21 The Lactose Lion Cub

Wen Mengdong had a sharp little mind. When he encountered questions he didn’t understand while reading, he would ask his elder sister. If she couldn’t answer, he would save them up to ask the regular customers at their food stall.

As soon as the "big brother" arrived, he lost no time in bringing out his book once again.

Who could resist a little toddler overflowing with curiosity and full of soft, sincere charm?

Wen Zhongxia served the food and looked at the two of them with a smile. "Alright, stop reading for a moment and eat some potstickers."

Hang Yao looked at the ring of translucent, crispy lace around the potstickers with astonishment, then pushed the plate toward Wen Mengdong. "Let’s eat together."

Wen Mengdong shook his head, pursing his lips. "I cannot eat a guest’s food. I will eat with my sister and sister-in-law in a little while."

Hang Yao curled his lips into a faint smile, then picked up his chopsticks. With a soft "crunch," the crispy lace shattered.

The open-ended potstickers looked like tiny black-awning boats, revealing the meat and vegetable filling inside, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Taking a bite, the outer skin was soft and chewy, while the charred bottom was incredibly crisp. Paired with the golden lace, it made a satisfying crunching sound.

The filling was juicy—the tenderness of the pork, the smoothness of the shrimp, and the freshness of the Chinese chives all blended together in one small mouthful. It was indescribably delicious.

Wen Mengdong stared with longing, struggling to restrain himself as he said, "Big brother, you can dip them in this chili sauce. My sister likes eating them that way the most."

Hang Yao wasn't very good with spicy food, but hearing this, he felt a genuine urge to try it.

Wen Zhongxia was busy quickly pleating potstickers, but hearing the commotion behind her, she smiled and shook her head. Little Dong'er hadn't even learned to eat spicy food himself yet, but he was quite the little matchmaker for others.

"Mistress Wen, I'm here."

At that moment, Qin Qian came panting over, breathing heavily.

Wen Zhongxia asked curiously, "Why are you coming from outside? Didn't you go to class?"

"Don't even mention it," Qin Qian said, his face full of frustration, his voice nasal. "I think I caught a cold last night. I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and heavy-headed, so I had to ask for leave to see a doctor. It took me until now to get back."

Only then did Wen Zhongxia notice the medicine packets in his hand, and she comforted him, "Are you feeling any better?"

"I took a dose at the medical clinic, so I feel much better. Thank you for your concern, Mistress."

"The temperature difference between day and night is large right now; you shouldn't put away your thick quilt yet," Wen Zhongxia said with concern. "Since you're not feeling well, how about a bowl of light wontons?"

"I’d love to sit down and eat slowly, but I can't," Qin Qian said, his brows drooping. "I still have an assignment that isn't finished. I have to go back and rush through it immediately, or it will be a disaster if I don't finish by this afternoon. Just give me two meat-stuffed buns to take away."

Wen Zhongxia grabbed two *baiji* buns and asked curiously, "That seems a bit heartless. You're sick—can't the professor be a little lenient just once?"

"There's no way around it. This is an assignment from Professor Hang; one cannot be careless with him at all."

Qin Qian’s peripheral vision swept over to the table behind Wen Zhongxia, where a diner was sitting with his back to him. That long, elegant silhouette seemed familiar.

He thought for a moment that his head must still be dizzy and that he had seen wrong.

He continued, "I’ve already been punished by Professor Hang several times. If I make another mistake, I’m truly finished."

"A strict teacher produces excellent students. The professor must surely be hoping you will become successful," Wen Zhongxia said with a smile as she stuffed the braised meat into the buns.

"That is true. He certainly has immense talent," Qin Qian said with some emotion. "After all, he is a *Tanhua* (third-place scholar). When it comes to scholarship, no one in the Imperial Academy, including the National University, doesn't admire him."

"That is an impressive person," Wen Zhongxia’s large apricot eyes widened in surprise. "A *Tanhua*—he must be very handsome, then."

Without some good looks, one wouldn't be chosen as a *Tanhua*. This Professor Hang must be a refined, handsome old gentleman.

"Cough..." A soft cough came from behind her.

Wen Zhongxia didn't pay it any mind and continued gossiping.

"As a man, I have to admit he is truly talented and handsome. However," Qin Qian spread his hands, "he keeps a cold face all day long—no matter how good-looking he is, it doesn't matter."

Wen Zhongxia chuckled. It seemed student Qin was suffering greatly under that Professor Hang.

"Your meat buns are ready. I hope you won't be punished by him again this afternoon."

"Mistress Wen, I hope your kind words come true." Qin Qian took the oil-paper package and hurried off toward the Imperial Academy.

***

Wen Zhongxia clapped her hands and turned back to the table. Seeing the guest's face, she exclaimed, "Did the spice get to you? Let me bring you a bowl of clear soup. Just a moment."

Her first reaction was that he had been choked by the chili sauce, as his face was flushed.

Hang Yao looked at her, recalling their previous conversation, his expression a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness.

When he left to pay, he was too embarrassed to even look her in the eye.

***

During the first class in the afternoon, Hang Yao scanned the lecture hall. The students below all lowered their heads, as if they wouldn't be called upon as long as they didn't make eye contact.

Hang Yao walked down from the podium with measured steps and stopped in front of one desk. "Qin Qian."

Qin Qian immediately stood up. "Student is here." Sure enough, it was him again.

"Is the essay I assigned the day before yesterday finished?"

"I have finished it." Qin Qian raised the prepared essay with both hands.

"Read it aloud so everyone can hear."

"Yes."

Qin Qian read it with trepidation, his nervousness causing his nasal congestion to worsen.

Hang Yao listened silently and said nothing.

Qin Qian thought to himself that it was a bad sign; his reading had been so stuttered that the professor must be dissatisfied again.

"It is passable. Sit down," Hang Yao commented with a blank expression.

*Huh?*

Qin Qian sat down with a sense of relief, thinking to himself that Mistress Wen’s words were indeed a good omen.

***

When closing up the stall, Xu Xiu returned from the water well carrying a wooden bucket of bowls and chopsticks, her brows furrowed. "Xia'er, I just ran into the proprietress of the Wang Family Food Shop across the way by the well. She was acting a bit strange."

Wen Zhongxia asked, "What happened?"

"She seems to be fishing for the recipe for our braised dishes."

Xu Xiu had only exchanged nods with her before, but today the woman had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation. At first, Xu Xiu hadn't thought much of it and had chatted along while washing the dishes.

As they talked, the proprietress had pretended to ask casually how their braised food managed to have no gamey smell at all.

Xu Xiu was no longer as naive as she had been when she first started the business; she had sensed something was wrong immediately and just said that one only needed to wash the ingredients thoroughly.

The proprietress didn't believe her and actually had the nerve to press her on whether they added any unique spices.

Xu Xiu had never seen anyone so thick-skinned, so she brushed her off with a few vague remarks and hurried back.

"Do you think that Wang Family Food Shop wants to sell braised pork trotters, just like they did with the popcorn?"

"Sister-in-law, it's fine," Wen Zhongxia said with a calm smile. "These braised trotters weren't invented by me in the first place; they can sell them if they want to. Of course, I certainly won't tell them the recipe. Everyone makes a living based on their own ability."

Hearing this, Xu Xiu’s uneasy heart settled a little. Her own resolve was still not strong enough; she needed to learn from her sister-in-law.

***

The three of them returned home. They had been resting for less than a quarter of an hour when someone came to the door. It was a young woman dressed in green silk, with a matching shawl draped over her arms.

She was Huang, the mother of Lu Tiancheng.

"You are inviting me to cook for Madam Yang’s birthday banquet?" Wen Zhongxia was quite surprised.

As soon as Huang sat down, she stated her purpose.

"Indeed. Your spicy blood duck was highly favored by my mother-in-law."

It was the first time Huang had met Wen Zhongxia, and she was surprised to find that not only was the girl a talented cook, but her features were also quite elegant. She smiled and said, "She originally wanted to come and invite you herself, but since this is her birthday banquet, it wouldn't be proper to let her handle the arrangements. If word got out, outsiders would say I, the daughter-in-law, am unfilial, so I came to handle it myself today."

Xu Xiu hesitated, "But we have never handled a banquet before. Xia'er, can we do it?"

She had managed banquets at the Wen household before, but she hadn't been the one cooking. Even just watching the kitchen to ensure no mistakes were made had exhausted her; there were so many rules, and if something went wrong, they couldn't afford the consequences.

"Mistress Xu, please rest assured," Huang said kindly. "This time, my mother-in-law's birthday banquet will not be a large affair. Only a few close friends and relatives are invited, and we have our own cooks. You only need to prepare a few dishes that she loves."

Since the woman had put it that way, Wen Zhongxia no longer hesitated and smiled. "Since your esteemed household thinks so highly of me, I will respectfully accept."

Firstly, the income from one banquet was worth many days of running the stall, and secondly, it was an invitation from their landlady, so it wouldn't be right to refuse.

"That is wonderful." Huang breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She had truly been afraid that if the young woman didn't agree, her mother-in-law would blame her for failing to handle such a small matter.

The birthday banquet was in seven days, giving Wen Zhongxia plenty of time to prepare.

She asked in detail about what Madam Yang liked to eat and if there were any taboos for the banquet.

Seeing that she was so young yet so meticulous in her considerations, Huang was even more satisfied.

"Let me think it over for a few days, and I will present the proposed dishes for your approval," Wen Zhongxia said.

"That would be best."

Huang gestured for her maid to offer the oil-paper package in her hand. "These are some pastries bought from a confectionary shop. Chuan'er told me that when he eats at your stall, you always give him extra treats. Please take these pastries as a return gift."

"You are too kind, Madam," Xu Xiu said.

"It is only right. Then that is all for today; I look forward to tasting your handiwork, Mistress Wen."

Huang left feeling very satisfied.

After she left, Wen Zhongxia opened the oil-paper package. One contained *Lactose Lions* (lion-shaped milk-sugar candies), and the other contained rose shortbread.

"Wow, sister, is this a big tiger?" Wen Mengdong had never seen a lion and had only seen drawings of fierce tigers in books once or twice.

"This is in the shape of a lion. Lions are animals from the Western Regions, and like tigers, they are very fierce," Wen Zhongxia explained with a smile.

Xu Xiu sighed, "I ate these once before; they are very expensive."

"The 'milk' refers to the resin obtained from a frankincense tree, dried and ground into powder, known as frankincense powder. Not only can it be used for desserts, but adding a little bit to tea also adds a unique fragrance.

The sugar is sugar frosting made through multiple stages of sedimentation, crystallization, and decolorization. It isn't just simple processed maltose; it is very precious in this era.

The sugar frosting is mixed with frankincense powder, water is added and slowly boiled into a thick syrup, which is then poured into lion molds. Once it cools and solidifies, the *Lactose Lion* is formed."

The *Lactose Lion*, about half the size of a palm, was pale yellow, crystal clear, and exquisitely small.

The three of them each took one and licked it; it tasted a bit like a lollipop.

Biting off a corner, it made a crunching sound, and upon tasting it carefully, a unique fragrance lingered in the mouth.

Wen Zhongxia hadn't tasted such pure, refreshing sweetness in a long time. The sweets she could eat casually in her past life seemed exceptionally precious here.

Wen Mengdong clearly loved it, licking it in tiny little bites.

Xu Xiu said, "It tastes the same as the one I had before—no, wait, it feels even sweeter."

After all, their state of mind was vastly different now.

"Sister-in-law, we will surely be able to eat these every day in the future."

"I want to eat them every day too!" Wen Mengdong’s eyes were half-closed from the sweetness.

Wen Zhongxia looked at him and said with a smile, "That won't do. If a child eats too much sugar, little bugs will grow inside your teeth."

"Ah?"

Little Dong'er's eyes went wide with terror.

Should he eat the little lion, or not?