As more and more patrons like Auntie Huang and Shopkeeper Lü, who had been sent to the market by their children, flocked over, Lin Wu's small stall gradually grew bustling. This was a common sight at the market back then—whenever a crowd gathered somewhere, everyone else would naturally drift over to take a look.
Lin Wu was soon run off her feet. One moment she was wrapping and baking pastries, the next she was greeting customers, handing out orders, and collecting change, and for a moment she could barely keep up.
Noticing Lin Wu was swamped, Second Madam Zhao, whose own flower stall was quiet for the time being, came over to lend a hand, taking over the task of collecting copper coins from customers.
Lin Wu said gratefully, "Thank you so much, sister-in-law, you've really saved me today."
Second Madam Zhao counted the copper coins as she teased, "It just goes to show how important the little gentleman who usually handles the cash for you is! As soon as he takes a day off, you're completely swamped."
The Golden Jade Cake was such a hit that it drove up sales of the Emerald Cake too. The two pastries, one bright yellow and one vivid green, sat side by side in the bamboo trays, their colors striking and their names elegantly matched. Many customers, charmed by how lovely they looked, were happy to buy a pair of the two varieties together.
When the rush of customers finally died down, Second Madam Zhao couldn't help but sigh, "You really have a way with business. I was worried at first that Second Aunt Chen, who copied your Emerald Cake recipe, would steal away a good share of your customers. But looking at how well you're doing now, I was clearly worrying for nothing."
Lin Wu smiled plainly and said, "I didn't even think that far. You see, I made fewer Emerald Cakes today than usual. I was only hoping to sell 70 or 80 percent of what I normally make."
But Second Madam Zhao was convinced that no one else could easily copy Lin Wu's thriving business. Most of these customers had been directed to her stall by the young gentleman from the academy, they were already loyal to her stall, and most of them didn't care about a difference of a single copper or two, so they would never settle for Second Aunt Chen's inferior knockoff.
As the two were chatting, they caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking toward them out of the corner of their eyes.
Lin Wu happened to look up, spotted him, and greeted him with a smile, "Master Zhou, are you here to pick up some refreshments today?"
The person who had walked over was none other than Zhou Wenjin. He had spotted the crowd gathered around the stall from a distance earlier, and had found himself walking over without thinking: "Sister Lin, your business is really thriving."
"Brother Zhou, is this the Emerald Cake you told me about?" A young man in a faded blue tunic stood beside Zhou Wenjin. He was tall and thin, with a scholarly air, though his face looked a little pale, and at the moment he was staring intently at the pastries in the bamboo tray.
Zhou Wenjin nodded. "It is, Brother Han. It was one of the refreshments served at our poetry gathering and the academy's lecture last time, and it tastes wonderful. It looks like we got lucky today—we can stock up on some more for the literary gathering we're hosting tomorrow."
"Both of you gentlemen," Lin Wu said timely as she recommended a new item, pushing a small porcelain plate of sample bites toward them, "we have a brand new pastry at the stall today called Golden Jade Cake. If you'd like to try some, the samples are completely free of charge."
At the words "free of charge", Fifth Young Master Han thanked her, picked up a bamboo skewer, and poked a small piece of Golden Jade Cake to take a bite.
As he chewed slowly, he did not forget to give his comments: "The texture is soft and fluffy, the sweetness is subtle, which lets the natural flavor of the ingredients shine through." He thought to himself that using fine flour and white sugar to make such a delicious treat was not a waste at all.
Zhou Wenjin also took a small bite, nodded in agreement, and said, "Brother Han is right. Sister Lin, how much do you sell the Golden Jade Cake for?"
Lin Wu replied right away, "It's the same price as the Emerald Cake—five copper coins for one piece, nine copper coins for two. You can mix and match the two flavors however you like for the same price."
As soon as she finished speaking, the hand of Fifth Young Master Han holding the bamboo skewer trembled slightly. He stared at her in utter disbelief: "Five copper coins a piece?!"
Good heavens, he thought, that tiny little bite he just took cost nearly a whole copper coin! This stall looks so plain, and the lady selling the pastries dresses so simply, how can her treats be so expensive? He only treated himself to a three-copper sour bun once in a blue moon, and no matter how good this pastry tastes, five copper coins a piece is far too steep for him!
Zhou Wenjin, however, did not hesitate at all. He said to Lin Wu, "Then I'll trouble you to pack four pieces of the Emerald Cake and four pieces of the Golden Jade Cake, that's eight in total—wait, make it twelve pieces, four of each flavor."
"Coming right up, you two gentlemen just wait a moment," Lin Wu said cheerfully. "The Golden Jade Cake tastes even better when it's freshly baked and golden, I'll make them fresh for you right now."
As he watched the pastries turning golden and oozing fragrance on the flat iron griddle, Fifth Young Master Han frowned deeply. Those poetry gatherings and literary get-togethers, he thought, claimed to be for making friends through writing and discussing scholarly pursuits, but every time they had to spend money on fruit and refreshments. He thought it would be far better if everyone just gathered in the library to flip through books, and when they got tired, they could go sit in the pavilion outside to sunbathe and chat casually, and when they got hungry or thirsty, they could just get a bowl of plain water from the kitchen. It would be quiet, and it would save so much money. Besides, without crumbs from pastries everywhere, the books would stay much cleaner.
Even though Zhou Wenjin and the rest of his group were considered to be very frugal and unpretentious among all the academy students, this order of twelve pastries would still add up to a total of 54 copper coins. Just to put that in perspective, other students at their fancy, pretentious gatherings would buy wine, fruit, and all sorts of refreshments, and rumor had it that every person had to chip in several taels of silver each time. Fifth Young Master Han winced just thinking about how much money that wasted.
All of them had taken the provincial imperial examination back in August, and now that the results had not been posted yet, their schoolwork pressure had let up a little. After attending Master Jianshan's lectures before the Winter Solstice, they had all gained new insights and thoughts, so they often gathered together to discuss books and scholarly ideas.
Fifth Young Master Han was always at the top of his class in the academy, so he was the most sought-after guest at all sorts of gatherings. But he was a thrifty man who hated to spend money unnecessarily, so he always turned down any invitation that cost even a little bit extra. He only kept close company with a few classmates like Zhou Wenjin, who knew his personality well.
Lin Wu, who had heard him blurt out his shocked reaction to the "five copper coins" price, had already guessed what he was thinking. She said to him with a smile, "My pastries are made with the best ingredients, high-quality fine white flour and fine white sugar, and the fillings are all carefully prepared. They're made with nothing but genuine, good materials, so the price is already very fair. And think about it—each pastry is very substantial. Two of them can be cut up to fill a whole small plate, and they look very presentable when you serve them to guests. You can't very well cut a steamed bun or a flatbread up on a serving plate to treat visitors, can you?"
"Sister Lin is right, your pastries are hearty, and they look delicate and elegant too. They're perfect for hosting guests," Zhou Wenjin added, happy to speak a kind word for her since he knew Lin Wu was on good terms with the Shen family's children.
Then he patted Fifth Young Master Han on the shoulder and said, "Brother Han, weren't you planning to pay a visit to Lord Han in a couple of days? Lord Han is a very frugal man. If you bring him these elegant, substantial pastries as a gift, they won't look extravagant at all, but they'll still show how much respect you have for him. Wouldn't that be perfect?"
Lord Han was an elderly court official who had recently retired from his post at the Military Surveillance division of the Censorate in the capital and returned to his hometown. He was distantly related to Fifth Young Master Han's family, to the point that the connection was barely noticeable. Around the Winter Solstice, Lord Han had come to the academy's lecture to visit Master Yun Jianshan by chance, and met the hardworking, unassuming Fifth Young Master Han. After chatting with him for a while, he had taken a liking to the young man. That was when Fifth Young Master Han had decided to pick a proper day to visit him and ask for his guidance.
When Zhou Wenjin brought that up, the deep frown on Fifth Young Master Han's face smoothed out. The more he thought about it, the more brilliant he thought the idea was. Of course! At any restaurant or tea shop in town, a small plate of decent pastries would cost you dozens or even hundreds of copper coins. These Emerald Cakes and Golden Jade Cakes taste wonderful, and they're even served as refreshments at the academy's official lectures, so they're clearly elegant and respectable.
Nine copper coins for two pieces—when you do the math, that's an absolute steal. He could show proper respect to Lord Han, and still keep his wallet happy.
Lin Wu had no idea what the two of them were plotting in their minds. She watched the customers who had just bought a large batch of pastries leave, then looked down to take stock, only to find that almost all the pastries of every variety had been sold out. Business had been pretty good that day, though that was mostly because she hadn't prepared much stock to begin with.
There were twenty-four pieces of Emerald Pastry in each steamer, and she had made thirty pieces of each flavor of Golden Jade Pastry. The Golden Jade Pastry was simpler to make than the Emerald Pastry, and selling them side by side like this made things much easier for her.
At the end of the day, she was never exactly the most diligent person. She didn't get up until almost the first hour of the third watch, and she doubted there was anyone else running a morning market stall who woke up as late as she did—but that was already her absolute limit. If she tried to get up any earlier, she was sure she would throw in the towel after just a few days.
The morning market hadn't fully wound down yet, but every last pastry on her stall was already gone. Since Second Madam Zhao had helped her out earlier, Lin Wu had specially wrapped up an extra piece of Golden Jade Pastry for her.
She was just bending over to pack up her things, ready to head home, when another voice sounded by her ear.
Lin Wu looked up and saw Second Aunt Chen had somehow walked over to her stall with a big smile on her face. "Looks like I'm still a step too late. Mrs. Lin, your business is so booming that you've already sold everything out?"
As she spoke, she reached out to pick up the camp stool set on the ground.
Lin Wu was quick on her feet, and grabbed the camp stool first. She smiled and said, "Sister-in-law Chen, is there something you need from me?"
Second Aunt Chen kept her smile in place, her tone still warm and friendly. "I just heard that Mrs. Lin was back at the stall today, and that you'd come up with new treats that everyone says are absolutely delicious. I finished up my own work over there, and thought I'd come buy some to try for myself, to get a little taste of your clever craft. Who would have thought I'd miss the mark, and you're already packing up to leave."
Second Madam Zhao glanced over at Second Aunt Chen's food stall in the distance before speaking up. "I saw there were still plenty of customers at your stall. How come you're done with work so early?"
What she really wanted to say was that Second Aunt Chen's knockoff Emerald Pastries were probably still sitting half unsold, and she'd come over here specially with no good intentions, clearly trying to fish out the recipe for Mrs. Lin's new Golden Jade Pastry.
Second Aunt Chen acted like she didn't catch the implied meaning in Second Madam Zhao's words. "Oh, I just love messing around with pastry in my spare time as a little hobby, I can't stand sitting still. I've been helping out at my parents' stall for a while now, and I'm all tired out. I was just about to head home, and since I saw you were packing up too, it's on my way, so I can help you carry some of your things."
As she said that, she reached out her hand again. Those hands of hers did look much softer and fairer than the hands of people who did heavy manual work every day.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Sister-in-law Chen," Lin Wu edged her wicker basket closer to her side subtly, keeping a polite smile on her face. "But these things aren't heavy at all. All the pastries are sold out, I can just put everything in the basket and carry it on my back, no need to trouble you."
"Mrs. Lin, you really are such a hard worker, not like me, I can't stand any bit of hardship," Second Aunt Chen didn't take offense either, she drew back her hand and covered her mouth with a laugh. "I helped out at the food stall for less than an hour and my back and shoulders were already aching. My parents keep saying I'm more of a hindrance than a help, and chase me off to go home. Alright then, let's walk together anyway, we can chat along the way."
Lin Wu didn't agree to that, and just turned her head to say goodbye to Second Madam Zhao.
Second Madam Zhao looked at the young, soft-faced Lin Wu, and then at Second Aunt Chen who was chattering away with a bright smile, and her heart was in her throat worrying about Lin Wu.
That Second Aunt Chen really was like a sticky patch of ointment you can't peel off. Lin Wu went to buy meat and vegetables for the evening meal, and Second Aunt Chen followed her the whole way, tagging along right to the entrance of Clear Water Lane, before she smiled and said, "I live in the lane right up ahead. See you at the morning market tomorrow, Mrs. Lin," and turned to leave.
Lin Wu just felt worn out. It wasn't that Second Aunt Chen was some terribly hard person to get along with—she'd been all smiles the whole walk, and never directly asked anything about her business, just chatted about trivial family matters.
But that was exactly what made her feel so uneasy. Lin Wu was sure the woman was up to no good, but since she hadn't actually done anything out of line, Lin Wu couldn't very well be rude to her or say anything harsh out of the blue.
Lost in those thoughts, she arrived at the gate of her small courtyard.
The gate was locked quietly, and there was no sound from inside. She looked up at the not very tall courtyard wall, and suddenly remembered that along the way just now, she'd occasionally heard dogs barking from other people's yards behind the walls. A thought popped into her head—maybe they should get a dog too, to guard the house.
At dinner that evening, Lin Wu brought up the idea.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Lin Jing jumped up from his chair, his eyes wide as saucers. "Really? We're going to get a dog?"
"Does A Jing want one?" Lin Wu asked deliberately, seeing how excited he was.
"Yes! Yes!" Lin Jing nodded his little head so hard he looked like it might fall off, clearly terrified she'd take the idea back.
"But," Lin Wu picked up a chopstickful of food and put it in his bowl, "A Jing has to go to school every day, and I have to go sell pastries. There's no one home during the day, so we won't have much time to play with the dog."
"No, that's not true!" Lin Jing said, making perfect sense. "I come back home at dinnertime. And A Wu comes back after you finish selling the pastries in the morning. The dog can watch the house when we're all out in the morning! That's its job."
"Dogs need people to spend time with them," Lin Wu kept giving him a reality check. "We have to take it out for walks every day. If it's naughty, chewing things up and barking for no reason, we'll have to put in the work to train it properly. Keeping a little living creature isn't as simple as just adding an extra bowl for it."
Lin Jing patted his small chest. "I'll take it out for a walk as soon as I get back from school! When I earn money, I'll buy it meat bones to eat! I've learned all kinds of good principles from my teacher, I'll teach them to the dog too, so it can be a smart, well-behaved good dog!"
Lin Wu burst out laughing. "Alright then. When you have your day off from school, we'll go to the temple market together to look for one."
South of Huzhou city, there was a Ciyun Temple with a thriving incense following, similar to the Grand Xiangguo Temple in the capital. It opened to the public on every fifth and tenth day of the month. On those open days, a lively temple market would naturally form in front of the temple. The open space right at the temple gates was usually packed with stalls selling cats, dogs, all kinds of pet birds, and it was always bustling with activity.
While they were over there looking forward to meeting their new dog, the evening meal at Second Aunt Chen's house was far from so relaxed and happy.
Brother Ma had just come home from work, and he sat straight down at the dining table. His eyes swept over the plate of pork stir-fried with cabbage on the table, and his face immediately darkened. "You didn't sell out all your pastries today, and you still have money to buy meat?"
Second Aunt Chen's hands, which were just holding a porridge bowl to serve him, froze. She replied in a low voice, "I didn't sell out. That Mrs. Lin set up her stall again today, and she's got new treats, so a lot of customers went over to her place."
In truth, very few of Lin Wu's regular customers ever wandered over to her stall. Most of her own Emerald Pastries only sold at all because she was riding on the foot traffic of her parents' food stall.
Seeing her husband's face getting more and more ugly, she quickly put the porridge bowl down in front of him, and rushed to add, "But! I walked along with that Mrs. Lin for a while today, chatted with her and got friendly. I saw her buying meat, so I bought some too, so it wouldn't look odd. I think she's just a widow with a little boy, their life must be hard. If she sees how well our food stall does, maybe she'll be willing to go into partnership with us. Then her pastry-making skills can help our business out a lot!"
Brother Ma smacked his chopsticks down on the table the moment he heard that, and started his familiar round of grumbling over and over: "Orphaned mother and child? From what I can see, that family lives a very comfortable life all on her own with her pastry-making skills! Her boy is already enrolled in the private academy to start his lessons, and they can have meat whenever they feel like it. What about you? Your family has run a food stall for generations, you grew up watching them work, how come you haven't picked up a single real skill? We're barely making ends meet these days, and all you do is keep reaching out to ask me for money. Mrs. Lin earns every bite of meat she eats herself, but what about yours?"
Second Aunt Chen sat back down in silence, twisting her chopsticks in her fingers for a long while without moving them. After a good moment, she spoke up, "There's no reason a person with a perfectly good going business would just share a piece of that pie with us for no reason, that much is true. So I was thinking, we just need to make her one of our own people."
Seeing that Brother Ma's expression hadn't shifted much, she went on, "That elder brother of our sister's husband, his first wife passed away two years ago, right? I heard just a few days ago his family is asking matchmakers to find him a suitable second wife. I've taken a good look at Mrs. Lin, she's nice looking, has a good temper, and is more than capable of running a household."
"Nonsense!" Brother Ma immediately raised his voice and glared at her a few times when he heard that, "A widow with a child in tow, how could she ever be a proper match for my sister's husband's elder brother? Don't let your imagination run wild, you'll just end up offending people for no good reason! My brother-in-law is a ward officer working at the state prefectural yamen after all. If his elder brother takes a second wife, everyone will know he's related to someone in official service, how could we be so careless about choosing a bride for him?"
Second Aunt Chen was not flustered at all, and began to lay out her reasoning step by step: "Mrs. Lin is a widow, yes, but think carefully. She's able to rent a whole separate house with its own courtyard right here in our neighborhood, that means she must have quite a bit of savings put aside. On top of that, she has that real, solid skill of making pastries that can bring in steady income. The most important thing of all is that the headmaster of Canglang Private Academy has taken a liking to her son, so he got a spot to start his lessons there. If... if we really become related to her, leaving everything else aside, we could probably ask her to put in a good word for us, and get our own son a spot in the academy too."
She paused for a moment, seeing that Brother Ma's expression had started to soften, then added, "Don't look down on Mrs. Lin just because she's a widow. I've noticed loads of people have their eyes on her. She's pretty, hardworking, has money of her own, and her son has a bright future ahead of him. Matchmakers have noses like bloodhounds, they'll probably be knocking on her door with marriage proposals any day now. If we don't make the first move, we won't even get close to a chance at any of this."
By the time Brother Ma heard all that, his expression relaxed completely. "What you said does make a bit of sense. Alright then, you go sound that widow out first, and be smart about it, don't make it too obvious. If she's actually open to the idea, then we can go talk to my sister's family about it, and we won't be rushing into things blindly."
