The next day, after waking up and having breakfast, Pei Ying headed to the small kitchen in the south again.
The first batch of brown sugar from yesterday had been poured into molds and left to cool overnight, and now it was time to remove it.
In modern times, factories use food-grade silicone molds for making brown sugar. A silicone sheet filled with grids is leveled with sugar syrup, and after it cools, workers simply lift the entire sheet and give it a shake to release the sugar cubes.
But such conditions weren't available in ancient times. So, while having the juice press made, Pei Ying also commissioned a carpenter to make two wooden trays similar to silicone sheets.
The sugar syrup was poured into these wooden molds, and when it was time to remove the sugar, the mold itself would be broken apart.
When Pei Ying arrived at the small kitchen, the others were already there. However, Chen Yuan was absent today; he had a morning lesson to teach Meng Ling'er and couldn't spare the time.
The wooden mold remained untouched, waiting for Pei Ying to dismantle it.
The mold was quite heavy, weighing about twenty pounds including the sugar and wood. Pei Ying used both hands to lift it with effort and then flipped it over.
The mold landed upside down on the table with a loud "thump."
"Madam, what needs to be done next? Let me handle it," said Guo Dajiang.
Pei Ying let out a breath. "It's surprisingly heavy. Sergeant Guo, please use a knife to dismantle this mold."
When she had originally ordered the carpenter to make the mold, she'd requested it be made thin for easier removal later. The walls of the grid compartments were less than a centimeter thick, making disassembly quite straightforward now.
In about a quarter of an hour, the mold was fully dismantled.
Pei Ying looked at the table full of square brown sugar blocks and sighed with satisfaction. "We finally have sugar."
With the brown sugar done, white sugar was next.
However, making white sugar required an extra step of decolorization. Without modern conditions, it was difficult to produce large quantities of sulfur dioxide, so the most primitive method of using yellow clay for adsorption had to be employed.
The process wasn't easy, and the raw materials weren't plentiful. She needed to think more about how to produce white sugar.
Pei Ying spent the entire day in the small southern kitchen. It wasn't until nearly dinner time that she carried a bag to the main hall. When she arrived, the other four were already present, waiting only for her to start the meal.
The three younger ones knew she had been making sugar again today. Seeing the bag in her hand, they all thought of sugar at once.
Huo Zhizhang was the first to ask, "Mother, is this all the finished brown sugar?"
Pei Ying nodded with a smile. "Yes, the two pots of sugarcane juice from yesterday are completely finished today. This is a portion of the brown sugar for the three of you to take back and enjoy."
Huo Mingji led his siblings in standing up and said earnestly, "Thank you, Mother."
"Thank you, Mother."
"Thank you, Mother."
The three siblings came before Pei Ying one by one. Like handing out candy to kindergarten children, Pei Ying pulled out small brocade pouches from the large bag and gave one to each of the youngsters.
Each small pouch contained roughly the same amount. As she distributed them, Pei Ying said, "Take these for now. Let me know when you've finished them."
Huo Tingshan sat at the head of the table. Watching her take out three small pouches, he saw the large bag go flat. Clearly, it had only contained those three pouches, not a single one more.
The man expressionlessly picked up the wine from his table and took a sip.
A faint, elusive scent of sugar lingered in the air. Huo Zhizhang couldn't wait to open his pouch. Inside were square blocks of dark red sugar. Even before tasting it, just the smell was incredibly sweet and fragrant.
A handful of sugar blocks could last half a month if one ate a piece daily.
Huo Zhizhang was thoroughly pleased. "The Li family's boy next door got a fine knife once and told me it was worth more than gold. In my opinion, this is what's truly worth more than gold."
Pei Ying chuckled. "It can still be exchanged. When that batch of sugarcane matures next April, we can produce sugar in bulk and sell it at a high price in Chang'an."
Huo Mingji said, "I wish Mother daily profits and a continuous flow of wealth."
There was no rule of not speaking during meals in the household; in fact, many matters were announced at the dinner table. Just like now, Huo Tingshan looked at the younger ones. "Tomorrow, your mother and I will depart for the Western Suburb Villa and stay there for a few days first. On the twentieth of December, we will hold a winter hunt. Mingji, I entrust the arrangement of this winter hunt to you."
Today was the tenth of December, but it was already the end of the Shen hour, nearly the end of the day. Counting from tomorrow, there were nine days until the winter hunt.
Huo Mingji acknowledged, "Please rest assured, Father. I will certainly arrange everything properly."
Arranging a winter hunt was neither simple nor overly complicated; everything had its particulars. First were the invited guests—this hunt had a threshold, open only to local officials and major influential families. Then came accommodations for the guests, scouting the hunting grounds, as well as arranging accompanying servants and guards.
Pei Ying truly didn't know the specific departure time. "We're leaving tomorrow? Why such a hurry?"
Huo Tingshan smiled and countered, "Could it be that my lady isn't longing for the steaming hot springs?"
Pei Ying paused. "Naturally, I am."
Huo Tingshan gave a hum. "Well, there you have it."
"Have you finished handling your affairs?" These past few days, while she was in the kitchen making sugar, he had been in his study. They usually only had free time after dinner.
Huo Tingshan: "Do not worry, my lady. They are temporarily concluded."
So Pei Ying let it be. However...
"Zhizhang, Nannan, would you like to come with us first?" Pei Ying asked.
Huo Mingji needed to stay at the mansion to handle matters related to the guests. The other two had no pressing duties, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to go along.
Huo Zhizhang was instantly tempted. He wasn't one to stay idle by nature. The Western Suburb Villa was close to the hunting grounds; if he got bored at the villa, he could go play in the hunting grounds first. He looked towards his father at the head of the table, about to ask, when he heard the other say at that moment:
"My lady, let's leave them at the mansion. It will be good company for Mingji. They can travel together to the Western Suburb Villa a bit later."
Huo Zhizhang's heart sank.
His elder brother was a grown man; surely he didn't specifically need him and his sister for company.
He stole a glance over. His elder brother had a slight smile on his lips, seeming very satisfied with their father's decision.
Huo Zhizhang pursed his lips.
The night passed. As dawn approached, slight movements came from the master bedroom.
The man who had just risen had already changed into the short jacket reserved for morning exercises. The jacket had no sleeves, leaving his sturdy arms bare. Even in the dim light, one could glimpse their powerful, well-defined lines.
He was about to go for his morning workout.
But before that, the man bent down, picked up the three knotted fish bladders he had casually discarded from the bed last night, and also took away the empty small bowl from the small cabinet.
By the time he returned from his exercises, the beautiful woman on the bed was still asleep.
Outside the window, the sky was now bright with a faint glow, a fiery line of light spreading across the horizon. It seemed full daylight would arrive soon.
Huo Tingshan gathered the person on the bed in his arms, brocade quilt and all.
Pei Ying woke from her drowsy sleep, her almond eyes half-open as she looked at him. "...Huo Tingshan?"
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep, my lady," he said calmly.
Pei Ying was truly exhausted. Last night, the man had prepared three fish bladders. He initially said they were just being soaked, not necessarily to be used up, but later it proved that many things men say in bed are empty words.
In the end, all three fish bladders were used.
Now, hearing him say it was nothing, Pei Ying's eyelids, already too heavy to lift, sealed shut completely.
Huo Tingshan carried her in his arms to the entrance of the main chamber.
Xin Jin was already waiting, holding a small blanket in her hands. Seeing Huo Tingshan approaching with Pei Ying cradled against his chest, she hurried forward, gently draped the small blanket over Pei Ying's face, and then swiftly opened the chamber door.
The early morning of early winter was bitterly cold. A chill wind whistled outside, and as the door opened, an invisible wave of frigid air surged into the room like a tide.
In the courtyard, just a few steps down from the main chamber's stairs, a carriage stood waiting. Xin Jin walked quickly to it and opened the carriage door.
Huo Tingshan carried her inside.
Inside the carriage, two small charcoal braziers had been placed, along with several warming pans. Even the soft seat had been specially warmed with them.
Huo Tingshan did not put her down but sat down himself, still holding the soundly sleeping Pei Ying.
Xin Jin gently closed the carriage door from outside.
Guo Dajiang, the driver, seeing Xin Jin had stepped back, took the reins and began to drive.
The carriage moved very smoothly. Lying on her human cushion and being deeply tired, Pei Ying had already sunk back into sweet dreams, utterly unaware of the carriage's movement.
Treading the light of dawn, a carriage slowly departed from the Governor's mansion.
At this hour, pedestrians on the streets were nearly invisible. Some vendors who had already set up their stalls were about, but everyone had just woken up, and with the cold wind blowing, no one was in the mood for conversation, lest they swallow a mouthful of chilly air.
Heading west, the carriage soon arrived at the West City Gate.
Xuantu Commandery was a large prefecture. By the time they arrived, some merchants who had set out earlier were already waiting to exit the city. While the guards inspected their travel passes, brief exchanges were inevitable between the merchants and the soldiers.
As Guo Dajiang drove past from the side, snippets of conversation drifted in.
Inside the carriage, Pei Ying's long lashes fluttered slightly as she stirred, about to see where the annoying noise was coming from. Then, a warm, large hand covered her ear, and the miscellaneous sounds immediately faded considerably.
The beautiful woman, curled in a quilt with her head pillowed on the man's lap, her brows and eyes relaxed, fell deeply asleep once more.
Today, this carriage bore no wooden plaque with the family insignia. Instead of queuing as usual to exit the city, Guo Dajiang drove directly towards the gate. Guards moved to stop him but were quickly halted by a sight of a jade token.
Guo Dajiang gave the guards a slight nod and then drove straight out of the city.
Outside the city, although it was an official road, it was merely a compacted, well-traveled dirt path, far less even than the bluestone-paved streets within the city walls.
The carriage moved even slower.
The journey to the Western Suburbs Villa would take about half an hour on horseback, or typically an hour by carriage. This time, however, it took well over an hour.
By the time the carriage arrived at the Western Suburbs Villa, Xin Jin, Wu Nanran, and the other guards had already arrived via other routes.
As before, the carriage drove straight in without stopping until it reached the main courtyard. Xin Jin, waiting nearby, opened the carriage door, and Huo Tingshan carried Pei Ying out.
...
When Pei Ying awoke, it was already fully bright outside. She usually slept dreamlessly, but upon waking today, she found she had actually dreamed.
She had dreamed that Huo Tingshan took her on a trip, and moreover, had taken her directly from her bed early in the morning.
After lying on the bed for a moment, Pei Ying got up. The moment her gaze turned beyond the bed, the beautiful woman's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise.
Outside the bed stood a carved wooden screen; there was a small bedside cabinet, and the bed curtains were fastened back with jade hooks. But none of these were familiar to her. An unfamiliar screen, an unfamiliar cabinet, and upon closer look, even the bedposts were different from before.
She was in a completely new place. Had she traveled through time again?
What about her daughter!
Would her daughter appear this time?
If her daughter was gone, what would she do?
Growing more panicked the more she thought, Pei Ying got off the bed, wanting to go out and find her daughter, but she stumbled on the brocade quilt, fell from the bed, and landed with a dull thud.
Huo Tingshan, who had just entered from outside, heard the sound from within, like someone falling. He strode in quickly to look and found she had indeed fallen.
She had fallen beside the bed, half tangled in the brocade quilt. Her unbound ink-black hair cascaded like flowing water from the side of her face—black hair against jade-like skin, though that lotus-blossom face was paler than usual.
"Why is my lady so careless?" Huo Tingshan scooped her up and placed her back on the bed.
Pei Ying stared at him blankly: "Huo Tingshan?"
Her tone held a note of disbelief. Huo Tingshan was both amused and exasperated. "If not me, who else would my lady wish it to be?"
Pei Ying murmured, "So I'm still here after all..."
Huo Tingshan pulled the quilt aside. "Where did you just hurt yourself?"
Pei Ying didn't answer, still processing the lingering fear.
Huo Tingshan rolled up her trousers, pushing the fabric up past her knee. She had fair skin; usually, the skin over her kneecap had a faint pink hue, but now a large area was red, with a hint of bruising visible beneath the skin.
"What was the hurry? No one was rushing you." His long brows furrowed, and he then called out to Xin Jin outside, instructing her to fetch some medicinal oil.
Pei Ying had fully regained her composure now. She turned her head again to examine the room. "Where is this? How did I get here?"
He said, "This is the Western Suburbs Villa."
Pei Ying was stunned, suddenly remembering the "dream." In the dream, he had dug her out of bed early in the morning and stuffed her into a carriage to take her on an outing.
So it wasn't a dream; it was a memory from her half-awake, half-asleep state.
"If there's no rush, why come so early?" Pei Ying looked down at herself. She was still wearing the simple inner garment she had grabbed before bed last night.
"Winter fish are quite plump. I planned to take my lady winter fishing today, hence the early start." Huo Tingshan noticed her looking at her clothes and chuckled. "Don't worry. No one else saw you but me."
Guo Dajiang's carriage naturally did not travel alone; black-armored cavalry kept watch at a distance both ahead and behind. Even now, in the Western Suburbs Villa where they were staying, many guards were stationed within the compound.
Pei Ying, a southerner at heart, was indeed interested in the winter fishing she had never seen before, but she still felt it was strange.
Before the winter hunt began, they had nine days at the villa. Assuming they left the mansion after lunch today, arriving here at noon, resting for a day, and going winter fishing tomorrow would have been perfectly feasible. Why the rush?
Huo Tingshan was acting rather unusually.
But strange as it was, Pei Ying couldn't figure out the reason for his unusual behavior.
The northern territories had just been pacified, with no military conflicts around. Logically, this should be a period of recuperation, with nothing urgent to attend to.
What exactly was he in such a hurry about?
At that moment, Xin Jin returned with the medicinal oil.
Huo Tingshan took the small clay jar, pulled out the stopper, and poured some of the oil into his palm.
That medicinal oil, made from who knows what, had an extremely pungent smell. Pei Ying, caught off guard by the fumes, instinctively tried to pull away.
Huo Tingshan, quick-eyed and deft-handed, grasped her ankle. His palm was broad, his fingers long, easily encircling that slender, pale ankle bone with one hand, while his other hand covered her knee. "The bruise needs to be massaged out, otherwise it won't fade for days. I had thought to take my lady winter fishing, but it seems that won't be possible now."
"Why wouldn't it be? It's just a little fall, it's not like my leg is broken," Pei Ying still wanted to go.
There's that old saying, isn't there? Since we're already here. Since they had already come to the Western Suburb Villa, they might as well stick to the plan.
His palm, calloused and rough, pressed and kneaded, making the spot on her knee both sore and ticklish. For a moment, Pei Ying felt transported back to last night, when this same large hand had been causing mischief everywhere.
"Huo Tingshan, that's enough," Pei Ying tried to retract her foot.
The man lifted his palm. The thin, snow-like skin beneath was now flushed with large patches of crimson—some from the fall, some from the recent massage with the medicine—as bright and vivid as a vermilion painting.
He looked for a moment, then pushed up the leg of her trousers on her other leg. This side was somewhat better than the other.
The medicine was potent. After application, the skin felt warm, driving away much of the pain. After washing up and having breakfast, Pei Ying set off with Huo Tingshan for the winter fishing.
Not far from the Western Suburb Villa was a river. The river wasn't particularly wide, so every winter, a layer of ice would always form on its surface.
Pei Ying wore deer-fur boots, a white fox-fur coat, and even a rabbit-fur hat, dressed up by Xin Jin to look like a soft, fluffy little ball.
Now she stood by the riverbank, watching Huo Tingshan, who wore only a thin padded jacket, and a group of his black-armored cavalry begin to chisel the ice.
It was entirely manual labor. The tips of spears and halberds were thrust into the ice, then driven deeper with a forceful push.
As cracks slowly spiderwebbed from the chiseling point, the color at the spot changed, as if river water had splashed onto the ice and seeped into the fissures, the area gradually darkening.
"Whoosh—"
Finally, at a certain moment, the fairly thick ice layer was breached. Irregular, circular holes now held rippling water.
Huo Tingshan and several guards expanded the holes considerably. When they were about done, the men put away their halberds and picked up fishing nets instead.
The large net was lowered through the fishing hole. Once fully deployed, the other end of the net was tied to a horse. As Huo Tingshan secured the net, Pei Ying watched by his side. Her gaze was initially on his knot-tying hands, but gradually her attention shifted to the net itself.
Pei Ying picked up a bit of the netting, rubbing it between her fingers. "Is this silk?"
"Yes, a silk-thread fishing net, made from silk," Huo Tingshan said.
Pei Ying seemed thoughtful.
But then, the horse seemed to feel a tremendous pull from behind. It snorted defiantly and immediately began walking forward on its own.
Huo Tingshan, holding the reins, made it wait a little longer.
"General, there are so many fish today!" a guard by the fishing hole called out loudly.
Huo Tingshan's eyebrows lifted slightly. He then released the horse's reins. Freed from restraint, the horse immediately strode forward with effort.
The fishing net, dragged by the horse's power, retraced its path with a loud "swooshing" sound, the net body scraping against the edge of the hole, bringing up another small shower of ice chips.
"Indeed, many fish. This one net must have caught several dozen, right?"
"Not just many, they all look so plump. Seems we're in for a treat today," the guards laughed.
The fish were indeed plentiful. The net seemed to have transformed into a tree, laden with leaping, jumping fruit.
It was a bountiful harvest.
Time passed day by day. Pei Ying's days at the Western Suburb Villa were very pleasant. There were hot springs here, and she would go for a soak every other day.
If she grew tired of staying indoors, she would go horseback riding with Huo Tingshan in the large courtyard.
Yes, in these past few days, she had even learned to ride.
Although her horsemanship wasn't masterful, she could at least manage to steer the horse around a turn.
Time flowed like water. Unconsciously, they arrived at the day just two days before the winter hunt was to begin. It was also at this time that the three younger family members arrived.
Pei Ying and Huo Tingshan went together to receive them. The youngsters had all come on horseback. In the biting cold of deep winter, Pei Ying saw her daughter's face, flushed red from the wind.
The young girl wore a set of crimson riding attire, a cloak over her shoulders, and a distinctive wolf-tooth necklace around her neck. She looked as bright and vibrant as a summer flower.
