Great Tang Idyll

The children on the manor didn't need to be supervised by adults. Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan played with them for a while, and then they got ready to return home to eat.

With the tools and the straw that Er'niu had brought over, these children found a new joy. They dug a hole in the snow outside and laid the straw down to connect the area to those passages.

After watching them play, Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan crawled out. They looked at each other and smiled. They walked towards Wang Juan's house while Xiao'hong and others followed behind. The children would naturally go home when they were tired of playing.

"In summer, let's build corridors and small canals here. That way, the children will have more fun places to play. Having a place to play in is a very fortunate thing." Zhang Xiao'bao looked at the children with a smile, which had never ceased, and he spoke with emotion.

"Yeah, it's the same for adults, otherwise why would people go traveling? There are also some private clubhouses. In fact, each of us wants to have a place to play—a space of our own that we can set up according to our own ideas. That's why small houses were set up next to the passages."

Wang Juan was still excited. She felt that she had returned to her childhood days during that time. She looked at her little hand and said to Zhang Xiao'bao with a smile.

Zhang Xiao'bao nodded, "Indeed, let's go back and make a few more passages in our yard, and connect them together. We'll play hide-and-seek with Shi'liu and the others."

"No, don't make it over there. It should be done outside. Once the corridor is built, build some small houses for the children to play in. We can also put some semi-finished small crafts in those houses plus some tools and they can complete it themselves. This can cultivate their interests. We can't just make them study, otherwise they will all become nerds."

Wang Juan thought of a better idea, and she began to describe what their future should be like.

Make more dried tofu. I like eating roasted dried tofu wrapped with green onions and other vegetables or eating it directly with sauce. The children can cook by themselves. Just skewer the things with bamboo skewers and roast them. It's fine as long as we make sure they don't burn the food. In fact, there is no need to worry about this. Children who are a bit older are able to help out in the family. "

Wang Juan was already hungry, and she didn't eat anything while playing earlier. Hearing Zhang Xiao'bao talk about food, she swallowed and urged him, "Don't talk anymore, let's go, I'm even more hungry."

*

A pot that was completely different from a Dong Lai Shun hotpot1 was placed on a rack, and the charcoal was burning below it. The fire was not so strong, and it was slowly warming the pot. The meat in the pot was cooked already and the broth was boiling.

Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan and Wang Juan's family were sitting around the table. There were no other dishes except for this hot pot, mainly because it would affect the taste of the meat.

Wang Juan's family was very happy today. Looking at the two children, they helped the children pick up food from time to time. In particular, ever since Wang Juan's grandfather heard that this meal was specially prepared for him, the corner of his mouth was always raised and he looked like a child. Sometimes he would dip the meat in the sauce and sometimes he would dip it in the salt and pepper. Occasionally, he would look at his grandson and granddaughter.

This matter has been decided; once the two children grow up, they will complete their marriage. Then, he would eventually have great grandchildren. No one will be able to stop them since the two little kids' relationship was really good.

"Grandpa, you should eat more green onions. This green onion was boiled in a broth that Xiao'bao used many different ingredients to make. It is not spicy at all, and it is good for the body." Wang Juan took a piece of green onion and placed it onto her grandpa's plate. This green onion had been cooked in a broth for a while, so it was soft and not so spicy. Eating it would wake up the mind and was good for the body.

"Grandpa can live to be more than 100 years old. In the next few days, Xiao'bao and I have plans to prepare medicinal wine for Grandpa. You should drink a small cup of the wine in the morning and at night." Feeling the warmth of a home, Wang Juan chose nice words to say. She had decided she would first distill the wine, and if there was no other choice, she would simmer it. If that did not work, she could brew her own alcohol. Originally, she thought that alcohol was useless, so she never made it.

Naturally, Zhang Xiao'bao also pretended to be a child and spoke words that made people happy. He didn't forget to pick food for Wang Juan to eat. He ate less meat, drank a lot of soup, and ate a big pancake.

Wang Juan's family have watched the two children stick close to each other ever since they were little, and they also took care of each other. This made her family feel happier. They took more than two hours to finish the meal. Wang Juan's grandfather even ate a bowl more than usual. The taste of rice soaked in meat soup was absolutely amazing.

Under this kind of atmosphere, they finished eating lunch. Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan also ate too much, and hand in hand, they walked outside to help digest their food.

"These two children are so lovable, my husband. We will have peace of mind in the future. With these two children, we don't need to think of ways to make money." Mother Wang watched Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan go out, and said to Father Wang beside her.

Father Wang also had to admit the fact that the two children didn't need others to worry about them. He replied, "Yes, now they have more money than us. Hehe, if I had this ability when I was young, then my father and mother would not have these ailments from working too hard."

Seeing that his son was complaining a little about himself, Wang Juan's grandfather said from the side, "It was tiring, but which family is not like this? You have grown up, and then you had Juan'juan. It is all worth it. When you were little, your mother and I were worried that you were unable to grow up. Every single time you were slightly sick, we would be frightened to the point where we wouldn't know what to do. This is all in the past though, all in the past. I need to live a few more years and wait for Juan'juan and Xiao'bao show me their filial piety."

"Father, whose house is Juan'juan and Xiao'bao spending their New Year at?" Father Wang was perplexed when he thought of this. He couldn't separate the two children. Last year's New Year, they came here to eat first, and then went back in the evening.

"Let's see what Juan'juan and Xiao'bao have to say. They can be wherever they want, our houses are close to each other; just a few steps away. It's not hard to see them." Wang Juan's grandfather didn't know what to do, so he could only let Zhang Xiao'bao and Wang Juan decide.

Wang Juan and Zhang Xiao'bao were also talking about this matter outside. They didn't know how to celebrate the New Year. They both wanted to be with their families, and they had to stay up late on that night and there were a bunch of other affairs.

Zhang Xiao'bao was talking about the New Year, when he suddenly thought of Magistrate Jia. During the New Year, there will always be firecrackers. Who wouldn't want their house to be more lively? Furthermore, firecrackers were advertised to have the effect of warding off evil spirits.

Wang Juan also thought of Magistrate Jia, and believed that Magistrate Jia's household would also set off firecrackers. She said with a smile, "Let's send more firecrackers to his house, so that he will remember us as soon as he sets them off, okay? The first batch of firecrackers has already been delivered to the county seat, and the second batch is on its way."

*

In the Administrative Office, Magistrate Jia sat in the study and listened to Song Yang talk. His eyes narrowed slightly, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or something else.

"My lord, there are no more ships over there today. They didn't continue to break the ice, so I didn't record anything down." Song Yang respectfully stood in front of Magistrate Jia.

Magistrate Jia nodded. He went out this morning to give people items. In order to see the newly recruited bailiffs, he came back before noon. First, he wanted to see how Song Yang was and whether Song Yang had lied to him. However it turned out that there were no boats today, so he wasn't able to infer anything. He still had to go over there in the afternoon though since there were twenty bailiffs there. He needed to check them one by one.

"Is there anything else? Are the porters still there?" Magistrate Jia asked after thinking for a while.

"My lord, the porters have already gone home for the New Year. I heard that the firecrackers are selling very well today. They were made by the Zhang family. They should be giving some to the Administrative Office too. My lord, this amount of money is not little. It's not being sold in only our San'shui county. I heard that merchants from other places have made deals with them already.

A large part of the firecrackers they transported here first have been taken away by boat. In the past two days, more may be transported by land. As long as they are delivered to the place before the night of the 30th, it will be fine. My lord, all of that is money. "

Magistrate Jia was angry to begin with, but when he heard that the Zhang family were making more money, he finally couldn't bear it any longer. He stood up and said, "Follow me to Tu'qiao Village tomorrow to deliver New Year's gifts to other people."

Translator's Notes

1. Dong Lai Shun hotpot

Dong Lai Shun is a famous restaurant in China that has over a hundred years of history. This is probably the type of pot that was being referenced to: