Chapter 75: Laba Confession

Chapter 75: Confession on Laba Festival

*Note: The Laba Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, marking the beginning of the New Year preparations.*

In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth lunar month, and the Bian River had frozen over, completely halting the north-south grain transport along the river. It was said that in the northern prefectures near Jingdong Road, the snow had piled up to knee height, and the government offices had already sealed their official documents for the year.

The boatmen and sailors, who had been busy all year at the canal ports, along with the thousands of grain transport officials working along the docks, could finally go home for the New Year.

Yesterday, the last shipment of vegetables and fruits from the south arrived in Bianjing City.

This last grain transport barge was unlucky, encountering a snowstorm shortly after setting off, which delayed its progress. After the snow stopped, it finally managed to reach Chenqiao Town, only twenty miles from Bianjing, but the river ice had grown so thick that the barge could no longer move forward under its own power.

Hundreds of trackers, garrison troops, and commoners were then recruited to break the ice along the route, allowing the barge to inch its way to Bianjing. However, just as the bow of the barge was about to enter the water gate, the river behind it froze over again, leaving it stuck.

After breaking the ice at the back, the front froze again, and after several days of effort, the barge remained stuck, now resembling an ice sculpture.

Later, the emperor issued a decree: leave it as it is, order the grain transport commissioner to empty the barge and leave it where it was, providing temporary shelter for the poor living near the water gate to endure the harsh winter. The barge would return in the spring.

When the grain was unloaded, the riverside was crowded with people: baskets of tender and smooth winter vegetables, plump and flavorful yams, sticky lotus root, fresh bamboo shoots; as well as oranges from Yuezhou (Shaoxing) and Guizhou (Guangxi), Wenzhou's tangerines, Luzhou's oranges, Hongzhou's (Nanchang) pomelos, Wuzhou's (Jinhua) apples, and Quanzhou's longans and plums...

Each basket unloaded elicited a collective "wow" from the crowd.

It was truly enviable; the southern winter seemed to still be in the harvest season, with rivers that didn't freeze and mountains still green and bearing fruit, abundant with food everywhere.

These vegetables and fruits were sold at sky-high prices as soon as they were unloaded, snatched up in a frenzy. There were so many people that Shen Miao only managed to join the excitement but didn't buy a single thing.

However, if a single vegetable cost hundreds of coins, she wouldn't have bought it anyway. Although life was better now, she still hadn't developed the habit of spending lavishly.

The Chinese cabbage, radishes, and spinach from her own field, frostbitten as they were, were still quite fresh. Plus, with the slow-growing winter leeks, whose leaves had even thinned out, she still had plenty to eat during the harsh winter.

As for fruits, when Ninth Geer moved, he not only transplanted his own cherry tree but also brought along many other foods by carriage: cherries from his own tree, dates and hawthorns from Qingzhou, pomegranates from Lintong, local grapes from Bianjing, apples from Zhangye, and plums and apricots from Daming Prefecture...

The northern winter also had many fruits, but people always craved the less common foods, much like traveling in later times: going from a place they were tired of to a place others were tired of.

Speaking of Ninth Geer's move, he moved extremely quickly. That day, after signing the deed and handing over the keys, he rushed to complete the transfer before the government office closed in the evening, causing the clerk who had been humming a tune on his way home to roll his eyes at them.

The next morning, dozens of servants from the Xie family came to clean the house, replacing tiles, repairing doors and windows, and pulling weeds, all done in a single day.

Two days later, the courtyard was paved with green bricks.

After the hard work was done, they started hauling things into the alley, taking two or three days, which drew the attention of the entire neighborhood. Those who didn't know Ninth Geer speculated: surely some big shot had come to the countryside to observe the people. Or perhaps they wondered: had someone in Willow Lane committed a serious crime?

They stared dumbfounded as an eighteen-fold carved ivory screen was unloaded from the carriage—the screen frame was made from two ivory tusks, with a whole piece of white jade carved into a scene of the Battle of Red Cliffs. The trend of valuing jadeite as king had not yet reached the Song Dynasty, as white jade was still highly prized.

And this item was casually placed in the main hall of the dilapidated old house, leaving the onlookers even more silent, some swallowing hard in awe: just this one screen was probably worth more than the entire house.

Later, five or six carts of books were unloaded—Ninth Geer had converted his previous shop into a study and library, sealing off the street-facing door and leaving only a large window and a small door for light and access. He then had the Xie family servants build floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on all four walls to store his collection.

A lamp, a rocking chair, and a small table.

With heavy snow outside, he sat in his sea of books, gently rocking in his bamboo chair.

The most troublesome thing was Xie Qi's horse, which was almost taller than the courtyard wall. Due to the strict regulations on the size of commoners' houses, the walls of ordinary homes could not exceed five feet six inches (177 cm), and most were even shorter at four feet seven inches (150 cm).

When Shen Miao built her house, she followed the rules and built the wall to the maximum height of five feet six inches, but she also cleverly added broken porcelain shards on top, bringing the total height to about five feet seven inches (180 cm).

But Xie Qi's horse, not counting its ears, was already taller than five feet seven inches.

Once, when Shen Miao went to deliver some food to Ninth Geer, she saw from a distance two reddish-brown horse ears twitching above Xie Qi's courtyard wall, which was quite amusing. The horse needed space to move, and Rolls-Royce, the horse, was even less tolerant of hardship than Ninth Geer. After being tied up in the courtyard for just two days, it became depressed, refusing to eat or drink, lying on the ground with its legs bent, listless. Xie Qi had no choice but to send it back to Chenzhou to reunite with its other horse companions.

Upon hearing that the chestnut horse returned to the old mansion in Chenzhou, it was housed in a large stable with an entire meadow to roam—wealthy families often set aside twenty to thirty acres of dry land, not for crops, but solely for growing alfalfa grass to raise horses. The Xie family was no exception. From ancient times to the present, it has always been the case that buying a horse (or a cart) is easy, but raising one is difficult!

The chestnut horse quickly recovered.

Subsequently, the Xie family's matron sent a donkey to Ninth Brother through his uncle. The donkey, fitting well with the working-class vibe, adapted well to life in West Willow Lane, eating heartily and producing fifteen pounds of donkey dung daily, which made Zhou Da pinch his nose while shoveling.

Not long after Ninth Brother settled in West Willow Lane, the celestial stem and earthly branch chart on Shen Miao's Kitchen God's chart turned three pages, and it was almost Minor Cold.

Minor Cold is a major day in the year for the collective worship of various deities.

The streets were already alive with preparations for the Laba Festival. After a year of hard work, with farming activities ceased, people used this grand festival as an opportunity to enjoy themselves and pray for blessings and disaster relief. For this reason, Gu Tusu came early to knock on Shen Miao's door, saying that the neighborhood head announced that both East and West Willow Lanes would contribute to building a Plague Boat to be pushed out of the city and burned, sending away the plague god to drive away diseases and pray for peace and health in the coming year.

The two lanes of Willow Lane belong to the same "neighborhood ward," with respected elders elected by the residents to serve as neighborhood heads. To not lose to other wards during the Laba Festival, the households in Willow Lane reached a consensus: each family would contribute five hundred coins to build a massive Plague Boat. Previously, bamboo strips were mostly used for the keel and planks, but this year, cedar wood was used to make it even larger, ensuring victory!

The exterior was then covered with brightly colored paper, carved with images of Zhong Kui and demons caught by forks, and various patterns like dragon, cloud, water, and floral designs were painted on the boat's body, head, and tail.

The boat would also be decorated with small flags bearing the names of the households that contributed to the Plague Boat.

Shen Miao didn't write her own name or Ji Geer's name on the flag, but specifically wrote "Shen's Noodle Shop"—during the Laba Festival, with crowds and loud drums, it was a great promotional opportunity.

Seeing this, Aunt Gu quickly had Gouer write "Gu's Wine Shop" instead of her husband's name. By the afternoon, one family after another followed suit, and the flags of the entire lane were changed to their shop names.

Ninth Brother, having just moved in, also generously contributed money. Shen Miao was curious about what he would write on his flag, but he closed his book and naturally smiled, "Of course, I'll write Shen's. That way, Mrs. Shen will have two flags, making her more visible."

At that moment, Shen Miao couldn't describe her feelings.

Her heart fluttered slightly.

The construction of the Plague Boat was entrusted to skilled craftsmen who specialized in making Laba Festival artifacts, so Shen Miao didn't need to worry. After paying and setting the flags, she left it at that.

Since it was a collective worship, she focused on preparing her own offerings, as being too casual would invite gossip for an entire year: the offerings for the Laba Festival were very specific, requiring brewing Laba wine, making cured meat, pickling Laba garlic, and preparing fresh grains and beans like millet, sorghum, rice, and wheat. These were placed in small bowls with red paper during the worship, symbolizing gratitude to the land god for a bountiful harvest.

Shen Miao had prepared the cured meat and Laba garlic last month, and the Kylin had snuck a few bites of the cured meat. She wasn't skilled at brewing Laba wine, so she bought a jar from Aunt Gu's house to offer to the gods during the Laba Festival.

After the Laba Festival, the various grains on the altar would be mixed and cooked into Laba porridge, a tradition that has continued to this day: traditional Laba porridge ingredients are extremely rich, with some later generations emphasizing the number eight, using eight types of rice, eight types of beans, and eight types of dried goods.

Shen Miao... just used whatever she had at home.

Every household's Laba porridge would differ slightly, but two essential ingredients were always present: glutinous rice and red beans. It was said that the Daxiangguo Temple and Xingguo Temple held "Bathing the Buddha Festival" every Laba to distribute porridge to the poor, and the monks there cooked it this way.

After all, Laba porridge was originally Buddha porridge.

Shen Miao finally settled on the ingredients for her Laba porridge based on what she had at home: rice, millet, glutinous rice, and barley; red beans and mung beans; dried fruits like red dates, longan, raisins, peanuts, chestnuts, and lily bulbs.

That added up to quite a lot, both traditional and rich.

While she was busy with these in the yard, the West Lane's newly moved-in neighbor, Ge the Taoist, knocked on Shen's backyard door with his big bowl to buy instant soup cakes.

Ge the Taoist had just moved in; he used to live in a Taoist temple and had never tried the food from Shen's shop, but once he did, he couldn't stop.

Especially the instant soup cakes, which other households in Bianjing had already grown tired of, but he was just starting to enjoy them.

A Tao opened the door for him, and seeing it was him, she didn't need to ask, just called out for Fu Xing to bring two packs of instant soup cakes.

"Today, I want the chicken soup flavor, with more sauce base, I like it thick," he instructed while glancing at the beans Shen Miao was soaking in a large basin, nodding and commenting, "This recipe is just right, very balanced. Glutinous rice strengthens the kidneys, barley removes dampness, these two grains are slightly cold, but they perfectly balance the heat from red dates and longan, just perfect! Has Mrs. Shen studied medicine?"

Taoism and medicine are inseparable, and Ge the Taoist analyzed it thoroughly.

Shen Miao smiled, "No, I just use whatever's left at home."

"Your words... are slightly inappropriate again," Ge the Charlatan shook his head with a wry smile, took the soup buns, and left.

The recipe that was criticized as inappropriate turned out to be quite good.

Finding a clean clay pot, all sorts of grains were tossed in haphazardly to cook. Once the cooking started, the hands couldn't stop; one had to keep stirring with a long-handled ladle to prevent sticking to the bottom.

The more it was stirred, the thicker the porridge became, and the thicker it got, the harder it was to stir.

Making Laba porridge was indeed a labor-intensive task.

Fortunately, Shen Miao was quite strong, stirring the various grains as they tumbled in the pot, cooking until the red beans turned sandy and the porridge became thick and soft, then adding some sugar before it could be served. The sweet aroma of the porridge spread out, and since every household in the alley was cooking it, the rich fragrance wafted out, indistinguishable from one another.

She sent Tang Er to the west alley to invite Ninth Geer and the others to join them for porridge. Shen Miao took the opportunity to enter the kitchen and put up the "Kitchen God" image she bought from the street.

At this time, every household's kitchen would have a "Kitchen God" image pasted. Before the Laba festival, sticky candy was bought to offer to the Kitchen God. Aunt Gu said, "Let the Kitchen God eat the candy, stick his mouth shut, and when he returns to heaven, he won't be able to open his mouth to speak ill to the Jade Emperor, ensuring a smooth year ahead."

Shen Miao bought a lot of candy. Xiang Jieer had a piece in her mouth and asked very seriously, "What if the Kitchen God was originally going to say something good?"

This left Aunt Gu at a loss.

"Besides, we haven't done anything bad," Xiang Jieer's big eyes rolled around, and she reached out to gather all the candies into her arms, "So... I'll just eat them for the Kitchen God!"

Shen Miao gave her a light flick on the forehead: "You're not allowed to eat too much either, or you'll regret it when your teeth start hurting."

Xiang Jieer licked her already empty two lower front teeth and immediately became dejected, pulling her hand back—she never wanted to go to the dentist again in her life!

Shen Miao shook her head. Xiang Jieer and Chen Chuan were both losing their teeth at the same time. Chen Chuan had lost one, which came out while he was biting into a pear, and didn't suffer much.

That was thanks to the Zhangye pears Ninth Geer had brought. The Zhangye pears were small and unattractive, but inside they were crisp, sweet, and firm. Shen Miao thought they were particularly delicious; she liked crisp apples.

She thought the Zhangye ones were better than those from Wuzhou—Shen Miao had bought Wuzhou pears in the summer, which were big and red, very beautiful, with plenty of juice, sweet with a slight sourness, but the flesh was soft and had a sandy texture.

They were also delicious; A Tao liked this kind of mealy pear. She liked to cut them in half and scoop out the flesh with a wooden spoon, bite by bite, like eating cottony ice.

In any case, Chen Chuan was lucky to avoid the dentist's pliers thanks to the Zhangye pears.

Xiang Jieer was different. Her two lower front teeth were loose but just wouldn't fall out. Biting into pears or gnawing on big bones didn't help. Aunt Gu suggested tying a thin cotton thread to the tooth and the other end to the door, then slamming the door shut when the child wasn't looking to yank it out.

But she was too scared, sweating all over, and couldn't tie the thread.

Shen Miao's heart softened, and she was swayed by Xiang Jieer's playful antics for a few days. Then, on the inside of her lower front tooth, two small new teeth actually emerged. The white tips of the teeth had already broken through the gums, like two fresh bamboo shoots.

Because her baby teeth didn't fall out, she ended up with double rows of teeth.

Shen Miao was alarmed. If they didn't pull them out now, it would be too late, so she quickly took her to the dentist.

All the way there, with much dragging and pulling, just as they saw a sign hanging at the entrance of a Chen's shop that read "Skilled in Treating Teeth" and "Dental Implants as Good as New," before even stepping inside, Xiang Jieer was already wiping away tears in fear.

Chen Chuan also came along, holding her hand the whole way, comforting her: "Don't be afraid, it'll just be a quick pull, it won't hurt."

Xiang Jieer couldn't bear to listen, with tears in her eyes, hearing the sounds of teeth being pulled in the shop, she couldn't help but grab Chen Chuan's hand and burst into tears.

Since they were already there, it was better to get it over with quickly than to drag it out.

Shen Miao steeled herself and pulled Xiang Jieer inside. The dental shop was neat and tidy, with several brown medicine cabinets against the wall, each drawer labeled with various Chinese medicine names, and the shop was filled with the aroma of medicine.

The shop had four or five bamboo reclining chairs, with a counter nearby, on which were placed some delicate instruments—long pliers and short tweezers—neatly arranged porcelain jars labeled "Stop Bleeding" and "Reduce Swelling," and some other unnamed objects, all gleaming coldly in the winter light.

Xiang Jieer clung tightly to Shen Miao's clothes, her face filled with fear. Shen Miao felt sorry for her but had no choice, so she painted a comforting picture to coax her: "It's okay, pulling baby teeth doesn't hurt. Winter is the best time to pull teeth, less likely to get infected or bleed, it's a good thing! After pulling the teeth, our Xiang Jieer will grow up, she'll be a big kid. And if you behave well during the extraction, I'll make you honey-glazed puff pastries as big as your hands."

This trick did the job. Xiang Jieer's mouth watered at the thought of baked buns, her wails softened into sobs.

The dentist, sporting a goatee, washed his hands and came over to inquire. When he heard it was about pulling baby teeth, he smiled and said, "This is the easiest thing, it won't hurt a bit. Come on, open your mouth and let me take a look."

Xiang Jieer was scared stiff of the dentist in his dark blue robe. Shen Miao and Chen Chuan had to coax her for ages to open her mouth. Even then, she kept begging, "Please don't pull them."

"I'm just going to take a peek, I won't pull anything," the dentist reassured her gently. "I just want to see how your teeth are. Oh, they're looking great, nice and clean. You've got a lovely set of teeth, little one..." The dentist chatted gently, keeping her distracted, and Xiang Jieer's guard slowly dropped.

Noticing Xiang Jieer's shoulders relax, the dentist swiftly propped open her upper and lower jaws with one hand and, with the other, quickly inserted a small pair of pliers. It happened so fast, Shen Miao barely had time to blink.

With two quick pops, the dentist yanked out Xiang Jieer's two teeth. He then grabbed a couple of cotton balls and shoved them into her mouth, telling her to bite down hard. Then he stood up to settle the bill:

"Ten coins per tooth, so that'll be twenty coins. Don't drink anything when you get home. Wait until the bleeding stops and the sockets scab over before eating. Stick to porridge today, and you can eat normally tomorrow."

After settling the bill, he wrapped Xiang Jieer's teeth in a scrap of straw paper and asked Shen Miao, "Miss, would you like to keep these teeth? Take them home and pick a lucky day to toss them onto the roof. That way, her new teeth will come in straight."

"Yes, please," Shen Miao leaned in for a closer look. So that's what baby teeth look like when they're pulled: tiny, pale yellow, and rootless.

The dentist then carefully instructed, "Once the tooth sockets have scabbed over, let her chew on some big bones to expand the gums. This will help the new teeth move forward, so they won't grow crooked in the future."

Shen Miao quickly memorized this advice.

It wasn't until Xiang Jieer stood up from the bamboo recliner that she realized her mouth was in pain, filled with the taste of blood. She didn't dare to loosen her bite, tears streaming down her face as she mumbled incoherently to Shen Miao, accusing the not-so-old but still cunning dentist, "He lied... he lied..."

But Shen Miao thought it had gone quite well. It was very smooth.

While Xiang Jieer was having her teeth extracted, a man on another chair was getting a filling. Yes, Shen Miao was shocked to discover that there was already a mature dental filling technique—though it looked quite terrifying.

Another dentist first used herbs like aconite and acupuncture to numb the man's pain, then used a very small knife to scrape away the decayed parts of the tooth. The man couldn't help but groan and wail during the process, requiring two strong assistants to hold down his head and limbs to continue.

After cleaning out the decay, the man was told to rinse his mouth, spitting out a basin of bloody water. The cold water made the pain even worse, and he clutched his face, moaning. Finally, the dentist heated a mixture of white tin, silver foil, and mercury into a paste and carefully filled the cavity, then covered it with a layer of silver or gold.

After the filling, the man's cotton clothes were soaked with sweat. His face was pale and green from the pain. The dentist prescribed several days' worth of pills for pain relief and swelling reduction. But Shen Miao saw that his face had already swollen up in just a few moments, as if he had half a bun stuffed in his cheek.

The dentists were used to this and instructed him not to brush his teeth, spit, or eat anything when he got home... The man, looking half-dead, leaned against the counter, holding his swollen cheek and nodding weakly.

Xiang Jieer and Chen Chuan shivered after watching this.

Without effective anesthesia, no sterilization of instruments, no efficient painkillers, and using mercury to fill cavities... Shen Miao also shivered. She immediately followed the dentist's recommendation and bought a jar of bitter tooth powder said to prevent cavities. That night, she brushed her teeth with extra care.

Recalling this, Shen Miao and Xiang Jieer both shivered again.

Xiang Jieer no longer thought about the Kitchen God's candy and quickly slipped away. After offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, Shen Miao also came out. Ninth Geer happened to enter with Yan Shu and Qiu Hao, greeting them with a smile and auspicious words: "The cold has its limits, may the lady have everything 'porridge' complete."

Each person scooped a bowl of thick, hot, and sweet porridge. Just as Xiang Jieer and Chen Chuan finished eating, Liu Douhua and Li Gouer came with a sled to take her ice skating on the river. Shen Miao, worried, also had Tang Er bring Thunder to keep an eye on the children.

"I'm afraid they might fall into an ice hole, or worse, someone might try to snatch them in the chaos. You must keep a close eye on the children," Shen Miao repeatedly instructed. Many people had been going to the Bian River to play on the ice these days, and it was crowded everywhere.

Tang Er responded loudly and turned to fetch the dog.

Today, since every household was busy cooking Laba porridge, the shop had few customers, and A Tao and Fu Xing were enough to handle it.

Seeing Xiang Jieer cheerfully pulling Chen Chuan to go out, Yan Shu looked back at Xie Qi, then came over to tug at his sleeve and shook it.

The chubby little hand didn't say anything, but Xie Qi, after swallowing his porridge, waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, you and Qiu Hao can go too."

Yan Shu immediately pulled Qiu Hao along and cheerfully followed.

Shen Miao smiled as well.

The once bustling courtyard fell silent, leaving only Shen Miao and Xie Qi. With nothing pressing to do on such a day, they sat together under the eaves, chatting idly and slowly sipping their porridge.

Shen Miao did most of the talking, while Xie Qi listened quietly, occasionally smiling in response. The details of Shen Miao's life were ordinary yet comforting, and listening to her, his heart was filled with peace.

As he slowly finished a bowl of hot porridge with beans and rice, he reminisced about the meals he had shared with Shen Miao since their first meeting, which began with a bowl of hot soup on a boat in spring. Before they knew it, the year had come to an end, and a whole year had passed.

Holding the warm ceramic bowl, he looked at Shen Miao, whose hair was pulled back into a neat bun at the back of her head.

At that moment, she was bent over her porridge, sipping quietly, unaware of his gaze. Xie Qi noticed the single silver hairpin in her bun, engraved with delicate cloud patterns, perhaps chosen to reflect her name.

Warm porridge, the sound of falling snow, sweeping away the dust, and anticipation for the New Year.

The year was coming to an end.

Time had flown by so quickly. He suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.

"After sending off the Kitchen God today and finishing the porridge, tomorrow we'll sweep the dust, then go out to buy New Year's goods and prepare for the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve," Shen Miao said, swallowing a mouthful of sweet porridge. She thought about the coming winter hibernation, then turned to Xie Qi, "What about you? When does Ninth Geer plan to return to Chenzhou?"

Xie Qi thought for a moment, placing the empty porridge bowl beside him: "After Xiaohan (Minor Cold), I will return to Chenzhou."

"That means in the next couple of days," Shen Miao said, unsurprised. After the Laba Festival, it was time for the New Year, and Ninth Geer would naturally return to his ancestral home to celebrate with his family. She nodded. "That’s as it should be, but with the cold weather, the journey will be difficult. Ninth Geer, you must take care."

Xie Qi suddenly spoke up: "Shen Miao."

He called her name, then paused, lowering his eyes, and remained silent for a long moment. His fingers, resting on the edge of the corridor, trembled faintly, almost imperceptibly.

Shen Miao tilted her head, about to speak, when she saw him as if finally resolving himself, his expression serious, his dark, round eyes holding hers for a long moment. "I have something to say to you, Shen Miao."

"What is it?"

"Don't laugh at me, but before meeting you, I sometimes felt that life was dull, always thinking that I was destined for misfortune, not knowing what hardship I would face next, feeling anxious, and not daring to get too close to others, fearing I might inadvertently drag them down."

His eyes, washed clean by the snow, were firm and clear, looking at her, then suddenly curved into a smile, making Shen Miao's heart race. "Now I understand."

Shen Miao just looked at him, not speaking. Her hands curled into her sleeves, unconsciously clenching.

"I think I am not destined for misfortune, on the contrary," his voice was as gentle as the drifting snow, like a feather blown to her ear by the wind, "I am very lucky."

"All the good fortune in my life has been used to meet you, Shen Miao."