Chang’an Small Restaurant Chapter 43 (Part 1)
Happy new year everyone! It’s such a funny coincidence that this novel’s updates are so well timed too
Translated by Pure
Chapter 43.1 Grand Order Before The Year End
After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, most people prepare for the new year. Every household would be busy with cleaning the house[1], making spring flags[2], and changing peach talismans[3]. In addition, Tusu Wine[4], Sharp Five Plate[5], sticky malt sugar candy, and other festival foods are prepared to be used as offerings to the gods and other related events. By the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, every store would have finished their cleaning, reposted new peach talismans, distributed additional bonuses, and it was ready to close; they would only reopen after the fifth day of the new year.
Shen Shaoguang stood at the door and said goodbye to the vegetable and meat vendors, "The New Year is approaching, may your family be blessed with happiness, longevity, and good health."
The vegetable vendor and butcher also cupped their hands and reciprocated her well wishes while smiling, "May you be blessed with good fortune, longevity and good health, Miss", and "May your tavern be prosperous in business".
As long as the produce were in an acceptable state, their tavern accepted it all. The vegetable and butcher vendors also waived the change. Shen Shaoguang even gave them freshly made cakes and pastries to take home, so that their wives and children could have something sweet. This was basic courtesy and thoughtfulness of the common people in the city.
Once they decided on the next delivery date after the new year, and Shen Shaoguang saw the two vendors off.
Today was the last day Shen Indelible Tavern will be open for the year. Yu San and A’Chang moved the newly arrived groceries inside. They then divided what needed to be chopped now from others that needed to be left outside to be frozen and saved for the New Year’s.
A’Yuan stood aside, ready to act as a supporting role for Shen Shaoguang on their handmade flags and peach talismans.
This flag was not the flag hairpiece decorated in gold or ‘Spring Banners and Paper-Cuttings[6]’, but a flag hung in the yard on the first day of the New Year. It was made of green cloth, which signified the welcoming of spring. Shen Shaoguang's needlework skills were average, but she could still sew a flag.
The peach talismans were much easier in comparison.
"Did you take the peach talismans to Qiu's familys’ Soy Shop?" Shen Shaoguang asked A’Yuan while sewing.
"Yes, I delivered it this morning. They gave us some five-spice tofu as a thanks."
Shen Shaoguang smiled and said, "I'll stir fry it with some bacon later, it’ll pair phenomenal with wine."
Knowing that the tavern's signboard and menu were all personally written by Shen Shaoguang, her neighbors and the small shops that she had dealings with all came to request for her to make peach talismans— Scholars usually disdained such requests. Firstly, there were many people asking for them, so they couldn’t be bothered, and secondly intellectuals disliked composing such coarse and vulgar works. Ordinary people and small merchants couldn't differentiate calligraphic styles or quality, but Miss Shen was easy to talk to...
Shen Shaoguang mentally added the option of writing peach talismans to her divination stall she originally thought about doing. Services such as drawing door gods, would give her an additional identity as a shaman, so her business would definitely be good.
Yu San passed by, glanced at the spring flag stitched with a thick needle and threads in Shen Shaoguang's hand, and laughed.
A Yuan glared at him, "Why are you laughing? You don't even know how to sew!"
Shen Shaoguang nodded vigorously. A’Yuan, good job! I’ll make sure to give you an extra chicken leg for lunch.
With a smile on his face, Yu San took the iron hooks and went to the yard to freeze the meat.
It was then the bell attached to the entrance of the tavern rang. Shen Shaoguang was baffled. It was only sì-shí(9-11 am), which was a bit too early for lunch… Could it be another person who wanted her to make some peach talismans?
The curtains of the door were lifted and a girl donned in a hufu-style equestrian wear walked in with a whip in her hand. Followed behind her were several maids and guards. Shen Shaoguang stared blankly; nope, definitely not here for peach talismans.
Shen Shaoguang put down the needle in hand and stood up to greet the guests, "Welcome, please step inside."
The female guest looked at Shen Shaoguang, then scrutinized the store, and handed her riding whip to a maid. "This must be it."
One of the two guards behind her saluted and walked out.
Shen Shaoguang brought out the red date and wolfberry beverage on a tray and said with a smile, "Feel free to warm yourself with this, Miss."
The maid next to the female guest took the tray, glanced at the beverage with doubtful eyes, and finally placed it on the table in front of her master.
The female guest didn’t seem to be too picky as she smoothly picked up the cup and took a sip. Raising her eyebrow in surprise, she exclaimed, "Mmm, not bad!"
Shen Shaoguang smiled and thanked her. In fact, this beverage was usually not this sweet, but knowing her tastes, Shen Shaoguang had added some extra honey into the cup while in the kitchen.
Shen Shaoguang presented the menu to her and wondered why this person would come to visit a small tavern during the New Year's Eve— Could this Princess perhaps wanted to mingle incognito and personally witness the current circumstances of the common people? She’s quite similar to that happiness survey obsessed Deputy Magistrate as they would both make it into the list of top ten most noble people of the Tang Dynasty.
At the mention of Deputy Magistrate, Shen Shaoguang suddenly thought of Second Young Lady Pang and Fifth Young Lady Qin, and then began to trail off. Could she also be another one of Deputy Magistrate Lin's peach blossom suiters?
"I heard that the hotpot cooker originated from a tavern in Chongxian Lane. Could it be your store?" Princess Imperial of fuhui asked while pointing to the menu.
Shen Shaoguang smiled and replied, "It is indeed our humble store. Would you like a pot to try, Miss?"
Princess Imperial of fuhui’s interest was somewhat piqued. "Okay! Let's have one of each broth. The meat and vegetables dippings is at your discretion."
Shen Shaoguang smiled apologetically, "We have about eight kinds of pot broth bases. If everything were to be severed at once, it would fog up the room with vapor and could stain your distinguished self and clothes. To prevent any accidents, how about a milk broth first? It's more versatile and matches most ingredients, and has a very nice flavor." Although the store owners were not afraid of the insatiable, it wasn’t good to waste. There were different established standards outside the imperial city.
Shen Shaoguang's excuse worked wonders. Thinking of the possibility of smelling like meat, Princess Imperial of fuhui nodded, "Fair enough, I’ll leave it to you."
Shen Shaoguang retreated with a smile. No girls would be willing to allow the pungent smell of hot pot to stick to their clothes. There were news broadcasts during her previous life reporting girls who wore raincoats to eat hot pot to ward off its smell.
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Footnotes:
[1] cleaning the house (扫尘土/ 扫屋) - Also known as sweeping the house, dust removal, debris removal, dusting, or the anglicized ‘spring cleaning’, is a traditional Chinese New Year customs. The New Year is mainly about removing the old and bringing in the new, and cleaning the house is a year-end custom.
[2] making spring flags (春旗) - It’s an old custom to hang spring flags on the treetops on the first day of spring, or cut silk into small flags and attach hairpins to the head to express the meaning of welcoming spring.
[3] changing peach talismans - This is a long-standing Han folk culture. During the upcoming new year, the ancients bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. And one way they do this would be to rewrite the names of the two door gods(門神), Shen Tu(神荼) and Yulei (鬱壘), on peach wood boards or draw images of the two gods on paper. And then they would hang, embed, or post them on the door with the intention of praying for blessings and eliminating disasters. These pictures/boards would be redrawn every year.
Here's a good video explaining the tradition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_CUvMFzeXQ
[4] Tusu Wine - In ancient times, the Han people had a custom of drinking Tusu Wine on the first day of the first lunar month to avoid the plague. Tusu was a kind of house in ancient times. Because the wine is brewed in this kind of house, it is called Tusu wine. The Tusu wine is made by immersing Chinese herbal medicines like rhubarb and the rhizome of large-headed atractylodes in wine. It can benefit the vital essence and warm yang, disperse cold, and expel epidemic diseases. It is said that every year in the last lunar month, Sun Simiao, a noted physician of the Tang Dynasty, would distribute a pack of medicine to his fellow villagers, and tell them to soak the medicine in wine and drink the wine on New Year’s Eve to prevent plagues.
Source: https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47ONGVGNekb
[5] Sharp Five Plate (五辛盘) - otherwise known as Spring Food Plate (馈春盘), is a custom in which people are suppose to eat vegetables with a sharp/pungent nature and flavor (scallions, garlic, onions, etc). This is because the 'Sharp(辛)' of Sharp Five Plate (五辛盘) shares the homophonic sound of the word 'new (新)', as in the beginning of a new year, and welcoming the spring and receiving blessings. Another folk custom that symbolizes the renewal of everything, including good luck.
[6] ‘Spring Banners and Paper-Cuttings’ (春幡春胜) - quoted from the Cí poem '(Arrival of) Spring' which was part of the collection called Shortened Form of Magnolia Flower (减字木兰花·己卯儋耳春词) by Su Shi. He's the guy who was known to have created Dongpo Pork. This poem was written when Su Shi was demoted to Hainan to Dan'er (today's Dan County) during the second year of Yuanfu Era (1099), in the reign of Emperor Zhezong during the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, there's no english translation of this poem, but you can read another poem from the same collection here - https://www.en84.com/dianji/ci/201106/00006639.html
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five-spice tofu - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAL7ZaHFazk
