Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Dali Temple

"Mr. Cui, is there something wrong with the Yue Lao Temple? Yan Yin looks like a swindler." He sent ten people out from Jinghai neatly, and then sat opposite Mr. Cui and poured himself a cup of tea.

In Chang'an City, there are few people who drink tea. Only people like Cui Bianxu would be so pretentious as to make tea for drinking every day.

Cui Bianxu changed into his official uniform and regained his usual deadpan expression. He watched him drink the first cup of tea in one gulp, unable to describe it, and then he started talking: "That Taoist nun named Quchen is also weird."

He carefully chose his words: "Why don't you look like a decent person? A Taoist nun, all painted up, and still smelling like a prostitute..."

Cong Jinghai guaranteed that this was his heartfelt opinion, and it was definitely not because the Taoist nun rolled her eyes and called him a novice.

Cui Bianxu poured himself a cup of tea, but held it in his hand without drinking. "The gilded green jade whisk in her hand, inlaid with two pearls, is of excellent quality."

Although the Cui family is rich, such beads are not considered top-notch in the Cui family. However, if such a whisk is placed outside, especially on a Taoist nun, it would be a bit eye-catching.

Cong Jinghai wiped his mouth, put down the teacup, and said bitterly, "I told you, these bastards make much more than us! That's Anxingfang!"

Where does he live? Shengpingfang!

Cui Bianxu did not understand his hatred of the rich, nor did he want to understand why the Qinghe Cui family was short of money?

What's more, the late emperor believed in Taoism, and so does the current emperor. As the leaders set an example, Taoism became more prevalent. With more believers, there would naturally be more money.

"The Jinwu Guards must keep a tight rein on them. No more women must go missing today!"

"Yes!"

Lexian Building

Jiang Shangxian felt that there was one good thing about working outside: the food was better than at home!

Jiang's mother was frugal and reluctant to spend too much money on food. Even though the money was earned by her, she felt embarrassed to eat well every day when she saw her mother giving the best part of the simple meals to her two children and eating the leftovers herself.

It’s different at Lexianlou. Not only do the work meals have more oil and water than at home, but a lot of it can also be retained when cooking.

The four masters and apprentices ate a lot of food under the pretext of tasting the food.

It is precisely because of this that she is full of motivation to make new dishes. She can't just cook three dishes every day and then eat three dishes over and over again, right?

She was tired of eating it that day.

At the beginning of the You period, Jiang Shangxian got home from get off work on time with her head full of the smell of cooking fumes. She didn't have a range hood, and after cooking all day, she felt that she was about to be marinated. As soon as she entered the house, she impatiently checked the water tank, and there was still half a tank of water left in it.

This amount of water is enough for a shower, but not for washing your hair.

"What are you doing? You just got home and why don't you take a rest?" Jiang's mother couldn't help but call her when she saw her hurriedly carrying the bucket and about to go out.

How could she not be worried about her daughter's first day at work? Although she was partial to her son, her daughter was also born after ten months of pregnancy. The girl weighed eight kilograms when she was born, and she almost died of pain.

I didn't sleep well in the afternoon because I was worried that someone would take advantage of her outside, and I was also worried that her working outside would delay her marriage. I tossed and turned like a pancake, running out to chat with people about gossip to divert my attention. After finally waiting for her to come home, the damn girl ran out again.

Jiang Wangri was also excited to see his sister, and he was also worried, afraid that people outside would bully his sister. Seeing Jiang Shangxian grabbing a bucket and about to go out, he quickly pushed the cart and picked up another bucket to follow: "Sister, I'll push the cart with you to save some effort!"

Jiang Shangxian stopped in his tracks when he was called out. He slapped his forehead, thinking he was so tired that he hadn't noticed his brother had already returned home when he walked in. "Why are you back so early today? Are you sold out of mutton?"

She thought someone was missing, and her brother was selling alone. She estimated that he would have to rush to sell out all the goods before the market closed.

Jiang Wangri pushed the cart over to her and said, "We're sold out. Many customers asked what happened to my sister. I told them that she went to Lexianlou to work as a chef. They said they would come back to support her next time!"

"That's great!" Jiang Shangxian smiled and turned to his mother, "Mother, Erlang and I went to get some water and came back. We smell like cooking oil. If we don't wash, I'm afraid we won't be able to sleep at night. Mother, can you make some soapberry and soapberry for me?"

Jiang's mother waved her hand: "Come back quickly, I'll boil some water first."

As the siblings walked out the door, they could still hear Jiang's mother muttering, "What a hassle! How can you be so clean? If I wash my hair every day, how much firewood will it take? I earn less than I spend, why waste my energy..."

Jiang Wangri winked at her and said, "Sister, how is it? Are you tired from working in Lexianlou?"

Jiang Shangxian deliberately frowned and teased him, "I'm tired, so tired. It's too hot in the kitchen. My back and waist are sore all day."

The young man frowned as he listened, "Sister, why don't you come back and sell braised mutton with me? More and more people are buying our braised mutton."

"I was kidding!" Jiang Shangxian chuckled. "The lunch provided by the building was delicious, with meat. I tried quite a bit while they were cooking today, and I'm really full now."

Jiang Wangri swallowed hard upon hearing this, his stance wavering incredulously. "That's great, sister. Are you still hiring? I'll go too."

"Just focus on selling mutton." Jiang Shangxian refused without hesitation. If she was working long-term in Lexianlou, she could naturally bring her brother with her, but she was not sure. If the next task changed, she might not work in Lexianlou anymore.

If she quit, what would Jiang Wangri, a junior apprentice, do if he stayed there? He might as well just run the mutton stall.

Jiang Wangri pouted and ran towards Yong'an Canal like a little bomb. He fetched water alone like a puppy and went home without saying a word.

In the past six months, he has been accustomed to going out to work with his sister every day. These past two days, he went alone and came back alone, and he always felt unmotivated.

Jiang Shangxian didn't try to comfort him. What was there to comfort him for? A ten-year-old boy, how could he always need his sister to comfort him? As the eldest sister, she was polite enough not to slap him so hard that he waltzed in place.

On the contrary, Jiang's mother, seeing her son coming home with a sullen face, put her hands on her hips and started scolding him: "You little brat, why do you always put on such a face! Hurry up and wash your clothes!"

Jiang Wangri was scolded, but he dared not say anything. His face became even more frowned, and he went out again with a basin of clothes in his arms, panting.

Seeing him leave, Jiang's mother came into the room with an embroidery box, moved a small stool and sat next to the wooden barrel.

Jiang Shangxian, who was taking a bath in a wooden tub, was calmly scrubbing herself with a towel. At first, she was not used to Jiang's mother's behavior, but now she is used to it. Jiang's mother can even help her add hot water, pass her things, etc.

What she held in her hand today wasn't an embroidered handkerchief or anything like that, but rather a piece of cloth with a white floral pattern on a blue background. Jiang Shangxian glanced at it and asked curiously, "Mother, isn't this the material you've been keeping in your closet? Why did you take it out?"

Jiang's mother glared at her and said unhappily, "It's all your fault. How could the kitchen work not smell good? You're so busy and always love cleanliness. If you washed your hair every day, who would stop you from using so much firewood? You don't have the fate of a young lady, but you have the disease of a young lady."

This was the material she had kept for a long time, and it was all she had left over the years. It seemed like it was just yesterday that they met, got engaged, got married, and gave birth to a daughter.

When people get older, they will suddenly think of the past one day and feel that time has passed too quickly.

She rambled on for a while before saying, "The inner layer is made of coarse linen, so it doesn't matter if it's a little ugly. I'll use this flowered cloth as the outer layer to make a headscarf so you don't have to wash your hair every day."

So that's how it is. Jiang Shangxian leaned over the bucket and took another look. This thickness should be able to block out odors. "Mother, make two so I can wear them alternately."

Jiang's mother glared at him and said, "You're the only one who knows how to order people around!"

Jiang Shangxian knew that she had agreed, and he happily asked, "Make another one with that shacha yellow material. That one will look good too."

"Hurry up and wash! The water will get cold soon!" Jiang's mother urged her angrily, "I'll come find you in the afternoon tomorrow. Come with me to Anxingfang."

Restaurants usually take a break in the afternoon. Every restaurant does this. Just leave half the people in the kitchen. Usually no one goes there to eat or drink at that time.

"What to do?"

Jiang Shangxian asked first. After all, he had just started working, and if there was nothing important, it would be better not to sneak out.

"I heard that the Yue Lao Temple there is very effective. Come with me and ask for a marriage belt. Although there is no rush right now, you should first register with Yue Lao to prevent him from missing you."

Jiang's mother's words were convincing and well-reasoned. They were the result of her thinking over and over all afternoon. As for matters concerning gods and Buddhas, if you believe in them, they exist, and if you don't, they don't exist. Other young ladies have registered their names, so what if her own slave, Nian Nu, doesn't register her name and the gods forget about her?