Chapter 118: Autumn Outing Notice

"Mingda?"

Lin Xuan noticed the little girl's mood was off and immediately bent down to lean closer.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

The words had barely fallen.

Xiao Sizi slid off the stool and dove straight into Lin Xuan's arms.

Her two short, chubby little arms hugged Lin Xuan's arm tightly.

She hugged very, very tightly.

The little girl buried her face in Lin Xuan's chest, her voice thick with a heavy nasal tone.

"Brother Lin Xuan!"

"I'm here, I've always been here." Lin Xuan gently stroked her back.

"Mingda will also turn into a bowl with gold lines, right?"

Lin Xuan was stunned for a moment.

A soft, indescribable feeling rose in his heart, along with a touch of bitterness.

"Yes."

Lin Xuan pulled the little girl into his embrace with one hand, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Mingda doesn't need to turn into any bowl; Mingda right now is already the most complete treasure in the world."

Xiao Sizi sniffled and nodded continuously.

The autumn wind outside the window swept up several fallen leaves, scattering them everywhere.

Inside the room, the smoke from the agarwood drifted slowly.

These peaceful, stable days were simply wonderful.

In mid-November.

The ginkgo trees on both sides of the old street had long since shed their original green.

The entire trees had turned a full golden yellow.

A gust of autumn wind blew over, and the leaves rustled down, covering the entire uneven bluestone path.

Lin Xuan sat in front of the tea table in his own studio, cleaning a Qing Dynasty copper kettle with his head bowed.

Recently, quite a few clients had come to the door again.

Come to think of it, the studio could become so prosperous.

It was actually thanks to the box of "living expenses" Li Shimin had sent earlier.

Although they couldn't be sold directly to obtain vast wealth.

Displayed in the showcase in the shop, they naturally attracted people.

His reputation grew larger and larger within the circle.

Everyone was speculating about exactly who Lin Xuan's ancestors were and how he could possess so many precious Tang Dynasty royal ornaments.

Rumors even spread that Lin Xuan was a descendant of a certain great Tang Dynasty family.

"Brother Lin Xuan!"

Xiao Sizi ran in from outside with a schoolbag on her back, holding a pink A4 sheet high in her hand.

Her little face was flushed red from running.

Her eyes were full of barely contained excitement.

"Run slowly, be careful not to trip over the threshold."

Lin Xuan put down the soft brush he was holding and took a towel to wipe the dust from his fingertips.

The little girl stepped over the threshold, threw herself into his arms at once, and shoved that pink note into his hand.

"Teacher Li issued a notice; our school is organizing an autumn outing!"

"Autumn outing?" Lin Xuan shook the note open to look.

This was a notice letter to parents regarding the first-grade autumn field study.

The destination was set at the Botanical Garden in the city suburbs.

The time was scheduled for tomorrow.

The notice was written very clearly, requiring parents to prepare an appropriate amount of lunch and snacks for their children.

Everyone would take the school's rented bus together.

Xiao Sizi lay across Lin Xuan's knees.

"Xiao Ya said the autumn outing is for the whole class to go outside together to eat delicious food and play games under big trees."

"Brother Lin Xuan, will you agree to let me participate in the autumn outing? Teacher Li said you need to sign."

"Of course I agree; let's all go on a picnic together and play well in nature."

Only then did Xiao Sizi calm down.

Noticing the yellow fallen leaves covering the ground outside the door.

Actually, during the Tang Dynasty there was also an activity of going out to travel in autumn; the Emperor called it the Autumn Hunt.

The Autumn Hunt in her memories had very many and very strict rules.

The Imperial Guard had to clear out the entire mountain several days in advance.

All unrelated people were driven out, and all civil and military officials accompanied them.

Flags covered the mountains and fields, and the sound of horse hooves was so loud it nearly deafened the ears.

She had been there once.

Because she had contracted a qi illness since childhood and could not withstand the wind.

So she was wrapped tightly in a thick fox-fur coat and stuffed into a wide, heavy wooden palanquin.

Eunuchs and maids surrounded the palanquin in layers, pressing the curtains used for ventilation so firmly they didn't budge an inch.

Xiao Sizi could only hear the cheers of people outside and the twang of bowstrings snapping.

She secretly lifted a tiny slit to peek inside.

All her eyes could see were layers upon layers of guards carrying swords.

She couldn't see the real mountains, the stretches of trees, nor touch the wild grass growing on the ground.

"Mingda?"

Lin Xuan gently pinched her cheek and asked what she was staring at.

Xiao Sizi finally came to her senses.

"I suddenly want to go to the big supermarket! I want to buy snacks!"

Lin Xuan reached out and scooped her up in one go.

"Alright, then we'll go tonight and do some proper big shopping."

By eight o'clock at night.

The lights inside that familiar supermarket were dazzlingly bright, and the place was packed with people, bustling with excitement.

Lin Xuan pushed a large shopping cart while Xiao Sizi walked beside him, her head constantly turning left and right.

Her eyes weren't enough; she couldn't take it all in.

The shelves were packed to the brim with all kinds of food in particularly bright packaging.

"Brother Lin Xuan, look at that!"

Xiao Sizi pointed excitedly at a row of puffed snacks and shouted.

Lin Xuan pushed the cart over and asked, "Which flavor of potato chips do you want?"

"The red package!" Xiao Sizi, without hesitation, grabbed a can of tomato-flavored chips.

After thinking for a moment, she reached out and took another can of cucumber-flavored chips.

"This one is for Xiao Ya; Xiao Ya likes things that taste like green vegetables."

The two pushed the cart and continued strolling forward.

Walking to the jelly section, colorful jellies were all packed in transparent plastic bags.

Xiao Sizi carefully chose peach-flavored and grape-flavored ones.

Next came the pastry section.

Lin Xuan took two bags of soft, fluffy filled mini-buns and placed them in the cart's basket.

When they reached the beverage section.

Xiao Sizi stood on her tiptoes and reached two bottles of apple juice meant for children.

Before long, the bottom of the shopping cart was filled with all sorts of snacks.

"Enough, enough." Lin Xuan quickly stopped the little girl's hand reaching for a chocolate bar, "If you bring too many snacks, your little schoolbag definitely won't fit them all; tomorrow, you still need to eat proper meals mainly."

He also grabbed two packs of portable wet wipes from the side of the shelf and a small bottle of hand sanitizer, tossing them into the shopping cart.

"It's easy to get your hands dirty when playing outside; these things must be brought along."

Xiao Sizi obediently nodded and helped push the shopping cart to the counter to pay.

By late night.

The steady, even breathing of Xiao Sizi came from the bedroom.

Before falling asleep, the little girl had been excitedly muttering that she would sit next to Xiao Ya the next day.

The kitchen's sliding door was already shut tight, and the range hood was set to silent mode.

Lin Xuan, wearing an apron, stood at the kitchen counter.

On the large cutting board lay freshly cut carrot strips, cucumber strips, ham sausages, and crab sticks...

The rice cooker beeped once, and the rice was cooked.

Lin Xuan scooped out the steaming white rice, drizzled it with a little sesame oil and white sesame seeds, and quickly mixed it evenly with a wooden spoon.

He spread out a bamboo mat and placed a sheet of roasted seaweed on it.

He spread the rice evenly, arranged the various vegetables and meat strips neatly, and then used both hands to roll it up tightly.

He cut down with a knife, revealing the red-and-green cross-section of the seaweed rice roll, which wafted an appetizing aroma.

Next, he took out a square frying pan.

He cracked four free-range eggs into a Glass bowl, added a little milk and salt, and stirred them until scattered.

He heated the pan and brushed on a layer of oil.

He poured in a thin layer of egg liquid and waited for the bottom to set.

Then he quickly rolled it up with a wooden spatula and pushed it to the side of the pan.

He poured in a new layer of egg liquid and rolled it again.

Repeating this process four times, a thick, golden tamagoyaki, still wafting a rich milky scent, was finished and taken out of the pan.