The closer she got to Shunlai Carriage House, the noisier the surroundings became. The Jincheng trading caravan had a great many goods, and porters were shouting back and forth as they hauled loads, while quite a few hawkers took the opportunity to set up stalls nearby selling simple food and snacks. The din of voices was tremendous.
Just as Lin Wu approached the outer edge of the carriage house, before she had even found where the hiring was taking place, someone grabbed her arm from the side.
“Hey there! Young missus, what a coincidence!” Auntie Pockmark’s loud voice rang in her ear, carrying a tone of forced friendliness. “How come you’re on your own? Where’s that little girl of yours? Not that I like poking my nose in other people’s business, but the child’s still that small—how can you just leave her behind and come out alone?” As she spoke, she looked Lin Wu up and down with a probing gaze.
Lin Wu’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, though her face kept that same gentle, mild expression. “Auntie, what a coincidence. And how did you end up coming this way yourself?”
“It’s lively over here, so I thought I’d take a look,” the older woman said, a hint of pride in her voice. “Besides, our caravan and this Jincheng outfit go way back. We’re both headed to Lingzhou this time, so I thought I’d stop by to say hello. Don’t judge us by our size—our leader, on this route, is a name that carries some weight!”
She tightened her grip and pulled Lin Wu aside to where there were fewer people, lowering her voice. “Good thing I ran into you—great news! I can see you haven’t found a caravan yet, right? Our leader has a kind heart. Let me put in a word with him, and he’ll let the two of you come along!”
“Thank you kindly for the offer, Auntie,” Lin Wu said, a troubled smile appearing on her face as she gently pulled her arm free. “And I don’t mind telling you the truth—my funds are rather tight, and there’s no way I could afford the riding fee. I figured I’d come over and try my luck, see if any caravan needs hired help. I could trade a bit of my skills to cover the fare.”
Auntie Pockmark’s eyes rolled, and she immediately spoke as if giving heartfelt advice. “Oh, my silly girl! You just don’t know how things work in this trade. The riding fee for a big caravan is at least this much!” She held up a few fingers and waved them vaguely.
“How could you ever afford that? And traveling with a merchant caravan is exhausting—when would there ever be easy work left for a woman? What’s more, you’ve got a child, weighing you down even more. The only option is a small caravan like ours—fewer rules, more human kindness; we can squeeze in one or two extra people. It’s simply because I feel sorry for you, a widow with an orphan, that I’m willing to swallow my pride and ask our leader on your behalf. We won’t charge you much—just the cost price, not a copper more. From here to Lingzhou is seven or eight days’ journey; food for people, fodder for horses, escort guards and cart drivers—none of it comes free. The big Jincheng outfit’s doors are high and their rules are strict, and their prices would scare a person to death!”
Seeing that Lin Wu seemed hesitant, she grabbed her wrist again, speaking with heartfelt weight. “Besides, you and the little one—mixing with a big caravan of several hundred people, with all those eyes about, if something were to happen, who would watch out for you? In our group, everyone knows each other, old and young alike—they’d understand your situation better, and we’d all look out for each other.”
“Auntie, every word you say makes sense, and I know you have my best interests at heart,” Lin Wu said, gently pulling her hand back again, her tone soft. “But it’s precisely for that reason that I couldn’t possibly impose on you and your leader. I just heard the Jincheng caravan is hiring kitchen help, and I think I have some skill at the stove, so I thought I’d try to use that…”
“So that’s what you came for!” Auntie Pockmark cut her off mid-sentence, in a hurry. “Well, let me pour cold water on that idea right now. The Jincheng outfit is a big caravan—their head steward’s palate is picky as can be! Their standards for kitchen help are high, and just these last two days, several women have come to apply, and not one of them has passed muster!”
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “Besides, big caravans like that check travel permits more strictly than anyone. From the look of you… you probably can’t produce one, can you?”
Lin Wu’s heart tightened, but her smile never slipped. “Thank you for the warning, Auntie. It’s just that my funds are so limited, I’ve got no other choice, so I have to steel myself and give it a try. If I get the job, heaven’s been good to me; if not, it’ll just be a wasted trip—no real loss.”
Auntie Pockmark, however, acted as if she hadn’t heard the refusal at all and went on in a hushed voice on her own terms. “You’ve got no permit, so what legitimate caravan would dare carry you? You just don’t understand the gravity of the situation. It’s precisely because I think you poor widow and orphan are pitiable that I want to help. I’ll tell our leader you’re a distant relative of mine, and I’m sure he’ll let it slide for my sake…”
“Auntie,” Lin Wu cut in, no longer willing to waste her breath. “Look around at the cart drivers and porters coming and going—and that includes you yourself—I’d wager more than half of you don’t have that piece of paper either. If you all can travel, why can’t I?”
She met the other woman’s suddenly frozen face with a calm gaze and continued, “So if you keep shouting loud enough to bring those patrol officers down here, we probably won’t get to go anywhere—any of us. Your caravan might even end up behind bars for a few days on the charge of ‘traveling without a permit.’ As for me, I’m a local from this county. Without a permit, I can just head home. But you—you’re not from around here, are you?”
Auntie Pockmark yanked her hand away, eyes blazing with anger, and hissed in a low voice, “What a sharp-tongued little thing you are! Where’s your sense of gratitude?” She glanced nervously from side to side and indeed spotted a few officers in the distance. Not daring to press the matter any further, she stamped her foot in frustration, turned, and hurried off into the crowd and disappeared.
Finally rid of her, Lin Wu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She composed herself and continued to observe. Several women were heading into the back courtyard of the carriage house, where a table had been set up at the entrance. A middle-aged man in a clean long gown, looking every bit a steward, sat behind it, writing in a register with a brush.
Lin Wu quietly moved to fall in behind a woman wearing a blue-grey padded jacket.
“Sir, might I ask—is your caravan hiring kitchen help?” the woman in the blue-grey jacket asked first.
“Yes, we’re hiring a cook,” Manager Zhang said, looking up and measuring her with his gaze. “But let me warn you in advance—our master has a discerning palate. Ordinary skill won’t do. If that weren’t the case, we wouldn’t go to the trouble of hiring here; we’d just buy some dry rations on the road and make do.”
“Don’t worry, sir,” the woman in blue-grey replied, showing no sign of hesitation, her tone carrying quiet confidence. “I’ve worked as a kitchen helper in a tavern in town for two years, and when the head chef was too busy, he often had me step in to do some stir-frying and stewing. In my village, whenever anyone held a wedding or funeral feast, they’d regularly ask me to take charge of the cooking.”
“This trip we’re headed to Lingzhou; we’ll only carry you there. On the way back, you’ll have to make your own arrangements. But if your cooking is genuinely good, I won’t short a single copper of your wages,” Manager Zhang noted.
“I understand, sir. My eldest sister married into Lingzhou years ago and I’ve not seen her in a long time—this works perfectly as a chance to visit her and saves me a trip’s fare besides.”
“Mm. Do you have a travel permit?”
“I’m afraid, sir, in the rush to leave, I didn’t have time to get a permit drawn up back in the village,” the woman in the jacket said, an apologetic look on her face but her tone steady. “But I am from Lijiaao Village in this county, and plenty of folks around here know me—my background is clean.”
Manager Zhang gave her a few up-and-down looks, then waved over a young attendant waiting nearby. "Take her inside and have her try her hand at the stove."
The woman followed the attendant to the back courtyard.
When it was Lin Wu's turn, she stepped forward, keeping her head slightly lowered. "Sir, this woman is also here applying for a cook's position."
"What can you make?" Manager Zhang asked as usual, his brush hovering above the register.
"To answer you, sir," Lin Wu said in a soft, somewhat timid voice, "this woman specializes in fine pasta and dough work—steamed buns, stuffed buns, and all kinds of flatbreads. Because my child at home is young and has a weak stomach, I've learned to make them with extra care." She mentioned only the dough-based foods, not the more elaborate dishes. An ordinary village woman claiming mastery of rare delicacies, without any explanation, would only invite suspicion.
"Fine. You've already heard the rules, so I won't repeat them," Manager Zhang said, seeing more women waiting behind her. Not wanting to waste words, he simply gestured to the attendant and ordered, "Take them all inside to test their cooking. Keep a close eye on them—don't let them waste the ingredients."
Lin Wu followed behind the other women, led by a young servant into the kitchen.
She glanced around. The stove tops were clean, and the ingredients were arranged by category—common vegetables like cabbage and turnips, fresh meats like mutton and whole chicken, and even a good number of seasonings. It was clear the caravan took its food seriously, not treating it as an afterthought.
The other women who had come with her looked eager, gravitating toward the rarer cuts of meat and bottles of oil.
Without a word, she moved to the corner, taking only plain white flour, a small piece of mutton, and a few scallions, ginger, and other seasonings.
Lin Wu had made up her mind: she would make only steamed buns.
In those days, "steamed buns" were actually stuffed buns—filled with either meat or vegetables.
