Small plate of cucumber, unlimited for one coin.
Sui Sui hurriedly grabbed the hem of his clothes, muttering, “No, no.”
Yu Jinnian frowned at her.
Sui Sui then started crying softly, “I dreamt of a terrifying ghost messenger. It held a very long chain and said the time had come to take my mother’s soul… Wuwu… Brother Xiao Nian, my mother will get better, won’t she? She won’t be taken by the ghost messenger, right…”
Hearing that it wasn’t Aunt Xu’s illness flaring up, Yu Jinnian felt relieved. He reached out to pat the little girl’s head, then gently wiped the tear stains from her face with his sleeve, comforting her, “Brother Xiao Nian is here, Sui Sui, don’t be afraid. Aunt Xu will definitely get better.”
Sui Sui was half-believing, still unwilling to go back to sleep. Yu Jinnian, after trying to persuade her for a while to no avail, said, “Wait a moment,” then went to the kitchen and brought back a small porcelain bowl half-filled with glutinous rice. “Look, this glutinous rice can ward off evil spirits. If you place it at Aunt Xu’s bedside, the ghost messenger will be scared and won’t dare to come.”
“Really?” Sui Sui asked, her big eyes sparkling.
Yu Jinnian nodded, “Of course. When has Brother Xiao Nian ever lied to you?”
Seeing Yu Jinnian so confident, Sui Sui thought for a while, then took the bowl of glutinous rice and ran to Aunt Xu’s room. She carefully placed the porcelain bowl at the bedside, respectfully kowtowed a few times, and recited “Bodhisattva bless” before climbing into bed and curling up beside Aunt Xu to sleep.
Yu Jinnian watched through the door crack until she fell asleep, then chuckled softly, “Still a little girl, easy to fool.” He then closed the door tightly and couldn’t help but feel troubled. Sui Sui might be easy to fool, but Yu Jinnian couldn’t deceive himself. Even though he had studied under famous traditional Chinese medicine doctors in his previous life, he was still at a loss with Aunt Xu’s condition.
According to Sui Sui, Aunt Xu initially only had occasional abdominal pain and bloating, which she didn’t take seriously, only making some soft porridge to ease the pain. Later, the abdominal pain became more frequent, and her body quickly wasted away. Only then did they call for a doctor. Some said it was gastric pain, some said it was bloating, and some even brought in a shaman who claimed she was cursed with a rot-inducing spell. In any case, there were many diagnoses, and despite the numerous herbal medicines and pills consumed, her condition did not improve.
By the time Yu Jinnian arrived, it was said that she had already vomited blood several times and had become emaciated beyond recognition.
He wasn’t heartless. Aunt Xu had taken him in and treated him well; naturally, he didn’t want to see her in such pain. But… Yu Jinnian sighed as he returned to his room. In modern terms, Aunt Xu’s illness was most likely advanced stomach cancer. Even modern medicine found it hard to treat, let alone in this primitive era. Therefore, no matter how effective the herbal remedies, they could only delay the inevitable.
—Aunt Xu probably wouldn’t get better.
Yu Jinnian lay on his bed, looking at the bed curtain tassels swaying in the night, his mind filled with images of Aunt Xu’s sickly face and his own past experiences. He tossed and turned all night, only falling into a fitful sleep as dawn approached.
Once asleep, he fell into a chaotic dream.
The dream left Yu Jinnian exhausted. As the first light of dawn seeped in, he woke up with a weary face, listening to the rooster crow three times before reluctantly getting up. After washing with cold water, he hurried to the kitchen to knead dough and boil water, preparing for the day’s noodle business. Since Aunt Xu fell ill, the shop’s income had barely covered the medical expenses, and the waiter had to be let go, leaving Yu Jinnian to manage everything alone.
While waiting for the water to boil, Yu Jinnian leaned on the stove, thinking about what snacks to make today. As the water began to bubble, his eyes fell on the glutinous rice he had used to comfort Sui Sui the previous night, and a plan came to mind.
He tidied up the kitchen, soaked a scoop of glutinous rice in clear water, and then went to open the shop. Soon, customers began to trickle in. Some regulars, noticing that the snack stall outside wasn’t set up yet, teased him, “Brother Xiao Nian, did you sleep in again?”
Yu Jinnian smiled but didn’t argue.
Luckily, in Xinan County, people preferred porridge and dumplings for breakfast, so there weren’t many customers ordering noodles early in the morning. After swiftly serving the few patrons, Yu Jinnian still had time to make some snacks to sell.
This morning’s creation was called “Snowflake Cake.”
With the weather transitioning from late summer to early autumn, it was getting cooler in the mornings and evenings, making it unsuitable to indulge in cold foods. Hence, Yu Jinnian decided to make a snack that nourished the spleen and stomach. The idea of Snowflake Cake popped into his mind.
He first washed the glutinous rice and placed it in a large bowl, adding a little water before steaming it. Adding some firewood to the stove to make the fire stronger, he turned to prepare the filling for the cake. The filling was simple: black sesame and sugar, but making it involved a few tricky steps.
Yu Jinnian heated another pot and poured in a small bag of black sesame seeds to stir-fry. Soon, the moisture in the sesame seeds evaporated, and the tiny black seeds started to jump around in the pot, releasing a rich aroma. Standing by the pot, he took a deep breath of the fragrance, marveling at how some claimed that “immortals used this to make food, living long and without grains.” Just the smell alone made one feel light and airy; eating it daily might indeed grant longevity.
He transferred the fragrant, roasted sesame seeds into a mortar, added a handful of white sugar, and pounded vigorously until the sesame and sugar were crushed into fine crumbs. By this time, the glutinous rice in the steamer was also cooked. The hot glutinous rice needed to be repeatedly pounded until it became soft and delicate enough to make snowflake cake. Yu Jinnian kneaded the rice until his arms ached, but he didn’t stop. He quickly brushed a thin layer of oil on the board and spread the pounded glutinous rice evenly on it while it was still hot. He then layered a thick layer of sugar and sesame crumbs in the middle, covered it with another layer of soft glutinous rice, and finally sprinkled roasted sesame seeds on top for decoration.
Looking at the cake, Yu Jinnian felt something was missing. Frowning, he suddenly stepped out.
The customers in the front hall saw the young man quickly run out of the shop. They called out to him but got no response. Soon after, he returned with a smile, holding a freshly picked rose, dewy and vibrant. Just then, Sui Sui woke up and followed the aroma into the kitchen, catching sight of Brother Xiao Nian washing the petals.
Yu Jinnian’s brief absence allowed the cake to cool slightly. He carefully washed the rose petals, cut them into small pieces, and delicately placed them on the cake for decoration. Satisfied, he admired his work for a moment, then dipped a knife in cold water and quickly cut the cake into neat, square pieces.
The sweet, fragrant, and soft snowflake cake was now ready.
Sui Sui, peering through her usual spot at the window, exclaimed, “So pretty! Can the flowers on top be eaten?”
Yu Jinnian laughed, “Why are you thinking of eating flower petals right after waking up?” He picked a delicate pink petal, held it to Sui Sui’s mouth, and said, “Try it?”
Sui Sui took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and her little face scrunched up… It seemed to have no taste.
Yu Jinnian found her so endearing that he momentarily forgot the morning’s busyness. He scooped Sui Sui up from the windowsill, laughing softly and asking if the petal was tasty and if she wanted another. Sui Sui, realizing she had been tricked, pushed against Yu Jinnian’s shoulders with her chubby hands, exclaiming, “I don’t like Brother Xiao Nian anymore!”
“Haha,” Yu Jinnian pinched her cheek and offered her a piece of snowflake cake on a small plate, “You don’t like Brother Xiao Nian? Then no more snowflake cake for you.”
“I won’t eat it!” Sui Sui huffed, but soon peeked at the white sweet cake with one eye, her expression conflicted as if making a serious internal struggle. After a moment, she patted Yu Jinnian’s shoulder and grudgingly said, “Then I still like you a little bit…” She then grabbed the cake and started eating it, emphasizing between bites, “Just a little bit!”
Yu Jinnian patted her head, magnanimously letting her off for liking him “a little bit,” and took the tray of snowflake cake to the front hall to sell. Many customers came to “One Bowl Noodle Shop” for the daily unique snacks. Seeing today’s offering of a soft layered cake, each piece palm-sized, half black and half white with delicate red and pink petals, looking like plum blossoms on snow, they were tempted by the delicious sesame aroma. It wasn’t long before a lot of the full tray of snowflake cake was sold.
Someone laughed and asked, “Brother Xiao Nian, what’s special about today’s cake?”
Yu Jinnian nodded seriously, pretending to be scholarly, “Of course, there is something special. Sesame is a holy product for nourishing the liver and kidneys, and glutinous rice can strengthen the spleen and stomach. As the weather cools, eating these two things nourishes the body’s energy. Isn’t that something special?”
The person pressed on, “And what about the petals?”
“Those…” Yu Jinnian furrowed his brow in thought, then suddenly exclaimed, “Of course, they’re for decoration! Aren’t they beautiful?”
The customers buying snowflake cake laughed heartily and nodded, “Beautiful, beautiful. Not only is Brother Xiao Nian’s craftsmanship beautiful, but he is also handsome!”
Yu Jinnian smiled, “You’re too kind. Since you think it’s beautiful, why not buy more?”
The customers chatted lively, and the bustling half-morning passed quickly. Near noon, Yu Jinnian prepared a large pot of mixed sauce, washed a small basket of cucumbers, and made a simple smashed cucumber salad as a refreshing side dish. He placed the large bowl in the cool area of the front hall with small plates, offering unlimited servings for one coin, inviting customers to take as much or as little as they liked.
Though it was an unusual way to sell, the regular customers, who knew each other well, found it interesting and no one took advantage of the offer.
As the sun grew hotter, Yu Jinnian sipped a cup of cold bamboo tea, sitting behind the counter calculating the accounts, when he saw two horse-drawn carriages stop in front of his shop.
Squinting, he noticed the carriages had intricate tassels at the corners, flower windows carved with magpies and plum blossoms, and were accompanied by several sturdy servants, clearly belonging to a wealthy family.
Sure enough, a maid emerged from the first carriage, her hair adorned with a small silver hairpin. Her clothes indicated she wasn’t from an ordinary family. Yu Jinnian had just put down his pen when he heard the maid arrogantly call out, “Where’s the shop owner?”