Chapter 92.1 The Tavern at East Market
The three-day Winter Solstice holiday had been nothing short of a whirlwind for Shen Shaoguang. After a meeting with her business partner, she had gone from being a well-off woman with property and horse to a debt-ridden restaurant owner with installment payments. After a drunken night with her ‘boyfriend’, she initiated a breakup that failed to eventuate, and led to an impromptu verbal agreement to marriage. On top of it all, she had cried twice, pushing the tally of emotional breakdowns well beyond her annual limit.
As Shen Shaoguang reflected on the chaos of the past few days while sipping her congee on the fourth morning of the Winter Solstice, she couldn't help but summarize her tumultuous holiday with a sigh of incredulity.
The congee was a shimmering bowl of yellow millet, its texture smooth and perfectly thickened. Alongside it were small dishes of tofu mixed with pickled vegetables, delicately dressed with scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil, as well as a refreshing celery salad—a favorite of the Tang Dynasty. The centerpiece consisted of tender minced meat flower rolls, paired with steamed buns made from a wholesome blend of bean, chestnut, and wheat flours. A few medium-boiled eggs completed the meal.
These eggs, unmistakably the work of Princess Yu San, were flawlessly prepared—only a bean-sized portion of the yolk remained liquid, while the rest was perfectly soft. This was a relief for Shen Shaoguang, who wasn’t fond of overly liquid yolks. Given that precise timers hadn’t yet been invented, Princess Yu San’s ability to achieve this consistency each time was nothing short of remarkable.
Speaking of boiled eggs, Shen Shaoguang’s mind drifted to a web novel she had read many years ago. In it, the female protagonist, on the verge of giving birth, had an unreliable and unfaithful husband who showed up at the hospital with store-bought dumplings, adding insult to injury. Meanwhile, the woman sharing the hospital ward with her, also in labor, was busy mocking her own husband.①
The fellow patient’s husband had lovingly brought boiled eggs, but each was as rubbery as a bouncy ball. Confused, the woman asked her husband why they had turned out so poorly. His response was simple: he had followed her instructions to the letter. “I put the eggs in cold water and boiled them for forty-five minutes,” he explained.
The woman, exasperated, snapped back, "I said four to five minutes, not forty-five! Why not just cook them for four to five hours at that rate?" However, before being wheeled into the delivery room, she meticulously gave her husband step-by-step instructions on where to find everything in the house, as though genuinely afraid he might starve before she returned home after childbirth.
At that time, Shen Shaoguang was only a teenager, and with such a significant age difference and different upbringing, she couldn’t relate to the female protagonist's experience. She didn’t pay much mind to their messy married life, and although she finished the book, she never expected to remember that particular segment so vividly, especially the “four or five minutes” part—perhaps it was the sensitivity of a foodie?
Shen Shaoguang also remembered a scene from the novel where the female protagonist made Pork Lard Mixed Rice for the male lead but mistakenly used sugar instead of MSG. The male lead ended up eating the entire bowl of sweet Pork Lard Mixed Rice—an ironic moment highlighting how their differing social statuses led to their ultimate separation, which lasted a lifetime.
Shen Shaoguang wondered why this old story resurfaced in her mind, perhaps because women in love tend to be especially sentimental.
She hadn’t missed out on Lin Yan. As for whether their married life would reveal any harsh truths… Shen Shaoguang smiled and popped an egg into her mouth, deciding to face any challenges as they came. As Lin Yan had said, there was no need to overthink, no need to strive for perfection; such flawless ideals don’t truly exist. Life is like navigating a boat—unpredictable, uncertain. What we can control is not the course of the waters but who we choose to share the journey with.
Seeing her expression shift from frowning to smiling, A'Yuan asked, “Is something wrong with the food?”
Shen Shaoguang laughed and said, “I was thinking about Pork Lard Mixed Rice.”
A'Yuan, who hadn't had the chance to taste it when following her previous master, shook her head with little interest. Considering how many delicious things there were now, there was nothing enticing about lard and rice.
Shen Shaoguang had never tried it before either. Mr. Chua Lam had included Pork Lard Mixed Rice on his list of must-eat foods before dying, and Shen Shaoguang suspected it might be more about sentimentality than actual taste. A spoonful of lard, some soy sauce and green onions with plain rice—could it really create something magical?
At the shop, she had some fresh lard on hand, so she decided to try making a bowl of Pork Lard Mixed Rice that afternoon. Compared to simply adding soy sauce, lard, and green onions, her version was almost luxurious—she included preserved sausage, shredded chicken, pickled bamboo shoots, and dried shrimp. Apart from anything else, the colorful combination looked appealing, and the fragrant steam rising from the rice made it even more tempting.
A'Yuan had very little moral integrity when it came to food. She, who previously showed little interest, now had no reservations and almost buried her face in the bowl.
Yu San, who had always been resistant to Shen Shaoguang's unusual dishes, also ended up eating a bowl of the Pork Lard Mixed Rice after trying a bite.
Others were equally enthusiastic, and Shen Shaoguang felt quite satisfied with herself. Whether or not Lin Yan had eaten was less important; Shen Shaoguang always suspected he might have fewer taste buds. His previous enthusiastic praises could be considered more of a strategy than genuine enjoyment.
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The author has something to say:
①"A Daughter of the Senior Colonel(大校的女儿)" by Wang Haiyu was a book written many years ago.
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Food:
Pork Lard Mixed Rice (猪油拌饭) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md2Y6LflJag