Yun Jianshan's residence, Cloud Mountain Studio, sits close to the foot of the mountain, and beyond its low courtyard walls stretches lush, dense forest. The moment one steps inside, greenery fills every view.
The courtyard is remarkably simple. Two large earthen jars rest against the corner, their surfaces dotted with a few withered, curled-up leaves floating on the water. The interior of the house is even more unadorned, with no extra furnishings to speak of—only a bookshelf by the wall, and neat stacks of books of all kinds spread across the table, the side of the daybed, and even in the corners.
When the group stepped into the main hall, Yun Jianshan was sitting by his desk flipping through an old volume. Hearing the noise, he lifted his head to look over.
Lin Wu stepped forward, holding the carefully prepared tuition gift out with both hands. "Master Jianshan, this is a small, humble gift. I hope you will not turn up your nose at it. I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to take A Jing in and give him the chance to learn and cultivate proper judgment."
Lin Jing also stepped up, standing ramrod straight. "Teacher, this is dried meat that my mother and I made together, for you."
Yun Jianshan took it with a smile, then invited Lin Wu to take a seat, and beckoned Lin Jing over with a wave. "You made this? You are quite skilled for such a young age."
"That's right," Lin Jing said, a little proud, growing more talkative. "I was the one watching the charcoal while it was cooking! When you make food, the fire's heat is so important. Stir-frying needs a roaring, bright fire, but for dried meat, you just need glowing red embers. And the little leaves I tucked onto the oil paper wrapping were put there by me too."
Yun Jianshan looked at his bright, spirited little face and said gently, "In that case, you certainly deserve a share of the credit. There is a great deal of knowledge in this world that follows the same rule of proper heat—you cannot rush it, nor can you drag your feet."
As he spoke, he set the book in his hand down on the desk, then reached out to rest his hand lightly, not pressing down, on the boy's small shoulder. "Lin Jing, now that you have gone through the apprenticeship ceremony, you are my student. You must remember my teachings well: study diligently and never slack off, learn to distinguish right from wrong, and hold fast to your true heart. Can you do all of that?"
The boy had insisted on using the name "Lin Jing" for his apprenticeship, rather than the name "Ling Jing" that was written on his household registration document. Lin Wu had briefly explained the situation to Yun Jianshan earlier.
Yun Jianshan did not press the matter, nor did he find it strange in the slightest. In his eyes, since Lin Jing chose to take his mother's surname, it was a belonging he recognized and picked for himself. There might be unavoidable reasons behind it, and it was also a sign of the deep bond between mother and son. Yun Jianshan himself had long chosen not to sit for the imperial examinations or chase after empty fame, so how could he be so rigid as to fuss over such trivial worldly conventions?
Lin Jing, who had been thinking earlier that he might want to ask for leave, nodded his head firmly without the slightest hesitation, his voice clear and loud. "I can! Sir, A Jing has remembered. I will definitely listen to you carefully, study hard, and learn all the right principles."
Since he had been well prepared ahead of time, and knew he would be able to head home right at the daily dinner hour, Lin Jing had taken the idea of attending school very well.
The night before, when he was packing his book bag, he had said full of big ambitions: "It's just like how A Wu goes to the market every day to run her stall. I will go to my stall every day... no, I will go to the studio to attend my lessons every day!"
Though Lin Wu could not help but feel there was something a little off about his understanding of the matter, seeing how positive his attitude was, she just let him be.
Lin Wu said a few more words to Lin Jing, thanked Yun Jianshan solemnly once more, then left Cloud Mountain Studio with Tigerhead, who had been tagging along watching the whole scene.
"Sister A Wu, don't you worry! I will look after Jing properly!" Tigerhead puffed out his chest as he spoke. "As soon as the midday break comes, we will go together to the big kitchen to heat up our lunch. When school lets out, we will ride home together, and I will make sure he gets back safe and sound, no problem!"
This arrangement was something Tigerhead had insisted on earlier. Even though one of them lived in the north of the city and the other in the east, he had insisted that it was perfectly on his way.
Lin Wu knew this was the Shen family's kind gesture, and it had truly solved the biggest worry weighing on her mind. Having someone as familiar and trustworthy as the Shen family to walk and travel with Lin Wu every day could not have been better.
"Thank you so much, Tigerhead. I really appreciate you going to all this trouble," Lin Wu said gratefully.
"You don't have to be so polite with me, Sister Wu! You're my brother's good friend, and Jing is my brother's junior fellow apprentice, so we're practically family! Taking care of our own people is only right, isn't it?"
Lin Wu found those words rather amusing. She wondered if Shen Guanting had any idea that they had all suddenly been roped into being family out of nowhere, but she just went along with his words and replied, "Well then, thank you too, Brother Tigerhead."
After seeing Tigerhead off at the private elementary school, Lin Wu turned around and headed out of the academy alone.
By the time she finished all her morning tasks, the sun had climbed quite high in the sky. She hired an ox cart and rode it slowly all the way back to her small courtyard in Qingshui Lane.
The moment she pushed open the courtyard gate, the familiar sight greeted her eyes. The tender green shoots in the vegetable plot on the left had grown a lot taller in just the past few days. The stone slab on the right was empty now, all the dried radishes having been laid out to sun and then put away long ago.
Usually at this time of day, there would always be the little figure of Lin Jing bustling around in the yard, but now it was completely quiet, and Lin Wu suddenly felt the courtyard seemed rather deserted.
She shook her head lightly and stepped into the house.
It had been quite a while since she closed her stall, and no matter what, she had to reopen for business tomorrow. The problem was that after being closed for so many days, she had no idea if her regular customers still remembered her. It was more than possible that all her business had been snatched up by that woman Chen Erniang.
The new pastries had already been prepared long ago. That morning, she had stuffed several pieces into Lin Jing's lunch box, and she had no idea how well they would sell tomorrow.
The rooms were quiet too. Lin Wu let out a small yawn. She had gotten up extra early that day to handle Lin Jing's enrollment matters, and after rushing around all morning, drowsiness was creeping up on her. She decided to just go back and catch a little more sleep. After all, starting tomorrow, she would have to get up early every day to run her stall again, and there would be no more free, easy days like this.
Those days of freedom, when she didn't have to attend classes or go to work, even if they only lasted half a day, felt especially precious.
She walked back to her bedroom, reached out to close the window, and blocked out the overly bright sunlight from outside. The room instantly became even more peaceful and quiet. She took off her outer jacket and trousers, lay down under the covers, and closed her eyes.
In the courtyard, the sun's shadow moved slowly across the ground. The clothes hanging on the clothesline fluttered in the breeze, and the little green seedlings in the vegetable plot looked even more vivid and fresh in the sunlight.
After sleeping for about half an hour, Lin Wu woke up. She went to the kitchen, took out the steamed dumplings she had wrapped that morning, and steamed them again on the stove to heat them up as a simple midday meal.
These dumplings were similar to the jiaozi of later generations. They were made by wrapping fillings in a flour skin and pinching them into the shape of a camel's hump. They could be steamed or baked, each method giving a different delicious taste.
The ones she had made that morning were stuffed with three fresh delicacies. But the "three fresh" filling actually had more than three ingredients. She had finely chopped pork, shrimp, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, leeks and black fungus, mixed them with seasonings, and stirred them vigorously until the filling was springy. The dumplings made this way, when you took a bite, had rich layers of texture, a perfect balance of meat and vegetables, and an incredibly fresh, delicious taste.
Actually, she had done it this way just to save herself trouble. She had thrown in all the ingredients she wanted to eat and needed to eat, so that the nutrition and flavor were all perfectly taken care of in one go.
Meanwhile, over at the academy, Lin Jing was about to experience his first midday break of his time there.
Actually, all that morning, Yun Jianshan had not rushed to teach him difficult, complex characters. Instead, he started with the most basic etymology of characters like "heaven", "earth", and "human", weaving in interesting little anecdotes. Thanks to the experience accumulated earlier by his first disciple Shen Guanting, Yun Jianshan, even though he was a great Confucian scholar, was surprisingly skilled at teaching young children basic literacy, explaining everything in a gentle, engaging way.
Lin Jing listened so attentively that he did not notice the lunch break had arrived before he knew it.
"Teacher," Lin Jing said as he tidied up his books, brush and ink, speaking to Yun Jianshan as naturally as he would to someone he had known for ages, "Mother packed my lunch for me. It's really delicious, and I left it on the bamboo rack behind the canteen. Let's go get it and eat together!"
Many students at the academy brought their own meals, and everyone's food boxes were placed on the bamboo rack behind the canteen, near the well. That spot was shaded from the sun, cooled by the well water, and sheltered by a big tree, making it a natural ice cellar. At noon, everyone could take their food boxes to the large kitchen to heat them up.
Yun Jianshan could not help but chuckle when he heard that. "Oh? Do you think this old man is going to snatch food from a little kid like you?"
Lin Jing answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's not snatching. I want to share my food with you."
Yun Jianshan's smile deepened. "Since you are so kind to offer, it would be rather unfeeling of me to refuse. Fine, let's go take a look."
The two of them then walked out of Yunshan Studio one after the other, heading towards the canteen.
At that moment, the junior literacy classes had also finished for the break. The children were like a flock of sparrows released from a cage, chattering noisily, calling out to their friends as they swarmed towards the canteen.
The academy arranged staggered lunch breaks to avoid overcrowding, and the children in the junior literacy classes were always the first to go. Now, Lin Jing from Yunshan Studio had joined their group.
But even with just one more person, the commotion they caused was huge.
Lin Jing and Yun Jianshan had not even gotten close to the canteen when Tigerhead, who had sharp eyes, spotted them from far away. He immediately waved his arms and trotted over. "Jing! Over here!"
His shout drew several of his close classmates over out of curiosity, and soon five or six little kids had crowded around Lin Jing.
Seeing this group of junior literacy classmates appear out of nowhere, Lin Jing was first stunned, then thought to himself with a quiet gasp. He had been so focused on inviting his teacher to eat lunch that he had forgotten to bring his little account book, brush and ink with him. What was he supposed to do if all these people wanted to buy bookmarks? He would have nowhere to write down the orders!
"Jing!" Tigerhead called out, "You finished class so punctually too."
No wonder everyone said Yun Jianshan was the best teacher ever. He never dragged on after the bell.
After Tigerhead had been talking about him for days, the other children already knew that the jade soul bookmarks that almost every kid in the junior literacy class owned now were from the family business of this boy right in front of them. Now that they saw the person behind the business, they could not help but stare at him curiously.
Yun Jianshan's temples were starting to throb faintly from all the noise the group of kids were making. He gave Lin Jing a subtle nod without making a big show of it. "Go chat with your classmates. I will head over first."
With that, he walked calmly around the noisy little ones and left the young disciple to deal with the hubbub all by himself.
As soon as the only adult who looked like a master left, the place grew even more chaotic:
"Jing, Jing, I want to buy two more jade soul bookmarks. My dad saw my old one on the Winter Solstice and just took it away to give as a gift. That made me so mad! But he gave me money for two bookmarks to make up for it, so I can buy two from you now!"
"Jing, I want one too! My older brother saw mine and he wants one for himself!"
"Jing, how old are you? You look even younger than my little brother. How can you make such lovely bookmarks at such a young age?"
"No wonder you're a disciple of that Master Dashan! You're so talented!"
Chatter after chatter drifted around Lin Jing's ears. He turned his little head this way and that, trying to follow all the voices, but all he could hear was a steady buzz of noise.
"There are too many for me to remember," Lin Jing finally found a gap to raise his voice a little. "And I forgot to bring my notebook, pen and ink with me when I left home."
At that moment, the unflappable Qi Lang squeezed through the crowd. "Then why don't we wait until after we finish our midday meal, and head back to the village school to write everything down? The school is close by anyway, and all of us know the way there."
Lin Jing thought the idea was excellent, and immediately nodded his little head. "Okay, let's go to the school to write everything down after lunch."
With a solution in sight, the group of excited young customers finally calmed their eagerness for the time being. The whole crowd tr noisily and lively towards the canteen.
When they reached the bamboo shelf where food boxes were stored, Tigerhead took down his own meal box, then turned to see Lin Jing pull a fairly large bamboo lunchbox out of his cloth bag. Curious, he asked, "Jing, what did you bring for midday meal? You're still little, but your food box is so big."
"They're steamed dumplings and square cakes," Lin Jing said. His two small hands held the lunchbox that looked quite big for him. After taking two steps and finding it awkward to move with, he stuffed it back into his cloth bag to carry, and followed the others towards the big kitchen stove.
That lunchbox looked quite large, but it was surprisingly light. Lin Wu had thought ahead, knowing that Lin Jing did not have much strength, so he had specially chosen one woven from thin bamboo strips, which was both breathable and lightweight. But even though the lunchbox was light, today was Lin Jing's very first day at school, and Lin Wu had been a little overgenerous when packing, filling it to the brim with food. With so much inside, it still felt a little heavy to carry.
They had not walked far before Tigerhead reached out and took it from him. "Let me carry it for you!"
"Delicious square cakes!" Qi Lang, who was walking beside them, lit up the second he heard those words.
"What are square cakes?" A child nearby who had never tried them asked curiously.
Qi Lang swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "The outer layer is a little crisp, it smells wonderful when you bite into it, and the filling inside is soft and sweet, so tasty. The dried meat slices inside are also incredibly fragrant!" For the only two Lin family snacks he had ever tasted, Young Master Qi did not hold back from singing their highest praises.
"Wow, can I take a look?"
In an instant, several more children crowded around, and the whole lively group headed for the big kitchen stove together.
The horde of children poured into the stove room all at once, and the busy kitchen maid was so overwhelmed by the sight that her eyes went blurry. "Oh my little ancestors, one at a time, don't push, don't push!" She fussed as she hurriedly took the various food boxes being handed to her.
"Auntie, heat up Jing's first! The square cakes he brought are super delicious!" Qi Lang did not forget to chime in helpfully from the side.
The kitchen maid took the heavy food box from Tigerhead, lifted the lid, and saw the top layer neatly stacked with plump steamed dumplings. The bottom layer was divided into two halves with oiled paper: one half was still filled with steamed dumplings, and the other half was lined with small, square, exquisitely made pastries that looked very appealing.
"These steamed dumplings just need to be steamed through, but these square cakes will need to be lightly baked on the griddle a little to make the crust crisp." The kitchen maid's head ached from the chattering flock of little sparrows, and she waved her hands to shoo them away. "All of you go sit quietly in the canteen! I'll bring your food out to you once it's all heated up."
Only then did the children file out, and moved over to the canteen instead.
Lin Jing looked around the spacious canteen, confused. "Huh? Where's the teacher? Isn't he coming to eat?"
Tigerhead explained, "The academy head and the masters have their own small dining hall, they don't eat meals together with us."
"Alright." Lin Jing nodded, it seemed he would not get to have his midday meal with his teachers.
Very soon, the kitchen maid came out carrying the heated food boxes.
Looking into Lin Jing's food box, the small square pastries had golden crusts with a wonderful wafting aroma; the steamed dumplings had translucent wrappers, revealing the colorful fillings inside that looked extremely appetizing.
"They look so lovely! Jing, the food your family makes is as pretty as the jade bookmark you had."
"Your family really loves making things that are nice to look at."
"Is this the square pastry? What filling is it?"
Tigerhead blurted out, "I know! There's mung bean paste filling, and taro filling!"
Lin Jing shook his little head, "You got it wrong. Today's are taro and date paste fillings."
That was because Lin Wu thought making mung bean paste took too much effort, so he took a small shortcut and only made the less time-consuming taro paste and used ready-made date paste.
"Date paste filling! I've never tried that before!" Tigerhead immediately perked up.
Hearing him say that, Lin Jing picked up his small bamboo chopsticks, took one pastry of each different flavor from his food box, and placed them on the lid of the box. "Let's share these to have a taste. But I didn't bring much, so everyone can only have a little bit."
The children, who were perfectly happy as long as there was food, nodded repeatedly. They used their small spoons or chopsticks to split and eat the two sweet pastries. The moment the treats hit their mouths, exclamations broke out noisily one after another.
"So good!"
"Sweet, but not cloying at all!"
"This is the yummiest pastry I've ever eaten!"
Qi Lang suddenly seemed to think of something, turned to look at Lin Jing and asked, "Jing, didn't you say before that your family would start selling these square pastries soon? When exactly will you start?"
Lin Jing recalled what Lin Wu had told him, "It should be starting tomorrow, at the morning market still. Our stall is right next to the flower stall."
"Then I'm definitely going to buy some!"
"We won't have time, we have to attend classes at the academy."
"No worries, I can ask my parents, or have the family steward go buy it for me! I'll get to eat it as soon as I'm back from school!"
Lin Jing ate his steamed dumplings while thinking happily to himself. Not bad at all, it turns out I can not only sell bookmarks at the academy, but also promote the pastries.
Tigerhead next to him stared at the dainty, cute steamed dumplings he was eating, his eyes glued to them, as he had never tried such pretty-looking dumplings before.
"Jing, can I trade a piece of my meat for one of your steamed dumplings?" Tigerhead pointed to the section of steamed chicken in his own food box, the chicken soaking in clear broth that looked incredibly tempting.
Hearing that, Qi Lang next to him quickly pointed to his own serving of roasted fish with crispy brown skin, "Count me in, I want to trade too."
This was like dropping a stone that stirred up a thousand waves. All the other children around who had been focused on their meals turned their heads over.
"I have braised pork my mom made! Jing, I'll trade with you!"
"I'll trade my roasted chicken! It's super fragrant!"
Lin Jing looked at the remaining steamed dumplings in his food box, then looked around at all the little faces staring at him eagerly. He quickly calculated how much he himself wanted to eat, and ended up trading five of the steamed dumplings.
After everyone took a bite of the steamed dumplings, they all started asking one after another if these steamed dumplings would be for sale tomorrow as well.
Lin Jing shook his head, "Probably not yet. Our stove and stall are both small, we can't make very many of them."
Qi Lang took a bite of the steamed dumplings he had traded for, sighed contentedly, and said wholeheartedly, "I really hope your family runs a huge restaurant, so I can come eat at your place every day!"
Tigerhead burst into a laugh the moment he heard that. "If Brother Xuan heard you say that, he would definitely lecture you. You have a big restaurant of your own at home, yet you keep drooling over someone else's food!"
Qi Lang, however, remained unflappable and retorted, "That's because the food at our family's restaurant can never match the taste of Jing's family's cooking. It's just like learning knowledge, you have to convince people with reason. In my case, I'm convincing people with great flavors."
After a noisy, lively meal in the canteen, Lin Jing followed Tigerhead to the private academy, jotted down several new order requests for book markers, and then headed towards Cloud Mountain Study, carrying his cloth bag that was now much lighter.
It was clear how busy he had been running around the academy: not only did he have to attend classes, but he also had to promote his family's food in the canteen, and write down his classmates' orders. His days were truly full and bustling.
In comparison, his teacher Yun Jianshan was far more relaxed. The old gentleman had finished his lunch long ago, returned to his study, and was sitting quietly by the window resting his mind.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, he lifted his head and opened his eyes, only to see a round little head poking timidly through the study door.
"You're finally done with all your errands?" Yun Jianshan teased. He had heard quite a ruckus coming from the canteen earlier.
Lin Jing scratched his little head sheepishly, stepped into the room, and held out the food box in his hands. "Teacher, I didn't get to see you earlier. These are steamed dumplings my mother made, I saved some specially for you, please have a taste."
He still remembered he had promised to have lunch with his teacher that day. Even though his business matters had delayed their plan, he still wanted to make good on that promise with this little gesture.
"It's so thoughtful of you to still remember that, what a kind boy." Yun Jianshan took the food box and lifted the lid. Five small, glistening steamed dumplings were arranged neatly inside, still warm to the touch.
He picked one up and took a bite. The wrapper was chewy and springy, the filling savory and rich. Though it was made with a mix of different ingredients, all the flavors blended perfectly together. The dish was light but far from bland, glossy with oil but never greasy. One bite instantly washed away the lingering aftertaste of the academy canteen's usual lunch, which was either too plain or far too heavy.
Little Sparrow Shen was right. Taking this boy as his disciple had truly brought him a wonderful treat for his palate.
He finished all five steamed dumplings with a bright smile, his mood thoroughly lifted.
Lin Jing's very first day as a student ended on such a warm, harmonious note between teacher and pupil.
When school let out, he slung his book bag over his shoulder, held his cloth bag in his hand, and climbed onto the Shen family's carriage that had come to pick them up. The carriage first dropped off Tigerhead, who lived along the way, at the Shen Manor, then turned around and carried only Lin Jing heading towards Clear Water Lane.
Through the gap in the carriage curtain, he could see the slanting sunlight of the setting sun spilling over the treetops. Smoke curled up from the chimneys of the houses along the road, and the air was starting to fill with the aroma of every household's dinner. Most of the day had slipped by quietly.
This was the first time since he left the imperial palace that he had been separated from A Wu for such a long stretch of time. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Back in the days they had lived in the mountains, A Wu had once gone into the town alone to scout the path, leaving him waiting in the cave. He had even cried when A Wu was gone, he remembered.
Thinking of that, he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
But this time was different. This time, he was the one who had left the house, walked out of their small courtyard, and ventured into the big world outside. And A Wu was at home, waiting for him to come back.
He didn't like that feeling, no matter if he was the one waiting for A Wu, or A Wu was the one waiting for him.
He wished the carriage could go faster, so that A Wu wouldn't have to wait a moment longer.
The carriage finally came to a steady stop right at the gate of the small courtyard. The moment the carriage curtain was lifted, Lin Jing caught sight of the familiar figure.
Lin Wu was standing right by the carriage. The soft, gentle sunlight fell on her, making her calm and mild expression look all the more warm. "A Jing, you're back from school?"
As she spoke, she reached out her hand and held him firmly to help him step down from the carriage.
The moment Lin Jing's feet touched the ground, he stood up straight properly, tilted his little head up, and reported in a clear, bright voice, "Yes, I'm home!"
The two of them thanked the carriage driver together before turning around and walking into the courtyard.
Lin Wu took the cloth bag he was carrying from his hand. "You look full of energy. What did you do at the academy today?"
"I learned so many characters from the teacher today, and the teacher even praised me for having a good memory! Some kids in the elementary school classroom even asked to order bookmarks from me, and I've written all those orders down in my little notebook." He followed closely at Lin Wu's side, chattering nonstop as if he was trying to pour out every single thing he hadn't gotten to tell her yet that day.
"I also passed out small square cakes and steamed dumplings to them. They all said they were delicious, and kept asking if I would sell them later!"
After they walked into the kitchen, he took out the copybook he had used for tracing calligraphy practice in class that day, and then pulled out that little scribbled notebook where he recorded all the bookmark orders.
Both booklets were filled full, which clearly showed that he had reaped very fruitful results that day in both his studies and his little business promotion.
Lin Wu flipped through his copybook and little notebook carefully, and said with a smile, "Attending school and running your little business at the same time? Our Little Shopkeeper Lin Jing really has double happiness today, and got off to a fantastic start."
