Chen Lan and the others waited at the entrance of Longfu Temple for about fifteen minutes. Groups of people returned to the gathering point one after another. Except for the children, almost everyone was laden with purchases. As they had come, the group split into several cars to head home.
By the time everyone arrived home, the sun had set. The children were likely exhausted from the temple fair, having fallen asleep in the car. Chen Lan woke her two younger brothers to go home.
Everyone got out of the cars, carrying large bags, and went straight home. Uncle De was responsible for paying the drivers.
As soon as they entered the living room, everyone slumped into chairs. Mother Liu said that visiting the temple fair was more tiring than working all day. Mother Cui chimed in, "Indeed. Look at them. They're clearly exhausted." As she spoke, she pointed at Cui Qiao and Hu Yuzhen, who were holding their babies.
Chen Lan understood immediately what was happening. Of course they were tired.
Cui Qiao and Hu Yuzhen must have carried their babies around the temple fair the entire time. Although the babies' grandmothers helped out, the main burden was on them. Chen Lan knew this feeling well; she had been exhausted after carrying Wen Qi for just a while. Their babies were even younger, and they had to be held for longer.
Seeing that everyone had mostly recovered, the mother-in-law began assigning tasks. Uncle De watched Xiao Shitong and Hutou, while the other women went to help with dinner.
Everyone rose obediently and headed towards the kitchen. Chen Lan said to her mother-in-law, "Mother, everyone is tired today. Let's just stir-fry some vegetarian dishes and make a soup. You can ask Father to buy some meat dishes." The mother-in-law nodded in agreement and continued, "Buy that braised pork knuckle and Dezhou braised chicken that you bought last time. There are many people eating today, and many men doing physical labor. Ask your Father to buy more, don't be stingy!"
Chen Lan couldn't help but chuckle at this.
To ease the awkwardness, Chen Lan quickly agreed, "Okay! Today I'll ask Father to buy four braised pork knuckles and four Dezhou braised chickens. Mother, do you think that's enough?"
The mother-in-law thought for a moment, calculating the number of people in the household, and said, "There are over twenty people eating. That's not much. Should we add anything else?"
Chen Lan also felt it was insufficient. "Mother, perhaps we can add a few more kinds of braised snacks for drinking."
The mother-in-law said eagerly, "Yes, yes. If we're buying braised snacks for drinking, buy more. Everyone is tired from visiting the temple fair today. Your Mother Liu, Mother Cui, and I will also have a little drink to relax."
"Alright!" Chen Lan agreed cheerfully.
The mother-in-law turned and left to help in the kitchen.
Chen Lan returned to her bedroom and lay on the bed to rest. She opened the system with her mind and found the section for braised dishes. A pile of braised dish images appeared on the system screen, making Chen Lan's mouth water. Chen Lan clicked and tapped, paying for the items without blinking.
A pile of packaged braised delicacies immediately appeared in the system warehouse. There were braised pig trotters, braised pig ears, braised duck necks, braised chicken wings, braised beef, braised donkey meat, braised pig tongues, braised tofu, braised kelp, braised lotus root slices, braised peanuts, and braised dried tofu. A total of twelve kinds of braised delicacies, a large quantity.
Chen Lan no longer dared to slack off and quickly packed them up, carrying them all to the kitchen.
Everyone looked at Chen Lan in surprise as she entered with a large bag of items.
The mother-in-law smilingly took Chen Lan's large bundle and immediately opened it. She couldn't help but exclaim, "My goodness, Xiao Lan, why did you buy so much!"
Upon hearing the mother-in-law's exclamation, everyone rushed over to look and also exclaimed.
Dinner began amidst the men's exclamations, especially from the three young boys Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Ming Zhe. Ming Zhe's exclamation was the most exaggerated—"Oh my heavens! I'm so happy I could die!"
The end result was that dinner concluded amidst the women's exclamations, because Mother-in-law, Mother Cui, and Mother Liu had drunk a bit too much!
The entire family slept soundly. Because they were tired from the temple fair yesterday, Chen Lan had put the two babies to sleep early and gone to bed herself. The next morning, Chen Lan woke up early. Habitually, she checked the time with her mind; it was ten minutes before six in the morning.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Chen Lan opened the system and chose to purchase. First, she wanted to buy a watch for Ming Wei. Chen Lan spent a long time choosing before finally deciding on an exquisite and delicate Omega women's watch for Ming Wei. Chen Lan guessed Ming Wei would like it!
Next, Chen Lan wanted to buy a solar-powered RV that could accommodate six people.
After repeatedly comparing performance and interior capacity, Chen Lan had her eye on an RV with a 150-kilowatt electric motor and a range of about 320 kilometers. A full charge would only take 60 minutes. The entire exterior of the RV was covered with solar panels, generating up to 5000 watts of electricity.
The interior space was about 55 square meters, with two foldable bunk beds. The RV was also equipped with a top-mounted air conditioner and a water heater.
The interior of the RV had cork rubber flooring, and the interior walls were lined with insulated wool felt to ensure the safety of the occupants.
Chen Lan no longer hesitated and immediately placed the order.
At this moment, Jia Hui, one of the two babies, woke up first. Just as she was about to cry, she saw her mother and broke into a smile, wiggling her little arms and legs, wanting Chen Lan to hold her. Chen Lan didn't pick her up and instead poked her little nose, saying, "You little rascal, if I pick you up, I won't be able to do anything else." As she spoke, she took out a diaper to change Jia Hui.
Jia Yao, who was next to her, also woke up. Chen Lan busied herself, finally getting both babies ready, feeding them, and preparing to take them out. At this moment, Chen Lan checked the system time; it was already 7:30 in the morning.
Chen Lan carried the two babies into the living room. Gentle Mother saw them and hurried over to take one of the babies. Chen Lan immediately felt much lighter. The two babies were quite heavy now, and Chen Lan felt she could hardly hold them. She really needed to buy a double stroller to free her hands.
After breakfast, everyone went about their own business. Chen Lan called Ming Wei over and handed her the Omega women's watch she had bought that morning. Ming Wei's eyes lit up, and she jumped with excitement. Ming Wei exclaimed, "It's so beautiful! Thank you, Sister-in-law!"
The mother-in-law immediately reprimanded her, "Look at you, do you have any feminine composure? You need to be more reserved."
She then said to Chen Lan, "You just spoil them!" Just as the mother-in-law was about to say more, Uncle De entered, carrying a bag, followed by Shopkeeper Tong, who was also carrying a bag. They greeted each other, and Ming Wei took the opportunity to run out with the watch.
Shopkeeper Tong had brought a lot of things this time, two cloth bags filled with items of various sizes, filling a table. There were blue and white porcelain vases, bronze square ding vessels, famille rose gilded double-eared porcelain vases, and gilded bronze seated Buddhas.
Chen Lan scanned the items with the system as she looked at them to verify their authenticity. The system indicated they were all genuine. Chen Lan bought them all and settled the payment with Shopkeeper Tong.
Chen Lan asked Shopkeeper Tong to stay. "Shopkeeper Tong, I'd like to ask you about something."
Shopkeeper Tong replied, "Please speak. I'll tell you anything I know."
Chen Lan then asked, "Shopkeeper Tong, you're in the antique business. You must be very familiar with Liulichang, right?"
Chen Lan saw Shopkeeper Tong's mouth twitch unnaturally. He smiled awkwardly at Chen Lan and said, "I'm quite familiar. What do you want to ask?"
Chen Lan continued, "A few days ago, I planned to visit, but I heard that trading is no longer allowed there. Do you know why?"
Shopkeeper Tong replied, "Trading is no longer allowed. As for the reason, I'm sorry, I really don't know."
Chen Lan then said, "Um, Shopkeeper Tong, could you tell us the history of Liulichang?"
Shopkeeper Tong happily said, "Of course!" He cleared his throat and began.
"Liulichang is located to the west of our capital, outside Hepingmen. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, official kilns were established here to fire glazed tiles for the imperial palace. The tiles were fired in yellow and turquoise, hence the name 'Liulichang'."
"During the Qing dynasty, scholars had to come to the capital to participate in the imperial examinations. Most of them stayed in the Liulichang area, so there were many shops selling books, brushes, ink, and paper. There were several famous time-honored brands. For example:
'Rong Bao Zhai' for paper.
'Dai Yue Xuan' for writing brushes.
'Yi De Ge' for ink and inkstones.
'Lai Xun Ge' for ancient books.
'Cui Zhen Zhai' for porcelain.
"As the number of scholars taking the imperial examinations increased, so did the businesses. For instance, scholars from all over had to buy bedding, luggage, and toiletries. Scholars also needed food and drink, so restaurants and teahouses opened in abundance.
"If scholars failed the imperial examinations, many chose to go into business, setting up stalls and opening shops.
"With more learned people in the area, many began to trade in antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Therefore, people with good judgment gathered here to open shops. There were over ten businesses solely dealing in antiques and calligraphy and paintings.
"To be honest, most of the old objects I've brought you were sourced from there."
Chen Lan quickly waved her hand, "Please don't misunderstand. The fact that you can source such good items shows your keen eye!"
As Chen Lan spoke, she gave Shopkeeper Tong a thumbs-up.
Shopkeeper Tong burst into hearty laughter.