Shen Miao was born under the red flag and grew up in the spring breeze.
She had a stubborn temper since she was a child and was protected closely by her grandfather because of her natural talent in cooking.
At home, she always lived a life where Heaven was the most important, and her father second.
Naturally, she never had the chance to witness the noble manners of the aristocratic families that had disappeared for centuries.
The original Shen sister was born in the marketplace and lived only a short life of just over twenty years.
The most accomplished person she had ever encountered was her soft-spoken husband, Rong Dalang, who was overly attached to his mother, and she never had the chance to interact with these high-ranking nobles.
The portrayal of the lives of aristocrats and royalty in movies and books also seemed distorted, and there was always a difference from what one actually saw.
Perhaps it was because the performances were separated from reality by a barrier.
When Shen Miao walked to Xigulou Street with her basket on her back, she noticed there were no peddlers along the street, nor the idle men who usually sat in front of eateries and tea houses.
The entire Xigulou Street was backed by the Grand Xingguo Temple, with the sounds of Buddhist bells and chanting drifting through the air.
The street was lined with tall ginkgo trees, cypress, and white pine trees, creating a peaceful atmosphere, and there were very few pedestrians.
The street was also paved with neatly arranged blue bricks, not the sandy dirt roads outside.
Shen Miao thought that the only street in Bianjing with such a smooth road was the one connected to the imperial palace, but it seemed this street was the same.
She slowed her pace and held hands with Xiang Jie as they walked in.
The shade of the trees was dense and cool, and as soon as they entered, a refreshing chill filled the air.
The sunlight was fragmented by the leaves, swaying with the wind, casting light patterns on their faces and shoulders.
The scent of incense wafted through several walls, coming faintly from within.
It seemed that this place inherently carried a sense of tranquility, as if the hustle and bustle of the outside world had been separated by the high walls of this large compound.
In the afternoon, the place was eerily silent.
The main gate was a large red copper-studded door, with two majestic lions sitting in front.
There were servants guarding the side gates and small doors, and as Shen Miao got closer, she noticed that the door thresholds of the smaller gates were made from a single slab of polished stone.
The red lanterns with the character “Xie” were tilted upwards and hung on the brick wall.
Under the unlit lanterns sat two or three well-dressed servants, casually chatting and cracking melon seeds.
When they saw Shen Miao walking up, one of them stared at her for a while, then gathered the seeds in his hand and politely asked, “Madam, are you surnamed Shen? Our mistress’s attendant, Zheng Neizhi, instructed us to wait here for your arrival!”
Shen Miao smiled, set down her basket, and slightly bowed in a respectful yet unassuming manner.
She replied, “Yes, according to the instructions of Zheng Neizhi earlier this morning, I have baked these plain steamed buns for delivery.”
“Madam, you have come at just the right time. Please wait here for a moment while I take these buns inside to inform Zheng Neizhi.”
One of the stronger-looking servants took the buns wrapped in oil paper out of her basket and patiently explained to her, “Please don’t take offense. We are not trying to be rude. I am just passing on the message.
I cannot enter the inner courtyard. Once we enter this gate, I can only pass the message to the doorkeeper at the second gate, who will then inform those inside.
Afterward, we have to wait for Zheng Neizhi to inform the wet nurse by the mistress’s side. Only then will we know if the mistress has any further instructions for you.”
“Neizhi” is the respectful title for a high-ranking servant in a wealthy household, and “wet nurse” refers to a personal maid in the Song Dynasty.
The deep courtyard gave a glimpse into the complex layers of the household.
Shen Miaonodded in understanding.
This large estate was like a vast company with many roles and hierarchies.
When someone came to visit, the receptionist would report to the administrative officer, the officer would report to the assistant, the assistant would report to the manager, and so on…
Hmm, she guessed she would be waiting for quite a while.
But for those three silver coins, what’s the harm in waiting?
She might as well take it as a rest!
Dragging the empty basket, Shen Miao led Xiang Jie to stand by the corner gate.
It was just the right spot with a patch of shade, which made it cooler.
After thinking for a moment, she took a small piece of yellow rock candy from her pocket, which had been wrapped in a handkerchief earlier, and gave it to Xiang Jie as a snack.
This was the leftover candy from making the red bean paste earlier that morning, just a small piece, and she had thought it might come in handy for distracting the child, so she had tucked it in her pocket.
Now it was indeed useful.
The servant hurried inside to deliver the message, and there were two more gatekeepers left at the corner gate.
One of the younger ones sneaked several glances at Shen Miao, noticing that she was still holding the child, and turned to go back to the guardroom.
He quickly brought out two stools and offered them to her:
“It’ll take at least a quarter of an hour for the back-and-forth, and if the madam has any business, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. Please have a seat while you wait.”
“Thank you, sir,” Shen Miao said, not being too polite, and sat down.
The two gatekeepers were idle, so they struck up a conversation with Shen Miao.
Those who served as slaves either had families that had been serving for generations or had been bought as children, with no other background.
As they talked, they could only boast about their master’s family.
It was then that Shen Miao learned that the Xie family here was actually the same Xie family from Chen County, famous alongside the Wang family of Langya.
However, the aristocratic families had long since declined, and even the most prominent branch of the Xie family had been nearly wiped out during the late Tang dynasty by the rebel Huang Chao, who mercilessly killed them off according to the family tree.
The surviving branch was now a distant branch of the family, but with hundreds of years of family heritage, even the collateral branches left behind significant property.
The gatekeepers puffed out their chests, as if they had earned this grand estate themselves, and pointed to another family down the street.
There were only two families living on Xigulou Street.
One was the Xie family, and the other was the Zhao family, of the royal Zhao surname, descendants of Emperor Zhao Kuangyin’s third son.
They were indeed royal relatives!
Though by this point, after generations, the Zhao family had descended to the lowest rank of “County Duke.”
“But they’re still Dukes!” the gatekeeper said proudly.
Shen Miao widened her eyes in response, following the servant’s hand as he pointed down the street.
She craned her neck to look at the other half of the street—on the west side was the Xie family’s, and on the east side was the Zhao family’s.
What an eye-opener!
Shen Miao smiled and continued to listen, treating it as a way to pass the time.
The gatekeeper noticed Shen Miao’s reaction, but he thought it was a bit lacking—how could she only be surprised and not show any reverence?
She was just a simple peddler, selling cakes on the street.
Knowing that she was next to the royal family and the once-renowned Xie family, how could she not feel ashamed, humble, or full of admiration?
It was really strange.
If he knew that most of Shen Miao’s surprise and curiosity were feigned, and that in her heart she was thinking that the cobblestones here weren’t as smooth as the ones in future parks and that the ginkgo trees here weren’t as beautiful as those in Luoyang’s Yongxing, he might faint!
What did the Chen County Xie family matter?
What did the royal Zhao family matter?
For Shen Miao, though she worked hard to live in this world, she could never escape the gaze of history that shaped her view of the world.
Those were all the dust of history, gone and forgotten!
She had seen so many more beautiful and vast sights.
How could she long for or reminisce about an old world?
How could she feel sorrow for not being born into a noble family?
How could she feel inferior because of her status?
She didn’t feel lowly, even if she sold cakes on the street, lived in a poor home, and made a living as a woman in this society.
Therefore, listening to the gatekeeper boast was like hearing a storyteller, thoroughly enjoying it.
Xiang Jie, affected by her calm attitude, tilted her head and continued to quietly lean against her sister’s leg, happily licking the candy.
If she didn’t eat it quickly, the rock candy would melt in her hand!
Xiang Jie noticed her palm was already sticky, so she lowered her head, stuffed the whole piece of candy into her mouth, and when she lifted her head again, her cheeks were puffed out.
Inside the Xie family’s courtyard, Xie Qi finished his reading but was caught by Xie Chi to practice with the long staff from the Xie family.
His martial arts talent wasn’t as good as his elder brother’s, so he was pushed back step by step, finally forced to use a trick to kick off the porch pillar, propelling himself into the air to strike down with the staff, winning the round.
Ignoring Xie Chi’s complaints, he waved his hand and, sweating, went inside to bathe.
After he finished his bath and was feeling fresh, Yan Shu handed him clean clothes and said cheerfully, “Just now, Zheng Neizhi brought some fragrant baked buns for the madam and sent me here to ask if you’d like to try them.
I could already smell them from outside the door, they smell so good!”
“Well, then I’ll try them.”
Xie Qi smiled, casually placing the handkerchief on the screen, and started putting on his inner robes.
Xie Qi often went out, so he was used to dressing himself and didn’t like being served by maids.
Yan Shu, eager to taste the food, leaned his head around the screen and sighed.
When Xie Qi wore his robes, he exuded a scholarly air, but when he took them off, his body was thin yet covered in firm, smooth muscle, broad shoulders and a strong waist, reminding him of the military style of the Xie family’s distant relatives who served at the borders.
But as his robes were layered on, the long sleeves fluttering in the wind, he became a vision of elegance, embodying the refined style of the Xie family.
The Xie children, regardless of gender, were all trained in both literary and martial arts, thanks to the matriarch, Xie Shi, who had brought with her a lacquered, gold-trimmed staff when she married into the family.
As the head of the household, she not only managed the family well but also had a unique way of raising her children.
When Xie Qi was dressed and ready, Yan Shu led the way.
Upon entering the main courtyard of the Xie residence, Xie Qi saw several plates of sliced baked buns on a square table made of yellow rosewood with five blessings carved into it.
His sisters, Xie Shiyi and his brother Xie Chi, were also there.
Xie Chi had already finished his plate, and was slyly reaching over to Xie Shiyi’s plate of blue-and-white porcelain.
Xie Shiyi swatted his hand away.
“Mother, look at him! I don’t have enough to eat myself!”
Xie Chi pulled back his hand, which had been slapped red, and pouted.
“Aren’t you always trying to act like Zhao Feiyan, eating only two bites and then putting down your chopsticks? Why don’t you eat more?”
Before Xie Shiyi could respond, he turned to Xie Shi.
“Mother, why didn’t you order more?”
Xie Shi ignored their bickering and said, “This was just for testing the taste. Since you all like it, we’ll make sure to get more. Our family’s chef usually only makes sweet cakes like date cakes or Poria cakes.