A poet once said, "Carrying wine and writing poetry starts from the second day of the second month." Many literati and poets responded to this, and most of them agreed - the dragon has raised its head, and it's time to have fun!
Although the snow in the northwest has not melted yet, it cannot stop the people from being restless.
The street was paved with stone bricks. Most of the traveling merchants lived in the nearby inns, and most of them waited upstairs for the dragon dance team to pass by.
There was only mud in Wa City, and it was extremely muddy after the snow melted, but there were still many people.
Many people brought eggs and crops that they had saved at home to sell in order to buy seasonal seeds and to buy some more things for their families.
By the way, of course, we have to wait for the right time to enjoy the joy of the dragon dance.
On the Qiao family's side, Miao Wan suddenly became pregnant, and both the Qiao and Zhang families paid more attention to her than to the shop, especially the women.
With the previous experience with Sun, Geng was fully prepared.
She asked Goudan and Changshou to call the women who were preparing the ingredients at home, and asked Qiao Ruichen to call the midwife, Uncle Geng to call the doctor, and Aunt Geng to go to the kitchen to boil water.
Geng helped Miao Wan lie down. Having been the mistress for so many years, she was very familiar with the affairs of the inner house. The house was much quieter than when Sun gave birth.
Only Miao Wan, who had never given birth, became more and more panicked.
"Mom, why don't I feel any pain?"
"Mom, isn't it too early for me to lie down now?"
"Should I get up and walk around?"
"I, I'm a little hungry..."
Madam Zhang came in with a bowl of egg and brown sugar water. "Don't leave if your water breaks. Be careful not to hold the baby in your belly if it flows too quickly. Just lie down. Mom will feed you the egg water. The Ga noodles will be ready soon and you can eat them later."
Like Miao Wan, Sun's water broke but she had no contractions yet. She was waiting for the birth, and it would take some time. It was only morning now, so she would have to wait until almost noon.
Miao Wan: "..." Then wouldn't her amniotic fluid have broken?
She was very scared and didn't dare to say much. She just did whatever she was told to do and lay down obediently drinking egg water.
Qiao Ruichen was also a little panicked, so he went home carrying the midwife on his back.
After entering the Qiao family, the midwife asked, and couldn't help but spit at Qiao Ruichen, "This stinky boy, he ran away with me on his back, and scared me. I thought I was about to give birth."
Their home is in the east of Xining Town, where most of the common people live. To the south, next to the Gubei Military Camp, is where the rich and powerful people live.
Tile City is in the west. After Aunt Geng boiled the hot water, the dragon dancers just went to Tile City from the garrison.
The mud is deep during the festive season, but it does not stop the crowds of people traveling.
Many people were unwilling to miss the opportunity to see the lively dragon dance, which was not even seen during the Chinese New Year. People who had finished their business in the town would follow the dragon dance team with their families and watch the scene.
As people walked, they felt waves of fragrance coming towards them.
Looking around, my sight soon fell on the barbecue in front of Jufu Restaurant.
Fresh lamb cut into thumb-sized pieces, crispy pork bones with large chunks of fat and lean meat, and small fan-shaped chicken wings brushed with honey sauce, all neatly skewered on wooden sticks, enough to hold a handful in one hand.
The charcoal fire licks the meat skewers, and the sizzling fat drips down. When it comes into contact with the charcoal fire, it roasts out the tempting rich meat aroma.
Then Sun Laohuo took a brush and dipped it in the sauce, brushed it on the skewers, and continued to grill them. When the rich oil dripped down, he picked up the iron can and sprinkled it on top -
“Gudong——”
"Dong Dong Qiang——"
Sun Laohuo's special sauces and powders, which are famous in Xining, are very fragrant and are roasted to perfection.
The actor with the dragon ball on his head was beating the drums and gongs in front, but the sound of the drumsticks could not cover up the sound of him swallowing saliva.
"Dear diners, come take a look! Jufu Restaurant has just opened today. With any order, we'll give away one lamb skewer, one pork rib skewer, and one chicken wing skewer. Even if you come in and order a bowl of rice for two copper coins, we'll give it away!"
"The meat skewers are two cents a piece! Come smell and look! They're freshly slaughtered pigs and sheep, and the roosters are running around in the backyard!"
When everyone heard that two copper coins could be exchanged for a skewer worth six copper coins, and it smelled even more fragrant than ever before, how could they refuse such a good thing?
Then go in and order a bowl of rice to satisfy your craving for the meat skewers!
"Then I want a bowl of rice! Eh? Isn't this the owner of Shazhujiang Spicy Skewers? Don't you have a stall in Wa City?" Someone recognized Zhang Sanzhuang.
Zhang Sanzhuang specially wore the new jacket made for him by Sun today. He didn't even want to wear it during the Chinese New Year, just waiting for an opportunity like today to show his respect.
Hearing this, he imitated Qiao Shengwen and bowed to everyone with a smile.
"The customer has good eyesight. We will not do business in Tile City anymore. Now we are working for a noble man. He is not short of money and just wants to make our brand a long-standing one!"
The rice in the northwest is mostly brown rice made from sorghum. The grains look plump and light ivory white. When you mix it with a skewer of lamb, the rice grains soaked in oil are even more tempting.
Some people wanted to ask whether the spicy skewers would still be sold in the future, but after taking a bite of the lamb skewers, the crispy and tender texture with the indescribable spicy taste, and then a mouthful of rice, made them forget what they were going to say immediately.
Zhang Sanzhuang remembered this without the guest's reminder, and did not forget to stand at the door and announce it to everyone -
"Our Jufu Restaurant serves different dishes every season, spring, summer, autumn and winter. If you like anything, just place your order in advance and we'll be waiting for you anytime."
He signaled the waiter to bring out the jar of meat that had been simmered in the kitchen for half the night. "In February, our Jufu Restaurant's specialty is crystal agate meat. It's only twenty cents for a small jar. The broth is rich and delicious, whether you eat it with rice or noodles or a steamed bun!"
A piece of crystal agate meat was taken out of the jar. The sweet steam was steaming with a rich meaty aroma. It was not as overbearing as barbecue, but it spread quickly, slowly and irresistibly rushing towards the human internal organs, making people take a deep breath, and their stomachs couldn't help but start to rumble.
The piece of meat with alternating fat and lean meat, as big as a boy's palm, stood tremblingly on the coarse porcelain plate. The lean meat was agate color, and the fat was slightly transparent, perfectly interpreting the four words "crystal agate".
There were many pedestrians and merchants coming to watch the fun, many of whom were attracted by the barbecue and came in.
People in the lobby were enjoying the barbecue with their mouths drooling. Those who just walked in couldn't help but cast their eyes on the braised pork.
It has a strong fragrance on the outside and sweetness on the inside, which is simply irresistible. There is always one that can capture people's soul.
The merchant, with his purse bulging, had already taken out money and started shouting, "Give me a jar, and barbecue too, thirty skewers each!"
Zhang Sanzhuang smiled and offered him the seat. "Please come in, sir. It's cold out. We've heated up the kang here. If you order food worth a hundred coins, you can eat on the kang. We'll also heat a pot of rice wine from the Yun family next door. I guarantee you'll feel comfortable inside and out."
"Eat on the kang?" A merchant from the south widened his eyes.
It sounded so fresh and made me feel warm inside that I couldn't help but follow the waiter into the house.
“Ah——” Before the guest even got on the kang, Miao Wan had already started to suffer from pain, sweat pouring down her forehead. “Mom——it hurts!”
Geng wiped her sweat: "Mother knows, you should save your energy."
Miao Wan couldn't stop crying, "Daddy! It hurts so much..."
Qiao Ruichen, who was walking back and forth outside, froze for a moment and glared at his father without saying a word.
Qiao Shengwen, who was standing at the door, said: "..." No, what's the point of you calling me? Your husband is even jealous of his own father.
Miao Wan was in so much pain that she didn't even know what she was shouting, "Husband, help me! It hurts so much!"
Qiao Ruichen took a deep breath. He was not there when Sun gave birth, and he didn't remember his mother screaming so miserably when she gave birth to Qiao Rui.
He was extremely anxious, and even in such a cold weather, sweat appeared on his forehead.
When Miao Wan started shouting "Buddha" and basins of blood were brought out, and Qiao Ruichen heard his wife occasionally shouting for help, he could not bear it anymore.
He threw off his robe and rushed in. He stood beside the stove and punched a few times, trying to get rid of the cold air as quickly as possible.
Aunt Geng, who continued to boil water, was dumbfounded. "Ruichen, why did you come in? You, what are you doing? Get out!"
"I'm not afraid of this. I'll go in and accompany Awan. She called me." Qiao Ruichen easily avoided Aunt Geng's push and walked quickly into the house.
Geng was also shocked. "Why are you messing around while a woman is giving birth? You..."
"I won't say anything. I'll just stay with Awan. She keeps calling me." Qiao Ruichen took a clean cotton handkerchief and wrapped it around his hands, then squatted down beside Miao Wan, who was crying.
Miao Wan was in too much pain to be surprised, but somehow, she felt even more aggrieved when she saw Qiao Ruichen, and her tears were falling so much that she couldn't see anything.
“Ouch, ouch…it hurts, it hurts so much!”
Qiao Ruichen stretched out his hand, "If it hurts, bite my hand. I will be in pain with you. It will heal soon."
Midwife: “…” Although the young couple was quite affectionate, she was getting angry just by looking at them.
"You two still have time to chat? Don't you know what you should be doing? Shut up!"
She put her hand on Miao Wan's belly and glared at her: "Stop crying, look at your head, as if something is wrong, take a deep breath, and push hard!"
Miao Wan subconsciously took a deep breath and wanted to cry out, but she was so scolded that she didn't dare to cry. She grabbed Qiao Ruichen's cotton-wrapped hand and bit it.
"Ugh!!!" Miao Wan opened her eyes wide and tried hard.
Baby, please come out soon, it hurts so much!
If you don't come out, your dad will die of pain...
"Ugh!!!" The guest also widened his eyes.
"This crystal agate meat is fat but not greasy, fresh, tender and soft. How did you come up with it? Give me another jar!"
Miao Wan arranged for the food to be served in small jars, each containing a large piece of meat and half a jar of gravy. For those with a big appetite, a bowl of rice and a steamed bun would be all they needed, which was not enough.
The waiters were ordered around by the guests in each room. Even though Geng had picked out six strong young men, the six kang rooms on each side of the backyard were now full and they were completely unable to handle the situation.
"Ten more skewers of lamb and twenty more skewers of pork ribs!"
The waiter said with a bitter face, "I'm so sorry, sir, all the barbecue is sold out today."
The food that was supposed to be delivered has not been delivered yet.
Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang the Butcher, who were in charge of slaughtering pigs, were also called to the Qiao family by Miao Wan's miserable noise. Who had the heart to slaughter pigs and sheep?
The midwife yelled, "Push harder, the head is coming out! Don't cry yet, wait until you're done giving birth!"
Miao Wan was in so much pain that she couldn't hear clearly: "Ah - wuwuwu..."
Restaurants——
"Another jar of crystal agate meat!"
"No more? What else is there? Let me finish the second pot of rice wine!"
Qiao Family——
"Push harder!"
"She's exhausted? Do you have any ginseng slices? If not, pinch her Ren Zhong (ren zhong) and let her try harder, and she'll give birth!"
At noon, Jufu Restaurant saw off its last customer.
"Oh my—it's only the middle of the day? It feels like half a day has passed." Zhang Sanzhuang couldn't help rubbing his face, feeling completely hollowed out. "What else is there in the kitchen? Bring it out and we'll have a bite. I'll go home and take a look."
Sun Laohuo walked in with his hands swung, looking exhausted. "There's nothing left. Only the seasonings are left in the kitchen."
Zhang Sanzhuang: "...Okay, then Dad, you go out and buy some. I'll go home and eat some and see what's going on."
At the same time, the cry of a child was heard in the east room of the Qiao family.
With a cry of "Wow", everyone inside and outside the house breathed a sigh of relief.
The baby was born in an hour and a half, which is not slow.
Mrs. Zhang in the room was convinced, but it was obvious that the person who was most angry in the two families was Miao Wan, not Zhang Sanzhuang.
Her production was as tumultuous as that of several Sun women, yet the result? She delivered the child in only half the time of Sun women.
The midwife also felt exhausted. She had never had such a hard time delivering a baby before, and since it was a girl, her voice was a little weak.
"Congratulations, it's a girl. She blossomed first and then bore fruit. You'll definitely have lots of boys in the future. I estimate she'll weigh six kilograms. You're so blessed."
Geng didn't despise it. She carefully held the child in her arms and stuffed a purse into the midwife's pocket. "Thank you!"
The midwife weighed it and said, "Wow, it must be at least two strings of coins. What she said is true. This girl will be reborn and will be blessed."
"Mom, let me see." Miao Wan cried for a while and said in a hoarse voice, "Let me see the baby."
Geng held the child in front of her, and Qiao Ruichen took a look at him, which made his eyes a little red.
It was almost the same as when his sister was just born, very small, with eyes closed and red, but he couldn't help but feel soft in his heart.
This is his eldest daughter, his blood, and he felt inexplicably sad.
Miao Wan was even more excited than he was, not even daring to touch the child. "This is, this is my child... It's so beautiful, wuwuwuwu..."
Yu quickly tidied the kang for her. When she turned around, she saw that the couple had tears in their eyes and were about to laugh.
"Why are you crying again? You're not allowed to cry during confinement. It will damage your eyes."
Miao Wan stopped crying immediately after hearing this. It wasn't that she wasn't excited anymore, but she was really drained. Her whole body felt soft and she felt like she was falling down, but her head was light and fluttery.
She originally wanted to say that she was going to take a nap, but as soon as she opened her mouth, everything went black and she knew nothing.
Qiao Ruichen was the first to notice something was wrong, "Awan? Awan! Doctor—"
The room had been tidied up. The doctor came in and took Miao Wan's pulse briefly, then pried her eyes open and took a look. "She just fell asleep from exhaustion."
The midwife took the money and said a few considerate words, "It's good that she's asleep. She won't suffer for a long time. Let her sleep. Remember to prepare some brown sugar water to warm it up."
Qiao Ruichen felt uneasy. Did he just fall asleep without saying a word? He felt more like he had fainted.
He held Miao Wan's hand tightly and refused to let go.
Geng didn't try to persuade him either. When she gave birth to this boy, his father was of similar character.
Miao Wan did faint, but it was not an ordinary coma. She felt like she had fallen into a thick gray fog and had no direction at all.
"Is anyone there?" she couldn't help but shout.
A familiar voice whispered, "Someone."
Miao Wan turned her head suddenly and was stunned.
The author has something to say:
From then on, the tradition of carrying wine and composing poems began: from He Zhuzhong's "Fu on the Banquet on February 2nd".
I exceeded the word count today, I'm aiming for 10,000 words a day! So I'm a little late, please comment~
Tomorrow is still 9,000, see you at 18:00~
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