Chapter 75: Laba Festival Confession, Tooth Extraction, Warming Porridge, Confession

Before long, it was December. The Bian River froze over, and the canal transport from the south to the north came to a complete halt. It was said that the snow in the northern prefecture near Jingdong Road was knee-deep, and the government offices had already been sealed off.

The boatmen and sailors who had been busy at the canal ports all year, as well as the thousands of officials in charge of transporting grain along the wharves, could finally go home for the New Year.

Yesterday, the last shipment of vegetables and fruits arrived in Bianjing (Kaifeng) from the south.

The last cargo ship had bad luck; it encountered a blizzard shortly after setting sail, and was already delayed on the road. Later, the snow stopped, and it finally made it to Chenqiao Town, only twenty miles from Bianjing, but the river ice was getting thicker and thicker, and it was impossible to move forward by boat alone.

So they recruited hundreds of boatmen, soldiers, and civilians to brave the snow and break through the ice, allowing the boat to slowly make its way to Bianjing. But before the bow of the boat could even enter the water gate, the river behind it froze over, leaving them in a dilemma.

They chiseled the back, but the front froze. After several days of hard work, the boat was still there, now an ice sculpture.

Later, the emperor issued an edict: "Let it be for now. After the grain transport commissioner clears the grain, the grain boats should be placed on the spot to provide temporary shelter for the poor people in the shacks near the water gate to get through the winter. They can return the boats next spring."

When the grain was unloaded from the ship, the riverbank was packed with people: baskets of soft and tender amaranth, plump and delicious Buddha's Hand yam, powdery lotus root, and fresh water bamboo shoots; there were also oranges from Yuezhou (Shaoxing) and Guizhou (Guangxi), tangerines from Wenzhou, oranges from Luzhou, pomelos from Hongzhou (Nanchang), crabapples from Wuzhou (Jinhua), longans and plums from Quanzhou...

Each time a basket was unloaded, it elicited a gasp of "Wow!" from the crowd.

It's truly enviable that winter in the south seems to still be the harvest season. The rivers don't freeze, the mountains are still green and laden with fruit, and the mountains, rivers, and streams are overflowing with food.

The vegetables and fruits were sold out as soon as they were unloaded from the boat, their prices skyrocketing. There were just too many people; Shen Miaoguang joined the crowd but didn't manage to buy a single one.

However, she wouldn't buy a single vegetable if it cost several hundred coins. Although life is better now, she still hasn't developed the habit of spending money extravagantly.

The cabbage, radishes, and spinach in our own garden are quite lush and green after the frost. Add to that the chives, which grow slowly in winter, their leaves even becoming thinner, so it's not like we're completely without any vegetables to eat in the dead of winter.

As for fruit, when Ninth Brother moved, he not only transplanted his own cherry tree, but also transported a lot of food by horse-drawn cart: cherries from his own tree, dates and hawthorns from Qingzhou, pomegranates from Lintong, grapes from Bianjing, crabapples from Zhangye, plums and apricots from Daming Prefecture...

There are many fruits in the north during winter, but people always prefer those foods that are not commonly seen, just like when people travel in later generations: from a place they are tired of living in to a place that others are tired of living in.

Speaking of Ninth Brother's move, he moved extremely quickly. After signing the contract and handing over the keys that day, he completed the transfer of ownership before the end of his shift at the yamen that evening, which made the minor clerk, who was humming a tune and wanting to go home, roll his eyes at them.

The next morning, dozens of servants from the Xie family came to clean the house, replacing tiles, repairing doors and windows, and pulling weeds. The house was cleaned up in one day.

Two days later, the blue bricks in the courtyard were all laid.

After the hard decorations were completed, cartloads of goods began to be transported into the alley. This continued for two or three days, attracting the attention of residents from both the east and west alleys. Those who didn't recognize Ninth Brother speculated: "Some important person must have come to the countryside to observe the people's conditions." Or perhaps they wondered: "Has someone in our Yangliu Alley committed a serious crime?"

They stared blankly as an eighteen-panel carved ivory screen was unloaded from the carriage—the screen frame was carved from two ivory tusks, and the center was a single piece of white jade depicting the Battle of Red Cliffs. The trend of jade being king had not yet reached the Song Dynasty; white jade was still highly valued.

This thing was casually placed in the main room of this dilapidated old house, making the onlookers even more silent. Some people were so shocked that they swallowed hard: this screen alone is probably worth more than the whole house.

Later, another five or six cartloads of books were moved down—Ninth Brother converted his shop in front into a place for reading and storing books. The shop door, which originally faced the street, was rebuilt with walls, leaving only a large window and a small door for lighting and access. Afterward, he had the Xie family's servants build floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on all four sides, all to store his collection of books.

A lamp, a rocking chair, and a small table.

Outside the window, snow was falling heavily, so he gently rocked his bamboo chair and sat amidst a sea of ​​books, reading.

The most troublesome thing was Xie Qi's horse. His big horse was almost taller than the courtyard wall. At this time, because it was forbidden to "exceed the regulations", the court had strict regulations on the specifications of commoners' houses. The courtyard walls of ordinary people's homes could only be built up to 5 feet 6 inches (177cm) high, and most people's courtyard walls were only 4 feet 7 inches (150cm).

When Shen Miao built her house, the courtyard wall was built in accordance with the rule that the highest wall should be 5 feet 6 inches. However, she also played a little trick and stuck broken porcelain pieces into the wall. With the height of the broken porcelain pieces, it was estimated to be 5 feet 7 inches (180cm).

But Xie Qi's horse, not counting its ears, was already over 5 feet 7 inches tall.

Once, when Shen Miao went to deliver some delicious food to Ninth Brother, she saw two dark red horse ears twitching on top of Xie Qi's wall from afar, which was quite amusing.

Horses need space to roam, but Rollsley was even less able to bear poverty than Ninth Brother. After being tied up in the yard for only two days, it became depressed, stopped eating and drinking, and lay on the ground with its legs bent, unable to muster any energy. Xie Qi had no choice but to ask his servants to send it back to Chenzhou to reunite with its other horse brothers.

I heard that once this chestnut horse returned to the old mansion in Chenzhou, it settled into a large stable with an entire meadow to roam freely—wealthy families would set aside twenty or thirty acres of dry land, not for crops, but solely for alfalfa, to raise horses. The Xie family was no exception. This has been the case since ancient times: buying a horse (or carriage) is easy, but raising one is difficult!

Rolls-Royce recovered quickly.

Subsequently, Madam Xie asked Ninth Brother's uncle to send him a donkey. The donkey perfectly embodied the spirit of the proletariat, adapting well to Yangliu West Lane, eating heartily, and producing fifteen catties of donkey dung a day, much to Zhou Dazhi's annoyance.

Not long after Ninth Brother settled in Yangliu West Lane, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches chart drawn on the "Kitchen God Code" in Shenmiao's home was turned over three more times, and then it would be Lesser Cold.

Lesser Cold is a major day for worshipping all the gods together throughout the year.

The streets were already bustling with the sounds of gongs and drums in preparation for the "La Sacrifice" ceremony. After a year of hard work, the agricultural season was over, and people would use this grand festival for celebration and to pray for blessings and the warding off of misfortune. Therefore, Gu Tusu got up early and knocked on Chen Miao's door, saying that the neighborhood head had come to say that the two alleys of Yangliu East and West were going to gather enough money to make a "plague-sending boat" to be pushed outside the city and burned. By sending the boat away, they would drive away the plague god, hoping to ward off the disease and pray for peace and good health in the coming year.

The two lanes of Yangliu belong to the same "ward," and the "ward head" is a respected elder elected by the residents. In order not to lose to the other wards in the Laba Festival, the households in Yangliu Lane reached a consensus: each family would contribute 500 coins to build a huge plague-sending boat. In the past, bamboo strips were often used for the keel and planks, but this year fir wood was used so that it could be made bigger and more victorious!

Then, the painted colored paper is pasted on the outside, and the image of Zhong Kui and the fierce ghost being impaled by a fork are carved. Various painted patterns, such as dragon patterns, cloud patterns, water patterns, and flowers, are also painted on the hull, bow and stern of the boat [Note].

The boat would also be decorated with various small flags, bearing the names of the families who donated money to send the plague-suppressing boat.

Shen Miao didn't fill in her own name, nor did she write Ji Ge'er's name. Instead, she wrote "Shen Ji Tangbing Shop"—what a great opportunity for publicity during the Laba Festival when there were crowds of people and the sound of gongs and drums.

When Aunt Gu saw her writing like that, she quickly had Gou'er write it for her instead of Uncle Gu's name. Instead, she wrote "Gu's Wine Shop". By the afternoon, the word spread from one shop to another, and all the flags in the alley were now bearing the name of their own shop.

Ninth Brother had just moved in and readily paid the money. Shen Miao was curious about what he would write on the flag, but he closed the book and said with a matter of course, "I will naturally write Shen's mark. That way, Madam Shen will have two flags, so that people can see them more often."

At that moment, Shen Miao couldn't express what she was feeling.

A slight tingling sensation ran through my heart.

The construction of the plague-sending ship will be entrusted to the master craftsmen who make these sacrificial items. Shen Miao doesn't need to worry about it at all. Once the money is paid and the flag is set, he will no longer concern himself with it.

Because it's a joint sacrifice, one must focus on preparing their own offerings carefully; otherwise, being too perfunctory will lower their standing and lead to nagging for the whole year. The offerings for the Laba Festival are very elaborate, including brewing Laba wine, making cured meat, pickling Laba garlic, and preparing fresh grains and beans such as millet, sorghum, rice, and wheat. During the sacrifice, these are placed in small bowls and covered with red paper, symbolizing gratitude to the Earth God for the blessing of a bountiful harvest.

Shen Miao made the cured pork and Laba garlic last month, and Qilin even stole several bites of the cured pork. She wasn't good at making Laba wine, so she just bought a jar from Aunt Gu's family to offer to the gods on the Laba Festival.

After the Laba Festival, the various grains on the offering table are mixed and cooked into Laba porridge. This is an old custom that has continued to this day. The traditional Laba porridge is made with a wide variety of ingredients. Some people in later generations value the number eight and make it with eight kinds of rice, eight kinds of beans, and eight kinds of dried goods.

As for Shenmiao... just put whatever's in the house.

Every household makes their own Laba porridge differently, but two essential ingredients are always present: glutinous rice and red beans. I've heard that Daxiangguo Temple and Xingguo Temple hold a "Buddha Bathing Festival" every Laba Festival to distribute porridge to the poor, and that's how the monks cook it.

After all, Laba porridge was originally a Buddhist porridge.

Based on the leftover ingredients at home, Shen Miao finally decided on the ingredients for Laba porridge: rice, millet, glutinous rice, and barley; beans, red beans and mung beans; and dried fruits, red dates, longan, raisins, peanuts, chestnuts, and lily bulbs.

There are quite a few of them, both traditional and diverse.

While she was tinkering with these things in the yard, Ge the charlatan who lived next door to Ninth Brother in the west alley came knocking on the door of the Shen family's backyard with his big bowl to buy instant soup noodles.

Ge the charlatan had just moved in. He used to live in a Taoist temple and had never tried the food at Chenmiao Shop before, but now he couldn't stop eating it.

Especially the instant soup noodles; everyone else in Bianjing had already had their fill and were past their prime, while he was just getting started.

Atao opened the door for him. As soon as she saw it was him, she didn't need to ask any questions. She called out to Fuxing to bring two instant soup dumplings.

"I want chicken soup flavored today, and extra sauce base. I like thick soup." He instructed while glancing at the beans soaking in the large basin behind his back. He nodded and commented, "This recipe is just right, very balanced. Glutinous rice strengthens the kidneys, and Job's tears dispel dampness. These two types of rice are slightly cooling, but they perfectly neutralize the warming properties of jujubes and longan. It's just right! Madam Shen, you've even studied medicine?"

Traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine are inseparable, and the charlatan Ge's analysis is quite logical.

Shen Miao laughed and said, "I haven't learned it. I just use whatever's left at home."

"Your words... are a little inappropriate." Ge the fortune teller shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and took the soup dumplings back.

Despite being criticized for its unrefined recipe, the result was surprisingly good.

Find a clean earthenware pot, pour in all the grains and cereals and cook them. Once you start cooking, you can't stop stirring with your hands. You have to keep stirring with a long-handled ladle to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

The more you stir the porridge, the thicker it becomes; the thicker it becomes, the harder it is to stir.

Making Laba porridge is also physical work.

Fortunately, Shen Miao was quite strong. She stirred the various grains in the pot until they were bubbling and the porridge was thick and soft. Then she added some sugar and it was ready to serve. The sweet aroma of the porridge spread, and since every household in the alley was cooking it, the rich fragrance made it impossible to distinguish one from another.

Tang Er was sent to the west alley to invite Ninth Brother and the others to have porridge together. Chen Miao took the opportunity to go into the kitchen and put up the "Kitchen God" image she had bought on the street.

At this time, every household would paste a picture of the Kitchen God in their kitchen. Before the Laba Festival, they would buy sticky candy to offer to the Kitchen God. Aunt Gu said, "If the Kitchen God eats the candy and his mouth is sealed, he won't be able to open his mouth when he returns to Heaven. He won't be able to say bad things to the Jade Emperor, and the following year will go smoothly."

Shen Miao bought a lot of maltose. Xiang Jie had a piece in her mouth and asked very seriously, "What if the Kitchen God originally wanted to say something nice?"

This really stumped Aunt Gu.

"Besides, we haven't done anything wrong." Xiang'er's big eyes darted around as she reached out to gather all the candies into her bosom. "So... I'll eat them for the Kitchen God!"

Shen Miao flicked her forehead: "You're not allowed to eat too much either, or you'll know what bitterness is when your teeth hurt."

Xiangjie licked her two missing lower front teeth with her tongue, and immediately felt dejected, pulling her hand back—she never wanted to go to a dental clinic to have her teeth pulled again in her life!

Shen Miao shook her head. Xiang Jie'er and Chen Chuan lost their baby teeth at the same time. Chen Chuan lost one tooth, which was chewed out while gnawing on a crabapple, so she didn't suffer much.

That was all thanks to Ninth Brother who brought Zhangye apples. Zhangye apples are small and ugly, but they are crisp, sweet and firm inside, and Shen Miao thought they were especially delicious. She liked crisp apples.

She felt that the crabapples from Zhangye were better than those from Wuzhou—she had bought crabapples from Wuzhou in the summer, which were very red and big, extremely beautiful, and very juicy, with a sweet and slightly sour taste, but the flesh was soft and the texture was a bit sandy.

It's delicious too. Atao loves eating these soft, fluffy apples. She likes to cut them in half and scrape the flesh with a wooden spoon, scraping it off spoonful by spoonful, like eating soft, fluffy ice.

In short, Chen Chuan was very fortunate to have been spared the torture of being quacked by the dentist thanks to the crabapple from Zhangye.

Xiangjie'er was different. Both of her lower front teeth were loose, but they just wouldn't fall out. She tried gnawing on apples and big bones but couldn't get them out. Aunt Gu suggested taking a thin cotton thread, tying one end to the teeth and the other end to the door. When the child wasn't paying attention, she could slam the door shut and pull them out.

She was so scared that she struggled and broke out in a sweat, but still couldn't tie the thread.

Shen Miao was soft-hearted and let her coquettishness and nagging linger for a few days. As a result, two small new teeth actually sprouted from the inside of her lower front teeth. The white tips of the teeth had already broken through the gums, like two new bamboo shoots.

Because her baby teeth were retained, she ended up with two rows of teeth.

Shen Miao was startled. If she didn't get it pulled soon, she would have to take her to a dental clinic to have her tooth extracted.

Dragged and pulled along the way, Xiangjie was already wiping away tears as soon as she saw a wooden sign hanging at the entrance of a Chen family shop that read "Miraculous Dental Care" and "Perfect Dentures." Before even entering the shop, she was already terrified.

Chen Chuan followed along, holding her hand and comforting her, "Don't worry, it'll just snap and come off, it won't hurt."

Xiang Jie couldn't listen to anything. With tears welling up in her eyes, she listened to the sounds of tooth extractions coming from the shop, and finally couldn't hold back any longer. She grabbed Chen Chuan's hand and burst into tears.

Since we're already here, it's better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time.

Shen Miao steeled her heart and pulled Xiang Jie'er inside. The medicine shop was neat and clean, with several brown medicine cabinets against the wall, each drawer labeled with the name of a different Chinese medicine, and the shop was filled with the aroma of herbs.

The shop had four or five bamboo reclining stools, and a counter next to them, displaying some exquisite utensils, including long pliers and short tweezers, neatly arranged porcelain jars labeled "stop bleeding" and "reduce swelling," and some other unidentifiable objects, all gleaming coldly in the winter sun.

Xiang-jie clung tightly to Shen Miao's clothes, her face filled with terror. Shen Miao felt sorry for her but was helpless, so she could only coax her with promises of food: "It's okay, getting a baby tooth pulled doesn't hurt. It's best to get a tooth pulled in winter, so you're less likely to get sick or bleed. It's a good thing! Once you get your tooth pulled, our Xiang-jie will be all grown up and a big girl. By the way, if you're a good girl and get your tooth pulled, your older sister will make you two honey-filled flaky buns the size of your hands."

This trick worked; just hearing about roasted buns made Xiangjie swallow hard, and her wailing turned into sobbing.

The dentist, who had a goatee, washed his hands and came over to ask what was wrong. When he heard that it was about pulling a baby tooth, he smiled and said, "This is the simplest way, and it really doesn't hurt. Come on, open your mouth so I can take a look."

Xiang Jie was frightened when she saw the doctor in the dark blue robe. It took Shen Miao and Chen Chuan a long time to coax her before she opened her mouth. Even after opening her mouth, she kept begging the doctor, "Don't pull it out."

"I won't pull it. I'll just take a look. I'll just see if your teeth are okay. Oh, they're pretty good. They're all straight and clean. It's wonderful, little girl. You have such nice teeth..." The doctor spoke gently and casually, and Xiang Jie'er's vigilance gradually relaxed.

Seeing Xiang Jie'er's shoulders slump, the doctor swiftly pried open her upper and lower jaws with one hand and inserted a small pair of pliers into her mouth with the other.

The hand moved so fast it was almost instantaneous, and Shen Miao didn't even have time to react.

With two quick "plop" sounds, the doctor had swiftly pulled out two of Xiang Jie'er's teeth. He then grabbed two wads of cotton from the side and stuffed them into her mouth, telling Xiang Jie'er to bite down firmly. He then got up to settle the accounts.

"It costs ten coins to pull a tooth, so I'll give you twenty coins. Don't drink water when you get home. Wait until the bleeding stops and the cavity has scabbed over before you start eating. Start with rice porridge for one day, and you can eat normally tomorrow."

After settling the accounts, he wrapped Xiangjie's two teeth in straw paper and asked Shenmiao, "Young lady, do you still want these two teeth? I'll wrap them up for you. When we get home, we'll pick an auspicious day and throw them onto the roof. Next time, your teeth will grow back well."

"Yes, yes." Shen Miao leaned forward to take a look and saw that this was what the baby tooth looked like after it was pulled out: it was very small, a pale yellow little tooth, without even a root.

The doctor then carefully instructed, "After the scabs fall off from the cavity, let her chew on some big bones to widen her gums so that her new teeth can move forward and won't grow crooked in the future."

Shen Miao quickly memorized it.

Xiangjie stood up from the bamboo recliner and realized her mouth was throbbing with pain and tasted blood. She dared not let go, biting down on cotton balls as tears streamed down her face. She mumbled an accusation to Shen Miao against the still-sly but incredibly cunning doctor: "He's lying...he's lying..."

But Shen Miao felt that this was already quite good. Everything went very smoothly.

While Xiang Jie'er was having her tooth pulled, a man was getting his tooth filled in another chair. To Shen Miao's shock, a sophisticated dental filling technique already existed—though it looked rather frightening.

Another doctor first used herbs like aconite and acupuncture to relieve the man's pain, then used a very small knife to scrape away the decayed tooth decay. While scraping, the man couldn't help but whimper and howl, and two strong men had to help hold down his head and limbs so that he could continue.

After cleaning away the decayed matter, also known as rinsing the mouth, a tub of bloody water was rinsed out. The cold water stung the person even more, causing them to cover their face and groan. Finally, the powder made of white tin, silver foil, and mercury was heated and softened into a paste, which the doctor then carefully filled into the cavity, and then inlaid with a layer of silver or gold.

After the mending was finished, the man's cotton-padded coat was soaked with sweat. His face was pale and bluish from the pain. The doctor prescribed him several more days' worth of pills, saying they were for pain relief and swelling reduction. But Shen Miao could see that his face had swollen up considerably in just a short time, as if half a steamed bun was hidden in his cheek.

The doctors were used to this, and told him not to brush his teeth, spit, or eat anything when he got home... The man, barely clinging to life, slumped against the counter, holding his swollen cheeks and nodding weakly.

Xiang Jie'er and Chen Chuan both trembled after reading it.

Without effective anesthetics, sterilized instruments, or effective painkillers, the cavity was filled with mercury... Shen Miao trembled and immediately followed the doctor's recommendation, buying a jar of sophora flavescens tooth powder from a dental shop that was said to prevent cavities. She brushed her teeth even more carefully that night.

Upon recalling this, Shen Miao and Xiang Jie'er both shivered again.

Xiangjie, no longer interested in the Kitchen God's candy, quickly slipped away. Shenmiao finished the Kitchen God's offering and came out as well. Ninth Brother, along with Yanshu and Qiuhao, entered the door together. Upon entering, he smiled and cupped his hands, saying auspicious words: "The cold weather will eventually end, may my wife have everything she needs."

Each person scooped a bowl of thick, sweet porridge. Just as Xiang Jie'er and Chen Chuan finished eating, Liu Douhua and Li Gou'er came to find her with a sled to go ice skating on the river. Shen Miao was worried, so she asked Tang Er to take Lei Ting with them to watch over the children.

"I'm afraid they'll fall into the ice hole, and even more afraid that some people will try to steal things in the chaos. We must keep a close eye on the children," Shen Miao repeatedly instructed. These past few days, many people have gone to play on the ice of the Bian River; it's crowded everywhere.

Tang Erlang responded loudly and turned to get the dog.

Today, because every household is busy cooking Laba porridge, there are few customers in the shop, and Ah Tao and Fu Xing are enough.

Seeing Xiangjie cheering and pulling Chen Chuan to leave, Yanshu turned around to look at Xie Qi, then came over and tugged at his sleeve, shaking it.

The chubby little hand didn't say anything, but Xie Qi swallowed the porridge in his mouth and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead, you and Qiu Hao go too."

Yan Shu immediately grabbed Qiu Hao and followed along excitedly.

Shen Miao then laughed.

The once bustling courtyard suddenly fell silent. Only Shen Miao and Xie Qi remained. With nothing much to do on such a day, the two simply sat on the veranda, chatting idly and slowly sipping their porridge.

Shen Miao did most of the talking, while Xie Qi listened quietly, occasionally responding with a smile. Shen Niangzi's life was full of small, warm moments, and as he listened to her, his heart was filled with peace.

He gradually ate a bowl of hot porridge made with beans and rice, and he recalled every meal he had eaten since meeting Madam Shen, starting with a bowl of hot soup noodles on the boat. It was springtime then, and before he knew it, the year was coming to an end.

He held the warm ceramic bowl and looked at Madam Chen, whose hair was all combed up and coiled into a spiral bun at the back of her head.

At that moment, she was looking down at her porridge and didn't notice his gaze. Xie Qi was captivated by the only silver hairpin in her hair, which was carved with some ethereal cloud patterns, presumably to match her name.

Warm porridge, listen to the snow, sweep away the dust, and look forward to the New Year.

This year is about to end.

Time flies. He suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.

"After sending off the Kitchen God and cooking the porridge today, we'll have to sweep the dust tomorrow, and then we'll have to go out to buy New Year's goods and prepare for the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. I'm afraid the shop will only be open for two more days before it has to close." Shen Miao swallowed a mouthful of sweet porridge, thinking that the days of hibernation would begin afterward. She then turned to Xie Qi, "What about you? When does Ninth Brother plan to go back to Chenzhou?"

Xie Qi thought for a moment, then put down the empty bowl of porridge beside him: "After the Lesser Cold, I will return to Chenzhou."

“Then it will be in the next couple of days.” Shen Miao was not surprised. After the Laba Festival, it would be the New Year, and Ninth Brother should return to the old house to celebrate the New Year with his parents and relatives. She nodded: “That’s right, but it’s cold today and the roads are difficult to travel. Ninth Brother must be careful.”

Xie Qi suddenly spoke: "Madam Chen."

He called her name inexplicably, then paused, lowering his eyes and remaining silent for a long time. The knuckles of his fingers, resting on the edge of the front porch, trembled almost imperceptibly.

Shen Miao tilted her head, about to ask a question, but saw that he seemed to have finally made up his mind, his face was solemn, and his bright, dark and round eyes looked at her for a long time: "I have something to say to Madam Shen."

"What did you say?"

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, Madam Shen, but before I met you, I would sometimes think that life was boring. I always felt that I was destined for misfortune and didn't know what kind of torment I would suffer next. I was always anxious and dared not make close friends with others, for fear of inadvertently dragging others down with me."

His eyes were as clean and resolute as if they had been washed by snow water. When he looked at me like that, he suddenly smiled and made Shen Miao's heart pound like a drum. "I understand now."

Shen Miao just looked at him without saying a word.

Her hands curled up inside her sleeves, unconsciously clenching into fists.

“I don’t think I have a life full of misfortunes. On the contrary,” his voice was gentler than falling snowflakes, carried to her ear like a feather in the wind, “I am very lucky.”

"All the good fortune in my life has been used up to meet Lady Shen."