Whether Young Master Shen would truly come begging for food at the pastry shop in the future was beside the point. At any rate, this bowl of yuanzi that morning was free of charge.
Lin Wu turned and went back to busy herself behind the worktable, while Shen Guanting settled himself on the familiar long bench.
There was not even a table for him to eat at, so he simply held the bowl in his hands. Yet the yuanzi were delicate, and he himself was utterly composed. With the refined young master sitting there, he somehow lent the humble scene an air of elegance.
A moment ago, Shen Guanting had turned his special bowl over and over in his hands, examining it carefully, which had taken some time. By then, the yuanzi were no longer as piping hot as when they had first come out of the pot. Their temperature was just right when he took a bite. The skin was soft and chewy, and when he bit through it, a grainy, sweet filling came oozing out. The filling was almost excessively sweet, but paired with the skin’s plain glutinous-rice flavor, it was just right.
It made one feel that yuanzi ought to taste exactly like this.
After finishing the bowl, Shen Guanting was still savoring the flavor.
He seriously considered the task of buying yuanzi for his household. There were quite a few people at home, so he had to buy enough.
He rose and went to the counter. Turning to Liang Peilan, he said, “Twenty walnut yuanzi, and ten of every other flavor.”
Lin Jing had been listening intently from the side. At once, he turned to Tigerhead. “Brother Ting thinks the walnut yuanzi are the best too.”
His walnut-yuanzi faction had gained a powerful new ally.
Tigerhead was not having it. Clinging to the counter, he shouted at Shen Guanting, “Big Brother, I like sesame yuanzi. Buy more sesame ones!”
Shen Guanting glanced at him. “What’s so difficult about that? Give me your New Year’s money, and I’ll buy them for you—all sesame.”
“Hmph! I’ll buy them myself!” Tigerhead immediately pulled the little purse from his waist, undid the drawstring, and poured the contents onto the counter with great swagger. “I’ll buy them for myself. I’m not sharing with you!”
The coins came tumbling out with a clinking sound. Lin Jing poked his head over for a closer look. There were more than a dozen copper coins and two pieces of broken silver.
“I want lots and lots!” Tigerhead pushed the copper coins and silver toward Liang Peilan, lifting his chin high.
Liang Peilan took the money, counted the copper coins, then placed the silver on a small balance. “Two mace of silver and sixteen coins. That will buy forty-three sesame yuanzi, with one coin left over.”
Lin Jing exclaimed, “That’s so many!”
Tigerhead proudly puffed out his little chest. But after enjoying his moment of triumph, he quickly pulled the silver and copper coins back toward himself and muttered, “Then… then I’ll just buy three sesame yuanzi.”
The number had plummeted dramatically.
Lin Jing, the little shopkeeper who had been hoping to make a huge sale, stared at him in confusion.
Tigerhead leaned over and whispered, “I can’t eat that many. If I don’t finish them, Big Brother will eat them for me. Wouldn’t that mean I paid for them while he got to eat them? What a loss! I’ll buy three and eat them myself. If I’m still hungry, I’ll eat the ones Big Brother bought.”
Lin Jing nodded his little head. That calculation did make sense.
As Lin Wu selected the yuanzi, she began wondering how Shen Guanting intended to carry them home. The yuanzi were small, but fifty of them still had some weight.
Young Master Shen clearly had little experience buying everyday food. He had come to buy floating yuanzi, yet he had arrived empty-handed. Unlike everyone else, who either carried a bamboo basket or a cloth bag, he had simply walked through the door with nothing in either hand.
She even suspected that he had used buying yuanzi as an excuse to sneak out and loaf around.
Never mind. She took several sheets of oiled paper, divided the yuanzi into a few parcels, and wrapped them up. Then she dug out a netted hemp bag and placed the parcels inside. It was just the right size to carry by hand.
Only…
She watched Shen Guanting take the netted bag and hold it in his hand. His entire appearance was one of refined nobility, yet he was carrying a bulging hemp net bag. No matter how she looked at it, the sight seemed somewhat jarring.
It did not look much better than a bamboo basket.
She felt another urge to laugh.
“What is Shopkeeper Lin smiling about?” Shen Guanting lowered his gaze to the netted bag in his hand, then looked up at her.
Lin Wu put on a solemn expression. “I was thinking about how happy I am after making such a large sale.”
Shen Guanting said, “Shopkeeper Lin certainly finds happiness easily.”
Lin Wu thought that she was still better off than Shen Guanting. After all, he was perfectly content simply because he had received a porcelain bowl.
Tigerhead held his own sesame yuanzi and watched the netted bag enviously from the side. “Big Brother, let me carry it for you. I can carry it too.”
Shen Guanting lowered his eyes to the short little Tigerhead. “You? I’m afraid it would be the yuanzi carrying you, not you carrying the yuanzi.”
Lin Jing also looked at the netted bag. “Brother Ting, once I learn martial arts, will I be able to carry it?”
Shen Guanting suddenly remembered that this little junior brother had originally wanted to learn martial arts because he wanted to be able to lift the enormous vat Mrs. Sun carried around and use it to intimidate people.
His expression remained unchanged as he nodded. “Naturally.”
Lin Jing was satisfied. He was filled with anticipation for his future self, strong enough to lift enormous weights.
The food for the Lantern Festival was settled, and Tigerhead began pondering the next day’s plans. “Where are we going to see the lanterns tomorrow? I want to watch the variety performances and guess lantern riddles too. I’m really good at guessing lantern riddles!”
Lin Jing stroked his little apron. “We have to open the shop during the day. We can only go out to play at night.”
“It’s livelier at night! Once it gets dark and all the lanterns are lit, the streets are packed with people. Everyone carries lanterns, and it’s beautiful. I bought a rabbit lantern, about the same size as your little civet-cat lantern…”
The two children began planning together, each contributing a sentence.
By the end of the day, the floating yuanzi had sold rather unexpectedly well.
In the morning, many people came to ask about them, but few were willing to pay. The price was not low, after all, and there were no samples to taste. Quite a few people stared at them for a long while before finally buying only pancakes, steamed buns, or pouches to take home. Lin Wu was not anxious. She had never expected the yuanzi to sell very much in the first place. Festival foods were mainly meant to suit the occasion.
Who would have thought that the situation would suddenly change in the afternoon?
First, Auntie Huang returned and bought twenty yuanzi in one go. She said that the old madam in the residence had enjoyed them and wanted more kept on hand. She had originally planned to come back the next day, but was worried that Lin Wu might close the shop for the festival.
After that, several women who had bought yuanzi in the morning gradually returned to purchase more. They said much the same thing as Auntie Huang. Once they learned that the shop would still be selling them the next day, some even placed advance orders, afraid that they would sell out before they arrived.
“Mrs. Lin, save ten walnut ones for me tomorrow. I’ll come early to collect them!”
“I want two of each kind. Don’t you dare forget!”
Lin Wu answered them while recording each order with a brush on a sheet of paper.
Once all the yuanzi had been sold, she lowered her head and looked at the list. Tomorrow, it seemed she would have to get up half an hour earlier than today.
By the time the Lantern Festival arrived, the main street was so lively that it was nearly impossible to move.
The previous day, the people of the town had erected a great lantern mountain in the street. It was nearly two stories high, with bamboo and wood forming the frame and colored silk dressing its surface. Countless colorful lanterns had been fastened from top to bottom. At the very top was a set of lanterns depicting a tale of the immortals. Colored silk structures rose on either side, surrounded by innumerable smaller lanterns. Even though they had not yet been lit, the sight was already magnificent.
The streets were not the only lively place. The Twin-Wood Pastry Shop was bustling as well.
The shop had not even opened for business, yet a long line of people was already waiting outside, gathered in groups of two and three and chatting among themselves.
“Oh my, your Han residence came so early too?”
“Of course. The master specifically instructed me to come early, afraid they would sell out.”
“Exactly. We bought some yesterday, and the old madam, the young ladies, and the young masters all loved them. They spent half the day arguing over which flavor was best.”
Just then, the shutters of Fatty Wang’s grocery next door were taken down. Fatty Wang poked his head out, took one look at the scene, and called out with a grin, “What makes these rice balls so delicious? Five coppers each? That’s awfully expensive, isn’t it? Five coppers at our shop can buy you a whole handful.”
One of the customers chimed in, “It’s barely bigger than a bun, yet costs about the same. That is expensive.”
Someone immediately objected, turning around to say, “It’s the Lantern Festival. A little more expensive is only to be expected. Besides, they’re not that small once they’re cooked. Four different colors arranged in a bowl—they look lovely. And doesn’t a serving of sweet soup cost fifteen coppers?”
The sharp-chinned woman from the grocery store curled her lips. “No matter how pretty they are, they’re still just made by rolling glutinous rice flour. What, are they made of gold?”
Lin Wu happened to push open the door and step outside. She heard the latter part but wasn’t annoyed. With a smile, she hung up the sign announcing that the shop was open.
She then hung the calligraphy and painting on the wooden rack. “I’m sorry to have kept everyone waiting. We add plenty of sugar to our rice balls, and preparing the fillings takes quite a bit of work. Anyone who tried them yesterday knows how sweet they are. We’ve clearly marked the price, too. Buying and selling is a matter of mutual willingness—everyone is free to choose something within their means.”
“Mrs. Lin is right,” someone said. “It’s not easy to find food that suits your taste. Tea snacks at the restaurants often cost several hundred coppers, yet no one complains that those are expensive.”
Quite a few people thought the price was too high, but not a single one actually went over to the grocery store next door. During the festive season, people were willing to spend more. And as the grocery keeper’s wife had said, ordinary sweet rice balls were simple to make—just roll some glutinous rice flour into shape. Anyone unwilling to spend the money could make them at home. Those who came out to buy them were, for the most part, willing to pay the price.
The grumbling from the grocery store couple did nothing to affect the business at the Twin Wood Shop.
From the moment they opened that day, Lin Wu had barely stopped moving.
Her hands never paused as she wrapped the rice balls, while Mrs. Sun’s wrists ached from pounding the nuts alone. Lin Jing had said “Thank you for your patronage” so many times that his mouth had gone dry. His little face, bright and energetic in the morning, had begun to droop by the afternoon.
Fortunately, Lin Wu knew her limits. Although business was booming, she still closed the shop early. Those who arrived later truly went home without any rice balls.
Lin Wu pounded her lower back. After standing all day, her waist and feet were sore. She turned to look outside and saw that many of the lamps beneath the eaves had already been lit.
“Let’s close early today,” she said to Mrs. Sun. “It’s the Lantern Festival. Everyone should go out and enjoy the lantern fair.”
She took two more sheets of oiled paper, wrapped several portions of rice balls, and handed them over. “Mrs. Sun, take these home. Let Brother Liang and Uncle Chen have a taste as well.”
Mrs. Sun accepted them with a smile. “They’ll certainly be lucky to have such a treat.”
When they headed home, the sky had not yet grown dark, but the streets were already brightly lit.
The large shops along the main street had particularly beautiful lanterns, each competing to outshine the others. Glazed lanterns depicted landscapes, figures, flowers, bamboo, and birds. Beaded lanterns were draped with strings of beads in five colors and dangling tassels, which glittered brilliantly in the lamplight.
Lin Jing carried his little tabby-cat lantern in one hand while holding Lin Wu’s hand with the other. His little head turned this way and that. For the past two days, he had taken the cat lantern everywhere he went—bringing it home, carrying it to the shop, and taking it back again—without finding it troublesome in the least.
When they returned home, Lin Wu first put everything away. Then she set a plate of rice balls on a tray and went to knock on Fourth Sister He’s door.
Hearing the commotion, Fourth Sister He hurried out to open it. The moment she saw the rice balls in Lin Wu’s hands, she said repeatedly, “Mrs. Lin, what are you doing? You’re far too kind!”
“We’ve caused you trouble these past few days by having you look after A Jing,” Lin Wu said, handing her the plate. “It’s nothing special, just some rice balls we made ourselves. Please have a taste.”
Fourth Sister He accepted the plate and looked down. The four-colored rice balls were arranged in neat rows, looking both beautiful and appetizing. “These rice balls certainly aren’t ordinary. No wonder the shop is doing so well with Mrs. Lin’s skill.”
Back in the house, Lin Wu finally had time to take stock of the past two days’ earnings.
She upended the money pouch onto the table, and the coins rattled loudly.
Lin Jing had been fiddling with his little cat lantern together with Laifu. At the sound, he immediately set the lantern down and scampered over to the table.
“So much money!” His eyes shone.
“It was all collected by A Jing,” Lin Wu said. She picked out the pieces of silver and pushed them toward him. “You count these.”
Lin Jing accepted them with great solemnity and counted them one by one, though there were only a few altogether.
Lin Wu gathered up the copper coins, counting them as she calculated their earnings and checked them against the ledger.
“On ordinary days, after deducting wages, the cost of ingredients, taxes, shop rent, firewood, and other expenses, we can make eight hundred coppers in a day.”
“Wow!” Lin Jing held the few pieces of silver in his hands, his mouth falling open.
“We made fewer steamed-bun pockets these past two days because we were busy making sweet rice balls. More people bought the rice balls, and they cost more as well…” Lin Wu was a little surprised herself. “We can make one string and three hundred coppers in a day.”
“We’re going to be rich!” Lin Jing exclaimed.
Lin Wu laughed when she heard that. The phrase had practically become his catchphrase. It showed just how deeply this little shopkeeper was devoted to the idea of getting rich.
She counted out sixty coppers and pushed them in front of him. “A Jing has been a little shopkeeper for three days. This is your pay.”
It was twenty coppers a day, considerably less than Mrs. Sun and Liang Peilan earned. But Lin Jing did not think it was too little at all. He happily gathered the coins in front of him, then ran back to his room, fetched his money pouch, and poured out the New Year gift money he had received earlier. He counted the whole lot together.
The pouch had already been stuffed to bursting.
Lin Wu thought that she ought to buy him a little cash box, specifically for keeping his small money pouch.
The household savings had grown a little more substantial as well, so they could slowly begin purchasing some of the things they needed. The trouble was that, after opening the shop, they had far less free time, and many tasks had to be squeezed into whatever spare moments they could find.
Sure enough, for ordinary people, money and leisure could not both be had.
As she was thinking this, the sky outside had already darkened.
After eating their evening meal, Lin Wu lit the candle in Lin Jing’s little cat lantern and took Laifu’s leash before stepping outside.
They had arranged to meet Shen Guanting and the others on the main street.
By the time they arrived, the main street was even livelier than it had been during the day. The lantern mountain had already been lit. From a distance, it looked like a glowing hill. The Bodhisattva figures made of colored silk were covered in lamps, shining brightly in the night, so lifelike that they seemed to have descended from the heavens.
Carriages and horses crowded the street. The carriages of wealthy families came one after another, each with a thin bamboo pole hanging from the eaves. Paper butterflies and bees were tied to the poles, swaying whenever the carriages moved as though they were truly fluttering through the air.
There were also far more women and young wives among the pedestrians than usual, many dressed even more elegantly than they had been on New Year’s Day. Their coiffures were adorned with all kinds of ornaments: little lantern balls, miniature lanterns, snow willow branches, and jade plum blossoms. The lamplight reflected off their pearls and jade, making them sparkle.
Lin Wu took in the scene, then withdrew her gaze. As she did, she noticed that Shen Guanting was standing there empty-handed. She could not help asking, “Why isn’t Guanting…?”
Her voice was not loud, and a flower seller passing nearby with a shoulder pole drowned out the rest of her sentence with his cry.
Shen Guanting turned his head and lowered his eyes to look at her.
Behind her surged a ceaseless stream of people. Shouts hawking wares and the clamor of gongs and drums rose and fell all around them, yet the din seemed to filter past her, leaving everything in her surroundings blurred before her eyes.
She wore nothing on her head. No jade ornaments, no lantern-shaped hairpieces—not even a flower. Her hair was simply gathered into a bun with a wooden hairpin. The glittering hair ornaments of the women in the crowded street passed by her without leaving the slightest trace.
Lantern light bathed her face in a warm glow, softening her brows and eyes. Her mouth opened and closed; she was probably saying something. He could not hear her, but he saw the points of lantern light reflected in her eyes, bright and clear.
He moved half a step closer and finally heard her raise her voice slightly and repeat herself. “Why didn’t Guanting come out in a carriage?”
Sparrow, who was carrying a flower-basket lantern, hurried to answer, “Riding in a carriage isn’t any fun! You can only sit there and watch, and people walking around make it hard for the carriage to go anywhere.”
Shen Guanting first shot Sparrow a glance. He had once thought her rather clever, but at this moment he could only feel that she was plainly a featherhead.
His gaze slowly passed over Lin Wu and settled on the road ahead. “I’d certainly like to sit comfortably in the carriage, but with one Sparrow and one Tigerhead inside, it’s a wonder the thing hasn’t been shaken to pieces.”
Lin Wu followed his gaze. Lin Jing was carrying his little civet-cat lantern and burrowing into the crowd with Tigerhead. Their two small heads darted from lanterns to market stalls, and their short legs were kept busy scurrying back and forth. Little Lucky was beneath a colored-lantern stall, pushing a rolling lantern around. It was round as a ball, and Laifu sent it skittering all over the ground.
The stallholder was a kindly man. Not only did he refrain from driving Laifu away, he even used his carrying pole to cordon off a small space so the crowd would not jostle the animal.
Lin Wu withdrew her gaze and decided that Shen Guanting had a point.
Today, Sparrow had a spray of fresh flowers pinned in her hair, matching the flower-basket lantern in her hand perfectly. She leaned toward Lin Wu and lowered her head, showing off. “A-Jie, look! The flowers in my hair came from our own courtyard, and so did the ones on my lantern. They didn’t cost a single penny! Unlike other people, who have pearls all over their heads. With so many people squeezing past each other, they’re sure to fall off—and once they do, they’ll never be found.”
There was truth in what she said. During the Lantern Festival, the streets were packed shoulder to shoulder, and the swaying lantern light made it difficult to see. Every year, many married ladies and young women lost their hairpins and earrings. Once the night grew late and the crowds dispersed, street sweepers would carry little lamps along the roads to search for them, and they usually managed to recover quite a number.
Shen Guanting turned sideways to avoid a half-grown boy who nearly crashed into him. “The flowers you picked came from your mother’s courtyard. They’re worth far more than ordinary hairpins and jewelry. But if yours fall out, one step will crush them. They’re not as useful as ornaments—at least those can still fetch a little money for the street sweepers.”
Sparrow gave an indignant snort and turned her little head away. “But I didn’t spend any money on them! The flowers in Father and Mother’s courtyard aren’t for sale.”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. At last, she simply turned aside. “I’m not playing with you anymore, Brother. You’re no fun.”
Then she turned back to Lin Wu, beaming once more. “A-Jie, do you want to come with me? Don’t stay with Brother.”
She pointed toward a carriage in the distance. “I made plans with the other young ladies. We’re going to admire the lanterns and solve lantern riddles together tonight!”
Lin Wu smiled and shook her head. “Thank you for inviting me, Sparrow, but you go on ahead. I still have to keep an eye on Laifu and A Jing.”
Sparrow nodded, finding that reasonable, then turned to remind Shen Guanting, “Tigerhead likes to run off too, so Brother, remember to watch him.”
With that, she lifted her flower-basket lantern and ran toward the carriage. Several brightly dressed young ladies were already standing beside it. When they saw her approach, they welcomed her with a flurry of excited chatter.
Shen Guanting watched Sparrow run off and drawled, “Fortunately A Wu is still here. Otherwise, with this whole family around, I’d have been left all by myself.”
Lin Wu was just about to answer when she noticed Laifu stealthily pushing the rolling lantern from the colored-lantern stall toward them.
What a little lantern thief.
Lin Wu bent down and scooped Laifu up, then reached over to retrieve the rolling lantern. With a helpless sigh, she said, “At least Young Master Shen is the only one who’s being sensible right now.”
Holding Laifu in one arm and the lantern in the other, she walked toward the colored-lantern stall.
Shen Guanting followed. “It’s my fault. I gave Laifu too many little balls, and he’s gotten into the habit of rolling anything round the moment he sees it.”
Lin Wu pinched the scruff of Laifu’s neck. “Hear that? Young Master Shen is taking responsibility for you.”
Laifu squirmed in her arms, completely unaware that he had done anything wrong.
The stallholder was a genial old man. When he saw Lin Wu bring over the lantern, he said with a broad smile, “Like this lantern, miss? Thirty copper coins.”
Lin Wu was just about to reach for her money pouch when Shen Guanting spoke first. “I’ll pay. Laifu’s behavior is my responsibility.”
As he spoke, he had already taken two strings of copper coins from his sleeve and handed them over. Lin Wu did not even have time to refuse.
As they walked on, Shen Guanting weighed the rolling lantern in his hand. “We overlooked this. Little Lucky should have a lantern of his own to celebrate the Lantern Festival.”
The stallholder watched the two of them disappear into the crowd, then tucked the copper coins into his cashbox, his heart brimming with satisfaction.
He turned to the young apprentice beside him and said, “I told you not to stop that little dog from playing with the lantern. I knew it would sell. In front of a young lady, a gentleman is bound to show off a little.”
He patted the cashbox with a broad grin. “This is the best kind of business.”
