The days just after he arrived were a bit hectic, but gradually he got used to it. He was naturally calm, and being an adult in a young body, he quickly managed to handle the surrounding matters with ease.
Speaking of which, if it weren’t for a series of unforeseen accidents, he would have certainly inherited his father’s hospital in his previous life and continued the family tradition of the Yu family…
Yu Jinnian’s past life couldn’t be described as good or bad. He had his fair share of life’s blessings and misfortunes, leaving him feeling rather perplexed in retrospect. Yu Jinnian came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, with generations of renowned doctors, including imperial physicians and great national hands, who upheld the family motto of benevolence and virtue in medicine. His family was harmonious, and Yu Jinnian was indeed the “model child” that others spoke of.
However, few knew that Yu Jinnian was not of Yu family blood. He was an orphan abandoned in the cold winter, on the verge of death, taken in by his adoptive father, Yu Heng. Yu Heng treated him with great care and taught him all his medical knowledge without reservation.
He had thought that such a virtuous family could live long and prosper, but fate was beyond human control. Just as Yu Jinnian had made a name for himself in the medical field and established his footing, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. No matter how much he wanted to live, death awaited him. His father, devoted to medicine and famous nationwide, was accidentally injured by a patient’s family member at the entrance of Yu Jinnian’s ward and fell at the post he had dedicated his life to.
Yu Jinnian, stimulated by this, fell into a coma due to high intracranial pressure induced brain herniation the night his father failed to be saved, and eventually died of respiratory failure.
People say heaven has a heart for the living, but Yu Jinnian saw none of it. As he closed his eyes with regret and resentment, fate forcibly dragged him into a new world.
He couldn’t help but recall a day before he fell ill, when he had accidentally knocked over an old fortune teller in a hurry. The old man had cursed him, calling him “friendless,” “solitary,” and “destined to be lonely”… Looking back, it all came true. It was indeed karma. However, because he had no family ties, he had no attachments in this world. To him, living anywhere was the same, so being reborn in a new world might not be a bad thing.
Moreover, he wasn’t the type to be overly sentimental. He disliked adding troubles to himself and was very adaptable. Since fate had given him a second chance, how could he waste it? Therefore, after all this, he was more at ease than ever. He decided to consider this a fresh start.
Yu Jinnian wanted to return to his old profession and open a clinic, determined to continue the Yu family’s medical tradition. However, he lacked the capital, and the Da Xia Dynasty placed great importance on the lineage of medical practitioners. As an unknown young man, opening a clinic would likely land him in jail. Thus, the most urgent matter was to save money.
Fortunately, in his previous life, his adoptive father Yu Heng had remained single for many years to raise him, leaving no female presence in the household. This allowed Yu Jinnian to develop excellent cooking skills, mastering various cooking methods and collecting medicinal recipes to improve his father’s health. This gave him the opportunity to establish himself in this new place, working at the “One Bowl Noodle Shop” in Xinan County.
Medicinal cuisine, since it was related to medicine, did not go against his principles.
As he was thinking this, he heard the sound of boiling water and someone calling, “Brother Xiao Nian! Brother Xiao Nian! A bowl of noodles!” Yu Jinnian snapped out of his daze and quickly prepared a bowl of mixed sauce noodles to serve to the front hall.
After several trips to the hall and back, collecting payments, the dough he had prepared for making “Shu’er Yins” was ready.
Next came the rolling of the dough. He rolled the dough into short strips about two fingers wide and placed them neatly on the board. Suddenly, he remembered something and hurried back to his room, frowning as he searched for an item.
A little girl in a yellow butterfly dress passed by the window and saw Yu Jinnian holding a horn comb, rushing to the kitchen. Her eyes lit up, knowing that delicious food was about to be made, and she followed him with her short legs.
The horn comb was left as collateral by a peddler who forgot to bring his coins. Since Aunt Xu didn’t need it, she gave it to Yu Jinnian. It was still brand new, perfect for making Shu’er Yins. After all, it wouldn’t be right to serve greasy food to the customers and Aunt Xu.
Yu Jinnian, humming a tune, pressed the comb’s teeth at an angle onto the cut dough segments.
Sui Sui, the little girl, leaned against the kitchen window, secretly watching and swallowing her saliva, wishing the dough would instantly turn into delicious food and fly into her mouth.
Yu Jinnian, unaware of Sui Sui peeking from the window, focused on imprinting the dough segments one by one. After finishing, his hands were sore, and he stretched his arms with a long sigh. But the thought of these Shu’er Yins turning into clinking copper coins soon made his heart sweet. Ignoring his fatigue, he heated the oil pan and placed the little dough pieces into it.
With a “sizzle,” the hot oil enveloped the dough, creating tiny bubbles around them.
Outside the window, Sui Sui’s eyes were glued to the frying dough, her eyes wide with hunger.
In no time, a sweet aroma filled the kitchen as the fried pastries floated to the surface, golden and crispy. Yu Jinnian, seeing that it was almost time, took a skimmer from the rack and scooped the fried pastries out of the oil, draining them and placing them on a plate.
“Eh, where did the sugar powder go? Could it be that Sui Sui stole it again?” Yu Jinnian muttered to himself as he searched the small ceramic jars.
Behind him, Sui Sui sneaked in and eagerly reached out to grab from the plate.
Yu Jinnian’s eyes curved into a smile: “So it’s here… Sui Sui!” Turning around, he quickly swatted the little girl’s hand away from the food, “Just taken out of the oil, aren’t you afraid of getting burned? Did it burn you?”
“No, Brother Xiao Nian…” Sui Sui retracted her hand, staring at Yu Jinnian with tearful eyes.
Yu Jinnian pretended to be angry and ignored her. He quickly and evenly sprinkled the sugar powder over the pastries while they were still hot. The golden pastries, like apricots, were dusted with a light layer of white frost, with the white sugar powder merging into the neat Shu’er Yins. The combination of gold and white was very appealing.
—Thus, the “Shu’er Yins” were done.
He then used the stove fire to brew a large pot of bamboo tea. Although the tea was coarse, it was refreshing and fatigue-relieving, perfect to pair with the Shu’er Yins. Once everything was prepared, he set aside a small plate for Sui Sui and Aunt Xu, and took the rest to the front hall for the eager customers.
The Shu’er Yins were small, just the right size for Sui Sui to hold and nibble on. But even with one in her hand, she tagged along with Yu Jinnian to the front hall like a greedy little tail. The customers found the little girl adorable and couldn’t resist teasing her, making Sui Sui stomp her feet in frustration.
“Fresh, crispy, hot Shu’er Yins, three coins per serving. Small business, no credit.” Yu Jinnian pulled Sui Sui behind him and announced with a squinting smile.
The young man was perfect except for his stinginess. After some playful banter, the customers obediently placed their three coins on the table.
When the Shu’er Yins were served, someone with sharp eyes noticed and laughed, “Haha, so these are called ‘Shu’er Yins,’ interesting!” He picked one up and took a bite. The crisp sound of the golden pastry breaking echoed in his mouth.
The dough itself wasn’t sweet; only the sprinkled sugar powder gave it a faint sweetness. Combined with mung beans and mint in the dough, it was perfect for cooling down on a hot summer night. Eating a few pieces was refreshing and a pleasant way to pass the time without being overly sweet.
“Crispy, fragrant, sweet… delicious, delicious!” A customer in the corner, surnamed Zhang, exclaimed after tasting, quickly pulling out a few more coins. “Brother Xiao Nian, do you have more? Give me a few more pieces!”
Yu Jinnian smiled warmly: “Yes, just a moment.”
He busied himself for another hour before the customers gradually left, wiping their mouths in satisfaction.
After closing the door and ensuring that Sui Sui and Aunt Xu were asleep, Yu Jinnian returned to the kitchen and made himself a bowl of noodles with the leftover sauce. Just as he took his first bite, a white shadow appeared in the door gap, startling him. Seeing who it was, he shook his head helplessly: “Sui Sui? You scared me. Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
No matter how he asked, Sui Sui remained silent. Suddenly, Yu Jinnian put down his bowl with a clatter, stood up in alarm, and said, “Is Aunt Xu feeling unwell again? I’ll go check!”
Author’s Note:
End of the second update. See you tomorrow morning at nine!
Please add this to your favorites, my cuties~ Smooch~
I saw this story several times but thought it was a modern day novel, finally took the time to check it out and now realise it’s based in ancient times, love it and thank you for the translation.
I just found this gem today, thank you for translating it
I saw this story several times but thought it was a modern day novel, finally took the time to check it out and now realise it’s based in ancient times, love it and thank you for the translation.