Chương 567: Roadside Stalls, Fireworks

The shopkeeper then exclaimed, "Oh, right! This lady is amazing too! Give me another string of candied hawthorns!"

Zhang Ning proudly took the candied hawthorn, took a bite, and said with her chin raised, "Hmph, I'm pretty good at solving riddles too, you know!"

Liu Ce leaned closer to Ren Hongchang and winked, saying:

"Hongchang, you've been keeping this a secret for a while now. I thought you could only dance, I didn't expect you could also solve riddles."

Ren Hongchang rolled her eyes at him, reached out and pinched him, and said reproachfully:

"Husband, do you think I'm just a pretty face? I've learned quite a lot. I know a little about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It's just that I don't usually have the chance to show it off."

Liu Ce quickly replied with a smile, "Yes, yes, my Hongchang is skilled in both literature and martial arts, the best in the world."

...

After solving the riddles, everyone's hands were full of things, and their stomachs were growling loudly.

Liu Yan's stomach was growling the loudest, like thunder. (Baby's tummy is thundering!) Liu Ce waved his hand and said with great pride:

"Come on! I'll take you to eat something delicious! We're tired of the same old homemade glutinous rice balls every year. Today we're going to eat from a street vendor! I'll show you what real, hearty food is all about! What true deliciousness is!"

They found a small, clean-looking stall. The owner, a kind-looking middle-aged man wearing a white apron, quickly pushed two tables together and greeted them warmly when he saw they had a large group.

"Please come in, sir! What would you like to eat? Our glutinous rice balls, wontons, grilled skewers, and fried cakes are all top-notch. Our place is the cleanest on the entire Zhuque Street, so you can absolutely trust our hygiene! I guarantee you'll want to come back again and again!"

Liu Ce didn't stand on ceremony and ordered thirty bowls of glutinous rice balls, thirty bowls of wontons, sixty skewers of grilled meat, thirty pieces of fried cakes, and various snacks, filling three tables to the brim, with bowls next to bowls and plates touching plates.

Liu Yan was already drooling with anticipation, his mouth practically watering. He picked up a spoon, scooped up a piping hot glutinous rice ball, and popped it into his mouth without even blowing on it.

"Hey! Slow down! It's hot!" Liu Ce had just shouted when he heard a scream.

Liu Yan was so burned that he stuck out his tongue, and tears were almost coming out. The glutinous rice ball was still stuck to his nose, a white blob that looked extremely funny, like a white bump.

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone laughed so hard they were doubled over. Zhen Mi laughed until tears streamed down her face. She quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his nose and mouth, and then carefully examined his tongue.

"Look at you, what's the rush? Nobody's going to take it from you. Let it cool down first before you eat it, nobody's going to take it from you. If you burn yourself, you won't be able to eat good food anymore."

Liu Ce laughed as he said, "Serves you right! You were so eager to eat! Like a little glutton, you'd risk your life for food."

Liu Yan lowered his head shyly, blowing on the glutinous rice ball in small sips as he ate it. This time he learned his lesson and blew on it three times before biting into it, sticking out his little tongue to test the temperature.

Liu Heng, standing next to him, wasn't much better off. He was eating his wontons too quickly, and the scalding soup spilled onto his clothes, soaking a large area of his chest. His new clothes were ruined just like that.

He wailed, "My new clothes! My mother just made them for me!"

Zhen Jiang quickly grabbed a handkerchief to wipe him, scolding him as she did so:

"Look at you, how old are you and still so careless?"

While Liu Yao wasn't paying attention, Liu Nong secretly snatched a skewer of grilled meat from him and ran away, eating as she ran, just like a little fox who had stolen a chicken.

Liu Yao chased after him, shouting, "Give it back! Those are my skewers! I haven't eaten them yet! You wait!"

With meat in her mouth, Liu Nong mumbled, "I'll give it back to you if you can catch up!"

The two of them circled the table several times before Zhang Ning grabbed them by the ears and dragged them back: "Sit down! Eat properly! If you keep making a fuss, you won't get any more food!"

The two obediently sat down, glared at each other, and pouted so much their lips could hang oil bottles.

Liu Ce picked up a glutinous rice ball and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly, as if they had been lit up:

"Mmm! Delicious! This black sesame filling is soft and chewy, sweet but not cloying, even better than what my family cooks make! My family cooks are too refined, but they lack this homely, rustic charm."

Cai Yan nodded, savoring the taste: "It's really good. Although the roadside stall is simple, the taste is very authentic, just like home cooking. The pastries from the Imperial Kitchen are too exquisite, and they lack this simplicity."

Zhen Mi took a sip of the wonton soup and squinted her eyes contentedly: "This soup is made with pork bones, it's so delicious. The wonton wrappers are thin and the filling is generous, one bite at a time, so satisfying."

Zhang Ning hadn't swallowed the glutinous rice ball in her mouth yet, and said indistinctly:

"Let me tell you, the food at street stalls is just better than what you eat in the palace! The way they cook in the palace, they practically arrange each dish into a flower, and you don't even know what you've eaten after you've finished eating it. Street stalls are different; they're authentic, and you know exactly what you're eating after just one bite."

Everyone laughed, and Zhen Mi said with a smile, "Sister Ning is right. Eating at a roadside stall is all about enjoying the freedom."

Behind them, Zhang Ning, munching on a skewer of grilled meat, his mouth glistening with oil, exclaimed, "This is the life a human being should live!"

Liu Ce glared at her: "Mind your image! You're a royal concubine, not a mountain bandit!"

Zhang Ning chuckled and took another bite of the meat skewer, completely unconcerned.

...

After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, it was completely dark, and the moon had risen, round like a silver plate hanging in the sky.

"Bang--!"

A giant firework burst open in the night sky, its colorful sparks scattering across the entire sky and illuminating half of Luoyang.

Immediately afterwards, countless fireworks exploded one after another, the sounds of "bang bang bang" filling the air. Red, yellow, purple, and gold colors dyed the night sky with seven colors, so beautiful it was breathtaking, as if even the gods in the heavens were celebrating the New Year.

Liu Ce pointed to the tallest building in front of them, the Wangjiang Tower, and said, "Let's go! Let's go upstairs! The higher we stand, the farther we can see. The entire lantern festival in Luoyang will be spectacular from up there! It'll be a hundred times better than seeing it from the ground!"

We all went up to the top floor of Wangjiang Tower, opened the windows, and had a panoramic view of the night view of the entire capital city.

Countless lanterns are strung together like fiery dragons, winding through the streets and alleys, like luminous rivers.

The crowds on Zhuque Street were as dense as ants, a dark mass, with laughter and chatter carried up the stairs by the wind, mixed with various hawking cries and the sounds of gongs and drums.

Fireworks burst forth one after another in the distance, their reflections shimmering in the Luo River, turning the water itself into a kaleidoscope of colors, a scene of dreamlike beauty.

The children leaned on the railing, shouting excitedly and waving their little hands in the air.

"Daddy, look! That firework is huge! It looks like a peony! And it's golden!"

"Wow! There's a dragon dance over there! It's so beautiful and golden! The dragon's tail is swishing!"

"Look, look! There are so many river lanterns in the river! They look like stars that have fallen into the water! They're twinkling!"

The ladies also leaned against the windows, quietly watching the myriad lights below, their faces adorned with gentle smiles, their eyes reflecting the city's lights.

The night breeze blew, their clothes fluttered, and the lamplight reflected on their faces, making them look like a painting.

Zhen Mi said softly, "It's so beautiful. I've never seen such a lively lantern festival before."

Zhang Ning sighed, her voice tinged with nostalgia, "Yes. I used to think the palace was the safest and best place, but now I realize how vibrant and wonderful the outside world is. The fact that ordinary people can live like this shows that all our wars over the years haven't been in vain."