The next day at dawn, Shen Miao woke up.
After instructing Ji Brother and Sister Xiang to take care of the house, she packed up the small table, stools, food, charcoal, and griddle, then loaded two stoves onto a cart. She hurried off to Jinliang Bridge with Gu Tusu, who had been waiting for her at the door early in the morning.
Gu Tusu pulled the cart while Shen Miao swiftly secured everything on it—especially the seven or eight wooden food boxes she had spent a long time preparing for the ingredients, as well as the jars and bottles of seasonings. If any of these were to spill, she would be heartbroken.
As she tied the ropes around the cart, Gu Tusu watched her deft movements, noting how different she was from the helpless, tearful woman she had once been. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy—back then, she had never had to work so hard to make a living. But dwelling on the past was pointless now.
Yangliu East Alley was very close to Jinliang Bridge, and they arrived in no time. The bridge was already crowded with vendors setting up stalls, canopies, and goods. Shen Miao had come at just the right moment.
As soon as she arrived, the other vendors on the bridge stole glances at her.
While new vendors were common on Jinliang Bridge, it was rare to see a young and beautiful woman like Shen Miao.
Many men couldn’t help but stare—until the beautiful young woman passed by, and a tall, dark-skinned man suddenly appeared behind her, pulling the cart. They quickly averted their eyes.
Gu Tusu helped her unload and set up the stoves and griddle, while Shen Miao brought out the small square table from home, fitting it neatly into her stall space. She felt a little sorry for Ji Brother and Sister Xiang, who had to eat the steamed buns and fried cakes she had left warming in the pot while standing by the stove.
"I’ll head back to the shop now to help out. When do you plan to return?" Gu Tusu asked after settling everything for her. He pulled out a large oil-paper umbrella from under the cart, opened it, and tied it to a stone post, shaking it to test its sturdiness. "I can come back to pick you up."
Shen Miao waved her hand dismissively. "I’ll go back on my own once I’ve sold everything."
Today, she had only brought fifty flatbreads, planning to leave once they were sold. She also wanted to find a school for Ji Brother—he was already nine years old, and keeping him cooped up at home all day wasn’t a long-term solution.
"That’s quite a lot. How will you manage all this by yourself?" Gu Tusu pointed at the items, then glanced at the sky before pushing the cart again. "I’ll come back at a reasonable time. Wait for me."
Without giving her a chance to refuse, he left.
As soon as he was gone, the plump woman at the neighboring stall chuckled and leaned over. "Your husband looks quite intimidating, but he’s so considerate toward you!"
Shen Miao felt awkward. She couldn’t possibly explain to everyone that she was divorced with two children.
She shook her head. "He’s not my husband."
The plump woman blinked, eyeing Shen Miao’s married-woman attire, then craned her neck to watch Gu Tusu’s retreating figure. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Then… is he your lover?"
Shen Miao: "…"
Realizing she had misspoken, the woman clapped her hands. "Ah, I see! You’re a widow, aren’t you? That dark-faced gentleman must fancy you and wants to marry you!"
Shen Miao: "…In any case, he’s not my husband. He’s just a neighbor."
The plump woman looked unconvinced and was about to press further when a customer passed by. She immediately turned to call out, "Fine tea soup here! Jujube soup, perilla soup, salted fermented bean soup—twenty coppers for a pot, two coppers for a small bowl, three for a large! Even the officials love our tea soup!"
Her bright voice successfully drew in two young women who had come out together to buy groceries. Carrying their baskets, one ordered a bowl of jujube soup while the other asked for "Grandma’s Soup."
Watching them, Shen Miao couldn’t help but smile—this was no different from modern-day friends going out for bubble tea!
The people of the Song Dynasty were accustomed to having a bowl of "brewed medicinal tea" after breakfast. Tea soup stalls like the plump woman’s were as ubiquitous as milk tea shops in later generations, second only to restaurants and taverns.
Though the name included the words "medicine" and "soup," not all of them had medicinal flavors—some teas simply had special effects. For example, the "salted fermented bean soup" the woman had just advertised aided digestion, while "perilla soup" relieved coughs and asthma. There was also the common "Two-Chen Soup," which helped with hangovers and refreshed the mind.
Of course, young women mostly preferred drinks like "black plum soup," "papaya soup," "osmanthus soup," "jujube soup," and "Grandma’s Soup"—the latter was made with roasted chestnuts, white sesame, walnuts, olives, and a touch of brown sugar, creating a rich, layered flavor.
Lost in thought, Shen Miao mused: Since the Song Dynasty bordered the Liao Kingdom to the north, the milk tea favored by northern nomads didn’t seem to have caught on in Bianjing yet… Would people like it if she made some?
The crisp clink of coins dropping into the plump woman’s money jar snapped Shen Miao out of her reverie—she needed to start making flatbreads!
The sky had lightened to the color of a fish’s belly, and the lanterns along the streets gradually went out. In the morning mist, tea and food stalls on the bridge were already open for business, steam rising everywhere, mingling with the enticing aromas that tempted passersby to stop.
Just a street away from Jinliang Bridge, in the West Bell and Drum Alley near the Great Xiangguo Temple, Xie Tiao—with a falcon perched on his shoulder—had sneaked out early in the morning while his father was at court, leading his servants over the wall for some fun.
With a servant holding his dog, he strolled onto Jinliang Bridge, heading toward Jinming Pond to walk the dog and fly the falcon.
As a young noble who spent most of his time in the market, Xie Tiao knew all the long-time vendors on Jinliang Bridge—Wu Da’s jerky was the most tender and chewy, Fat Sister Liu’s chilled licorice water was the most refreshing, and Butcher Zheng’s venison was always the freshest…
Hm? Xie Tiao suddenly caught an irresistible aroma. Following the rich, buttery scent, his eyes landed on a young woman he had never seen before—fair-skinned, with gentle, smiling eyes—deftly making flatbreads at a stall that had already drawn a small crowd.
In front of her was a small table neatly lined with two rows of side dishes: cucumber strips cut finger-length, shredded spring greens, golden-fried meat cutlets, a basket of eggs, and several jars of sauce.
To her left were two small clay stoves with griddles on top and burning charcoal below. She brushed oil on the griddles, then laid the prepared flatbreads on them, the sizzle releasing a wave of wheat fragrance as they turned golden. She managed both stoves effortlessly, even finding time to answer customers:
"Sir, a plain flatbread with vegetables is three coppers. With meat, it’s five. Adding both meat and egg is called ‘Double Happiness’—that’ll be two extra coppers." The young woman, wearing a blue floral apron that cinched her slender waist, held a thin wooden spatula and turned to speak softly. The burly man in front of her flushed and could only stammer, "Yes, yes, of course!"
The young woman deftly picked up a red-shelled egg, tapped it lightly against the edge of the griddle, and immediately coated the golden-brown pancake with a layer of egg mixture. Using a small spatula, she blended the yolk and egg white evenly, then lifted the edge of the pancake and flipped it over. She added two slices of cucumber, two pieces of crispy fried chicken cutlet, a couple of spring greens, and a section of fried dough stick before asking the burly man whether he preferred bean paste or white sauce:
"This white sauce is my own recipe—you won’t find it anywhere else. It pairs perfectly with your pancake stuffed with meat and egg, though it’ll cost you an extra penny," Shen Miao explained with a smile.
The burly man waved his hand dismissively. "Add it!"
Shen Miao scooped a spoonful and spread it over the meat and vegetables. She folded the sides of the pancake inward and placed it into a pre-folded square of oiled paper before handing it to the man. "Here’s your deluxe egg-meat-sauce pancake feast, good sir. Thank you for your patronage—enjoy!"
The man didn’t even wait for it to cool before taking a huge bite, devouring the fragrant pancake, meat, and vegetables in one go. Before he could even swallow, his eyes lit up, and he took another mouthful.
After finishing it in just a few bites, he immediately called out, "Three more of the same!"
Watching him relish the crispy, sauce-drenched treat, Xie Tiao couldn’t help but feel a pang of hunger himself.
And… this young woman was quite the shrewd businesswoman! Who knew a simple pancake could be turned into such a spectacle?
Xie Tiao came from an aristocratic family. Though the scholar-official clans had declined since the Huang Chao Rebellion of the previous dynasty and his father now held only the modest position of a collator in the Imperial Library, their ancestral lands still spanned vast fields. With servants at their beck and call and a large extended family, they had never known want.
After the burly man left, a peddler adorned with trinkets pinned to his hat and clothes passed by the bridge, hawking, "Lu Jiu’s bamboo pinwheels—two for a penny!" Drawn in by the aroma of the pancakes, he stopped. The young woman seemed to recognize him and greeted him cheerfully, "We meet again! I’ve bought pinwheels from you before. What would you like? I’ll make it for you."
After looking left and right, he settled for a vegetarian version. But judging by the way he held it, eyes crinkling with delight as he ate, it must have been just as satisfying.
Next came a matchmaker in a red blouse and green skirt, flowers pinned in her hair, who bought two pancakes and leaned against the bridge railing, leisurely savoring each bite.
Xie Tiao felt tempted. Having sneaked out early that morning without breakfast, he sent a servant to fetch one of those so-called "deluxe pancake feasts" with egg.
"It looks clean enough. Buy plenty to send home—especially for Ninth Brother’s quarters. Ever since he returned from Chenzhou, he’s had no appetite and has been brooding. Some fresh food might perk him up." He sighed as he spoke. "Can’t blame him, really. Not only was he swindled out of all his money on the trip—though that’s hardly unusual—but his perfectly good marriage arrangement fell through just like that. Anyone would be heartbroken."
Shaking his head over his younger brother’s misfortunes, he ordered his servants to buy over twenty pancakes. After keeping one for himself to try, he sent most of them home for his parents, grandmother, and siblings. The rest he generously gave to the servants.
Xie Tiao, accustomed to fine dining and a regular at upscale establishments like Fan Tower, spent his days idling about and considered himself well-traveled. He didn’t expect much from a humble street food stall.
Surely it was just the young woman’s beauty, her charming sales pitch, and her knack for gimmicks that drew customers!
A pancake stuffed with a bit of meat and vegetables—sure, it smelled good, but how delicious could it really be? He was only trying it out of curiosity.
With a scoff, he took a bite.
