You Tuo woke up three days later, and sat in the carriage for a long time, unable to come to his senses.
Jin Xiaoji handed over a handkerchief, "Young Prince, you've been sleeping for two and a half days. If you don't leave soon, it might delay the entire itinerary."
You Tuo rubbed his face hard with a handkerchief, barely managing to clear his head. His memory was still stuck on the moment Zhang Jiuwei him the wine; after that, he knew nothing.
You Tuo shuddered. " Su Wenqian is terrifying. Where did he find all these monsters and freaks? Not a single one of them is normal."
Jin Xiaoji nodded in agreement, " Su Wenqian is abnormal too. No matter how you ridicule him, he just smiles at you, like a clay figure without any temper."
"But don't worry, Your Highness. Our next stop is Jing'an Prefecture, where Jing'an Prefecture Qin Household Army is stationed. I'm sure we can get some useful information out of them."
You Tuo nodded, "Those thugs from the Qin Household are just as difficult to deal with as the Fu Household. If anyone tries to force me to drink, you'll have to shield me..."
Jin Xiaoji patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Your Highness, even if it costs me my life, I won't let you get drunk this time..." He paused slightly, then tentatively added, "Your Highness, I don't want to flirt with people anymore, I want to act like a bully."
He deliberately emphasized the word "human," as if afraid the young prince would make him switch genders so he could flirt with men...
You Tuo stared at him, speechless. "You wouldn't even part with your pants, yet you risked your life to drink for him... This lie is absolutely true."
Jin Xiaoji felt uncomfortable under his gaze and said aggrievedly, "To flirt with someone, you have to act like a jerk... It's not as easy as acting like a bully... Look at my eyes."
He spoke with his eyes wide open in anger, and to be honest, it was somewhat frightening.
You Tuo closed his eyes, pinching his temples in exasperation. "Find someone easy to bully... and don't mess this up again."
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I've learned my lesson this time."
Little child, little child, don't be greedy, after the Laba Festival comes the New Year. Laba porridge, drink it for a few days, and then it's the 23rd of the lunar month.
On the 23rd, sticky candy is offered to the Kitchen God; on the 24th, the house is swept; on the 25th, tofu is ground; on the 26th, meat is bought; on the 27th, the rooster is slaughtered; on the 28th, the dough is prepared.
On the 29th, steam buns; on New Year's Eve, stay up all night; on New Year's Day, twist and turn; on the first and second days of the New Year, walk all over the streets.
Qing He stood outside the shop with a feather duster in hand and called out, "Sister... quickly help me down the ladder, I need to get down."
"Hey... coming," Qing Yang responded, quickly stepping forward to hold the ladder, looking up and saying, "Alright, you can come down now."
Qing He tentatively stepped down, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shopkeeper Wang next door, come out carrying a basin of water. " Old Wang... you've been throwing dirty water on the road again, haven't you?"
She quickly climbed down the ladder, saying unhappily, "The road is icy in the dead of winter. What if a customer falls and breaks a bone? Are you going to take responsibility...?"
Shopkeeper Wang, wearing a robe and holding a wooden basin, explained, "This is water for washing my face, not dirty water. I'll at least avoid your house, okay?"
Seeing that he was about to splash it again, Qing He said urgently, "Take it back to me."
"You silly child... It's the New Year, how can you bring dirty water into the shop? It's bad luck..."
Qing He ignored him, shoved the feather duster into Qing Yang's arms, walked over and snatched the wooden basin from Shopkeeper Wang, then dumped it in front of Wang Household's shop.
Shopkeeper Wang exclaimed, "You child... you're being silly..." He snatched the wooden basin, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and hurried into the house.
He tossed the wooden basin onto the wooden shelf and complained, "That Qing He is getting more and more troublesome... She even interferes when I pour water."
Xiaohua took the coat. "It's all your own fault. I've told you so many times not to pour water by the door, but you wouldn't listen. You knew Anzhi Hall's people were outside, yet you still went to pour water... You're lucky she didn't splash water on you."
"Pah... She's really something, she even dared to splash me..."
" Shopkeeper Wang," Qing He's voice suddenly came from outside, startling Shopkeeper Wang, who hurriedly shouted back, "Hey... Qing He, what's up?"
Qing He, carrying two bottles of ointment, strode into the cosmetics shop. "The young lady said that you and your aunt have joint problems, and they ache every winter. This is a new ointment she developed; apply it twice a day, morning and night."
Shopkeeper Wang chuckled and accepted the gift. "Please Anzhi for me. Oh, by the way... I have a few bottles of newly made rouge here." He took out six small bottles and handed them to Qing He. "Take these and divide them among yourselves... one bottle each."
Qing He exclaimed with delight, "Rouge... this isn't cheap, thank you Shopkeeper Wang!" As she spoke, she carried the rouge back to the Anzhi Hall.
Xiaohua couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Tell me, why did you stop talking..."
Shopkeeper Wang Qi Ingestion, "What? Can't I say a few words? Before they moved in, I could pour water wherever I wanted. It's just that Qing He is so troublesome..."
He took a bottle of medicine, pulled Xiaohua's hand, and said, "These two bottles of medicine are much more expensive than Rouge Red."
Xiaohua watched him apply the medicine to her, feeling a pang of sadness. "If only Xiaohua were a boy, we could have a lively and joyous New Year celebration."
"What boy or girl? I heard that the Liu Household at the general store on West Street... after the old man died, that old woman washed clothes, cooked, and did everything for her son. They even complained that she took up space in the latrine. We're doing just fine now."
Xiaohua exclaimed in surprise, "Oh... this ointment can generate heat, you should try it too..." She grabbed Shopkeeper Wang's hand, scooped out a large piece of ointment, and applied it to his hand.
Meanwhile, Qing He returned to the shop carrying rouge and saw Qing Yang wiping the medicine cabinet. She asked, "Sister, have the masters returned yet?"
"No," Qing Yang took a drawer from the medicine cabinet, turned it upside down on the ground, and slapped it hard. "Today is the young master's birthday. I reckon he won't be back for lunch, so you don't need to cook much for him."
"Okay, I'll go get busy in the backyard first." Qing He turned around and added, "Hurry up and get ready, then come over. We'll play cards after dinner."
"Okay," Qing Yang replied with a smile.
After she and Zhou Xiaosi cleaned the shop inside and out, they put up the sign to close for the day and locked the door.
The streets were bustling with activity.
The stalls selling sugar paintings, sugar blowing, and diabolo were all surrounded by people, with shouts and bargaining sounds mixed together.
Jin Shanyao and her two children were bundled up tightly, each holding a skewer of candied hawthorns, eating as they watched the commotion...
Dahuang and Xiaoli, each carrying a small basket in their mouths, walked happily ahead of them, looking around as if they were really there.
Dahuang stopped in front of a wood carving stall, staring intently at a Xiao Pang dog. Jin Shanyao understood, picked up the carving, and asked, "Uncle... how much is this little dog?"
The old man glanced at it and smiled, "Ten coins... If you like it, give me eight."
Jin Shanyao casually tossed the gold fan into Dahuang's basket, took out eight coins and handed them to the stall owner... Just then, a loud gong suddenly rang out from the street corner ahead.
Clang, clang, clang... drawing everyone's attention, a hoarse voice shouted, "The monkey show begins! Jixiang abound... Gentlemen, ladies, young masters, and young ladies, please do us the honor of taking a look!"
What is monkey show? Jin Shanyao and the two children had never seen one before, so they decided to go and see for themselves.