ordering one would be time-consuming and expensive, so she mixed eggs and wheat flour into a paste, scooped a spoonful with a large spoon, and slowly drew a rough outline of a frog on the griddle.
When drawing frogs with batter, the pan needs to be hot, and your hand needs to be quick and steady. Otherwise, if your hand shakes and you pour a spoonful of batter on, you'll have to start over. Chen Miao ruined one at first, so she simply fried it and ate it herself. After that, she barely got the hang of it.
After she finished drawing, she waited a little while until the outline of the batter solidified slightly, turned golden, and started to bubble. Then she filled the hollow in the middle with the rest of the batter.
She casually removed two pieces of firewood, and the batter in the middle began to bubble. Chen Miao spread a thick layer of red bean paste in the middle of the pancake, then scooped a spoonful of batter to seal the red bean paste. She flipped it over with a spatula and fried it until both sides of the batter turned slightly golden brown before serving.
The taste of this product is almost identical to that made with a mold, and it will still have a stringy texture when eaten hot.
It just doesn't look as good as those made from a mold. Chen Miao comforted herself, saying that although the appearance was just average, it still smelled delicious.
Shen Miao held up a frog-shaped taiyaki, as big as Xiang Jie'er's face, to coax her. Unexpectedly, Xiang Jie'er stared at it for a long time with tears in her eyes, not recognizing what it was. She had been crying for a while and was still sobbing uncontrollably, but she still asked in confusion, "Sister, did you make a big, flattened rat?"
Shen Miao choked: "...It's a frog."
This answer forced Xiang Jie'er to take it and examine it carefully. In the end, she seemed to laugh at the ugliness of the "ugly frog dish" and finally stopped crying and smiled.
By sheer coincidence, Shen Miao saw her laughing as she held the ugly frog stew, and he laughed too.
After lunch, Shen Miao continued preparing to make red bean buns. Xie's coachman, Zhou Da, had arranged a departure time with her the day before, and she didn't want to keep others waiting. Moreover, the temperature was a bit low due to the rain, so she moved up the time for kneading and resting the dough.
Because of the incessant rain, the Xie family's car had been picking up and dropping off Chen Miao for the past two days, which finally relieved her predicament.
This made Shen Miao very grateful. She was doing this for money, and the Xie family's act of providing an extra car was already a great kindness from them.
That day, the Xie family's coachman jumped down from the carriage, greeted Shen Miao with clasped hands, and said that his ninth brother had seen the heavy rain and instructed him to come and pick him up. He also said that the ritual was to pray for good fortune and that no one else should be burdened by it.
Hearing this, Shen Miao felt at ease and without much burden.
The coachman, Zhou Da, was a round-faced man in his early thirties with a very amiable appearance. After explaining his purpose, he took out one adult-sized and two children's-sized raincoats from the carriage: "Madam Shen, please wear these. Yan Shu asked me to bring them. This large one was worn by Eleventh Sister in our family. She only wore it once, and because the seam came undone, she didn't want it anymore. My wife took it home and mended it, so it's still like new. These two small ones used to be worn by Yan Shu and Qiu Hao, another page of Ninth Brother. They've been starched and dried, so they're not dirty. Yan Shu also said that Madam Shen should make do with them for now and please don't find them offensive."
Shen Miao had no reason to complain; besides two umbrellas, she hadn't even had time to buy a raincoat. The things the driver brought were neatly folded and very light to wear, so she said apologetically that she was sorry to have troubled him.
The driver snorted and waved his hand, saying, "It's no trouble at all."
After wrapping the red bean buns tightly in oilcloth, the coachman got off the carriage again to help Shen Miao carry them onto the carriage. The carriage was spacious, but because it was full of steamers, Shen Miao, Ji Ge'er, and Xiang Jie'er felt cramped sitting inside. But no one complained, because this was already much luckier than walking in the rain.
That day, after getting into the car, Shen Miao suddenly remembered something and lifted the curtain.
In the rain and mist, Gu Tusu was still standing at his door, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, silently watching the large cart.
Before Zhou Da even got on the carriage, he was tightening the raincoat on the chestnut horse, and then patting the horse's wet head reassuringly. He then jumped onto the carriage shaft, gave a shout, and laboriously turned the carriage around in the narrow alley, carefully exiting the alleyway.
The wheels rolled over puddles, splashing water. Gu Tusu slowly raised his eyes and met Shen Miao's gaze through the heavy rain, who was sitting high in the carriage.
The rain was so heavy that his straw hat covered half of his face, and Shen Miao could hardly see his expression. She could only see a tall figure standing like a clay sculpture in the rain. She waved to him and said, "It's raining too hard, Second Brother Gu, you should go back quickly."
Gu Tusu remained silent, and Shen Miao waved her hand again before lowering the carriage curtain.
Sitting in the car with Xiang Jie in her arms, she sighed inwardly.
She wasn't the real Sister Shen, so she felt no ripples in her heart at Gu Tusu's closeness, and she couldn't respond to his disappointment, nor could she pay much attention to the complicated feelings that arose inexplicably in him.
The matter of time travel is her deepest secret, one that she cannot and should not reveal to anyone.
Besides... Gu Tusu's intimacy should be for Sister Shen, not for "her". Shen Miao has always been a sensitive person. She has always kept Aunt Gu's somewhat reluctant look in her heart. Sometimes when Gu Tusu sees her wielding a knife to chop meat and bones without changing her expression, with blood and flesh flying everywhere, he will subconsciously look away slightly.
But the Gu family had always been very kind to the original owner, Ji-ge'er, and Xiang-jie'er. She didn't want to erase such neighborly affection, and she also remembered how kind Aunt Gu had been to Ji-xiang-jie'er and Ji-ge'er, so she could only keep her distance for now.
She came to Bianjing not for anyone in particular; she simply wanted to live the life she wanted.
Perhaps after a while, she should find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Gu Tusu.
Afterwards, sitting inside the carriage, Shen Miao looked around at the furnishings and decorations before belatedly realizing that this carriage did not seem to be used by servants to transport goods or pick up guests.
The interior of the carriage was clean and tidy. A small bamboo table and two rattan cushions were placed on the raised platform, and a calligraphy and painting hung on the wall. The platform was hollow with two drawers. Shen Miao didn't dare to open them, but she guessed that they probably contained a chessboard or a tea tray—because in the corner behind the small table, there was a tiny shelf with a plate of Buddha's hand citron on the top shelf, a bronze openwork plum blossom incense burner on the middle shelf, and two old books on the bottom shelf.
The car was simple yet elegant. Outside, the rain splashed up mud and grass, but inside, the fresh scent of Buddha's Hand fruit lingered.
Shen Miao recalled the lantern hanging on the corner of the carriage, and the character "谢" (xie, meaning thank you) written on it seemed to be in the Zhong style.
Whose car is this? She already had a guess in her mind.
Later, she always remembered that she wanted to thank Xie's ninth son in person. But when she baked red bean buns at Xie's house, she never saw him again. In the kitchen, there was only Chef Fang, whose attitude towards her had become very kind, and Yan Shu, who occasionally sneaked over to freeload.
***
In the blink of an eye, today is the last day of the Xie family's Dharma assembly.
After making the red bean buns, there was still some time left. After thinking for a moment, Shen Miao made a box of special pastries as a thank-you gift for Xie Jiu Ge'er.
Once the dessert was ready, Zhou Da came to pick her up.
Soon after entering the Xie family's house, she skillfully began baking. Chef Fang chatted with her casually. Chen Miao lazily fanned the kiln while glancing at Yan Shu, who was sitting on the threshold with Xiang Jie'er reading about ants moving house. She absentmindedly responded with a few words.
At this moment, both Yan Shu and Xiang Jie'er were holding a large, proper red bean paste taiyaki that was bigger than their faces.
This time, Shen Miao drew a sea bream. She had made this kind of thing in her previous life, so her fish-drawing skills hadn't been lost. This time, she made it much more lifelike than the "ugly frog prawn".
Every time she came to the Xie family, Shen Miao would prepare different snacks for Xiang Jie'er, fearing she would be hungry. Yesterday, she made a giant peach blossom and red bean cake. Yan Shu happened to sneak over to play and was very envious when he saw it. Xiang Jie'er was very generous and spent a lot of effort breaking it in half for him.
Although Yanshu was mischievous, he knew the importance of reciprocity. After receiving Xiangjie's red bean cake, he immediately ran back to the courtyard, grabbed a handful of fresh cherries to share with her, and explained, "These are from the cherry tree in our Ninth Brother's yard! Ninth Brother always says that cherries are the best of all fruits, a true delicacy! Have you had any?"
Of course, Sister Xiang had never eaten it, and she honestly shook her head.
So when it was time to go back yesterday, Yanshu came running back breathlessly, carrying a basket of cherries for Shen Miao: "Ninth Brother said that Madam Shen should take some back to eat, otherwise, if they hang on the branches, they will just be a waste for those sparrows."
That must be a lie. Cherry trees in the Song Dynasty were difficult to grow, and the fruit they produced was very precious.
Shen Miao knew that cherries had been a tribute to the imperial palace since the Han Dynasty. The imperial palace had many cherry trees, and it was said that the first batch of cherries harvested in late spring each year had to be sent to the imperial mausoleum and ancestral temple for sacrifices before being presented with gold plates, gold chopsticks, silver spoons and other utensils to reward princes or important officials.
If ordinary people had cherries, they would be reluctant to eat them themselves, but would only pick them and sell them to the powerful and wealthy to make a living.
Taking the opportunity, Shen Miao asked, "Is your Ninth Brother at home?"
Yan Shu pouted and said with a hint of complaint, "He's here, and he's not here! These past two days, my husband has been calling him over to meet guests, and even making him go out in the rain to write poems, saying that spring rain is as precious as oil, and that the willows by Jinming Pond in the rain are very picturesque, worthy of everyone composing a poem... He's really just wasting his time, and he's made our Ninth Brother quite tired."
Aren't you coming along?
"Ninth Brother won't let me go, saying it's raining too hard and he wants me to stay home." Yan Shu was overjoyed; he was hoping he wouldn't go. He winked and said, "I'm illiterate, so I'll take care of all the hard work of helping Ninth Brother with his studies."
Shen Miao chuckled: "Then what job is assigned to you?"
Yan Shu puffed out his chest and said proudly, "Madam Chen, you don't know, but when I was young, there was a year when there was war and snow disaster in the north. My family was scattered because of the disaster. Although I don't remember, Madam Chen inquired about my family background. She said that the slave trader told me that when I was two or three years old, I followed my family from Yanzhou to Yanzhou. But there was no food in Yanzhou, and my parents starved to death. My uncle couldn't support me, so he sold me for two bags of grain. After that, I followed the slave trader barefoot to Bianjing... Later, I was bought by Ninth Brother, and from then on, Madam Chen made me go out to study with Ninth Brother. She said I was brave! And as tough as Ninth Brother! And not afraid of hardship!"
Shen Miao felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, and couldn't help but raise her hand to gently rub his head.
What do you mean by "tough luck"? How could such a young child not starve to death? It must be because his starving parents saved every last grain of their food for him. The way this Madam Xie recounted her life story to Yanshu suggests she's a very gentle person... No wonder Xie Jiu-ge'er developed such a temperament.
“However, it’s fortunate that my uncle sold me, otherwise how could I have come to be with Ninth Brother?” Yan Shu wasn’t sad at all. He swung his legs contentedly. “Back then, I was stuffed in a sack of wheat flour and dragged on the ground like livestock by slave traders, being sold along the way. It was Ninth Brother who saw me in the market and had his wife buy me. Otherwise, the Xie family would have kept their own slaves and wouldn’t have bought people from outside.”
Shen Miao nodded, thinking to herself, "Although Xie Jiu-ge'er is young, he is truly a kind-hearted person. Not to mention Yan Shu, even she, the cook who came in to make pastries, has always been treated with courtesy and kindness."
Perhaps it's not just Xie Jiuge'er, but the Xie family's tradition.
During her two days at the Xie family's house, she noticed a significant change in the reed shed. On the first sunny day, the shed only had a roof, but after it rained, tarpaulins were placed around the shed, and charcoal braziers were added. Tea with ginger and maltose was also provided day and night.
The red bean buns that Shenmiao made were only part of the vegetarian meals provided to the monks; they had three dishes and a soup every day. Although Chef Fang did not make vegetarian dishes, he and the cooks had been busy until dark for the past three days, preparing vegetarian meals for the monks.
After chanting scriptures for three days, the monks not only didn't lose weight, but actually gained some.
"Yanshu, look, my brother is writing with furnace ash again." Just then, Xiangjie suddenly leaned over and whispered in Yanshu's ear, secretly pointing her little hand towards Jige'er, "My brother is really good at studying, and he's also very good at counting money!"
Yan Shu took a big bite of taiyaki, then nodded to Xiang Jie'er: "Your brother is very diligent, he will surely be successful in the future."
“Yes, my sister said that the Imperial Academy will hold a summer examination for recruiting young scholars next month, and she wants my brother to try it out.” Xiang’er also took a bite. “So my brother studies whenever he has free time.”
Yan Shu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, she rewrapped the taiyaki that she hadn't finished eating: "Wait for me, I'll be right back."
He carefully hid the silk fish cake in the vegetable basket behind Xiang Jie'er, then got up and ran away quickly.
Shen Miao was startled by his sudden action: "Hey, where is Yan Shu going?"
Xiang Jie shook her head, looking completely bewildered.
Today she wore another new outfit that Shen Miao had made for her: a peach-pink short-sleeved shirt with a matching six-panel skirt. Shen Miao had even tried embroidering a few small cherries on the cuffs and hem. To complement the outfit, Shen Miao styled her hair into a very cute and charming double bun with little hearts, and made two small balls with red string that hung down, which would sway around her ears as she walked and jumped.
Shen Miao was charmed by the way she tilted her head. She pinched her chubby cheeks as she got up before going back to check on the stove.
She thought to herself that she hoped Yanshu would come back soon. She had spent a lot of effort making a box of pastries that afternoon and wanted to ask him to give them to Xie Qi.
Now that these 150 red bean buns are baked, she probably won't come to the Xie family again. Such a grand mansion, with generations of slaves and even family recipes, rarely buys food from outside. That's why Chef Fang was so indignant towards Shen Miao when she first came.
But she had to thank Ninth Brother for his kindness these past two days.
What she spent a lot of time making that afternoon was actually a box of egg yolk pastries.
Why choose egg yolk pastries? Well, the reasons can be summed up in just a few words: delicious, beautiful, and fresh.
The essence of egg yolk pastry lies in the oil-based pastry. If the oil-based pastry is made well, it will have layers upon layers and the flaky crust will crumble at the slightest touch. She put a lot of effort into making the oil-based pastry, and she also had to make the oil-based dough.
The salted egg yolks were bought in advance from Aunt Li. Aunt Li was a bit petty and gossipy, but not only were her chickens and ducks excellent, her salted duck eggs were also quite good. Shen Miao had a knack for choosing salted duck eggs: they had to have a layer of white frost on the outside, and while they weren't very smooth to the touch, the shells should be clean and round. Poor quality salted duck eggs had a dull gray shell with black spots, and if there were cracks, they were even less fresh.
She squatted in the jar of pickled duck eggs at Aunt Li's house, bending over and picking at them for a long time until her legs went numb. She still had to endure Aunt Li's indirect questioning: "Elder sister, how exactly did you get to know such an important person?"
For two consecutive days, the Xie family came to Yangliu East Lane to pick her up to bake steamed buns. Such fine horses and high carriages were truly eye-catching, and the news spread throughout the alley.
The rumors spread, but none of them were kind. Human nature is indeed fickle. When she first returned, everyone's pity for her seemed to have turned into jealousy. Some said she had "climbed the social ladder" again, some said she had gotten incredibly lucky, and some even said she was going to remarry. It was a steward from the Xie family named Zheng who had come looking for her.
Shen Miao tried to explain twice at first, but the rumors only intensified, so she simply stopped paying attention. The more she explained, the more mistakes she made, and the more diligently she explained. Seeing that she cared, the gossips became even more enthusiastic.
Zheng Neizhi's grandson is almost a month old, yet he's become the subject of their gossip; it's truly ridiculous and laughable.
In short, the salted duck eggs she carefully selected were excellent. The yolks were fragrant and oily when bitten into, and had a slightly grainy texture, making them perfect for making egg yolk pastries.
She quickly rolled the dough into strips, cut them into small pieces, and then rolled each piece into a ball. She also divided the oil-based dough into small pieces and rolled them into balls.
Finally, flatten the dough into a round disc, wrap the oil filling inside, seal the opening, roll the round dough into an oval shape, roll it up again, repeat the rolling process several times, and then set it aside for later use.
Next, crush the red beans into a paste, add honey and knead them together. Take out the five salted egg yolks, bake them on the stove until dry, then crush them. Press the wrapped dough into round cakes and roll them out. Each egg yolk pastry is made by wrapping half a crushed egg yolk with a layer of red bean paste and then wrapping it in the dough. Finally, seal the opening tightly, roll it into a plump round shape, brush it with two layers of egg wash, sprinkle sesame seeds, and then bring it to the Xie family's large oven to bake together.
Later versions of egg yolk pastries mostly included mochi and pork floss, making them more complex. However, Shen Miao didn't have time to make pork floss, so she only made a simplified version. But it was still quite delicious. The egg yolk pastries were plump and golden after baking, with a crisp crust and soft filling. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds on top made these little snacks even more beautiful.
Shen Miao smelled the aroma and thought it smelled good. Although it lacked the milky aroma of butter, the pastry was baked just right.
She made quite a few in one go. After they came out of the oven, she first shared them with Chef Fang, Brother Ji, and Sister Xiang to try. She also ate one herself, taking a bite of egg yolk and a bite of pastry, along with the subtle texture of red bean paste. It was soft but not dry, with delicate layers.
It was even better than she had expected. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to control the heat well in this old-fashioned kiln and wouldn't be able to bake the soft and delicious egg yolk pastry, but now it proved that she had succeeded!
Moreover, seeing Chef Fang tilting her chin slightly back, her eyes squinting in enjoyment, and smacking her lips in savoring the taste, she became even more certain that her egg yolk pastry was a success.
In today's society where resources are so abundant, egg yolk pastry has become a top choice among many pastry desserts, thanks to its rich fillings and beautiful appearance, and has remained popular for a long time.
Egg yolk pastries naturally have their advantages as a dessert.
In particular, the Xie family is wealthy, and she couldn't afford to give any other expensive gifts. After thinking it over, it seemed that her only valuable asset was her culinary skills.
Moreover, at least in the Song Dynasty, no one had ever eaten egg yolk pastries, nor did anyone know how to make them.
Xie Jiuge'er must also find it novel.
The fire flickered, its light illuminating Shen Miao's face. She sat on a small stool, resting her chin on the back of her hand, lost in thought: If Yan Shu doesn't return, how should she send out the egg yolk pastries? Chef Fang said he couldn't enter the inner courtyard and would have to ask someone to deliver them... That would seem a bit too much of a fuss, and she didn't want to attract too much attention.
Just as I was feeling distressed, a clear, melodious sound, like a mountain stream, suddenly came from behind me.
"Madam Shen, are you well today?"
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