Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 265 Even if I was ruthlessly abandoned, I cannot be ashamed
That's Ah Liu...
Zhang Shou saw that there was a wooden barrel in front of Ah Liu, with a round iron box fixed in the middle of the barrel, which seemed to be filled with a burnt yellow and sticky liquid. Under the barrel, he could see Ah Liu's feet on the pedal. When he suddenly heard the boy hum softly, he saw the pedal move quickly, and the iron box in the middle suddenly started to rotate at high speed.
In a moment, countless thread-like objects shot out from the tin box. As Liu used a bamboo stick to stir the wooden barrel, he suddenly saw a white cloud gradually taking shape. At that moment, he was dumbfounded and almost thought he was back in a modern market.
Even though it’s not as fluffi as before, and even though its appearance is a little worse, but isn’t this… isn’t it a marshmallow?
He remembered that he just mentioned to Guan Qiu casually after the new spinning machine was made that this method of using hand-cranking or foot-operated to drive the wheel actually has many applications, and explained the idea of heating and melting rock sugar, and then using the centrifugal force of the speed to draw a cotton candy machine. But in his opinion, without a motor drive, the efficiency of hand-cranking or foot-operated machines is not good enough.
So, he forgot about it in a blink of an eye after saying it, and didn't take it seriously. But now...
Zhang Shou looked down at Ah Liu's foot on the pedal under the machine. He saw that foot was pedaling very fast, so fast that he could see a shadow. He knew without thinking that the boy was pedaling very fast. He doubted whether the life of this machine would end today, but what made him laugh even more was that Ah Liu actually used the martial arts he had practiced for many years for such a thing!
Just when he didn't know what to say, he suddenly felt someone pulling his sleeve. He turned his head and saw Zhu Ying's eyes shining as she said, "Ah Shou, what is this? Did you ask Ah Liu to give me a surprise here?"
No, I don't think it's a surprise, it's a shock... At least I was shocked! Zhang Shou wanted to answer , especially when he found that the people watching the excitement from all directions were all focusing their eyes on him and Zhu Ying. But before he could answer, a big cotton candy was delivered to Zhu Ying.
"That's right. The young master told me to wait here." Ah Liu lied seriously. Seeing Zhu Ying stretched out her hand to take it in surprise and joy, he said lightly, "This is cotton candy. It's sweet and you can eat it."
Zhu Tingfang, who had just squeezed into the crowd, saw Zhu Ying take the suspicious white cotton candy from Ah Liu's hand without hesitation and then bite it. He was immediately shocked and angry. However, before he could open his mouth to ask, Zhu Ying narrowed her eyes and then shouted happily: "Ah Shou, this cotton candy is so sweet!"
"How can it be called candy if it's not sweet?" Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile bitterly, especially when he saw many young girls and wives around him looking at Zhu Ying with envy. He couldn't help but look at Ah Liu helplessly and asked, "Ah Liu, you didn't just make your first cotton candy, did you?"
"I saw Guan Qiu make it twice, but today is my first time making it. I failed many times here and wasted a lot of sugar." Ah Liu did not hide his failures, and then added, "But I made three sticks before, and Eunuch Lu who came last time squeezed in and took them away, saying that the emperor was watching the lanterns at Dong'an Gate and wanted to have fun with the people, so he wanted to try some."
Zhu Tingfang immediately put his hand on his forehead. Well, the emperor had already eaten, and Zhu Ying had also eaten, what else could he say?
Zhu Ying pretended not to notice the whispering onlookers around her and ate more than half of the candy in two or three bites. Then she said to Ah Liu, "Ah Liu, make another one. I can't let Ah Shou just watch me eat it!"
Before Zhang Shou could even refuse, Ah Liu agreed, and then he saw the shadowless foot start to move again, and soon, another snow-white cotton candy was delivered to him. He reached out to take it helplessly, and then under Zhu Ying's gaze, he had to taste it. The next moment, the memory that had been there for a long time suddenly came to his mind.
When he was a child, a marshmallow like this was what he desired most, and what made him happiest after getting it... However, he was no longer at the age where he could be easily satisfied with simple things. He looked at Zhu Ying's happy smile, and he knew why he was increasingly attracted to the girl in front of him. It was because her joy from the bottom of her heart was always as easy as a child's, and came so easily.
Although she would complain, get angry, and lose her temper, most of the time she was very content and happy.
Perhaps it was because Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying had only one bamboo stick left in their hands, which gave everyone a good demonstration, or perhaps it was because they heard the emperor had the eunuchs take three sticks back. When Zhang Shou pulled Zhu Ying out again, they heard countless voices scrambling behind them.
"Give me one, no matter how much it costs!"
"Give me one too... No, one each for me and my wife!"
"Dad, I want some marshmallows too!"
Zhang Shou didn't know how the unskilled Ah Liu would deal with the surging crowd of buyers, but he was sure that Ah Liu would definitely offer a rather outrageous price. Originally, although sugar was no longer a luxury item these days, it was not particularly cheap. Moreover, if he didn't set a high price, even if Ah Liu could perform a shadowless kick, the cotton candy would still be in short supply.
Sure enough, when he finally squeezed out of the crowd, Ah Liu's voice was still clearly audible amid the countless shouts: "Fifty cents a stick, no bargaining."
Before Zhu Tingfang could squeeze out of the crowd, he saw the surging crowd suddenly stop, and then more than half of them dispersed. For a moment, he couldn't help but curse in his heart that like master, like servant, this is simply a profiteer. But thanks to this, he didn't lose the couple in front of him, but after taking two steps, he heard a weak voice.
"Young Master? Why are you here?"
Turning his head, he saw Zhu Hong, who was stunned. He had to put on a straight face and said, "Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the night of the Lantern Festival. The emperor is still on the Dong'an Gate Tower enjoying the fun with the people. I came out to take a look. Leave me alone and hurry up and catch up with Yingying and the others."
Just take a look... But the eldest son has never been interested in crowded places, let alone joining in the fun. This sounds so fake, it's obvious that he is worried about the eldest lady! Zhu Hong muttered while quickly waving his hand to signal others to chase Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou, and before he moved to follow them, he said something to Zhu Tingfang.
"Master, Master Shou is really good to Miss. When dealing with those sudden rebels in Cuiyun Room, he even tried to shield Miss." When saying this, Zhu Hong couldn't help but think of that interesting scene, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. Although the facts proved that Zhang Shou's pounce was actually wrong, it still proved Zhang Shou's thoughts.
It was from that moment that he accepted the eldest lady as his fiancé from the bottom of his heart.
After hearing what Zhu Hong said, Zhu Tingfang couldn't help but sigh as he saw the other guards chasing in the direction Zhu Ying and Zhang Shou left. No wonder Zhu Ying was so deeply in love with him. What could be better than the man she loved risking his life to save her in a critical moment? He could only blame fate and his stupid brother!
If it weren't for the random matchmaking, grandmother wouldn't have sent Zhu Ying to the countryside, and then she would have met Zhang Shou!
Although she had just eaten a marshmallow, Zhu Ying was still in high spirits. After sharing a bowl of four sweet sesame-filled Yuanxiao with Zhang Shou, she set her eyes on the golden donkey rolls. Zhang Shou urged her not to eat too much at night, so she shared half of it with Zhang Shou again. However, she drank half a bowl of noodle tea and could not eat any more.
"Many of these things are also available in the palace. Although the food in these small stalls is crude, it has a unique flavor. Ah Shou, you don't know that Emperor Taizu loved to eat donkey rolls, ai wo wo, sugar rolls, pea yellow... Many of them were made by the chefs under his personal instruction, and later spread to the people. Not only that, I heard that he often went out incognito to look for delicious food at the beginning of the founding of the country!"
At this point, she suddenly stopped and looked at Zhang Shou with a smile: "Emperor Taizu once said self-deprecatingly that he was a foodie."
If someone else heard this, they would certainly feel it was disrespectful. However, Zhang Shou was more concerned about the original words of Emperor Taizu. Thinking about his various requirements for food, he couldn't help but laugh: "Food is the most important thing for people. Confucius said that one should never tire of fine food, and never tire of delicate meat. This shows the importance of food. Do you know? I once had a dream to eat all the delicacies in the world until I die."
"Bah, bah, what are you talking about for no reason!" Zhu Ying scolded in a bad mood, but soon her anger turned into joy, "This is a good dream! My country is so big, I will eat with you from now on!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but smile. Zhu Ying couldn't eat any more. Seeing the increasing number of people around her, she smiled and said, "Let's go to Dong'an Gate to watch the palace lanterns. The area from Dong'an Gate to Donghua Gate is the palace lantern market, and there will be fewer people! Besides, the queen can't come out now, the eldest prince is busy preparing to go to Cangzhou, and the second prince has to prepare to be beaten. No one will come to spoil our fun!"
Zhang Shou certainly had no objection to such a proposal. However, when he followed Zhu Ying into Dong'an Gate smoothly, Zhu Hong and others who followed behind were dumbfounded. Although they were guards of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, they still couldn't enter the palace gate!
So, when Zhu Tingfang pretended to "pass by", he got the news that Zhu Ying had brought Zhang Shou into Dong'an Gate, supposedly to watch the lantern fair in the palace. He knew without thinking that this must be Zhu Ying's idea, and he was angry and amused for a moment, so he could only leave Zhu Hong behind and enter the palace after verifying his identity.
It was past midnight, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The full moon was high in the sky, bright and clear, and it contrasted beautifully with the palace lanterns below. Compared with the colorful lanterns outside and the lantern towers of the rich and powerful, the palace lanterns were not as many in number, but they were extremely exquisite. The most eye-catching thing was the words on each lantern.
"Ah Shou, look, that swallow lamp has Changning written on it, which means it was made by Concubine He of Changning Palace. Of course, when I say made, I mean Concubine He paid for it and hired the craftsmen herself."
"The palace lanterns with the words Changning, Yongning, Xianyang, Changyang, Yonghe, and Changshou inscribed on them belong to the six eastern palaces. They are prepared by the concubines of each palace in groups of three or four. Many palace lanterns are hung year after year. As long as they are well preserved, they are taken out and hung every Lantern Festival. The emperor will not blame them, but will praise their frugality."
Zhu Ying spoke clearly and ignored the eyes around her, pulling Zhang Shou forward. Soon, Zhang Shou noticed that she seemed to be taking him to see something rather than introducing those really exquisite palace lanterns. Finally, he saw Zhu Ying stop, and in front of him was a very simple palace lantern made of silk gauze.
At this time, Zhu Ying just let go of her hand, and tidied her messy hair nervously, then whispered: "A Shou, today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, and it just so happens that our birthdays have passed five months ago. This lantern... well, I made it for you."
Zhang Shou was stunned. He looked up and carefully examined the lamp again. He saw white gauze covering the bamboo frame. In many places, there were traces of unskilled craftsmanship and even some glue seepage. On the thin gauze, there was a poem written in an extremely beautiful handwriting.
"Walking in spring, apricot blossoms blow all over my head. Who is the young man on the road who is so romantic? I intend to marry him and spend my life with him. Even if he abandons me mercilessly, I will not be ashamed."
Zhang Shou was also familiar with Wei Zhuang's "Thinking of the Imperial Hometown - Spring Day Tour". He sang it in a low voice . Looking at Zhu Ying's beautiful face, how could he not know the meaning? Because the lamp was not hung high, he just stood on tiptoe and took it down and held it in his hand.
"I like this gift very much." He looked at Zhu Ying with a smile, but did not ask why she put the lamp she made here and waited for him to come here before giving it to him. Instead, he said word by word, "It just so happens that I also have a gift for you."
Zhang Shou took out a string of black beads from his bosom. Seeing Zhu Ying staring at them with shining eyes, he smiled and said, "A few days ago, Beijing happened to have a lot of Bodhi seeds shipped from the south. I went to several stores and selected for a long time. Finally, I selected 18 round and similar-sized ones. I went home and made holes to string them into this bracelet. Although they are not as gorgeous as jade, agate, jadeite, and pearls, they are my heartfelt gifts."
Zhu Ying took them happily, stroking the astringent Bodhi seeds one by one. She found that there seemed to be some marks on one of them. After taking a closer look, she saw the word "Ying". She put it directly on her wrist. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that the dark color contrasted with her snow-white skin.
She smiled and said, "I can give you the most beautiful palace lantern, but I want to make this one for you myself, just to show my appreciation. I like gorgeous clothes and jewelry, and I like beautiful houses. But I like things you make for me even more."
As she spoke, she stepped forward and gently put her arms around Zhang Shou's waist, then she said, "Ah Shou, I have read that poem by Wei Zhuang before, but never took it to heart. But when I accidentally read it again a few days ago, I was a little obsessed with it. I just felt that it was so appropriate that it made me flustered. Big brother always says that I like you too much and I am too deeply in love with you. If you change your mind in the future, I may suffer."
"At first I just liked your elegance and leisure, but then I spent day after day with you, I liked your witty conversation, the way you deal with people, your resourcefulness, your kindness, and the way you set traps for others... So, I have made up my mind. Just like the lyrics say, even if you are ruthlessly abandoned, I will not be ashamed."
"If you really don't want me anymore, then just tell me directly. Then, I won't bother you anymore!"
Zhang Shou didn't expect Zhu Ying to say that. After a moment of hesitation, he smiled and grabbed her hand, saying softly, "We will be together through life and death. I will hold your hand and grow old with you."
Not far away, Zhu Tingfang had almost come over when he heard the words "Even if you are ruthlessly abandoned, you cannot be ashamed", but he stopped when he heard Zhu Ying's sincere confession. When he heard Zhang Shou's frank response, he finally sighed and quietly turned away.
His sister has grown up after all...
