Chapter 98: Five-Colored Water Balls

Chapter 98: Five-Colored Rice Dumplings

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, A Tao got up early to dress everyone and every animal in the house in "Dragon Boat Festival attire" (traditional festive clothing).

Starting with the children at home, each was given a "Five Poisons garment" (a traditional garment believed to ward off evil spirits)—a mustard-yellow bellyband embroidered with centipedes, snakes, scorpions, geckos, and toads. Though it looked quite flashy, children in the Song Dynasty had to wear it during the festival, and almost everyone had one.

Xiang Jieer and Chen Chuan were still too young to feel embarrassed, so under A Tao's eagle-eyed stare, they obediently put on the bellybands. Only Ji Geer, upon seeing the yellow bellyband handed to him, showed clear resistance on his face.

"Wear it underneath for good luck, no one will see it!" A Tao glared with her phoenix eyes (almond-shaped eyes), standing firmly at Ji Geer's door, refusing to budge. "Hurry up and put it on, or you're not allowed to go out."

Ji Geer had no choice but to reluctantly close the doors and windows, draw the curtains, and awkwardly put on the bellyband.

When he opened the door with a sullen face, A Tao still wouldn't let him pass. Under her scrutinizing gaze, he had no choice but to lift the hem of his shirt, revealing the mustard-yellow ties hanging from his undershirt.

"That's more like it," A Tao said, satisfied. She then turned her attention to catching cats, dogs, donkeys, and cows in the yard to hang red talismans (charms believed to bring good luck) on them.

The neighborhood's frequent visitor, the charlatan Ge (a local conman), had sent over quite a few talismans—all drawn by himself. Using cinnabar (a red mineral used in traditional rituals) on green vine paper, he painted images of Zhong Kui on the front and incomprehensible incantations on the back, stamped with the Three Pure Ones' seal (a Taoist symbol).

Ge was beaming with joy, delivering the talismans and buying a lot of fish noodles before leaving—he had already made several strings of cash just from selling talismans these past few days.

He also brought a few protective talismanic portraits, instructing that they be pasted on the doors.

Tang Er, with a glue pot in his mouth and holding the corners of the portraits, stood on tiptoe to paste them on the door.

A Tao, panting from running around, finally caught the nimble Kylin. Holding the cat, she went over to check how the pasting was going: "It's crooked, move it a bit more to the left."

After that, she sat under the tree, first tying a Five Poisons cape (a cape believed to ward off evil spirits) around the meowing Kylin, then attaching a red talisman to the cape.

Thunder, Eleven, and Twelve Niang were dressed similarly, except Eleven also wore a toad hat (a hat shaped like a toad). Only it was used to wearing hats; Thunder and Kylin would always try to scratch off any hats with their paws. Twelve Niang was the same—she would shake her head whenever she wore a hat, and last time she even twisted her neck, becoming a poor cow with a twisted neck who had to be taken to Seventeen Niang's veterinary clinic (a local animal clinic) for acupuncture for two days before recovering.

The three chickens and Wind had gone to the duck farm to guard the place, so A Tao entrusted the small clothes she had made for them to Aunt Li to take over.

After Wind arrived at the duck farm, it was like a fish in water, chasing ducks every day with its tongue hanging out. Often, the ducks would flap their wings and plop into the pond to escape. Aunt Li said that many ducks had built up leg muscles from all the running.

The little white rooster was also happy because there were many old hens at the duck farm, and it was the only rooster. Every day at sunset, it would joyfully sneak into the hens' coop, only to be fiercely pecked out by the hens shortly after.

Once all the animals were dressed up, Xiang Jieer, Chen Chuan, and Ji Geer had also finished washing up. A Tao called Xiang Jieer over first, styling her hair into double buns (a traditional hairstyle with two buns) and wrapping them with green ribbons soaked in mugwort (a traditional practice believed to ward off evil). Fresh mugwort branches were inserted at the roots of the buns, with two Five Poisons coins strung on the tips of the leaves, tied securely. Chen Chuan and Ji Geer wore mugwort tiger hats (hats shaped like tigers with mugwort decorations), with the hat's tassels dyed with mugwort juice and small bells tied at the ends. The sides of the hats were wrapped with five-colored threads (symbolizing the five elements) and mugwort branches.

When Aunt Nian brought Youyu (a well-behaved child) over, she too couldn't escape A Tao's fussing.

Youyu was the most obedient, sitting quietly as A Tao dressed her up without complaint, even yawning widely at one point.

Aunt Nian leaned against the door, watching as her daughter's head was adorned with two round buns tied with bright ribbons. She then smiled and drove the Shen family's ox cart to the imperial street eatery. Today, the number of people ordering meals had increased rather than decreased, so she still had to deliver food.

Aunt Nian and Ding Wushi had no complaints—business was good, and that was a good thing! They were more worried about a sudden downturn, which would make them anxious. On the other hand, Mrs. Shen seemed to feel guilty, especially since they couldn't take a break during the festival. She decided to pay them triple wages for holiday work today.

Twelve Niang was hitched to the cart and led away by Aunt Nian, while A Tao continued to use realgar wine (a traditional wine believed to ward off evil spirits) and cinnabar to draw a king character (a symbol of protection) on everyone's forehead.

Ji Geer's resistance failed, and when Xie Qi arrived with Yan Shu, he was listlessly feeding the donkey with the king character on his forehead.

"Yan Shu! Haven't seen you in days, come here!"

A Tao's eyes lit up at the sight of Yan Shu, and she immediately pulled him over to dress him up.

Since Xie Qi's father had arrived in a hurry and wanted to "travel incognito," he didn't bring any attendants, so Yan Shu had been assigned by Ninth Geer to serve Xie Qi's father. These past few days, he had been accompanying Xie Qi's father to purchase items needed for the Six Rites (traditional ceremonial items). The boy had been so busy, coming and going at all hours, that now he looked pale and thinner.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed he had lost two more teeth, and his speech was a bit slurred: "A Tao, what are we doing?"

"Mrs. Shen said yesterday that we're going to watch the dragon boat races. Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and we must wear mugwort when going out to ward off the Five Poisons, so I'm putting a hat on you now!" A Tao said with a smile as she combed Yan Shu's hair, sneaking a glance at Xie Qi.

Ninth Geer had obviously known about the dragon boat race beforehand, as he was already dressed up—he tied his hair high with two colorful silk ribbons instead of wearing a crown. The ribbons were long and hung gracefully at the back of his head. He wore a blue gauze robe with wave patterns, lined with white silk embroidered with silver threads in a subtle five-poison pattern, the exquisite embroidery faintly visible under the sunlight. He also had a hollow sweet flag ball hanging from his waist.

A Tao, sharp-eyed, spotted something right away: the silk ribbons on Ninth Geer's head looked a bit like the ones Shen Miao had hand-woven that day. Shen Miao wasn't skilled in needlework, and even the five-colored silk she wove was somewhat loose, making it easily recognizable.

She didn't say anything, just smiled knowingly and looked away.

When Shen Miao came out after finishing her hair, A Tao burst out laughing—Shen Miao had styled her hair in the latest fashion, with a crooked bun, and beneath the white jade hairpin, she had added a small peachwood sweet flag charm, its tip adorned with a long-life strand woven from five-colored silk, the same weaving technique as the ribbons on Ninth Geer's head.

Shen Miao must have secretly given this to Ninth Geer yesterday while they cooked zongzi in the kitchen!

Shen Miao was also dressed in green sweet flag-colored clothes today, wearing a short jacket with a crossed collar and a magpie-tail hem, paired with a madder-colored cotton skirt. Around her waist was a net-like belt woven from five-colored silk, adorned with bells, five-poison charms, peach pits, and sachets... Despite the many decorations, A Tao still spotted the identical sweet flag ball at a glance.

Her smile widened even more.

It seems... yesterday Shen Miao gave Ninth Geer the five-colored silk she had woven herself, and in return, Ninth Geer gave her this sweet flag ball, right?

A Tao was completely satisfied and casually handed the remaining two red spirit talismans to Tang Er and Fu Xing: "Hang these on yourselves."

Then she hummed a tune and went inside to get ready.

Shen Miao quietly brushed her teeth and splashed water on her face, and she too noticed the silk ribbons on Xie Qi's head, which made her smile.

When Xie Qi saw Shen Miao smiling, the tips of his ears grew warm again. He lowered his head and walked in, first bending down to rub the Kylin cat rubbing against his leg. As he picked up the cat and held it in his arms, the colorful silk ribbons fell onto his shoulder and then dangled in front of his chest.

The sweet flag ball at his waist swayed constantly.

Today, Xie Qi's belt was tightly and neatly fastened, so from his shoulders and chest downward, the originally broad and wide lines suddenly narrowed.

Shen Miao's gaze lingered on Xie Qi's tightly cinched waist and suddenly remembered last night in the kitchen, when the two of them, amidst the steam, had discussed "lightness" and, in a daze, she seemed to have held onto his waist.

She quickly dunked her face in the cold well water, freezing her thoughts.

When she lifted her head, wiped her face dry, and returned to her usual self, she smiled as she rolled up her sleeves: "Shall we have five-colored glutinous rice balls for breakfast today? After eating, we'll close the shop and go out to watch the dragon boat race together. Aunt Gu said she reserved us a good spot at the riverside tea stall, so we can all cheer for Second Brother Gu and Uncle Gu. Both of them were drafted by the neighborhood head and will be racing today."

Xiang Jieer immediately said, "I'll borrow a cymbal from Liu Douhua's house! When we cheer, we definitely won't lose!"

With that, she took off running.

Chen Chuan also ran after her: "Let's get a drum too! A Bao's family has a hand drum!"

"Eh?" Yan Shu looked around, hurriedly holding onto the hat on his head, not wanting to be left behind: "Wait for me."

The children rushed noisily out of the yard, and soon the sound of them knocking on Liu Douhua's door could be heard. Xie Qi sat on the porch, absentmindedly rubbing the Kylin cat's round face, his eyes following Shen Miao as she turned and entered the kitchen.

The Kylin cat's face was squeezed until its teeth showed, then stretched into a flat pancake.

"Meow!" It anxiously pawed at Xie Qi's arm.

Xie Qi snapped out of his daze and looked at the Kylin cat's messy, chubby face, quickly apologizing as he smoothed its fur: "Sorry, sorry, I was... distracted just now. Did I hurt you?" After smoothing its fur, he quickly picked it up and kissed its forehead.

The Kylin cat finally stopped meowing. But it still squeezed out of Xie Qi's arms, then nimbly jumped onto his shoulder, shook its butt, and jumped onto his head.

It squatted on his head with its butt facing forward, stretching its paws to play with the silk ribbons hanging down the back of his head.

A Tao also came out after putting on sweet flag and rouge, but seeing only Ninth Geer in the yard, she asked, "Why hasn't Mr. Xie come over?"

"My father went back to Chenzhou early this morning to fetch the betrothal gifts."

A Tao exclaimed with delight, "That's great! After this, we just need to have someone calculate the wedding date, and then it's official, right?"

"Hmm," Xie Qi's ears twitched slightly, and he lowered his eyes, starting to idly pet the large tail of the Qilin that had fallen in front of him.

"I was wondering why the sparrows were chirping so much today. Turns out it's because of this joyous event! That's great, once you two are engaged..." A Tao didn't finish her sentence, but the smirk of delight on her face betrayed her thoughts: "Ah, now that the lady and Ninth Geer are engaged, they can show their affection openly!" How wonderful, I'll get to see plenty of it soon!"

And once they're engaged, won't the wedding be just around the corner? She had already decided that on their wedding night, she would definitely listen in outside their door to her heart's content...

A Tao hummed a cheerful tune and went to manage the shop.

Xie Qi had no idea that A Tao had already come up with a dozen names for his and Shen Miao's future children in her mind. He simply played with the Qilin's tail while his gaze lingered on the kitchen. He wanted to go in and help stoke the fire, but Shen Miao had complained yesterday that he wasn't as good as Youyu at it, saying he almost boiled the pot dry.

And... he was also a little hesitant to enter.

Yesterday, he had sat on the small stool in front of the stove, and his legs had gone numb. It took him a long time to stand up again.

But... he also wanted to stay by Shen Miao's side, even if it was just sitting there, not talking, and without being "forward."

No... he shouldn't think about being forward! Who behaves like that every day?

Xie Qi chided himself, but his heart felt like it was being nibbled by ants. He had to press the Qilin's tail to his warming face with both hands.

Shen Miao entered the kitchen calmly.

But as she stepped over the threshold, she saw the stool in front of the stove and quickly looked away. She then noticed the leftover meat-stuffed zongzi hanging by a string under the window, its rich aroma filling the air and pulling her back to yesterday evening.

She unconsciously swallowed.

She didn't know why she was so nervous.

Taking a deep breath, she set aside her distracting thoughts and focused on preparing the dough for the five-colored dumplings.

This was actually a cold noodle dish from the Song Dynasty for the Dragon Boat Festival, not too difficult, but preparing the five-colored dough was somewhat laborious.

You had to prepare colored juices in advance using mugwort, carrots, millet, and black beans: grate the carrots and extract the orange-red juice using a cloth; blanch the spinach, then grind it with water in a stone mortar to get green juice; simmer the millet until tender and collect the yellow broth; soak the black beans, then grind them into soy milk to obtain the black juice. The last color, white, was just the natural color of wheat flour.

Then divide the flour into five portions, add the respective juices, along with salt and oil, knead into dough, let it rest before rolling it into thin noodles. The broth for the dumplings was made from plum soup, boiling plums, red dates, hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, and monk fruit together until the soup turned a clear, cool, amber color, then cool it and add honey.

This plum soup had been made yesterday, sealed, and left in a cool place overnight, now perfectly chilled.

After that, the cooked five-colored noodles, cooled in cold water, were neatly arranged in white porcelain bowls chilled with well water, and the cold plum soup was poured over them.

The broth was clear and slightly amber, with colorful noodle strands inside, and a washed hibiscus flower placed on top. It tasted sweet, sour, cool, and refreshing, like eating a chilled dessert.

This kind of dish seemed rare in later times, but during this period, it was still a custom to eat sweet noodles during the Dragon Boat Festival. There was also some traditional Chinese medicine reasoning behind it: in spring, the weather warms and becomes humid, making it easy to develop damp heat and phlegm stagnation. Eating a bowl of five-colored dumplings not only fit the season but also had therapeutic benefits.

This plum soup was also delicious on its own without the noodles. Shen Miao found it particularly soothing to the throat and helpful for digestion.

She decided to add this to the shop's spring beverage menu, having Mei Sanniang prepare and deliver it.

Shen Miao finished making the five-colored dumplings in one go. As she was decorating them, she suddenly heard Xiang Jieer ask Xie Qi in the courtyard, "Ninth Geer, why aren't you taking me for a run today?"

Xie Qi stammered, "My legs haven't been feeling well these past few days. I'll run with you tomorrow."

Xiang Jieer asked with concern, "What's wrong with your legs? Did you fall? Sprain them?"

Xie Qi hesitated for a while before answering, "Mm... something like that..."

Shen Miao's face flushed red.

Yesterday, as the kitchen window was bathed in the honey-colored light of the setting sun, the kitchen had become too hot, and a thin layer of sweat had formed under Xie Qi's dark eyebrows. Behind him was the dusk, and in front of him was the flickering stove fire. The two sources of light, one in front and one behind, enveloped his entire body in a hazy, golden-orange glow.

He leaned towards her through the haze.

Shen Miao didn’t pull away, just gazed at him intently.

She noticed the golden light flickering on the right side of his high nose bridge, and the fading light from behind him made the small mole on his neck stand out clearly.

Outside, Ji Geer and Xiang Jieer were drinking the freshly brewed plum soup. Someone was squabbling over the plums in the soup, and the siblings were running around the yard, chasing each other, their porcelain bowls and spoons clinking.

Xie Qi instinctively held his breath, hesitated for a long moment, and then slowly leaned closer.

As they drew closer, their breaths mingled, Shen Miao's eyelashes already touching his cheekbone, when suddenly a log in the stove cracked, startling the already nervous Xie Qi, making his nose bump into her face.

He covered his nose and stepped back, looking utterly mortified.

And he said he knew what he was doing! Shen Miao was both annoyed and amused, turning her head to stifle her laughter, the harder she tried, the more she wanted to laugh, until she finally let out a giggle.

Xie Qi seemed irritated by her laughter.

The next moment, Shen Miao's head was cupped by a hand damp with sweat from nervousness, she was gently but firmly turned around, and this time Xie Qi finally touched the corner of her lips.

He pulled her close, his warm lips as soft as silk.

Shen Miao kept her eyes open, not pulling away, quietly watching the shadows cast by his dark, feathery eyelashes, and the flush on his cheeks.

But her heart felt like sugar melting slowly over a low flame.

After brushing his lips against the corner of hers, he pulled back again, gently nuzzling his nose against her flushed cheek, his hands cupping her face, opening his eyes to look at her.

The firelight turned their eyes amber, his eyelashes fluttered, his gaze locked on hers, as if confirming her attitude.

Shen Miao reached up, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

The second time, he was no longer just tentative, his lips firmly touched her slightly cool lips, and the moment he closed his eyes, he caught her upper lip.

Their lips parted slightly, their breaths quickening as their tongues brushed lightly, in the shadow cast by the stove fire on the ground, the two had melted into one.

The scent of burning pinewood in the stove mixed with a hint of bamboo leaf fragrance. Breathing in the aroma of food, Shen Miao closed her eyes, feeling at ease, slightly tilting her chin up in cooperation.

The last line of orange-red light leaking through the window suddenly dimmed, but the white mist constantly escaping from the steamer became thicker.

Xie Qi's palm holding the back of her head was scalding, the long deep kiss ended, their noses touching, their short breaths not yet calmed intertwined.

Afterwards, Shen Miao was also a bit dizzy.

She only remembered, he kissed her again and again, like a child, his kisses full of joy and uncontrollable emotion.

"Ah Miao." He would call her, his lips against hers.

Sometimes he would gaze at her tenderly and obsessively, his eyes moist with the heat and steam from the stove, as if about to drip with water.

The dusk finally swallowed the last trace of daylight, the occasional spark from the stove casting a glow on their tightly pressed bodies. When they parted, the firelight almost dyed Xie Qi's tense, flushed jaw and Shen Miao's moist lips into a pulsating warm gold.

"I really..."

"Like you so much."

"Like you so much, like you so much."

In the haze and dimness, he repeatedly murmured in her ear, expressing the love he couldn't suppress in his heart, but as he spoke, he would also, like a clingy puppy, rub her nose, gently biting her lips again and again.

He was burning hot, his heart aflame, his palms and lips like fire. Even Shen Miao couldn't keep her composure, unable to resist as she gradually gave in, letting herself be completely submerged in his kisses.

Thinking back on it today still makes her blush.

Shen Miao silently scooped another ladle of water to wash her face.

After that, the copper coins in the pottery jar no longer clinked, and the zongzi were cooked. Shen Miao and Xie Qi had been sitting silently on the bench for a long time, and she finally had an excuse to stand up and check how the zongzi were cooking.

Xie Qi murmured a quiet acknowledgment but didn't move.

Naturally, it was to be expected.

His legs were numb.

Recalling this, and listening to his conversation with Xiang Jieer, Shen Miao knew: Ninth Geer's legs were still numb... Shen Miao held back a laugh, calmed herself, and went out with a bowl of five-color glutinous rice balls, also cutting a few cooked zongzi of different flavors to eat with them.

Yesterday, the aunts made jujube zongzi, sweet bean zongzi, plain zongzi, and alkaline water zongzi at her house, and Shen Miao exchanged some with meat zongzi, so now there were both sweet and salty zongzi at home, and one could eat whichever they preferred.

Each person got a bowl of five-color glutinous rice balls, and the zongzi were generously sized, so one per person was enough to fill them up.

Xiang Jieer wasn't fond of the five-color glutinous rice balls, drank up the plum soup, and then clutched the zongzi and took big bites. She and Chen Chuan were staunch supporters of the meat zongzi at home, but Ji Geer was surprisingly indifferent to her cooking for the first time; he loved the plain zongzi made by Aunt Gu, dipped in sugar, and could eat three in one go.

Yan Shu, as always, enjoyed everything, ate an alkaline water zongzi dipped in honey, and also had a meat zongzi. After eating, he said to Shen Miao in surprise: "Miss Shen, this is my first time eating salty zongzi, I didn't expect it to be so satisfying, the filling is so rich."

Shen Miao then rubbed his head: "Come by if you want more, I made plenty."

Remembering that in her previous life, her family also made a lot of zongzi at once, and couldn't finish them all during the Dragon Boat Festival, so they stored them in the icebox and took them out to cook every now and then, they could eat them for a long time. However, in the south, zongzi are common in breakfast stalls all year round, they've become a breakfast staple, unlike mooncakes which only appear once a year. It's not uncommon to eat them outside of the Dragon Boat Festival.

After the morning meal, they had to hurry to watch the dragon boats, otherwise it would be too crowded to even cross the bridge later.

Aunt Gu had already arrived at the riverside tea shed.

The willows on both sides of the Bian River swayed in the warm wind, forming a sea of green. Shen Miao packed a bag of snacks and led a large group of people out the door.

Just as they reached the entrance of the riverside tea house, Xiang Jieer spotted Liu Douhua inside at a glance, and several children excitedly rushed in, Fu Xing and Tang Er quickly followed, the tea house was packed, and they couldn't let the kids get lost.

A Tao also quickly went inside, she saw the short Ya Bao vaguely in the crowd, and wanted to take the opportunity to ask if there was any message from her mother.

Shen Miao and Xie Qi were left alone at the end.

When entering, it was crowded, and their arms bumped into each other, being pushed forward by the crowd.

Shen Miao hesitated for a moment, somewhat wanting to hold Xie Qi's hand, her fingers extended, but before she could act, Xie Qi suddenly grabbed her hand first.

She looked up at him in surprise.

But he didn't look at her, just kept looking forward, with a righteous expression, protecting her as they squeezed through the crowd.

Shen Miao looked down and smiled, curling her fingers to hold his hand back.

The two walked to the illegally built terrace of the tea shed, where they could almost closely see the situation of the dragon boats.

Aunt Gu was already surrounded by children and neighbors from the alley, Shen Miao and Xie Qi were just about to go there when they heard the urgent call accompanied by the jingling of keys from behind: "Miss Shen, Miss Shen! Wait! Wait!"