Matriarch: Heartbeat of the Pear Blossoms Falls Late - Chapter 5

Translator: Michi

Editor: Daed

Proofreader: Michi

Fengxi City was the largest and most prosperous city outside of the capital in Dongyang Country. This city was also known as the “mini capital city”.

This tenth day of the fifth lunar month was an absolutely lively and festive day. It was also a great day for the marriage of two of the best families in Fengxi City, the Mu Family and the Liu Family.

On the sides of the streets, the commoners gathered and watched as the Mu Family grandly escorted the groom, the young lord of the Liu Family, to the bride’s house. The people there couldn’t help but sigh at the Mu Family’s wealth. The Liu Family boasted of the ten ample dowries given and the red silk hanged all around with red adornments.

Along the sides of the streets, the commoners were laughing and chattering in admiration. The joyful melody of playing and singing and the crackles of the firecrackers made this day in Fengxi City burst in noises and excitement. 

Watching the liveliness from behind, a crowd in groups of two to three pushed through the commotion and entered a restaurant called “First-Rate Snow” to dine while watching from the sidelines.

First-Rate Snow was the most well-known restaurant in Fengxi City. It was also a favorite for all, regardless of commoners or young lords and young ladies from wealthy families. The restaurant has novel dishes, absolutely satisfactory fresh and juicy flavors, all kinds of unique sweet and salty desserts, and many more true delicacies. 

Furthermore, First-Rate Snow changes in response to people of every stratum, carrying out the service demands of the common and wealthy, as well as the different embellishments for every stratum.

The embellishment of the restaurant hall was done in accordance with the point of view of commoners. In account of that, they made sure that the colors would give off a simple, down-to-earth, comfortable, cozy, and familial atmosphere.

The designation standard of the second floor was aimed towards the cultured and reputable, thus the integrated quality of the embellishment style was refined, poetic, and elegant. And the interior of every room exhibited calligraphies, paintings, and poetic song verses of various personages for refined scholars who would come to view and assess.

The embellishment of the third floor was bound to look luxurious, resplendent, and magnificent, as it was lavishly designed for wealthy individuals who were more of aristocrats, with not few antique vases, byobu screens[1], calligraphies, and paintings. Here, there was not one object that was not valuable and rare.

Therefore, the dishes of First-Rate Snow are affordable, even for commoners. For the more cultured individuals, they focus more on the novelty and flavor of the dishes. Individuals of different strata would have different thoughts on them. As for the aristocrats, the more refined, more extraordinary, and more expensive the dishes of First-Rate Snow were, the better.

Not to mention, First-Rate Snow would have a section of a play being told on stage in the restaurant hall every five days.

For that, there were various individuals drinking tea and watching the play that day. The scholars would either be discussing the day and the land, or about literature, and the aristocratic young lords and young ladies would gather and socialize.

This restaurant was so famous and lively, yet no one was able to find out who the individual behind First-Rate Snow was. No one was able to dig up who that individual was either. Because of that, the individual behind First-Rate Snow in Fengxi City remained a mystery.

It was a hazy cloud that no one was able to understand any more thoroughly. Just like the wind, having no shadow and no form, invisible and intangible.

Yet, everyone knew that there was a room on the third floor of First-Rate Snow that was never open to the public. But every month, the manager of First-Rate Snow would come out of that room deferentially, and personally bring up dishes and beverages to that very room as quickly as he could. 

And every time someone saw the manager of First-Rate Snow come out of that room, he would always deferentially give a deep bow. This gave anyone who was curious about that room the idea that the person inside was unusually mysterious.

Of course, it wasn’t like there weren’t a few daring people who didn’t take advantage of the moment after the manager left and sneakily approached the room, ready to see just what kind of person it was. Could it be that mysterious owner and individual behind First-Rate Snow?

Unfortunately, they could only fail, since they had no way to get any closer. When they were half a meter away from the door, they were unable to go any further. It was like there was a sort of invisible pressure and force that prevented them from touching the door, much less secretly opening it.

Immediately afterwards, they would directly fly down a floor, just like falling petals.

And at this time, the manager would suddenly appear before them like a ghost and look down at them quietly from above. Before they could open their mouths to threaten him, the manager would sternly warn them. After all, they were the ones who crossed the lines first. They could only leave with their tails between their legs.

From then on, no one risked satisfying their curiosity.

[1] A byobu screen.

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