Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 21 is hard to swallow!

Upon seeing the word "thorn," Xiao Ran paused for a moment.

I wondered if tattooing also occurred during the Tang Dynasty.

In my memory, prisoners in the Water Margin had characters tattooed on their faces.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran suddenly realized that Zhang Dalang might be in trouble.

fugitive?

Someone who can tattoo words on their face must be no ordinary person.

At the very least, it should be exile!
"Young master, please come in!" Zhang Erya walked over.

There is a wall, but no gate.

"Alright!" Xiao Ran didn't look at Zhang Dalang again. If it came to fighting, Xiao Ran wasn't afraid of Zhang Dalang.

Having studied Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) and military boxing for several years, I have a certain level of confidence.

"Young master, please come inside and have a seat," Zhang Erya said warmly.

Xiao Ran nodded and couldn't help but look into the courtyard. There were many bamboo strips, willow branches, and half-finished baskets on the ground.

These siblings are skilled.

I also saw millet ears drying in the sun; they must have been picked up by Third Sister.

Four fish were hanging on the bamboo frame.

Xiao Ran remembered that five were given in total, and there were still four left on the shelf. As expected, they hadn't eaten them before.

There should be one on the table tonight, which is also to entertain Xiao Ran; otherwise, I probably wouldn't eat it.

It was a bit unexpected that none of the five fish were eaten.

When he entered the room, Xiao Ran subconsciously lowered his head and bent over, as he was indeed a bit short.

A scent mingled with the smells of earth, bamboo, and cooking smoke wafted towards us.

The house was only about two zhang square, with walls made of adobe mixed with wheat straw. There were many cracks in the walls, and several baskets were hanging on them.

In the center of the room was a low table and a few small wooden stools; there was nothing else besides a basket.

It can truly be described as a place with bare walls.

"Young master, please sit down!" Zhang Erya pointed to the stool.

"Okay!" Xiao Ran handed the fish and the steamed buns to Zhang Erya.

"Young master, you've already given me quite a bit."

It's nothing.

Zhang Erya took the basket, not knowing what it was, but it was a bit heavy.

Because Xiao Ran filled it with rice and flour.

Zhang Dalang remained silent throughout, giving off a somewhat bitter and resentful feeling.

This person actually looks honest and simple, and Xiao Ran doesn't know why he looks like that.

If I hadn't encountered this guy before, I would have thought he was mute when he threatened me!

Xiao Ran sat down and Third Sister brought out some chestnuts, persimmons, and kiwis.

The container is made of woven bamboo and resembles a fruit platter.

"Young master, you eat."

"Okay!" Xiao Ran picked up the chestnuts and found that they were cooked.

Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya went to the next room to continue cooking.

The dog lay obediently next to Xiao Ran, who ate chestnuts while looking around.

Although it was simple, it was quite clean.

Xiao Ran ate chestnuts with Third Sister, and soon Zhang Er Ya started serving the dishes.

There were two small wooden bowls. Xiao Ran recognized one of them, which contained chives, but did not recognize the other.

I don't know how it tastes, and it doesn't look very appealing either; it looks like it's just boiled.

Another wooden bowl was brought out; it contained radishes, probably pickled vegetables.

Soon another bowl of steamed egg custard was brought over, but I didn't know what was in it.

Zhang Dalang came out carrying a large, crudely made earthenware bowl containing fish.

I don't know about the taste, so I won't comment on it, but the presentation is... well, let's just say it's not great.

Next came four bowls of rice, which were actually just millet porridge.

Millet is the staple food in the area, so it's normal to eat this.

There were also vegetables inside, which Xiao Ran didn't recognize. The three siblings' portions were thinner, while Xiao Ran's were much thicker.

"Young master, this is all we have at home. Please don't mind the food. I don't know if you'll be able to eat it." Zhang Erya handed the chopsticks to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran quickly took it, "It's fine, I can eat it."

Xiao Ran later realized he had spoken too soon.

Third Sister was very excited because she hadn't had such a sumptuous meal in a long time.

Not only eggs, but also fish, and a wide variety of vegetables.

Zhang Dalang remained silent, and Xiao Ran didn't care; this person was indeed a bit abnormal.

Xiao Ran took a bite of millet rice and found it unpalatable.

I've had millet porridge occasionally before, but this is the first time I've had it this thick.

The food inside tasted very strange; I'd never eaten it before.

"What kind of dish is this?" Xiao Ran asked curiously.

“This is sunflower, young master, have you never eaten it before?” Zhang Erya said quickly.

Mallow is considered the king of vegetables; I've never eaten it, but I've heard of it.

It was later phased out by other vegetables, but in this era, mallow was one of the most important vegetables, and it could be eaten even in winter.

"I see."

The other dishes didn't look very appetizing. Xiao Ran tasted the radish and was shocked to find that what he thought was pickled vegetables was actually not salty at all!
The fish also had sunflower leaves in it, which made it very fishy.

Xiao Ran could understand; they couldn't eat it often, their methods of preparation were limited, and the family didn't have anything to remove the fishy smell.

I saw garlic and scallions, but no ginger, let alone any cooking wine or similar ingredients.

Xiao Ran understood that it was a bit fishy, ​​but it wasn't salty enough either; it wasn't salty at all, and it even had a strange taste.

The other dishes were in a similar situation.

"Young master, is it not to your liking?"

Although Xiao Ran tried his best to restrain himself out of politeness and not show it, it really didn't taste good, and it was even a bit hard for modern people to swallow.

Zhang Erya could also see it.

"It's fine, I'm just not hungry!" Xiao Ran offered a rather flimsy excuse.

Third Sister ate with great relish, especially enjoying the fish and steamed egg custard.

"Second Aunt, do you have persimmon cakes and roasted chestnuts here?" Xiao Ran tried to divert attention with a topic.

"I've never heard of roasted chestnuts. As for persimmon cakes... are you talking about dried persimmons that are made into cakes?"

"Yes." I didn't expect persimmon cakes to already be available.
"Young master, would you like some persimmon cakes?"

"No need, no need, I was just asking casually." Xiao Ran shared some of the rice in his bowl with the Third Sister next to him, as he really couldn't eat anymore.

During their casual conversation, Xiao Ran learned that weaving baskets was not just a practice of the Zhang siblings, but of the entire basket village. After the busy farming season, people would weave baskets whenever they had free time.

Xiao Ran found the meal extremely agonizing.

It was getting late after they finished eating, so Xiao Ran prepared to leave.

Zhang Dalang remained silent, and Xiao Ran did not speak either, but she got along very well with the two sisters.

"Second Aunt, Third Aunt, I'm going back now!"

"Alright, take care, young man." The two sisters walked out of the courtyard and watched Xiao Ran leave.

When they returned to the house, they found that Zhang Dalang was not there.

Zhang Erya didn't think much of it and just wanted to see what was inside the basket.

"Third Sister, do you know what the young master brought?"

Third Sister shook her head, "Young Master gave me a lot of calcium milk biscuits again, but I don't know about the others."

Now the two sisters also know that the delicious pastry is called calcium milk biscuit.

Seeing the plump grains of rice and snow-white flour inside the steamed rice cake, Zhang Erya was astonished.

These things exist in this era, but they are very expensive and are only for the wealthy.

Ordinary people can only eat millet.

One pound of rice can be exchanged for several pounds of millet; this is the first time Zhang Erya has ever seen rice of this quality.

"Sister, where are the machete and sickle?"

"It should be there, look for it!" Zhang Erya stared blankly at the rice and flour, feeling that something was wrong.

It seems like something bad is about to happen!
(End of this chapter)