Chapter 185

Chapter 185: The Past Stirred by Crabs

Auntie Wang was very satisfied with Cui Ping; her brows eased, and she began praising her on the way back: “So dignified; even her gait is graceful, and without a sound.” She added, pleased: “Later we should have the girls learn from her; those are skills from the palace.” Xin An hurried to stop her and said: “Please do not. If everyone in the courtyard walks without a sound, it would be frightening. This is not the palace; we do not need to be so tense. We should keep some liveliness and make things a bit more cheerful.”

Auntie Wang took the point, but [she also had other plans in mind.] Back in Qiu Shi Courtyard she began instructing Chun Yang, Chun Lv, and the others to be more restrained so Auntie Cui Ping would not laugh at the young madam’s attendants for lacking rules. Her stern expression made the whole courtyard tense; some were even considering changing outfits to greet the aunt from the palace. Xin An found it amusing and said: “Do what you ought to do; do not become too rigid. Once she enters our courtyard, Auntie Cui Ping must follow local custom.” [She would not allow anyone, even someone from the palace, to teach her and her people to be stiff.]

The girls, including Chun Lv, quietly breathed a sigh of relief and then all of them smiled; with the young madam standing up for them, they feared no one.

Soon Physician Zhao arrived, and Xin An showed her fingernails: “The previous dye has faded and a new strip has grown in; I need a fresh dye today.” Physician Zhao took out her bottles and jars and said they should first nourish the hair with oil for a while: “We will treat the hair first, then dye the nails. A few days ago I obtained a more vivid thousand-layer red and, blended with alum, the color will look exquisite.”

By the time Cui Ping came in with her bundle, Xin An’s nails had just been dyed. Learning that her lodging would not be here, Cui Ping did not delay; the first thing she did was order people to buy crabs and prepare all the tools for eating them. [She worried that, at tomorrow’s Crab Feast, Xin An might be embarrassed.] Chun Yang thought this a bit unnecessary. [My lady grew up by Huaijiang. Each autumn after the season turns, Huaijiang crabs are fat, and even an ordinary restaurant offers seven or eight ways to cook them; how could my lady not know how to eat crab?] Still, Xin An said: “Do as Auntie Cui Ping instructs.” The rules for eating crab differed between the two regions, and [Xin An felt it necessary to listen.] In her previous life she had never attended a Crab Feast; she had not even been invited.

Chun Yang took silver and went out; Chun Lv led Cui Ping to be settled. Physician Zhao acted as if she had heard nothing; she only instructed the servants to bring the wash-water. With oil on the hair, one could not sleep until it was washed clean.

After half a day of busyness, Xin An’s glossy hair was black and sleek, and her fingernails had a fresh color. Because the original color had not completely faded, the re-dye rendered them even redder. Xin An said: “Physician Zhao, your coloring technique has improved.” Physician Zhao began putting away her bottles and jars and said: “The young madam’s nails grow well; they are pretty even before dyeing, and with a touch of color they look very bright. Next time you can wait half a month before re-dyeing.” Xin An said she would send for her then and added: “Thank you for your work today.” “It is as it should be,” Physician Zhao replied. Chun Yang presented the day’s gratuity; after a few polite words, they sent Physician Zhao off. Xin An stretched lazily and, seeing it was no longer early, had Chun Yang give her a simple coiffure instead of anything complex. She had just risen when Auntie Cui Ping came in with servants, carrying crabs.

[She had timed the moment the crabs went into the pot and would not allow the slightest delay.] Xin An sat at the table, and Cui Ping had the two senior maids, Chun Yang and Chun Lv, come forward to watch: “I hear Huaijiang crabs are famously fat, so the Second Young Madam must be no stranger to them. Crabs should be eaten fresh and alive, so not many are sent to the capital; in a year one eats them only once or twice. They are usually prepared as brined crab, crab relish, sugared crab, crab congee, and rinsed crab. Among these, brined crab is the most troublesome to eat; if that dish is served tomorrow, unless the host specifically asks otherwise, the Second Young Madam need not lift a hand. Have the maids dismantle the crabs.”

As she spoke, she placed a crab into a bone dish and looked up at Chun Yang and Chun Lv: “I will take one apart for you to see; be sure to watch closely.” Huaijiang also had brined crab, and diners there dismantled them themselves according to personal habit. They used two or three simple tools for eating, yet compared with Cui Ping’s technique, it was rough. Especially with the crab roe and liver; in Huaijiang one split the crab and sucked it straight from the shell to taste the pure sweetness, whereas in Auntie Cui Ping’s hands everything was picked out bit by bit onto a dish. Not only Chun Yang and Chun Lv, even Xin An felt that [after all that fuss, the bright sweetness was gone.]

It did become interesting with the leg meat. In Huaijiang they used a small roller to press the leg meat out, while Cui Ping used the small leg to poke out the meat from the large leg; it was convenient enough, but by the time one crab was completely dismantled, the meat had cooled. Once cool, it carried a faintly fishy note. Xin An tasted a morsel, frowned, and asked: “Where did you buy these crabs?” Cui Ping answered: “This is not the season when crabs are fattest. To bring them alive to the capital in time, one cannot mind everything; the crabs are small, and the flavor is poorer.” Chun Yang added that Liu Chang had taken quite some trouble to buy these crabs and said: “There are no crab farms around the capital.”

Xin An lost interest in these crabs and found herself thinking of the crabs of Huaijiang, big, meaty, and sweet. [She had not tasted them in a long time. In other people’s eyes she had been in Huaijiang only a few months ago, but only she and Tang Mo knew she had not been back there in more than ten years.] [Still, she remembered the look of Huaijiang crabs with vivid clarity.] She remembered that one year her father, so that she could eat a bite of Huaijiang crab, had set out from Huaijiang with two hundred jin, traveling by water. By the time they reached the capital, fewer than thirty jin were still alive. She treasured them, not only because crabs tasted good, but because they came from her home, heavy with her parents’ thoughts of her. Unfortunately, not one fell to her. Tang Rong used them all as gifts, leaving only a few, which he took at night to share with Tao Yi Ran.

A single mouthful of crab meat stirred her sad memories, and sorrow slowly spread. Chun Yang reacted at once and asked gently: “My lady, are you homesick?” Xin An smiled and sniffed lightly: “Yes, I am. I do not know when I will taste Huaijiang crab again. Let us not dwell on it. Follow Auntie Cui Ping’s method and take them apart to see; if anything is not right, Auntie Cui Ping can correct you.”

Auntie Cui Ping did not say more; one should ask as little as possible about one’s mistress, especially when one has just arrived. She merely offered occasional pointers on the essentials of dismantling the crabs. After several in a row, Chun Yang and Chun Lv grew more adept, yet the crabs were lean, with little roe and thin paste, and Xin An grew even less interested.

When Tang Mo returned, he saw several plates piled with crab meat on the table and a mound of shells. He asked: “What is all this for?” Xin An improvised and said: “I was thinking how hard you work on duty, so I am going to make you crab meat bun; you must eat a few extra tonight.” Tang Mo, delighted, came up saying: “So thoughtful? Crab meat bun is wonderfully fresh. The last time I had it was last year. Taking them apart is quite laborious; you have all worked hard.”