Before they knew it, Jiang Boliang and the others had been in the capital for more than half a month.

There was little rain in the summer of that year, but the heat was unbearable. A small lake in the garden of Xuanping Marquis Mansion became the favorite place for Shen Huaixu, Jiang Sanlang and others to go.

The lake is full of lotus flowers and is full of green. There are slender green grasses by the lake swaying in the wind. In the middle of the green, there are beautiful lotus flowers swaying gently in the wind, as if telling something to the wind. The next second, a hand reaches out and breaks it in half.

The instigator waved the lotus in his hand at the people in the pavilion and said, "Sisters and sisters, how about we make fried lotus flowers and eat them later?"

"No problem! Third brother, pick the lotus seeds!" Jiang Wei Jinxia had never eaten fresh lotus seeds before and wanted to try them.

Liu Yeer followed Jiang Wei and shouted, "Cousin, the lotus seed porridge is delicious!"

Jiang Sanlang, with a lotus leaf on his head, was sailing a small boat through the flowers and leaves, saying slowly: "Don't worry, don't worry, just eat, ah!"

Chen Huaixu covered his face with the book in his hand, felt the breeze, and swayed in the rattan chair, almost falling asleep.

Three quarters of an hour later, Jiang Sanlang returned with a load of lotus seeds and lotus flowers. Shen Huaixu was also awakened by the noise. He took away the book, got up with sleepy eyes and took a look, and smelled the fragrance of lotus seeds.

So the four of them started talking while peeling lotus seeds.

"Mid-Autumn Festival is in three days. It would be great if mom, elder brother, and aunt could come together, so our family can be reunited." This was the first time Jiang Wei had been away from home for such a long time. After a while, she began to miss her family.

Jiang Sanlang said, "You should be content. It's so nice to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in the capital. You'll never get it again if you miss it."

Liu Ye'er also said: "During the Mid-Autumn Festival, my aunt and her family should be back in the village, so it will definitely be lively."

Jiang Wei thought about how she had celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in the past. Even though it wasn't as good as it is now, the villagers, though poor, had their own ways of celebrating it, and it was definitely lively.

"Brothers and sisters, how about I take you to a restaurant the day before Mid-Autumn Festival?" Shen Huaixu stuffed a lotus seed into his mouth.

"I've already been there!" Liu Ye'er felt bad when she thought about the money she spent on a meal in a restaurant. "It's the same if we eat at home."

"This time is different." Shen Huaixu shook his head slowly, "A restaurant has invited a famous Jiangnan opera singer, who is proficient in everything from music, chess, calligraphy and painting. It would be great if we could go and broaden our horizons."

"A famous actress?" Jiang Sanlang shook his head like a rattle. "No, no, Dad will break my legs if he finds out."

Chen Huaixu looked at him and said quietly, "Third brother, your thoughts are not pure. A restaurant is not a brothel. They value elegance."

Jiang Sanlang's face flushed instantly, but he still said stubbornly, "What's not clean about it? My thoughts are very clean! I didn't know it was like this..."

Jiang Wei watched the third brother's joke for a while, and couldn't help asking: "Jiangnan famous actress, is she very beautiful?"

Liu Ye'er, who had spent some time in brothels, also knew something about it. "Since she's famous, she must be good-looking. There are also some who are more talented than pretty."

"Then we must feast our eyes!"

Chen Huaixu narrowed his eyes, "It's not just us, Princess Chaohua is with us."

The other three had heard of Princess Chaohua from Shen Huaixu a long time ago, and knew that this princess was not an overbearing person, so they were full of expectations.

In the evening, everyone in Xuanping Marquis Mansion ate fried lotus flowers prepared by the cook under the guidance of Jiang Sanlang.

Two days passed in a flash, and the capital city was extremely lively on the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Restaurants put up new wine banners to let passersby know they have new wine for sale. At this time of year, there are many fresh fruits and vegetables on the market, such as pomegranates and chestnuts.

Shen Huaixu rarely has free time, so he leaves all the household affairs to the Beginning of Winter and the Frost Descent.

She went to the study and found Chen Su, who was still reading documents after taking a break, and said, "Dad, I'm taking my brothers and sisters to visit Chao Hua today. I'll bring you something to eat."

"No, just have fun. There's a palace banquet tomorrow, so don't stay out too long today."

Shen Huaixu nodded and ran to ask the other father. The answer he got was exactly the same as the one from the Marquis father.

The streets of the capital were decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, the melodious sound of stringed instruments could be heard everywhere, and children were playing and running around in the streets, making it very lively.

The four of them walked and strolled, and when they saw many delicious foods on the way, they silently told themselves to save their stomachs for dinner.

A clay figurine stall caught the attention of the four people. Jiang Wei and Liu Ye'er were almost glued to the stall looking at the cute little gadgets.

The clay figurines made by the stall owner are lifelike, with bold but unique fusion of colors. The figurines are lively and the birds and animals are lively.

"I want my third brother to buy it for you!" Jiang Sanlang waved his hand with a wealthy look.

The clay figurine stall owner looked at the four people, especially the clothes on Shen Huaixu, and smiled, "Young Master, you have good taste. My family's clay figurine craftsmanship has been passed down from generation to generation. Just look around the streets and you will definitely not find any that are the same as mine..."

The stall owner praised his own clay figurines to the heavens and the earth. Chen Huaixu looked at one of the clay cats and liked it more and more. The more he looked at it, the more it looked like the Fu Tuan from before, and he couldn't help but become interested.

She picked up the cat and saw it seemed to be walking, with its face tilted up and a proud expression on its face. It was very good and in line with the character of Fu Tuan. She asked, "Uncle, how much is this?"

The stall owner said: "It's very cheap, only fifty cents."

Jiang Wei: “…”

Liu Yeer: "..."

Jiang Sanlang: "..."

Silently hold on to your purse.

Even though they knew that prices in the capital were high, they couldn't imagine that a small clay figurine could be sold for fifty coins. In Beichuan County, it could buy two or three dou of rice.

"Is your clay figurine made of gold?" Chen Huaixu put the clay cat down. "Other people only get a dozen coins at most, and you're asking for fifty coins?"

The stall owner touched his nose and said, "My dear lady, you don't know that the paints I use at home are also special. Look at how fresh the colors are. They can last for a long time..."

He continued to talk blah blah.

Preface by Shen Huai: "Fifteen characters."

The stall owner's smile faded for a moment, "Young lady, you are joking..."

…

Just as the four were bargaining, they suddenly heard a horse neighing on the way they came.

Fu Yin reminded him in time: "There is a horse charging towards the clay figurine stall, less than ten meters away."

Chen Huaixu didn't even turn his head to look back. He looked up and saw the smile on the clay figurine's face froze. He immediately shouted a warning: "Get out of the way!!"

Among the four, only Liu Ye'er reacted a little slowly, but she managed to dodge it. The next moment, the clay figurine stall was knocked over by the horse, and the clay figurines rolled to the ground, some of which were directly broken.

Liu Ye'er narrowly missed the horse and fell to the ground.

A sweaty man sat on a mad horse, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth, "You blind pariah, are you deaf or what?!"

The mad horse that had hit the clay figurine stall still showed no signs of stopping. The rider on the horse was still trying his best to rein it in, but it was obviously of no use. Instead, he pulled the horse's front hooves high up, and in front of him was Liu Ye'er, who had not yet had time to stand up.