Chapter 15 Double Seventh Discussion of Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
Shen Shaoguang decided to use a bulletin board to advertise her Double Seventh Cakes a few days before the Double Seventh Festival.
Truth was, particular foods that were eaten to celebrate the Double Seventh Festival had yet to emerge. During this dynasty, some people may eat more fruits, or have an extra pastry, while others would eat the meal of Rāhula[1]. ‘Rāhula’ was said to be the only son of Sakyamuni Buddha, as for why he was associated with the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, remains known. Most people celebrated the Double Seventh for the annual meeting of ‘Cowherd and Weaver Girl’.
Shen Shaoguang knew this was an excellent opportunity. Beautifully made cakes were of course more suitable than any fruits, so she launched the ‘Double Seventh Cake Series’.
The advertisement was nailed onto the wooden board, which was placed right outside her store. In the center was a gongbi[2] style drawing of a sampler platter of intricate cakes. Sweet pea pudding, aiwowo rice cake, hawthorn cake, and snowy floral cakes all in a variety of vibrant colors, including red, pink, green, yellow, and white.
The name ‘Double Seventh Floral Cake’ was boldly inscribed on top, with two simple yet concise slogans below: ‘Remarkable in color, fragrance and shape. Suitable to bring home or present as a gift.’
She also made samples and displayed them in a box at a conspicuous position in the store. It was currently for sale and also for pre-order.
Shen Shaoguang was indeed more suitable to be a cook than a painter. The people who saw her advertisement on the bulletin board became curious, but only when they walked in and saw the physical sample did they set their minds to making a purchase.
The exquisite little cakes were no more than three centimeters each. There were an abundance of different shapes, including flower-shaped, printed words, and various auspicious animals. As well as various different cakes, some were soft and glutinous, some were smooth and snowy, while others were crisp and fluffy. In addition, there were even a variety of colors to choose from; once neatly arranged into a paper box, who could bear to eat such a delicate design?
"Who is this for? If it’s for an official… it should include the 福 (luck), 禄(prosperity), 寿(longevity), and 喜(happiness) set. A civil official? Then the four noble plants are a must; intellectuals are keen to upholding their noble virtues, so they’ll love these. I recommend Rāhula for the last two, that’ll make a decent ten even."
"If it's for the madam of the house, pick from the set of flowers, all of which are sweet and delicate in color. I also would add a few fish and turtles, for the children of the house."
"Missus Zun and you are spending the festival together? Just pick out whatever flavors you two enjoy most, plus a Cowherd and a Weaver Girl."
Shen Shaoguang smiled as she helped the customers fill their Double Seventh cake boxes. A’Yuan couldn't help her with this job, so she could only do it by herself.
The last man, who was going to spend a sweet Double Seventh Festival with his wife, blushed slightly after hearing Shen Shaoguang's words. He paid the deposit, gave his thanks, and quickly walked out.
Shen Shaoguang stretched her neck as she moved the corners of her mouth, relaxing her facial muscles. Customer service was really hard work.
A’Yuan tidied up the stack of paper boxes sent by the paper artisan and said, "Miss, these boxes are so expensive. We can't even eat or drink it."
"We can't do without it." Shen Shaoguang unfolded a box and put a few cakes in it. Although this container was quite sturdy, it lacked exquisiteness; but they had to make do.
Food packaging in this dynasty was a bit too crude. Almost every other item was sent off within a refined packaging. To name a few: jade and ivory cylindrical containers for cosmetics, carved white jade boxes for jewelry, all kinds of gold and silverware for spices and perfumes, and sandalwood cases for silk and satin bolts. Even wine sellers, a food-related industry, outdid them; alcohol was packed in porcelain bottles and celadon jars.
There was almost no packaging available for food. If it was truly difficult to carry, the vendor may just bundle it with a string and say, "Hold it well."... Shen Shaoguang paper crepe packaging was already quite particular, so these cardstock-thick paper boxes were probably considered ‘excessive’. As for the jade plates and gold cups used by the extremely wealthy— such a matter could not be used to compare.
Her savory crepes and aiwowo rice cakes were considered mid-to-high-end products. With her ‘excessive’ packaging, these festive cakes could almost be considered a luxury item. A box of ten pieces cost one hundred wen coins, which was far beyond the expense of ordinary civilians.
In order to expand the market, Shen Shaoguang bought a lot of bamboo sticks. They could be pierced into the cakes and sold individually like a lollipop, a great strategy to garner the attention of the gluttonous children.
These Double Seventh Cakes started to move as soon as Shen Shaoguang listed them for sale; its demand peaked on the day before, as well as the very morning of the festival. There was a customer who ordered a grand total of thirty gift boxes. Shen Shaoguang and A’Yuan spent more than an hour just working on his order. Shen Shaoguang kneaded the dough, stuffed the filling, and molded each cake. A’Yuan helped pack the boxes, and stuck the classifying verses, which Shen Shaoguang had written beforehand, onto every box. The two of them worked in an assembly line, so they were busy but not chaotic.
By the afternoon, there were fewer generous clients who ordered by the dozens. Most of them ordered a box or two, while some even just purchased two or three individual pieces. Additionally, some children would bring a few wen coins to buy one as a snack.
The children were quite indecisive, and they often linger in front of the display case. Thinking out loud, they would wonder if they should get the mighty tiger or that pretty flower, but the most frequent question was ‘is it sweet?’ Although Shen Shaoguang’s hands remained busy, she couldn’t help smiling and teasing the children. Occasionally, there was a small portion of dough left, during those times Shen Shaoguang would randomly stuff it and give it to the children as a ‘buy one get one free’.
A’Yuan didn’t seem to like the children very much. Shen Shaoguang attributes it to the fact that ‘older children weren’t fond of the littler ones’.
During the evening, when the sun was about to set, and the faint first-quarter moon unveiled itself in the sky, the guests had finally all taken their leave. Shen Shaoguang heaved a sigh of relief and asked A’Yuan what kind of cake she wanted to eat; the two of them decided to make do with fruits and cakes for the night.
A’Yuan enjoyed the snowy floral cakes, she wanted one of every flower and animal, and a pair of Cowherd and Weaver Girl.
Shen Shaoguang laughed, and chatted with A’Yuan as she worked on her order.
Lin Yan had been given two boxes of Double Seventh Cakes by a coworker at the city government office. Knowing that his grandmother loved to eat such things, Lin Yan put them in his carriage and brought them back. Unexpectedly, when the servant girl unpacked the box, she found that the two most important cakes, the ‘Cowherd’ and ‘Weaver Girl’, were crushed.
"Pity, it would have been so beautiful." The maid gently took out half of ‘Weaver Girl’'s body, examined it, and said with a smile.
Just as she was about to put the rest of the cakes onto a plate, the maid heard her Master say, "Let someone– nevermind, I'll go and buy two new cakes."
The servant girl looked at him in surprise; her Master had never been so proactive to do these types of chores. Her thoughts then quickly turned– These flowers were actually bought from a store? Did her Master know where to buy these cakes? However the Lane Gate should already be locked by now…
Glancing at the small "Shen" seal script stamped on the corner of the box, Lin Yan stated indifferently, "It’s not proper to be lacking the key items of the occasion." Then he took his wallet and went out.
…
"Cowherd was already guilty for peeping at Weaver Girl while she was taking a bath; he should have been arrested and birched. Not to mention that he hid Weaver Girl's clothes in order to coerce a marriage and did not allow the Weaver Girl to return home. Such a heinous crime, even branding his face with the word ‘criminal’ would be considered a minor punishment.”
A’Yuan was taken aback by Shen Shaoguang's words. Her words made sense, but were completely different from what others had told her. "But the Weaver Girl consented."
Shen Shaoguang educated A’Yuan earnestly, "This is the so-called 'Stockholm Syndrome'. Stockholm is a place of barbarians. Once a woman was kidnapped by a murderer there...and later she wanted to marry that murderer."
"The same is true for Weaver Girl. She was coerced by the Cowherd, and gradually lost hope in returning to Heaven. Without any other choice, she slowly entrusted her life to Cowherd, with every bite of food, every sip of water, and every word of concern, she fell for Cowherd's faked benevolence. Actually, if it wasn't for the Cowherd, the Weaver Girl would have been able to continue her merry life in the sky. What’s the use of his water or food?"
A’Yuan was completely dumbfounded by Shen Shaoguang's words. After a short moment of contemplation, she asked, "What should I do if I encounter a similar situation?"
"Beat him up! Beat him until he cries for his mother!" Shen Shaoguang said viciously.
Lin Yan, who was about to knock on the door, silently put down his hand. He helplessly smiled at the thought of the melancholy ‘The white river amongst the stars[3], connecting heaven and earth’ and the romantic ‘A pair of magpies, a dream-like tryst’ verses on the pastry box. Without a second to hesitate, he quietly turned and left.
A voice faintly transmitted out of the door, "What if I can't outbeat him?"
Another voice lightly answered, "Once you put your mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do..."
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Footnotes:
[1] meal of Rāhula - 罗睺罗饭 is what the raws wrote. I searched all over the web and couldn't find anything about if this was a certain dish or just rice that's been blessed. I have no clue; if anyone who knows can enlighten me in the comments, it would be amazing.
[2] gongbi - A careful realist technique in Chinese painting, the opposite of the interpretive and freely expressive xieyi style. The name is from the Chinese ‘gong jin’ meaning 'tidy'.