Chapter 56 Fireworks Display and a Pleasure Boat Trip on the Bian River
The Bian River flowed ceaselessly, and the bridge and banks were filled with onlookers. The cool moonlight was reflected on the water, and the sounds of pipa playing and poetry recitations echoed from the painted boats.
Making tofu and grinding grain year-round gave Jinniang great arm strength, which is why she can now hold Shuangjie in one arm and pull Luqiong towards the shore with the other.
Finally, they were able to get close to the Bian River, and she could rest for a while. Then she handed Shuangjie a piece of candied melon and pointed to the painted boat that had passed the Zhou Bridge: "This painted boat is nice. Let's take a ride on it later."
Surrounded by people, Lu Qiong had to be careful not to bump into anyone, so she casually replied, "Okay."
But with no idea when the fireworks display would start, the group's initial excitement had turned into boredom.
Shuangjie'er had finished all the candied melons, and Jinniang, fearing that she would lose patience, took out another piece of sticky candy: "Eat slowly, this is the last piece."
Shuangjie didn't understand these principles and stuffed it into her mouth to chew. The sticky candy was even stickier than candied melon because it contained more maltose.
"My tooth fell out..."
A small tooth was still embedded in the toothpaste in Shuang'er's hand, and her mouth was slightly open. Upon closer inspection by the moonlight, it was clear that one of her lower front teeth was missing.
Jinniang immediately smiled, picked out the front tooth with her fingertips, examined it for a few moments, and said, "On the first day of the new year, Shuang'er also lost a tooth. It's a good omen; the coming year will surely be smooth sailing..."
After saying that, he wiped it on his sleeve, happily put it into his money pouch, tightened the opening, and carefully tucked it into his waistband.
Lu Qiong was also happy for Shuang Jie'er, after all, this was her first time losing a tooth, which was a major life event, so he patted her head, and Shuang Jie'er grinned foolishly with her teeth showing.
Since there was no bleeding, Shuangjie didn't feel any pain, so she continued to eat her toothpaste, but she was even more careful, for fear of losing another tooth.
Just then, a pleasure boat docked, and some of the passengers disembarked. Jinniang also led Shuangjie and the others closer to the pleasure boat.
The pleasure boats on the Bian River were not large, so the boatmen simply set up a gangplank on the bank. Lu Qiong lifted her skirt, carefully stepped forward, and landed on the gangplank with a thud.
The pleasure boats cruise along the Bian River. If you want to get off the boat along the way, you need to pay in advance. It costs 20 coins per trip.
As the painted boat slowly departed from the shore, those on board could feel the water gently lapping against its hull. Lu Qiong leaned against the vermilion railing, admiring the scenery of the Bian River.
At first, Shuangjie was still energetic, but after a short while she got bored. Jinniang then led her into the cabin, where there were cushions and tea and snacks on the table.
Lu Qiong stood alone outside the boat awning, the wind gently brushing across the water, bringing a slight coolness that helped her stay awake.
Suddenly a commotion arose on the pleasure boat, and the surrounding pedestrians began to push and shove. She was also pushed to another place, and if she was not careful, she bumped into the people next to her.
Lu Qiong was supported by her arms, and only after she regained her balance did she see clearly who it was: Xie Xun. The Bian River shimmered, and the light and shadow reflected on his face, making it appear somewhat unreal.
At this moment, the painted boat rocked gently, and Lu Qiong's heart fluttered.
A soft sound pierced the night sky, followed by a dazzling display of fireworks overhead. The sparkling fireworks illuminated the entire Bian River, and Xie Xun's eyes were also filled with the afterglow of the fireworks.
Pedestrians were still crowding in, so he could only press close to Lu Qiong and look down to meet her gaze: "There are fireworks going off behind you."
Lu Qiong turned around, and another firework bloomed. As the booming sound rang in her ears, her heart pounded.
They then disembarked, unaware of when the fireworks ended.
All the guests on the pleasure boat disembarked, and those who had been waiting on the shore for a long time also boarded the boat as they wished.
Once the surroundings were quiet, Lu Qiong realized that Jin Niang and Shuang Jie were gone, probably having left on their own.
Since Xie Xun was going the same way, they walked back together.
"Sugar painting...painting a jade rabbit, painting peach blossoms...ten coins per serving."
Children crowded around the sugar painting stall. The stall owner held a wooden dagger in his hand, tilted his wrist slightly, and the syrup in the spoon dripped out and flowed lightly on the stone slab, thus drawing a tiger.
The little girl reached out and took the sugar painting, gave the stall owner a few coins, and left with a smile. Lu Qiong watched and was reminded of her own childhood.
Seeing her staring at the sugar painting stall without moving, Xie Xun assumed she wanted it, so he walked towards the stall.
Lu Qiong had no choice but to follow, and then he heard a group of children say to him, "Adults sell sugar paintings too?"
I thought Xie Xun would be angry, but to my surprise, he smiled and held the few coins the stall owner had left over: "Adults were once children too, and they also miss the tastes they had when they were young."
“But my father said that once a man grows up, he can no longer act like he did when he was a child.”
Xie Xun looked down at the little boy who had spoken: "Your father is wrong. Whether you're grown up or a child, you shouldn't be restrained, you should..."
Seeing that he seemed about to argue with a group of children, Lu Qiong felt somewhat helpless. In addition, the two of them were attracting too much attention, and many pedestrians were already looking at them, so she quickly pulled him away, not even having time to take the sugar painting.
Once they reached a quieter spot, Lu Qiong looked up at Xie Xun and said, "I never knew you could be so childish, Xie Lang, trying to reason with a child!"
Xie Xun followed her with his hands behind his back, sighing, "It's just a pity about the sugar painting; I haven't had time to make it yet."
Perhaps because she was thinking about the "unborn" sugar painting, when she arrived at the stall selling dumplings, Lu Qiong couldn't help but buy a portion of red bean dumplings. In the end, they parted ways in Zhen'anfang.
When she returned, she saw that the lanterns hanging under the tree were still lit, illuminating the entire courtyard.
The lights were off in the room, and I thought Lu Xuan hadn't returned yet, but a figure suddenly appeared from behind me, grinning smugly: "Sister, you're even later than me. Who did you meet up with?"
Lu Qiong was startled. She patted her chest, paused for a moment, and glared at her: "Do you want to change your older sister?"
Lu Xuan shook her head with a smile, but her excitement betrayed her. Suddenly, she wrinkled her nose, closed her eyes, and said, "I smell a fragrance. Did you secretly eat some Floating Dumplings behind my back?"
They sniffed around and finally discovered it was the oil paper that Lu Qiong was carrying.
Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, Lu Qiong took it out: "You really have a good nose, even better than Xue'er's!"
Xue'er, whom they mentioned, had fallen asleep early, still wearing the "new clothes" made by Lu Xuan herself, and occasionally made dozing sounds.
The two then moved chairs over and sat down under the tree. By the light of the lanterns, they unwrapped the oil paper, revealing round, small glutinous rice balls.
The filling of Chengsha dumplings is red bean paste, similar to tangyuan, but much larger. They are coated with a layer of glutinous rice flour and can be eaten after cooking.
The portion that Lu Qiong bought was already cold, and it didn't look very appealing.
Lu Xuan washed her hands, grabbed one, and, having grown accustomed to Lu Ji's red bean paste filling, felt something was missing when eating outside, perhaps because the filling wasn't generous enough.
"There's not enough sugar; it would be better with more..."
Lu Qiong took a bite of the dumpling, her lips smeared with glutinous rice flour, but said the opposite: "I think it's just right, soft, chewy, sweet and delicious."
Glutinous rice dumplings are easy to get tired of, and Lu Xuan refused to eat any more after eating one, while Lu Qiong ate one more than usual.
......
Lu Ji reopened shortly after New Year's Day, still maintaining the festive atmosphere. They added new items to their menu, such as floating dumplings, rice cakes, and chewy candied fruit.
That day, Lu Ji was preparing to brew wine, making several jars of peach wine.
Lu Qiong had someone bring over wine jars, clean the inside, wipe them dry, and leave them to air dry near the back door. Then he asked Lu Xuan to help select peaches, picking out those with damaged skins or that were unripe, leaving only the sweetest ones.
Having just washed the peaches, Lu Xuan seized the opportunity to steal one, took a big bite, and juice gushed out from her lips.
Lu Qiong was already used to it. She peeled, pitted, cut the remaining peaches into small pieces, mashed them, wrapped the peach flesh in gauze, and with a little force, the light pink juice flowed to the bottom of the gauze.
The room was filled with the rich aroma of peaches, intoxicating even before the yeast was added.
After adding yeast and cooked glutinous rice, the wine will become even more mellow. Finally, after sealing the top, it will be ready in eight or nine days.
Later, Lu Xuan disappeared, leaving only Lu Qiong to finish up the mess.
"Sister! Someone's here..." Lu Xuan suddenly ran in, panting.
Lu Qiong wiped the outside of the wine jar with a damp cloth, removing a lot of the spilled juice: "Someone, please entertain them. What use is it to call me?"
Lu Xuan was still catching her breath, her chest heaving: "She said she was Mother's sister..."
The original owner's sister?
Lu Qiong had no recollection of it, but she couldn't just leave it unattended. She casually tossed the damp cloth aside, wiped the water stains on her apron, and hurriedly went out.
A woman sat by the wall; she looked to be just over thirty, which made sense in terms of age.
Perhaps due to frequent outdoor work, her skin was somewhat rough, and her clothes were a bit old, it was unclear how long they had been worn. As for her appearance... Lu Qiong couldn't quite tell, after all, she didn't have a deep memory of the original owner's mother.
When she saw her arrive, Cheng Niang only glanced up before continuing to drink her porridge, stuffing another piece of bread into her mouth before she could finish eating.
Lu Qiong had no choice but to greet him again and patiently ask, "Are you really my mother's sister?"
Cheng Niang swallowed a big mouthful of the pancake and almost choked. Lu Xuan also handed her a cup of tea, which was freshly brewed and still hot. As soon as she said "Be careful, it's hot," Cheng Niang gulped it down and spat it out.
She kept fanning herself, tears welling up in her eyes, which distressed Lu Qiong and the others. This time, it was Sister Yang who brought her some cold water.
After a pause, Cheng Niang finally spoke, though her tongue was still a little slurred. She didn't blame anyone, though: "She's like her younger sister. She went to Shangyuan Village with me before."
She only said this much, refusing to say anything more. Lu Qiong was alright, as she didn't have much affection for the original owner's mother.
Lu Xuan, however, was different. Although she had matured considerably over the years, she still often thought of her deceased parents. But as time passed, her memories gradually faded, and now that they had been brought up again, the emotions she had kept hidden in her heart could no longer be concealed.
Seeing her pitiful state, Cheng Niang remained heartless and refused to reveal another word: "The person is gone, what's the point of saying these things? You might as well give me a few more pieces of cake."
Lu Qiong asked a few more questions and learned that she had not yet found a place to stay, so she settled her in an inn near Longjin Bridge.
On the way back, I happened to run into Shi San Niang, who was carrying a pot of Tusu wine. I don't know who it was for: "Where did Qiong Jie go?"
Because she was preoccupied with her own thoughts, Lu Qiong could only force a smile: "A relative just came looking for me, and I've finally settled the person in."
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