Chapter 32: Pickled Radish
Tan Leyao visited for the first time, bringing lavish gifts.
Presents for Old Madam, Madam Ning, the second and third madams, and all the young ladies were delivered to their respective courtyards.
Only the gifts intended for Shen Shi remained piled at the entrance of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard.
Pear Moon peeked over the low wall and saw four gold-lacquered gift boxes, indicating the presents were substantial.
Shen Shi held her temper, refusing to open the courtyard gate even as the Tan siblings took their leave.
By the time the Young Master and Miss Ning returned from seeing off the guests, she had already ordered the gift boxes discarded at the study.
At the sight, the Young Master’s eyes grew even more furious.
Miss Ning pretended not to notice and left with Miaotong.
Miaotong, having endured harsh words from the maids and matrons of Phoenix Ripple Courtyard, embellished the story when recounting it to Miss Ning.
Miss Ning couldn’t complain directly, so she had Miaotong spread the tale among the maids in Brocade Prosperity Hall.
That evening, Hong Rong learned of it and quietly relayed the news while attending to Madam Ning at bedtime.
“The young madam quarreled with the Young Master and unjustly slighted Miss Tan. She refused the gifts, sent no return presents, kept her gate shut, and avoided meeting them—leaving Miss Ning to see off the guests. The Young Master was utterly humiliated.”
Madam Ning, who had been in high spirits after the Spring Day Banquet, instantly darkened, the fine lines between her brows deepening.
“I thought she was merely petty, but now I see she’s utterly hopeless. General Tan is Yuan Jun’s comrade-in-arms. His siblings came to the capital seeking refuge and should be treated as honored guests, like family. Yet she offends them like this. Marrying her was truly a calamity—sooner or later, she’ll be the death of me!”
On the day of Shen Shi’s wedding, news arrived of the Duke of Ningguo’s death, sparking rumors that the bride brought misfortune to her in-laws.
However, Shen Shi came from a noble family, and Ningguo Mansion upheld propriety, suppressing such gossip.
Now, provoked by her, Madam Ning cursed without restraint.
With many maids attending in the inner chamber, how could they not gossip once outside?
Within two days, rumors about Shen Shi multiplied, reaching even Pear Moon’s ears.
Proud by nature, Shen Shi felt as if struck by lightning upon hearing the talk. Just as she was about to recover, she fell ill again and took to her bed.
Her endless illness left the small kitchen idle.
Autumn Abundance busied herself with sewing clothes, Huan Huan grew utterly bored, while Pear Moon alone was kept on her feet.
Since receiving the gifts, Aunt Cao had taken a deliberate interest in cultivating Pear Moon, having her practice knife skills by cutting radishes morning and night.
First came slicing, dicing, peeling, and chopping, followed by scoring, splitting, deboning, pounding, scooping, turning, and scraping.
After mastering these over seven or eight days, Aunt Cao had her carve radish flowers.
“Grand banquets are for both eating and viewing. In official and wealthy households, feasts always include decorative centerpieces. ‘Five Elders Ensure Victory,’ towering clustered platters, carved and stacked like pagodas—they look luxurious and spectacular. To create such displays, one must master the art of carving. Learn slowly, little girl!”
Pear Moon knew that the higher the status of the household, the more elaborate the decorative platters.
For instance, at the Young Master’s homecoming banquet, there were sixteen tables alone for the ceremonial display, each with ten plates of ornamental fruits and dishes.
Every platter was adorned with carvings and inlays, lavish and pleasing to the eye.
In aristocratic households, carving skills were fundamental for a cook—non-negotiable.
While Pear Moon’s knife work for cooking was decent, her carving was full of flaws, earning her many slaps.
Yet she understood Aunt Cao meant well and resolved to practice diligently.
Pear Moon grasped the significance.
The Young Master had been back for nearly a month, and the imperial edict granting his succession was imminent.
On the day the decree arrived, Ningguo Mansion would host a grand banquet.
This feast differed from family gatherings—nobles, dignitaries, and ladies from all prominent families in the capital would come to celebrate.
Three stages alone would be erected for the theatrical performances, and the banquet dishes were certain to include the grand display table, the mountain-backed table, and the large interposed table.
Not only was the Main Kitchen bustling, but Crane Longevity Hall, Brocade Prosperity Hall, and even the small kitchen of their Phoenix Ripple Courtyard—all the head cooks, lead kitchen wives, rough-work grannies, and stove-tending maids—had to be fully mobilized.
If she knew how to prepare display dishes, she could be of great help to Aunt Cao.
Pear Moon herself had her own thoughts; she wanted the Main Kitchen’s manager to see her skills, so she could enter earlier.
Thinking this way, she no longer felt tired and chopped radishes with even more vigor.
Yet despite her daily radish chopping, Phoenix Ripple Courtyard remained quiet.
The imperial edict conferring the title had not arrived even after many days of waiting.
Pear Moon did not yet know that the edict had been quietly withheld at the Ministry of Rites by the third young master of the Shen family.
How the edict was handled was beyond Pear Moon’s control, but seeing the daily mountain of radishes piling up, she felt it was a waste.
A clever idea struck her: she obtained some small jars and turned them all into pickled radish in fermented sauce.
She first sent two jars to her godmother, Madam Liu, and also gave some to her elder sister, Cai Wen.
The remaining amount was still too much, and everyone in the small kitchen had grown tired of eating them.
So Autumn Abundance came up with an idea: while no one was paying attention, they could secretly send them to the shops on the back street to sell.
A jar of pickled small radishes sold for two hundred coins, and in one go, they earned over one tael of silver.
Counting on her fingers, even if she accounted for the full cost of the brine, fermented grains, and radishes, it was only fifty wen.
With just fifty wen, she could earn one tael and two hundred wen—this business was simply too profitable.
Pear Moon immediately grew excited and discussed with Autumn Abundance and Huan Huan about taking advantage of the season to make pickled radishes for sale.
She was afraid that using too much of the kitchen’s supplies would upset Aunt Cao if she found out.
So she took out one hundred wen and had Autumn Abundance buy coarse salt, soy sauce, fermented grains, and radishes. She also sent her to inquire about prices at several grocery shops on the back street, offering twenty wen commission for each jar sold.
Huan Huan was not good at managing affairs, so Pear Moon gave her one hundred wen each time to help move the jars.
With these matters arranged, the few of them set up radish jars outside the small house and the woodshed, secretly starting their small business.
The people in the kitchen courtyard paid little attention, only Aunt Cao, smelling the pickled radish, came over to take a few glances.
Pear Moon bought two bottles of good wine and used them to silence Aunt Cao.
The rough-work maids earning a bit of pocket money weren’t using the small kitchen’s firewood, charcoal, oil, or salt, so Aunt Cao didn’t interfere.
In the blink of an eye, over half a month passed, and they had actually earned five taels of silver from selling pickled radishes.
Pear Moon took charge of the accounts, keeping two taels for herself, giving one tael each to Autumn Abundance and Huan Huan, and leaving one tael as capital.
They often came and went through the small side gate, so they became friendly with the young servants, giving them some pickled radishes to go with their drinks.
One day, Pear Moon bought radishes, salt, and sauce and waited at the side gate for Huan Huan to help carry them.
The young servant teased, “When the Young Master inherits the title, you’ll serve pickled radishes to the guests!”
Pear Moon retorted disdainfully, “Don’t look down on them; even the Young Master praised them as delicious.”
At this point, she curiously asked the young servant, “Little brother, why hasn’t the Young Master inherited the title yet?”
All the servants in the mansion were eagerly awaiting the edict conferring the title.
Once the edict was issued, generous rewards would be distributed—everyone would get a share, so who wouldn’t look forward to it?
To celebrate the Young Lord’s inheritance of the title, the mansion would host theatrical performances and banquets for several days—a spectacle rarely seen in years, something to boast about with pride.
At the grand inheritance banquet, the guests would be nobles, princes, and young masters of high status, and the distribution of rewards would be even more lavish.
So even if they had to work hard, everyone hoped the Young Lord would inherit the title sooner, so they could earn some extra money.
Pear Moon’s timing was just right; if she had asked anyone else, they wouldn’t have known.
But this gatekeeper, Er Shun, was the Young Master’s horse attendant and loved to chatter and joke around.
After eating Pear Moon’s pickles, his mouth was itching to show off how much he knew.
“You little girl, if you don’t ask, I wouldn’t tell you either. The petition for the Young Master to inherit the title first goes to His Majesty’s imperial desk, then to the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, then to the official in charge at the Ministry of Rites, and finally to our mansion. So many hands handle a single imperial edict—if any link in the chain isn’t properly greased, our Young Master will suffer in silence!”
He spoke as if he had witnessed it himself, but Pear Moon didn’t believe him and covered her mouth to laugh.
Seeing her disbelief, Er Shun stamped his foot in frustration. Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and said, “The other day, our mansion sent a whole heap of lavish gifts to Eunuch Lu’s private residence at the Directorate of Ceremonial. All sorts of pearls, agates, and coral trees—things you’ve never even seen!”
Hearing this, Pear Moon began to believe him. The Young Master had visited the Directorate of Ceremonial a few days earlier, something Jade Ink had mentioned in passing.
“If gifts were sent to the seal-holding eunuch, why not to the official in charge at the Ministry of Rites?”
Pear Moon asked, still puzzled.
Er Shun shook his head and said, “The official in charge at the Ministry of Rites is Third Young Master Shen, the Young Master’s own brother-in-law. They’re close relatives—why would he hold up his own sister’s husband?”