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墨書 Inktalez
At seven thirty in the evening, Bai Mom sat in front of the television watching the weather forecast. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere, blocking the TV screen, startling the couple. Bai Mom's scream was just about to escape her throat when she realized it was their daughter who had returned home.
"Daughter, you're back? Have you eaten dinner? I told your dad to make you a bowl of noodles!" Bai Mom pushed Bai Dad into the kitchen while she pulled her daughter aside, looking her up and down to check if there was anything wrong. Although their daughter had only been gone for four days, due to the time difference between the two worlds, she had spent several months in another world. They were unsure if she had suffered any hardships.
"No need, Dad, I've already eaten," Bai Tang stopped Bai Dad and pulled both of them to sit on the sofa before starting to take things out of her backpack.
A carved jade pendant made from Hetian jade, a red coral hairpin, a rosewood marble dining table and chairs (to be placed in the new house as a dining table), calligraphy by Zhu Yunming (also known as Zhu Zhishan), a pastel white egret lotus leaf patterned bowl...
Bai Dad and Bai Mom's eyes widened more and more. Bai Dad picked up Zhu Yunming's calligraphy, his hands trembling: "Is this Zhu Yunming's 'Memorial on the Expedition'!?"
If it's real, then it's a national treasure!
"It's not written by Zhu Yunming; it's a later imitation. However, it's imitated very well and can be considered an antique, so it’s still worth money," Bai Tang said as she handed a chessboard made of white jade to Bai Dad. "Dad, this is a special chess set made for you. Just study it at home; don’t show off outside!"
Bai Dad held the chessboard and pieces with great affection: "Tang Tang, this must be very expensive, right?"
Bai Tang held up two fingers: "Two hundred taels of silver. Quite cheap."
"Two hundred taels of silver is cheap?" Bai Mom exclaimed.
"Two hundred taels of silver converted to RMB is only about thirty or forty thousand. Isn’t it reasonable for a set of chess made from Hetian jade?" Bai Tang raised her eyebrows with a look that suggested she had made a great deal.
"But I heard that in ancient times, two hundred taels of silver was quite a lot for an ordinary family; enough for them to live for ten years or so," Bai Mom's knowledge from reading ancient farming novels wasn't for nothing.
"You’re talking about ordinary families! I know I'm in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, where most people I know are from the four great families. Just one banquet hosted by the Jia family costs more than two hundred taels! And also..." Bai Tang squinted her eyes slightly, as if golden light was radiating from her face. "Do you know how much money I made selling things I took to ancient times? One hundred thousand taels of silver!"
"So much?" Both Bai Mom and Bai Dad were stunned by this number. How many taels would that be if converted entirely into gold? And how much would that be in RMB?
After the two elders finished calculating, they all became restless.
"After you went on this trip, will our family become millionaires?" Bai Ma asked, panting. Fortunately, neither she nor Bai Dad had heart problems.
"Yes!" Bai Tang nodded proudly.
"This matter needs to be kept low-key," Bai Dad said, more composed than the two women and considering more. "We can't put all the gold out there! So much gold will definitely attract the attention of those with ulterior motives."
Bai Tang quickly replied, "Don't worry, Dad, I'm not planning to sell the gold. If I make money, my online store is enough!"
Bai Dad nodded. "Then you need to keep the gold safe!"
"Don't worry! It's all in my backpack; I guarantee no one can steal it."
"Oh my, this embroidery is really beautiful! It's so lifelike! No wonder you wanted to custom-make an embroidered screen in ancient times! It’s priceless; with this level of detail, no one in modern times can embroider like this." Bai Ma lingered in front of each screen, her hands touching the patterns on the embroidered screen, her affection evident.
"Mom, if you like any of these, feel free to choose!" Bai Tang said extravagantly.
"Forget it; these are all for selling. I'll just pick one." Bai Ma compared and finally chose a round embroidered screen made of chicken wing wood, one side embroidered with elegant orchids and the other side with a white cat chasing butterflies. "They're both double-sided embroidery; it's so exquisite! Tang Tang, is this Su Embroidery?"
"Not Su Embroidery?"
"Then is it Shu Embroidery?"
"Neither is it Shu Embroidery. I’m not sure what kind of embroidery it is; I only know that the stitching technique for these patterns has long been lost—it's called Flying Flower Needle." Bai Tang left the embroidered screen chosen by Bai Ma and moved all the others into her own room.
The main gate creaked open, and Xing Xiaokang walked in holding a pillow. Upon seeing Bai Tang at home, he was taken aback.
"Aunt Sugar, when did you come back?" I didn't hear the Main Gate sound! — The two families haven't moved to a new house yet; they share one Main Gate.
"Just now, when your mom was giving you a bath," Bai Ma quickly replied, "Your aunt is light-footed, so it's normal that you two didn't hear her come back!"
"Oh!" Xing Xiaokang stopped worrying about when Bai Tang returned and hugged a pillow as he walked toward Bai Ma and Bai Dad's bedroom.
Bai Tang's gaze fell on the pillow, and she asked Bai Ma, "Is it the weekend yet?"
As mentioned earlier, the two families have a very good relationship. Xing Xiaokang is treated no differently than Bai Dad and Bai Ma's own grandson. He often stays at the Bai Family and loves to squeeze into the same bed with Bai Dad. After starting school, this preference hasn't changed; he just stays at his own home from Sunday to Thursday, and every weekend, he runs over to the Bai Family to sleep.
"It's Friday this week," Bai Ma said. "After this time travel, you've gotten all confused!"
"After staying in ancient times for three months, how could I remember what day it is!" Bai Tang stretched lazily, deciding to take a quick shower before going to bed. The most troublesome thing about ancient times was that bathing wasn't convenient.
"Aunt Sugar, you have to bring me some snacks; where are they?" Xing Xiaokang set down the pillow and ran out, looking up at Bai Tang asking for food.
"Foodie!" Bai Tang pinched Xing Xiaokang's nose and walked into the Kitchen, bringing out a plate of new chestnut lotus root cake and fried quail. These were two items she had prepared in Jia Family's Kitchen.
Xing Xiaokang cheered and pounced over. Bai Ma grabbed Shota by the collar: "It's evening; no snacks allowed."
Xing Xiaokang turned around with a pitiful look: "It's not even eight o'clock yet! Grandma, let me have a little bit; I promise I won't eat too much!"
Bai Ma couldn't withstand Shota's cute attack and loosened her grip: "You can only have one piece of cake and a quarter of a quail! The rest will be saved for later!"
"Okay!" Xing Xiaokang happily dashed to the coffee table, grabbed a fried quail, tore it open, and started eating!
"Dad, Mom, do you want something to eat for a late-night snack?" Bai Tang asked.
"No, I can't digest food at night!" Bai Ma shook her head.
"Don't worry, it's definitely light and easy to digest food, it won't cause any indigestion."
"Then let's give it a try!" Bai Dad and Bai Ma were both captivated by the ancient cuisine, eagerly anticipating what their daughter would bring them before Bai Tang returned. Bai Ma even asked her daughter to bring back some fresh ingredients for them to cook themselves.
"Just wait a moment!" Bai Tang ran back into the kitchen, and when she came out, she was holding two bowls of porridge topped with a layer of meat floss and garnished with green onions, looking extremely appetizing.
"I thought it would be something special, but it's just plain porridge!" Bai Ma said disappointedly.
"Mom, this is not ordinary plain porridge; it's bird's nest porridge!" Bai Tang handed one bowl to Bai Dad and placed the other in front of Bai Ma. "Do you want to try it?"
"Of course I want to eat it!" Bai Ma snatched the bowl and took a delicious bite. "It's good! I didn't expect to have something that only wealthy people can enjoy."
"Mom, our family is also considered well-off. You don't need to envy those rich ladies on TV. I brought back two pounds of golden bird's nest, so you can enjoy it from now on," Bai Tang said. "Bird's nest can strengthen the spleen and lungs, nourish the skin, and enhance beauty. Mom, after you eat it, you'll definitely look younger; and Dad, since you smoke a lot, eating bird's nest will help your lungs."
"But I don't know how to make it!" Bai Ma frowned.
"It's simple. Just simmer the bird's nest with glutinous rice and rock sugar for a while. Or you can cook it with sticky rice and adjust the flavor afterward to make sweet or savory porridge! Just remember to soak it in warm water beforehand to remove impurities and fluff, then rinse it clean; when cooking, bring it to a boil over high heat first, then lower the heat to simmer."
"Is it that easy?" Bai Ma initially thought it would be complicated but was surprised at how simple the steps were. "Then I'll wake up early every morning to make bird's nest porridge for our family!"
"I want some too!" Xing Xiaokang raised his hand eagerly, afraid that Bai Ma would forget him!
"Alright, you can have some too! I'll serve your mom a bowl as well so she can look younger too. Your mom is only four years older than your aunt, but now she looks like she's over ten years older than her; it's quite alarming! Now that your mom has an easier job and more money, she should pay attention to her appearance!" Bai Ma didn't encourage Wu Xuemei to seek a second spring. No matter how close their relationship was, such matters should not be mixed in.
"Mom, there are many ways to prepare bird's nest; they're all quite simple. You can stew it with white fungus or papaya, or even add milk... You can change up the methods so you don't have to eat porridge all the time; otherwise, it'll get monotonous."
"You are what you are." Bai Ma said cheerfully, "Tang Tang, you got the Bird's Nest, but what about the Shark Fin? Did you bring it back?"
"Of course, not just Shark Fin. I also brought back Abalone and Bear Paw."
"Bear Paw?" Bai Ma and Bai Dad choked on the Bird's Nest porridge.
"Daughter, bears are protected animals, right?"
"Even if they are protected animals, if you have money, can't you still eat them? Besides, the bear paw we eat is not from a protected bear; it's from ancient times. There were no protected animals back then!"
"That's true!" Bai Dad and Bai Ma laughed, feeling no guilt about eating bear paw.
"Mom, Dad, take your time eating. I'm going to take a shower first!" Bai Tang missed her soft bed; the beds in ancient times were too hard. For a child used to sleeping on Simmons mattresses, the ancient beds were quite uncomfortable.
"Hurry up! Get some rest early!" Bai Ma and Bai Dad felt sorry for their daughter and hurried her into the room.
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