As the abacus-bead lanterns of Green Ox Lodge cast their glow against the snow, Xiaotao was using abacus beads to distribute chestnuts to the diners. The flour-figurine Huwa atop her double buns wore a tiny cotton cap, and the beads in her apron pocket bounced to spell out the word "snow": "Brother Fan! A white-bearded grandfather says he wants to test us with historical-allusion dishes!"
Zhang Yifan flicked the beads and looked toward the private booth, where an elderly scholar was rocking back and forth with a copy of the *Book of Han*, the beads bouncing across his book page to form the word "ancient": "This gentleman is asking for dishes backed by historical records—Mistress Xiaotao, how do you write the character for 'test'?" Xiaotao traced the character on the snowy window, and the beads rolled along her strokes, unexpectedly shaping themselves into bamboo slips within the frost flowers.
The old scholar tapped the table: "I hear your establishment is well-versed in classical texts; can you make the 'Hongmen Jade Dou'?" Xiaotao clutched her abacus beads and hid behind Zhang Yifan, the beads in her palm bouncing into the character for "dou" (measuring vessel). Zhang Yifan chuckled softly, the beads on the cutting board spelling out "jade": "Back then, Xiang Yu bestowed a pork shoulder on Fan Kuai; today, we substitute it with roasted lamb leg—" Using Huwa's carving knife, he sculpted the lamb leg into the shape of a jade dou, while the beads beside them bounced to spell…
Chapter 155