Zhou Shaoyu knew that Xie Zhaozhao had come to Wen County, so he rushed over on New Year's Eve.
They brought several horse-drawn carts full of fireworks and firecrackers.
Guo Rong also came along. Seeing that both emperors were staying at the Shengyangtai Inn, he was so frightened that he almost broke out in a cold sweat like he did ten years ago.
They all concealed their identities.
Zhou Shaoyu addressed others as Master Huang, Xie Zhaozhao as Empress, Guo Rong as Steward Guo, and the rest as maids and servants.
Guo Rong told the innkeeper, "Make the best food for my master, money is no object."
To show his attitude, Guo Rong simply paid the innkeeper first before eating.
Shopkeeper Tian had never seen such a straightforward customer before.
Isn't it just the best food? He can do it!
He went to the home of the head chef at the county restaurant, invited the chef over, and gave him a sum of money. The chef, seeing the generous sum, forgot all about family gatherings and rushed over to Sheng Yangtai, bringing all his apprentices with him.
As for ingredients, there are plenty of families willing to give up their ingredients as long as the money is right.
This dinner was almost the best meal Wenxian County had ever had.
It may not be as grand as the imperial palace, but in Wen County, it was unprecedented.
Manager Tian didn't know who these people were, but he guessed they were definitely not ordinary wealthy families; they were at least high-ranking officials or even marquises.
Some people are born into privileged families, while others have a broad vision and can see far ahead; these can be compensated for later in life.
Manager Tian thought he could take a gamble.
Hearing that Zhou Shaoyu and his group spoke with the official Mandarin accent of Beijing, he called his wife and son over for a small meeting—to discuss how to provide better service to these important people.
He didn't want to force his daughter into becoming a concubine; he wanted to approach her with sincerity.
“These people look different from ordinary wealthy families; we must be careful.”
After thinking for a long time, Manager Tian decided to offer two treasures to protect his home: persimmon seeds obtained by his son Tian Yaozu from the border, and a Thangka (note: a painting) given to his son by the Pyu princess.
After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Zhou Shaoyu held Xiao Heng'er and watched Nanxing set off fireworks.
Xiao Heng'er wasn't afraid. He got off Zhou Shaoyu and ran over to "set off firecrackers." Nanxing and Yuanyuan were terrified. Their little master was too young; they couldn't let him get hurt.
After watching for a while, Xie Zhaozhao went inside to keep watch with the others.
Shopkeeper Tian stood at the gate of the courtyard with his wife and son, watching them set off fireworks absentmindedly, his eyes constantly glancing towards Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao.
Aunt Tian: "Husband, is it alright?"
Shopkeeper Tian: "Okay!"
Tian Yaozu: "Boba will definitely work, he's been blessed."
Zhou Shaoyu noticed that they kept glancing in their direction, and he knew something was wrong.
He slowly strolled back to the living room and sat down with Xie Zhaozhao on the left and right sides of the main seat. Sure enough, the Tian family rushed in.
Bei Chen and Xi Luo immediately blocked the doorway: "What are you doing?"
Manager Tian became even more certain that Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao were definitely people of great wealth and status, so he bowed and scraped and said, "I have two things I would like to offer to your master and mistress."
Bei Chen said, "Bring it here."
Tian Yaozu wanted to say, "We are offering this to the master, not to you, a servant," but Manager Tian immediately stopped him and presented a basket of June persimmons and seeds, along with a boba.
Bei Chen and Xi Luo took it, checked that it was not poisonous, and then brought it to Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao.
Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao found these two items truly rare. The basket of June persimmons was fiery red, with calyxes still emerald green, and it smelled slightly sweet and sour, so it seemed to be fruit.
There was a small bag of light brown seeds in the basket, which appeared to be seeds of the June persimmon.
Boba is a painting of the six realms of reincarnation, with vibrant colors and delicate composition.
The Yama, representing the god of death, holds the top of the Samsara diagram in his mouth, while his hands and feet are tightly clasped around the four corners of the diagram.
The Samsara diagram is a set of four concentric circles. The innermost circle depicts three animals: a chicken, a snake, and a pig, representing the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, which are the three karmic causes that lead sentient beings to reincarnate in the six realms.
Looking at it, I always feel as if it is divinely aided, with clouds and sky woven into a tapestry, like brilliant rosy clouds, a sight to behold.
The intricate use of gold and vibrant colors depicts the sacred world of Buddha, recreating the wondrous image of compassion bathed in Buddha's light.
Xie Zhaozhao said to Zhou Shaoyu, "When the Tibetans presented this painting, the Emperor Emeritus received it. I cherished it at the time. I never expected that this shopkeeper would also receive one."
Zhou Shaoyu looked at it carefully and said, "The Tibetan prince presented a painting a few years ago, which was much larger than this one. It is now hanging in the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Should we bring that painting to the capital later?"
"No need, let's leave it over there. It will serve as a temporary palace from now on, so we can visit it whenever we want to revisit it."
She picked up the June persimmon and said, "This thing, Yin Jin... they used to eat in the Haixi Kingdom. They said it was sweet and sour, could be cut open and eaten raw, stir-fried with eggs, or made into sauce. It was very delicious."
Zhou Shaoyu said, "The shopkeeper is very thoughtful."
They didn't reveal their identities, and it's quite insightful of them to offer them these things.
Xie Zhaozhao said, "Bring them in."
Bei Chen called for Manager Tian and his family to come in.
When the Tian family entered, they didn't kneel down because they weren't sure about Zhou Shaoyu and Xie Zhaozhao's identities. Instead, they bowed very humbly.
"Where did you get these things?" Zhou Shaoyu asked. "They don't look like they're from our own region."
Shopkeeper Tian immediately replied, "Indeed, it's not from our Jade Dragon Kingdom. It was brought in from a foreign land by my son."
Tian Yaozu immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Reporting to Master and Madam, I have assembled a caravan to travel to Tibet, Nanzhao, and Pyu to exchange for some rare items."
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