When Xu Di left with his family, all his relatives in Beijing came to see him off, accompanying him all the way to Shili Pavilion on the outskirts of Beijing.
With tears in her eyes, Xu Zhi said to Chen Zhaoci, "Mother, you two go ahead first. Once the shop in Tongzhou opens, I'll go to Dengzhou."
Chen Zhaoci gently smoothed Xu Zhi's hair at her temple and said, "Take good care of yourself in the capital. Don't worry about us. If you encounter any difficulties, don't always try to bear them alone. Go to your grandfather if you need to. Don't be shy. Aren't these elders in the family here to support you?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xuzhi leaned close to Chen Zhaoci's ear and whispered, "Mother, don't worry. If I encounter any more trouble, I'll just go and cry to the Emperor. Anyway, this matter is no longer my own, so why should I bear it all by myself? Don't you agree?"
Seeing that Xu Zhi had thought things through, Chen Zhaoci felt relieved.
Seeing that it was getting late, Xu Di led his group slowly towards Tongzhou. From Tongzhou, they would take a boat to Linqing, and then travel by land eastward to Dengzhou.
The hardships along the way need not be described, because they were also accompanied by a pregnant woman, who was carrying twins. The group did not walk very fast. Xu Di accompanied them the whole way without resting. He had a lot of information about Dengzhou and its four counties copied by his lovers. Xu Di read it word by word. By the time the group arrived in Qingzhou, he had memorized the specific situation of Dengzhou Prefecture.
Qingzhou is an ancient city. As one of the nine ancient prefectures, this not-so-large city has been a place where many literati and scholars have stayed.
Xu Di had also visited this ancient city before, but at that time, the city was already a very modern place. There was only one restored and reconstructed quaint street, which allowed one to appreciate a bit of its charm.
Xu Di had visited the former residences of some famous people who remained in this city, as well as the city's museum. When he strolled through that small town with its slow pace of life, he was filled with emotion because the ancients had left behind so many things, which allowed this slowly developing city to still retain some of its ancient charm. And this ancient charm attracted visitors from all directions, making the city bustling with people.
The group found an inn in the city, settled down to rest, and prepared to make their way to Penglai in one go. Night fell earlier and earlier, and the wind that blew was rather biting. Xu Di, with two attendants, walked a few steps along the not-so-wide street in front of the inn and came across a pastry shop.
Nowadays, the snacks are nothing more than mung bean cakes and red bean cakes. The most exquisite ones should be made in the Jiangnan region. Xu Di thought of the snacks he had tasted before, and the taste was really indescribable. His uncle took his three children to Jiangnan, and he wondered how they were doing now.
With a jumble of thoughts in his mind, Xu Di entered the shop and stood in front of the counter. A shop assistant saw Xu Di looking down at the pastries on the counter and asked, "Sir, would you like to buy some pastries? We have red bean cakes and mung bean cakes. We've also recently made a new kind of ox-tongue pastry. You can try some first."
Xu Di looked at them, tasted the sweet and savory ox-tongue pastry, and thought that since the weather was cold now, it wouldn't hurt to buy some pastries and keep them for a few more days. He bought a lot of different kinds, intending to take them with him on the road.
Nowadays, pastries don't contain preservatives, so they have a very short shelf life. They're usually meant to be eaten on the same day they're bought. Seeing that Xu Di had bought a lot, the shop assistant kindly reminded him, "Sir, these pastries can't be kept for long. It's best to eat them within the next few days."
Xu Di smiled and nodded without explaining. After paying, he returned to the inn with his two attendants who were carrying the items.
Even though the journey wasn't fast, the distance from Linqing to Qingzhou wasn't far. Li Yuexi was so tired that she lay on the kang (heated brick bed) in the inn, hugging the pregnancy pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.
Seeing Xu Di return with the things, Chen Zhaoci tasted them all and said with a smile, "This tastes really good."
Xu Di didn't see Li Yuexi and said, "Let's call Yuexi over to have something to eat."
Chen Zhaoci stopped him, saying, "She must have had a long and tiring journey. Let her sleep. She can come back to eat when she wakes up."
This main room has two bedrooms and an outer room with a large round dining table. Xu Di sat at the table, opened his map, and carefully looked at the route.
Chen Zhaoci brought over a lamp from the corner and placed it on the table. Seeing Xu Di looking at the map, he asked him, "How much further is it from here?"
Xu Di estimated that it would be at least seven or eight hundred li away. If our carriage travels slowly, I estimate it will take another four or five days to get there.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci craned his neck to look at the map in Xu Di's hand, sighed, and said, "This road is really too difficult to travel. The best road is a gravel road. If it were a cement road or an asphalt road, we could travel much faster."
Upon hearing this, Xu Di laughed and said, "Don't complain about how difficult the road is. This road was only properly repaired because we needed to transport troops and supplies to Dengzhou. If it were the original road, it would be so bumpy that it would make you question your existence."
Chen Zhaoci was still indignant and said, "We lived in that era. How can people who are used to eating delicacies adapt to eating coarse food here all at once? It's just that I'm not one to travel around. I want to be like your great-uncle, who likes to travel around. I would suffer terribly just because the roads are bad."
Xu Di carefully put away the atlas and said, "History moves forward slowly, and times develop slowly. We are having a tough time now, but slowly, it will still develop into the way we used to be. You just need to be patient and live a good life with us."
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