Chapter 27.2

But how did Zhou Muyan suddenly develop a skin condition? And on the day after their conflict too. Wasn’t that too much of a coincidence? Tao Ti contemplated for a moment, then realized that it was spring, and many people suffer from pollen allergies.

It seems like Zhou Muyan is just really unlucky! But for someone who values her appearance so much, suddenly having her face disfigured, she must be going mad with frustration.

Xu Wenchan said cheerfully, “Anyway, as long as she’s unlucky, I’m happy.”

“Aren’t you afraid of others hearing that and calling you narrow-minded?” Tao Ti teased.

“More than just narrow-minded, I suppose they would call me malicious. But that’s just how I feel. I hate her, and even if she’s in front of me, I wouldn’t hesitate to say so.”

At this point, Xu Wenchan paused and looked at Tao Ti, “Ah Ti, do you… think that’s bad of me? If you think it’s wrong, I— I can change!”

Tao Ti finished the remaining Winter Lingcao tea in her cup and said, “There are both good and dark sides to everyone’s hearts. As long as you can control the dark side and not harm others, there’s nothing to criticize. Not everyone can become a saint of great virtue and righteousness.”

Xu Wenchan blinked her round almond eyes and touched her chin, “Although I don’t quite understand… you sound very wise!”

“Well, it’s fine if you don’t understand.” Tao Ti stood up slowly, patted Xu Wenchan’s shoulder, and smiled gently, “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and make something delicious, yeah?”

At the mention of food, Xu Wenchan immediately became enthusiastic, “Okay, I’ll help you!”

The Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival were very close to each other, and over time, the two festivals gradually merged. In modern times, people mostly celebrate Qingming Festival, and there are very few who still observe the Cold Food Festival. However, during the Great Yuan Dynasty, the Cold Food Festival held much greater significance than Qingming Festival. On this day, people would go on outings, visit graves, pay respects to ancestors, drink Winter Lingcao tea, and eat Zitui buns ² .

Starting three days ago, the imperial kitchen began delivering Zitui buns. It was a type of bun made from dough molded into various shapes, such as swallows, little insects, snakes, little rabbits, and little tigers. They are then decorated with things like red beans, black beans, Sichuan peppercorns, red dates, and peanuts before being steamed.

On the first day when the buns were delivered, Tao Ti tried one. Fresh from the steamer, they were soft and fragrant. However, as they cooled down, they didn’t taste so good anymore. Nevertheless, the buns were really exquisite and lifelike, which made them suitable as decorative pieces.

“What are you planning to do with all this?” Xu Wenchan asked in astonishment, looking at the various ingredients laid out in the small kitchen—reddish-brown bean paste, roasted white sesame, plump peanuts, bright-red salted egg yolks, marinated dried tofu, pickled vegetables, fresh bamboo shoots, carefully-selected pork leg meat, rose petal sauce… the entire long table was filled to the brim.

“I’m making Qingtuan ³ ,” Tao Ti replied, as she took the blanched mugwort from the stove and started preparing mugwort juice.

“Qingtuan? Isn’t that used for sacrificial rites…?” Xu Wenchan mumbled, “It’s sweet and greasy, and not tasty at all.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make a variety of flavours. There will be something you like,” said Tao Ti smilingly. Seeing that Xu Wenchan would be bored just standing around, she asked her to lend a hand with some simple tasks.

Xu Wenchan willingly rolled up her sleeves and got to work diligently. After grinding a large plate of peanuts, there was a layer of sweat on her forehead.

“Do you need a break?” Tao Ti asked.

“No need, no need. I sweat easily because I’m chubby. It’s not tiring at all.” Xu Wenchan’s cheeks were flushed, and her dimples danced as she spoke. “Besides, I’m finding that making food is rather enjoyable!”

“Yeah, it’s a happy thing to relax and make delicious food. Of course, eating it is even more joyful!” replied Tao Ti.

“Absolutely!”

The two little foodies exchanged smiles, understanding each other perfectly.

In the modern world, there were debates over sweet and savoury rice dumplings, as well as sweet and savoury tofu pudding. Naturally, there were arguments over sweet and savoury Qingtuan too. Tao Ti was unsure about the preferences of Pei Yan and the others, so she decided to make both sweet and savoury versions.

She prepared to make a total of four flavours—pickled vegetable and tofu stuffing, fresh bamboo shoot and pork stuffing, rose bean paste stuffing, and peanut and sesame stuffing. There were two savoury and two sweet, for everyone to have something to choose from.

With the fresh green mugwort juice, glutinous rice flour, and lard mixed in a certain proportion, Tao Ti kneaded the dough to a soft texture with just the right amount of force.  When the dough reached the desired consistency, she divided it into equal-sized pieces and wrapped them around the various fillings, forming round and soft green-coloured balls.

“Ah Ti, won’t this be too much?“ Xu Wenchan counted, and there were over a hundred pieces.

“It’s fine, they can last for three days. Besides, most of them are meant to be given to others, so it’s not too much.” Tao Ti said. Then, she instructed the palace maids to place the Qingtuan into a steamer.

Tao Ti and Xu Wenchan returned to the main hall and had a pot of honey jasmine tea. Not long after, a palace maid came to report that the Qingtuan was ready.

Tao Ti got up from the couch. Xu Wenchan also immediately bounced up to follow her to the kitchen.

When they arrived at the kitchen, several palace maids had also gathered, curious to see how the Qingtuan would turn out after steaming.

Under the watchful gaze of everyone, the lid of the steamer was slowly lifted.

A cloud of white mist rushed out, and as the mist dispersed, the small emerald green dumplings were revealed, lying neatly in the steamer. The unique fragrance of mugwort filled the air, as if the steamer had captured the vibrant colors and the gentle essence of spring, intoxicating everyone present.

Footnotes:

² Zitui buns: A type of steamed bun is named after Jie Zitui, a famous hermit of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). People in Shanxi province have a tradition of eating the bun on Tomb-Sweeping Day. Colorful dough animals and flowers are frequent decorations, while eggs and jujubes are added inside to increase sweetness.

³ Qingtuan: Qingtuan, or green rice balls, are widely consumed in China’s Jiangnan area around the Qingming Festival. The seasonal delicacies are usually made from glutinous rice mixed with pounded mugwort and usually filled with sweet red or black bean paste.

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