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墨書 Inktalez
Time slowly passed, and everything seemed to return to calm. Nie Qiuyuan treated me as usual, never mentioning the previous events again, and our interactions in front of others remained sparse. Only during the occasional moments alone would he smile lightly and look at me with gentle eyes, leaving me feeling inexplicably flustered.
Even when we were alone, he never crossed any boundaries with me again; it seemed that he truly had lost his mind that one time.
Sigh, what could I do? I could only forgive him; after all, he was my idol.
Night Phantom had also recovered from his episode. He would come whenever called, and sometimes even without being summoned.
We were able to play normally and happily again, enjoying the delicious treats he brought. In return, I fulfilled my promise to tell him about the various impressive things in the modern world, which left him wide-eyed in amazement.
He became fascinated with "Ferrari" and "Harley Motorcycle." To satisfy the curiosity of this handsome guy, I even drew pictures of both for him.
Seeing that he might create many things if he kept listening, I quickly pulled out theories from science fiction films and coaxed him to stop.
"You mustn't mess around. If you create something too revolutionary that changes the course of history, I might not be born at all. If that happens, I'll just disappear, and you'll never see me again!"
Night Phantom listened and pondered for a moment with his highly logical titanium alloy brain before immediately accepting this theory. "You're right; we absolutely cannot take that risk!"
However, he then posed a sharp question:
"I want to see your world. Is that possible?"
This question struck me deeply. Since I could come here, perhaps it wasn't entirely impossible for him to go there as well. It took me eight years to figure out how to arrive here, but that was in modern times when information was readily available. In the Tang Dynasty, even if such methods existed, where would I go to find them?
Moreover, I had come to the Tang Dynasty for my idol; now my situation was a complete mess. I couldn't even sort out my own affairs, let alone spend energy satisfying Night Phantom's curiosity.
So, I just listened and imagined it in my mind, and that was enough.
With everything returning to normal, my mood gradually settled down.
Before I knew it, December had arrived, and soon it would be the Laba Festival.
After dinner, Melan and I went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients we had bought earlier that day. This year had been particularly unlucky for our brothers at Wanzi Mountain; it felt as if we were cursed with misfortunes. Therefore, we resolved to celebrate every festival day properly.
In modern times, we celebrate the Laba Festival quite simply. At home, my mother would make Eight Treasure Porridge for us, and at school, the cafeteria would serve porridge too, though it wasn't very tasty.
However, I realized that ancient people celebrated the Laba Festival with great significance. It wasn't merely a day for eating; it was a time to celebrate the harvest and give thanks to ancestors and deities. The objects of gratitude included the Door Gods, House God (I still couldn't figure out the differences among these three deities, but since we were supposed to thank them, we did), Kitchen God, Well God, and others—gods responsible for our household affairs. The Eight Treasure Porridge was primarily prepared for them to enjoy first.
It dawned on me that Laba might be akin to an ancient Thanksgiving.
Although my romantic journey hasn't been particularly smooth, there has been some progress. I have no regrets about my journey through time; on the contrary, I still hold a deep sense of gratitude in my heart.
At this moment, Melan and I were sorting through the grains we had bought—washing and preparing them. We peeled what needed peeling and soaked what needed soaking. Besides rice and various colored beans, we also bought red dates, lotus seeds, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds, pine nuts, longan, hazelnuts, raisins, ginkgo nuts, water chestnuts, green silk (a type of vegetable), roses, and peanuts.
"Wow! We can actually cook so many ingredients together; it must taste amazing! Liuying, you're so clever!" Han Meilan exclaimed in surprise while tidying up.
The guy squatting nearby quietly smiled, revealing his dimples.
To be honest, we often took advantage of Lin Jiu because he was so honest and capable. No matter what we asked him to do, he never refused and always did it perfectly. Although he never mentioned how much effort he put into each task behind the scenes or how long it took him to complete them, over time we had grown accustomed to handing things over to him without a second thought—even now when preparing the ingredients for Eight Treasure Porridge.
After peeling for quite a while, I finally managed to peel a large pile of garlic. I washed the garlic thoroughly and wrapped it in a clean cloth to dry before placing it into a jar filled with fragrant vinegar and sealing it tightly.
"What is this for?" Han Meilan curiously walked around the altar.
"Laba Garlic. On Laba, we soak garlic in vinegar, and by the time New Year comes, we pour out the vinegar to dip dumplings in. It's really delicious, and the garlic tastes great too. Didn't you know?"
Both Han Meilan and Lin Jiu shook their heads.
It seemed that eating Laba Garlic was indeed a custom exclusive to Northern China. Since my father was from the north, our family never missed out on Laba Garlic every year.
"Liuying, you know so much!" Han Meilan sincerely praised, which made me sigh inwardly at her lack of awareness.
"What’s going on? Why is it so lively?" A smiling face peeked through the slightly opened door.
"Cousin?" Melan called out, "What brings you here? Finished with the paperwork?"
"Damn it! That little brat Nie Qiuyuan just throws everything my way without a care and walks off! Luckily, I’m more than capable; these trivial matters are nothing to me." Luo Dachun entered wearing a short outfit resembling ancient sportswear, looking fresh and comfortable as he squatted down on the floor. "Working late on paperwork? Am I that brainless? I still have work left to do? Come on, what else is there? I’ll help you."
His declaration of not working after hours felt quite trendy. I found it amusing and handed him a bowl of peanuts still in their shells, smiling, "Brother Luo, peel these, but don’t peel the red ones!"
Luo Dachun chuckled as he took the bowl. "Liuying, you finally smiled like this."
Smiled like this? Could it be that I hadn’t truly smiled happily in a long time? Luo Dachun was showing concern for me.
I watched Luo Dachun peeling peanuts, Lin Jiu carefully picking off the brown skin from a walnut with a toothpick, and Han Meilan bustling back and forth among us. Suddenly, I felt that even if time flowed by so simply like this, it wouldn’t be so bad.
"Liuying, Melan, after Laba, Qiu Yuan and I will be heading to the capital," Luo Dachun said with his head lowered, somewhat intentionally. "We received an imperial decree requiring us to go to Chang'an immediately. I’m not sure if we’ll make it back before New Year."
The voice seemed to carry a hint of reluctance.
"Huh? Are we going to Chang'an?" Although it wasn't an incredibly long journey, who knew what they were being sent there for? Perhaps they would be apart for a long time?
I felt a surge of anxiety. The New Year! It was already January in the Gregorian calendar, and the New Year would be at the beginning of February. Please, I had read in historical records that Nie Qiuyuan was supposed to get married this year. How could they possibly leave at such a critical moment?
Although I was a bit confused about which Nie Qiuyuan was getting married.
Moreover, this was my first Spring Festival in the Tang Dynasty. If those two left, it meant that Night Phantom would also be gone. My first Spring Festival would be so depressing if my beloved and friends weren't by my side!
"Don't scare them," a pleasant voice came from behind me. I looked up to see Nie Qiuyuan, dressed in black, leaning casually against the kitchen doorframe, his expression calm and indifferent.
"Do you both want to go to Chang'an?" he asked gently, looking at me.
I was taken aback for a moment. Of course, I wanted to go; I didn't want to leave him at all. I thought I should show my happiness like before, obediently following my brother's arrangements. After all, I had never been to Chang'an! But for some reason, at that moment, I couldn't utter a single word.
I didn't know what was wrong with me; I felt extremely anxious. This was not good.
Because Nie Qiuyuan was watching me, the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
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