As late spring passed, the entire city of Chang'an gradually entered summer amidst the chirping of cicadas. The clothes worn by the women on the streets gradually became more revealing. The jade dew dumplings, cherry milk, and steamed rice cakes that were so popular with the women in spring suddenly lost their favor overnight, and were replaced by refreshing and delicious snacks such as ice-cold mountain cakes and translucent rice cakes.
Whether it was a young woman dressed in Hu clothing riding a horse and playing ball, a lady from a wealthy family wearing a veil, or a musician from the Tai Le Jiao Fang Si (a music and dance academy), they had all heard of the Shan Hai Restaurant near Huasheng Temple.
"Shan Hai Restaurant? I vaguely remember hearing about it a few times. They say the owner of the restaurant is a woman in her late twenties who makes excellent pastries, especially the translucent glutinous rice cakes."
"Yes, when I was in Tai Le, I often heard my colleagues mention that the host family's surname was Xu, and their cooking skills were superb. Even their spring pancakes were more interesting than other people's."
"Have you ever tried their Touhua Ci? It's cool but not icy, with a chewy outer layer and filled with the finest ingredients. When you eat it, you pour sugarcane juice and cheese over it. It's rich, moist, and delicious. You won't find another place like it in Chang'an!"
"I heard that the foreign fruits offered by Huasheng Temple this time were given by the shop owner, Madam Xu. If anyone is lucky enough to go to Huasheng Temple to ask for a bowl of vegetarian food, they can also taste that wonderful flavor. It is truly wonderful."
Meanwhile, Xu Milu was unaware that the city girls spoke so highly of the Mountain and Sea Restaurant; she was leaning against the window, chatting with the wandering spirit.
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"These past few days, Mo Xuan and Dai Zi have been suffering from the summer heat, and the shop really can't stand the heat. So I simply put away the fire spirit and made some refreshing snacks instead. Unfortunately, You Xun came at the wrong time today. The Ice Crisp Mountain is sold out, but there is still a basket of Translucent Flower Rice Cakes left. Would You Xun like some?"
She practically leaned half her body out the window, facing the three-zhang-tall red-haired day-roaming deity outside.
The name "Su Shan" itself suggests that it is closely related to dairy products. People in the Tang Dynasty often drank cow's milk or goat's milk. "Su" is a semi-finished product similar to butter extracted from cow's milk. After heating the su to a semi-melted state, crushed ice and ghee are placed at the bottom of a container. The su cheese is then slowly poured into the shape of mountains and dyed with cherries to make ice su mountain.
The method of making "Touhua Ci" is more similar to the modern method of making "Nuomi Ci". Steamed glutinous rice is pounded into glutinous rice balls, and then filled with fillings such as cooked mung bean paste or red bean paste.
The pastry skin made from glutinous rice flour has a semi-transparent gelatinous appearance. Through the hazy and delicate skin, you can see the color of the filling inside. It looks vaguely like a delicate flower, hence the name "transparent flower pastry".
"Even if there's no crispy mountain, a translucent glutinous rice cake would be fine!"
That day, the wandering deity was dressed in golden armor, exuding a powerful aura. He wore a gauze hat, white robes, and black boots. Although he had a blue face and fangs, he did not give off a terrifying feeling of a ghost. Instead, he had an aura of majesty that made evil spirits unapproachable.
"It looks like something Madam Xu made recently, so let's have a basket to try! The tomatoes I bought from you the other day were delicious, and even the Emperor in the palace has heard of them. This morning he ordered Zhang Anan, the Left Guard General of the Inner Palace, to investigate foreign goods in the city. If Madam Xu doesn't want to get into trouble, she can avoid it by closing her doors to guests on the 15th and 17th of this month."
Because he was over 30 feet tall and looked like a giant, he could only squat down to talk to Xu Milu.
Under the sunlight, the figure of the Sun-Wandering God gradually solidified, but the mortals passing by were completely unaware. The young man on horseback, the old farmer leading the donkey, and the coachman all passed through the Sun-Wandering God's figure without noticing. A child holding a ball even ran right through the Sun-Wandering God's official boots.
—Most mortals are clouded by the dust of the world, unable to see the gods and Buddhas filling the sky, nor the day and night gods who patrol the streets in turn.
"Is that really the case? Then I must thank the Japanese envoy for his guidance."
Xu Milu quickly packed a steamer full of translucent glutinous rice balls, wrapped them in fresh lotus leaves, put them in a basket, and handed them over.
"But this is not a big deal. I am just an honest shop owner. Selling some exotic fruits is not overstepping my bounds. Even if the emperor himself came, he would not be able to find fault with me."
It is said that "the seventh-rank city god, the eighth-rank mountain god, and the ninth-rank earth god" is absolutely true. The day and night patrol gods, as subordinates of the city god, patrol the streets day and night, and no news, big or small, in Chang'an can escape their eyes.
The day and night patrol gods take turns inspecting Chang'an, recording everything from the emperor's plans to confiscate property and dismiss officials, to which concubines are favored, which princes read what books, and which ministers take concubines... down to the smallest details: Wang Ermazi, the tofu seller at the street corner, losing a lot of money at the gambling den; the widow Niu in the east of the city, who intends to remarry and is preparing to find a son-in-law; the drunkard in the west of the city, who has been replaced by a water ghost; and the blind old man in the north of the city, who has dug up a gold ingot in his field. All these details are recorded in the book carried by the day and night patrol gods for the City God to investigate.
If the City God Temple is equivalent to a modern police station, then the patrolling deities day and night are definitely dedicated police officers who are familiar with and have a thorough grasp of the area's information. They know every household and every person in the city, and they even know exactly when a nest of rats appeared in the city.
So when Xu Milu heard what the Sun God said, she made a plan in her mind. In fact, if you count the time, she had been in Chang'an for more than two years. She never concealed the wonders of the Mountain and Sea Restaurant. She was able to wait until now to take action. This Emperor Taizong of Tang really deserves to be called "the emperor of all ages".
Mo Xuan, who was wiping tables in the shop, couldn't help but interject:
"It's a real pity you didn't go. At the Peach Blossom Banquet that day, Madam Xu brought out a lot of fine wine, the Dragon Girl sang and danced to entertain the guests, and there were also many foreigners from various border regions playing musical instruments. Even the wine barrels were half a person tall, and there were also many mermaids, all of whom were top-notch beauties—"
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