An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Chapter 763: Eat a full meal before returning to the village

Just as Jing Chunxi opened his eyes, Chuntao heard the noise. She raised the bed curtain and reported quietly, "Miss, Prince Yan and the Crown Prince have already left. The Crown Prince has left all eight of his secret guards to us and told us not to rush."

"Oh! We have to hurry." They were almost home, and Jing Chunxi didn't want to fall behind. He said to Tang Shuang who had just come in, "Tell Uncle Fast Foot to pack up and get going as soon as he's full. We don't want to be too late."

The closer she got to Yamen Village, the more eager she became to see her family. She believed her grandparents were waiting for her with the same eagerness. So, she had no intention of taking her time. "I've got to hurry," she said.

After hurrying as fast as they could, they finally arrived in Jiangmen County around noon. Jing Chunxi called out to the outsiders, "Have a good meal before returning to the village."

As soon as he got off the carriage, he heard Kuaijiao's hearty laughter: "They are not much faster than us!" He patted the horse's neck, and the chestnut horse rubbed his palm affectionately, making a "whinnying" sound.

The wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and even the scar across his left eyebrow seemed much softer. Arriving here, he relaxed completely, speaking with a long-lost briskness: "Having reached Yamen Village, this errand is halfway accomplished."

He squinted his eyes and looked at the sandy road in the distance, a look of nostalgia flashing in his eyes. "The old general and the old lady must be very happy right now."

"According to Uncle Kuaijiao's calculations, they are probably already having their meal in Yamen Village." Kuaijiao tightened the reins quickly and turned around to shout to the people behind him.

The sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves onto his bronze face. In the mottled light and shadow, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were filled with smiles.

The team immediately responded with a flurry of responses. Someone joked, "Quick feet, if we didn't know this place was only a few dozen miles away from Yamen Village, we would have thought you were a good fortune teller!"

"That's right, what else can you do if you don't eat at mealtime?"

This caused everyone to burst into laughter, and even the horses were infected. They stamped their hooves restlessly, and their iron hooves made crisp sounds on the bluestone slabs.

Kuaijiao was not annoyed. Instead, he touched his chin and pretended to be profound, which made the young guards laugh even more happily.

"We have a lot of traffic, so we won't go into the alley. There are several snack shops here. Just order whatever you like. Chuntao will settle the bill later." Jing Chunxi quickly stuck his head out to make the announcement.

This is their habit along the way. There are many of them, so they will not go to crowded places whether eating or staying in a hotel.

Hearing there was food, everyone got off their horses and cars, and the street vendors suddenly became bustling with activity. The steam from the steamers mixed with the aroma of oil filled the air, and the owner and his wife's greetings were endless.

As Jing Chunxi approached a small stall, he heard a "sizzling" sound - the owner of the rice noodle roll stall was pouring rice paste on the steamer. With the flying bamboo scraper, the snow-white rice noodle skin wrapped in tender yellow egg liquid was rolled into layers.

"I want shrimp rice rolls!"

"Give me double beef!"

Several guards crowded around the rice noodle roll stall, shouting. The owner, who was also steaming rice noodles, smiled broadly, "Don't worry, young man! Our rice noodle rolls in Jiangmen are made with the 'three shakes and one shake' technique—" He shook his wrist three times, and the rice noodle wrappers formed ripples in the air, drawing cheers from the crowd.

At the rice noodle stall next door, Chuntao was standing on tiptoe to watch the master pressing the rice noodle with a colander. The rice slurry leaked into the boiling pot through the holes and instantly turned into silver threads.

"How many bowls would you like, young lady?" The old chef scooped up a spoonful of bone broth and poured it over the noodles. The fish balls floating in the broth swayed gently with his movements. "These are the mackerel balls I made this morning!"

"We want five bowls, and we want extra meatballs."

Xiao Man and Chu Yi were crouching in front of the wonton noodle stall, eager to eat. They had heard that Jiangmen's wonton noodles and meat and eggs were particularly delicious, and this time they finally got to try them. "Two bowls of wonton noodles, two bowls of wontons, both with meat and eggs."

Seeing them order four bowls in one breath, Frost in the back of the line muttered, "Who says I have a big appetite?"

The proprietress, in a red jacket, piled wontons onto a bed of bamboo noodles, each one creased like a goldfish's tail. "Young man, would you like some lard scraps?" She lifted the lid of the clay pot, and the fragrant, burnt crumbs fell into the noodle soup, creating ripples of oil. Xiaoman and Chuyi nodded vigorously in unison, then smiled at each other.

Jing Chunxi stared at the cart across the street selling bowl-shaped cakes - the cakes, lined with palm leaves, were trembling, and red sugar syrup was slowly seeping down through the honeycomb-shaped pores.

She quickly called out, "July, go buy a few dozen to share with everyone." She thought that if she didn't take the opportunity to eat some snacks, she would probably only be able to eat braised pork and seafood when she returned to Yamen Village.

Uncle Kuaiji squatted on the curb, holding a large bowl. The rice noodle soup in the bowl reflected his smiling face. "I also had a bowl of rice noodles when I came last time. It was fresh and smooth, but it was a pity that there was no chili..."

He choked and started coughing before he could finish his words, causing everyone to laugh.

Soon, their table was filled with food from several stalls. The guards at the table next to them were already enjoying their meal.

Tang Shuang and Xiao Man refused to sit down and quickly ran to the other side of the intersection. There, an elderly couple was setting up a small stall. The woman was unwrapping zongzi (Chinese rice dumplings), which she then cut into rings on a chopping board. The man would then fry or deep-fry them. Even without trying them, you'd know they were absolutely delicious.

The dazzling array of delicious food and lively scenes made them all forget the chill of early spring in Lingnan, and they could no longer feel the pain in their bones.

……

Standing at the front of the door to greet Jing Chunxi were two large boys and two small girls.

Mingzhu and Qiaoqiao had grown taller, and on New Year's Day they wore brand new pink skirts and silk flowers in the shape of winter jasmine in their hair.

Two boys, both under two years old, were wearing bright red cotton-padded jackets, their eyes glancing over. They stood neatly in a row, their hands politely folded in front of them, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"cousin"

"cousin"

"elder sister"

"Sister Xi"

"Xi girl"

"Sister Xi"

"Cousin Xi"

When I got off the bus, I heard a series of greetings, each one incredibly cordial, each rarely the same. These voices blended together like a joyful welcome song.

Jing Chunxi recognized Qilang as the person who came a few steps closer and leaped directly into her arms. The little fellow, wearing a red cotton-padded jacket embroidered with carp patterns, ran like a dancing flame.

Although he couldn't walk steadily yet and had to stretch his arms out from time to time to keep his balance, his round little face and slightly raised eyebrows made him look like he was made from the same mold as his third uncle.

"Qilang can walk now? Cousin, hold him." Jing Chunxi bent down, opened her arms, and lifted him up above her head. Qilang giggled with joy, revealing a few newly grown baby teeth.

He kicked his short legs in the air, curiously looking at his cousin whom he hadn't seen for a long time. First, he touched the pearl hairpin in her hair, then tugged at the earring on her earlobe. Finally, he looked over her shoulder and looked at Si Shi not far away.

Then she shyly buried her face in Jing Chunxi's neck, and counted her fingers restlessly with her little hands.