Although there was a curfew in Chang'an at night, the most bustling and prosperous markets were brightly lit, with beautiful women in silk robes and the aroma of wine filling the air, creating a scene of unparalleled elegance.
There were many street performers doing various tricks, such as snake handling, knife swallowing, fire swallowing, and balancing jars on their heads...
The street performer's skill drew cheers and applause from the crowd, the applause rising in waves.
"So this is Chang'an. It's so lively."
Ah Qing gently covered her lips with her sleeve, her bewitching eyes sparkling:
"An ancient capital of several dynasties, no wonder it is so prosperous. Speaking of which, I have not been to the human world for a long time, and I didn't know that there were so many more things to do."
"This isn't even the most exciting time yet."
Xu Milu hadn't been back to Chang'an for a long time, and seeing this lively scene, she couldn't resist dragging Aqing along to join in the fun:
"The best time is during the Lantern Festival. At that time, whether it is Tonghua Street or Kaihua Ward, the streets are decorated with lanterns and the whole city is decorated with colorful decorations. Temples of all sizes in Chang'an will also release water lanterns. In the rivers and on the roads, wherever you can see, there is no place without lanterns."
The area around the Honglu Temple is also bustling with activity during the annual pilgrimages of foreign dignitaries. At those times, you can visit the area not only to see blond-haired, blue-eyed, red-haired, and green-eyed foreigners, but also Silla maids, Kunlun slaves, and foreign merchants bringing novel goods to sell. You're sure to love it!
—Although Xu Milu cannot completely transform back into human form at the moment, she can still maintain it for one or two hours.
"good!"
"Well done!"
"sharp!"
Xu Milu and A Qing squeezed into the crowd, just in time to see the snake charmer wrapping a long snake around his neck, while the people around cheered loudly and showered him with glittering copper coins.
The snake was quite docile, as if it had been tamed, and remained coiled around the snake charmer without moving.
After watching their performance, Xu Milu also threw two pieces of silver, which prompted the snake charmer to deliberately wave the snake's head in front of them as a token of gratitude.
Xu Milu felt someone tugging at her sleeve. Turning around, she saw it was indeed Aqing, who was staring at the snake charmer with drooling eyes.
“Milu, I know that you have to pay money to buy things. Since you gave him money, does that mean the snake is ours?”
This snake is fat and plump; although it's not very venomous, it's still edible!
Xu Milu then remembered that Aqing was a poisonous bird that fed on venomous snakes. She was both amused and exasperated, and quickly tried to comfort Aqing:
"That won't do. The snake charmer relies on the snake for his livelihood, so he won't sell it. If you're hungry, I'll take you to get some snacks."
"If you really want to eat poisonous snakes, that's perfect. I'm going to visit Old Man Hu in the mountains tomorrow. There are many poisonous snakes in the mountains, so you can eat to your heart's content."
"All right."
Aqing glanced at the large, fat snake with some regret, then turned and took Xu Milu's hand, casually resting her chin on Xu Milu's shoulder:
"I want to eat the meat buns you mentioned last time, the pear-flavored 'good husband' (a type of fried dough), and also hot pear drink, almond milk, and cherry omelet..."
Xu Milu couldn't help but rub her forehead.
These were all the tales of life she told Aqing at the Wuzhuang Temple, and to her surprise, Aqing had a good memory and remembered them all.
The two men walked out of the crowd one after the other without anyone noticing, but the snake charmer suddenly shivered for no reason.
He certainly didn't know that his earlier admiration for the kind man's beautiful wife was actually a ploy to eat the snakes he kept.
...
...
The market was bustling, and across from several famous taverns were several food stalls, all run by local residents.
Lamb soup with flatbread, fried dough sticks, stewed pork belly with bread, lamb noodles, meatball noodles, steamed vegetarian buns (baozi), and hot pear soup are all delicious and easy to eat.
When customers were drinking in the tavern across the street, they would ask the errand boy to buy them a few servings. Once the steaming hot food was in their stomachs, they could drink another dou of wine.
Xu Milu's Mountain and Sea Restaurant is only three streets away from here. She used to ask Mo Xuan to run errands here. There is an old lady named Zhang on this street. Her five kinds of wontons are exceptionally delicious, and Yin Wenjiao also likes to eat them.
The stall was bustling with people. Zhang Da Niang's son and daughter-in-law were also busy. One of them was cleaning up the leftover dishes and chopsticks from the customers, while the other sat behind them making wontons. Holding chopsticks in both hands, she would pick up the meat filling, press it onto the dough, and pinch it to make a plump wonton.
Zhang Da Niang's son greeted the two of them:
"Please have a seat, dear guests. Would you like something to order? Today we have wontons with mustard greens and mutton, wontons with sunflower and duck, and wontons with persimmons—all delicious."
It was a busy time for Aunt Zhang. She was standing in front of a large pot cooking wontons when she looked up and saw Xu Milu. Her eyes lit up with surprise.
"Oh my! Isn't this Madam Xu from Shan Hai Restaurant? You haven't asked your shabby waiter to run errands for my wontons in quite some time!"
—The "black-clad fellow" naturally refers to Mo Xuan, who always wears all black.
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. A few days ago, I was worried that something might happen at home, so I closed the shop and went back to my hometown."
"That sounds good. My friend and I have big appetites, so let's start with twenty wontons with mallow and duck, twenty wontons with mustard greens and mutton, four flatbreads, and six good steamed buns."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xu Milu took the silver and handed it to Zhang Da Niang's son—she knew all the stall owners in these shops, and people who bought wontons often ordered steamed buns and pancakes to eat here.
"Traveling far away is hard work."
Aunt Zhang couldn't help but sigh, but then her face lit up with a big smile:
"Now that Madam Xu is back, do you still know how to make brown sugar cake? My youngest daughter loves your family's pastries; she'll be so happy to know you're back—"
My wife has been away from the city for quite some time. Otherwise, you could try my new wonton filling, made with tomatoes and chicken. It's so fragrant and delicious. People in Chang'an love this kind of food these days!
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