Chapter 86.1 Lidong Hot Pot Fest
This time, Shao Jie arrived to see Shen Shaoguang, not with store diagrams, but accompanied by people.
Shen Shaoguang had procrastinated, and by the time she had fully recovered, it was already the tenth month of the lunar calendar, with Lidong[1] (the Start of Winter) imminent. The "Crab Showdown" had reached its conclusion. She had given orders for all the stored hot pot cookers to be brought out and had even commissioned new batches.
When hot pot became popular last year, Shao Jie had not yet met Shen Shaoguang. He had only sampled the "imitation" version, and even then, he thought it was good. Now, tasting the "genuine" version, he was simply amazed.
"Just this milky soup and these fish ball and meat slice dippings—I could eat them endlessly without tiring of them!" Shao Jie shed all pretenses and indulged in a hearty meal. Before leaving, he took two hot pot cookers with him, which was soon followed by increased funding. The hot pot cookers were presented as tribute to the Venerable of the Shao Residence, who, impressed by their quality, agreed to his grandson's suggestion and invested more money in Shen Indelible.
Shao Jie, initially anxious and undecided between the two storefronts, now resolved to discuss with Shen Shaoguang the purchase of both. Shen Shaoguang, gritting her teeth, agreed, "Okay!"
Shao Jie, with a hearty enthusiasm, grabbed another big helping of meat slices with his chopsticks, dipped them in sesame paste and minced garlic sauce, and stuffed them into his mouth. "That's the spirit! We must sell this hot pot cooker to the lands of the non-Han people and show those ethnic minorities what a superior country, an extravagant lifestyle, and truly delicious food are!"
Shen Shaoguang: "..." This showed that he still had the undying intentions to indoctrinate the non-Han people. Okay, work hard, young man!
Shao Jie was adept at both indulging in good food and spending money. He purchased the stores and arranged for their decoration. With the experience of outfitting the tavern on Qinren Lane, Shen Shaoguang didn't need to intervene much; Shao Jie took it upon himself to handle everything.
He then sought out slave merchants to purchase new staff and brought them to be trained by Shen Shaoguang.
Shao Jie suggested, "You can train them for a while, then disperse them to the stores in Chongxian and Qinren Lane. Let the experienced staff lead them, and those who need further guidance can learn on the job."
Using seasoned staff to mentor the newcomers? An internship of sorts? Sir Shao truly had a clever mind!
Shen Shaoguang wholeheartedly agreed with Shao Jie's suggestion but aimed to elevate it further. "Sir Shao, how about we host a 'Lidong Hot Pot Festival'?"
“Hot pot can be celebrated?” Shao Jie asked, bewildered.
Shao Jie had not yet experienced an era where companies would commercialize holidays—where even blankets, beer, and dogs could be celebrated. What should have been mundane, solitary days would transform into a nationwide shopping extravaganza.
Shen Shaoguang explained to him that this was merely a promotional strategy. "We’ll set up a stall on the very day of Lidong at either the East Market or the West Market to sell hot pot. The goal isn’t necessarily to make a profit but to increase our visibility and build a reputation for our store."
As usual, Shen Shaoguang envisioned a grand plan. "Imagine this: if people eat our hot pot on this day, they’ll remember it the next year. As more people are influenced, eating hot pot might even become a new Lidong tradition. We could even end up with folk sayings like 'eat hot pot on Lidong, or your ears will freeze.'"
The guests might not come up with such a saying, but Miss certainly could. She might even inscribe it on the poem wall outside.
Shao Jie hadn’t underestimated Shen Shaoguang’s ingenuity. She was already contemplating how to maximize the promotion of Shen Indelible and hot pot, especially after meeting the two new recruits brought by Shao Jie.
These two individuals, Xu Four and Zhang Two, were former monastery servants. Having lived among monks who practiced scripture daily and listened to their teachings, they were well-versed in a number of stories from Buddhist texts.
Shen Shaoguang asked them to perform two passages on the spot—one from thw "Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra[2]" and the other was the story "Mulian Rescues His Mother[3]". These traditional religious narratives proved quite captivating to listen to.
Xu Four, in particular, was notably articulate, delivering his recounting smoothly and effortlessly, like pouring beans from a jar.
In contrast, Zhang Two, while less polished in his articulation, excelled in imitation. He skillfully mimicked men, women, old, and young, capturing their expressions and mannerisms with remarkable accuracy.
They are all talents! Shen Shaoguang praised Shao Jie. “It’s impressive that you were able to find such individuals!”
Shao Jie was puzzled by her unexpected compliment. Weren’t they merely two waiters with a bit more eloquence? They had followed monks in the monastery and had no cooking skills. His assumption had been that articulate waiters would be valuable, so they were purchased.
Then Shen Shaoguang demonstrated to Shao Jie what it truly meant to "employ one’s talents to their fullest potential."
She began by organizing the names of the dishes on the tavern’s menu and created a ‘Menu List Rap’.
Roast Chicken, Smoked Chicken, Stewed Chicken, Fried Chicken, White-Cut Chicken, Chicken with Softshell Turtle Stewed; Marinated Duck, Smoked Duck, Braised Duck, Wine Lees Duck, Rich and Fatty Duck... chicken, duck, fish, and pork; dried and fresh pastries, special dishes—every item that needed to be listed was included.
She then had Xu Four give it a try. Despite not remembering all the dish names perfectly at first, his delivery soon displayed a natural and fluid style, proving that expertise can indeed shine through in any field.
Although Xu Four delivered it well, Shao Jie couldn’t help but praise Shen Shaoguang. "Miss, you’re extraordinary! From now on, this segment will become one of the tavern's signatures. Whenever a staff member has a moment, they can recite it and encourage guests to order 'one more dish.'"
Shen Shaoguang laughed, "Great minds think alike!"
The two, both extolling each other’s ingenuity in business, erupted into hearty laughter.
Shao Jie asked Shen Shaoguang, "Will Zhang Two be placed in another store? His enunciation isn't as eloquent as Xu Four's."
Shen Shaoguang grew even more proud. "Zhang Two is also very capable—the mountain men (hermits) have their own geniuses."
She asked Zhang Two to perform a skit. However, his solo performance was lacking, so Shen Shaoguang selected one of their colleagues and Xu Four to join him. Together, the three of them performed a skit titled "Leaving Shen Indelible While Being Supported."
The skit revolved around a classic joke popular in later generations—entering the buffet while supporting oneself with a wall due to hunger and leaving the buffet supporting oneself with a wall due to overeating.
In the skit, Zhang Two played the role of the gluttonous diner. A’Dou portrayed the friend who had invited him to the meal, while Xu Four took on the role of the waiter at Shen Indelible.
Zhang Two's character began fasting as soon as A’Dou invited him to the meal. By the time they arrived at Shen Indelible, he was so hungry that he had to lean against the wall for support. Xu Four, playing the waiter, started introducing the dishes, emphasizing the various hot pot offerings prepared for the "Lidong Hot Pot Festival."
With each new dish introduced, Zhang Two eagerly requested a portion to try, devouring each one in an exaggerated yet convincing manner.
Xu Four continued to list the dishes, and Zhang Two's performance grew more animated. He stretched his mouth wide to taste the "Fish Brain and Tofu," filled his bowl with "Springy Meat Balls," and asked for a perforated spoon to fish out the meat. His exaggerated eating brought the skit to life, highlighting the allure and variety of the hot pot dishes.
Finally, Zhang Two burped and said sincerely, "To say which store has the most delicious meals, I hold Shen Indelible on top."
His friend A’Dou clicked his tongue and replied, "It’s better if you hold onto a wall."
Shao Jie laughed so hard during the preview that he fell down. Imitating Zhang Two, he declared, "To say which store has the most delicious meals, I hold Shen Indelible on top." Then, mimicking A’Dou, he added, "It’s better if you hold onto a wall."
Shao Jie, still laughing, said to Shen Shaoguang, "Hahaha! I think many people in Chang'an will remember these two lines for years to come."
Shen Shaoguang responded objectively, "Repetition is powerful. If we have this performed every year and reinforce it constantly, it would be more challenging for people not to remember it."
Shao Jie: "....Hahaha!"
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Footnotes:
[1] Lidong(立冬) -The traditional Chinese calendar divides a year into 24 solar terms. Lìdōng is the 19th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 225° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 240°. Lidong signifies the beginning of winter in East Asian cultures.
Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidong
[2] Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (维摩诘经讲经文) - a Buddhist text which centers on a lay Buddhist meditator who attained a very high degree of enlightenment considered by some second only to the Buddha's. It was extremely influential in East Asia. The word nirdeśa in the title means "instruction, advice", and Vimalakīrti is the name of the main protagonist of the text, and means "Taintless Fame".
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalakirti_Sutra
[3] Mulian Rescues His Mother (大目乾连冥间救母变文) - This popular Chinese Buddhist tale, first found in a 9th-century Dunhuang manuscript, elaborates on the Yulanpen Sutra translated by Dharmarakṣa between 265 and 311 CE. In the story, Maudgalyayana (Chinese: Mulian) seeks Buddha's help to rescue his mother from the preta world or Avici Hell, where she suffers for her transgressions. Unable to save her alone, Mulian follows Buddha's instruction to offer food and gifts to monks on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, establishing the Ghost Festival (Chinese: 鬼節; pinyin: guǐjié). This tale reinforced the compatibility of Buddhism with Confucian filial piety and highlighted similar values present in Indian Buddhism.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulian_Rescues_His_Mother