Early on New Year’s Eve, Lin Wu was awakened by the rustling sounds beside her.
Still half-asleep, she opened her eyes to find Lin Jing’s small figure stealthily lifting the covers, trying to climb over her to get out of bed. His little bottom was stuck high in the air, just like Laifu rooting about in its nest every day.
“Why is A Jing up so early?” Lin Wu asked with a yawn.
Lin Jing nimbly rolled over and sat up in bed, his voice bright and full of energy. “I’ve been awake for ages! Today we get to set off firecrackers, and stay up to see in the New Year!”
A few days ago, Lin Wu had told him what people did on New Year’s Eve. He had remembered every word and had been looking forward to it ever since.
“We don’t have to sleep tonight!” Lin Jing, who had never stayed up all night before, was practically vibrating with excitement.
Lin Wu laughed at the sight of him and threw back the covers to get up. “All right, all right—as long as you can manage it. You woke up so early; I’m afraid you won’t be able to stay awake tonight.”
“I can do it!” Lin Jing declared confidently, patting his little chest. Unafraid of the cold, he climbed down from the bed himself. The moment his bare feet touched the floor, he shivered from the chill and hurriedly slipped them into his shoes.
By the morning light filtering through the window, Lin Wu helped him tie up his hair. Since it was New Year’s Eve, she found two red hair ties and made two little topknots for him.
Once he was dressed, he ran out with eager excitement.
Laifu had already heard the movement and was waiting by the door. The instant it opened, it toddled over on its short little legs and pressed close to him, circling excitedly around his feet.
“Laifu, wait, wait,” Lin Jing crouched down and reasoned with it. “I have to wash my face and brush my teeth before I can play with you.”
Though he said that, once he had finished washing up, he still went first to inspect the little vegetable patch. Squatting there, he pulled out two sprouting weeds before finally turning back, satisfied, to find Laifu, who had been neglected for a while.
After breakfast, Lin Wu took out the portrait of Zhong Kui she had bought a few days earlier.
The custom of the day was to hang up an image of Zhong Kui on New Year’s Eve, and nail up peachwood charms on New Year’s Day.
Lin Jing came over, wanting to help. After studying the picture carefully for a long while, he asked, “A Wu, why are we hanging up a picture of Zhong Kui?”
Lin Wu spread the picture flat on the table and took out the paste she had prepared. “Probably to scare away little ghosts.”
Lin Jing’s eyes widened at once. “Little ghosts?!”
“Yes.” As she brushed paste onto the back of Zhong Kui’s portrait, Lin Wu began telling him a story. “Long, long ago, there was an emperor who dreamed one night of a little ghost. The little ghost had stolen his jade flute and his fragrant sachet.”
“The emperor was furious. He stopped the little ghost and asked, ‘Who are you?’ The little ghost said, ‘My name is Xuhào. I love stealing other people’s things. I can even steal away their happiness and make them unhappy.’ The emperor was beside himself with anger and shouted for his attendants. Then, all of a sudden, a large ghost appeared. He wore a hat and a red robe. He seized the Xuhào demon and swallowed it in one bite.”
Lin Jing cried out in alarm. “He—he ate it?”
“Yes—he broke it in half and ate it. The emperor then asked the great demon, ‘Who are you?’ The demon replied, ‘I am Zhong Kui, a scholar from Mount Zhongnan.’ And so, ever since, people have hung images of Zhong Kui on New Year’s Eve, so that he might devour the Xuhào demon and bring them good fortune in the coming year.”
Lin Jing was still dwelling on the words “broke it in half and ate it.” It took him quite some time to come back to himself. He stared at the image of Zhong Kui again and again.
“Then we should put one up too! Let Zhong Kui eat the Xuhào demon, so it can’t steal our things anymore!”
“That’s right. We’ll make sure the little demons don’t dare cross our threshold.” Lin Wu pasted the image of Zhong Kui onto the door, smoothing down its corners before patting her hands together. “Tonight, we’ll keep the lamps burning all night as well. That’s to expose the Xuhào demon. If everything is bright, there’ll be nowhere for it to hide, and it won’t dare come in.”
Lin Jing nodded and spoke earnestly to the image on the door. “Uncle Zhong Kui, we’ll be counting on you tonight. The courtyard gate is in your hands; we’ll guard the house ourselves.”
Besides the Xuhào demon, people also feared that all manner of malevolent spirits might cause trouble on New Year’s Eve. Thus, beyond putting up door gods, the most important observance was the Nuo exorcism: beating drums to drive away the demons of plague and pestilence, also known as the rite of expulsion.
In past years at the palace, a grand Nuo ceremony would be held on this day, a spectacle of tremendous scale. More than a thousand people took part. Members of the Imperial City Directorate and the Office of Music wore masks and brightly colored costumes, dressing as generals, door gods, Zhong Kui, and the Kitchen God. They performed a Nuo dance before the sleeping halls, lighting candles and torches until the flames blazed against the sky. The emperor, princes, consorts, and officials would watch together, while that night the crackle of firecrackers in the palace would echo throughout the city and beyond.
Now that they lived among the common folk, there was naturally no need for such grandeur. Still, the lamps had to be lit, and the year had to be kept vigil over.
As Lin Wu was thinking this, footsteps suddenly sounded nearby.
“Mrs. Lin, may the new year bring good fortune!” Fourth Sister He came in carrying a large bowl. “These are New Year’s botuo from our home. I brought some for you to try.”
“You’re too kind, Sister-in-law,” Lin Wu said quickly, taking the bowl. She turned and went inside, then wrapped up some of the yam cakes and dried meat she had made the day before and pressed them into Fourth Sister He’s hands. “These are homemade too. Please take them back and have a taste.”
Fourth Sister He did not stand on ceremony. Smiling broadly, she accepted them. “All right, then I won’t be polite! I still have to deliver some to the next household, so I’ll be off now!”
With that, she turned and left.
Lin Wu put away the botuo.
She had expected Fourth Sister He to bring some, so she had not made botuo herself, saving herself the trouble. Botuo was a flour dish introduced by the Hu peoples, and it was very simple to make: knead the dough, cut it into strips, then pinch it into small pieces and shape each one like a willow leaf boat, hollow in the middle and tapered at both ends. When it was time to eat, they were simply boiled in vegetable broth until done, then scooped out.
New Year’s Eve had three rites: gift-giving, bidding farewell to the old year, and keeping vigil through the night. The first, gift-giving, meant exchanging holiday presents with friends and relatives to offer congratulations. A few days earlier, she had made crisp crackers and dried meat, which she could now divide up and send to households she knew well.
But it was still early before the time for the night vigil. After some thought, Lin Wu took out the bamboo whisk she had commissioned from the carpenter’s shop some days ago, meant for beating eggs.
After making jade cakes and golden jade cakes for so many days, Lin Wu was beginning to tire of them. She wanted to see whether she could make steamed sponge cakes instead—soft and fluffy. If they turned out well, they would make more appealing gifts for the holiday.
Before beating the eggs, she took out several tangerines. Naturally, they were ordinary tangerines her family had bought, not the expensive basket of sweet mandarins Young Master Shen had sent. She could not bear to use such fine fruit for an experiment.
To avoid the bitterness of the peel, she removed it before squeezing out the juice and pouring it into a shallow saucer. She set the saucer on a small clay stove and simmered it over low heat, letting some of the moisture evaporate. Since she had no lemon juice at the moment, she could only use concentrated tangerine juice in its place; it would help with whipping the egg mixture later.
Only after the tangerine juice had cooled completely did she begin.
She cracked the eggs into an earthenware bowl, added sugar and flour, then dripped in a few drops of tangerine juice. Gripping a bamboo whisk, she began to beat the mixture.
Lin Jing squatted beside her, watching intently, his little head bobbing up and down with the movement of her hands.
“It’s turning white!” he cried.
Once the egg mixture had been whipped properly, Lin Wu sifted in the remaining flour and folded it in evenly. Then she took out several small earthenware bowls, brushed a thin layer of oil around their insides, and spooned in the batter until each was eight or nine-tenths full. Holding the bowls carefully, she gave them a few gentle taps to remove the large air bubbles.
Having obediently seated himself by the stove to boil water at Lin Wu’s instruction, Lin Jing stared at the little bowls in fascination.
“What are you making?”
“A kind of steamed cake that’s fragrant and soft.”
Lin Jing’s eyes lit up. “A yummy cake-cake!”
Once the water came to a boil, Lin Wu placed the small bowls into the steamer one by one.
About a quarter of an hour later, she lifted the lid, and the rich aroma of eggs wafted out.
The bowls, which had not been filled to the brim, were now completely crowned by the risen cakes. Pale golden and fluffy, they looked fragrant and adorable. Lin Wu ran a thin bamboo sliver lightly around the edge of one bowl, then turned it upside down onto a plate. A whole little cake slipped out intact—neither sticking nor breaking, perfectly round and full.
“Wow!” Lin Jing could not help standing up for a closer look. “This cake-cake looks like a cloud in the sky—all puffy!”
Smiling, Lin Wu broke off a small piece and handed it to him, then popped another piece into her own mouth. Soft, sweet, and carrying the faintest hint of tangerine, it tasted just like the steamed sponge cakes she remembered.
Lin Jing stuffed the little piece into his mouth. The tender cake barely needed chewing before it melted away on his tongue. His small face filled with amazement.
“So soft! Softer than jade cake! This is the best cake-cake!”
Steamed sponge cake immediately surpassed all the other cakes in his heart, rising to first place on his list of “yummy cakes.”
Once the cakes had cooled, Lin Wu gave him a whole one.
He immediately cupped it in both hands and ran happily out into the courtyard, where he sat primly on a little stool. Sunlight fell over his tiny topknot, making the red ribbon tied around it look especially bright.
Laifu promptly trotted over, sat by his feet, and gazed up at him with hopeful eyes.
Lin Jing looked down at Laifu, then at the cake in his hands, and broke off a small corner to offer him.
Laifu snatched it up in one bite and swallowed it without even chewing. His tail wagged furiously as he looked up expectantly.
Lin Jing shook his head again and again. “No, no. You’ve already had some. I need to save the rest for myself.”
Laifu didn’t understand. Seeing that he wasn’t being given any more, he lay down by Lin Jing’s feet.
Lin Jing hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he couldn’t resist. He broke off another small piece and placed it on the ground in front of Laifu’s mouth.
Boy and dog alike ate to their hearts’ content.
In the kitchen, Lin Wu looked at her successful steamed cake, her confidence soaring.
She glanced at the remaining tangerine juice, then at the meat floss she had made earlier. Now that she had steamed cake and meat floss, why not make some meat-floss cakes?
Still, steamed cake had a high moisture content and was softer and more tender than baked cake. Once spread with mayonnaise, it might turn soggy and collapse. She had no idea whether it would work.
No harm in trying.
What she lacked now was mayonnaise.
She cracked several more egg yolks into a large bowl, added sugar, and began beating them with a bamboo whisk. Partway through, she gradually added a little oil in several batches, continuing to whisk.
By the time her wrists were aching, the mixture in the bowl had finally thickened. She poured in the tangerine juice and kept whisking. Adding oil, then tangerine juice, over and over, she whisked for who knew how long before the liquid in the bowl finally turned into a thick, creamy yellow mayonnaise.
Her hands were truly sore, but at least it had worked.
Lin Wu dipped the tip of a pair of chopsticks into it and tasted a little. The flavor was both familiar and strange: fresh citrusy tartness balanced with sweetness, gentler than the mayonnaise she remembered, but still quite good.
With all the ingredients ready, she took the steamed cake, which had already cooled, sliced it in half, spread mayonnaise between the layers, and pressed them back together. Then she coated the outside with a thin layer of sauce and gently rolled it in a plate heaped with meat floss.
The cake, now covered in meat floss, was transformed—soft and fuzzy-looking, so tempting it made one’s mouth water.
She took a bite. The crisp, savory meat floss was bound to the soft, fluffy cake by the mayonnaise, creating distinct layers of texture and flavor that filled her mouth with sweetness and fragrance.
She called Lin Jing in and handed him a piece.
Lin Jing’s eyes went wide as he ate. “This is even better than that cake that was like a cloud!”
The shock of how delicious it was rivaled the first time he had eaten a savory pancake with egg, sausage, and meat floss.
Fickle little Lin Jing immediately kicked the steamed cake—only moments ago the top-ranked favorite—off its throne, cradling this new love in his hands as though he could not bear to part with it.
“What’s this cake called?” he asked eagerly, desperate to know the name of his new number one.
“Hmm…” Lin Wu thought for a moment. Looking at the round cake covered in fluffy meat floss, she said, “Let’s call it Fluffy Cake. And the ones without meat floss can be called Snow Cloud Cakes.”
“Fluffy Cake is the best!” Lin Jing declared, then took another enormous bite and savored the flavor of his new favorite.
Since she was worried the cakes would not keep well, they needed to hurry and deliver the holiday gifts. Lin Wu had not made very many. After portioning them out, she and Lin Jing headed out together.
They first stopped by the little shop on the main street, which was on their way. Chen Shugu had been staying there these past few days, saying that he would move out after the New Year.
Lin Jing held out the paper-wrapped package and personally handed it over. “Happy New Year, Uncle Chen! I’m going into town to have fun tomorrow, so I won’t be coming to pay my New Year’s respects. These are the seasonal gifts A Wu made—there’s today’s freshly made floss cake and snow-cloud cake, as well as thin crisps and dried meat. The floss cake is especially delicious!”
He began praising it with genuine enthusiasm. “It’s the kind covered in meat floss. When you bite into it, the meat floss is nice and crisp, while the inside is soft, with a hint of sweet-and-sour flavor. You must try this one first, Uncle!”
Chen Shugu listened patiently, his face filled with affection. “All right. Thank you, A Jing. I’ll remember that and make sure to try the floss cake first.”
As he spoke, he turned to Lin Wu, his expression becoming somewhat more solemn. “Mrs. Lin, I should have come to your home to offer my thanks today. Unfortunately, circumstances make that inconvenient at present. I hope you’ll forgive my discourtesy.”
Lin Wu looked at the Chen Shugu before her, who had once again resumed the appearance of an unfamiliar old man, and waved her hand. “You’re too polite. We have plenty of time ahead of us, so there’s no need to rush.”
She added, “And please, make yourself at home in the shop. We’re in no hurry.”
She had already decided to rent the Liang family’s shop. At five hundred copper coins a month, it would not cost much more than renting a stall cart, and she would be able to run her business there long-term. Still, they would have to wait until after the New Year to open.
The Liang family clearly intended to show them some consideration, and Lin Wu understood that perfectly. That was why she had prepared an extra seasonal gift today and asked Chen Shugu to deliver it on her behalf—though this second gift did not include the floss cake or the snow-cloud cake.
Chen Shugu nodded, his expression calm. “Mrs. Lin, rest assured. This old man cannot stay in this shop forever. Some work will surely come my way within the next two days, and I’ll move out after the New Year.”
Seeing how confident he was, Lin Wu finally set her mind at ease. With Grand Tutor Chen’s exceptional learning, he would naturally be able to find his own path.
After bidding farewell to Chen Shugu, they hired a mule cart and headed north of the city.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance to the Shen residence, they saw Tigerhead hopping out, with Shen Guanting and Sparrow following behind him.
Lin Jing lifted the cart curtain and called out, “Tigerhead.”
Tigerhead immediately shouted back, “Jing! I was just about to come find you!”
The moment the mule cart came to a stop, Tigerhead and Sparrow had already hurried over.
Lin Wu climbed down from the cart and smiled. “Sparrow, Tigerhead, blessings on New Year’s Eve. These are a few snacks your older sister made. Have a taste.”
Lin Jing chimed in from the side, “There’s the especially delicious floss cake and snow-cloud cake!”
With that, Lin Wu was just about to hand the bamboo basket to the two children when, before either of them could fully extend their hands, a slender hand reached out from the side and calmly took the basket from her.
Tigerhead’s hand froze in midair. After a moment of stunned silence, he turned and glared at his older brother. “Brother! That’s for me!”
Sparrow also tugged hard at his sleeve. “Brother, Older Sister was clearly giving it to us first.”
Shen Guanting held the basket, his expression entirely composed. “Your arms are too short, so I helped you take it. Besides, the basket is so heavy that Shopkeeper Lin’s hands must be aching from carrying it.”
Lin Wu had grown so used to this shameless interception that she barely found it surprising anymore. Turning to the Young Master Shen who had taken the basket without the slightest hint of guilt, she said, “Guanting, blessings on New Year’s Eve.”
“Guanting”—the name was quite a mouthful at first.
Shen Guanting smiled warmly. “Wishing you peace and good health on New Year’s Eve. Shopkeeper Lin, I accept your gift—and I accept being called Guanting, too.”
