Eighteen Sugar Heart

  The moonlight shines brightly into the hall, Liu Ying and Tang Bing sit opposite each other playing chess. Tang Bing takes the white piece first, placing it on the upper left corner of the board, thus occupying two corners.

  Tang Bing asked Liu Ying, "I don't know what is considered Chinese and what is considered barbarian in the Crown Prince's heart?"

  Liu Ying sat in front of the desk, her left hand holding her sleeve, and her right hand's middle and index fingers pinching a black wooden chess piece, which she dropped onto the board. In a low voice, she replied, "The resplendent one is Hua, the expansive one is Xia." A fourteen-year-old youth with a slender build but steady demeanor wore a white robe with a swallowtail hem, his hair tied back with a ribbon, and his shadow fell on the window.

  Tang Bing stroked his beard and smiled, then asked, "In the past, Your Majesty and Xiang Yu of Western Chu contended for the empire. Xiang Yu's power was strong while Your Majesty's power was weak, yet in the end the empire was obtained by Your Majesty. What does the Crown Prince think is the reason?"

  Liu Yingdao said, "My father once told someone that he was not as good at planning and strategy as Zuo Zongtang, nor as good at comforting the people as Xiao Tongxiang, nor as good at commanding troops as Huaiyin Hou. However, he was able to use talented people well, which is why he was able to obtain the world. I secretly think that obtaining the world and governing the world, although they have different difficulties, ultimately depend on the four characters 'jun chen xiang de' (the ruler and his ministers being in harmony)."

  As they spoke, the two of them exchanged over a dozen moves. Tang Bing's eyes flashed with appreciation, and he captured his opponent's black piece, laughing and saying, "The Crown Prince's words are elegant and refined, but his chess skills aren't particularly impressive, huh?"

  Liu Ying's face turned slightly red, and she said awkwardly, "This young man is a disciple of Sun Tai Fu. Master Sun says that the way of Go is just a trivial skill, only suitable for cultivating one's temperament, not worth spending too much energy on."

  Zhang Yan walked across the hall in her wooden sandals, listening to the conversation between an old man and a young one inside, and couldn't help but smile.

  "Jingniang sister," she turned back and smiled, "does your family have millet?"

  Under the moonlight, Jingniang looked at her with a puzzled expression.

  "Hmm." She blushed and coughed, "I used to learn how to make powder from an old man in my hometown of Zhao. I was in a hurry when I left today, so I didn't bring any makeup powder, and I thought I'd try making some myself."

  Jingniang smiled and took her hand, walking to the south kitchen, taking half a small bag of rice from the sealed rice jar. She turned back and asked with her eyes if it was enough.

  "It's almost done. Just a small amount is enough." Zhang Yan smiled awkwardly. She didn't dare tell Jing Niang that she only knew about it, but had never actually made it herself, so she pretended to be confident and carefully pounded the rice with Jing Niang, poured it into the vat, tread on it ten times, then rinsed it several times with clean water until the water in the vat was clear. Only then did she nod in satisfaction, and took out a large-mouthed, narrow-necked jar from the well, filling it with half a bucket of water.

  When the well water poured into the jar, some splashed out and fell on Zhang Yan's hand. She shivered with cold, although it was a spring day, the night was still quite chilly.

  "That's enough."

  Water overflowed from the pot of rice, and under the candlelight, it was rippling with a clear and bright light.

  Zhang Yan poured two portions of rhinoceros horn grass into the jar, sealed it and patted it, saying "By tomorrow morning, we can continue making powder."

  Under the moonlight, Jingniang's eyes sparkled with wonder and joy. Women love beauty, it's their nature. Even if they were born mute, from ancient times to the present, there hasn't been a woman who didn't have a great interest in makeup and adornment, and Jingniang was no exception.

  "What?" Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Doesn't Sister Jing believe me?"

  Jingniang hastily shook her head, afraid of upsetting her.

  "Tomorrow you'll see." Zhang Yan didn't mind, slightly tilting her chin up, with a hint of self-satisfaction in her bright eyes. "I'm not bragging, I don't like the powders you all use, but when I make my own tomorrow, if Jingniang likes it, I'll give some to you too?"

  Even if Jingniang was clever and resourceful, she couldn't have guessed that when Zhangyan said "the cosmetics you all use, I don't like any of them", she meant that she looked down on the cosmetics of this era, thinking only that Zhangyan, being from a wealthy family, refused to use coarse powder from the market. In reality, she was eyeing Zhangyan's small stature with some half-belief and half-doubt, however...

  She smiled wryly to comfort herself, thinking that since he came from a wealthy family, maybe he really was worldly and knowledgeable. Even if things went badly, it would just be like playing a game with a little girl for one night.

  On the way

  "Sun Shu's actions are deceitful, and this statement is even more unreasonable." Tang Bing snorted, slightly disdainfully.

  "Sir," Liu Ying's voice was slightly displeased, "Mr. Sun is the Taizi Taifu, with profound learning and teachings that have benefited me greatly. He also established the rituals and laws for the Great Han, as a minister of Sheji. You should not lose respect."

  Tang Bing looked at him for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing and slapped his hand on the table, saying "Good, good!"

  "I didn't expect that Sun Shangxiang could actually teach a disciple like you." His tone was quite strange, yet he couldn't hide his delight. "But this is also good. - Does the Crown Prince not believe?" Tang Bing's words were full of meaning, and he raised his hand to say, "Please continue."

  Liu Yingxin's mind was clear and calm, his moves swift as flying. When Hei Zi devoured a large portion of Tang Bing's white pieces, he bowed his hands and smiled, saying "Thank you, sir."

  Tang Bing smiled and said, "It's about yielding."

  Liu Ying was stunned and looked again, only to see that after a white piece was captured, the situation on the board changed, but the black pieces' situation did not become clearer, instead they were subtly suppressed.

  "The Crown Prince should know that the game of Go is a way to cultivate oneself, although it may seem like a small matter," Tang Bo said with a smile, "it can teach people to let go of distractions and have a clear vision. These are all things that the future ruler should learn."

  Liu Ying then realized that Tang Bing was using chess to enlighten her, and she became even more solemn.

  "In the daytime, I played wildly and even got my hair dirty." Under the stove, Zhang Yan untied her black hair, set off by the firelight, turned around and smiled, "Sister Jingniang, can you get me two more eggs?"

  Jingniang didn't ask her what she came for, turned around and scooped two eggs from the chicken coop to hand over to her, still warm. Zhang Yan washed them clean, carefully cracked them into a ceramic jar, only draining out the egg whites. "The remaining yolks, add two more eggs, we can make sugar heart eggs as a midnight snack later."

  Jingniang silently stared at her.

  The water on the stove has warmed up, and it's poured into a copper basin. The rice-washing water from just now is added in, and the green silk is rinsed clean. Egg whites are applied to her hair, then rinsed with clear water. Zhang Yan wraps her hair with a towel, smiling as she says, "It really does feel much more refreshing."

  "If the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne one day, what way of governing the country would you think he should follow?"

  Liu Ying held the chess piece against his cheek, deep in thought. His mind was no longer on the chessboard. After a long while, he spoke with difficulty, "Father Emperor is still in his prime, and I have not seriously considered this issue before. But since my youth, I have experienced war and seen the hardships of the common people. I do not insist on the way to govern the country, but only hope that the people can gradually become rich and happy, and no longer suffer from the ravages of war."

  "That's enough." Tang Bing closed the chessboard, stood up and said, "It's getting late, Your Highness should go back and rest. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will tell you my answer."

  Liu Ying stepped out of the hall and looked towards the east wing, seeing a quiet scene in the second floor room, with the candles extinguished. She guessed that Zhang Yan must have been unable to bear the loneliness and had slipped out by herself. So she picked up her lantern and walked through the courtyard, when suddenly she heard from the kitchen below a soft and gentle voice of a young girl saying: "Yes, wait until the water is slightly boiling, then add some bitter wine (vinegar), when the water is boiling, crack an egg slowly into it, be careful not to break the yolk."

  "Uh-huh, uh-huh, wait a minute, I'll also put in the remaining egg yolk. Does it look like a double-yolked egg?"

  He stepped into the kitchen and saw two girls, one big and one small, quietly and intently beating eggs behind a round-headed stove. On the stove was placed an earthen pot, under which straw was crackling with a popping sound, and he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you doing?"

  "Ah," Zhang Yan raised her head, smiling with curved eyebrows, "I'll teach Jingniang sister to make sugar heart eggs again? When it's done, Uncle can try some too?"

  As they spoke, the egg whites gradually solidified and the yolks turned into a beautiful pale yellow color. Zhang Yan exclaimed, "It's done, it's done, we can scoop them up now."

  "But," Jingniang hesitated, asking with her eyes, "the egg isn't fully cooked yet."

  "Sugar heart egg doesn't need to be fully cooked," Zhang Yan jumped up and said, "When it's half-cooked and half-raw, take a bite and the egg yolk liquid flows out, it's delicious."

  Jingniang hastily scooped up the egg with a lacquer spoon and put it into the food box.

  "What a pity," Zhang Yan said with a bamboo chopstick poking at the surface of the sugar heart egg, "it's overcooked, now it can only be called a lotus package egg."

  Jingniang burst out laughing and said, "You know what? This egg really does look a bit like a purse."

  She turned around and took another egg, gently tapping it on the rim of the bowl.

  This time, it was scooped up before the egg got old and placed in another food box.

  The two of them stared at the two perfectly cooked egg noodles, and finally, Zhang Yan and Liu Ying both presented them to Liu Ying's face, handed over a bamboo spoon, and smiled, "Uncle, try which one tastes better."

  Liu Ying curiously looked at this unfamiliar food, using chopsticks to flip it over, and saw that the egg was a clear white and yellow color. The heat emanating from the food box warmed her hands. Originally, she didn't feel hungry, but after smelling the aroma of the food, she suddenly felt a strong desire to eat.

  He first tasted a poached egg, put it down, then picked up a sugar heart egg and put it in his mouth. Suddenly, he felt the freshness of the entrance, and indeed, it was much more delicious than the overcooked one before.

  Although no words were spoken, the former took a bite and put it down, while the latter was eaten up, the answer is already very clear.

  After finishing the steaming hot sugar heart eggs around the stove, Zhang Yan let out a slight belch and suddenly felt full of wine and food, her eyes getting a bit heavy.

  Liu Ying stood up and smiled, "Jing Niang, this niece of mine has been clever and mischievous since childhood, with many tricks up her sleeve, causing the household to spend a lot. As her uncle, I should compensate for it. However, I don't have any spare money on me, only a single horse hoof gold piece, please accept it on behalf of Mr. Tang."

  Jingniang was taken aback for a moment and shook her head, refusing to accept the money.

  Liu Ying said, "You'd better take it, so I can be at ease."

  He turned around and walked over to Zhang Yan's side, tapping her head lightly, "Wake up. Go back to your room to sleep."

  "Ugh," Zhang Yan complained, "you're hitting me again, one of these days you'll knock some sense out of me."

  "It's better to be a bit silly." Liu Ying chuckled and said, "Being silly is less of a bother. When did you learn to make those... sugar heart eggs?"

  "I won't," Zhang Yan said with a sigh, but immediately perked up again. "But I'll try. My mouth is quite discerning, you know. Nothing but the best can satisfy it."

  As expected, she's a pampered young lady, Liu Ying smiled faintly, but fortunately her brother-in-law could afford it.

  Okay, I admit it, what we call "sugar heart egg" should probably be called "荷包蛋". But I still remember when I was a freshman in college, in the remote campus district, the chef in the cafeteria would make eggs. At that time, as long as you went over and swiped one yuan, said "make a sugar heart egg", the chef would fry it up and put it on a plate, and with one bite...

  It's all right, I won't say anything more.

  In the past, my dream was: sleeping until I wake up naturally, counting money until my hands cramp.

  Now, my dream is: sleep until I wake up naturally, open the door and see pink tickets.

  O(∩_∩)o... Now the ranking on the PK list is unstable, and it has roughly fallen to the bottom, so comrades with votes can support him.

  Let's pave a pink road all the way to lovely Ah Yan's wedding.

  What? You're asking me who the groom is?

  :(