Chapter 20 Chapter 20 When the Qiqiao Festival comes, Qiaoguoer, Xia...
On the eve of the Qiqiao Festival, the city of Chang'an had already begun to bustle with activity. People in the city had already set up incense bridges and decorated them with colorful flowers woven with five-colored threads. Rich families even spent a lot of money to make colorful pavilions with carved wood and colorful silk.
Putao has been very busy recently. He went to Jing River with his friends, took river water and mixed it with water from his own well. This water is called Yuanyang Water, and is used to test luck on the Chinese Valentine's Day.
Aunt Duan took a fancy to a piece of silk named "Magpie Bridge". She did not sleep in every day and ran to the silk shop as soon as she got up to bargain with the owner.
Duan Zhiwei was preparing to make snacks for the Chinese Valentine's Day, called Qiaoguo, but she had never eaten this kind of snack before, so she thought about going to the West Market to see how other families made it.
Pu Tao ran over with his own clever box and said he wanted to go with her.
In the clever box was the happy spider that was found from the spider web on the beam on the day of moving. Pu Tao held it in her hand all day long, but no matter how happy the happy spider was, it was still a spider. Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to let her put down the clever box and go to the West Market together.
Pu Tao opened the clever box, revealing an eight-legged spider spinning silk, and said to Duan Zhiwei, "But my lady, look how cute she is."
Duan Zhiwei almost fainted.
The further west you go, the more prosperous the city center is, the better the location is, the more shops there are, and the greater the flow of people. There is a magnificent restaurant, which exudes an enticing aroma of wine and food.
There was a Hu chef selling Gulouzi. He was shirtless and swung the dough in his hands. He deftly stuffed it with mutton filling, sprinkled sesame seeds on it, and put it in the oven to bake. Pu Tao was drooling. Duan Zhiwei picked up a few coins to buy one and handed it to Pu Tao. The freshly baked Hu cake had a golden and crispy crust. It was juicy and delicious when you took a bite.
Some men were holding jugs of wine, gathering together to discuss poetry and painting. Some women were wearing Hun Tuo hats and high-waisted boots, dressing up as men, but they could not resist the temptation, walked to the stall selling cosmetics, picked up a box of jade cream, and started bargaining with the stall owner.
Finally, I found a shop selling desserts. There were some freshly cut cakes on the counter, and a few bamboo signs hanging from the curtain listed the desserts sold in the shop: Zhuangyuan Cake, Sharen Cake, Silver Thread Sugar, and Chengsha Dumplings.
One of them is specially marked as Qiqiao Fruit, also known as Smiling Face. Duan Zhiwei said to the shopkeeper: "Give me some smile."
The shopkeeper was a straightforward woman, and asked enthusiastically, "What do you want? I have Naxiang and Fangsheng at home." She paused and said, "If you like, you can also customize various exotic flowers and birds, but the price will definitely be a little higher."
Duan Zhiwei looked for a long time and finally picked out half a pound of Naxiang and half a pound of Fangsheng. He took Pu Tao and found a teahouse to sit down.
The Qiaoguo is red in color, obviously dyed with red yeast rice, and printed with patterns of Fangsheng and Naxiang, which is very beautiful. It is filled with dense and delicate red bean paste, and tastes soft, glutinous, sweet and very delicious.
Duan Zhiwei studied Qiaoguo for a long time but still had no inspiration. However, Putao pulled her clothes and said that it was a rare opportunity to come to Xishi, so she must go to the puppet shed to watch a puppet show of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.
Duan Zhiwei took the opportunity to teach Pu Tao: "Don't think this story is touching. The lecher who peeped at the Weaver Girl bathing is not a good person. The Weaver Girl lost her feathered clothes and was forced to marry the Cowherd. She also gave birth to two children and can only rely on him for life."
She sighed: "In heaven, fairies are free all day long, with endless supplies of brocade clothes, pearls and jade pendants, but because of this cowherd, she can only weave cloth in the mortal world."
Duan Zhiwei felt that she had the temperament of a teacher, so she gave little Pu Tao a lecture. Unexpectedly, Pu Tao looked up and blinked at her, then asked, "What story are you telling, madam? Why have I never heard of it?"
Pu Tao looked very confused: "Isn't it that there was a Weaver Girl in the east of the Milky Way, who was married to the Cowherd in the west of the river, and the Weaver Girl indulged in male beauty, did not return home, and gave up weaving, which made the Emperor of Heaven angry and only allowed them to meet once a year?"
"Indulging in male beauty?" Duan Zhiwei was shocked. What version of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is this?
The puppet show house was a white shed located in a corner of the West Market. It was already packed with audiences of all kinds. The troupe owner stood on a wooden box at the front, sang a loud song, and then began to manipulate several puppets.
Several puppets began to dance gracefully under the control of silk strings. They looked very vivid and drew cheers from the audience.
This is still a story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The Cowherd borrowed 20,000 coins from the Emperor of Heaven to marry the Weaver Girl, but did not say when he would pay the money back. The Emperor of Heaven was furious and drove the Cowherd away, allowing him and the Weaver Girl to meet only once a year.
Well...this seems to be a story about a man who borrowed money from his father-in-law and failed to pay it back on time and became a deadbeat.
After watching the puppet show, it was almost 3 p.m. Pu Tao walked back contentedly while eating the fruit, and then asked Duan Zhiwei: "Madam, where is the cowherd who stole the clothes you mentioned?"
Duan Zhiwei himself also wanted to know who wrote the story of the cowherd who stole clothes. He was even worse than the cowherd who owed money to his father-in-law.
There was a peddler pushing a wheelbarrow on the roadside, hawking his wares along the way. The cart was filled with all kinds of children's toys, such as catching poles, bamboo cats, and large and small lotus-picking boats. The most eye-catching ones were the Mohele dolls placed in the middle, which were a pair of boy and girl wearing short-brimmed beads on their heads, red half-sleeves and green gauze skirts, and holding lotus flowers and lotus leaves in their hands.
This doll is exquisitely made, with a painted base underneath and a layer of translucent red gauze covering it.
There were several stacks of railings on the cart, on which were hung small clothes with gold threads of various styles, which were used to change the clothes of the Mohele doll. The styles of the clothes included apricot rain and pear cloud patterns, and fish writing and wild geese silk patterns. Duan Zhiwei touched them and felt that the material was better than the linen shirt he was wearing.
The peddlers were all very smart. When they saw Pu Tao staring at them eagerly, they immediately introduced the dolls to the two of them enthusiastically: "Ladies, please look. This doll is made of very fine materials. It has pearls and jade on its head, and gold and silver hairpins and bracelets on its hands."
The peddler picked up one of the smiling dolls and started to demonstrate it. The doll was equipped with several mechanisms that could move. She smiled naively and put her hands together to bow to Pu Tao, which was very vivid and cute.
Now Pu Tao couldn't even walk.
Duan Zhiwei also loved playing with dolls in her childhood, so she understood Pu Tao's feelings very well. It was just a doll, how much could it be worth? She immediately untied the purse around her waist and asked generously, "How much is this Mohele doll worth? I want it."
The peddler got the business and rubbed his hands happily, saying, "My lady, you have a good eye. This doll is carved with Buddha's hand all over its body. The foreign merchants brought it all the way from Persia. It took several months to transport it just to catch up with the Qiqiao Festival in Chang'an. I don't know how many camels died."
An ominous premonition surged into Duan Zhiwei's heart.
"Only two strings of cash," the peddler said with a smile.
"I want it...?" Duan Zhiwei was suddenly stuck. This was too expensive. The restaurant had just gotten back on track and had a large sum of money from the temple. She was thinking about buying a cheaper one.
As a result, Xiao Putao pulled his sleeve and said, "I don't like this. I won't buy it. Curfew will be coming soon. My wife, let's go home early."
Duan Zhiwei was pulled by Pu Tao's sleeve and left without knowing why.
Pu Tao comforted her: "This Mohele costs two strings of coins. Our house only costs ten strings of coins a year. When you open the largest wine shop in Chang'an in the East Market, you can buy me a Mohele doll."
Duan Zhiwei was touched by Pu Tao's understanding, but was also amused by her ambition to open the largest wine shop in Chang'an. He just thought about going to the West Market again on the day of the Qiqiao Festival and buying the doll back secretly.
When they returned to the restaurant, it was full of customers. Ah Pan didn't say anything, but Aunt Duan was so busy that she kept scolding Duan Zhiwei. Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to smile awkwardly and go into the kitchen.
Generally speaking, in summer, diners' appetites decrease and restaurant business will decline. Fortunately, Duan Zhiwei stayed up for several nights and came up with some new cold dishes.
A dish of boiled chicken was suggested by A Pan, a delicacy from Lingnan that is eaten cold but not hot. The chicken has a shiny appearance, yellow skin and white meat, which makes people feel comfortable just by looking at it.
The chicken is also very firm and not greasy. No other heavy seasonings are added, only scallions, ginger and garlic. This highlights the deliciousness of the chicken itself. It is tender, juicy and very smooth when you take a bite.
In addition, the sweet and sour pork ribs are very suitable for summer. They are bright red in color and covered with rich sweet and sour sauce, which can greatly increase people's appetite.
Another dish is smashed cucumber, which is refreshing and delicious. The fried peanuts are plump, golden and shiny, and sprinkled with a little salt. The salty taste enhances the flavor of the fried peanuts, making them very suitable as a side dish.
In the big pot at the door were pig ears that had been braised all morning. Duan Zhiwei went into the cooking room, cut it into even thicknesses, poured balsamic vinegar on it, and added some chopped coriander and minced garlic, then brought it out.
These days, Yuan Shenji trained at the training ground during the day, and after his shift he went to the restaurant with Su Yu to have dinner. Whenever Duan Zhiwei approached him, he could smell the scent of bath beans on his body.
Su Xun whispered to her, "After leaving the martial arts arena, the captain always goes to take a shower and change clothes before coming back."
Duan Zhiwei admired the general's clean style.
A plate of braised pig ears was brought to Yuan Shenji, and Duan Zhiwei said, "Thank you for taking care of me in Daming Palace last time. I am very grateful. I will treat you to a meal today."
Yuan Shenji thanked him and refused in a deep voice, "Ms. Duan is too polite. Guarding Chang'an is my duty, not my care."
Duan Zhiwei was choked for no apparent reason and could only smile and turn around to get some wine.
Yuan Shenji picked up a piece of braised pig's ear. The meat was soft and chewy, the cartilage was crispy and tender, and the balsamic vinegar removed the greasiness of the pig's ear. It was very delicious and he couldn't help but eat a few more pieces.
Pu Tao ran in from outside with great enthusiasm and said to Duan Zhiwei, "My wife, my wife." She held up a slightly gray Mohele doll in her hand and showed it to Duan Zhiwei: "I came back from making vinegar and saw this doll sitting under the Chinese toon tree outside. Can I keep her?"
Duan Zhiwei was busy washing dishes. Hearing this, he wiped his hands on his lapels, took the doll and looked at it carefully. The doll looked no different from the dolls sold by peddlers in the West Market, except that it was a little too shabby, with a layer of dust on its body and wearing coarse linen clothes. It was not adorned with pearls and jade like the dolls in the West Market.
Moreover, most of the dolls in the West Market have a naive look, but this doll has his mouth corners slightly raised and his eyes narrowed into slits. It is a smile that is difficult to understand and makes people feel uncomfortable.
Pu Tao saw that she didn't answer, and felt a little disappointed: "Is it not possible?"
Duan Zhiwei saw that she was very excited and couldn't bear to disappoint her. He also thought that it was just a broken doll that no one else wanted, so it should be okay to take it. He nodded and said, "You must cherish it."
Pu Tao took the doll and left with joy, and ran to pester Aunt Duan to sew the best green skirt with wavy patterns for the doll.
Aunt Duan was very clean. Seeing that the doll was dusty and worn out, she pulled Pu Tao to the backyard to wash the doll.
It was almost time for dinner. Duan Zhiwei was about to pack up and close the door, but she heard a scream from the backyard. She hurriedly ran into the backyard with A Pan.
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