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On the 15th, it was the turn of the Hanlin Academy to go to the Ministry of Revenue to collect their stipends, and when they came back they were distributed from the top to the bottom. The carriages in front of the Hanlin Academy were going back and forth – one trip could never finish the work.
Gu Zhao gave out 21 and a half bags of rice, which were all new rice and of very good quality. His mule cart was replaced with a flatbed truck, and it took him three trips to haul all the rice.
After the rice subsidy was distributed, it seemed as if the Chinese New Year had arrived all of a sudden. Everyone in the Hanlin Academy was in no mood to work. Instead, they started chatting about local customs, what to eat during the Chinese New Year, and how they would celebrate this year. Gu Zhao also put down his pen and listened to everyone chatting.
Except for Lord Zhao, who was from the capital, everyone else was from other provinces. Lord Liang was from Chuzhou, and Chuzhou was the place where many great writers and poets came from. It was said that even children in the market could recite a few lines – most likely doggerel and jingles.
The most famous family in Lu is the Du family, and the most famous family in Chuzhou is the Sun family.
Mr. Tian is from Jiangnan and loves sweet food.
Liang was the oldest among the group, with a neatly trimmed beard. Judging from his eyebrows and eyes, he was indeed handsome and elegant when he was young, otherwise he would not have become a top scholar. However, he had some crow’s feet[1]wrinkles that form around the outside of the eyes over time due to the passage of time. He was usually quiet and did not like to meddle in other people’s business. When he arrived at the office, he would make tea and read a book. Gu Zhao’s previous impression of him was that he was a low-key and cold person.
Later, we exchanged some ideas through books. It turned out that he was a very knowledgeable and talented person, but he would only talk about academic articles for a few words, and then he would become cold again. But now when he mentioned food, his eyes and eyebrows showed some interest.
”…What is there to eat in Lord Gu’s hometown?” Lord Liang asked.
Lord Zhao and Lord Tian have been together for several years. They have already asked all the questions that should be asked. There is nothing new.
”My family lives in the village, and the New Year’s Eve dinner we eat is different from that of the adults. It is not so particular and the process is not complicated. However, I like three dishes the most. One is the braised fish in soybean sauce made by my husband. The skin is salty and slightly browned. The lard is heated, and a layer of salt is sprinkled on the iron pan before the fish is put in. The fish meat is firm and tender, and the fish skin is crispy and dipped in a special sauce.”
Lord Liang heard this and said, “It’s a bit like Ludi’s roast fish.”
Gu Zhao had never eaten the Lu-di Braised Fish, so he didn’t know, and said: “There is also a dish of frozen pork skin–” Before he finished speaking, Lord Zhao and Lord Tian already had a look of disgust on their faces, as if to say, “What’s so delicious about this dirty pickled pork skin?”
”Oh? How do you eat pig skin? Aren’t you afraid of the fishy smell?” Lord Liang became interested.
Gu Zhao said: “It is also called pig skin jelly. It is made from pig skin, with spices added, and then kept cold. It is cut into strips or slices and eaten cold. It has a more chewy texture and is not fishy.”
”The other dish is my family’s braised food, which is my husband’s unique skill. Whether it is tofu, eggs, or other vegetarian dishes, chicken legs, duck, or pork, they can all be braised. The color is darker, the flavor is rich, and it is very special.”
Lord Liang had never heard of the latter two, but Lord Gu said that they were the other person’s unique craftsmanship, so it was naturally not appropriate to ask how they were made, but he just felt a little regretful.
Li’s house.
The rice was pulled back, and Mother Lan cleaned up a side room near the west wing to store the grain. Fang Liu said, “This rice is susceptible to moisture, so it’s best to put a wooden board underneath to support it.”
”Yes.” Li Da also had experience. He went to the stable at the back to find some wood, and followed Fang Liu to build a frame that was about two palms high from the ground.
These days, the Li family has been buying New Year’s goods one after another.
I bought chickens and ducks in a cage, two each, and pork as well. I also prepared couplets, blessing characters, firecrackers, lanterns, and cloth to make clothes.
This year was the first time that Li Zhouzhou spent the New Year in Beijing. He did not feel stingy with the money and made arrangements for his family. Now that his husband was an official in the Hanlin Academy, they could not live in poverty and had to live in harmony and happiness, which would be a good omen for the coming year.
So the expenses are on cotton, cloth, sugar, wine, etc.
It was too cold in Beijing, and people didn’t have the habit of sleeping on a kang in their houses, so they all slept on beds. When winter came and it hadn’t snowed yet, when I woke up in the morning, there was a layer of ice on the water tanks, and the breath was white and foggy. When I went out, the wind blew and it hurt my face.
Not to mention after it snowed.
There was a constant charcoal fire in the stove in the house. Fortunately, officials received charcoal subsidies, but Gu Zhao’s share was small, so it was impossible for him to keep the stove burning day and night. The Li family had a blessed treasure[2]baby, and it must not be left cold, so he bought some charcoal himself.
Seeing his husband getting up early to go out on duty, Li Zhouzhou took out a hand warmer and handed it to him.
Mother Lan looked at them and said, “If you feel cold, you can buy some sheepskin to make a waistcoat. Although it is more expensive than cotton, it is warm and can last for several years.”
People in Beijing love to eat mutton hotpot when winter comes, so sheepskin is the cheapest material, but it has one disadvantage: if the sheepskin is not properly treated after being stained with snow water, it will become hard after a few years and have a slight smell. Therefore, working people like to use it to make waistcoats to wear.
Just protect your chest and back, no need to go through the wind. Most importantly, it’s cheap.
No one wore it for the wives of officials. Mother Lan had also worked in the Li family for a few months and knew the temperament of the Li family. Seeing that they were suffering from the cold, she told them the truth and said, “You must not wear it outside.”
”If Madam is wealthy enough, he can make a quilted cape and buy some rabbit fur to make the edging. It will keep you warm and look good, and not be too ostentatious.” This can be worn when going out.
After hearing this, Li Zhouzhou knew that Mother Lan had good intentions and certainly would not look down on the sheepskin material, so he quickly bought some, which was indeed cheap. He made waistcoats for everyone in the family and also bought some rabbit fur to make a cloak with a beautiful edge as Mother Lan had said.
When Gu Zhao came back and saw Zhou Zhou sewing, he said, “Just make one with rabbit fur trim for Fu Bao. I don’t need it. I’m always in the car on the way to work, so there’s not much wind. There’s a brazier in the office to keep me warm, so it’s not cold at all.”
”real?”
”I am a grown man now, young and strong, full of vigor and vitality, really.” Gu Zhao started to tease Zhou Zhou as he spoke.
Li Zhouzhou was held by his husband’s hand, and his palm felt hot.
In the end, Fubao was the only one in the family who had a cloak made entirely of rabbit fur.
After work, Gu Zhao put on a woolen vest with narrow sleeves and quilted shorts inside. This way, he could keep warm and be convenient no matter if he was writing, reading, working or eating. Anyway, Gu Zhao liked to wear it this way.
It’s a pity that I can’t wear it to the office, as I would really be laughed at.
Today’s intellectuals must have integrity. If they are too poor to wear fox fur, they would rather freeze than wear such an unruly and inappropriate sheepskin vest like ordinary people.
On the 29th, Gu Zhao woke up at two o’clock in the morning to go to the palace to participate in the emperor’s sealing ceremony. He heard from his colleague Lord Zhao that although it would not start until the morning, there were many officials entering the palace today and they were the last in line. There would definitely be a fight between the carriages, so we had to hide and avoid it. Why don’t we come early?
That’s right, a seventh-rank official in Beijing doesn’t have to give way to anyone’s carriage.
In the Li family yard.
Li Zhouzhou also sent New Year’s goods to Lan’s mother and Fang Liu. His family had bought chickens, ducks and pork before, but Fang Liu didn’t come back until almost noon yesterday, and when he came back he brought two cages of chickens and ducks, a sheep, and half a pig.
When asked about Fang Liu, he couldn’t explain clearly. He just said that he was about to leave when the master came out and called him to wait a moment.
When Gu Zhao got home in the afternoon, he explained, “I arrived at the yard in the morning and saw servants carrying things. It was a mess. They were all living things. My colleagues said that the Eighth Prince gave them to us. He said that we worked hard to edit the book and wanted everyone to have a good New Year. These were all New Year goods.”
In the past, the Hanlin Academy did not have these New Year goods subsidies.
Everyone in the office took it, so Gu Zhao didn’t hesitate.
So there was too much meat and fish in the house.
Li Zhouzhou gave benefits to Lan Mama and Fang Liu, wishing them a happy New Year. Only when their family treated servants kindly would they be willing to serve without complaint. Just like when Lan Mama first arrived, she was well-behaved and never interrupted them. Later, she slowly reminded them of the rules. It was also Lan Mama who sewed the sheepskin waistcoat before.
This thing is thick and requires a lot of effort to pull. After pulling one, your fingers will hurt even if you are wearing a thimble.
Not to mention that after Fang Liu arrived, he had to drive the cart and do the heavy work of sweeping and cleaning. In short, he did everything without any rest.
As for the rice, Lan Mama and Fang Liu each got two buckets. They were asked to pick the chickens and ducks. If they wanted chickens, they couldn’t take the ducks. For a whole sheep, they each got a leg of lamb, and half a pig’s leg. Because the Li family didn’t like fatty meat, they picked out some fat ones, five catties per person.
The two of them were naturally very grateful, and Mother Lan even wanted to kneel down and kowtow to Li Zhouzhou.
Li Zhouzhou refused to give in and said, “I have seen the work done by Mama Lan and Master Fang over the past few months. They have served us wholeheartedly. Now that I have unexpectedly received these, I will wish you two a happy new year.”
If it’s gone next year, forget it.
Naturally, Lan Mama and Fang Liu heard it, and they dared not think about next year’s success after achieving success this year. They were all servants working in the mansion. Although the Li family did not have as many rules as those mansions, the masters were truly the most kind to servants that she/he had ever seen in all her/his years of working.
After the ceremony on the 29th, before noon, all the officials walked out of the palace gate one after another. The carriages outside the palace gate were all those of high-ranking officials and princes. Gu Zhao and Yan Jinxin walked back to the Hanlin Academy first, packed up, and waited for the cart from home to pick them up.
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R. S.[Translator]
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