Chapter 1977 - Veggie Pancake, Two Skins

She didn't quite grasp what the Senate truly represented. When she'd first arrived in Lingao, people frequently mentioned "Chairman Wen." She'd assumed that was probably the "Emperor" of the Australians. But later she'd heard the Australians were descendants of the Great Song—and she knew about Song descendants. They'd be surnamed Zhao. So Chairman Wen definitely wasn't the Emperor.

Later, during late-night dormitory conversations at the training class, she'd heard classmates say this Chairman position rotated—any Senator could occupy it, regardless of gender.

Viewed in this light, if Chief Zhang bestowed her surname Zhang on a child, Chief Wang naturally wouldn't dare oppose it unto death. Nan Wan'er suddenly felt she'd gained another layer of understanding regarding the Senate.

Zhang Xiaoqi, however, possessed no such sophisticated political comprehension. In the old timeline, she and her husband had agreed the second child would take the surname Zhang. Unexpectedly, after transmigrating, she'd conceived twins. Amid the joy, the couple decided both children would be surnamed Zhang as previously agreed. But when registering the children's "household status" at that "College of Arms," Director Xiao had tactfully and diplomatically offered suggestions. Because Wang Muqing was a "minor Senator" born in the old timeline who'd brought her own seat, the couple still commanded two hereditary seats to transmit. Considering the social realities of this timeline, it would be more appropriate for the two children to inherit one seat each—one surnamed Zhang, one surnamed Wang. That child-naming involved political implications had been entirely unexpected for the Wang Qiyi couple. After consulting several close friends and Cheng Dong, the high-level leader closest to the core, they'd decided to follow Director Xiao's arrangement: the two children would take the surnames of the two parents respectively.

"There's nothing fake about this. I told Chief Ma and Chief Ji before, and they also confirmed the Marriage Law explicitly states children can take either father's or mother's surname. It's not some immutable principle." Zhang Xiaoqi set down the child in her arms. "Niannian, you get down and walk too—you've exhausted your Auntie. If you ask me, Wan'er, that Miss Dong mentioned by Chief Zheng lives very lucidly, possessing her own ideas and objectives. You served your master and fellow disciples in the first half of life, and you'll serve a husband, in-laws, and children after marrying in the second half. What's the meaning of such an existence? ... We didn't take the wrong turn, did we?"

"No, Sister—turning left ahead is the Dong Family Shop." Nan Wan'er didn't dare respond to such statements. In her assessment, whatever "wild talk" Senator Zhang uttered didn't matter—she was a Senator. But Nan Wan'er herself absolutely shouldn't blindly echo such sentiments. If matters turned serious, people like her would be first to suffer.

When Zhang Xiaoqi and her party of four leisurely strolled to the Dong Family Shop, a queue had already formed before the pancake stall outside. The crowded flow of humanity, the small stall steaming with heat, the fragrant scent of scorched flour assailing her nostrils, the somewhat dilapidated eaves, and the surrounding clamor—all transported her back to the breakfast spot beneath her old timeline apartment. Acting on impulse, she pulled Nan Wan'er to join the end of the line.

"Sister, there's space inside. I heard we can sit and order directly—it's the same. Those queuing are buying and leaving." Nan Wan'er had done her homework with colleagues who'd arrived in Guangzhou earlier.

"It's fine, it's fine. What I want is precisely this sensation. I used to queue far longer than this for a few skewers. How about you take Niannian and the others to find seats, and I'll queue?"

"They definitely won't go. Let me stay with you." Nan Wan'er sometimes genuinely couldn't fathom these Chiefs' style. Call them formidable—they were truly formidable. Legend had it when they first arrived in Lingao, the county organized troops to attack. These Chiefs—men and women, old and young—had all killed people, yet managed a poor, remote county to perfection... genuinely capable of pacifying the realm with pen and sword alike. Yet ordinarily, they appeared as though they'd never been masters at all, preferring to handle matters personally, and even mingling with common people regularly.

This sister of hers administered all the finances in Hainan and Guangdong, yet forget traveling with retinues of maids and servants—she'd barely sat in a sedan chair a handful of times. Regarding food alone, Nan Wan'er recalled when serving masters on the mountain, there'd always been several exquisite small dishes on ordinary days. If the household had money or one was a "favorite," it grew even more particular. Unlike Zhang Xiaoqi, who since Lingao delighted in drilling into various ramshackle small shops or even seeking food at roadside stalls. Several times, she'd found herself surrounded by bare-chested men, not daring to even raise her head. But for Zhang Xiaoqi, this was her favorite method of "foraging," just as in the old timeline. Of course, after quarreling with her husband multiple times and being intimidated by Minister Shi and others with various illustrated hygiene explanations, she'd reluctantly narrowed her foraging radius considerably. After all, the concept of food hygiene couldn't be established in the masses' consciousness within three or five years. Losing one's life over a mouthful of food remained exceedingly easy.

Zhang Xiaoqi appraised this unremarkable shop. This Dong mother and daughter were genuinely capable! In Zhang Xiaoqi's assessment, the Dong Family Shop's popularity stemmed primarily from accumulating the collective achievements of various old timeline gossip tropes. First, Miss Dong operated alone—an unmarried maiden managing a shop independently. This was unprecedented. Excluding Australian establishments, how many such cases existed in all the Great Ming? Note that even when Zhuo Wenjun sold wine, she'd had Sima Xiangru accompanying her. Second, Miss Dong's wastrel father was a Prefect. Regardless of circumstances, opening a shop for commerce bearing the title "Prefect's daughter"—anyone would want to come observe. Moreover, this Dong mother and daughter had not only survived completely after bandits breached the city and invaded their home, but had even reclaimed their movable property! What were bandits? This wasn't plucking food from a cat's dish—this was seizing food from a tiger's jaws! This mother and daughter likely maintained quite entangled connections with Chief Wen Dao, who commanded absolute authority in Guangzhou. Finally, rumor had it this Miss Dong wasn't being tranquil—making eyes at that patrolman Li Ziyu. And Li Ziyu's father had been an officer in the Usurper Ming army. How would Chief Wen Dao react knowing his forbidden meat was coveted by others?

These gossip-compounded rumors, if circulated before the Senate entered the city, would have sufficed to drive the Dong mother and daughter to suicide. But now Guangzhou had changed skies. Female bandits wearing skirts exposing legs ran everywhere. This morsel of gossip carried no lethal force.

However, Zhang Xiaoqi had come to the Dong Family Shop today without the slightest gossip motivation. As a foodie from Shandong, during these recent days in Lingao, she'd desperately missed the heavy oil and salt flavors of the past. Having finally discovered a shop with Shandong character in Guangzhou, and hearing that Shandong naturalized citizens and other Senators evaluated the taste as acceptable, how could she not visit? Besides, Zheng Shangjie had mentioned long ago how distinctive this new timeline "Miss Dong" was, enjoying some fame even within Senator circles. Especially knowing she was actually named Dong Mingdang—the sophomoric amusement of certain male Senators obviously soared.

Zhang Xiaoqi and Nan Wan'er queuing at the line's end caused slight commotion. The two followed regulations by not wearing Finance and Tax Bureau uniforms, instead donning the most ordinary naturalized citizen cadre attire. But their two figures—obviously taller and fuller than others—still attracted numerous gazes. Especially the two porcelain-doll-like twin girls obediently queuing behind their mother proved even more conspicuous. Fortunately, Australian Song had administered Guangzhou for nearly a year. Guangzhou citizens, particularly the naturalized citizens queuing here, already possessed basic rule comprehension. At most they turned heads to glance several times without causing trouble.

Dong Xiang accepted the brush Lan'er handed him and nimbly swept the entire griddle surface. This had been specifically instructed by Miss Dong, who'd said Australian Song regulations stipulated anything entering mouths must be clean—special hygiene police patrolled the streets conducting inspections. Due to the plague, Guangzhou had actually advanced beyond Lingao in public health management. When the water on the griddle dried slightly, Dong Xiang scooped with a ladle in his left hand into the multi-grain batter, pouring it evenly onto the griddle counter-clockwise, while grasping a thin bamboo spreader in his right hand to distribute the batter uniformly. As soon as the pancake formed, he brushed on sauce, spread the shredded vegetables Lan'er had properly mixed and cut from the vegetable basin atop it, and pressed lightly with the spreader to heat.

"This is a Veggie Pancake? You know how to make these too?" Dong Xiang was just about to lift the pancake for folding when the person standing opposite suddenly spoke. He glanced up at this woman. She appeared approximately his height, with large but deep-set eyes like foreigners. No matter how he examined her, she didn't resemble a local woman. Could she be a Chief?

"Customer, you truly possess excellent discernment. This is the Veggie Pancake from my Miss's hometown." Compared to the honest, dull Dong Xiang, Lan'er, who'd served people since childhood, was considerably sharper. Though she hadn't determined this woman with children's background, she could still discern from bearing and speech that she wasn't ordinary.

"Oh, I thought you only made Pancake Rolls." Zhang Xiaoqi's eyes gleamed. Her eldest daughter hadn't mentioned Veggie Pancakes being available here when departing. It seemed this Miss Dong possessed a remarkably open mind.

"We only began this month. Miss said since this contains many vegetables, those with small appetites can treat it as a complete meal. Madam, how many skins do you want? Add eggs?"

"Two skins, one egg." Zhang Xiaoqi knew the drill. Examining the large porcelain plate heaped with various shredded vegetables, she regretfully noted the vegetable varieties in this timeline remained limited. Especially the most critical vegetable for her Veggie Pancakes: potato, was absent.

Potatoes were currently only cultivated on Jeju Island. Beyond Jeju Island, even reaching Hainan qualified as "Senate Special Supply." As for another vegetable Zhang Xiaoqi considered essential: carrot, it too was missing here.

Meats exceeded those at old timeline pancake stalls. Naturally, items like ham sausage didn't exist, but essential braised pig head meat was plentiful, along with various braised organ meats. One could see they'd employed considerable ingenuity.

She ordered three or four vegetable types, declined meat, and instructed "Add extra chili sauce!"—prompting sidelong glances from surrounding customers. Chili itself hadn't been introduced to the Great Ming for long, and regions cultivating and consuming it weren't numerous. As for Guangzhou's chili sauce, it had been introduced single-handedly by Australians. Ordinary people hadn't yet acclimated to it, much less requested "extra."

(End of Chapter)