Old Master Zhao had originally been sitting on a stool beneath the eaves. When Li Menglian emerged from the kitchen carrying a clay basin, he could no longer remain seated. With a “bang,” he shot up from the stool so quickly that it toppled over behind him without him even noticing.
“It smells wonderful.” Old Master Zhao sniffed hard and said, “Girl Lan, are these the river snails you spoke of?”
Old Master Zhao truly had not known that such an unremarkable, shell-covered little thing could smell so fragrant. It made one’s mouth water, and he couldn’t help swallowing.
Li Menglian nodded with a smile. “Grandpa Zhao, please wait a little longer. Once my grandfather, my maternal grandfather, and the others arrive, we can eat.”
Some things are more lively when enjoyed with many people. The spicy river snails before them were one such example. The more people there were, the better the atmosphere and the more flavorful the experience.
“Girl.” Just as they were speaking, Li Menglian’s entire family arrived one after another from the back courtyard.
“Hello, Grandfathers and Grandmothers.” Zhao Qingyun politely nodded toward Li Fujin, Old Man Zhang, Lin Sanniang, Madam Wang, and the others.
“Qingyun is here too.” Li Dazhu smiled honestly.
“Uncle Li.” Zhao Qingyun very much liked the warm and affectionate atmosphere of Li Menglian’s family. A faint smile appeared on his usually cold face. In his heart… only such a harmonious scene could truly be called home.
Facing Old Master Zhao and Zhao Qingyun, the two families—Li and Zhang—had gone from their original awe to being amiable and approachable.
Li Menglian greeted her family, saying, “Grandfather, Maternal Grandfather… everyone, hurry and wash your hands. Come try the spicy river snails I made and see how they taste.”
“Little sister, how do you eat these river snails?” Li Zhihao had already washed his hands and come to the table’s edge. He was staring at the large basin of spicy river snails, unsure of where to begin.
“Like this…” Li Menglian watched as her family gathered around, reached out to pick up a toothpick, and demonstrated. “Use this little wooden pick to dig it out. Only eat the tiny bit of meat in the front. You can’t eat the intestines in the back. Look… just like this.”
Li Menglian gave a demonstration with the toothpick. Mmm… The slightly numbing snail fell into her mouth. The long-missed, familiar taste made her close her eyes in bliss. “Mmm… it’s truly delicious!”
With Zhao Qingyun and Old Master Zhao—those two great personages—present, every member of Li Menglian’s family became more refined. Even Li Zhihao, the Li family’s glutton, was at his most courteous at this moment.
A piece of snail meat entered Old Master Zhao’s mouth. The sour-spiciness of chopped chili peppers, the salty fragrance of chili sauce, the subtle numbing of Sichuan peppercorns… combined with the rich umami of the stock and the snails’ own inherent freshness, spreading throughout Old Master Zhao’s mouth.
“Ahh!” Old Master Zhao couldn’t help crying out in surprise. “Girl Lan, this… are these river snails really so delicious? This flavor…” Old Master Zhao couldn’t help smacking his lips, beginning to savor the aftertaste of the delicacy.
Zhao Qingyun had still been wondering whether or not to eat the snails. When he saw Li Menglian and his grandfather’s expressions, he skeptically used a toothpick to dig out a piece of snail meat and placed it in his mouth.
“Oh… this flavor…” Zhao Qingyun’s eyes lit up. “Lan’er, your hands are becoming ever more skillful. I truly hadn’t expected that these black-shelled… uh… river snails you spoke of could be made to taste this good.”
Although Zhao Qingyun was not a glutton, snacks in this ancient era were quite scarce to begin with. Besides, Zhao Qingyun still possessed the temperament of a youth. Unable to restrain himself, he proceeded to eat several snails in succession.
Seeing this from the side, Old Master Zhao and Li Zhihao could no longer remain calm. The two of them disregarded everyone else and immediately began competing with Zhao Qingyun to see whose hands were quicker and more nimble.
Li Menglian watched her relatives eating until oil streamed from the corners of their mouths and couldn’t help covering her mouth with a smile. “Grandpa Zhao, Brother Zhao, don’t be so anxious. At noon there will also be river snail noodles. Those are no less delicious than these spicy river snails—also very tasty and fresh.”
“Really? Girl Lan, you mustn’t lie to this old man.” Upon hearing Li Menglian’s words, the smile on Old Master Zhao’s face was so radiant no matter how one looked at it that it seemed almost excessive.
“Yes… Grandpa Zhao, in a while you must taste them properly for me and see how they are.” Li Menglian smiled and nodded.
“Lan’er, why aren’t you eating?” The attentive Zhao Qingyun noticed that apart from the single snail Li Menglian had eaten when first tasting the flavor, she had not touched another one.
“Brother Zhao, you all eat! I’ve already eaten. When I was tasting the flavor in the kitchen just now, I already ate quite a lot.”
Li Menglian truly had not expected these spicy river snails to be so well received. From this, one could see… how impoverished food was in this ancient era. At this moment, Li Menglian felt a bit of regret. Had she stir-fried too few snails? Her family had already had many people to begin with, and now they had added Old Master Zhao and Zhao Qingyun. Uh… it seemed this large basin of snails might not be enough after all!
“Brother Zhao, after you finish eating in a moment, I have something to tell you.” Li Menglian had originally wanted to sell the recipe for these spicy river snails exclusively to Zhao Ji Restaurant. After seeing everyone’s fondness for the snails, this intention grew even firmer.
Zhao Qingyun was very clever. After a brief moment of thought, he knew roughly what Li Menglian wanted to discuss with him. “Lan’er, do you wish to discuss the matter of these river snails with Brother Zhao?”
As for this young girl Li Menglian, Zhao Qingyun felt great admiration in his heart. Although their family had reached its current state entirely due to the few transactions he had conducted with Li Menglian, that was because the young girl herself had ability. Everything she produced was truly good; otherwise… Zhao Qingyun wouldn’t have spent silver on her.
“Brother Zhao, please wait a moment for me.” Li Menglian nodded at Zhao Qingyun, then raised her voice to speak to her mother, Zhang Yuniang. “Mother, at noon I want to make noodles. After you finish eating the snails, help me knead the dough!”
There was no helping it… With Li Menglian’s small arms and legs, making noodles for so many people was impossible. Li Menglian had no choice but to ask her mother for help.
“Alright, Mother will go to the kitchen to help you prepare in a moment.” Zhang Yuniang quickly agreed.
Li Menglian planned to find a quiet place to speak properly with Zhao Qingyun, so she led him to her own room. She was still young and thus did not have so many reservations.
Li Menglian’s room was just like her person—very simple. There was one bed; it looked as though it had been newly made not long ago. The quilt on the bed was folded into a strange, tofu-like shape. The bedsheet, quilt cover… and even the pillowcase were pieced together from scraps of cloth in different colors. It looked as though quite a bit of effort had been put into them.
By the window was a simple dressing table. Apart from a wooden comb, it was completely empty. To the right of the dressing table stood a connected cabinet designed by Li Menglian and crafted by her maternal uncle, Zhang Wenli. On top of the cabinet was a large wooden chest.
The entire room could be taken in at a single glance. Actually, by the standards of Shangliang Village, Li Menglian’s family was already considered quite well-off. But in Zhao Qingyun’s eyes, everything was still far too simple. There wasn’t the slightest hint of a young lady’s boudoir about it.