Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Chang'an City suddenly lost so many royal family members, and the streets, which were already bustling with people because of the fine snow, became even more lonely - after all, half of the people who usually rode horses in the streets were them.

This deserted atmosphere lasted until the 26th day of the lunar year, when each family began the final shopping for New Year's goods. It was at this time that Wang Mingqian and his group hurried back from Mingde Gate in the wind and snow.

The first thing Wang Mingqian did when he returned, besides reporting back to his errand, was to bring back a piece of news. His Majesty would set out for Chang'an after the New Year. Based on the speed at which he was traveling, it was estimated that by the time he arrived in Chang'an, it would be the intercalary February.

In the officialdom, news spread quickly, and all the civil servants of the Tang Dynasty nervously joined in the New Year atmosphere. The days of enjoying the smooth sailing are finally coming to an end, the last carnival!

According to Zhou Ying's complaints, the private rooms in Lexian Building were filled with people early that night, and the hall was also completely occupied. They were almost exhausted to death in the eleventh year of Zhenguan. One can imagine how crazy they were.

Jiang's mother and Old Lady Xia rarely even had time to take care of Xia Zhenying's ramen stall. They were the only two people in the family who were good at needlework, so the burden of sewing new clothes for the New Year fell on them.

This year, the Jiang family worked hard and earned a lot of money, so Jiang's mother and daughter decided to buy sheepskin and prepare a new sheepskin coat for each person.

(I found information that cotton in the Tang Dynasty was called Baidiezi, an ornamental plant enjoyed by a small number of people. Large-scale cultivation and use of cotton as a new type of textile began in the Song Dynasty. Therefore, there were no cotton-padded jackets in the Tang Dynasty. Ordinary people, lower-class poor nobles, and poor scholars basically used sheepskin jackets to protect themselves from the cold winter. As for the poorer ones...)

Jiang Shangxian and his two siblings would buy some New Year's goods to take home when they closed their stall every day. Things like bamboo and some common ingredients would be pushed home by Jiang Wang's daily car, but Jiang Shangxian's job was much simpler. He would just take a ride with Lexianlou and buy everything together and then pay for it, which was much cheaper than buying it outside.

Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, everyone in the Jiang family got to work, and the business of the two stalls was temporarily closed on this day.

In order to solemnly welcome the New Year, Jiang's mother started kneading dough early in the morning for breakfast that day. Jiang Shangxian had made臊子 at Lexianlou the day before. Cui Bianxu bought a jar and took it away. She brought one back for herself. The three apprentices also took a jar home each, and even Manager Wang asked for a jar.

However, this simplified version of臊子面 cannot be compared with the authentic one, it is just for the sake of saving trouble.

After the meal, Old Lady Xia started to make Jiaoya Tang (a sugar made from malt. People in the Tang Dynasty believed that eating it during the New Year would make teeth stronger. Bai Juyi said: After the New Year's cup, we offer Lanwei wine, and before the Spring Festival, we offer Jiaoya Tang), and Wuxin Plate (a platter of five spicy vegetables: garlic, shallot, leek, rapeseed, coriander, etc. People in the Tang Dynasty believed that eating them could prevent diseases. According to the rules, the younger generation should offer it to the elder. After eating this plate, the smell will definitely be very strong when you kiss).

Jiang's mother went out to Zhang Shoumei's house to buy Yuanyang meat (a time-honored restaurant in Chang'an City that has special seasonal delicacies for every festival. Yuanyang meat is a kind of meat) and Tusu wine (made from a mixture of Chinese medicinal herbs such as rhubarb, platycodon, and aconite. Because it uses eight kinds of medicine, it is also called Ba Shen San. Drinking it can exorcise evil spirits, detoxify, and prolong life.).

Jiang Wangri pasted the Spring Festival couplets that his sister had asked Zhao Shan for on the door, and then he was busy erecting a super long bamboo pole in the yard. Early in the morning on the first day of the New Year, he was going to hang a long cloth flag on the top.

(It was a custom in the Tang Dynasty that every household would hang flags on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This custom was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and evolved into the saying "carp floating". It means that one cannot do anything well in daily life and one should be the best at learning from others. It is an unlucky thing.)

Lunch was even simpler. Jiang Shangxian took his family to make dumplings together in the house. Jiang Shangxian was very good at making dumpling wrappers. He could make twenty at a time. He just had to press the divided dough slightly, stack them together and place them on the chopping board, pinch the front with his thumb and index finger, pinch the front and back with his left hand, and hold the sides with his right palm. Pinch and turn it backwards, coordinating both hands. While pinching, the left thumb kept moving upwards. After a while, the dumpling wrappers had a prototype. Then he exchanged the upper and lower parts and continued to turn them. Twenty dumpling wrappers were done.

(It’s very simple, babies have all learned it!)

We had dumplings for lunch and froze the rest in a jar outside. The focus was on the dinner in the evening, and Cui Bianxu wanted to come along.

(According to research, people in the Tang Dynasty ate dumplings. Dumplings were unearthed in the Tang Dynasty tombs of Astana in Turpan, Xinjiang, and they looked similar to modern dumplings.)

Old Madam Xia attaches great importance to him. Even if he is not her son-in-law, he is still a superior official in the Dali Temple. If her family can establish a relationship with him and he shows favor to her, the younger generation in the family will always have an extra way out in the future.

After dinner, no one could rest, so Xia Zhenying and Jiang's mother started to make Biluo. They wanted to make two flavors - crab roe and smallpox (a kind of mushroom famous for its freshness, the Biluo made from it is known as Jiulianxiang).

Both of these ingredients are top-grade. Jiang Shangxian had just received a big red envelope from Manager Wang, so he couldn't take them for free. He had paid for them, so the two of them were extremely careful and wanted to try every step five, six, seven, or eight times before taking any action.

Jiang Wangri dug out a jar from the corner of the yard. Inside was a live female crab that Old Madam Xia had pickled with brown sugar a month ago. He was relieved only after confirming that there were no leaks. He must have this dish in the evening as it was a delicacy from Chuzhou.

Emperor Taizong of Tang sent envoys to India to learn the latest sugar-making techniques. He then used sugarcane from Yangzhou to create sugar of comparable quality to that of India, known as traditional brown sugar. Tang Dynasty sugarcane was often crafted into popular cartoon designs, such as the Suanni (a type of lion).

Jiang Shangxian started to cook the real dishes. As the only one in the family who was a real chef and who knew Cui Bianxu's taste best, she took on the responsibility: fish and mutton in a pot, eight-treasure duck, steamed lamb, scalloped lamb, braised pork elbow, fried crispy fish, four-vegetarian sweet and sour cabbage, cold-mixed kale, and stir-fried bean sprouts with leeks.

She has eight dishes and one soup, plus those from Old Madam Xia and Jiang's mother. Although the ingredients are not as good as those of rich families, they are definitely full of sincerity, especially the braised lamb with scallops, which is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and a good kidney tonic.

Women, you must learn to plan ahead.

The Jiang family was busy in full swing, and Cui Bianxu was not idle either. He got up early in the morning and practiced kung fu for an hour, then ate three bowls of臊子面 comfortably and rested for half an hour before starting the grand ceremony of burning incense, bathing, and fumigating clothes.

After the whole process was completed, it was lunch time again. Thinking about going to Jiang's house to eat and drink in the evening, he just ate something to fill his stomach.

The guards kept exchanged glances with each other and carried out the New Year gifts he had ordered to take to the Jiang family for re-inspection.

None of them were particularly valuable, but they were all used by the Jiang family. They even had six pieces of fabric of various colors carefully selected and placed there. From large items like copper heaters and fur curtains to small items like charcoal and spices, all of them filled two carts.