Chapter 71 Warm green plums in the cold winter room

Unconsciously, it's the end of the year. Ordinary people will start to prepare New Year's goods at this time.

For ordinary people with a little money, they kill pigs and sheep, take off the freshest bones and stew a large pot of fragrant soup, which is the delicacy of the whole family for a few days. The remaining large pieces of meat are salted into bacon, or made into smoked meat, put into a large jar, and you can eat it for several months.

Take out a small piece at a time, cut it into thin slices or shredded meat, and stir-fry a handful of the tenderest vegetables. The fragrance makes people feel that they can eat a few steamed buns. If there are no fresh vegetables in winter, make Chinese cabbage, cowpeas and other things into sauerkraut, put in a few pieces of bacon, and stew them together for an hour. The taste is also excellent and goes well with rice.

You also have to go to the market to collect a lot of dry goods, such as mushrooms, fungus, red dates and other food that can be stored for a long time. Of course, many people dry themselves. After all, it is not easy for ordinary people to live a life, and they can save a little.

Many things that you are reluctant to buy on weekdays will also be particularly generous during the New Year's Day. Even a woman's wooden hairpin, although simple, is also a "luxury" that can only be found during the Spring Festival, or the sesame candy and osmanthus cake that children at home like to eat. At this time, adults are willing to buy a little to relieve their id.

After all, after a year of hard work, people always think of some ways to reward themselves. Even the most bitter family should try to have a good year. It seems that the happiest time of the year should be condensed into these short days. Until next year, we will continue to accept the hardships and tests brought by fate.

So, day after day, year after year.

At this time in previous years, Ling Xiao must have helped his mother prepare food and things for the Spring Festival. Unlike the New Year's goods pulled into the house by the car in Lingfu, brocade, jewelry, etc., every kind of valuable thing that Lingxiao has never seen before, Lingxiao's family is no different from that of ordinary poor people.

No, it's still different. Ordinary people have at least fathers to rely on, and brothers and sisters can laugh at each other. Taking advantage of the winter, some small animals in the mountain forest who come out to look for food have lost their usual sensitivity and are relatively easy to catch. Often men beat wild rabbits and pheasants to go home. Their fur can make bibs for their wives and children, and they can also eat a few delicious game. And Ling Xiao is surrounded by only his mother.

However, she doesn't remember when she started to envy those. Since you can't get it, there's no need to think too much. At least, with the presence of a mother, that warmth and care is enough.

My mother usually collects some rags, wool and other things. Before the Spring Festival, she would crochet gloves or scarves for Ling Xiao. She couldn't see that it was made of scraps, which was exquisite and warm. The mushrooms and wild vegetables picked in the wild earlier were hung in strings in the yard to dry. There were also golden corn and fiery red peppers. The small yard was full of vitality and warmth.

When the weather is warm, there will be surprises in the bamboo forest. The bamboo shoots wrapped in their coats are like shy little dolls, waiting for people to pick them and put them in the pot. They are extremely fresh and tender. Originally, these are not something that can be eaten during the Spring Festival, but my mother has a way to pickle the young bamboo shoots when they are just coming out, dig them out of the jar and stew them with pickled cabbage during the Spring Festival. Don't mention how unforgettable it is.

My mother also likes to buy sugar lotus seeds for herself. She buys them every year during the Spring Festival. For so many years, Ling Xiao has almost remembered the taste of sweetness with bitterness and bitterness at the end of the year. There are also Lingxiao flowers in summer. They will also collect some, pickle them with honey, or make them into flower sauce. Although her mother doesn't let her eat more, she just relieves her buns a little.

No matter what the past life is, it has already become a memory. The past goes with the wind, and it is more important to live a good life.

"Zhu Er, dig some more plums." Ling Xiao lay on the noble concubine's couch, wrapped in a white fox's neck. His slender neck was shrank in the snow-white soft fox fur, making his white and tender little face more and more crystal clear, and his whole body curled up in the blanket, lazy.

"Little Lord, you have used it better today. I heard from the old lady in the palace that it's not good to use more pickled food, especially those sour plums. Although using less can promote appetite, it is easy to hurt the stomach and even damage your appearance." Zhu Er hesitated for a moment and said to Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao thought for a moment, pouted his mouth, and reluctantly stretched out his hand from the blanket and touched his face. He felt very delicate, showing a trace of satisfaction. He put his hand back and smiled, "It's okay. Just take less. Today is the last time."

Zhu Er nodded helplessly and went to get it.

Although it was very cold outside and almost a little snowy floated, four stoves were burned in the warm pavilion, one in each corner. There was silver charcoal in the silver-gray stove, emitting bursts of heat, but there was no smell of gray charcoal. There were three thick curtains made of cotton cloth hanging at the door, so as long as no one went in and out, There is no coldness in it at all.

Ling Xiao is afraid of cold. Although the room is as warm as spring, she still wraps herself tightly and hides on the couch. There is a warm water bag on her stomach. She narrows her eyes to refresh herself and doesn't move. Qingwu pinched her shoulders, beat her legs and so on on the side. It's also comfortable these days.

It's really easy to go from thrift to luxury, and it's hard to go from luxury to thrift. Ling Xiao sighed sincerely in his heart that there was no heater at home before. Not to mention that he could hide in the blanket so leisurely, he even braved the cold to wash clothes and vegetables in the cold water. His white and tender hands were frozen out of frostbite. Even so, there is nothing we can do. What should be done has to be done.

It is said that everyone's ten fingers do not touch the spring water. Which one is not that the hand is white and tender, but Ling Xiao's hand is still a little red, and there is faint old scab marks, that is, the sequelae left by frostbite and not being well maintained after frostbite. Although Liu Bo gave her a good medicine at that time, she couldn't stand the cold water every day.

Although I don't have to work so hard this year, frostbite is very stubborn. I'm afraid it's not so easy to get well after many years. Since the beginning of winter, my hands have begun to be itchy, red and swollen. Ling Xiao doesn't want to suffer anymore, so he asked the imperial doctor for the ointment for treatment, and wrapped his hands like Zongzi every day.

But even if I am so comfortable now, as long as I think that my mother may still have all kinds of hard work at home, I feel uncomfortable again. In the deep palace, it is really difficult to communicate with the outside, especially that Phoenix is still so far away from Kyoto. In winter, even the number of trips for messengers out has been reduced, not to mention that she, a woman in the deep palace, wants to send a family letter.

The ancients said that the beacon fire has been burning for three months, and the family letter is worth ten thousand gold. Ling Xiao is deeply touched at this time. It can be said that the deep palace is as deep as the sea, and the family letter is worth ten thousand gold. Although she is quite favored now, she does not dare to make a request easily, so as not to be praised again.

"Miss, please relax. Madam will not be wronged in the house. No matter what happened before, you are now the person in the emperor's heart. How can the master consider your face? He won't let others bully your biological mother." Seeing that Ling Xiao's originally quiet face suddenly faded, E's eyebrows frowned slightly. Qingwu knew that her young lady must be worried about her mother again, so she comforted her.

Ling Xiao thought about it. Although her father was ruthless and cold, he was also extremely powerful. This was not a good quality, but it was not a bad thing for her at this time. Because of the power, she could not abuse her mother again because of her favor. I'm afraid that Qiluo woman will do anything behind her back. A kind and weak mother will not be her opponent.

Thinking like this, he fell down again, his chest was stuffy, and he sighed faintly.

Qingwu couldn't do it. When he saw Zhu'er taking the plums, he took the blue and white Xiaozhan, forked one with a silver fork and put it on Ling Xiao's mouth. He said, "Miss, the plum is coming. Please eat one."

Ling Xiao opened his mouth and put one into his mouth. The sour and sweet taste was really good. As soon as he bit the teeth, a stream of more sour and sweet juice flowed into his throat. Suddenly, he felt energetic for a while, and even the stuffy breath in his chest had gone a lot.

While eating plums, Ling Xiao suddenly felt a faint cold wind blowing at the door. The heating around him dispersed a lot, but soon gathered. She squinted and asked, "Zhu Er put down her things and went out again, or is there anyone else coming?"

No one answered her, but the massage on her legs seemed to be much stronger. Ling Xiao unconsciously overflowed a slight comfortable moan from his throat. He was about to fall asleep and felt dizzy. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. He opened his eyes slightly and asked, "Qingwu, you..."

Just in the middle of speaking, I suddenly found that the person sitting at his feet was wearing a black brocade robe with a jade belt. Isn't it the emperor Fengyu?

"Your Majesty..." Ling Xiao was shocked and didn't feel sleepy at all. He hurriedly stood up and struggled to get up. He forgot that the plum core in his mouth had not been spit out, and he almost swallowed it.

When Feng Yuqi saw it, he immediately came forward to pat her on the back and stretched out his hand to ask her to spit out the nucleus. Seeing his hesitation, he hurriedly said, "Come on, spit on my hand. Don't turn back and choke into my throat, it's dangerous."

Ling Xiao hesitated for a moment. Before he had thought about it, his mouth had already spit out the plum core, which was falling on the palm of Feng Yuqi's hand, and his face suddenly turned red.

"Come and drink some water to moisten." Feng Yuqi threw the core into the garbage can on one side, took the wet towel on one side, wiped his hands, brought a glass of water, and was about to feed Ling Xiao.

"My concubine, I, come by myself." Ling Xiao said that he was going to reach out to pick up the water cup, which was pressed by Feng Yuqi. By the way, he pulled up the blanket that had just fallen to his waist to help her cover it, and then tightened his neckline before putting down his hand.

"You, you'd better put your hand in it and don't freeze again." Feng Yuqi was sore, "Have you continued to use the plaster prepared by the imperial doctor in the past two days? Is it still red? Is it itchy?"

Ling Xiao had to blush. He opened his mouth and took a small sip of water with Feng Yu's hand. Sure enough, he felt much more comfortable. "The plaster has been used all the time, and there are some red, but it is no longer itchy. The imperial doctor said that this is also a persistent disease in skin diseases, which is not so easy to cure, but as long as it continues to be well maintained, it will be fine.

Feng Yuqi nodded with satisfaction and suddenly asked, "Why do you like to eat these sour things so much?" I don't know if he was joking or something, and then he asked, "Isn't there?"