Chapter 16: The Busy Morning Market

Wonton? Shangguan Yinyin speculated that the wonton Xu Nuo mentioned might be a type of dumpling.

Xu Nuo, as a modern Southern person, preferred wontons over boiled dumplings. The filling is ample, and the skin is thin. A single bite is packed with meat, paired with a bowl of seaweed and dried shrimp soup – perfect!
Wang Shi couldn’t help but feel her mouth watering. She realized that her childhood craving had been stirred up again by her daughter-in-law!

“Girl Nuo, I truly admire your brain. How many snacks have you stashed away all day long?”

“Hehe,” Xu Nuo grinned, rushing into the kitchen to start kneading the dough. She had to thank the old lady who had taught her this skill during her food exploration outings; it was all coming together nicely!

As a child, she would press, knead, and roll out dough, producing one thin skin after another. With little effort, a large stack of wonton skins appeared on the table.

The next morning, while it was still dark outside, the lights in the Shangguan family’s courtyard were already lit. Xu Nuo and Wang Shi started busying themselves with organizing the ingredients. Shangguan had already fired up the stove and placed the pot on it, ready to transport everything to the academy entrance.

At this time, the stars in the sky were still twinkling, and there were no pedestrians on the road; the street was very quiet. Xu Nuo arranged the items, and Shangguan even went back to bring two large barrels of water, so they could wash the bowls and chopsticks on-site later.

As dawn broke, people started to move about on the road. Most were workers hurrying into the city, their footsteps quick. Occasionally, someone would be drawn over by the fragrance, but few would stop to look.

“Hey! Xu Nuo, what are you boiling in that pot? It smells amazing!” The customer who bought marinated food every day had sharp eyes and immediately spotted that the top scholar’s snack stall was open early!

With this shout, passersby stopped in their tracks, gathering at the stall. Many stared in curiosity at the steaming pot, waiting for Xu Nuo to explain.

“Everyone, you really came at the right time! This is our first batch of bamboo rice. Would you like to try some? If you don’t like it, it’s free!” Xu Nuo beamed, her heart filled with joy, as she lifted the pot lid and began to introduce the bamboo rice.

This piqued everyone’s interest. The people were mostly laborers heading to the docks or other shops, who normally rose early but didn’t eat much—at most a thin bowl of congee, which barely kept hunger at bay. The last couple of bathroom trips would empty them, and they typically started their mornings starving.

Now with this rice, regardless of whether they ate it or not, it would fill them up. The key is that the bamboo tube is easy to carry, so when they get hungry, they could have a few bites. Asking for the price, it was only eight wen each, not expensive, and everyone eagerly pulled out money and started lining up to buy.

Some customers even ordered four at once, planning to have one for breakfast and saving the rest for lunch.

The travelers bought it and walked off with it, while others with more time sat on small chairs and leisurely ate. Feeling a bit dry, they ordered a cup of soy milk to drink. With their stomachs full, they felt a surge of energy, thinking that if they could eat like this every morning, it would be amazing!

Xu Nuo handed over the task of selling bamboo rice to Wang Shi and started to wrap the wontons on the side. Xu Nuo figured that the travelers mostly needed to fill their stomachs, so bamboo rice was essential. However, students at the academy were different; their families were relatively well-off, some even affluent, and not pressed for time, so more of them might choose wontons.

Look, didn’t they just arrive? The academy gates opened, and students trickled in. Those of sharp eyes immediately spotted Xu Nuo’s family.

“Shangguan, what’s new in your stall?” a student called out, and some even walked over to gawk for a while, while others began chatting.

After Xu Nuo explained the bamboo rice, she took out the wontons she had already wrapped and placed them in a bowl. No need to explain further; the students’ eyes brightened.

“I must have a bowl of this!”

“We definitely need to check out Shangguan’s stall.”

Xu Nuo hurriedly set up another pot, and soon the water in the pot began bubbling away. She gently placed the wrapped wontons into the pot and stirred them lightly with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together. Wang Shi prepared seaweed, dried shrimp, cilantro, and other ingredients, laying them out on a small table nearby.

Before long, the first pot of wontons was ready. Xu Nuo fished them out, placed them in a large bowl, poured hot broth over them, and sprinkled some condiments on top. A fragrant bowl of wontons was ready. The students eagerly took their bowls and began tasting. The wontons were delicious and rich in flavor, prompting everyone to exclaim in delight.