After leaving Hanlin Academy, Shen Qingchen did not go straight home. Instead, he carried his bundle and went to the market to buy some things.
She bought a crucian carp, a piece of pork belly, dried bamboo shoots, chestnuts, tofu, and some ginger and scallions. Since it was already evening, many shops had closed up shop, and she wandered around for a while before finally picking out these fresh items. She spent nearly an ounce of silver and her hands were full.
When I got home, the sunset had almost faded, and wisps of smoke rose from the rooftops.
Mingxiang changed into a plain dress, and with her head slightly lowered, she paced back and forth outside, unconsciously avoiding the withered yellow leaves. Suddenly, she turned around and saw Qingchen return, and happily called out, "Brother Qingchen."
As Qingchen entered the courtyard and put down his hands full of things, he asked, "I'm sorry I'm a little late. Have you eaten yet?"
Mingxiang shook her head.
"That's perfect. Wait for me a moment." With that, she rolled up her sleeves, put the pile of things she had bought into a small basket, and carried it to the water vat in the yard to wash them.
"Brother Qingchen, let me help you." Mingxiang said, straightening her skirt and squatting down.
Qingchen stopped her, "No need, I can do it myself, it'll be quick. Having another person would be inconvenient. You probably didn't sleep well last night either, go back and rest for a while, or just sit and watch." Without looking up, Qingchen finished speaking to Mingxiang and picked up a knife to start preparing the fish. Over the years, she and her father had depended on each other for survival, and her cooking skills had become quite proficient. Although she didn't usually buy fish, she still handled it very skillfully.
"Then I'll stay here with Qingchen. Be careful not to cut your hands on the fish scales, Qingchen." Mingxiang moved a round stool and sat down next to her, leaning forward involuntarily, her eyes watching her intently.
"Um."
After preparing the fish, Qingchen cut the pork belly and tofu into small, even pieces. Then he cut dried bamboo shoots, ginger, and scallions into slices. Finally, he peeled the chestnuts and soaked them in warm water.
As Mingxiang watched her prepare the ingredients, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Qingchen is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination. He should never have lifted a finger to do housework, but he does it better than me."
Qingchen glanced at the time; there was hardly any light left on the horizon. "Wait a little longer, it'll be ready soon."
She lit the stove, arranged several ingredients on plates and placed them aside, heated the oil, added some garlic to sauté until fragrant, and then took a moment to say to Mingxiang, "I'm sorry, it's all because of me that you were worried sick all day yesterday. Did the Imperial Guards... give you any trouble?"
Mingxiang also walked to the stove, shook her head and said, "Brother Qingchen, I also want to apologize to you. I was too excited when I saw you at the North Office today, and I couldn't help but tear up. Actually, they didn't make things difficult for me. It was just that Lord Lu asked me some questions and then had someone take me to the side room to rest... Brother Qingchen, at first, when I saw Lord Lu, I thought he was very fierce, and I was scared. But later, he didn't do anything."
While his subordinates were stir-frying the meat, Qingchen recalled the scene with Lu Shenyun. After the man fell asleep, his face lost seven-tenths of its fierceness, and he asked some inexplicable questions. He shook his head slightly and said, "Really? What did he ask you?"
"They only asked who's in your family, what you usually like to do, who you've been associating with lately, and... what's your relationship with me." Mingxiang said, lowering her head shyly.
Qingchen glanced at her, unsure of what to say, and simply hummed in agreement. He then poured the dried bamboo shoots and chestnuts into the pot, added some water, soy sauce, and salt, and covered the pot with the lid.
“I only said that Brother Qingchen is my neighbor, that he rented my house, and that he was very kind to me… to my family.” Mingxiang quickly continued, “That’s all the questions I asked. I didn’t ask anything else. Lord Lu spoke very briefly. He just nodded at whatever I said and even had someone pour me tea and bring me some pastries.”
"Hmm." Qingchen lifted the lid of the pot, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out; the stewed pork with chestnuts and carrots was ready. She ladled the dish out, quickly washed the pot, and prepared to cook the fish.
When the fish was being cooked, Mingxiang used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Qingchen's face. Qingchen paused for a moment, then made an excuse to avoid her, saying, "Could you get me some shredded ginger?"
Mingxiang gladly handed it over, and Qingchen nodded and said, "Thank you. Since I didn't make things difficult for you, why didn't you sleep well last night? When I saw you today, your eyes were bloodshot."
"Don't worry, Brother Qingchen. I'm just a bit sensitive to sleeping in unfamiliar beds, which is why I didn't sleep well last night."
"Okay. After you've had your meal, get some rest."
After the fish was cooked in oil, Qingchen added tofu, a little soy sauce, and vinegar to braise it. Worried that Mingxiang might be hungry, she added more firewood and blew on the fire through a bamboo tube to make it burn brighter.
By the time it was completely dark, the two dishes were finally ready: braised pork belly with chestnuts and carrots, and braised tofu with crucian carp and ginger and scallions. The combination of meat and vegetables was beautiful, glossy, and fragrant, making one's mouth water.
Ever since the two dishes were cooked, Mingxiang has been praising Qingchen nonstop, saying, "Brother Qingchen, you're amazing!"
Shen Qingchen placed two dishes on the table and gave her a set of chopsticks and a bowl, saying, "Eat up."
Mingxiang looked surprised. "Brother Qingchen... did you make this for me?"
"Mm." She wiped her oily hands with a cloth. "It's all for you to eat. I caused trouble for you yesterday, and I really can't think of any other way to apologize, so I can only make you some food."
Mingxiang waved her hands repeatedly, "Brother Qingchen, you don't have to do this. You made such good food and worked so hard. You should eat with the old man."
Qingchen shook her head. "I've already eaten. I brought back Father's meals from the Guanglu Temple. These are all for you."
"Mingxiang, I want to formally apologize to you. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
Looking at the scholar-official before her, a refined and talented young man, gentle and considerate, Mingxiang's eyes involuntarily reddened again.
Two days later, it was mid-September. The capital city was becoming increasingly clear and crisp with autumn air, and a gentle breeze lingered and swirled around the tips of the leaves in the Hanlin Academy.
With Mingxiang's matter behind her, Shen Qingchen's academic life returned to its usual tranquility, though still fulfilling. Besides completing her daily assignments, she continued drawing comics for Lin Yu, the pages stacked together already reaching half an inch in thickness. In addition, the Hanlin scholars often summoned her for academic discussions, such as with Chen An. Besides discussing scholarship with them, Qingchen would also frequently assist them, doing tasks like checking and correcting books.
That day, Chen An was sorting through the past years' examination questions when he came across one that he found quite interesting, so he called Shen Qingchen to the back room.
When Shen Qingchen received the message, Gu Shaoheng happened to be next to her. So, as if he had ears on his feet, he automatically went with Qingchen, saying with a grin, "I just happen to have some free time too."
The three discussed for a while, then Chen An got hungry. He put down his pen and closed his book, saying that he knew a new noodle shop had opened in Chaoqian City on Qipan Street, and that the braised beef noodles it sold were especially delicious. He wanted to invite the two of them to eat noodles together as a way of thanking Qing Chen for his help in the past.
Qingchen was worried about her father at home and originally wanted to refuse, but Gu Shaoheng's mouth watered at the mere mention of it. Before Chen An had even finished speaking, he readily agreed: "How could we, juniors, refuse such an invitation from a senior? Lord Chen, you may not know, but I love noodles the most. Since we are honored today, Shaoheng thanks you in advance." It was just a bowl of noodles, yet his tone was as sweet as honey.
It wasn't just Gu Shaoheng's lips that were coated with honey, but also his mood.
In the past, inviting Shen Qingchen to a meal was harder than inviting a Bodhisattva. Inviting someone to dinner is a matter of reciprocity. He knew that Qingchen's family was poor and had hinted that she didn't need to reciprocate, but she just wouldn't agree. Her stubbornness was both endearing and infuriating.
Now that Lord Chen has invited him, he can't very well refuse a senior like him, can he?
Chen Anbian tossed his brush into the blue-and-white brush washer and said with a smile, "So you like noodles too, just like me." Then he turned to Shen Qingchen and asked, "Qingchen, do you like noodles?"
"...I like them too." It would be impolite for her to say she didn't like two people with similar interests.
Gu Shaoheng immediately replied, "Then we're definitely having braised beef noodles today. Let's go together, no one can change their minds."
He had it all planned out. Once they arrived at the noodle shop and ordered, he'd sneak out under the pretense of needing to use the restroom, then go to his favorite sesame seed cake shop and buy two cakes. He'd hide them in his sleeve first, then quietly slip them to Shen Qingchen as they left, so she could try some too. Having made up his mind, Gu Shaoheng suddenly thought, "Qingchen just ate noodles; she probably can't eat two cakes..."
Who cares? If I can't eat two, I can just eat one and throw the other away!
Chen An, being older than them, was also stirred up and raised his voice, "That's right. Let's go."
Shen Qingchen could no longer refuse and had no choice but to go along.
Qipan Street, located between Daming Gate and Zhengyang Gate, is a vital transportation hub connecting the east and west sides of Beijing. Due to its proximity to central administrative institutions such as the Five Ministries and Six Offices, corresponding taverns and teahouses sprang up, and gradually Qipan Street and Langfang Hutong inside and outside Zhengyang Gate formed a very prosperous market known as "Chaoqian Market".
It was still early, and the market was bustling with activity. The entire street, along with the several alleys that turned east and west, was teeming with people. The shops, with their neat rows of level eaves, sold a wide variety of goods, including silk shops, fan shops, silversmiths, porcelain shops, and incense and candle shops. They sold everything from liquor, beef and mutton, groceries, and leather goods to rare herbs, raw and processed medicinal materials, and spices from both the north and south of China.
Standing on the street, one can see all kinds of signs and billboards fluttering in the wind, and because it is mealtime, the aroma of various pastries and cooked foods fills the street.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Shen Qingchen would have found it hard to imagine that this dynasty, which had vanished nearly five hundred years ago and whose name had been reduced to small characters in the history books, could have been so prosperous and flourishing. If there had been fewer scandals behind this prosperity, he wondered how enviable it would have been.
She tucked her sleeves in and followed Chen An and Gu Shaoheng, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
They had only walked for a short while, and before they even reached the noodle shop, they ran into an acquaintance on the way.
This was another group of scholars, who had finished their discussion earlier under the banyan tree outside the Hall of Imperial Attendants, before Chen An and his group. Leading them was Zhang Yuan, a seventh-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy, who had also been the top scholar in the imperial examinations a few years prior. In addition, there were two other compilers and several junior officials.
One of them had changed out of his green robe and was now wearing a royal blue silk tunic, standing ramrod straight in the bustling city. His thick eyebrows and dark eyes revealed a hint of unruliness as his gaze pierced through the crowd and landed indifferently on Shen Qingchen.
Who else could it be but Xu Silin, the first and second-generation official of the Ming Dynasty?
Today happens to be Zhang Yuan's birthday. Since his hometown is not in the capital, the group found a nearby tavern to celebrate.
Upon learning that Shen Qingchen and the other two had also come to dine, Zhang Yuan immediately extended an invitation, "Lord Chen, since you are also here to dine, why don't you join us for a drink?"
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