Chapter 5

The convoy passed through a small town, coinciding with the market day, where farmers were herding pigs to the market

The crop is rice, and in autumn, the rice is harvested. Once the rice is hulled, it becomes white rice. The white rice can be ground into a paste to make cakes

The servant received the imperial decree and returned with a mountain chicken and a cage after purchasing them for one tael of silver.

Jia Yue cried for several days, and only recently has she finally stopped. This is also because she has finally agreed to dry her tears and take a few glances out the window.

As soon as this idea emerged, I automatically replaced the strong chestnut stallion Feng Zheng with a black-skinned, short-legged, long-eared donkey in my mind

What is sown is wheat, and what will be harvested in the future is wheat. When wheat is ground into flour, it becomes flour. When flour is kneaded with water and fermented, it is steamed into buns and steamed bread. The pastries in your hand are all made from flour, of course, along with sugar and eggs

That creature also knows how to read people's expressions, understanding that Jiayue is the master. Every time she arrives, it perks up and struts around in its cage, trying to please her.

I said: "I am thinking, what if ... ... "

Jia Yue had never been exposed to the outside world. By chance, she saw someone selling mountain chickens at the market and, captivated by the bird's vibrant feathers, desired to have one.

I said, Princess, look, what the water buffalo is dragging behind is the plow. The term 'plowing the fields' comes from this. Once the fields are plowed, it is time to sow, and what that person is scattering into the ground are the seeds

The maid told the princess that it was a water buffalo

The princess's maids are also daughters of officials from various regions, living in luxury and spending their years in the inner palace, their experiences are not much greater than those of Jiayue. They are also not in a position to ask the men, so they thought of me

It is said that after Feng Zheng was thrown horse manure, he felt nauseous at the sight of horses for quite some time and even avoided going to the horse stable. Moreover, he developed a cleanliness obsession, insisting on washing his hands and face upon entering, ensuring that not a speck of dust touched his body, and always keeping a handkerchief on him.

As we traveled northward, the scenery along the way gradually changed

Jia Yue was greatly astonished, "So this is a cow, it actually looks like this, and it doesn't resemble the one in the painting much."

On this journey, we headed north, coinciding with the spring season. The arrival of spring in the north is slightly later than in the south. Therefore, along this route, we walked in the spring.

As I look out of the car window, I often catch a glimpse of Feng Zheng's silhouette. The young man is tall and upright, and just by observing his figure, one feels that he is solid and dependable

At this moment, it is just the beginning of spring, and the peach blossoms on both sides of the road have begun to bloom. Although they do not bloom as profusely as described in books, with thousands of flowers dazzling in their splendor, the few sparse pink branches sway gently in the chilly spring breeze, evoking a particular sense of affection.

The further north we go, the more mountains there are. Our team also began to climb mountains and wade through waters

Oh, and that? That is a waterwheel, which can transport water from a lower place to a higher place for the purpose of irrigating farmland. The women by the waterwheel are washing clothes and vegetables

I see that Feng Zheng is now skilled in horsemanship, and it suddenly reminds me of the time I threw horse manure at his face years ago

Jiayue also named the mountain chicken Lan Feng, and every day she would take leftover rice to feed it

I said: "Princess, that is not a dog, it is a pig. Indeed, pigs can also have black spots. After slaughtering and bleeding it, slice the pork belly into pieces, boil it, and then drizzle it with garlic sauce and red oil sauce, and it becomes the delicious and appetizing garlic pork..."

This area is not wheat; it is a vegetable field. Here, groundnuts are planted, while corn is grown over there. This patch appears to be Chinese cabbage, and the one with the trellis should be cowpeas.

I have finally put my learning to use, although what I have learned are merely the basic life skills of ordinary people in the world

If you don't want to say it, then don't; I will find my own joy in secret

I am hungry. I swallow.

To the north of the capital, there is a growing population of the Hua and Su ethnic groups living together, with many houses exhibiting ethnic characteristics, featuring red walls and golden roofs, heavy and curved eaves, and narrow window frames. The terrain also transitions from plains to hills, with the mountains in the northeast faintly visible.

Sugar is not grown; it is extracted. Farmers cultivate sugarcane, which contains sweet juice that can be pressed to produce syrup. When the syrup dries, it becomes sugar

During my time in the mountains, it was always the Third Senior Brother who took charge of the kitchen. The Third Senior Brother is from Xilin, and his cooking is characterized by strong flavors, encompassing sour, numbing, spicy, and bitter tastes, all five poisons included. I have been eating this for eight years, and I have developed a fondness for spiciness. Whenever I return home, I must take a jar of pickled chili peppers with me.

A girl who has been delicately nurtured in the depths of the palace was naturally quickly drawn to the fascinating and colorful world outside

And when I look at this mountain chicken, it is as if I am gazing at a dish of spicy diced chicken or chicken stewed with dried bamboo shoots. Therefore, every time the chicken sees me, it shrinks to one end of the cage and trembles.

I am fine, after all, I am sitting in the car. However, Feng Zheng and his guards have it much harder. The mountain roads are in poor condition, making it easy for the horses to sprain their legs or lose their iron shoes, so Feng Zheng and his companions have all dismounted to walk.

Jia Yue exclaimed: "Is that a dog? What a big one!"

The scene was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but burst out laughing

I instantly became a representative of knowledge and wisdom, summoned to the princess's palanquin to explain the sights along the way

I am glad that he overcame his aversion to horses; otherwise, as a member of the Capital Garrison, he would often have to patrol the capital without the ability to ride a horse, and would have to resort to riding a donkey instead

No need to say more! Feng Zheng interrupted me irritably, "Whenever you pretend, nothing good comes of it, I don't want to hear it!"

After Jia Yue became more spirited, she began to talk much more. She saw farmers working in the fields on both sides of the road, also driving water buffaloes to plow the land, and then asked her attendants, "What is that black creature?"

Feng Zheng turned around with a dark expression and glared at me, "What are you laughing at?"

Then Jiayue's problems were like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, uncontrollable once they started

Serving the princess is most troublesome in this regard: she cannot eat spicy food, for fear of having bad breath that might offend the noble. Thus, throughout this journey, at every meal, I can only taste the flavor of salt. My mouth has become so bland that it feels like a bird has flown out of it

Princess Ruiyun has been practicing outside for many years, and it is said that she has traveled to many places with her master, undoubtedly gaining extensive knowledge and experience