Chapter 66 Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles She clearly runs a legitimate soup noodle shop! ...
Shen Miao carefully lifted her skirt and walked to the edge of the pond to look around.
The abandoned pond in front of them was about an acre in size, surrounded by reeds. At this time of year, most of the reeds had withered leaves and broken stems. When the wind blew, the reed flowers rustled and fluttered, falling among the rocks and mud. Shen Miao had only stood there for a short while when she was covered in them.
The shallow water by the pond was filled with debris and several belly-up fish carcasses. The algae and water plants were intertwined, making it look lifeless.
Shen Miao did indeed want to buy a few acres of land.
Not daring to covet land in the suburbs of Bianjing, she set her sights on the surrounding villages and towns.
This is one of the reasons why she readily agreed to Bai Laosan's invitation, even though she knew she wouldn't earn much money roasting a whole lamb at Bai's house.
"Lao Yanzhou Roast Duck" has been on the market for a few months and has ignited the enthusiasm of Bianjing people for roasted duck. However, Shen Miao can only roast twenty ducks a day. One reason is that there is only one roasting oven for the time being. She has already ordered a second one, which has not yet come out of the oven. But the oven is not the most important thing. The main problem is that there are no ducks!
There isn't enough "white duck" available from the duck farms around Bianjing City. Aunt Li has been running around like crazy these days, barely managing to gather twenty ducks that meet the requirements each day. She has complained to me several times, asking if I could buy the local mallard ducks.
Inside and outside Bianjing city, there were more pig and sheep farmers than chicken and duck farmers. Moreover, at this time, the local ducks were mostly mallards or Muscovy ducks, which were domesticated from wild ducks. These two types of ducks have strong flying ability, grow slowly, have tougher meat, and less moisture, so they don't taste as good as white ducks when roasted.
When Shen Miao first tried roasting Peking duck, she used the ducks raised by Aunt Li's family. The meat came out dry and tough; it was fragrant, but the meat was mushy and got stuck in her teeth, completely unlike the Peking duck she remembered. In the end, she ate them herself or let the neighbors try them; she didn't sell a single one.
Later, Shen Miao described the appearance of the little white duck to Aunt Li and asked Aunt Li to go to several large duck farms in the outer city before she finally found it.
Although the little white duck later became known as the "Beijing duck," some of its ancestors were actually Nanjing lake ducks. The Zhu family, who historically loved roast duck, even when they moved their capital to Beijing, did not forget to bring Nanjing ducks with them, resulting in a direct "southern ducks to the north" transfer.
Legend has it that Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty brought this white duck to Nanyuan in Beijing to raise, and it was later crossbred with the Baihe Pu duck in Beijing that it became the Beijing duck.
Think about it in real history: when our Yongle Emperor raised an army of 800 strong men and fought his way from north to south, he moved the capital with great fanfare to guard the country's borders. It's kind of funny that hundreds of live, quacking ducks had to be tied to the supply wagons.
During the Song Dynasty, the canal and sea transport flourished. Today, these little white ducks are still called Jinling Lake ducks. A few years ago, they were brought to Bianjing by merchants from the south. Initially, because the white ducks were beautiful, they were sold as pets. At that time, only a few families that specialized in raising ducks raised some. The number was small, and each pound was five coins more expensive than a Muscovy duck.
Why did Shen Miao value this little white duck so much? Just look at how the emperor insisted on taking this duck with him when he moved house; you can tell it must have some advantages.
In Nanjing, the little white ducks are fed with rice husks and earthworms, making them not only plump and juicy with a good taste, but also growing fast, large, with full muscles and white feathers. They are so beautiful and not fussy, and can adapt to both the warm weather in the south and the dry and cold climate in the north.
It beats that grayish-brown, green-hatted, thin, and old wild duck from the inside out!
Unlike the abundant supply of grilled fish and the cheap price of grass carp, there were too few people raising white ducks in Bianjing. Whenever some diners complained that there were too few roast ducks and they couldn't buy them for several days in a row, and seeing that even taking pre-orders couldn't meet the demand, Shen Miao gradually developed the idea of raising them herself.
She had already started having Aunt Li collect the duck eggs from the little white ducks, as many as she could get, and then had Aunt Li's brooding hens incubate them. Now more than a dozen have hatched, but this is not a long-term solution, as she can't raise many ducks in her own yard.
Shen Miao had cooked for the Feng family a few times and had accumulated quite a bit of gold. It was unsafe to just keep it in the cellar without any interest, so she decided to use it to buy land, raise ducks, and open her own duck farm.
For a restaurant to grow, it must have its own stable source of meat. In her past life, Shen Miao also contracted a small hill and set up a pig farm, specializing in raising free-range black pigs. In addition to supplying her own restaurants, the black pork produced could also be made into cured meat and sausages and sold via live streaming. She also started a pre-ordering service for pigs for the New Year, ordering them out from piglets so that customers could choose them themselves. She would then stamp the pig's ears and back with the words "So-and-so's pig". The following year, when the pigs were grown up, she would help slaughter and ship them out. Her business was extremely successful.
With a stable meat supply, the dishes will not have quality control issues due to meat quality problems, ensuring a stable customer flow in the long term, and the reputation and brand will become increasingly well-known.
I heard that Fanlou has his own sheep farm, cattle farm and pig farm, covering more than ten acres, raising several thousand animals.
Shen Miao dared not compare himself to Fan Lou, nor did he have such financial power, but he could still set up a small-scale duck farm for roast duck.
The wind ruffled her clothes, snapping her out of her reverie about the duck farm. She glanced at Xie Qi, whose expression had become somewhat cautious when the Guo family was mentioned, but couldn't suppress her curiosity. So she walked down the gentle slope, listening to the snapping sound of the withered grass beneath her feet, and asked the Bai family's daughter-in-law in a low voice, "Since the Guo family's hidden land has already become government property, why can they still cause trouble and prevent you from renting it? They dare to cause trouble for those who rent government land; aren't they afraid of being investigated and punished by the government?"
Bai's wife also quietly explained the situation to Shen Miao: "The Guo family is not to be trifled with. They live in Chenliu Town, and the Guo family's house occupies the entire street in the town. When the government issued an order to survey the land, all four thousand hectares of land that the Guo family had hidden were registered, and they will have to pay a lot more taxes! So the Guo family gave up some poor fields, mountain fields, and pond fields in the nearby villages and converted them into government land. I heard that they even gained a good reputation in front of the government."
But they gave up so much land, it was like cutting off their own flesh. They didn't mention it openly, but how could they not hold a grudge?
A newcomer from another clan, ignoring the advice of the locals and defying superstition, rented this field and pond from the government, hoping to make a fortune by raising fish and growing rice. Little did he know, the Guo family owned a large tract of land upstream! Every time the rice seedlings ripened, they would cut off the water supply. The newcomer went to the Guo family to demand an explanation, but was beaten black and blue by their tenants. He then reported it to the authorities. When the officials arrived, the Guo family had already been informed and had restored the water supply beforehand, refusing to admit anything. But as soon as the officials left, they repeated their trick, secretly adding rat poison to the pond, killing a large number of fish. The Guo family had no evidence and couldn't outlast them. Exhausted after a year, the fish died, the rice seedlings withered, and last year, the man of the Guo family, burdened with debt, hanged himself from a beam.”
Shen Miao's eyes widened: "Someone has died?"
"That's right. If it weren't for the fact that our Bai family, with more than a dozen branches, lived here, and that we were numerous and powerful, and that every summer when the water was low, our entire clan would unite to guard the upstream of the irrigation canal, taking turns working almost all night without sleep, and that our Bai family had also opened shops in Bianjing City and gained some power, then the Guo family wouldn't dare to bully us. Otherwise, they probably would have wanted to drive us away as well. I guess they were planning to take back the fields when they were left uncultivated for a long time."
Xie Qi blushed with shame upon hearing this. Although his surname was Xie, he felt utterly ashamed.
Shen Miao immediately abandoned the idea of renting or buying the land.
She was also an "outsider," and couldn't compete with the treacherous Guo family, so she decided to look for another place. She asked the Bai family's daughter-in-law to keep an eye out for land, as she specifically wanted land connected to a pond, since ducks are waterfowl and need a good water supply.
Bai's wife nodded: "I'll have my husband help Madam Shen keep an eye on things later."
After wandering around for a while, Shen Miao realized that most of the wasteland in Baijia Village now belonged to the Guo family. Regretting this, she prepared to head back. Xie Qi accompanied Shen Miao as they walked through what should have been fertile fields, his heart heavy, as if a stone had been placed on it.
The government used the "land surveying method" to measure and register land. Both official and private households reported the area, location, and origin of their land, with the head of the village guaranteeing this. The county magistrate then dispatched clerks to verify the self-reported land against the registers, creating a "land survey register" according to the prescribed format. After the county magistrate's verification, the imperial court would select other capable and honest officials serving in other areas to conduct a second verification. The land survey register was the final standard; if a household's land holdings did not match the register, even with contracts or agreements, the household would be confiscated.
The powerful clans were naturally unwilling to hand over their hidden lands. Some bribed officials, while others falsified documents beforehand after receiving the news. However, most of them ended up badly, giving the government a handle to use against them. Some were exiled, some were demoted, and some were executed by secret edict. That period was filled with bloodshed.
The Xie and Feng families had experienced the palace coup during the reign of the late emperor, and their children, grandchildren, and nephews had suffered a lot. They were the most honest, obediently handing over a portion of their hidden land and paying more taxes. With their uncles from the border writing letters to plead for them, they eventually survived safely.
The Guo family reacted extremely strongly at the time, even writing a letter to scold Xie's father for being spineless, calling him a cowardly coward with weak knees and a servile attitude. And what was the result? Empress Guo was deposed and removed from the inner court, and the head of the Guo family was stripped of his position as military governor; they then became obedient.
But I never expected that they were not completely honest despite their seemingly honest appearance, and that they could still be harboring such wicked intentions!
Xie Qi was also hearing about the Guo family's despicable deeds behind their backs for the first time. He thought to himself, "That outsider really suffered a loss. Why didn't he go to Bianjing to complain? I'm afraid he hasn't heard the rumors about the officials looking for the pig. If he were to risk everything and file a complaint with the Censorate and the Kaifeng Prefecture, and make a big scene that reaches the officials, given the current situation, it would probably be the Guo family that suffers."
The officials were just looking for an excuse to confiscate their property.
Shen Miao was in low spirits on the way back to Bianjing after failing to buy the land. Xie Qi sat on the oxcart, his body swaying with the cart. He glanced at Shen Miao several times and saw her frowning and deep in thought, and he was also struggling with his own feelings.
The families of prominent families intermarried, and the daughter of his third aunt's cousin married into the Guo family.
Xie Qi struggled with whether or not to betray his class and relatives, yet he couldn't deceive his own heart. It wasn't just about helping Shen Niangzi; he had read books, understood principles, and seen many things in this world. He knew right from wrong, but ultimately dared not draw his sword.
He despised himself for having wasted his education.
Children have no worries. Xiangjie and Yanshu played a clapping game in the car, clapping once and then laughing together when they stopped clapping. This made Chen Chuan unable to memorize his lessons. Jige also found the two of them noisy and moved to sit next to Bai Laosan.
Once back in the inner city, the oxcart stopped in front of Shenji Soup and Cake Shop. Atao hurriedly came out to greet them with a smile: "My wife is back!" She proudly boasted, "Today, Fuxing and I sold out all twenty ducks! We also sold thirteen bowls of mutton soup!"
Shen Miao relaxed her brow and smiled. She got out of the car, thanked Bai Laosan first, and then turned to A Tao and praised, "Good A Tao, you're so capable, you'll definitely get double your wages next month!"
"Thank you, madam! If you need anything in the future, please feel free to go out. Atao will take care of the shop!" Atao's face was flushed with joy. She was happy and had no worries. She was focused on making money so that she could redeem her mother as soon as possible.
Xie Qi stared blankly at the smiles of Madam Shen and A Tao. He had heard about A Tao's background from Madam Shen, and he was even more moved at this moment.
His uncle had taught him to be like a steadfast pine or cypress, a person who "shows strength in the wind and integrity in the snow." As he recited these words, a sense of resolve and desolation slowly arose in his heart: since the powerful families were already on the verge of collapse, rather than slowly and painstakingly cutting them, it would be better to let them be decisive and put them in a life-or-death situation.
Moreover, Xie Qi was worried that the officials were truly unaware of these underhanded tricks employed by the aristocratic families, or were they deliberately withholding information to gather evidence for future purges? The thought of the hasty increase in the number of civil service examinations this year was also chilling.
The clearing of fields, the increase of taxes, the provocation of the gentry, the guillotine hanging in the balance... it was as if lightning flashed through Xie Qi's mind in an instant.
He seemed to have guessed what the emperor was going to do!
If the Guo family has such shady dealings, doesn't the Xie family have them too? Doesn't the Feng family have them? Xie Qi pondered this carefully. Even if the Xie family had strict family rules, with such a large family, there would always be unseen aspects that could breed unsavory behavior. Rather than waiting for the authorities to strike, it would be better to expose their own illegal activities first, cutting off one arm themselves and purging the corrupt elements within the family before considering anything else…
"Ninth Brother? Ninth Brother?"
Xie Qi suddenly came to his senses and waved one of Shen Niangzi's hands in front of his eyes.
"What are you thinking about so intently? There's still some duck soup left. How about slicing some pork tenderloin for dinner, and having rice noodles in a clay pot?"
Xie Qi murmured absentmindedly, "Good...good..."
Seeing that he agreed, Shen Miao prepared to go back to the backyard to prepare the ingredients. She said it was a clay pot rice noodle soup, but what she really wanted to eat was Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles! Thinly sliced pork tenderloin, along with chives, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms and other vegetables, were cooked in hot broth one by one. It was so fragrant.
There's no suitable place, so there's nothing we can do about not being able to buy it for now. We can look around more carefully later, or ask around at Yaoluoge to see if there's anything suitable. There's always a way! Shen Miao had been thinking about this all the way, so she became more open-minded. Now, her mind was filled with the joy of slurping rice noodles.
To her surprise, as she turned around excitedly, Xie Qi grabbed her arm.
She turned around in surprise, looked down at the arm that was being held, her heart pounding, when she suddenly heard Xie Qi's unusually serious voice from above: "Madam Chen, thank you."
Shen Miao looked puzzled: "What?"
Xie Qi had already let go of her hand and bowed deeply to her: "Madam Shen, I... I won't eat rice today. I have urgent business to attend to at Chunzhuang. I'll be leaving now..." Before Shen Miao could react, he had already called Yan Shu and told him to quickly rent a horse.
Yan Shu walked out with a sullen face, feeling aggrieved: Ninth Brother doesn't want to eat, he wants to eat rice cakes!
Before long, Yan Shu reluctantly led a driver, hitched up a carriage, and looked at Chen Miao with a wronged expression.
Shen Miao shrugged, and Yan Shu burst into tears even faster.
Before Xie Qi boarded the carriage, he turned back and told Shen Miao, "If Madam Shen wants to buy land, don't rush, or wait until next month..." He gave a somewhat bitter and strange smile, "I'm afraid that in a few days, there will be quite a few good and cheap lands up for sale."
Shen Miao was completely baffled. What was the reason for this? Could land really appear out of thin air? And in such a good and cheap way? Even if a pie fell from the sky, it wouldn't fall like that.
Xie Qi didn't explain further. After speaking, he hurriedly drove away with Yan Shu, who kept turning back with great reluctance.
It seemed as if the scholar's voice, filled with a sense of parting at the cost of his life, still drifted on the wind: "Miso..."
Poor Yanshu, I'll make it for him again when he comes back and has time. Shen Miao smiled and shook her head. As soon as she entered the room, Fuxing poked his head out from the kitchen and called to her, asking if the soup was ready and what to do next. She quickly turned around and went back inside.
The kitchen was warm and cozy, with a rich, milky-white duck soup. Fuxing had added some pork bones to simmer together, and it was boiling vigorously.
She glanced at it and thought, "Hmm, this soup is perfectly cooked."
Atao has returned from buying coarse rice noodles. Shenmiao specifically instructed her to buy the newly made, chewy fermented rice noodles. Fermented rice noodles are made by fermenting rice, filtering it, steaming the powder, and then pressing it. They look thin, long, and chewy, and have a stronger rice aroma.
Tang Er sliced the pork tenderloin, pork liver, and fish into paper-thin slices, and also prepared the other vegetables.
It's so nice to have someone help you. Shen Miao glanced at the well-organized kitchen and felt extremely relaxed.
She took a large soup bowl, preheated it with hot water until it was scalding hot, then poured in the thick, boiling soup. Following the order of meat first, she quickly added the chopped meat and vegetables to the soup, gently stirring them with chopsticks until they were cooked through. Finally, she added the rice noodles and seasonings.
To make delicious Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, firstly, the broth must be well-prepared; secondly, the meat must be sliced thinly; and finally, the meat and vegetables must be blanched quickly. This way, the meat and vegetables will be tender, and the rice noodles will have a smooth texture, allowing you to enjoy piping hot rice noodles.
In autumn, each person has a small clay pot, and you can eat a bowl of hot food. Then, you can add some fried soybeans, soy sauce, ginger, and chili oil. While it's still steaming hot, you can pick it up with chopsticks, blow on it, and slurp it into your mouth while it's hot. It's even more fragrant, spicy, and refreshing.
Towards the end, you might even break out in a sweat.
Shen Miao brought the steaming hot Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles to the table. Xiang Jie'er couldn't wait any longer and gathered around the table. Before she could even sit down properly, she already had her chopsticks in her hand. Ji Ge'er followed behind. Ever since he had stayed at the academy, he had been very eager to eat at home.
Chen Chuan also stared intently at the casserole.
Tang Er had never eaten rice noodles like this before. Smelling the steaming aroma, he swallowed hard, quickly picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks, and with a "slurp," his eyes lit up. The rice noodles, cooked so hot, were incredibly smooth and slippery, coated in the fresh broth, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth.
tasty!
Tang Er's cheeks puffed out, his mouth covered in soup, and he muttered, "This is so delicious, I could eat three big bowls!"
He was truly grateful to have been sold to Madam Shen by the dentist, for not only did he eat meat regularly, but every meal was also delicious.
Madam Shen seemed to do everything with effortless ease, as if it were very simple. Tang Er would sometimes watch from the side and think, "It doesn't seem difficult at all; I could do it too." But when he actually picked up a knife and started cooking, it was a completely different story.
Everything that Shen Niangzi made smelled so good it made him dizzy, while everything he made tasted like dishwater.
The courtyard was filled with the sound of slurping noodles. Xiangjie was slurping a long noodle, but she couldn't get it to the bottom no matter what she did. The children were so upset that they stood up, but she just wouldn't let go or bite it off. She insisted on eating it all in one go.
Shen Miao was worried that she would choke, but luckily she had good lung capacity and actually ate it all in one go.
After Shen Miao and the others finished eating, customers started arriving at the shop one after another. Many people asked if there was any more roasted duck, but A Tao could only repeatedly say that there wasn't any left. Instead, she started recommending the grilled fish. She came up with a set of words and said with a smile, "My lord, in autumn, when it comes to nourishing and warming the stomach, besides beef and mutton, fresh fish is the best. Eating this hot grilled fish will surely make you not regret it."
They actually sold a lot more grilled fish.
However, today was a bit strange. Many of the people there were dressed as scholars and students who came specifically to eat roast duck. When they heard from Atao that the roast duck was no longer available, they looked disappointed and muttered some literary words before leaving dejectedly. Later, Atao came in mysteriously and said to Shen Miao, "My lady, I heard that a scholar wrote a poem called 'Ode to Roast Duck,' and that it was written with great literary flair. It has been circulating among scholars for a long time. Today, many scholars came because they read the poem. They said they had to try the roast duck described in the poem to satisfy their appetite and prove its deliciousness."
Atao looked at Shen Miao with admiration: "Madam is so clever to come up with such a solution! Now everyone says that if you come to Bianjing and don't eat a bite of Shen Ji Duck Shop's roasted duck, then you've wasted your trip! Our shop is now quite famous!"
After saying that, she was filled with regret, as if the people who didn't get to eat roast duck had left, and the copper coins were slipping away before her eyes. "It's a pity that we can only roast four or five batches a day, and each batch has four or five ducks hanging on it. They're sold out in the blink of an eye during the day... No, I have to go ask Fuxing if he's mastered the skill of turning the roast duck pole! He can roast one more duck at a time!"
Shen Miao listened blankly, and looking at the people who kept coming in to ask about roast duck, she was even more confused.
She didn't have anyone write this! Also, when did she become Shen Kee Duck Shop? She's clearly a legitimate soup noodle shop!
This name is really bad; it sounds gloomy and misleading.
*
"But the duck's skin was golden-red, glistening with oil, and when it was cut, it made a 'sizzling' sound..." In the Fu Ning Palace, the hall was lit by large lanterns, and Zhao Boyun was also reading the "Ode to Roasted Duck," his black face full of smiles. "Take a thin pancake, spread it in your palm, and add some scallions... Haha, this person writes well! The language is concise, and after reading a few sentences, it's as if someone is really eating roasted duck in front of you."
He shook the paper in his hand and asked Liang Qian, who was bowing slightly as he served him, "Whose handwriting is this?"
"I heard that he is Ning Yi, a student of the first class of Biyong Academy." Before this food essay was presented to the emperor, Liang Qian had already found out. To prevent the emperor from asking questions, he added, "His ancestors were from the Ning family of Weizhou. During the reign of the late emperor, his grandfather Ning Chun served as the governor of Lianzhou."
"A descendant of a century-old family, huh? No wonder his writing is so eloquent and effortless. Don't let his seemingly unproductive pursuit of writing these food essays fool you; his family's scholarly tradition is still there." Zhao Boyun's smile remained unchanged, only his tone turned slightly colder. He placed the food essay on the table, picked up other memorials and read them for a while, before suddenly looking up at the night outside and asking, "Where are General Xiao Xi and General Yue?"
"I think that, judging by the pace of the two generals, they should have passed Zhengzhou by now. They should arrive in a few more days by fast horse," Liang Qian replied respectfully, bowing slightly. "Should I send someone to inquire?"
"No need. Don't rush them. They've already suffered through the cold and are traveling. What will happen if we rush them further? Their safety on the road is the most important thing." Zhao Boyun stood up, stretched, and sighed inwardly. "These complicated matters are not related to the two generals, but I must explain them to them clearly. After all, their families are involved, so that the two generals will not become estranged from me in the future."
Seeing that Zhao Boyun was in a gloomy mood, Liang Qian asked again, "There's still one roast duck left. Should I go and heat it up?"
Zhao Boyun was indeed easily coaxed; he immediately turned around, nodded vigorously, and said, "Go quickly!"
He had just read Ning Yi's poem about roasted duck and was so engrossed in it that he swallowed hard. He had clearly eaten it just today, and he was craving it but couldn't say it out loud. Fortunately, Liang Da Dang was like a tapeworm in his stomach, and he noticed it without him having to say anything.
Liang Qian smiled, bowed, and then hurried off to heat up the duck.
The turbulent and unpredictable events in the capital city seemed to have no effect on the Shen family's courtyard.
After slurping noodles, the weather grew colder day by day. Old Man Liang even came over in person to check the banquet menu with Shen Miao. He said that the host was going to entertain two distinguished guests who had come from afar. In addition to ordering spicy soup and roast duck, one of them liked tofu and sour dumplings, while the other had no dietary restrictions and only loved red-braised pork with sesame flatbread. Therefore, these dishes were also a must.
Shen Miao noted them all down; none of them were difficult. She then asked how many cooks the Liang family had, and whether she needed to bring her own helpers. The Liang family replied, "There are quite a few cooks. If you have any helpers you're used to, you can bring them along without any problem."
Shen Miao nodded. That would be perfect to bring Tang Er and Fu Xing along, as she and the two of them were already working together very well.
Old Master Liang then checked all the necessary ingredients, seasonings, and spices with her, writing a three-page list in his handwriting. Surprisingly, he also had beautiful handwriting. Afterwards, they agreed on a time for him to pick her up on the eighth day of the month, but since it was an evening banquet, he said he would come after noon.
Shen Miao naturally followed the Liang family's lead—she had always thought it was the Liang family who were hosting a banquet!
Two days later, frost quietly descended upon Bianjing City. When Shen Miao woke up, she felt the air was icy cold. She put on her cotton coat, her arms hunched, and went out to look around. The white cabbages in the yard were covered with frost, and many of the wild grasses and ivy in the corners of the walls had withered and turned white. Shen Miao squatted there, breathing out warm air, and looked around for a while. Suddenly, she clapped her hands: How could she forget? It should be time to make spicy cabbage and soybean paste by now!
Unlike in later generations, vegetables are scarce in winter, so we need to store and pickle more vegetables.
The cabbage tastes even crisper and more tender after the frost, so I'll pick some to cook today!
While the Shen family was busy picking cabbages, the sound of galloping hooves echoed along the frosty post road on the outskirts of Bianjing. Each hoofbeat was like thunder, causing the fine yellow earth and pebbles on the road to tremble slightly. Before long, two groups of soldiers in bright armor chased each other across the post road like shooting stars, disappearing into the morning mist in the blink of an eye, leaving only hoofprints and frost scattered on the ground.
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