In August of the fifth year of Xuanhe, the city of Tokyo was peaceful. The Mid-Autumn Festival was just two days away, and the city had already started to feel the festive atmosphere. Shops on the street had repainted their gatehouses, and the larger stores had set up colorful arches and gates in front of them, and hung up lanterns and decorations.
New wines are coming onto the market and all kinds of seasonal fruits and vegetables are sold along the streets.
The Song people celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival a little differently from later generations. Instead of eating mooncakes, every household would prepare new wine and drink while appreciating the moon on that day.
Zhang Shixun was not originally interested in festivals, but recently he had nothing to do except practicing martial arts at the Tianwu Army training ground, and felt a bit bored.
The capital city was filled with a festive atmosphere, which unconsciously infected him and made him decide to have a good Mid-Autumn Festival.
Just do as the Romans do.
That day, he went to the street to buy some new wine, preparing to drink it on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After returning home, he discussed the holiday with Wang Dong, but Wang Dong scoffed at it, claiming that he had important things to do. He also solemnly warned Zhang Shixun not to disturb him during the holiday.
His face was tense when he said this, and his bad tone made Zhang Shixun want to punch him. If he hadn't looked so weak, he would have punched him hard.
If you calm down and think about it, Wang Dong has a weird personality and a strange temper. Arguing with him about these things will only cause you more trouble and will be of no use.
Zhang Shixun was all alone and felt very lonely. He wanted to find Ding Dusai, but then he thought that as a star in the entertainment industry, Ding Dusai would have to perform in the palace on the 15th day and would be busy rehearsing these days. It would be better not to disturb her.
It seemed that he was destined to spend the first Mid-Autumn Festival in the Song Dynasty alone.
Since there is no one to accompany you, just treat yourself well.
So, he went on a shopping spree for the past two days, buying almost everything he saw.
The family bought a lot of daily necessities, and the biggest gain was that he bought cotton cloth and cotton in Jieshen, which made him overjoyed.
In this era, cotton cloth was still a rare commodity. Many people had no idea what cotton cloth and cotton were, and of course they didn't know their benefits.
He had never touched needle and thread before, so he sat on the bed and tried to make a quilt. His hands, which were used to holding bows and arrows, were clumsy when he picked up the needle and thread, and the stitches were crooked.
Zhang Shixun didn't care, but instead enjoyed himself.
It doesn’t matter whether it looks good or not, as long as it is comfortable to cover yourself with.
When he finally finished making his first piece of bedding, he couldn't wait to spread it on the bed and lie down on it, greedily smelling the familiar scent of cotton, and the long-lost feeling came back.
She got out of bed contentedly and started sewing the second set, which was for Wang Dong.
After all, Wang Dong is a brother. He must have his own things and share the happiness together.
It took a whole day to make the two quilts.
When it was delivered to Wang Dong, Wang Dong was leaning over the table facing his laptop. When he heard the footsteps, he only raised his head to glance at Zhang Shixun, then lowered his head to continue his work.
"Lao Wang, I made two quilts and sent one set to you."
Wang Dongtou said lightly: "Put it on the bed." Then he lowered his head and continued his work without even a word of thanks.
Zhang Shixun turned around and left after hearing such a sentence in response to his enthusiasm, not wanting to argue with the lunatic.
Returning to the front yard, he went straight into the kitchen. Now this was the only fun he had left. Since no one was paying attention to him, he might as well make something delicious to reward himself.
The kitchen is now completely different from what it used to be. It is fully equipped with cupboards, rice jars, rolling pins, bowls and chopsticks, knives, chopstick holders, etc., as well as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and various spices. Everything that can be bought in this era has been bought back.
Of course, there are some things that cannot be bought with money, such as peppers, tomatoes, etc. These things did not exist in that era.
Zhang Shixun encountered a lot of difficulties when buying seasonings, because the names of many items in the Song Dynasty were different from those in later generations. For example, soy sauce is an essential item in cooking. Without it, the taste of the dishes will be greatly reduced.
He asked almost every spice shop he visited, but when he asked about "soy sauce", the shopkeepers shook their heads three times, saying they didn't know what soy sauce was.
Fortunately, he had plenty of time to wander around. When he went into a shop with a relatively complete range of goods, he finally discovered the soy sauce of the Song Dynasty, which people in the Song Dynasty called Qingjiang.
Zhang Shixun was overjoyed to have bought the soy sauce. He returned home excitedly, rolled up his sleeves and went to the kitchen. He picked up a ladle and took some noodles from the noodle jar into a clay basin and began to knead the noodles. Hand-rolled noodles were his favorite. As a Kaifeng native in later generations, how could he do without this delicacy?
Although the Song Dynasty had soba, the method of making it was still rather monotonous, and they did not know how to make noodles.
Soon, the noodles were rolled out, and I specially made some extra and hung them up to dry in preparation for eating at noon tomorrow.
Cut the mutton into shreds and the leeks into sections, then set up a pan of oil on the stove and prepare to stir-fry.
Just as I picked up the oil can and was about to add oil to the pot, the door knocker rang outside.
Zhang Shixun quickly took the oil pan off the stove.
After opening the door, Zhang Shixun was stunned. Two handsome men were standing at the door. They were wearing blue shirts, soft-footed fu hats with bright flowers on the edges, and they both had beards.
"Who are you looking for?" Zhang Shixun looked the two up and down, and the more he looked, the more familiar they seemed.
"Puchi!" One of them couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Madam Ding! Madam Li! It's you." Zhang Shixun finally recognized them and said with a smile, "Why are you still wearing a fake beard? I almost didn't recognize you."
"Are you just going to leave us standing at the door?" Ding Dusai scolded.
"Oh! It is a great honor to have you two beautiful ladies visiting my humble abode. Please come in! Please come in!"
Zhang Shixun was so surprised that he hurried to the yard.
"Shishi, it was a bit reckless of me to come here without any prior notice. Please forgive me, Master Zhang." Li Shishi looked around the yard and said apologetically.
"Haha! Madam Li, you are too polite. As long as you don't mind my humble abode, my door is always open to you two."
"Mr. Zhang, are you alone at home?" Ding Dusai asked while looking around.
"Well! There is another one behind, he is my cousin. He is a loner and doesn't want to celebrate the festival with me." Zhang Shixun felt angry when he thought of that guy.
"You don't even go out for a walk. It's so lonely."
Zhang Shixun smiled but didn't answer. When he passed by the kitchen, he stopped and asked them, "Have you two had lunch?"
Li Shishi was about to answer when Ding Dusai quickly interrupted her and said, "We haven't eaten yet." As he spoke, he secretly winked at Li Shishi.
"Since you haven't had lunch, why not eat here... You guys go sit in the living room for a while, I'm cooking, it will be ready in a moment."
"Mr. Zhang can cook?" Li Shishi was surprised.
"Home-cooked meals, I'll make some." Zhang Shixun led them to the living room, made them some tea, and asked, "Do you two want rice or noodles?"
"Rice!" They both answered in unison.
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