At the beginning of the lantern, people are changing their clothes, and the crows are chirping and returning to the forest. It is the end of day and the beginning of night.
Mei Yuanchen stood at the intersection and looked around, not knowing where to go.
Since leaving Prince Duan's Mansion, he has been wandering around the streets in a daze for most of the day, passing by wherever he goes, thinking about everything he loves, every bit of it is like a daydream.
Went to Yanshi.
The entrance to the salt market where the Salt Administration Department sells salt was guarded by several groups of men in uniform. A group of people stayed far away and did not dare to approach. It must have been someone who suffered a loss here before. The salt jars were carried into their carriage as soon as they got off the post car. The so-called "official salt" seemed to be only divided among several forces, and ordinary people could only go to the salt shop opposite to buy it. The private salt that has been resold several times is not only more than double the price, but the quality is far inferior to the official salt from the salt field.
"My father risked his life by expanding salt fields and building salt roads, and sent thousands of cans of good salt out of Anxian and to various counties and states. Unexpectedly, all of it ended up in the warehouses of big salt merchants, and poor people still couldn't afford it. You can’t buy good salt either.”
Went to Xue Mansion.
Xue Ning has not returned for a long time. The lame old housekeeper and a group of servants guard the mourning hall all day long, wearing linen clothes, white candles, yellow paper and white money, living the New Year miserably.
"When I saw Xue Ning last time, his skin was already yellow and his back was bowed. He had long lost the temperament of the official and eunuch he had when he was in Zhizhitang. It is not an exaggeration to say that he had been reborn. This time he sneaked into Jue Kingdom to map the garrison map. If he could It was a success, and it was of great benefit to Dahua's garrison and border strategy. At that time, he said that he wanted to personally lead a light cavalry southward, passing through the garrison in various places in Jue Kingdom, destroying their grain roads, granaries and armories along the way, and breaking the enemy's rear. In the world of rice and grain, Dahua's two account for one; in the world's armor, Dahua's ten account for six. Cutting off the grain and weapons is to stop the war at its source, which is actually the best strategy."
He stopped at the door of Xue's mansion for a long time, praying secretly for Xue Ning, hoping that he would return safely one day.
Went to Nanguo Restaurant.
The Xu family collapsed suddenly, and the young master Xu Sugong disappeared, leaving the Nanguo Restaurant behind as a big stall. In a capital city filled with nobles and relatives, without the support of the Xu family, how could a foreign hotel have a foothold? By this time, the business had been closed for some time.
"When I first came here, I still followed my brother Song. That day when we were drinking together at the Zhaixing Pavilion, we happened to run into the gang of desperate swordsmen who kidnapped Yiyi. It took the help of Master Xu to restrain them. Thinking about it carefully. , Young Master Xu treats people with a gentleman's style, but he has more of a businessman's spirit, which makes people feel like spring breeze when they interact with each other. Think about the second Young Master Xu, He Zhengrong, Brother Jiang Xiaoyu and Wang Yutang, each of them is extraordinary. , 'The Xu family in Ruozhou has many talented people' is true and true. But for such a martial arts family that has been established for hundreds of years, one wrong step has completely destroyed the foundation and thousands of people in the clan have been imprisoned..."
Went to Ruiyun Tower and Pagoda.
Xia Chengxuan, who had been protected by his father since he was a child, had already been in charge of a country, and he was able to handle domestic affairs, diplomacy, culture and martial arts with ease. However, when Mei Yuanchen sat side by side with him, she could clearly feel that he was worried.
"Chengxuan, you have finally become the emperor, but why don't you feel happy? Is it because the premature death of your adoptive father and mother and Yiyi's illness are weighing on your mind?"
We also went to Chaochun Street and the "Clay Man King".
The textile market on Chaochun Street was crowded with people, but Haitang was nowhere to be found. Although the "King of Clay Figures" shop is still open, no new works have been added after the old king's death. The old dolls on the counter are scattered here and there, and there is a trace of helpless sadness in the whole shop.
"Haitang is gone, and Yiyi is still unconscious... I can't go back, and I can never go back to the past. It's impossible for Haitang, father, and mother to come back to life."
Old friends are like a tide, and they hit Mei Yuanchen's mind one after another, which is so hurtful.
When he returned to the eldest princess' mansion, Zhenghou Zhenghou was outside the corridor of Yuqiong Langyuan.
"Young Master, I'm back. It's cold. Come in and have some hot food." She stood up on tiptoes and put a fur coat on him, holding his sleeves in her hand with a look of joy on her face, and walked towards the side hall.
Mei Yuanchen's level of longevity skill was already very high, so Xiaohan was not afraid of it. However, after walking outside for a day, he felt a little hungry. He smiled at the little girl and followed her direction.
"Several times when I came back from prison, Haitang would drag me to the dining room like this..." In a daze, he vaguely saw Haitang's shadow on Ziteng.
The heat doesn't last long in winter, so wealthy families use pottery jars to hold dishes, place them on a charcoal fire, and cover them with ashes to keep them warm. This ensures that meals are hot, soft and ready to go whenever you need them.
When they arrived at the side hall, Zi Teng quickly walked to the dining table, took out a bag from the brocade stool, and motioned for Mei Yuanchen to sit down.
hot.
The brocade stool is hot.
"It turns out that the bag just now was filled with hot water." When he realized it, the little girl had left gracefully.
"I never thought that Ziteng would be so thoughtful."
Not long after, there was a sound of light footsteps outside the yard. Mei Yuanchen followed the footsteps and saw a little girl walking over with a dinner plate. She quickly got up and stepped forward to help.
"I'll come, you just rest."
Either Mei Yuanchen was eager to help, or Wisteria stopped her hand in a hurry, and the four hands actually touched each other. The little girl tensed up and almost knocked over the dinner plate to the ground.
"I'll just come." She smiled coyly and brought four bowls of meat and vegetables to the dining table. "You eat the vegetables first, and I'll bring the food later."
A dinner plate is a wooden object with a hole in the middle. The bottom of the bowl is placed in the hole and fixed. When serving food, you don't have to worry about your hands getting hot and the soup inside the bowl sliding around and spilling out. As for the format, there are eight common ones, and Wisteria uses the most common "Four Happiness Plate". As the name suggests, this kind of dinner plate is fixed for four dishes.
She packed four bowls of food in this trip, so she had to make another trip for rice.
Mei Yuanchen looked at the four dishes on the table, sat down slowly, and was thoughtful for a moment.
Bamboo shredded chicken, stewed beef tendons with dried bamboo shoots, crispy moss, and drunk blue sea bream.
"Sir, why don't you move your chopsticks?" Seeing Mei Yuanchen leaning on the dining table in a daze, Zi Teng asked softly, while slowly putting down the bowls and pots he brought.
Two bowls of hot white rice, a pot of tea and a pot of wine.
"Is there wine?" Mei Yuanchen sat upright and asked with a smile, "I smell the aroma of wine."
The "red amber" stored in the house has a mellow aroma, and it has just been simmered over a low fire, so the alcohol smell has already dissipated. Mei Yuanchen was not a good drinker, but he was troubled and depressed at the moment. The smell of the wine immediately aroused his thirst for wine.
"You eat first." Zi Teng had already sat down on his right side. When she saw him reaching for the wine bottle, she hurriedly moved away and said with her head held high, "You can't hurt yourself by eating a full meal and drinking."
She heard this statement from others, and she didn't know whether it was correct or not, but she thought that since it was said, it probably made sense.
Mei Yuanchen did not disobey her, picked up the chopsticks and ate happily.
Because I was thinking about drinking, I started to drink food faster than usual. Ziteng half-crouched, holding her chin in her hands, watching quietly from the side, somewhat fascinated.
"If I can keep this moment, I will have no regrets in this life."
Everything was written on her face. Mei Yuanchen had already noticed it. He raised his eyebrows and was secretly complaining in his heart. But - knowing that there is another person in the world who cherishes and loves me, I can't help but feel a warm feeling in my heart.
"Ziteng, when did you learn to make Qingxi cuisine?" After almost eating, Mei Yuanchen put down his bamboo chopsticks and asked with a smile.
Bamboo-shredded chicken and crispy moss are both specialties of Qingxi. The stewed beef tendon with dried bamboo shoots and drunken blue snapper are also authentic recipes there. Ziteng would never have seen it since he was growing up in the capital. This Qingxi cuisine The art of eating was clearly learned deliberately.
"I won't tell you." Ziteng's cheeks were slightly red and she said softly.
Mei Yuanchen smiled awkwardly and stopped asking. He glanced at the wine bottle in her hand and naturally asked her, "Can I drink now?"
Zi Teng reached for the wine pot, picked up two teacups from the dining table, placed them in front of the two of them, and filled them with wine. Before Mei Yuanchen paid attention to them, she had already drank them all in one gulp.
The little girl pursed her lips tightly after drinking the wine, as if she was fighting with it.
Mei Yuanchen didn't think much, held the cup in his right hand and drank it in one gulp.
"Your engagement to the princess." Zi Teng suddenly said, "After word spread about your engagement to the princess, I started to learn how to cook Qingxi cuisine."
After saying that, he poured the wine hastily and drank it all in one gulp.
Her face was getting redder and redder, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed. It was obvious that the hot wine was burning in her stomach and she was not feeling well.
"Ziteng, are you okay?" Mei Yuanchen stretched out his hand, but he didn't know what to do, so he had to hang his hand in the air and asked softly, "But you drank too much?"
Although the two are familiar with each other, after all, there are differences between men and women, and the rules of behavior cannot be easily exceeded.
"This wine is so spicy." Ziteng bent down, almost touching the table with his face, and his voice came softly. Mei Yuanchen was about to laugh when he heard her say again: "At that time, the princess said that I will be your family's maid in the future and serve you in your daily life."
