The preparations for opening a shop were numerous and complex. The official paperwork was entrusted to a broker, and three months' rent for the meat shop was paid in advance. The elderly couple who managed the shop used this money to clear out the west side storage room, creating a new storefront facing the small alley to the west, and installing door panels.
Ying Xiaoman ran back and forth, acquiring the necessary chopping boards and knives for the meat shop, as well as securing a supply of fresh mutton.
In their spare moments, mother and daughter sat together, discussing the shop's name.
"How about 'Ying Family Meat Shop'?" Ying Xiaoman suggested. "It's simple and easy to remember."
Her adoptive mother advised, "Add 'lamb' to it. People in the capital prefer lamb to pork. If we include 'lamb' in the sign, it'll attract more customers."
So they decided on "Ying Family Lamb Shop."
"You're the only one in the family who can read and write. Child, you should write the shop's name yourself. If we ask a scholar outside to write a plaque, knowing you're planning to open a business, they'll charge an exorbitant price, asking for two guan of money right off the bat."
Ying Xiaoman drew in a sharp breath, aware of her own writing ability, and immediately refused.
"Mother, I can manage the daily bookkeeping, but don't ask me to write the plaque. Let's still ask a scholar to write it; after all, it's the face of our shop."
Her adoptive mother was reluctant to spend two guan on just five characters.
"What if we ask the Shen family's young man next door to help? As a student at the Imperial Academy, his writing should be decent..."
"Not the Shen family!" Ying Xiaoman immediately refused. "Why don't we ask Seventh Young Master to write it?"
Her adoptive mother asked skeptically, "Is Seventh Young Master's writing good? I've never seen him pick up a brush."
Ying Xiaoman hadn't seen it either, but she confidently said, "Seventh Young Master's writing must be good."
As the details were settled one by one, her adoptive mother's worried heart eased, though she couldn't help but cough a few times.
Ying Xiaoman quickly got up to fetch soup from the stove.
"You were better a few days ago, why are you coughing again? Drink a few more bowls of the medicinal soup I simmered from morning till noon."
The freshly stewed lamb soup smelled fragrant and delicious.
Her adoptive mother held the bowl and sighed, "This old body isn't as useful anymore. Last night it was hot, so I didn't close the window. I didn't expect to fall asleep, and a bit of wind caused this uncontrollable cough. The medicinal soup recipe Seventh Young Master sent is good, but too expensive. One bowl has over a dozen precious ingredients; I'm not some noble person who needs such expensive medicine. After we finish the packages he sent, we'll stop."
Ying Xiaoman said, "I have enough money. I'll go out and buy more ingredients according to the recipe."
Her adoptive mother refused to give it to her. "I burned it as kindling this morning."
"..."
It was hard to persuade the old woman when she became stubborn. Ying Xiaoman also knew that recently, with the preparations for opening the shop, money was being spent everywhere. Although her adoptive mother didn't say anything, not wanting to dampen her daughter's enthusiasm for the business, the old lady was uneasy deep down.
Since her adoptive mother wouldn't give her the recipe, Ying Xiaoman decided to wait for Seventh Young Master to come in a few days and privately ask him to write another medicinal soup recipe, which she could then buy ingredients for directly.
With her mind made up and seeing that it was still early, she pulled out half a lamb from under the stove and began to work on it.
People in the capital loved lamb. Lamb meat sold at a high price, about a hundred wen per jin, with a whole lamb costing three guan.
Yesterday, she had found the largest whole lamb merchant in the capital. After much persuasion and paying ten guan in cash, the merchant only agreed to sell her one lamb.
"A young woman like you wants to open a lamb shop? That's rare in the capital. Well, take one lamb for now. Even if the business doesn't work out, you can always use it at home."
The merchant's words were subtle, but the doubt in his eyes was almost overflowing. He refused to sell her more, fearing that if Ying Xiaoman couldn't sell the lambs, it would ruin his own reputation for sales.
"It's your first time in the meat business, right? I'll choose a high-quality, tender fat lamb for you. Ah, forgive this old man for being presumptuous, but with such natural beauty, you could make a fortune anywhere. Why choose the butcher's trade... Alright, alright, don't get angry, young lady. Please send your worker to carry it away."
Ying Xiaoman was irritated and directly hoisted the 30-jin fat lamb onto her shoulders and left. The merchant watched in astonishment.
The fat lamb bleated all the way home.
As soon as they arrived, Ying Xiaoman slaughtered it with one stroke.
Since the merchant wouldn't sell her more lambs, she decided to first check the quality of the merchant's supply. Selling at the expensive price of three guan, it should indeed be tender meat from a high-quality fat lamb from the grasslands beyond the border.
If she encountered a dishonest merchant, she would have to go back and demand an explanation.
With one slice, the knife cut smoothly, revealing indeed tender meat. The old merchant hadn't lied; he really had given her a high-quality fat lamb. Ying Xiaoman's anger subsided considerably.
She cut off half a jin of meat for dinner and, following her adoptive mother's instructions, sent a piece of lamb to the neighbor, Mrs. Shen. Mrs. Shen had been sickly ever since her husband's incident, and lamb soup was nourishing for women's health.
This was last night's event.
Last night, when slaughtering the lamb and draining the blood, she had done it hastily with just a few cuts, fearing it would frighten Zhi. Today, she brought out the cleaned half of the lamb to the small courtyard, thinking it wouldn't scare the child as much. Ying Xiaoman spread a black cloth on the wooden table under the osmanthus tree, laid out her knives, took out five or six jin of lamb ribs, and began to cut them finely.
Different parts of the lamb were priced differently. She was using this first lamb to practice her skills.
Zhi ran out from the house, curiously circling the black cloth and tentatively reaching out to touch it. "Red meat."
"Lamb," Ying Xiaoman added. "When it's cooked in the pot, it'll be the delicious stew you ate last night."
Zhi's stomach involuntarily gurgled as she patted her little belly, her eyes fixed on her sister cutting the meat.
The knife flashed like a white shadow, and the chopping sounds rose in a continuous, light, and quick rhythm. The large rib meat quickly turned into neat small pieces.
As she watched, Zhi curiously reached out to touch the knife.
The snow-white blade, which had been cutting through the air, suddenly stopped. Ying Xiaoman moved Zhi's little hand away and patiently taught her, "Children shouldn't touch knives; you'll cut yourself and bleed. When you're seven or eight, I'll teach you how to use a knife to cut meat. For now, sit far away and be good."
Zhi brought over a small stool and sat two steps away, watching her sister cut meat with great interest.
Just then, there was a knock at the door outside.
A young man's voice called out, "Aunt Ying, please open the door!"
Ying Xiaoman frowned slightly, but Zhi had already run to open the door, "Brother Shen!"
The visitor was indeed the young man from the Shen family next door.
The Shen family had only this one son, whose name she couldn't remember, only recalling his nickname, Anu.
Although Ying Xiaoman didn't particularly like him, they were neighbors after all, seeing each other frequently, and her own mother was on good terms with Mrs. Shen.
She continued cutting meat, minding her own business.
Thud, thud, thud, the continuous sound of chopping meat echoed in the small courtyard.
"What is it?" She didn't look up. "My mother is feeling a bit unwell and is resting inside. If you have something to say, tell me."
As she spoke, she continued cutting. On the chopping board was over two jin of long rib meat. She skillfully removed the bones and trimmed the meat, dicing the lamb. By the time she finished speaking, the lamb was cut into fine cubes piled into a small mound, and the bloody, sinewy rib bones were tossed aside with a plop.
Shen Anu watched with wide eyes, unable to help but draw in a sharp breath.
The meat sent over last night... was cut like this?
The words of thanks he had prepared so fluently now stumbled, "Th-thank you, young miss, for the lamb you sent last night. The soup was rich, delicious, and very nourishing. I took the liberty of preparing a small gift to express our gratitude... please don't mind its modesty..."
"You're welcome. Give it to Zhi. When I have time, I'll take it to my mother."
As Ying Xiaoman spoke, she grabbed an entire seven or eight jin lamb leg and threw it onto the chopping board with a bang.
Her long lashes lowered as she focused intently on the lamb leg, considering where to cut first for maximum efficiency. The scattered sunlight reflected on the young woman's porcelain-like cheeks, and even with her expressionless face, her focused look was captivating.
The occasional casual gesture of wiping sweat from her forehead became poetic and picturesque in the eyes of an interested observer.
The young man's eyes were fixed, his heart burning. Never had the chopping sound seemed so melodious to him.
A young woman with such excellent knife skills must surely be an accomplished cook; though her temperament might be a bit too direct, she was hardworking and good at managing the household.
His mother had mentioned that Aunt Ying hadn't directly refused, but was still considering the matter.
Since he had seen her that day, she had been constantly on his mind. The more he tried to restrain himself from disturbing her, the more she appeared in his dreams. Several times his mother had suggested moving out of Seven Scholars Lane, but he had earnestly prevented it.
Last night, when Ying Xiaoman knocked on the door to deliver lamb soup, he had been so excited he couldn't sleep for half the night.
The thank-you gift in his hand had not been given to Zhi. Shen Anu took a few steps forward and thanked her again:
"After drinking the meat soup from the Ying family, this humble student will do his utmost to top the ranks in today's Imperial Academy examinations. I will strive to complete my studies and enter official service soon. I will not fail to meet the expectations of the Ying family's kindness in my time of need—"
The sound of chopping suddenly stopped.
Ying Xiaoman, who had been focused on cutting meat with her head down, looked up from under the tree's dappled shadows and interrupted him, "You drank the meat soup?"
The young man from the Shen family hadn't yet noticed anything amiss: "Indeed, I drank it all, not a drop left. I didn't waste any of the Ying family's goodwill—"
With a bang, the heavy cleaver used for cutting meat was stabbed into the chopping board. It sank three inches deep, splitting the board.
Anger flashed in Ying Xiaoman's beautiful eyes.
"You're a grown man, how old are you now? Your mother is bedridden with illness, and we sent nourishing soup for her to drink, but you drank it yourself? Are you even human?!"
The Shen family young man was stunned.
After being scolded so harshly, he instinctively tried to defend himself, "My mother insisted I drink it. She knows I have exams these two days. For someone of my young age, if I don't eat and drink well, I won't have energy, and without energy it's hard to achieve good results..."
Ying Xiaoman said nothing, struggling to pull out the cleaver. She cut off a half-pound piece of mutton, wrapped it in oiled paper, tied it up, and carried it over to the door, throwing it at the Shen family young man. "Take this back and make soup for your mother."
Shen Anu immediately showed a delighted smile, and seemed about to bow deeply in thanks, but Ying Xiaoman went straight to unhook the door bar from behind the gate, weighing it in her hand.
The door bars in the capital were all for show, very light. Not like the solid, heavy ones back in her hometown.
As Shen Anu was still bowing in thanks, not yet straightened up, she raised the door bar and swung it at him.
The quiet Seven Scholars Lane suddenly erupted into chaos.
Several neighbors opened their doors at the commotion, shocked to see the Shen family's eldest son being chased out by the Ying family's young miss wielding a door bar.
"You know you're young and strong?" Ying Xiaoman scolded as she swung at him, "If you're so young and strong, why are you stealing your mother's mutton soup? Is your mother younger and stronger than you? The mutton we sent to the Shen family wasn't meant for a healthy person to eat, but ended up in your belly instead? Your mother told you to drink it so you just drank it? You're full of excuses? Your mother would have been better off giving birth to a meat bun instead of you!"
"If you don't take this half-pound of mutton back to nourish your mother today, I'm not done with you!"
Shen Anu's fair face turned bright red with embarrassment. He couldn't utter a word in his defense, and it wasn't clear if he was in pain from being hit or just mortified. As he hurriedly retreated back to his home, both corners of his eyes were brimming with tears that threatened to fall. His previous carefully cultivated air of a dignified scholar had vanished, and he now looked more like a genuine reaction of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth.
"We can talk this out, stop hitting me!" Shen Anu shouted, choking back sobs, "You're not part of my family, how could you know our hardships! My father's official career is not going well, he's been framed by villains and thrown in prison. I'm the only one left to uphold our family's reputation! If I can't distinguish myself at the Imperial Academy, if I can't successfully pass the imperial examinations and become an official, how will the Shen family ever be able to hold our heads up again!"
Ying Xiaoman heard him out, standing outside the Shen family gate, watching the grieving young man inside.
"Passing the exams and becoming an official is certainly a good thing. But you've been so focused on your studies, have you paid any attention to your family's situation? Your mother is an official's wife after all, but she's even pawned her earrings. She's gone so many days with empty earlobes, didn't you notice? Your father hasn't brought home any money for three months. Your family doesn't have enough rice and flour to eat. When you eat, have you noticed if your mother has eaten her fill? My mother told me that Madam Shen looks pale and weak, she's probably been starving herself."
Shen Anu stared in shock, muttering after a while, "That's impossible..."
He suddenly turned and ran towards the inner courtyard.
The layout of the houses in this part of Seven Scholars Lane was all quite similar. The small front courtyard couldn't muffle the sounds, and after a moment, the faint sound of a young man's crying could be heard from inside the house,
"Mother—!"
A moment later, Shen Anu emerged from the kitchen with reddened eyes, hurriedly searching around.
He came out of the kitchen empty-handed, looking lost.
The commotion was considerable, and the Adoptive Mother came over from her house to see what was happening. Shen Anu met the gaze of Ying Xiaoman and her mother across the small courtyard, and approached them, swallowing his shame, "We have no rice left at home. Could you possibly—"
"Yes, yes, we happen to have two extra sheng of millet in the kitchen. Take it first to make some porridge for your mother." The Adoptive Mother turned to go home and get the millet.
Shen Anu stood dazed by the door. Ying Xiaoman was still angry about the mutton soup he had consumed, and her tone was not very polite.
"Today will pass, and tomorrow will come. Your father has gotten into trouble, and now you're supposed to uphold the Shen family's reputation. How do you plan to do that? By constantly borrowing rice and flour from us?"
Shen Anu was so embarrassed his face and ears turned red. He gritted his teeth and went back into the main hall.
A moment later, he came out clutching a bulging bundle.
The Adoptive Mother had just returned with two sheng of millet and asked him curiously, "Young Shen, where are you going? Aren't you going to look after your mother?"
In front of Ying Xiaoman, Shen Anu opened the bundle, revealing two inkstones.
"Our family circumstances are dire, and mother's health is urgent. I can't heed father's teachings now. I'm going to the pawnshop right away. The inkstones in father's study are all valuable gifts. I'll pawn them for a few strings of cash to get medicine for mother's illness. Xiaoman, you'll see, I will uphold the Shen family's reputation."
Watching the young man's figure disappear at the end of the lane, Ying Xiaoman's anger subsided considerably, and she said with satisfaction, "Now that's more like it."
She carefully bolted the too-light wooden door bar back behind the door, dusted off her hands, and said casually to her mother, "I gave another half-pound of meat to Madam Shen."
The Adoptive Mother: "..."
Did she think she hadn't seen?
Hitting him so hard, scolding him even harder, the barely-begun marriage prospects with the Shen family were now ruined...
But to be fair, the Adoptive Mother pondered for half a day, then muttered to herself: "The Shen family's young man looks like a refined and cultured scholar, how could he act so foolishly? If it weren't for our girl giving him a good scolding, he really would have abandoned his sick mother to go study."
"When the father acts foolishly, the son easily follows suit and makes mistakes too."
"Indeed."
When the Imperial Censor Shen was taken from his home by the imperial guards, the news of his offense spread like wildfire through Seven Scholars Lane. Even Ying Xiaoman, who rarely went out to gather gossip, had her ears full of idle talk.
It was said to be related to the recent peace negotiations between the imperial court and the Di People in the west, regarding the reopening of the border horse markets.
The Central Plains imperial court shared borders with the Di People in the west and the Barbarian People on the northern grasslands. The three sides would sometimes go to war, sometimes negotiate peace, fighting on and off for decades.
It also happened to coincide with a major case of collusion with foreign powers that occurred last autumn and winter.
High-quality iron firearms produced by the Ministry of War had somehow been sold off through unknown channels, and a batch had even fallen into the hands of the Barbarian People in the north, appearing on the northern battlefield.
To the west of the lane, the wife of Chief Clerk Zhou from the Ministry of Justice had stood at the door of the Shen house yesterday, saying to Madam Shen:
"With this major case of collusion with foreign powers, how could the imperial court have any mind to fight with the Di People in the west? It's better to negotiate peace and reopen the horse markets, give them more silk and tea in exchange for the fine horses produced in the west. That's the urgent matter at hand."
"Your husband chose this critical moment to submit a memorial strongly opposing it. How foolish! I'm afraid he won't be able to escape imprisonment this time."
As Madam Shen listened, tears began to flow. Her body swayed, and she immediately vomited blood.
It was the Adoptive Mother who quickly stepped in to support the poor lady who looked as frail as a willow in the wind.
That's what led to sending meat soup to the Shen family last night.
The Adoptive Mother pondered for half a day. The good daughter they had raised for over a decade couldn't be married off to a foolish man. She asked Ying Xiaoman, "When is the Seventh Young Master coming? How come we haven't seen him these past two days?"
"Seventh Young Master said he'd come within three days. If he doesn't come tonight, he'll definitely be here tomorrow night."
"Save a piece of mutton for Seventh Young Master. While he's eating, casually mention the Shen family's situation to him, and ask what he thinks about it."
"Alright, I will!"
The Seventh Young Master didn't come that night.
The next day, Sui Miao came by during the daytime, bringing a whole basket of seasonal fresh fruits - grapes, pomegranates, sweet melons, and loquats.
That evening, Ying Xiaoman washed the fresh fruits, lit candles and lanterns to make the small courtyard bright and cheerful, spread out a tablecloth, and laid out a table full of fresh fruits and hot home-cooked dishes. She and Zhi waited in the small courtyard for their guest.
They waited and waited, until the lamps were first lit in the evening, but still only Sui Miao came.
This time he brought a small bottle of newly brewed grape wine.
"The Seventh Young Master is tied up with official business."
Sui Miao skipped the details and only briefly said, "Someone who shouldn't have died, died. And they died in a place they shouldn't have. This person was a key witness, and their unexpected death has implicated the Eleventh Young Master."
"The Seventh Young Master was urgently summoned to the palace last night for an audience with the Emperor. He returned home this morning to change clothes and then hurried back to the palace. He only had time to ask me to bring the signboard for the meat shop and to apologize to Miss Ying. Oh, and this bottle of grape wine was bestowed by the palace yesterday. He's giving it to Miss Ying as an apology."
"The Seventh Young Master said he's uncovered some clues about the old affairs in the capital involving the Ying and Yan families. Once he finishes the urgent matter at hand, he'll come as soon as possible to explain in detail."
Ying Xiaoman stood there in a daze for a moment before nodding and accepting the rare imperial grape wine from Sui Miao's hands.
So, the Seventh Young Master wouldn't be coming tonight?
She had stumbled through a few poems and texts before, and clearly remembered the line "grape wine in a luminous cup."
Along with the grape wine came a rare luminous glass cup. The octagonal cup was almost colorless and transparent, with a lotus flower carved on the base. As the ruby-red grape wine was poured into the clear glass cup, its fragrance filled the entire courtyard.
Without much enthusiasm, she poured half a cup, first offering it to her mother, then stuffing a grape into Zhi's mouth.
"...What kind of taste is this?" Her adoptive mother, tasting grape wine for the first time in her life, found it unpalatable. Choking and sputtering, she refused to drink any more after the first sip.
Ying Xiaoman, having tasted sweet and sour cherries before, wasn't as averse to the sweet and sour taste of the wine. She took the glass cup and sipped the grape wine herself.
"Big Brother Seven hasn't come for a long time," Zhi said, chewing on the sweet grape and counting on her little fingers. "One day, two days, four days..."
"Three days," Ying Xiaoman corrected. "He said three days, but he didn't come."
"Oh," Zhi continued, "One day, two days, three days..."
Ying Xiaoman used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fragrant stewed lamb and stuffed it into Zhi's mouth, finally silencing the little girl's repetitive counting.
The brightly lit small courtyard fell quiet. Only her own heart remained unsettled.
Over and over again, she couldn't help but mutter to herself:
— He said he'd come in three days, didn't he?
— He said we'd discuss plans for revenge together, didn't he?!