Chapter 98 The Tea-Horse Trade Market Next spring, Su Zhihan prepared to open…

Next spring, Su Zhihan planned to embark on a field trip. Of course, she did not choose to set off immediately for other prefectures and counties, but instead planned to wander around the surrounding area first to familiarize herself with the environment.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenniang smiled and said, "Why don't we go and take a look at the tea and horse trade market?"

The Tea Horse Trade was a traditional trade market between the Han and Tibetan peoples, where official tea and silk fabrics were exchanged for horses, spices, and medicinal herbs from ethnic minorities in Tibet and other regions.

The largest market in the vicinity is not far from Maozhou. It was closed for several months last year due to the war, but business has now recovered and even expanded significantly.

Su Zhihan was quite interested, but she had another idea: "I want to go for a walk in nature first."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhenniang readily agreed: "When I first came here, I liked to take a stroll around every few days... The scenery here is truly beautiful."

As she stayed longer, she got used to it and forgot that her daughter had come in late autumn or early winter.

Although the scenery was already extremely beautiful at the time, the situation was strained due to the incident involving Prince Rong, which caused a sudden escalation in relations between the current dynasty and the Tibetan Kingdom. Maozhou was heavily guarded, and ordinary people needed strict approval to leave the city. Moreover, no one was willing to go out under those circumstances.

Jiang Zhenniang turned around and asked Zhenzhu and Su Lifeng, but unfortunately the former was busy taking care of the young Qixin who was still too sensitive to the wind and had no interest in going on a spring outing. The latter was also busy with official duties and had not had any free time recently. In the end, only Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan went out for a spring outing together.

The name Maozhou may sound unfamiliar, but Minshan, Wenshan, Wenchuan and even Jiuzhaigou are places that are well-known to people in later generations.

Even in later generations, this place was hailed as a paradise on earth, let alone now, untouched by human hands.

Shortly after leaving Maozhou, Su Zhihan was captivated by the scenery. The coachman drove the carriage to a fork in the road, stopped it at the post station, and then pointed to the road ahead, saying, "Ladies, you'll have to walk to get up there; the carriage can't go any further."

"Alright, you stay here and keep watch."

"Alright, then I'll park the carriage inside the post station." The driver replied and led the carriage into the post station to register.

Then, he led the mother and daughter to the mountain path and explained the route in detail: "There are many people enjoying the spring scenery here. Ladies, don't take the side paths or detours. Just follow the people enjoying the spring scenery."

The mother and daughter thanked him and continued along the mountain path. Just as the horseman had said, they soon encountered tourists enjoying the spring scenery. The two mingled with them and followed the flow of people up the mountain.

In recent years, Su Zhihan has either been working hard or saving money, and rarely has the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely spring outing. Therefore, she walked around, stopping and looking around. The birds flying by and the rustling leaves attracted her curious gaze.

As they climbed halfway up the mountain, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before them. Su Zhihan looked out and saw the snow-white peaks in the distance, the endless sea of ​​forests nearby, the rhododendrons in red, yellow, purple, and white, and the green buds blooming in competition with the peach and pear blossoms.

And there are lakes nestled in the forest, their waters clear and calm, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, forests, and snow-capped peaks.

Of course, there is another reason for the journey: the terrain here is complex. There is an official road at the foot of the mountain that is regularly maintained, while only the mountain path that people have walked on remains on the mountain.

Even if there are earthen slopes resembling stairs left by predecessors, climbing to the top of the small hill is not an easy task.

Before long, Su Zhihan picked up two long, straight wooden sticks. She gave one to Jiang Zhenniang and kept the other as a walking stick, which helped her get used to it a little.

"Phew... how much further is it?"

"Almost there, almost there." Jiang Zhenniang wiped her sweat, squinted as she looked ahead, and pointed to the light shining through the air, saying, "I remember it's over there."

Su Zhihan watched, gritted her teeth, and walked upstairs.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhenniang's memory was correct, and the mother and daughter quickly reached the top of the mountain. However, when they looked into the distance, they realized that the mountain they were on was not high, and was even somewhat inconspicuous in the mountain range.

However, this did not affect their mood at all. The mother and daughter found a clearing with a good view on the flat mountaintop, took out a mat from their backpacks, and then took out a food box and drinks, ready to eat and drink.

"You prepared so much? No wonder I felt tired just now." Jiang Zhenniang couldn't help but marvel as Su Zhihan took out box after box. Even the other people who came to enjoy the spring outing around them cast curious glances at her.

Horse-drawn carriages cannot travel on this road, and those who choose this road are mostly planning to walk. The food prepared by everyone is very simple, such as rice balls sprinkled with salt or wrapped with pickles, fermented rice cakes stuffed with red dates, dry rice stir-fried with mustard greens and diced meat, or sticky rice balls with fried dough sticks or other ingredients. Having three or four kinds of food or a lunchbox is considered a feast.

The mother and daughter in front of us had so many food boxes on their table that they drew everyone's attention.

"It's been a long time since I've gone out like this, I'm a little excited." Su Zhihan stuck out her tongue and opened one of the food boxes first. Inside was a piece of deer shank that had been braised overnight. It was marbled with fat and lean meat, glossy in color, and soaked in rich braising sauce. The aroma that wafted out made Jiang Zhenniang swallow her saliva.

As the aroma filled the air, several young people sitting not far away eating dry food kept turning around and looking back.

Jiang Zhenniang would never doubt her daughter's braised food skills. She casually picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. Although the tendon meat was cut into thin slices, it was still plump and firm when chewed. With one bite, her mouth was filled with the aroma of spices and meat.

"Mmm...the more I chew, the more fragrant it becomes." Jiang Zhenniang held her face in her hands, squinted her eyes, and ate with relish. With each chew, the rich flavor lingered on her tongue, making it impossible to stop.

There are also braised eggs and tofu, followed by cold shredded chicken. Finely shredded chicken is mixed with shredded cucumber, carrot, and other ingredients, and then evenly poured over a sauce made of aged vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic, allowing the sauce to fully blend with the ingredients.

"Mmm... such tender chicken!" Jiang Zhenniang picked up a piece of shredded chicken with her chopsticks, her eyes lighting up instantly. It was just the right time to enjoy this refreshing and cool cold dish after the hot hike. It was truly appetizing and helped to cut through the greasiness, making her appetite much stronger.

Next up are deep-fried quail and hand-shredded rabbit, as well as rice balls mixed with seaweed and pork floss.

Last but not least, there were desserts.

Jiang Zhenniang held a sweet osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice ball in one hand and took a big bite.

The people enjoying the spring outing nearby: ...

It's unclear whose stomach was rumbling or whose mouth was agape.

Watching the mother and daughter eat a few bites and then close the food box, the other hikers nearby felt saddened, looking down at the dry food in their hands, and forcing themselves to swallow it down with the help of the tea and the faint aroma in the air.

Tragic, in a word, tragic.

After resting for a while, Jiang Zhenniang and Su Zhihan got up and continued on their way. They circled around for a long time, seeing many sights, until the sun began to set in the west, before hurrying down the mountain.

When the two returned to the post station, it was already crowded with people, some sitting at the tea stalls drinking tea, others ordering biscuits and steamed buns and enjoying them.

Su Zhihan glanced around and found that many of the people looked familiar—they were all the spring outing visitors that the mother and daughter had just bumped into on the mountaintop.

They looked at the mother and daughter and immediately recognized them; both of them looked at them with intense resentment.

Su Zhihan and Jiang Zhenniang felt somewhat guilty under such scrutiny. They quickly went inside to pay the fee, then got into the carriage and returned to the city, planning to stay overnight and set off for the tea-horse trade market the next day.

After the two women left, several sighs immediately arose from the crowd: "We should have gone up and asked them; perhaps the two ladies had any leftover food to sell."

"Never mind, never mind, I feel so embarrassed."

"Sigh, I was just thinking about it." The man clutched his stomach, helpless. "Just thinking about the smell I had at noon makes me so hungry."

Just then, the officials at the post station came out and distributed food boxes to the spring outing travelers who were resting by the roadside: "Come, come, Old Wang, Old Chen, come and have a couple of rice balls to fill your stomachs."

The familiar food box, the familiar rice ball.

The man was taken aback at first, then his eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed: "Brother Zhao, where did this rice ball come from? Could it be that the two ladies gave it to you earlier?"

"Oh, how did you know?" The official surnamed Zhao looked surprised, then scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed: "Just now, when the two ladies came in to complete the formalities, our stomachs were rumbling. The older lady said that this box of rice balls hadn't been used yet, so she gave it to us."

"We divided it up inside, thinking you'd probably be hungry too..." Zhao Guanren was halfway through his sentence when he was startled by the way the man was wolfing down his food: "Hey, why are you eating so fast? Are you that hungry? Didn't you bring any dry rations when you went up the mountain at noon?"

Seeing how much the others were enjoying their meal, Zhao Guanren felt his stomach grow even hungrier. He picked up a rice ball and happily popped it into his mouth.

The official's expression changed slightly the instant his teeth sank into the surface of the rice ball.

Even though the rice had cooled completely, each grain remained distinct, soft, sticky, and sweet.

The pork floss is oily and creamy, while the seaweed is fluffy and crisp. The moment they land on your tongue, the salty and sweet flavors come over you like waves, making you irresistibly immersed in the deliciousness.

"Old Zhao, where are the rest of the rice balls?" Just then, a cry of surprise came from inside the house.

With hurried footsteps, several officials rushed out of the room. Their eyes searched for a moment before landing on Zhao Guanren's hands.

Official Zhao and the men also came to their senses, and countless eyes turned to the food box.

There was one rice ball left inside.

The man, drooling with desire, reached out to take it, but the official, having already tasted the flavor, was unwilling to give it to him and quickly raised his hand high.

"Brother Zhao, can I have the last one?"

"Hey, I've given you one already, the last one is mine."

"Give it to me! Give it to me!" The officials who came out of the house rushed forward and surrounded Zhao Guanren, chattering and making a fuss, busy discussing where to put the last rice ball.

Zhao Guanren lost his balance and fell backward with the help of the crowd. The rice ball rolled out of the food box and flew straight into the sky.

"Ah—rice ball."

"Ahhh, rice balls!!"

"Rice ball—"

The rice ball spun three times in the air before landing steadily in the hands of an official in blue robes. He glanced at Official Zhao and the others, then at the rice ball in his hand, and raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Zhen, this is mine..."

"Lord Zhen, this is mine, mine—"

"No, it should be mine."

The man in blue robes, addressed as Master Zhen, stared expressionlessly at the group before putting the rice ball that had sparked their argument into his mouth: "If I eat it, you won't have to argue anymore... Hmm?"

"Aaaaaah—rice ball!"

"My rice ball!!!"

Master Zhen savored the rice ball carefully, and after a long while, he revealed a look of surprise: "No wonder you were arguing so fiercely, this rice ball is so delicious."

Master Zhen, still enjoying his meal, glanced at Master Zhao and the others who were burying their faces in their hands and weeping, and couldn't help but laugh: "Isn't it a bit much? Where did you buy this? I'll buy some for you tomorrow!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several pairs of eyes turned to him.

The man said with particular sorrow, "Lord Zhen, if we could buy it, that would be fine... but these were given to us by two ladies who were passing by."

Mr. Zhao was even more heartbroken: "I shouldn't have taken out that condom in the first place!"

Zhen Guanren: "..."

He raised his hand: "Tomorrow, I'll treat you to a meal at the market tomorrow, is that alright?"