Chapter 34 He went to take the exam. Why does this soup dumpling smell so good even before it's cooked...?
Just past dawn, the sun had just risen in the east, like a large egg yolk hanging on the top of the big willow tree at the alley entrance, its rays dispelling the thick darkness of night and illuminating the eaves of the crowded, high and low houses in Yangliu East Alley with a soft bluish-green hue.
The Bian River, with its clear blue waters, also rippled with a hazy, shimmering light.
For once, Aunt Li's porcelain mending shop didn't open early, and Li Tiaozi didn't go out to the alleys with his porcelain mending load. Instead, he was wiping down the newly made two-wheeled cart at the door.
Li Tiaozi used a damp cloth to wipe the cart from the front to the wheels, his mouth twitching with heartache as he wiped: his wife saw that Shen Jiaxin's two-wheeled cart was nice, so she insisted on getting one too, saying it would be much more convenient for her to sell chicks and eggs at the market in the future.
Li Tiaozi couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had no choice but to give in.
This carriage cost 320 coins! I wonder how much money the Shen family paid.
Li, the cart carrier, was not good with words, and Aunt Li wanted to compare her cart to the Shen family's. Old Man Yang, who was usually clumsy with words, suddenly seemed transformed when they came to ask him. He spoke fluently and incessantly, saying things like, "This cart is stable and light, perfect for women," "See the Shen family's cart? That's my handiwork!" He added, "If you buy it now, I'll give you two baskets and an umbrella! If it breaks down within a year, I'll repair it for free!" Finally, he said, "I'm almost finished building the Shen family's house. I'll have some free time in a couple of days to finish it. If you order now, it'll be finished in half a month. I'll give you a 20-cent discount—no one else can offer this price, so don't tell anyone else."
His wife's eyes lit up at the conversation, as if she felt she had gotten a great deal, and she insisted on making the order.
Now that the cart has been made and delivered, although it is indeed better than the previous ones, easier to push, and more finely made than ordinary dirt carts, Li Tiaozi is gradually realizing: a wheelbarrow only costs around 100 coins, so why does adding a wheel, two more baskets, and painting cost more than 300 coins? It seems like he hasn't gotten any bargain!
But there's no other way now, so we can only suffer in silence.
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Aunt Li led her beloved son, Li Gou'er, to the cart. Li Gou'er jumped onto the cart, and Aunt Li, abandoning her usual harshness and grumbling, looked at him with great affection, patted his head, placed the wicker book box she was carrying on the cart, and took out a stack of oiled paper-wrapped flatbreads from her bosom, tying them to the box for Li Gou'er.
"Doggy, study hard on your exams. If you get hungry, have some pancakes. I got up early this morning to make them, and even mixed some salted egg yolks into the dough." A few days ago, Aunt Li was enjoying the cool air in front of her house when she saw a scholar from the Shen family come to order some kind of egg yolk pastry. Only then did she realize that Sister Shen often came to her house to buy salted eggs for what purpose. But she didn't quite know what these egg yolk pastries looked like, because Sister Shen had actually turned down the business that came to her door!
She refused to make it for them, saying it was their recipe and she could make it for herself if she wanted, but she couldn't sell it without permission.
Aunt Li pricked up her ears to eavesdrop, and upon hearing this, she pursed her lips: "Oh dear, even if it's done secretly, what's the harm? We've already told the customers not to tell anyone, so who would know? This Sister Shen usually seems quite shrewd, how come she's so muddle-headed about this?"
The baby-faced student returned home dejectedly.
The two women spoke in hushed tones, and Aunt Li could only vaguely overhear some of their conversation. She didn't dare get too close; Sister Shen kept a vicious dog chained in front of her door, and she now preferred to take the other alleyway home rather than go near the Shen family's house. If it weren't for the fact that Sister Shen's guard dog was quiet, didn't like to bark, and was always on a leash, she would have definitely gone to complain to the neighborhood committee.
What if it accidentally bites someone!
She complained about it to Li Tiaozi, but he shook his head and spoke fairly: "How could the magistrates of the Street Office care about such a trivial matter? Almost every household in Bianjing keeps a dog to guard the house, and many people don't even leash their dogs, letting them roam freely. This lady didn't let her dog run around, so don't cause trouble, lest you ruin the relationship between neighbors. She used to buy your salted duck eggs and chicken eggs, which earned our family a lot of copper coins. We can't repay kindness with enmity."
Aunt Li was scolded by her husband, so she pinched his arm and said, "You're always siding with outsiders!"
But they didn't cause any more trouble.
However, seeing that customers were coming to the Shen family's door to buy food, Aunt Li still had some thoughts: judging from the student's drooling tone, she felt that the egg yolk pastry must be delicious. Unfortunately, Sister Shen was so tight-lipped, and after politely declining, she didn't say anything more. So Aunt Li could only imagine it herself, and today she also tried to knead egg yolks into the dough to make pancakes for Li Gou'er.
Afterwards, she held Li Gou'er's hand tightly, nagging and nagging, "Gou'er, when you take the exam, remember to write slowly, make sure each stroke is neat and correct. Write what you know first, don't rush. We paid two hundred coins for the exam fee, you have to make your mother proud! Don't let our money go to waste. Your exam number is hanging around your neck, don't lose it."
Li Gou'er, who was constantly nagged by his aunt, was getting impatient: "Alright, Mother, I'm going to be late."
"Hey, hey, go on, go on." Aunt Li turned to her husband and instructed, "Push the cart slowly, don't fall."
Li Tiaozi couldn't stand his wife's nagging any longer, so he quickly lifted the handlebars and left.
Aunt Li then shut her mouth, held onto the cart shaft, tidied her hair, and prepared to muster her courage to follow them to the alley entrance—if they went straight without taking a detour, the Li family would have to pass by the Shen family to get out of the alley, and they would also have to see that big dog.
Just then, the Shen family's door opened.
Before the door was even opened, the big black dog lying under the platform suddenly opened its eyes and stood up to shake its fur.
As they got closer to the Shen family's house, Aunt Li stood close to Li Tiaozi's cart and went around to the other side.
Li Tiaozi could only comfort her, saying, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. What's there to be afraid of about dogs? Our dog is still called Gou'er, but you're afraid of dogs."
Aunt Li wouldn't listen to reason, and she was even walking with her feet in disarray.
In the entire Yangliu East Lane, only the Shen and Li families went to take the exam. Some families didn't have children of school age, while others, though they did, didn't intend to support their children's education for the exams. Each exam cost two hundred coins, and who knew how much the annual tuition would be! It would be better to send them to some impoverished scholar's private school to learn some characters, so that they could follow in the footsteps of the Gu family and inherit the family business. At least they could help support their family shop and avoid becoming illiterate.
Li Tiaozi and Aunt Li were different; they were cousins within the five degrees of kinship. At that time, this was considered a well-matched marriage, strengthening family ties. Although the Song Dynasty had written "those of the same clan and surname shall not marry, and violators shall each be sentenced to two years of penal servitude" into its laws, it did not restrict "cousins" by maternal blood. In fact, some prefectures even had sayings such as "a paternal aunt's daughter must marry her maternal uncle's son" and "family members returning to their hometown."
They originally had three sons and one daughter, but they either died at birth or died of illness when they were four or five years old. As a result, the couple, now over forty, only had one child, Li Gou'er. It was precisely because so many of their children had died that they gave him such a humble name, and their expectations for this child were naturally extraordinary.
Let alone two hundred coins, even two strings of cash, Li would grit his teeth and be willing to support his son's education.
The Li family of three pushed their cart out and happened to run into Shen Miao and her two siblings. Aunt Li, with her keen sense of smell, immediately caught an undeniable aroma wafting from the Shen family's courtyard. It was not only savory and rich, but it also seemed to have a hint of chicken bone soup.
"Big sister, you're already cooking soup and rice so early? You young people are so energetic. It's so hard for your aunt to get up and make a pancake, and it's already dawn." Although Aunt Li was afraid and dared not approach, her curiosity almost overcame her fear, so she even clung to the shaft of a dirt cart and peered curiously into the Shen family's house.
The Shen family home, destroyed by fire, has been transformed. Three large brick houses have sprung up, pillars erected, walls built; all that's left is to lay the roof beams and tiles. In their yard, a small pond has been dug, chicken coops and doghouses built, and two vegetable gardens cultivated… Aunt Li glanced at them briefly and felt a pang of sadness. The new house looked so beautiful, new walls and new tiles, truly lovely. Especially since Sister Shen had spared no expense; the house even had dougong brackets and a single-story, upturned eaves porch, so rainwater wouldn't get inside and could drain directly into the ditch.
They look so relaxed.
To build such a nice house after making a fortune—won't that drain all your savings? She's still young and doesn't know how to manage money. Aunt Li thought of her own old house, where she'd lived for nearly thirty years. Although it had been renovated and painted several times, she still felt incredibly envious.
"Aunt Li, Uncle Li, good morning too. I didn't get up early either. I prepared everything last night, and it was just a matter of reheating it in the morning." Shen Miao greeted them with a smile as she turned to close the door, but she didn't say what she had eaten or what she had made.
"Uncle Li, Aunt Li, greetings!" Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er called out crisply as they followed beside her.
"Good morning, everyone," Li the porter replied with a smile. He rarely stayed in the alley, so he knew very little about Aunt Li's petty competitive thoughts or the gossip among the neighbors. Having lost many of his own children, he always greeted the children in the alley with a smile and was happy to talk to them. Seeing that Chen Miao was only carrying a basket, Ji Ge'er was carrying a simple book basket, and Xiang Jie'er was clutching a huge steamed bun, he said gently, "Are you also taking Ji Ge'er to his exam? Why don't you have a stroller? Should Ji Ge'er ride with Gou'er? I'll pull them all the way..."
Li Gou'er waved to Xiang Jie'er when he saw her.
He was in poor health and somewhat weak-willed, so boys his age didn't like to play with him. Instead, he became closer to Xiangjie.
With a steamed bun still stuffed in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, Xiangjie looked up at him and smiled, "Doggy, Doggy, I wish you all the best in your exams!"
She naturally heard the words from Shen Miao, and she imitated them. After hearing her elder sister and brother say them, she also used them to congratulate Li Gou'er.
"Xiang-jie, Gou'er is about the same age as your brother Ji-ge'er. You should call him Brother Li, not Gou'er. It's really rude," Aunt Li scolded, arms crossed, her face also displeased. Just now, when Li Tiaozi had invited Ji-ge'er to ride in the carriage with him, she raised her eyebrows. She was already a person with high cheekbones, and that raised eyebrow made Li Tiaozi feel a chill down his spine, and he swallowed the rest of his words.
Xiangjie wasn't afraid of Aunt Li. She tilted her head and said, "But... Gou'er said he can bark however he wants."
Li Gou'er nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's what I said. You can call Xiang Jie'er whatever you want."
Aunt Li rolled her eyes in exasperation, but since it was her own son who had said it, she had nothing to say and could only urge Li Tiaozi to leave quickly.
Li Tiaozi turned to look at Chen Miao: "Are you sure you don't need Uncle Li to give you a ride?"
Shen Miao smiled and waved her hand, "Thank you, Uncle Li. We plan to take a long carriage from the horse shop, so we won't take the bus. We can't be so inconsiderate as to let Ji-ge ride in the carriage. It would be too tiring for you to push two people."
Aunt Li felt a little better after hearing this. Although Sister Shen didn't know how to manage money, she at least had some sense.
So she turned her attention back to Sister Shen, who had dressed up nicely today. She had styled her hair in a trendy floral bun, and decorated the bun with a folded cloth and colorful silk threads to create simple petal shapes. She wore a light blue, narrow-sleeved blouse with embroidered begonia patterns, a pink and white skirt and trousers [Note 1], and a pair of very clean plain cloth shoes.
She carried a large basket on her back, the opening of which was covered with a coarse cloth, so it was impossible to see what was inside. But judging from Sister Shen's slightly hunched posture, it was clear that the contents were heavy. So Aunt Li had a guess in her mind and asked in surprise, "Sister, you're not planning to set up a stall in front of Biyong Academy, are you?" Wasn't she afraid of hurting Ji Ge's feelings?
Shen Miao nodded frankly and said, "Yes."
She had sent Ji-ge'er out of the city for the exam and didn't plan to return, so she couldn't set up her stall at Jinliang Bridge today. But Chen Miao was someone who couldn't stay idle; she couldn't sleep if she had a day to herself without making money. So yesterday, she used the earthen kiln in the courtyard to bake a hundred mulberry and peanut soft European-style breads in advance. She planned to sell fresh bread at the gate of the Imperial Academy while Ji-ge'er was taking the exam.
To save costs, Shen Miao still used a whole wheat, low-oil, and sugar-free formula, claiming it was to make the people of Bianjing eat healthily.
She ate this with Ji-ge and Xiang-jie in the morning. Even after sitting overnight, the bread was still very soft and fluffy when warmed up in the oven in the morning. The roasted peanut crumbs had a rich nutty flavor and provided some oil, making it less dry. Mulberries were almost out of season and were very cheap at the fruit vendors, so she bought them all. She chopped the fresh mulberries, and the juice added a light purple hue to the dough. The refreshing sweet and sour taste also improved the texture and flavor of the bread.
Moreover, making this bread doesn't require kneading the dough until it forms a membrane, nor does it require any special shaping techniques. The wheat flour was only sifted five or six times, intentionally retaining a slight grainy texture in the coarse flour, making the bread less bland. Instead of deliberately letting the dough rise in a high-temperature place, she used an overnight fermentation method, which allowed the remaining wheat bran in the old dough to become so soft that it almost melts in your mouth.
Although the cost is low and the workmanship is simple, Shen Miao plans to sell them for twelve coins each.
Firstly, the entrance to the Imperial Academy would be bustling with activity today. Those who could afford to spend two hundred coins for their children's exams were certainly well-off, if not wealthy. If it was too cheap, they wouldn't even look at it. Secondly, she had specially dyed the European-style bread purple with mulberries and sprinkled a whole ring of crushed peanuts in the middle [Note]. After baking, it turned out purple with a golden hue, so she named it "Purple Robe and Golden Belt" steamed bun.
Purple robes and gold belts—these are symbols of high official rank, and selling them during exams is so auspicious and carries such good meaning!
Thirdly, her skills are worth twelve coins. She baked European-style bread until late last night!
Of course, she didn't intend to say more about these things. She could also see the unspoken meaning in Aunt Li's words. Not to mention that the Song Dynasty was an era that was tolerant of merchants and did not look down on them too much, even in modern times, Shen Miao would not feel ashamed.
If Ji-ge'er feels ashamed because of this, then he is no longer her brother.
Therefore, he only responded once and then said goodbye to the Li family of three.
Turning back, I said to the little dog with three chickens on its back in the yard, "Watch the house well, we're leaving!" The little dog had grown quite a bit and barked loudly in the yard, its tail wagging like a propeller.
Shen Miao then turned her gaze to Lei Ting and reached out to pat it: "Thank you for taking good care of them."
Thunder didn't wag its tail, but just tilted its big head and glanced at her before lowering its eyes again. It stretched out its two front paws and yawned on the ground. It seemed to be saying, "Why bother explaining such a trivial matter?"
Shen Miao then smiled.
Thunder has been at the house for quite some time now. Although it still refuses to enter the yard and stubbornly waits at the door for Aunt Wu to appear, its attitude towards the Shen family is completely different from when it first arrived. Now it lets Shen Miao touch it, and it also lets Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er touch it.
When Shen Miao returned from setting up her stall at the morning market, she would take him for a walk, and after dinner, they would go for another walk.
Having raised dogs in her past life, she knew that such a large dog needed a lot of exercise, but Lei Ting was almost unwilling to move unless she deliberately took it out. Even when it was out for a walk, it wouldn't go too far from Yangliu East Alley. It seemed to have a ruler in its mind to measure distances, and once it crossed the bridge, it would keep turning its head, urging Chen Miao to go back.
At first, Xiangjie was afraid of it, but later, after trying to pinch its ears and pull its whiskers, and Leiting just drooped its eyelids and didn't react, the child became so bold that she put her whole fat body on Leiting's back, hugged its thick neck and sang the nursery rhyme: "...I want a puppy, a good one, my dog is big but silly. It doesn't bite thieves, it only bites chickens. [Note 2]"
After singing, he would lean close to Lei Ting's ear and carefully instruct him: "You're not allowed to bite my chickens, especially Rong Rong."
Once, Shen Miao was about to take it for a walk, so she untied the leash. But suddenly the little dog in the yard started fighting with the little white rooster, and chickens and dogs flew about in chaos. She quickly ran back to break up the fight. Xiang Jie'er, who was usually kept away from the well by Shen Miao, took the opportunity and ran off to play and be mischievous at the well house at the end of the alley.
This was all thanks to Thunder. Without being told, it quietly followed, watching as Xiangjie lay by the well trying to retrieve the rope for the bucket. Thunder even grabbed her trouser leg and pulled her back, not letting her get too close to the well. It kept doing this until it successfully brought the sulking, unsuccessful Xiangjie back.
This is exactly like Gale.
Shen Miao's feelings for it became very complicated. She knew it wasn't real, but she still missed it.
After giving her instructions, Shen Miao stood on tiptoe to look at the doghouse in the yard—a newly built brick and tile doghouse with food and water bowls placed in front of the arched doorway, both filled to the brim. They would be out all day, so the puppies and chicks should not go hungry.
The water bowl and food jar in front of Lei Ting were also full.
After confirming that nothing had been overlooked, he locked the door, took Xiangjie'er and Jige'er by the hand, and walked away quickly.
The car won't wait; we can't delay any longer.
Aunt Li watched their departing figures, trying to hold back her anger, but she couldn't help but mutter to Li Tiaozi, "Riding in a long carriage, how extravagant! This Miss Shen must have gotten a lot of money from the Xie family's steward to dare to act like this. How lucky she is to have managed to curry favor with such a noble family."
Li, carrying a load of goods, said helplessly, "That's their skill. You don't know, I set off before dawn every day with my load on my shoulders. All the other houses in this alley are pitch black, but the Shen family not only has their lights on, but smoke is even coming out of their chimneys. What time is it then? You're still fast asleep in bed. This is hard-earned money for them. Oh, stop grumbling and hurry up. Gou'er's exam is the most important thing."
Aunt Li then hurriedly helped push the cart, and it was only stopped at the inner city gate.
The three siblings, Shen Miao and her brother, soon arrived at the place where they were to board the car.
There were quite a few people taking the bus today, and the roads were very congested. Fortunately, Shen Miao and the other two left early, and by the time they arrived at the tall and magnificent gate of the Imperial Academy, the time was just right.
More and more people arrived, and soon a long queue formed at the entrance of the academy. The Imperial Academy was under martial law today, with many soldiers in blue robes and carrying swords on duty. After being searched twice in the tent at the entrance, the students who wanted to take the exam could only carry their exam baskets in by themselves.
With a tense expression, Shen Ji also squeezed into the crowd preparing to verify his identity.
He was swept forward by the crowd. His elder sister and Xiang'er could no longer accompany him. He suddenly felt a little panicked and couldn't help but look back. His elder sister and Xiang'er were still standing aside watching him go. When he looked over, his elder sister smiled and even stood on tiptoe to wave at him.
"Ji-ge'er, don't be nervous, just do your best." He heard her say loudly, "Take a deep breath, no matter how you do, your older sister is here! Your older sister and Xiang-jie'er are waiting for you outside, we're not going anywhere! Just relax and take the exam with ease! We'll have chicken soup at home tonight, your older sister started cooking it before she left—"
Xiangjie jumped up and shouted, "Brother! You'll definitely succeed in every exam!"
Shen Ji was amused. He glanced at his older sister and Xiang Jie'er, his gaze gradually hardening. He turned back and walked forward step by step with the crowd. As a mother, Aunt Li always encouraged Li Gou'er to study hard and hoped for good results. But his older sister said that no matter how he did, she would wait for him outside and make him chicken soup.
He lowered his head and quickly wiped his slightly hot eyes with the back of his hand.
Afterwards, he walked forward to the shed by the door, where the soldiers searched him from head to toe with scabbards. They took off his outer clothes, removed his outer trousers, and even looked at his crotch pants. Shen Ji blushed. After putting his clothes back on, he was finally ordered to open the examination basket.
His exam basket was a size larger than others'; his older sister had specially bought it for him.
The examination basket contained only two writing brushes, a stack of white paper, an inkstick, and an inkstone. Then there was a large, wide-mouthed earthenware bowl with a lid and a pair of chopsticks. The soldier ordered him to lift the lid to check, and he did.
Inside was a clump of fried dry soup noodles, a soft-boiled egg cut in half, a handful of chopped and dried vegetables, a few slices of braised pork, and at the bottom of the bowl, a large chunk of brownish-red congealed lard and meat sauce, and a pile of chopped scallions and cilantro...
The key point is that it smells pretty good.
The soldiers on the other side were stunned by the rare and abundant food.
He looked up at Shen Ji.
Shen Ji also looked back at him and blinked innocently.
"You...you're not planning to cook soup noodles in there, are you?" Xiang Jun asked in surprise. He turned the bowl over, even breaking the fried soup noodles in half to make sure there was nothing hidden inside. He couldn't help but remind him, "There's no stove or charcoal fire inside, and each person is only given one pot of hot water. These soup noodles will never cook properly. You'd better have your family buy you a couple of noodles before you go in! Otherwise, you'll go hungry all day!"
"Thank you, sir. Hot water is enough." Shen Ji bowed deeply. After thinking for a moment, he added, "My family runs a soup noodle shop in Yangliu East Lane, Jinliang Bridge. When you have time, sir, please come and try it. My sister's noodle-making skills are truly exceptional. You will not regret coming."
My sister said that once the house is tiled, she won't be going to the morning market to set up a stall anymore; the family shop will be opening soon. These past few days, she's gone to Old Man Yang's place to order a lot of tables, chairs, benches, long tables, countertops, and so on. She's also ordered a kiln full of rough pottery bowls engraved with the words "Chen Ji," and everything is already prepared.
Shen Ji had always wanted to help his older sister, so he seized every opportunity to promote the family shop.
Since the man wouldn't listen to reason, let him be! The soldier in charge of the search casually tossed the lid back and waved for Shen Ji to go inside. He watched the boy's departing figure, utterly speechless.
They brought you here to take the exam, and now they've even brought in customers.
But after searching several more people, the soldier still felt itchy, as if he could still smell the spicy aroma from the boy's examination basket.
Why does this soup dumpling smell so good even before it's cooked? What is it made of? He'd never eaten it before, and his doubts began to waver.
Is it really as delicious as they say?
I'll take a break later... why not... actually give it a try?
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