Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

Settling into the new home was simple. Everyone had picked out a house early on. Jiang Shangxian and his sister still had one room each. Old Madam Xia and Xia Zhenying also got a room. Jiang's mother regained her right to live alone in her middle age.

The moving party was scheduled for noon the next day, which happened to be Cui Bianxu's day off. With Lao Fan there, Jiang Wangri didn't need to run errands. Lao Fan could just go out and take a shit and the matter was resolved.

There has been quite a stir in the court these days because of Li Chunfeng's prophecy. Cui Bianxu hasn't been to Lexian Tower for several days. Jiang Shangxian has a lot of things he wants to ask him, of course, mainly about this prophecy.

Or, it was when Jiang's mother mentioned Zhou Sanniang that she remembered this person. She remembered that she had told Cui Bianxu about it before and asked him to help investigate the matter. Now everyone has gone out to do business, and she wondered if Cui Bianxu had sent anyone to follow them.

Cui Bianxu's staff is not sufficient now. Half of them have been sent out to look for Yan Yin and Wu Sanniang, and they also have to deal with the engagement. She plans to talk to Cui Bianxu and let it go if there is a shortage of staff, since her mother didn't invest any money anyway.

So, did Xiao Cui send anyone there?

The answer is of course yes, but just as Jiang Shangxian thought, he is short of manpower, so he only sent two people out.

No one in the Jiang family, from old to young, has the habit of being particular about their beds. Although the bed is second-hand, Jiang's mother worked very efficiently, cleaning it thoroughly without a speck of dust. She then put the original bedding on it, and apart from the fact that the space is a little bigger than before, there is not much difference.

After a good night's sleep, the Jiang family got busy the next morning. Moving required wine, so Cui Bianxu sent eight jars of Xiangxue wine early in the morning. The man said that this was a famous wine from Yuezhou with a particularly strong flavor.

Jiang Shangxian went over it in his mind, Yuezhou?

Old Madam Xia, noticing her rather silly expression, kindly gave her some background information: "Yuezhou was originally called Kuaiji Commandery. During the Sui Dynasty, it was called Wuzhou. In our dynasty, it became Yuezhou."

Jiang Shangxian suddenly realized, and now she understood what it meant. It’s Shaoxing!

"This Xiangxue wine is not easy to come by. That place has been producing good wine since ancient times, and this Xiangxue wine is even more famous. Today we are lucky enough to have it thanks to you." The little old lady also liked to take a sip, but the wine was expensive, so she usually couldn't bear to drink it.

(Xiangxue wine: made from glutinous rice, water, and white yeast. The details are too long, and those who are interested can read "Zunsheng Bajian")

Jiang Shangxian really liked her grandmother. At first, she didn't like having outsiders in the house. She didn't say it, but she felt a little repulsive in her heart. But the more she got along with her, the more she felt that this old woman who lost her husband in middle age and her son in old age was truly respectable.

"Grandma, you know so much." She said this from the bottom of her heart.

Mrs. Xia's smile carried the calmness of a man who had experienced many things. This was the reflection of life and time. "Scholars say that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Although I am only an old woman, I have also traveled thousands of miles. You are still young, have never read a book, and have never left Chang'an City. It is normal that you don't know. You will have the opportunity to travel someday."

Old Madam Xia is an old lady with great wisdom in life. Unlike ordinary women who are content to stay in the inner house, she believes that people should go out more often. Moreover, Jiang Shangxian will marry Cui Bianxu, so it is inevitable for them to go out.

Whether the official was promoted or demoted, or had to return home for some business, she, as his wife, would definitely follow him. By then, she would have a much more comfortable time than when she came to Chang'an.

These words touched Jiang Shangxian's heart. She really wanted to have a chance to go out and see the world of this period. Even if the infrastructure and modern times are like heaven and earth, there is always gain for loss, and the scenery will naturally be different from that of a thousand years later.

The hardships of the journey will inevitably lead to more beautiful scenery.

"Then I'll take my apologies, Grandmother. When the opportunity arises in the future, I'll definitely take a closer look and come back to tell you all about it."

Jiang's mother was amused by what she heard and teased her, "Aren't you ashamed? You're in such a hurry to get married? I want to keep you at home for a few more years!"

"Stay, it's fine to stay forever. Even if we don't get married, I will go out and see this beautiful country one day. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of you, my mother, for giving birth to me in this world?" Jiang Shangxian had no special requirements for when to get married. It would be best if he could get married after he turned sixteen.

Old Madam Xia had some ideas: "Jiulang is getting quite old, the Cui family should be worried. Our Nian slave is still young, and although he is young, his body has not yet fully grown. I am afraid it will be difficult for him to have children. Fortunately, the Cui family is far away, so the earliest he can have children is probably next year."

She will be sixteen next year, Jiang Shangxian nodded, it is a good age to have an early love with Huangmao.

"Yes, it's so far. Erlang will have to go with the bride." Jiang's mother was still a little worried when she mentioned this. In fact, in ancient times, it was rare for women to marry far away. She herself was an exception, and her daughter seemed to be an exception as well.

"It's just right. Erlang will be a year older by then. I'll teach him well this year. Then he can support his sister when he goes out. Even if he doesn't have many talents, at least he won't let people think that our family is useless."

Jiang Shangxian silently lit a candle for his younger brother in his heart, but he didn't dare to stop the movement of his hands for a moment.

Because they wanted to invite Cui Bianxu, they did not invite the original neighbors. As for Zhao Yue and Cui Shuhua, they were not officially engaged yet, so it was not in accordance with the rules to invite them. Therefore, this day was actually similar to New Year's Eve.

However, the dishes are very local: yellow bird steamed buns, stewed pigeon with mushrooms, fried pork, roasted pigeon, roasted frog, fried white magnolia, minced gold and jade, shrimp tofu, garlic eel, Tibetan chicken, fried lamb, honey cakes, and candied tangerines.

Coupled with the two Chang'an roast ducks that Jiang Wangri bought at Lexianlou, this meal can be said to be very rich. Jiang Shangxian seriously suspected that his grandmother and mother were not inviting Cui Bianxu to dinner because of moving, but simply wanted to invite Cui Bianxu to dinner to express their gratitude.

"Serve out a little extra of each dish and send it to Old Fan later." Old Madam Xia reminded them that Old Fan would not eat with them. Rules are rules. Even if they called him, Old Fan would not be willing to come.

Unless Cui Bianxu speaks.

"Well, I'll send it over when I'm done." Xia Zhenying, who had been helping out and learning to cook seriously, knew that this was said to her and agreed immediately.

Jiang Wangri usually does this kind of errands in the Jiang family. If Jiang Wangri is not around, she will do it. If both she and Jiang Wangri are not around, then it will be Jiang Shangxian's turn.

Of course, this was before Cui Bianxu came to his house. After Cui Bianxu came to his house, Jiang Shangxian completely said goodbye to this job.

"Mother! Grandmother! Sister! Brother-in-law is here!"

The following are the dishes, which are placed at the end. Those who are interested can check them out.

Yellow bird steamed buns: steamed buns made by chopping the brain and wings of a yellow bird with green onions, peppercorns and salt into stuffing.

Braised pigeon with shiitake mushrooms: soak the dried shiitake mushrooms and stew them with the pigeons.

Fried pork: Stir-fry the cooked pork shreds, bamboo shoots shreds and wild rice stem shreds in hot oil until fragrant, then add a little soy sauce, wine, peppercorns and green onions and stir-fry evenly.

Roasted Chieftain: Remove the spine of the loach, boil oil and miscellaneous sauce, add vinegar, cook until done and roast until dry and fragrant, and eat with garlic vinegar sauce.

Roasted frogs: marinate with soy sauce, sugar, pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and Amomum villosum, then deep-fry in oil and finally grill on a charcoal basin.

Fried white magnolia: Wash the white magnolia, coat it with batter, and fry it in sesame oil. [Yang Yu Yue Ling]

Golden Minced Fish: A combination of fish made with pickled sea bass and cured mackerel as the main ingredients.

Shrimp tofu: Mash the shrimp heads and shrimp meat separately, then make shrimp head tofu and shrimp meat patties. After arranging them on a plate, pour the sauce made of perilla leaves, licorice, pepper and soy sauce on top.

Garlic-braised eel: eel shreds stir-fried with salt, peppercorns, onions, garlic, and vinegar.

Tibetan chicken: Debone the whole chicken, chop it into paste, season it, and then stuff it into the chicken body and stew it.

Fried lamb: Lamb chunks stir-fried with salt, garlic, onion, peppercorns and wine.

Sugar-coated tangerines: Boil the Dongtingtang tangerines with the skin on. After cooking, cut the skin and remove the core. After squeezing dry, place them in a jar, pour tangerine juice and sugar on them, marinate them, and then dry them in the sun until the juice is collected.