Chapter 59

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing the secret that his mother had given him.

"Minister Su, Uncle Zegao has arrived. Shall I bring out the dishes?"

"Go ahead. The dumplings are also ready."

"Understood."

As the servant asked, I nodded, and soon Uncle Zegao appeared in the kitchen, asking me,

"Is everything ready?"

"Of course, Uncle."

"I am also ready. Bring it out whenever you like."

Uncle Zegao nodded resolutely and disappeared. I immediately started setting up the Dongpo Pork on a large plate. When I opened the bamboo steamer, the pungent aroma of the spices hit my nose.

-Hiss

As the steam cleared, the Dongpo Pork was revealed inside. The meat, colored a bronze hue from the soy sauce and caramelized sugar, looked as appetizing as if it had been tanned on a summer beach. As droplets from the steamer fell onto the surface of the Dongpo Pork, slight ripples appeared, showing how tender it was.

I carefully placed blanched Chinese broccoli around the edges of the silver plate and gently placed the Dongpo Pork in the center. Then, I poured a thick sauce made from the Dongpo Pork broth and cornstarch over it. The surface of the pork, which was still steaming hot, trembled with each pour, a clear sign of how tender it was.

I quickly covered it and carried it to the dining area. To prevent the Dongpo Pork from cooling, I hurried to the pavilion where the dinner was being held. The servants opened the door for me, and as I entered, Su Dongpo's voice greeted me.

"Oh, Qingyun, come in. I have been eagerly waiting for your dish."

"Have you arrived, Uncle Yefurangzhong?"

Su Dongpo looked at me with an expression that said he couldn't wait any longer. I smiled and replied,

"I hope you will enjoy today's dish."

I placed the Dongpo Pork in the center of the table and sat down. Su Dongpo, rubbing his hands in anticipation, looked at the dish with eager eyes. I soon opened the lid to reveal its contents.

-Clang

As the lid opened, the unique aroma of the Dongpo Pork, infused with five spices, and the thick, sticky sauce flowing out, made Su Dongpo's throat move, just like his wife, Zegao.

Just as Su Dongpo couldn't resist and was about to pick up his chopsticks, Uncle Zegao's stern voice scolded him,

"What are you doing!"

Su Dongpo looked at Uncle Zegao with a startled expression, clearly confused.

"Why, why are you saying this to someone who has gone to such lengths to prepare a dish?"

Uncle Zegao, who was Zegao's uncle, shouted in anger,

"How can you serve such a lowly dish as pork to my dear friend! This is a slight to his dignity. Apologize to him immediately!"

Uncle Zegao's stern voice made Su Dongpo look flustered. I responded with a puzzled expression,

"I prepared this dish because I heard that Uncle Yefurangzhong wrote a poem praising pork. Perhaps my judgment was short-sighted."

In this era, Dongpo Pork already existed, though it wasn't yet known by that name. In my previous life, there were many theories about how Dongpo Pork was created. For example, Su Dongpo, who enjoyed boiling pork, forgot about it while playing with friends, resulting in overcooked meat. Or, when he was a local official, he received pigs as gifts from the people for building dikes to prevent floods, and feeling guilty about accepting such gifts from poor people, he transformed the meat into a dish called Huizeng Rou (回贈肉) and gave it back to them. Or, he created it because he wanted to eat it. Some said it evolved from Hongshaorou (紅燒肉), and there were many other theories.

However, the story of Huizeng Rou, created by the Wang family to promote their business, was clearly a fabrication. Because the Chinese, who love storytelling, would almost certainly create a plausible story for emotional marketing. And if a famous person's name was involved, the probability of it being a fabrication to boost their reputation would be even higher.

Considering the remaining three theories and the poem "Shizhurou" (食猪肉), the picture becomes clearer. Su Dongpo, who loved pork, likely transformed an existing dish. While the Dongpo Pork of this era is different from the perfected version from my previous life, the essence is the same: it is cooked for a long time to make it tender.

To avoid making my wife, Zegao, feel awkward and to hide my embarrassment, I steered the conversation by asking,

"Ah, but I haven't heard the story about your mother-in-law. May I ask about it?"

"Father doesn't talk much about Mother. He says he will tell me when I turn nineteen."

"Nineteen?"

In the Central Plains, nineteen is equivalent to twenty in Korea.

'Does the story he will tell contain adult content?'

As I chatted with my wife about various topics, two hours passed as if they had been deleted. Just as we were about to fall asleep, the servant rushed in to announce that Su Dongpo had arrived.

"Minister Yefurangzhong has arrived. Shall I bring out the dishes?"

"Go ahead. The dumplings are also ready."

"Understood."

The servant's question was met with a nod, and soon Uncle Zegao appeared in the kitchen, asking me,

"Is everything ready?"

"Of course, Uncle."

"I am also ready. Bring it out whenever you like."

Uncle Zegao nodded resolutely and disappeared. I immediately started setting up the Dongpo Pork on a large plate. When I opened the bamboo steamer, the pungent aroma of the spices hit my nose.

-Hiss

As the steam cleared, the Dongpo Pork was revealed inside. The meat, colored a bronze hue from the soy sauce and caramelized sugar, looked as appetizing as if it had been tanned on a summer beach. As droplets from the steamer fell onto the surface of the Dongpo Pork, slight ripples appeared, showing how tender it was.

I carefully placed blanched Chinese broccoli around the edges of the silver plate and gently placed the Dongpo Pork in the center. Then, I poured a thick sauce made from the Dongpo Pork broth and cornstarch over it. The surface of the pork, which was still steaming hot, trembled with each pour, a clear sign of how tender it was.

I quickly covered it and carried it to the dining area. To prevent the Dongpo Pork from cooling, I hurried to the pavilion where the dinner was being held. The servants opened the door for me, and as I entered, Su Dongpo's voice greeted me.

"Oh, Qingyun, come in. I have been eagerly waiting for your dish."

"Have you arrived, Uncle Yefurangzhong?"

Su Dongpo looked at me with an expression that said he couldn't wait any longer. I smiled and replied,

"I hope you will enjoy today's dish."

I placed the Dongpo Pork in the center of the table and sat down. Su Dongpo, rubbing his hands in anticipation, looked at the dish with eager eyes. I soon opened the lid to reveal its contents.

-Clang

As the lid opened, the unique aroma of the Dongpo Pork, infused with five spices, and the thick, sticky sauce flowing out, made Su Dongpo's throat move, just like his wife, Zegao.

Just as Su Dongpo couldn't resist and was about to pick up his chopsticks, Uncle Zegao's stern voice scolded him,

"What are you doing!"

Su Dongpo looked at Uncle Zegao with a startled expression, clearly confused.

"Why, why are you saying this to someone who has gone to such lengths to prepare a dish?"

Uncle Zegao, who was Zegao's uncle, shouted in anger,

"How can you serve such a lowly dish as pork to my dear friend! This is a slight to his dignity. Apologize to him immediately!"

Uncle Zegao's stern voice made Su Dongpo look flustered. I responded with a puzzled expression,

"I prepared this dish because I heard that Uncle Yefurangzhong wrote a poem praising pork. Perhaps my judgment was short-sighted."

In this era, Dongpo Pork already existed, though it wasn't yet known by that name. In my previous life, there were many theories about how Dongpo Pork was created. For example, Su Dongpo, who enjoyed boiling pork, forgot about it while playing with friends, resulting in overcooked meat. Or, when he was a local official, he received pigs as gifts from the people for building dikes to prevent floods, and feeling guilty about accepting such gifts from poor people, he transformed the meat into a dish called Huizeng Rou (回贈肉) and gave it back to them. Or, he created it because he wanted to eat it. Some said it evolved from Hongshaorou (紅燒肉), and there were many other theories.

However, the story of Huizeng Rou, created by the Wang family to promote their business, was clearly a fabrication. Because the Chinese, who love storytelling, would almost certainly create a plausible story for emotional marketing. And if a famous person's name was involved, the probability of it being a fabrication to boost their reputation would be even higher.

For example, the story of Zhuge Liang creating dumplings or Guan Yu using the Yan Yue Dao (偃月刀) is likely a fabrication because dumplings were only fully developed during the Song Dynasty, and the Yan Yue Dao was created during the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties to counter enemy cavalry, which didn't exist before.

Given these reasons, I excluded the fabricated stories and focused on the remaining three theories. Considering the poem "Shizhurou" (食猪肉), it becomes clear that Su Dongpo, who loved pork, likely transformed an existing dish. While the Dongpo Pork of this era is different from the perfected version from my previous life, the essence is the same: it is cooked for a long time to make it tender.

Su Dongpo, who often wrote candidly and moved between minor posts and retirement, lived a humble life. He, who loved meat, had to eat cheaper alternatives to expensive mutton. Therefore, he cooked pork, which was cheap and delicious, to be as tender as mutton, creating the early version of Dongpo Pork.

To him, pork must have had many meanings. Finally, Uncle Zegao's excellent acting made Su Dongpo unable to hold back.

"What are you talking about? How can pork be lowly? If pork is lowly, then everyone who eats it is lowly? The world decides what is lowly, and if pork can be cooked deliciously or used to feed the people, it is not lowly. Qingyun, give it to me!"

Su Dongpo snatched the Dongpo Pork from my hands. He tried to pick up a piece of pork with his chopsticks, but it was so tender that it split in half. Surprised, he used a spoon to transfer it to his bowl and took a large bite.

-Slurp

Despite putting meat in his mouth, a sound like he was sipping soup came out. Su Dongpo, clearly satisfied, chewed with a contented expression. The aroma of the pork fat, the bursting juices, and the tender texture must have made the Dongpo Pork melt in his mouth like water.

With his eyes closed, Su Dongpo, deeply moved by the Dongpo Pork, suddenly began to compose a poem.

"Pork, which the rich call lowly.

Lowliness is merely a prejudice.

The value of pork is as cheap as mud,

But its taste is like a pearl in the mud."

When his poem ended, Uncle Zegao smiled and asked Su Dongpo,

"Did you not say that the world decides what is lowly, and it is merely a prejudice?"

Su Dongpo replied firmly,

"Of course, how can pork, which fills the bellies of the people, be a lowly dish?!"

Because if pork, which he had to eat due to his humble life, was considered a lowly dish, Su Dongpo himself would be considered lowly. Therefore, he strongly denied Uncle Zegao's statement.

Uncle Zegao, impressed by Su Dongpo's answer, smiled and asked,

"Then, calling Goryeo lowly is also just a prejudice. If we can use Goryeo's strength to block the Jurchens, it is not lowly, is it?"

Su Dongpo, caught off guard by Uncle Zegao's question, looked flustered.

'Wow, my heart swells with pride.'

Director, lead actor Liu Qingyun. Screenwriter, supporting actor Zegao. Uncle Zegao was a master supporting actor. I was about to fall in love with the Zegao family. Or rather, I was already in love with Zegao.

I replied with a bow,

"Uncle Yefurangzhong, I prepared this dish hoping that you would open your heart to the East. Dong (東) for the East, Po (坡) for opening. Meat (肉), a dish filled with the humble chef's heart."

Struck by our one-two punch, Su Dongpo looked taken aback. If the story of Dongpo Pork was spread appropriately, it would be known as a dish created by a humble chef for Su Dongpo, tarnishing his reputation for generations.

Reputation tarnished!

The revenge of the humble chef, whose ancestors were disrespected, was this ruthless.

Though Su Dongpo was a bit upset by our one-two punch, he quickly relaxed, thoroughly enjoying the Dongpo Pork I had made just for him. He admitted his mistake a little,

"I admit that calling Goryeo lowly was my mistake. Perhaps Goryeo blood runs in your veins. However, even if Goryeo is not lowly, making peace with them is still a matter to consider."

It wasn't in his blood but in his soul, but that's beside the point. Su Dongpo's consistency in sticking to his principles was admirable.

'What a stubborn man! Should I make Dongpo Tofu tomorrow?'

Su Dongpo, who would only come to his senses after thoroughly enjoying the dishes I prepared, was about to be completely stripped by my plan. However, an unexpected guest interrupted the process.