When Lin Wu learned that Shen Guanting had returned from Nanya, she began turning the matter over in her mind.
By rights, she ought to call on him and offer her congratulations. After all, he had shown their family considerable kindness, and she would certainly need his support with the bookmark business in the future. Both sentiment and propriety called for some gesture.
Well, if she was being honest, the most important reason was that she wanted to ask Young Master Shen about Nanya.
How were the Gu and Chen families faring there? It was inconvenient to ask too much in a letter. If she could get a definite answer, at least Lin Jing would be able to set his mind at ease.
But she was a widow now, and it was neither a holiday nor a festival. Showing up at the Shen residence without warning would hardly be appropriate.
Before she could come up with a suitable excuse, Lin Jing returned from school with a message.
Three days later, the Shen family would be holding a welcoming banquet for Shen Guanting. After all, he had been away from Huzhou for several months, traveling first to Lingzhou and then on to Nanya. Now that he had finally returned home, it was only right to give him a proper welcome and wash away the dust of his journey.
Remembering how Lin Wu often looked after Sparrow and Tigerhead, and knowing that Tigerhead and Lin Jing were close friends, the Shen family had invited mother and son as well.
As for why the banquet had been set three days later, there was an important reason besides the date simply being suitable: that was the day of Tigerhead’s ten-day school break.
Shen Guanting’s exact words had been: “Studying is a serious matter; welcoming someone home is an idle one. How could we neglect the former for the sake of the latter?”
He had been away from home for months, yet the very first thing he did upon returning was to calculate the date of his younger brother’s break. He absolutely refused to let Tigerhead take even a single day off from the academy for no good reason.
What a fine elder brother he was—proper, steady, and so determined never to let a minor matter upset the rules.
Tigerhead and Lin Jing wailed together for quite some time. “Our brother does nothing but bully us! He’s been away from home for so long, and the first thing he does after coming back is bully us again! What kind of nonsense is this? He has no brotherly affection at all! He’s awful—absolutely awful!”
The following morning, when the Shen family carriage came to take Lin Jing to the academy, it formally delivered the invitation as well.
“Please trouble Young Brother Zheng to convey my thanks. I will certainly arrive on time to offer my congratulations.”
Only after watching the carriage disappear did Lin Wu turn and return to the courtyard, where she carefully put the invitation away.
Then she slung her bamboo basket over her back and went out to set up her stall as usual.
Business for the Golden Jade Cakes had been booming these past few days. Aside from selling freshly wrapped cakes at the morning market, she also had customers sending servants to collect orders at the agreed times. Every day, after returning home from the market, she barely had time to catch her breath before burying herself in work again.
She had kept that up for five days straight and earned nearly three strings of copper coins.
All the hard work seemed worthwhile after all.
She really ought to thank Fifth Young Master Han, Zhou Wenjin, and that young man in the brocade robe. The business boom these past few days had been inseparable from the good fortune brought by the three of them, whose names had appeared on the examination rolls. And when Brother Ma had deliberately made things difficult for her that day, they had also spoken up for her and helped her out of trouble.
Her money pouch had filled out considerably. She even slept more soundly at night.
But whenever she thought of visiting the Shen family three days later, worry returned. A family like the Shens deserved more than an empty-handed guest. Yet if she bought a proper gift, the money pouch she had just managed to fatten would be emptied again.
No, that wouldn’t do. Lin Wu shook her head.
Young Master Shen, who ran the Baohe Jewel Shop, had surely seen every treasure under the sun. A widow who sold snacks from a street stall had no need to show off her humble wares before an expert. A few simple, unpretentious gifts would be enough. What mattered was the thought behind them.
It definitely wasn’t because she was reluctant to spend the money.
Perhaps she could give them some crisp wafers, Golden Jade Cakes, or Jadeite Cakes? She had been selling all of those at the morning market for days, but Young Master Shen had only tasted her dried meat and had yet to try the other pastries. They would be something fresh for him.
She could save a little money without seeming insincere. It was the perfect solution.
Lin Wu turned the cakes in her pan with one hand, feeling perfectly justified in taking it easy.
After selling the last cake, she stood and pounded her lower back. Bending over the pan to turn cakes all day was hardest on the waist and back.
Once she had packed everything up, she did not hurry home. Instead, she carried her basket around the morning market.
After all, she was asking someone for a favor and wanted to inquire about news from Nanya. Though she had decided to spend as little as possible, she still had to put some thought into the gift.
She wandered from stall to stall, looking for some unusual food to add to the basket and make it look a little more presentable.
When she passed a stall selling eggs, she stopped. The vendor was selling duck eggs, as well as salted duck eggs and salted chicken eggs.
Salted eggs were already an everyday food by this time. People traveling far from home—especially those going by boat—usually kept salted duck eggs in their luggage to eat with porridge.
Duck eggs, however, cost considerably more than chicken eggs. Lin Wu touched her money pouch and finally bought a bag of salted chicken eggs instead.
With the eggs in hand, she thought for a moment, then detoured to the butcher’s stall and bought two jin of pork.
If only she had an oven, she could make salted-yolk pastries, little biscuits, baked bread, and all sorts of other things. Unfortunately, she didn’t.
These days, people baked flatbreads in hu-bing ovens or shaobing ovens. They had brick-built domes and were heated from below. The dough was stuck to the inner walls and baked until the bread emerged crisp and fragrant, much like naan.
As for a proper bread oven, she had seen one before in cooking videos. But asking her to actually build one would be far too much.
A bread oven was not something one could make by slapping mud into a dome and calling it done. How thick did the oven walls need to be? What materials and proportions should be used for the heat-retaining layer? Where should the fire enter? Where should the smoke escape? How would the hot and cold air circulate?
Forget drawing up a blueprint—she couldn’t even explain the principles properly.
Holding the two jin of pork, she lowered her head and looked at the shabby little clay brazier in her hand. She couldn’t help sighing.
Lin Wu carried her little clay brazier back to the courtyard.
The moment she pushed open the gate, a fuzzy little ball came bounding over.
Laifu had clearly recognized the sound of her footsteps long ago and had been waiting by the gate.
“Awoo!”
It tilted its round little head up at her, hooked both front paws around her trouser leg, and wagged its tail so fast it was almost a blur.
Lin Wu looked down at its eager, delighted expression and crouched, freeing one hand to rub its little head. “All right, all right. I’m home now, aren’t I?”
It circled Lin Wu twice before following contentedly at her heels, toddling into the courtyard with a comical little bounce.
Lin Wu put everything away, first filling Laifu’s bowl with fresh water, then tearing off a few pieces of dried meat and placing them in its food dish. Only then did she begin preparing the pork she had bought.
She planned to make some pork floss. Together with the salted eggs, perhaps she could come up with a new kind of pastry.
She cut the pork into chunks and boiled them in cold water until thoroughly cooked. While the meat cooled after being removed from the pot, she stepped outside to check on Laifu. The little fellow was lying by the door and, perhaps hearing her movements, gave its tail a lazy wag.
Seeing that Laifu was in a good mood, she returned to the kitchen. She wrapped the cooled meat in a thin cloth and used a rolling pin to pound it loose. Then she pulled it apart by hand into shreds, mixed in the seasonings, and stir-fried it in a pan until dry.
As her spatula moved back and forth, the shreds gradually became light and fluffy, while their fragrance spread through the kitchen.
Laifu’s nose twitched once, then again. It rose to its feet, settled down at the kitchen doorway, and let out a soft whine.
Lin Wu had just packed the pork floss into a tightly folded oil-paper bag. Hearing Laifu’s voice, she couldn’t help laughing.
If only she had sausage, she could make a savory pancake with the pork floss.
But it would be fine without one. She quickly mixed up some batter and poured it into the iron pan. Once the batter had begun to set, she cracked an egg over it, used chopsticks to break up and spread the egg, then sprinkled on chopped scallions and sesame seeds. She brushed the surface with sauce, added a large spoonful of the freshly fried pork floss, and gently rolled it up with the spatula.
The pancake sizzled on the griddle, its aroma even richer than before.
Lin Wu took a bite of the pancake. It tasted pretty good, though the sauce had been mixed in a hurry and was a little on the bland side. Chewing as she went, she pushed open the kitchen door and stepped out into the yard.
Laifu immediately trotted over to nudge her leg, craning his neck to stare longingly at the pancake in her hand, his tail wagging so fast it blurred.
Lin Wu sat down on the small wooden stool in the yard, tore off a small piece of the pancake that had no sauce on it, blew on it to cool it down, and held it out to Laifu.
Little Laifu would finish the food in his own bowl just fine, but he had a particular fondness for snatching bites of whatever other people were eating. Whenever he saw Lin Wu or Lin Jing with food in their hands, he would hover around them with those big, begging eyes, waiting for a share. Even if they were just chewing on a plain green vegetable leaf, he would stare at it for ages. The second you held it out to him, he would gobble it up happily, but if you just set the same piece in his own bowl, he would turn his nose up at it.
Lin Jing often tricked Laifu into eating things that way. He would pretend to take a bite first, then feed it to the dog, and Laifu would eat it cheerfully. Little Laifu was never as sharp as Lin Jing, the little shopkeeper.
Lin Wu tore off another small piece for him. "That's enough for now. Wait until A Jing comes back for more."
After she made a few more sheets of crispy pancake cracknels, a familiar voice rang out from just outside the courtyard gate.
"I'm home—"
Before Lin Jing even finished his sentence, Laifu had already darted to his feet. A moment later, Lin Jing walked into the main room holding Laifu in his arms, shut the dog outside, and then stepped into the kitchen. "Smells amazing! What did you make?"
"I made some dried meat floss. I'm going to make you a pancake with it," Lin Wu replied as she stirred the batter.
"A pancake!" Lin Jing hurried to put down his book bag and cloth sack, washed his hands, and came right back.
Lin Wu had already finished making the pancake. This time, she brushed on extra sauce and added a thick layer of the fluffy meat floss.
Lin Jing took it and took a big bite. "Is this stuff inside the pancake the meat floss? It's so good!" he mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Yes, it's made from meat too."
Lin Jing thought it was wonderful. A Wu always managed to turn plain meat into all kinds of new, tasty treats. He took another bite, completely smitten with the light, savory, fluffy texture of the meat floss.
"If we added some sausages into the pancake too, it would taste even better," Lin Wu said casually as she wiped down the griddle.
Lin Jing suddenly stopped chewing, staring at her in disbelief. "Sausage? You want to put... sausage inside the pancake?"
Lin Wu blinked, then realized what he was thinking and burst out laughing. "Not that kind of sausage. I mean cured sausage, the kind you make by stuffing seasoned meat into a casing. Not..."
She paused, realizing it would be too complicated to explain properly, so she just waved her hand. "You'll see once I make it."
Lin Jing nodded, still looking half skeptical as he went back to munching his pancake.
Even if she wanted to make sausage, though, she still needed to buy the right tools, so it wouldn't be ready anytime soon. Then she remembered she also had to prepare a gift for the Shen family, and that timeline was a lot tighter.
Lin Wu took off her apron and turned to Lin Jing. "I'm heading to the carpenter's shop now to buy some pastry molds. I'll make some fresh pastries to bring as a gift for the Shens' welcome banquet. A Jing, watch the house and keep an eye on Laifu for me."
When she got to the carpenter's shop and stated her purpose, the shop assistant led her over to a shelf lined with all sorts of pastry molds. There were molds shaped like flowers, ones carved with ruyi cloud patterns, and ones stamped with the characters for "blessing," "longevity," and "joy." Since New Year's Day was just around the corner, these molds were selling very well, so they had plenty in stock in a wide variety of designs.
Lin Wu picked out a flower-shaped one that looked elegant and understated, then asked the assistant, "Do you have any molds shaped like little cats or little dogs?"
The assistant blinked, scratching his head. "Madam, do you mean the shape of the whole mold, or just the pattern on top? We do have some bird and beast patterns over here, if that's what you're looking for..."
Lin Wu shook her head, pointing to the flower-shaped mold in her hand. "Not just the pattern. I want a mold where the whole outline is shaped like a little dog, just like this flower one here."
The assistant looked embarrassed. "We don't have any ready-made ones like that in the shop. But if you really want one, we can carve it custom for you, it'll just take a little extra time."
Just then, the master carpenter poked his head out from the back room. "No problem at all. You draw what you want, and I'll carve it for you."
Lin Wu thought for a second, then remembered another thing she needed. "Oh, and sir, I was wondering if you could make another item for me. It's a tube-shaped thing, wider at one end and narrower at the other..."
She described the sausage-stuffing tool she had in mind.
The master thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "What you're describing isn't something we make often, but it makes perfect sense. It's basically a funnel, right? I can make that for you, no problem, but it'll have to be custom made."
"Then I'd be much obliged if you could make both for me. I'll come back tomorrow to pick them up," Lin Wu said, leaving the deposit before heading out the door, feeling very pleased.
Early the next morning, the warm scent of pancakes drifted through the kitchen.
Lin Jing stared at Lin Wu as she poured a scoop of batter onto the flat griddle. The batter sizzled the second it hit the heat, tiny bubbles popping up all along the edges. Lin Wu twisted her wrist to flip the pancake over, then cracked an egg on top and spread the golden yolk and white gently across the surface with her spatula. She sprinkled on some scallions and a pinch of sesame seeds, then laid down a layer of crispy, fragrant meat floss.
"It smells so good," Lin Jing breathed in the aroma. "Can I take two pancakes to school with me? I want to give one to Tigerhead too."
Lin Wu kept working at the griddle, smiling. "What's this about? Did Tigerhead get into another silly contest with his older brother again?"
Lin Jing nodded, heaving a little sigh. "Ever since his brother came back from Nanya, Tigerhead has been trying to outdo him at everything. He can't beat him in schoolwork, he's not as tall as him, and he can't even eat as much as him. He says his brother can eat three whole bowls of rice in one meal, but he can only eat one and a half. It makes him so mad."
"What does that have to do with our pancakes?" Lin Wu wondered. She couldn't imagine Shen Guanting actually competing with Tigerhead over how much rice he could eat.
It made perfect sense, of course.
Trailing behind his brother in every other possible way, Tigerhead had found a tiny point of pride he could cling to: the special, delicious snacks he managed to get from Lin Jing. He even started skipping his midday meal treats of pancake cracknels and pastries, saving all of them to bring home, so he could sit down and eat them slowly right in front of his older brother.
He would munch away smugly, saying, "Even though Sister Lin is your friend, big brother, she's way closer to me and Jing now. You've never even tried her cracknels, golden jade cakes, emerald jade cakes, or dried meat!"
Shen Guanting would just hold his tea cup and sip it slowly, then reply, "I have had dried meat. Two whole big packages of it, in fact. They were sent all the way from Huzhou to Nanya. A gift that traveled a thousand li means a lot more than whatever you have."
Lin Wu couldn't help but laugh when Lin Jing told her the whole story. She folded up the finished pancake, wrapped it in oil paper, and tucked it into Lin Jing's cloth bag.
"You can take them, but make sure you eat them while they're still hot. Don't save them for midday meal, they won't taste good cold."
Lin Jing nodded. "I'll tell Tigerhead to eat his right away, instead of dragging it all the way home like he usually does."
He kept his word, and passed the message on to Tigerhead.
The second Tigerhead heard he had to eat the pancake while it was hot, he slung his book bag over his shoulder and grabbed Lin Jing's wrist, yanking him toward the Shen family estate. "Come on, come on! Let's go find my brother!"
Lin Jing was dragged along behind him, completely confused. "Huh? Why do we need to go find your brother?"
"To show him!" Tigerhead panted as he ran, still managing to answer. "To show him I have something he doesn't!"
Lin Jing: "..."
He could not quite wrap his head around what these two brothers were bickering over, but before he knew it, Tigerhead had dragged him through two covered corridors, heading straight for Shen Guanting's courtyard.
Shen Guanting, who had no school lessons or work duties to attend to that morning, was still in bed.
The courtyard was utterly quiet. The bamboo blinds under the veranda were half rolled up, letting in streaks of morning sunlight.
Several slender bamboo stalks grew in the yard, their sparse, delicate shadows falling across the bluestone paving. Right in front of the veranda stood a black lacquer incense stand, on which rested a sky-blue porcelain censer, with lingering wispy curls of old incense smoke drifting out from it.
The steward and young page standing guard under the veranda had never expected Tigerhead, who was supposed to be off at school, to make a sudden unexpected return. Before they could even react, the boy had darted right past them and shoved the bedroom door open.
"Brother, brother, look quickly!"
The room inside had been tightly sealed with doors and windows shut, leaving the light dim, but the moment Tigerhead pushed the door open, the morning sunlight flooded right in.
Just past the doorway stood a large, single-panel nanmu wood freestanding screen. Behind the screen was a three-sided carved railing bed, its silk and satin canopy draping all the way down to the floor. A brass lamp stand stood beside the bed, the candle on it long since burned out. The morning light seeping in from the doorway fell right on the canopy, making it glimmer faintly with a pearlescent sheen.
Shen Guanting, who had been asleep in bed, was jolted awake by Tigerhead's loud yelling.
He slowly sat up, his long black hair spilling over his shoulders, making his already strikingly refined, aloof face look even more ethereal.
He sat still for a moment before getting up unhurriedly, slipping on his outer robe, stepping around the screen, and walking out to the outer room.
The entire bedchamber was spacious and bright, yet scattered all over with various items. It was hard to tell if the arrangement was deliberately elegant or utterly casual — it was the kind of casualness that was itself meticulously cultivated to the highest degree.
Beneath the south window was a large, wide black lacquer writing desk. Ink sticks, inkstones, paper, and brushes were scattered loosely across its surface: some brushes lay flat while others hung upright, the ink lid half off the stone, looking like well-loved, frequently used items. Beside them sat an open book, its pages slightly yellowed, as if someone had set it down halfway through reading.
The antique display shelf against the wall was even more lively, lined sparsely with strange stones and precious curios. In one corner squatted a small bronze ding, its surface crusted all over with mottled green patina, no one knew where it had been dug up from. There were also gem-inlaid bronze ornaments, gold-lacquered wood carvings, and cloisonné enamel porcelain vases, all placed casually around the room.
There were items hung on the walls too. On one side hung a Zhongni-style guqin, with a long sword suspended right beneath it. The pair, one representing literary refinement and the other martial prowess, hung together in a delightfully mismatched way.
Shen Guanting sat down in a chair draped with a gold-woven chair cover and padded with soft cushions — it must have been incredibly comfortable to sit in. He leaned back against the chair's backrest, and the morning light leaking in from the doorway fell right onto him.
He looked at Tigerhead, who was rushing in holding a oiled paper package, then turned his gaze to Lin Jing, who was standing by the door looking completely bewildered after being dragged over, and slowly exhaled a breath.
"Tigerhead Shen," his voice still carried the low hoarseness of someone who had just woken up, and his expression was faintly stern, "this better be a matter of utmost importance you have to report to me."
Tigerhead paid no mind to his brother's tone, and held the oiled paper package right up to his face — but he pulled it back halfway, as if afraid Shen Guanting would snatch it away in one go.
He then pushed the shredded meat pancake out halfway from the wrapping, proudly showing it off.
The pancake skin, mixed with beaten egg, had been fried to a golden crisp, sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. The rich savory sauce scent drifted out, completely out of place in this room filled with faint elegant incense and lined with ancient artifacts.
"Look, brother!" Tigerhead tilted his chin high. "Jing brought this specially for me! Sister Lin made it, it's called shredded meat pancake, it's so delicious! No one else has ever gotten to try it — besides Sister Lin and Jing, I'm the very first person!"
After he finished speaking, he turned to glance at Lin Jing. "Right, Jing?"
Lin Jing, standing by the door, was caught off guard by the sudden question, and could only nod innocently.
He really did not want to get dragged into the petty power struggles between these two brothers from a noble, wealthy household.
Tigerhead let out two satisfied "hmphs", and took a huge, hearty bite of the pancake. The moment the bite hit his mouth, his eyes went wide, every bit of his reaction completely genuine. "This is shredded meat?! It's so good! So fragrant! Is it really made out of meat?"
Shen Guanting's tone was indifferent, he did not even bother to lift his eyelids. "You woke your older brother up just to let me watch you eat in such a rude, unrefined manner?"
He then turned his gaze to Lin Jing, his expression softening a little, and gave a slight nod. "Little Jing, you've gone through all this trouble. Go back and pass my thanks to Mrs. Lin, for taking such good care of this useless younger brother of mine."
This line of his made it sound as if the only reason Tigerhead got to have that pancake was because of the favor Shen Guanting had extended.
"Brother! This was made specially for me by Sister Lin, what does it have anything to do with you?!" Tigerhead fumed, taking another huge angry bite of the pancake, chewing extra hard as if he was taking his frustration out on the food.
Shen Guanting reminded him unhurriedly, "If you don't head to school right now, this matter is going to end up having a whole lot more to do with me than you think."
Tigerhead lost the argument completely yet again. Unwilling and resentful, he pulled Lin Jing out of the room, and did not forget to turn back to take one more fierce bite of the pancake before they stepped out the door.
Lin Jing also turned back and waved a small hand in Shen Guanting's direction, as a gesture of goodbye.
After the two small figures vanished, the room finally fell quiet.
Shen Guanting had just returned from Southern Cliff a couple days prior. He had been busy settling the merchant caravan, unloading and storing all the goods, and having long conversations with his grandfather, father, and mother, reporting all his experiences along the journey and going over the accounts in detail. As for Lin Jing's background, since his grandfather had never explicitly brought the matter up, he had decided to set it aside for now.
All in all, Southern Cliff was now stable and peaceful. That day when he caught a glimpse of Lin Wu and Lin Jing on the ship, the mother and son looked like they were living a steady, comfortable life. Everything seemed to be back to how it used to be, and nothing much had changed in Huzhou.
If there was one big variable these past few days, it was the smug, proud look on Tigerhead's face nonstop — he kept going on about the crispy crackers Sister Lin made, the emerald pastries, the golden jade pastries stuffed with taro paste, the golden jade pastries stuffed with red date paste, and now this new shredded meat pancake.
Young Master Shen silently memorized the names of every single one of these snacks in his head.
After finishing his washing and grooming, Shen Guanting headed out. He had originally planned to go check the accounts at the treasure shop, but once he got on his carriage, he changed his mind, and told the coachman to head towards the morning market instead.
The treasure shop would be open all day, but the morning market would close once the hour passed. After being away from Huzhou for months, he had actually started to miss the street food there.
"When it comes to Huzhou's breakfast, the food sold at the morning market is the most authentic and delicious," he said as he walked towards the flower stall, chatting with Shen Qi at his side.
Shen Qi had been heading straight for the food stalls, and when he saw Shen Guanting turn in the opposite direction, he hurried to catch up, muttering behind his back, "Wait a minute, Young Master Shen, you're here to buy breakfast, what are you doing heading towards the flower stall? Could it be that after being away from Huzhou for months, you've turned into some kind of immortal who only drinks dewdrops and eats flowers?"
Shen Guanting ignored him, his footsteps not slowing down at all.
A moment later, he spotted the figure busy working behind the stall.
The stall was very simple and plain, it could not even be considered a proper food stall. There was only a small clay stove holding an iron griddle, and a low wooden daybed that held the chopping board and two bamboo baskets.
But its business was clearly thriving. Even with the crowd of customers surrounding the stall, his tall height let him see the pastries inside clearly — the green emerald pastries, the yellow golden jade pastries, all exquisitely made.
He walked over.
The customers around all recognized the Young Master Shen of the Cloud Woven Fabric House, and they all started greeting him.
"Young Master Shen, you're back! Did the trip to Southern Cliff go smoothly?"
"Young Master Shen, what new treasures did you bring back this time? We'll have to stop by the Treasure Collection Pavilion to take a look soon!"
"Does Young Master Shen's family also come here to buy pastries? The Emerald Rice Cake and Golden Jade Cake both taste wonderful, and the crisp thin cracker is pretty good too!"
Shen Guanting finally heard these familiar names of snacks again, and could not help smiling. "Of course. These few pastries are so famous that the very first thing I did after coming back this time was to seek them out."
Lin Wu paused the movements of her hands the second she heard this voice, and looked up.
She was sitting while the other person was standing, so she could not help but feel that Shen Guanting's figure seemed to have grown even taller. Perhaps because he had returned to his hometown of Huzhou, his dressing was far more neat and exquisite than when he was in Lingzhou. He wore a silk robe of fine quality, with a dark black embroidered brocade belt tied around his waist, adorned with a smooth and lustrous jade pendant. His jet-black hair was tied up neatly with a jade hairpin, and a gentle smile spread across his face.
Shen Guanting was also looking down at her at that very moment.
She was sitting on a low stool, wearing a plain-colored apron. The morning sunlight fell on the side of her face, dyeing her lowered eyelashes a light golden hue. She lifted her head only after hearing his voice, and those eyes of hers were as gentle and calm as he remembered.
"What would you like to order, sir? The Emerald Rice Cake and Golden Jade Cake are both five wen apiece, or nine wen for two pieces. The crisp thin cracker is five wen a bag," Lin Wu said evenly, her tone no different from the way she greeted any other customer.
The guest Shen Guanting shifted his gaze away from her and settled on the iron griddle. "Give me one of each of those. And what about that pork floss pancake?"
Lin Wu could not help but burst into laughter the moment she heard those words. It looked like Tigerhead had started another little game with him, which was how he had ended up being led all the way to this morning market.
Shen Guanting stared blankly for a moment at the sudden bright smile that broke across her face.
Lin Wu flipped the pastries on the griddle skillfully, and explained with a smile, "Those pancakes are made in the morning as our own breakfast, we don't sell them to the public. Tigerhead only got one because A Jing insisted on bringing an extra to the school for him."
Shen Guanting sighed upon hearing that. "It seems I've made this trip for nothing today."
As he spoke, he shook his head with a look of feigned regret. "The old saying goes, clothes are better new, while old friends are best. But now it seems that as an old friend, I am not even half as favored as the new little one. I've been away from Huzhou for far too long, and I can't even compare to Tigerhead anymore. Times have truly changed, alas."
