This was Lu Xuan's first New Year in this world. There was no way around it; the Great Horse Camp didn't celebrate the New Year. They didn't even have a precise date. Everyone was struggling to survive. Celebrating the New Year was simply a distant, unattainable dream.
However, for the people of Chang'an, celebrating the New Year is an indispensable ritual.
There are still a few days until the Lunar New Year. But the streets are already decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. All kinds of New Year's goods are displayed in large quantities and then bought up by countless people in Chang'an.
Lu Xuan's family was also making preparations. However, they entrusted these matters to their servants.
Lu Xuan himself wasn't the type of person who liked celebrating the Chinese New Year. Mainly, few urban youths of his generation enjoyed it.
But this year is different. In a sense, this new year signifies a brand new beginning in my life.
The neighbors across the street were also starting to prepare for the New Year. Wu'er, who was only a teenager, was running around doing errands, and Xu Hezi also personally helped to buy some New Year's goods.
"Ah...Young Master." Lu Xuan's sudden appearance startled Wu'er.
"What? Am I that scary?"
"No, young master is very handsome. More handsome than the most handsome person I've ever seen. Ah... no, no..." The little girl babbled incoherently, her face flushed with embarrassment, unsure of what to say next.
Lu Xuan didn't tease her any further.
Is your young lady home?
"Miss is home."
"Oh," Lu Xuan replied, and then walked over.
"Ah, young master. But only young lady is home, so it's not convenient for you to go in." Although Wu'er was young, she understood these things.
"I didn't want to either. But this matter can only be discussed with your young lady alone."
"Wu'er, let County Magistrate Lu in."
Xu Hezi stood at the door and spoke softly.
"So, you used to call me 'Young Master' before. Now you're called County Magistrate Lu?" Lu Xuan said as he walked into the courtyard.
“County Commandant Lu is an official appointed by the imperial court, and Xu Hezi dared not address him by his name directly.”
"Hehe." Lu Xuan didn't dwell on these things and instead got down to business.
"You don't need to worry about the brothel for now. I had Zhang Xiaojing cause them some trouble, so they won't be able to deal with you for a while."
"Thank you, County Magistrate Xie. And what about those two people from that day?"
Upon hearing these two questions, Lu Xuan revealed a strange smile.
"They will make the flowers in my backyard bloom even more beautifully next year."
Xu Hezi was taken aback at first, then trembled slightly. Lu Xuan found it amusing and suddenly pressed himself against her.
What was originally a two-step distance was instantly reduced to less than a foot between them after Lu Xuan took a step. They could even feel the warmth of each other's breath.
"Her eyebrows were like moths, her eyes sparkled, her face was like the clouds and the moon, her teeth were white and her lips were red." Xu Hezi blushed and was about to scold Lu Xuan. But Lu Xuan flashed away and took two steps back.
"The willows are delicate and the flowers are beautiful, with graceful and charming figures, and an ethereal and jade-like appearance."
Lu Xuan's blunt and explicit description made Xu Hezi's face flush even more. However, she wasn't particularly angry. After all, being described by a tall, handsome man using four-character parallel sentences to praise her beauty and figure was something no woman could possibly be angry about. Especially in the Tang Dynasty, a time of great openness.
Lu Xuan didn't linger. After speaking, he turned to leave. But as he reached the door, he turned back and said something.
"I suddenly remembered that I also helped the young lady solve a problem. I wonder how she should thank me?"
"You..." Xu Hezi hadn't even finished speaking when Lu Xuan continued on his own.
"Since you're undecided, let's do as I say. On New Year's Eve, please perform a solo dance for me. It's settled then."
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Chapter Fifty-One: Distinguished Guest Arrives
As time went by, the festive atmosphere in Chang'an grew stronger. Lu Xuan also became much lazier. It was an old habit from his past life; the New Year always made people lazy.
At this moment, the old man came in with several porters carrying some things.
"Master, what you requested has been made."
Lu Xuan's previously lazy expression finally turned slightly serious. However, there was also a hint of helplessness in it. Half of the winter had passed, and the iron stove he had requested was finally finished.
Of course, the blacksmith can't be blamed for this. It was mainly Lu Xuan himself who couldn't explain the structure of the iron furnace, so he had to start over again and again.
The structure of this thing isn't actually complicated. It's just that Lu Xuan spent too much time in the city in his previous life, and his memory of it was hazy. He only remembered it when the weather turned cold. Then, relying on his memory, he had the blacksmith forge it several times. Afterwards, he continuously improved upon its shortcomings, and this current version is considered the complete one.
"Come, come, over here." The stove was naturally to be installed in Lu Xuan's study and living room. In the study, it could be placed in a corner; Lu Xuan wasn't too particular. The truly crucial part was the chimney.
Lu Xuan's iron stove naturally needed to burn coal. But burning coal directly inside the house was practically suicide.
During the Tang Dynasty, coal was already widely used. However, it was generally only used for industrial activities such as iron smelting. Using it for heating resulted in widespread death. The main reason was that they couldn't solve the problem of carbon monoxide poisoning. (I'm extremely sensitive to this because I suffered carbon monoxide poisoning once in junior high school. I was in shock and in critical condition. Fortunately, I survived. The cause that time was that the chimney in my house wasn't ventilated.)
Having prepared in advance, Lu Xuan had already drilled holes in the walls of the study and living room to install chimneys.
That thick iron pipe, about the size of a bowl, represented the pinnacle of that blacksmith's skill. In those days, iron pipe making relied entirely on manual labor. It was painstakingly hammered out by hand, bit by bit.
It was the craftsmen's first time installing something, and they worked busily for most of the day before finally finishing. The old man got some coal, lit it, and tested it out.
"Boss, it's very good. There's not a trace of smoke."
"It's alright," Lu Xuan said somewhat casually. It was still different from the stove he remembered. But it was usable enough.