The Double Wood Pastry Shop opened as usual every day.
The shop’s assistants had grown more and more deft, each handling their own duties. The whole place ran much more smoothly now, and the burden on Lin Wu’s shoulders had lightened. She no longer had to worry about every little thing herself.
She even had a little free time to think up some new dishes.
A few days earlier, she had decided to change up Lin Jing’s midday meal. The little boy took pastries or wontons from the shop to the academy every day, and no matter how delicious they were, he was bound to grow tired of them.
With her hands less full, Lin Wu decided to try something different. The shop had to mince meat every day for the wontons, and yam was often used in making the round cakes. So she simmered the minced meat and diced yam together with seasonings, making a pot of savory minced-meat-and-yam topping.
She pressed white rice into a bowl to give it a neat, rounded shape, then inverted it into a food container. She poured a circle of thick topping around the rice and arranged a few slices of cabbage on top. There was meat and vegetables, rice and a savory sauce, and the colors were bright and appetizing.
When Lin Jing opened his food container at the academy, several little heads immediately gathered around him. The rice was half-covered by the topping and had soaked up all the savory juices. One scoop brought both rice and vegetables to the mouth at once—flavorful and convenient. Unlike the other students, he did not need to take a bite of vegetables and then shovel in a mouthful of rice.
His classmates watched with longing. After Lin Jing gave them permission, they each cautiously scooped up a small bite with their little spoons. Their eyes lit up at once.
“Jing, the meat is so tender and smells wonderful.”
“The yam is delicious too. It’s so soft and sticky!”
“If you poured just one spoonful of that sauce over rice, I could eat a whole big bowl…”
“Is this something new from your family’s shop? I’ll have my mother go buy some too.”
When Lin Jing came home and repeated all this, his little face was full of pride.
Lin Wu considered the matter. The minced meat and yam were already on hand; all they needed was an additional topping to prepare. Then she had another idea. While frying the crispy crackers and strips of fried pork, she could pound chicken into somewhat thick slices, marinate them, coat them lightly in flour, and fry them until crisp on the outside and tender within. She could slice them and arrange them over rice, then pour freshly simmered sauce on top.
And so, two new dishes were added to the Double Wood Pastry Shop’s menu: minced meat and yam over rice, and crispy fried meat over rice.
Each portion came with a generous serving of rice, a thick topping, and a small dish of pickles or seasonal vegetables. At thirty copper coins a serving, it was a little more expensive than the shop’s other offerings, but the portions were ample. With meat, vegetables, and rice all in one bowl, it was hearty, filling, and satisfying.
Some customers hesitated when they saw the price, but once the dish was served and they saw the portion, they began eating without another word.
One customer came back to eat it twice in two consecutive days and enthusiastically recommended it to everyone else, explaining in great detail, “Think about it. In other places, a single plate of chopped pickled vegetables costs ten copper coins. Add a meat dish and a bowl of rice, and thirty coins definitely won’t cover it.”
As a result, quite a few customers who wanted a proper meal without spending too much were happy to order a serving and treat themselves.
In the past, some customers had felt that a pastry shop mostly offered soups and snacks, not a proper meal, and were unwilling to spend money there. Now, they too were drawn in by the rice dishes.
For a while, the shop was packed every day, and customers occasionally had to wait outside for a little while.
While they waited, some customers sipped warm water and joked, “Shopkeeper Lin, with cooking like yours, if you add a few wines and liquors, I don’t think it’ll be long before this Double Wood Pastry Shop turns into the Double Wood Restaurant!”
Lin Wu smiled. “With this tiny place of ours—only six tables in total, and so cramped we can barely turn around—how could I dare dream of running a restaurant? I’m only tinkering with a few dishes to make a living. Still, thank you all for your support and for coming so often.”
The shop was bustling every day, its income steady, and its staff capable. Everything was moving in the direction she had hoped for.
But no matter how prosperous the business became, people were not made of iron. Lin Jing was one thing, but Lin Wu herself also looked forward to those three rest days each month. Every day, she rose before dawn to prepare everything and worked until the afternoon meal. Though she felt satisfied when she counted the books and money at night, the physical exhaustion was real enough.
A string pulled too taut for too long would eventually lose its resilience. Sometimes, when she thought of the five hundred strings of cash hidden beneath the bed, she felt emboldened. Should they simply close for two days a week as well?
But she quickly suppressed the thought.
Three rest days a month was already considered generous on this street. Any more would draw too much attention. Besides, the shop’s business had only just stabilized. Its foundations were not yet strong enough to withstand such laxness.
So when she told Lin Jing that, since it was rare to have a day off, she wanted to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet, she was not entirely making an excuse.
On the next rest day, Lin Wu woke later than Lin Jing for once. In a haze, she heard faint noises outside. She pushed open the door and stepped out, and the cool morning air washed over her face, clearing her head at once.
Lin Jing had already tidied himself up and was standing in the middle of the little courtyard, seriously practicing his horse stance as though he were a seasoned martial artist.
The sky at the horizon was still blue-gray, and the morning light was thin. The courtyard was quiet, save for the distant, indistinct crowing of roosters and the cries of street vendors.
Lin Jing’s little face was taut with concentration. After holding the stance for a while, he seemed to decide that this part was over and relaxed. Then he ran around the courtyard with Laifu, who had bounded over wagging his tail. The two of them chased one another in little circles, full of energy.
When he spotted Lin Wu leaning against the doorway, he immediately came pattering over. Tilting up his face, he announced loudly, “Mother, we’re going to the estate today!”
Lin Wu walked over to the well and picked up the wooden bucket. The rope made a rumbling sound as it wound over the pulley.
“I know,” she said, her voice still husky from sleep as she swiftly drew up a bucket of well water. “But you still have to eat breakfast first. Otherwise, you’ll be riding a horse on an empty stomach and won’t have any strength.”
Lin Jing answered with an “Oh,” then followed closely behind her, chattering as he calculated what he needed to bring. “We need food, a gourd for water, my little straw hat… Laifu has to come too! And my little wooden bow!”
He counted with great seriousness, as though he were preparing for some grand expedition.
Lin Wu washed up with the well water and reminded him when she had a moment, “Laifu is quite big now, and he’s strong too. Don’t try to lead him yourself. Remember to hand him over to Brother Ting.”
“I know!” Lin Jing called back, continuing to mutter as he prepared his things.
The two of them had a simple breakfast, then checked everything Lin Jing wanted to bring. His little straw hat was sitting straight, the water gourd was filled, and his small wooden bow and quiver were strapped to his back.
They had just finished getting ready when Tigerhead’s loud voice came from the alley outside.
“Jing—! Let’s go, let’s go! The carriage is here!”
Lin Jing immediately pushed open the door. His little head poked out first, followed closely by the rest of his small body. Two lively voices soon rang out outside, chattering away.
Lin Wu led Laifu and followed them out of the courtyard.
At the mouth of the alley stood the familiar figure. The morning light was growing brighter, outlining his tall, slender form with increasing clarity.
When he came closer and she met those smiling eyes, a sudden, inexplicable sense of guilt brushed across Lin Wu’s heart. She slowly shifted her gaze away.
“A Wu, forgive me for disturbing you,” Shen Guanting said first, his manner as gentle and courteous as ever.
Lin Wu steadied herself and shook her head. “It’s me who’s troubling you again. A Jing has been rather more rambunctious lately, and Laifu is lively too. I’ll have to ask you to keep an extra close eye on them today.”
“A Jing is my junior fellow disciple. Looking after him is only right.” Shen Guanting took the lead rope from her hand, and Laifu affectionately rubbed against his leg.
“You’ve put so much thought into teaching him. I should be thanking you.” Lin Wu glanced at the children, who were already scrambling eagerly into the carriage. “It’s getting late. You’d better be on your way. It’s not often you get a ten-day break, so don’t let me hold you up.”
Shen Guanting smiled and said no more. He merely nodded. “Then we’ll be off. A Wu, make sure you get some good rest.”
With that, he swung smoothly into the saddle, his bearing easy and dashing. The coachman gave a soft cry, and the carriage began to roll slowly forward. Tigerhead and Lin Jing leaned halfway out of the window, waving vigorously at her.
Standing at the mouth of the lane, Lin Wu waved back and called, “Have a wonderful time!”
The sound of hooves and wheels gradually faded. The figures of the group grew smaller and smaller at the far end of the street, and Lin Wu turned and began walking home.
Although it was a ten-day holiday, for most people struggling to make a living, it was no different from any other day.
The lane slowly grew lively. Those who had work went off to work, those buying vegetables went out to shop, and peddlers wandered through the streets calling out their wares. People came and went, and with many having the day off, the streets were even more crowded than usual.
Lin Wu walked alone toward the depths of Clear Water Lane.
The sky grew brighter and brighter. The golden sun rose, bathing the rooftops in warm light. Wisps of cooking smoke drifted upward, then slowly scattered and melted into the air.
She pushed open the courtyard gate and closed it behind her, shutting out the bustle and noise of the world beyond.
Lin Wu stretched, then slowly walked over to the bamboo chair beneath the eaves and sat down.
The courtyard was very quiet.
It was a different kind of quiet altogether. It was not truly soundless; in fact, she could hear the various noises from nearby more clearly—the voices of the neighbors, the cries of the firewood sellers and night-soil collectors. Yet all those sounds were separated from her by a wall, as though they came from another world.
Lin Jing and Laifu were both gone, but the little straw target still stood where it always had. Laifu’s large wooden kennel remained neatly tucked against the wall. The hoe, the bucket, the earthen basin—each thing was in its usual place, made starkly clear by the sunlight.
She gazed at them silently for a while, then gently shook her head and rose to her feet.
Back inside, she gathered up the clothes she had changed out of the day before and carried a wooden basin to the well. She drew water, soaked the clothes, and began to scrub.
The sound of water, usually drowned out by the clamor around her, rang out especially clear and lingering now, splashing steadily as she washed.
She rubbed the clothes slowly between her hands. Fortunately, it was summer, and the garments were light enough that washing them took little effort. Winter would be another matter. The thick quilted clothes, along with the bedding that had to be taken apart and washed, were truly exhausting.
As she did the laundry, she occasionally thought of the washing machine from her distant memories. It felt like something from another lifetime—and, when she considered it, that was exactly what it was. It lay far beyond her reach in both time and space.
One by one, she wrung out the clean clothes, shook them open, and hung them on the long line strung across the courtyard.
The scent of clean soapberry and fresh water spread through the yard. Standing beside the clothesline, she watched droplets slide from the garments and fall to the ground, making a steady, distinct drip-drip sound.
She turned and went back inside. Taking out the account book she used for her daily records, she spread it across the table and slowly turned the pages one by one. There was not much else to look at in the house—apart from the account books, there were only a few storybooks.
The ink ranged from old to new, and the figures grew steadily larger, like a diary of their time in Huzhou. In the beginning, when they had first set up their stall, they had earned only a few scattered copper coins. Now their shop had expanded, and the daily turnover grew thicker by the day. Like this little rented courtyard, which had been bare when they first arrived and was now filled to the brim with their belongings, their lives had slowly taken shape.
So this was how their days in Huzhou had passed—from nothing to something, from unease to security. When they were busy, they had not noticed it. Only when she turned through the account book did she realize how much had changed.
Her gaze rested on the pages, but her thoughts suddenly drifted far away. Earlier, she had been thinking that once Shen Guanting returned from the capital, she would ask him about what he had seen along the way. But now, it seemed that asking him about it might not be so easy after all.
She had noticed it during those few polite exchanges at the mouth of the lane. Today, that man’s words had not carried the faintly probing undertone they usually did. He had probably seen the purse she had changed to. A man as clever as him—how could he fail to understand?
That was for the best. She would not have to trouble herself with putting on a careful front anymore.
She sat dazed for a while. Then, from somewhere nearby, came a soft, intermittent chorus of “chirp, chirp.”
She turned her head and saw several little birds perched among the vines climbing the courtyard wall. Their tiny bodies were hidden among the green leaves. Every so often, they hopped from branch to branch or cocked their heads to one side.
Without realizing it, she propped her chin in her hand and watched them quietly. Their movements among the leaves were rather entertaining. But there was no fruit on the vines. After hopping around and searching for a while without finding anything, the little birds exchanged a few “chirrups,” then fluttered away.
Lin Wu withdrew her gaze and closed the account book.
She rose again and fetched a storybook from inside. She had bought it for herself on a whim a while back, when she went to the bookshop to buy books for Lin Jing. At the time, she had thought that on the rare occasions when she had a day to herself, she might read it to pass the time.
She settled back into the bamboo chair beneath the eaves, poured herself a cup of boiled water, and slowly turned the pages in the increasingly bright sunlight. It was a tale about a gifted young scholar and a beautiful maiden. The prose was mediocre, and the plot was hardly novel.
After reading for about fifteen minutes, the sun climbed higher, and the light began to glare. She closed the book and moved the chair farther into the shade beneath the eaves. She no longer felt like continuing.
She had not finished the book, but the story was not very interesting. She stood for a while in the middle of the quiet main room. Sunlight slanted through the doorway, outlining a bright square on the floor. She looked at that patch of light and gave a soft yawn.
I wonder what A Jing and the others are doing at the estate.
She remembered the last time they had gone there. The weather had been just as fine. They had lain on the wide-open grassland, beneath a sky that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, while clouds drifted lazily overhead, free and unrestrained.
Without realizing it, she lifted her head and looked toward the wooden lattice window of the main room.
Through the lattice, she could see only a small patch of sky, neatly divided by the window frame. Not a single cloud crossed it. It was so still that it looked like a painting.
