Chapter 101 Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles…
On this rare occasion, Guo Baiwen got up a little late.
Actually, once you get used to waking up early, you don't need a specific alarm clock; your body will automatically wake you up at that time.
Unlike usual, he didn't get up as soon as he woke up; he stayed in bed for the first time in a long time.
As a result, I fell asleep again without realizing it. When I woke up from this nap, it was already bright outside.
I don't even know what time it is.
While muttering to himself, Guo Baiwen found the clothes he had worn that day and changed into them.
As soon as he came out of the room, he saw Chen Baoyue standing in the main room, greeting him, "You're up? Come and eat."
"Grandma stewed chicken today. I'll take out a bowl of chicken meat for you to eat first, and then I'll make you a bowl of noodles with the chicken broth later."
"You stewed chicken?" He pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Yes, they're still warm."
I almost forgot, since moving to this bigger house, although walking to the shop every day has become a bit of a hassle, the flock of chickens we used to raise has unknowingly grown as well.
In just a few months, the original five or six chickens have grown to a dozen or even twenty.
Guo Baiwen took the bowl full of chicken. "It's too much trouble to make noodles. This bowl of meat will fill me up about halfway."
"It's alright, the noodles are ready, it won't take much effort."
"Oh well."
Chen Baoyue went to the kitchen next door to start cooking a bowl of amaranth and chicken noodle soup, and also poached two eggs for her.
The chicken soup had been simmering for a long time, and drinking some of it first thing in the morning made my stomach feel very comfortable.
At this time, Grandma Guo and Xiaohua should both be busy.
I was originally thinking of going to the store to help out, but Grandma Guo scolded me a few times.
After being married for so long, I've been busy with my studies and helping with the family business every day. It's time for me and Baoyue to go out and explore some places together.
So after he finished his meal, while clearing the table and washing the dishes, he turned to Chen Baoyue and asked, "Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Guo Baiwen has grown taller recently, and he has also lost weight. Although he can still wear the clothes he made before, his ankles are now showing at the bottom of the pants.
Chen Baoyue had originally planned to take advantage of the holiday to remeasure his clothes size.
After listening to her plan, Guo Baiwen thought for a moment and then said, "Then let's go climb a mountain and admire the chrysanthemums after we've taken the measurements?"
It's September or October now, and I hear the chrysanthemums are in full bloom outside.
I had planned to take Grandma Guo out for a walk during the Double Ninth Festival, but unfortunately it rained.
So they had no choice but to give up.
I'll go out for a walk later, and if I see any pretty chrysanthemums, I can bring a few pots home. On the way back, I can also check if there's anywhere that sells crabs.
As he spoke, he took out his money pouch and handed it to Chen Baoyue. Inside were fifty loose taels of silver that he had brought back from the prefectural city last time.
Chen Baoyue was nodding as she listened to him speak.
As soon as he received the heavy money bag, his eyes widened involuntarily. "This...this...how can buying some crabs cost so much!"
"Consider the extra as my allowance for your household expenses," Guo Baiwen pushed the purse further. "Buying fabric, making clothes, and managing daily expenses—everything requires money."
Chen Baoyue shook her head and explained, "Grandma also pays me for helping out at Guo's place on weekdays."
Sometimes, when Guo's business wasn't short-handed, she would go back to Chen's to help repair things, and her parents would give her some money to help out.
She has collected quite a bit of money, and now, apart from occasionally spending a little money on groceries every day, she saves most of it herself.
"They gave it to us, and I gave it to us. We're all family now, so please accept it."
Upon hearing this, Chen Baoyue, who had originally wanted to refuse again, was speechless.
He simply nodded. "Then I'll keep it for now. If you ever need money, just let me know."
After quickly tidying up the kitchen and main room, the two went back to the east wing to pack their things for the trip.
Guo Baiwen also brought back several sets of rouge and face powder from the prefectural city, saying that he didn't know what to buy, so he bought one set for each person based on the most fashionable ones in the prefectural city.
Grandma Guo scolded him for this.
The younger Guo Xiaohua and Chen Baoyue are fine, but at her age, wearing makeup makes her look less dignified.
These bottles and jars look expensive; you could use them to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Despite saying that, Grandma Guo still accepted the gifts.
Later, Xiaohua told me that Grandma had actually opened the powder and applied some herself. She once remarked to Xiaohua that the powder was so fine, it was many times better than the one she used when she got married.
Even if she only applies a little bit every day, she looks more energetic, and no one will come close to see if she has applied powder to her face.
It can last for a long time.
Knowing that his grandmother had actually helped him, Guo Baiwen felt relieved.
"Baiwen, are these rouge and face powders very expensive?" Chen Baoyue wasn't very good at doing her own makeup, so she roughly followed the steps her makeup artist had taken that day to apply her makeup.
After Guo Baiwen tidied himself up, he sat down and watched her, but he couldn't see any significant difference.
It's just that her face is a bit paler, her eyebrows are a bit darker, and her lips are redder.
"It's not very expensive." Actually, it is a bit expensive, but Guo Baiwen also knows that this thing is like his Four Treasures of the Study, you get what you pay for.
In addition, he also brought new styles of beaded flowers from the city, specifically for Grandma Guo; he bought more dignified hairpins.
Compared to the cosmetics I bought, these pieces of jewelry and the handheld mirrors I brought back received more positive feedback.
Lin Niangzi once saw Xiao Hua holding a mirror and was quite envious.
I plan to save up some money and have carpenter Hu buy one for me too.
This thing reflects every single hair clearly; it's much better than those bronze mirrors.
Guo Baiwen didn't dare mention the price of the item. He only told the carpenter Hu that there was no rush to buy it in the prefectural city. Perhaps he could find something better when he arrived in the prefectural city sometime later.
At least they managed to keep the person occupied.
The weather was nice today, and when they took Mao Mao out of the city to climb the mountain, they saw many other families carrying their belongings and going hiking.
Although the Double Ninth Festival has passed, the festive atmosphere remains, and many stalls are still hawking their wares.
When you come back from the City God Temple, you can still see all kinds of novel chrysanthemums on display nearby, and many vendors are selling flowers.
There are expensive ones, and naturally there are cheap ones.
Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue each picked a basin and asked the vendor to help them put it on Mao Mao's back with hemp rope, so that it hung in the air on the left and right sides.
I'm not afraid of damaging the chrysanthemums.
The chicken noodle soup I ate this morning has been mostly digested by now.
Chen Baoyue still remembered what Guo Baiwen had said before he left: he was going to buy a basket of crabs to eat.
But I don't know if it was because I came back late today, but when I asked a few stores, they were either sold out or only had the smaller ones left.
So I wandered around for a while, but didn't buy any crabs. Instead, I bought a pot of chrysanthemum wine.
Guo Baiwen had heard Lin Zhongbin and others mention several times that there were several restaurants in Xiuning County that served very delicious crabs.
He was hungry, so he took Chen Baoyue to an alley. The storefront wasn't very big, and at the entrance, he could see two helpers sitting by a wooden basin, diligently scrubbing crab shells with pig bristle brushes.
It was just past lunchtime, and there weren't too many customers in the restaurant.
Upon seeing customers arrive, the waiter hurriedly put down the brushes and stood up, saying, "Please come in, gentlemen. Would you like it steamed or braised?"
Both steamed and braised are quite delicious. Guo Baiwen glanced at the crabs still waving their claws in the wooden basin. They were quite large, almost the size of his palm. He turned to Chen Baoyue and asked, "Do you want them steamed or braised?"
"Do you have any spicy stir-fried version?" Chen Baoyue likes spicy food.
Steamed crabs can be made at home, but stir-fried crabs with chili require some skill to achieve the same flavor.
"Yes, yes, we can braise it and add some chili peppers. How about that, sir?"
Guo Baiwen nodded, "Then let's each have two."
As he spoke, he asked curiously, "Do you sell crabs separately?"
This was the first time the waiter had heard such a request, and his tone was unusually hesitant. "You mean you want to buy live crabs to take home?"
"Yes. Alive, can I buy it?"
Instead of searching for the best crabs, it's better to just buy them ready-made.
After all, the crabs have already been cleaned and prepared, so wouldn't it be more convenient to just take them home and steam them?
The waiter scratched his head, not daring to agree immediately, and could only say, "Okay, please take your seats and wait for the food. I'll tell you what we want and then ask the restaurant owner."
OK.
Guo Baiwen wasn't in a hurry; he was going to eat for a while longer.
If they won't sell, try asking around at other stores.
After the waiter announced the order, he went upstairs. The two sat and waited for a while before the spicy stir-fried crab was plated and served. The spiciness attracted the attention of several other customers who were eating steamed crab.
The fragrance is too overpowering.
Since the crab already has a spicy stir-fry sauce, there's no need for any special dipping sauce.
Steaming has its own fresh and sweet flavor, while stir-frying has its own magical power.
Two crabs per person, along with a bowl of rice, and they slurped it down until they were completely stuffed.
After finishing our meal, we were just saying that we should go for a walk together to digest our food when the waiter finally arrived.
"I asked the shopkeeper, and they said they can sell it, but the price—" will definitely be more expensive than the ones they just caught.
After all, their crabs were already cleaned and rinsed.
Guo Baiwen asked about the price again, and it was alright, fifteen coins for a clean, live crab.
After discussing it, the two decided to buy two baskets, one for each family, and ten in each basket would be enough for them.
While carrying crabs and leading a donkey, we saw some trinkets on the road. If they looked interesting and nice, we would haggle with the stall owner and buy them to take home as gifts or to display at home.
They wandered around until the sun was about to set. First, they delivered the crabs to the Chen family, and then they took the rest of the food to pick up Grandma Guo and Xiao Hua.
For dinner, we naturally had steamed crab.
Steamed crab roe is plump and creamy. Dipped in Shaoxing wine, sugar, vinegar, and shredded ginger, it is a dish that makes people sigh with delight.
Taking a sip of chrysanthemum wine would be wonderful.
Since I had already eaten spicy stir-fried crab at noon, I only ate one for dinner. I don't know if it's because I went out for a spring outing today.
Even though he had just drunk alcohol, he found that his mind, which had been foggy for the past few days, had become much more comfortable.
When I looked at the essay assignments given by the academy at this time, I couldn't help but feel a surge of inspiration.
Looking at the poem I had written so fluently, even though I didn't use many allusions, it looked better than the ones I had written before, which I had racked my brains to cite classical texts.
No wonder people often say that traveling ten thousand miles is worse than reading ten thousand books.
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