Men, listen, grab the top of the mountain and stand in the center position

This petty-minded little girl is not just a figurehead.

The three big men muttered a few words in their hearts, then patted their chests and promised: "Young lady, you should be at ease. We brothers are the best at work. Here, we live by the bridge, so we are not afraid of you coming to our door."

At the bridgehead, there is a bridge dividing two cities. A little further on is a large settlement of Hu people, where prostitution is rampant. The Han people are well behaved, so who would go there?

Wangshu folded the blueprints and went out first. "I hired you for a high price, so you should do a good job. If you don't do it well, you won't make any money. I'll have my future husband ask you for the money you didn't earn."

This little girl! Wasn't it just the first day that she spoke the truth and talked a little? Now she won't listen to any good words or bad words! She just nodded and didn't dare to act politely anymore.

The future husband, who had been eavesdropping, felt as if an ant had bitten his spine. He shuddered all over and blushed:

Uncle Qin clicked his tongue twice as he watched the young master, limping and holding onto the wall as he walked back to the main hall, a little tipsy. He couldn't bear to look at the young people of today.

When you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. After a few days of hard work, a few people finally came to the point where firewood was brought into the house and the new stove was lit.

"May the Kitchen God bless you!"

He muttered to himself, and lit the first fire. After a while, all three stoves were burning. The smoke from the chimney was blown away by the northwest wind. There was a crackling sound in the stove, and the flames gradually turned red and burned vigorously.

The height of the vegetable and meat table was just right for working, the water drained smoothly, and the house didn't smell much like wood smoke. Satisfied, she nodded in satisfaction. Mammy was extremely satisfied, "Not bad!"

Wangshu retired after completing his mission, paid his employees their wages, and gave them some braised meatballs, duck heads, chicken feet, and a variety of other dishes.

"My dear, next time you need work, remember to look for us three brothers!" The big man smiled and patted his chest loudly.

This woman has a bit of a bad temper and is a sharp talker, but she never finds fault with the wages and pays the money promptly. She even gives the woman a whole bamboo basket filled with meat. How can she get along with her!

Both parties were satisfied and the friction was resolved with a smile.

I wanted to know something, "What is Chang'an like? Food, women's makeup, masculinity, etc..."

These three people were from Chang'an. Their family lost a factional struggle, and because their mother had curried favor with a collateral branch, she was implicated. Ten years ago, they were exiled to the northwest. Later, they were pardoned, but they did not return to Chang'an, and instead made a living by their cooking skills.

"As for food, yours tastes the best!" The big man smacked his lips. He recognized the delicious food first, and he had the ability to do that.

As for the others...! He complained while cleaning up the food, "We ordinary people only see those who have a little bit of skills and are arrogant and unreasonable, bullying others and taking human lives! We have never seen those outstanding young ladies~~"

The young ladies never leave the house, they are strictly disciplined! Unlike here, they are not even married yet...

He paused, then continued, "The rumors were nothing more than about their gorgeous clothes, delicate demeanor, literacy, and adherence to etiquette... Noble men were more common, with everyone praising them for their politeness, learning, and good looks. As for outstanding people, the son and daughter of the then-commander of the Xie Imperial Guard were both exceptional and renowned. However..."

The big man who replied tied the guy up with a straw rope, covered his conscience, and gave a thumbs up, "We brothers have all these years of experience, and judging from your appearance alone, you belong to this category, young lady!"

Tsk! You're lying with your eyes closed!

Oh, when Wangshu heard the description of "little girl", he originally wanted to ask the girl whether she could go out in public and judge whether the etiquette was strict or not. But when he saw the person really closing her eyes and praising herself, he was speechless and told her to get out quickly!

Now that the new stove was ready, Li Xiaoxiao, who shared the meatball recipe with Xia Xiaoxiao, joined in. She boiled hot water for blanching the meat early every day and prepared the base of the marinade.

They divided the work among themselves. Early in the morning, they pushed a cart to the butcher shop to buy chicken, duck, and pork. When they brought the full cart back to the Qin family, the three of them skillfully cleaned and cut the meat, blanched the chicken and duck offal that could be braised, and minced the other lean and fatty meats for stuffing into meatballs, buns, dumplings, and xiaolongbao. The ingredients for salt-baked chicken and various chicken and duck salt-baked eggs required another round of division...

Busy as a top, several people were rushing in and out of the previously deserted Qin's house, shouting and calling out to each other. A slightly cold northwest wind blew, mingling with the hot smoke from the chimney. Uncle Tang had never expected that the mansion would be so crowded...

My pen is frozen and I am too lazy to write new poems, but I am still warming the wine in the cold stove. I am drunk and watching the ink-blooming flowers under the white moon, and I am as if the village ahead is covered with snow.

It was the transition from autumn to winter, and the weather was still cold. Taotao, wrapped in a padded jacket, jumped and ran along the corridor from the door. She knocked on the west wing, and without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open and walked into the boudoir on the right. Wangshu, who was lying on the bed behind the screen, woke up with a start. He stared at Taotao who rushed in with panicked eyes, a pale face, and a dry mouth, and his heart skipped a beat.

"The servant at the door... the... the uncle's servant said... that the young lady's second uncle was killed by bandits at the inn on his way back to his hometown..."

“…It’s also Ruyi Inn!”

Taotao clutched her clothes tightly with both hands, her teeth chattered, and her voice became smaller and smaller.

It is hard to leave one's hometown and it is hard to forget one's hometown feelings. After celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, the first festival in a foreign land, her second uncle abandoned his wife and son and resolutely returned to his hometown alone.

When he came to say goodbye, his father comforted his sad-looking brother, "Second brother, you and I are both familiar with those lines: 'The spring breeze has greened the south bank of the river, when will the bright moon shine on me again?' and 'The dew is white from tonight, the moon is bright in my hometown.'"

From scholars and poets to soldiers and wanderers, they all miss their hometowns and families, and even the smell of them, which they dream of. For thousands of years, people who have left their hometowns are everywhere.

"But the reality is often that we know we can't do anything about it and accept it as fate. We just accept it when it comes. Humans are but mayflies in the universe, a grain of sand in the vast ocean. In these chaotic times, protecting our families and children is paramount."

Unfortunately, the second uncle was obsessed with everything he had left behind in Hangzhou County. His family, wife and children could not persuade him, and he eventually died in a foreign land without a good end.

Taotao's "ye" was due to the tragic news from her aunt the day before about her uncle's murder for money: staying at the inn, his money was exposed, and he lost both his money and his life. The accompanying escort risked his life to rescue the man, but only had time for him to leave a suicide note. He also brought back news that the patron had met a man named Ji at the inn, and that Ruyi Inn had been massacred by bandits.

Ruyi Inn is located at the Jiaguan Pass leading from the northwest to the Central Plains. It is the only way for two people. One is about to enter the west, and the other has just stepped into the Central Plains. Upon hearing the news, both sides were shocked.

Now it is the third day, and my parents are attending the funeral at my aunt's house.

"They're all in Second Alley. Go talk to Dad." Someone with a clear mind might know. Second Alley isn't small, but the pain of losing a son, a husband, or a father is heartbreaking, and the wailing is unstoppable. The neighbors are the first to know...

Taotao wiped away her tears, hurriedly added charcoal to the stove in the room, tied the linen cloth around the cotton and linen hat that her mistress had just made, locked the door, and walked further and further away in the falling first snow.

Wearing the same sackcloth, he attended two funerals.

She climbed up, bent over, covered her stomach, and changed her cotton-wool menstrual belt. Wangshu continued to lie back on the bed, catching her breath. She had experienced life and death once before. Unlike herself, who was left to fend for herself, these two were the pillars of two families!

The chaos within the Great Wall is a glimpse of this. But if even a speck of dust from the chaos of the world falls on one person, it will be a dead end that cannot be overcome, let alone the two families behind them with elderly parents and young children... Thousands of families who are strangers to them but are also crushed by the dust...

It was all too tragic. Wangshu wiped his tears. Would a great man descend upon the Daliang Dynasty to unify the chaotic situation and allow ordinary people to live and work in peace and contentment? Or would this generation of theirs be divided into different regions until their death, continuing to suffer...

And how did I die?

Ji's parents ran back and forth for nearly half a month. Wangshu, who was ill one after another, was bedridden and never showed up. She also refused to drink the bitter black medicine that was so bitter that it could take her life. She slept when she was tired, and slept again when she was still tired. She endured the pain, and fell asleep again. She spent most of the day in a half-asleep state.

The coldest days of winter are the coldest. Snow falls heavily, the wind blows bitingly, and the ground is frozen. At the border between Daliang Dynasty and Dashi State, the snow is knee-deep, making it difficult to walk.

The tents in the leeward area not far away were covered with thick snow, like rows of plump and tender white snow mushrooms. From a distance, there were occasionally some black spots moving in rows, like ants moving in the snow.

The ants might be enjoying themselves in their deep nests in the winter! But if you look closely, you can see they are an organized army!