The carriage traveled for two days, and finally arrived at Yunhai City on the afternoon of the third day, leaving the bumpy dirt road and walking on the clean bluestone avenue.

Yunhai City is an extremely lively city.

Ning Xi curiously poked his head out of the carriage to take a closer look, it was the first time he had seen so many tall and neat houses in ancient times, the outer walls were painted snow-white, and the roofs were paved with neat glazed green tiles, which were extremely magnificent, not at all different from the low thatched houses that could be seen in the countryside. The smooth bluestone street is so clean that there is hardly a speck of dust in sight.

The shops on both sides of the street are full of colorful goods, the shopkeepers are shouting hard, courteously entertaining the guests who come to the door, there are all kinds of stalls in the streets and alleys, pinching candy people, playing tricks and selling dog skin plasters, and even fortune tellers who touch the bones, everything, bright and lively, and Ning Xi is dizzying.

After walking for another stick of incense, the carriage turned into a pebble-paved alley, slowed down, and met the aunt holding the vegetable basket at the entrance of the alley: "Boss Ning is back, yo, whose daughter is this so handsome?" ”

Ning Wen replied with a smile: "This is the daughter of my eldest brother in the countryside, this year the countryside was flooded, there was no food, and I couldn't feed a few children, I really can't do it, I want to sell this eldest girl to the official master's family as a maid, I think this girl is pitiful, so I discussed bringing it back, so I can be a companion for Tong Tong." ”

The aunt nodded: "Look at this girl who looks smart, it's strange and distressing, no wonder you are reluctant, sell to the official family to make cattle and horses, can you still have a way to live?" ”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, Ning Wenhao drove the carriage into a fairly spacious courtyard at the end of the alley, the courtyard door opened, the yard was littered with cage goods, and from time to time there were some five big and three rough men coming in and out, Su Yi couldn't help but look at Ning Wenhao with some curiosity, Ning Wenhao also lowered his voice and said: "This is a guest of our inn, it's okay, come down!" ”

Later, Ning Xi learned that in fact, Ning Wen was only an ant-like little person in Yunhai City, and opened a simple inn in a remote corner, providing a chase shop for ten cents for one night and hot water for one penny, although the environment is not comparable to those glamorous inns on the street, but it is cheap and convenient, and the business is passable.

Ning Wenhao took Ning Xi through a small door to the backyard, and as soon as he pushed the door open, a small figure flew up: "Daddy, Daddy is back!" "It turned out to be a four or five-year-old boy, with red lips and white teeth, a thoughtful appearance, wearing a green cloth shirt, and his fat hands and feet were quite cute.

Ning Wenhao squatted down and lifted the little boy to turn around on the spot, and said happily: "Tong Tong, my baby son, daddy is back!" Tong Tong misses his father? ”

The little boy Ning Shaotong nodded again and again: "I think, Tong Tong is thinking about his father." What good things did Daddy bring to Tong Tong? ”

Ning Wenhao put down Ning Shaotong, took out a small bag from his arms, uncovered the layers of oil paper, and revealed a few delicate snacks: "Tong Tong, come, take it and eat it with your mother!" ”

"That's great!" Tong Tong held the oil paper bag in both hands, and walked into the house happily, Ning Xi looked at this scene of the family happiness of father and son's filial piety, and his heart was slightly sour, for the original Ning Xi and her mother were not worth it, and they worked hard in the countryside, but their father already had another home and gave all his love to another child.

A tall and thin woman walked out of the door, and when she saw Ning Xi, she greeted lightly: "Coming?" Come on in! ”

Ning Wenhao introduced with some embarrassment: "Xueqin, this is Ning Xi." Ning Xi, this is your aunt. ”

Ning Xi lowered his head and shouted, "Auntie." "It's obvious that Tang Xueqin doesn't like her, she can understand this, it's good to be able to agree to pick her up, on the way Ning Wen told Ning Xi, when Ning Wen married Tang Xueqin, Tang Xueqin didn't know that he had a wife and daughter in the countryside, and if she encountered this situation, she might not be able to do better than Tang Xueqin.

"Well, it's good to come back, let's go inside and eat!" After Tang Xueqin finished speaking, she turned around and went in.

Ning Wenhao also took Ning Xi into the house, Ning Shaotong was sitting at the table eating the pastries that Ning Wenhao gave him just now, he was reluctant to finish it in one bite, only took small sips and slowly sipped it, there was a plate of steamed buns on the table, it didn't look too white, it was mixed with a lot of coarse grains, and there was also a plate of fried vegetables and a plate of boiled pork, so it seems that the life of Ning Wenhao's family in the city is not as good as the people in the village imagined.

Ning Wenhao gave Ning Xi a piece of vegetables, the pork was cut into too large pieces, and it was too old to cook, it didn't taste yet, it tasted like Ken Lao bark, Ning Xi finally swallowed a piece, and saw that Ning Wen was going to clip it to himself, so he hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop it: "No, no, I'm full." ”

Ning Wen said: "Meat nourishes the body, you have to eat more meat to grow well, Tongtong, you also eat more." ”

"No, the meat is too unpalatable." Ning Shaotong said unhappily.

Tang Xueqin took a pair of chopsticks and put the vegetables in Ning Shaotong's bowl: "Be good, eat vegetables." ”

Ning Shaotong ate happily, Ning Xi was speechless, cooking the meat so unpalatable, it was strange that some people loved to eat it.

After the meal, Ning Wenhao took Ning Xi to her room, which was an idle hut next to the kitchen, as soon as she pushed the door open, a smell of old dust that had accumulated for a long time came to her nose, the house was full of firewood and grass on one side, and the other side was full of broken tables, stools, baskets, plaques and other things, thinking that it was originally used for the purpose of the firewood room, and now only one corner was messily cleaned up, and a small bed was spread.

Ning Wenhao said slightly apologetically: "The place at home is small, you can live in it first, and then I will think of making room for you later." ”

Ning Xi had already made up his mind to set up his own door, so he didn't pay much attention to it: "No need, it's good here." "I cleaned up the house with my hands and feet, put all the clutter in order, went to fetch water, and wiped all the places I could see, so that I felt much more refreshed.

On the way, Ning Wenhao bought two sets of clothes for Ning Xi, Ning Xi went to the kitchen to boil water, carried it to the room with a wooden bucket and scrubbed it hastily, and washed the clothes and dried them.

It wasn't until the next morning when I went to the kitchen for breakfast that I learned that there was a servant woman in the Ning family, called Mrs. Zhao, who helped to do some sprinkling, cleaning, and drying work in the inn, and the meals at home and in the inn were also made by her.

Aunt Zhao is a person who can't hide her words, and the two quickly became acquainted, but in half a day, Ning Xi understood a lot of things that she had always felt confused.

Ningxi is now in the era of the Great Zhou Dynasty Hongxian 25 years, since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the emperors of all dynasties have advocated Buddhism, strictly forbidden killing, advocating the whole people vegetarian, to a certain emperor, it is to intensify the implementation of vegetarianism, and even use the power in their hands to wantonly search for chefs who can make meat dishes, burn the meat recipes that circulate in the world, make people panic, this more than 100 years, the entire Great Zhou Kingdom has developed a habit of vegetarianism, and slowly young people don't even know that meat can be eaten, In some remote villages, there are also legends that some meat is poisonous, or that eating meat will be condemned by heaven.

Until recent years, the national strength weakened, the border was constantly harassed by foreign people, the current lord of the country drove his own expedition, drove away foreign enemies, and at the same time did find that his people were not as strong as foreign people, the reason for this is because the people of the Great Zhou never ate meat.

So Emperor Hongxian reformed, first of all, he abolished the ban on killing and eating meat that has been handed down through the dynasties, not only to encourage hunting, but also to encourage the development of animal husbandry, where to raise livestock or poultry, can get state subsidies, in short, today's Great Zhou State, is carrying out a vigorous "national meat eating movement".

It's a pity that the effect of the implementation is not very good, people have not eaten meat for a long time, both the taste and the stomach are not very suitable for meat, and no one can do it, and the meat dishes made are very unpalatable, which further hinders people's good impression of eating meat.

Hearing this, Ning Xi faintly felt a trace of excitement in her heart, could it be that this is the golden finger she crossed, a god-given opportunity for her?

"Aunt Zhao, what are we going to eat at noon today?"

Aunt Zhao pointed to a bunch of vegetables and pork on the stove: "Just eat this." ”

"Auntie, you're tired from a busy morning, since I live here, I can't do nothing, right? Otherwise, I'll take care of the cooking! "Ning Xi didn't want his stomach to be tortured anymore.

"Can you do it?" Aunt Zhao looked at Ning Xi in disbelief.

"The children of the poor are in charge of the house, I am not as high as this stove, and I already cook every day in the countryside, so let me try it first, if it really doesn't work, you will come again?"

Aunt Zhao was happy to be idle: "That's okay, I'll let you try." ”

At first, Ning Xi didn't dare to show her edge too much, so she could only cook some home-cooked food, and looked at the ingredients on the stove, baby cabbage, white radish, a large piece of semi-fat and lean pork, and a pork tube bone, seeing that she picked up the tube bone and looked left and right, Aunt Zhao was probably afraid that she would dislike it, and explained: "This bone doesn't cost money, buy meat for free." ”

Ning Xi said: "This bone is the best to use to make soup, and children can grow taller by drinking more bone broth." As he spoke, he began to move his hands neatly.

Wash the barrel bones, sprinkle a thin layer of salt flowers inside and out to marinate, then boil a pot of water in a large pot, put in the barrel bones and ginger slices, boil over high heat, turn to medium heat, until the soup turns white, put in the white radish cut into small cubes, change to a simmer after boiling again, simmer for half an hour, and sprinkle a little pepper when the pot starts.

While stewing the soup, separate the fat and lean meat, cut it into thin slices, fry the fat meat to make lard, stir-fry the cabbage and the marinated lean meat slices together, and remove the heat from the pot immediately when the meat slices change color.

The dishes here have just been fried, and Ning Shaotong in the main room over there has already sniffled: "Mother, what is so fragrant?" ”

Tang Xueqin also felt strange, and led Ning Shaotong to the kitchen: "Let's go, go and have a look." ”