Chapter Seven: The Tasting Dishes at the Banquet

When it came to preparing dishes for banquets, it depended on whether anyone was hosting such an event. In the village, people usually hired others for weddings and funerals, but for other occasions, they mostly cooked for themselves. Lin Qiuran’s husband had passed away, and with a child still in her womb, opportunities were scarce. For now, she focused on selling cooked dishes in the county town.

Sun Shi had not planned to eat, but upon hearing about the dish, she picked up a piece to taste. She had cooked stewed meat before but would never buy pork belly; she usually bought hind leg meat, which was mostly fat with little lean, cooking it in a large pot. When stewed, the fat became tender, but the lean meat was somewhat tough.

Still, there was little oil, so one could easily eat several pieces at once.

Lin Qiuran’s dish was different: the meat was cooked in porridge, with sauce and glistening oil floating on the surface. Sun Shi tasted it and found the bite sticky and chewy, especially the lean meat, which was always tough in her own stews. She preferred fatty meat, but today’s dish felt different—the lean meat actually tasted better than the fatty parts.

Taking a small bite of the fatty portion, it melted in her mouth. The fat seemed tastier than the lean. This time, Sun Shi put the entire piece in her mouth; the pork skin was sticky and soft. She said, “Your father, you should try this too.”

Lin Qiuran had cut the meat into pieces as wide as two fingers, interlaced with fat and lean, trembling slightly as they were picked up. Xiao Dashi ate one whole piece in a single bite, his eyes brightening afterward. “This is delicious!” he exclaimed.

Lin Qiuran said, “Eat more, there’s plenty. I can’t finish it alone, and it’ll spoil by tomorrow.”

Sun Shi replied, “You eat then, your father and I don’t like it.”

But with so much meat, Lin Qiuran picked four pieces each for them. When Sun Shi tried to take some back, Lin Qiuran held the tray away, saying, “I’ll eat the rest.”

With meat, Xiao Dashi enjoyed his meal more. Previously, he drank only a bowl of thin porridge at night, but today he drank three bowls, mixing the meat broth into the porridge.

Sun Shi ate quite a bit too, patting her belly with a squint of satisfaction.

After they finished, Lin Qiuran asked, “Mother, what did you eat in the county town today?”

They didn’t look like they had eaten well.

Xiao Dashi was momentarily stunned. Sun Shi blinked and said, “Just... just some buns.”

Lin Qiuran asked, “How many? What filling?”

Sun Shi smiled, “Meat ones. Your father and I each ate two.”

Lin Qiuran took a deep breath. “Tell me exactly how many, or I’ll check the accounts.”

She had been quite pleased hearing about the buns earlier, but now she felt differently.

Xiao Dashi bowed his head, and Sun Shi lowered hers, sheepishly saying, “We bought three vegetable buns. Your father ate two, I ate one. But at the time, we really were full, not hungry at all!”

Lin Qiuran sighed. It was hard enough pushing the cart to the county town; they had only eaten vegetable buns, and Sun Shi had only eaten one. How could two adults survive on so little?

Looking at Sun Shi, Lin Qiuran went inside and counted out ten wen coins. “Mother, this is money for tomorrow’s meals. Spend it all.”

Sun Shi said, “That’s too much. You haven’t even spent what you gave last time.”

Yesterday, seventeen wen remained, but Lin Qiuran had given it all to her.

Lin Qiuran said, “You didn’t spend it before. Eat better when you’re out. Otherwise, I won’t manage the household anymore. We’ll each live our own lives, and I won’t bother. I’ll stop selling fish too.”

Sun Shi thought to herself, that wouldn’t do. Lin Qiuran cooked at home and wasn’t overworked. The two of them traveled farther to sell, which was tiring but still easier than farming.

Besides, they had to plan for the future. If one day they were gone, Lin Qiuran and her child needed to save some money. The past two days had earned half a silver tael, more than the Xiao family saved in a year. Villagers doing hard labor earn only ten wen a day, sometimes eight. This was a great opportunity, and Sun Shi was reluctant to give it up.

Sun Shi said, “You must sell fish!”

Seeing Sun Shi’s urgency, Lin Qiuran said, “Listen to me. It’s hot now, and I have to cook fish, so I can’t bring meals for you. When it cools down, I’ll prepare food the night before and bring it to you. You can save money, but don’t skimp on quality.”

Xiao Dashi saw Sun Shi wanted to argue and quickly pulled her aside. “Just listen to Qiuran.”

He wasn’t foolish; he could tell Lin Qiuran was looking out for them. If they lived longer, they could help more.

Sun Shi smiled awkwardly. “It’s not that I don’t listen... I won’t do that again.”

She knew Lin Qiuran cared for her.

Lin Qiuran said, “Mother, don’t make me worry about what you eat when you’re out.”

After the meal, Lin Qiuran went inside, gathered her money, and weighed the gold bracelets and earrings—about one tael and three qian in total. Exchanged for silver, it came to over thirteen taels. Selling the lingzhi mushroom brought ten taels, plus over five taels saved previously by the Xiao family, totaling almost thirty taels.

If she were in the county town, she could sell there and still come home for lunch, definitely eating better than out on the road. But she didn’t know how much a decent house in town would cost—probably dozens of taels. At her current earning rate of two hundred wen a day, it would take months, even with daily fish from the river.

Lin Qiuran hid the silver carefully. With over two months pregnant now, she hoped that after six months, she could live in the town, easing the burden of traveling with a large belly.

But she couldn’t rush it. She sighed internally and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Xiao Dashi went to the river again, catching two baskets of fish—over thirty fish, all crucian carp. Each weighed just over a pound, much smaller than carp.

Xiao Dashi knew crucian carp had many bones and were cheap, mostly used for soup. He doubted they could sell well. But Lin Qiuran was pleased, saying, “Father, we can still cook these.”

Tomorrow she planned to make garlic-flavored crucian carp. Though small, the quantity made up for it.

The newly caught fish were kept alive in a bucket, while yesterday’s were killed and stewed. After cooking, the two took the fish to the county town for sale. Sun Shi thought the fish were expensive, but people in town found them cheap. Good taste was paramount. A braised fish like this would cost at least a qian in a restaurant, but buying from the Xiao family, minus the innards, was only several dozen wen. Since it wasn’t eaten often, people could afford it.

After they left, Lin Qiuran rested a moment and ate a simple lunch. Not long after lying down, someone knocked on the door. She opened it to find Aunt Yu.

Lin Qiuran hurriedly invited her in. Aunt Yu said, “I won’t stay long, just a few words. Yesterday, I asked around. In Yu Family Village, someone is holding a funeral—an old man in his sixties, a joyous-funeral event. He used to be a carpenter and left behind quite a bit of money. His sons plan a grand ceremony, with the burial the day after tomorrow. I told them your cooking is good. If you don’t mind, you should go and offer a tasting.”

Lin Qiuran asked, “Aunt, do you know how many tables and dishes in total?”

Aunt Yu replied, “About eight tables, eight dishes each. They say the pay is two qian silver. Or you can wait for your mother-in-law to ask?”

The pay was modest; a master chef would get three or four qian. Aunt Yu had vouched for Lin Qiuran’s cooking, so they agreed to a tasting.

Lin Qiuran asked, “Can I go for the tasting today?”

Aunt Yu nodded. “Yes, I’ll take you there soon.”

Lin Qiuran locked the door and followed Aunt Yu to Yu Family Village—a grand brick-and-tile house at the village entrance with white cloth and wreaths hanging outside. The family mourners wore hemp garments and headbands.

In ancient times, the custom was to keep the body for seven days, but Xiao Xun had died in battle and left no remains, so they buried him quickly. Lin Qiuran followed Aunt Yu to the host’s house, where a kind-looking woman named Mrs. Zhao spoke with her.

Mrs. Zhao said, “Let’s start by making one dish.”

Lin Qiuran went to the kitchen.

At this season, vegetables were plentiful. Lin Qiuran took an eggplant, two chili peppers, and half a head of garlic. She crushed and minced the garlic, sliced the eggplant into rounds, and cut the long green chili into rings. To avoid too much spice, she sliced only half the chili.

The kitchen had a large pot like at the Xiao family’s and an iron wok, but Lin Qiuran used neither. She heated the pan and put in the eggplant slices without oil, squeezing out the moisture to make the dish tastier. When the eggplant was soft and wilted, she took it out. Then she heated oil, sautéed the garlic until fragrant, then added the eggplant and chili.

Her seasoning was better than at the Xiao family’s because the kitchen had more spices. The dish was quick to prepare.

Mrs. Zhao did not enter the kitchen but smiled broadly when Lin Qiuran presented the dish. Though she hadn’t tasted it yet, it looked good and smelled fragrant. She took a bite, eyes brightening. This was nothing like the eggplant cooked at home—it was truly delicious. The eggplant was less watery, not greasy, salty and savory, with just the right amount of heat.

Mrs. Zhao asked, “Is this made from eggplant?”

It even felt like eating meat.

Lin Qiuran nodded. “Yes, eggplant can be made into many dishes. Today, I made just one.”

Mrs. Zhao nodded. For her age, Lin Qiuran was impressive. “Then it’s settled. The day after tomorrow, come early. There are many dishes. Look around today and see what’s missing so we can prepare. For eight tables, eight dishes each: two cold dishes, four hot dishes, plus two main dishes.”

Lin Qiuran said, “No problem. But we won’t wash dishes. We’ll need another stove; two pots aren’t enough. Also, half the payment as a deposit first.”

She only managed the cooking, not other chores.

Mrs. Zhao agreed. There was no fear of losing Lin Qiuran to a neighboring village.

Lin Qiuran helped decide the menu: cold dishes included smashed cucumber and green pepper eggplant; hot dishes were today’s stir-fried eggplant, four-joy meatballs, garlic crucian carp, and eight-treasure rice; the two main dishes were braised pork and braised carp.

The hosts prepared the ingredients and spices. On the appointed day, Lin Qiuran would bring Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi to assist, so she wouldn’t be overwhelmed alone.

Before leaving, Mrs. Zhao gave a deposit of one qian silver.

On the way back, Lin Qiuran took out ten wen from her pouch. “Aunt, I really owe you.”

She had brought money with her, but today’s opportunity was all thanks to Aunt Yu.

Aunt Yu had only meant to help and would never ask for money. She knew the Xiao family’s hardships and wanted to support them. Asking for money would be shameful.

Aunt Yu said, “I don’t want it. It’s your money.”

Lin Qiuran said, “Please accept it. Without you, I wouldn’t have this work.”

Aunt Yu said, “I’m just passing on the message. Keeping the job is your skill.”

There were other chefs, but the fact they chose Lin Qiuran meant her cooking was better.

Lin Qiuran had to bring Sun Shi out: “If you don’t take it, mother will be upset. Please accept it. Next time, if there’s such a good chance, remember me.”

Only then did Aunt Yu accept the money, which she took home twice and kept.

She stored the money carefully and asked Lin Qiuran, “Is your pregnancy alright?”

Though Yu Family Village wasn’t far from the Xiao village, cooking and walking still took effort.

Lin Qiuran shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Probably because she was still early in pregnancy, she felt no discomfort.

It was late when they returned. Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi had already come back.

Sun Shi was anxious to ask neighbors and learned Lin Qiuran had gone out with Aunt Yu. Seeing her, Sun Shi felt relieved. “All seven fish sold today. I bought you some meat. There’s still two hundred and four wen left. What were you doing?”

Sun Shi had only bought one jin of meat. Two jins would be too much; the elderly couple had to eat some too. One jin was enough for Lin Qiuran, saving a bit.

They had also eaten well outside, spending eight wen.

Sun Shi gave the money to Lin Qiuran, who kept the bulk—two hundred wen—and left a few wen change for Sun Shi. She said, “I went to Aunt Yu’s family. Someone’s holding a funeral banquet, and I went to taste the dishes. Father, mother, the day after tomorrow you’ll come with me.”

There were still crucian carp in the bucket. After tomorrow’s sales, they wouldn’t go to the county town but directly to Yu Family Village to cook. If busy, Xiao Dashi would fish earlier and return to sell on the day after.

Sun Shi’s eyes curved with a few wrinkles at the corners. “That’s good, very good. Your father and I will go with you.”

Sun Shi wasn’t worried about anything else, just afraid Lin Qiuran would be overworked. She had been waking early to cook for several days in a row. Now she had to go to Yu Family Village, never having a moment’s rest.

But she said nothing to dissuade her. Now that Lin Qiuran was in charge and earning for the family’s benefit, unless she had a better way to make money, how could she persuade her otherwise?

Sun Shi always worried, but Xiao Dashi was happy. He took a hoe to the field to weed. At this season, one must weed every two or three days, or the grass would grow back.

In previous years, during free times they hunted but never earned as much as selling fish in the county town. Though tiring, it was promising.

By the time Xiao Dashi returned, night had fallen completely. Lin Qiuran and Sun Shi had finished eating. Lin Qiuran had cut some chives in the yard and mixed them with minced meat to make dumplings.

Sun Shi drank porridge and saved a bowl for Xiao Dashi.

When he came home, Sun Shi brought the meal. “Qiuran is asleep. She’s had a long day.”

Xiao Dashi said, “What’s tiring about it? Who doesn’t work when pregnant? She’s not that delicate.”

Sun Shi replied, “It’s not the same. Qiuran has a good nature. If something happened to her, I couldn’t live. Think about it—she always worries about us eating out. Yu Family Village is far; otherwise, we could push Qiuran there.”

Xiao Dashi teased but went to the yard. “I’ll fix the cart to make it more comfortable for her.”

The end.