Chang’an Small Restaurant Chapter 34 (Part 2)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Chapter 34.2 Candied Hawthorn
Shen Shaoguang, who was suspected of stealing food from a pregnant woman, purchased the entire basket of fruit. She hummed a little tune, poured the hawthorns into a clean basin and hand washed them in warm water. These fruits were really good; they most likely had hand picked every piece before it was stored in the cellar, each one was big and plump, without a single bug bite.
"Are you going to make hawthorn cake, Miss?" A’Yuan asked and giggled. Their Miss once said that hawthorn cake helped digestion; and because everyone had over-eaten this morning, she presumably wanted to make some with kind intentions.
"What's so delicious about hawthorn cake?" Shen Shaoguang looked quite pleased with herself, as if she had just been awarded by a government official. "I'll be making Candied Hawthorn for you all to try."
The name already sounded like it was a delicious snack, A’Yuan looked forward to it.
Shen Shaoguang asked the three to prepare the vegetables, meat, and noodles to prepare for their lunch diners, while she took her time and spent half a day digging out hawthorn cores with a small knife and stuffing them with red bean paste, and skewering the stuffied fruits on bamboo sticks.
Candied fruits occupied a place in the minds of every millennial. In that era when there were not many varieties of snacks and limited pocket money, ice cream in summer and candied fruits in winter were two ‘big bosses’ in the snack industry.
When it was freezing cold, there would always be a few pedallers riding a bicycle with a straw display stand attached to the back, yelling, "Candied snack!—"
There would be many ‘candied snacks’ stuck in the straw display stand, some were pure hawthorn, some stuffed with bean paste, some may have candied yam, or even candied oranges and candied apples. All of them would be wrapped in a shiny coat of hardened sugar.
Regarding this snack’s name, the people who lived in and nearby the capital would call them ‘Bingtanghulu’er (hardened candied gourds)’, while her old classmate had told her that the people of her hometown would refer it as ‘tangqiu’er (candied balls)’. However, no matter what it was called, whenever it was mentioned, everyone would begin to salivate.
The taste of the candied hawthorn depended on the heat when boiling the sugar. The sugar was to dissolve over low heat, and once a hair-like strand could be pulled out with chopsticks, then it meant the sugar was just about ready. If still unsure, one could test by placing a bit into cold water. Once the sugar solidifies, take a bite to check its texture, if it’s crunchy, then it’s perfect.
If the sugar was undercooked, then it would stick to the teeth; while if it was overdone, it would be very bitter and irreversible.
With the foundation of making Spun Sugar Taro, Shen Shaoguang could smoothly boil the sugar to just the right consistency. She gave it a taste, rolled a skewer of hawthorns into the sugar, and placed it onto a large, pre-greased flat tray. Once the beautiful candied hawthorns solidified, A’Yuan inserted it into the crudely-made straw display stand.
After a while, the straw display stand was filled with a couple dozen skewers.
Brilliant red, glistening like crystals, it was a sight to behold. Not to mention A’Yuan and A’Chang, it even caused Yu San to turn his head.
Shen Shaoguang instructed A’Yuan, "Bring it to cool down under the eaves first, but shelter it from the wind and snow. It’ll only taste good after the sugar has completely chilled."
As if she had received an imperial edict, A’Yuan nodded and carefully carried out the straw display stand.
After a while, the proprietress and the employees of Shen Indelible Tavern all enjoyed the candied hawthorn. Even Yu San couldn't resist taking a skewer, their Miss truly had a knack for creating fancy foods.
Shen Shaoguang was eating her candied hawthorn at the door, admiring the scenery. The color of snow engulfed the premise, the faint glimpse of what was white walls and black tiles, travelers on foot and carriage. There were even two misses holding umbrellas; it looked very much like a picture scroll, or the start of a tall tale.
Who would have thought that the carriage that had just passed by her door, would stop by her store. Out came a familiar face– Deputy Magistrate Lin.
Not attending court today? Shen Shaoguang quickly remembered that today was a rest day. Going out in this weather??
Lin Yan went to check on Su Zhen, a Four School Academician[1] of the Guozijian Imperial Academy, during the morning. The old man was very ill. Since visiting in the afternoon may incur a taboo, and the possibility of him not surviving until the next day off, Lin Yan decided to brave the snow and went out.
He was now on his way back. Feeling somewhat melancholy, Lin Yan lifted the carriage window curtain, only to see Miss Shen, who was dressed in a Hufu-style garment, with a natural hu-style bun, yet holding a skewer of haw fruits in a comical manner.
During a day with such heavy precipitation, and having just left the gloomy and depressing sight of a patient at their sickest, Lin Yan's frown, which had been tightly furrowed the whole way back, had finally relaxed. He smiled at the sight of this leisurely, peaceful, happy, and even somewhat lively scene. This Miss Shen really knew how to have fun...
"Sir Lin— out to enjoy the snow? Truly a person of refined temperament." Shen Shaoguang cheerfully greeted him.
"But not as proficient as Miss Shen." Lin Yan replied with a smile, he then turned his eyes to the candied hawthorn in her hand.
"..." Was that sarcasm or a joke, perhaps a sarcastic joke? Shen Shaoguang looked at the top of Lin Yan's head; she hadn’t expected such a serious Deputy Magistrate Lin to be able to speak in such a manner...
"Our lunch food is not yet ready, but if you would like, we can make some bótuō noodles for you, Sir." Shen Shaoguang placed her unfinished candied hawthorn aside, and waited upon this moderately difficult guest.
Lin Yan pondered in silence
"How about a Candied Hawthorn? You can mull over the idea slowly while eating it." This question was purely for a mischievous purpose, to avenge that ‘not as proficient’ mentioned just before.
Lin Yan turned his gaze back towards Shen Shaoguang.
Shen Shaoguang returned with a polite and attentive smile.
"Okay."
"..." Shen Shaoguang paused, nodded, and said with a smile, "One moment, Sir."
Afterwards, was the bizarre scene of five people in the building all munching on Candied Hawthorns.
After Yu San finished his portion in a couple mouthfuls, he led A’Chang, who wanted to grab another serving, back to the kitchen. A’Yuan took another skewer before making her way into the kitchen as well. Shen Shaoguang, as the tavern’s proprietress, had a better handle than them; she continued to eat her unfinished candied hawthorn behind the counter.
Contrariwise, Deputy Magistrate Lin, a senior court official who had passed the city's civil service examination, ate naturally and gracefully, without a hint of awakeness.
What broke the weird atmosphere was the arrival of two misses. Judging from the blue silk umbrellas, they were the two women that Shen Shaoguang saw outside before.
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Footnote:
[1] Four School Academician (四门博士) - is the name of an academic official in ancient China who was in charge of teaching talented commoners, extended young family members of marquis ranked, and young seventh rank or below officials.
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Food:
Candied Hawthorn/ Tanghulu - These were truly one of my favorite treats as a child. The hawthorn is a little tart, so it balances very well with the sugar coating. I miss Tanghulu a lot; most street vendors are no longer able to sell on the streets due to safety concerns, so many old-day snacks aren’t as readily available anymore.
Pure: All this talk about tanghulu made me crave some. Thankfully I can sometimes chance upon them here hehe