Sky Curtain: My Happy Daily Life Exposed by Xiao Sizi

Chapter 72 Flying Chicken

"Wow! A giant flying chicken!"

People cheered under the sky.

"What are you saying? That's an airplane! The 'airplane' in 'machine'! It's written in the subtitles below. Not being able to read really makes things difficult!"

Ying Zheng stared at the sky, bewildered: "A comfortable little house in the sky? How are we supposed to get it up there?"

Li Shimin felt a little uneasy: "Won't the rhinoceros fall down?"

Empress Zhangsun comforted him, "It's alright, Erlang. Modern people all ride in them, so it should be very safe."

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled, "Hehe, I also want to ride this flying bird and spin around in the air!"

On the sky, the little princess sat on the large bed made up of pieces, moving around and turning like a little panda.

"Hehe..." The little guy swayed his round body back and forth.

"Sir, would you like to order now or rest first? I can save your food for you," the flight attendant politely asked.

"What dishes are served today?"

The flight attendant smiled and unfolded the menu: "Today's menu includes red wine braised beef with black truffle mashed potatoes, pan-fried salmon with lemon radish sauce, and Chinese-style mushroom and chicken rice. You may also order champagne and red wine. For dessert, you can choose between molten chocolate or mango mousse."

Before the words were even finished, the little princess rolled off the bed with a "glug," ran barefoot to the aisle, grabbed the flight attendant's leg, and looked up to shout, "Meat! Sizi wants three servings of meat!" The pom-pom in her hair swayed and blurred with her movements.

An uproar erupted under the sky.

Ying Zheng slammed his fist on the table: "Absurd! How can a child wander alone in the treacherous clouds?"

Li Shimin broke out in a cold sweat: "Quick! Secure the rhinoceros with five seatbelts!"

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the menu, swallowing hard: "What's black truffle? Have me add it to my chicken soup and try it!"

The flight attendant skillfully knelt down on one knee, tied the little princess's special bib embroidered with a panda, and said softly, "The child's meal is specially made."

Turning around, they brought out apple puree shaped like a rabbit, mini beef and vegetable patties, and a side dish of star-shaped coconut milk jelly.

"Wow~~ Thank you, sister~~ The food is so pretty~~ Sister is so pretty too~~" Little Sizi immediately scurried over like a greedy cat.

"Little sister, enjoy your meal!" The flight attendant smiled and withdrew.

"This woman is very beautiful." Emperor Qianlong gazed at the sky for a long time before finally coming back to his senses.

"Brother, I want a spoon~~" Little Sizi lay on the small table and picked up a spoon with her little hands.

"Eat up, but don't choke. Take your time, eat slowly."

"Na na na..." The little guy scooped it up in big gulps.

wipe!

As the little princess cheered as she picked up the coconut milk jelly, a golden light suddenly tore through the clouds outside the porthole.

Amidst the radiant glow of the sunset, a colossal steel bird soared alongside their aircraft, its tail flames trailing trails of phoenix-tail-like flames in the twilight.

"Erlang, look!" Empress Zhangsun suddenly stood up, her silk sash fluttering in the wind. "The iron birds of later generations—they're actually a pair!"

Outside the porthole, two giant steel birds soared side by side, tearing through the clouds, their tails spewing forth golden-red flames that spread out in the twilight like dazzling phoenix tail feathers.

Little Sizi exclaimed "Yay!" and dropped his spoon, pressing his face against the porthole, his nose pressed flat and round: "Brother! The big bird is breathing fire!"

'

Li Shimin cried out, trying to pull his daughter towards the chair, his fingertips trembling: "Sizi, don't cling to the window! Be careful not to fall into the sea of ​​clouds!"

"Your Majesty, do not worry," Empress Zhangsun gently stroked Li Shimin's tense hand, but her gaze was fixed on the streamlined silver wings of the accompanying aircraft. "This thing seems to have a spirit, following you like a shadow, as if it is escorting the rhinoceros."

Beneath the celestial canopy, Ying Zheng abruptly rose, his black sleeves billowing in a gust of wind: "This iron bird has no wings, yet it can draw heavenly fire as a chariot? Quickly send the disciples of the Mohist school to dismantle the diagram!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was sipping the oil from his imagined black truffle chicken soup when he suddenly saw a phoenix blazing with flames, causing him to drop his chopsticks in shock: "My goodness! This fire-breathing iron chicken is fiercer than firecrackers during the New Year!"

A flight attendant rushed into the cabin and explained softly, "Don't be afraid, little one. That's our company's newly developed 'Luan Bird' space escort aircraft, testing its ion thruster."

"A phoenix?" Emperor Qianlong paused, his hand still fanning himself. He murmured, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas describes its cry as resembling a phoenix, and its appearance signifies peace and tranquility throughout the land—"

—Did later generations actually forge the mythical beast into iron?

Suddenly, the wingtips of the escort aircraft spun slightly, and the flames instantly changed from gold to blue, drawing an arc of rainbows across time and space amidst the clouds.

"Rainbow Bridge!" Little Sizi struggled to free his chubby hand from Li Shimin's arms. "Is he going to ride the Luan bird to find the Seven Fairies to play with?" Before he finished speaking, the escort aircraft seemed to sense his presence and rose up, its tail flames blooming into thousands of stars in the dome, like the Milky Way pouring down.

Empress Zhangsun's silk sash fluttered even without wind as she gazed out the porthole and sighed softly, "My lord, look! The ancients used stars as sand to paint the Milky Way, but modern people use fire as a brush—what boundless poetic beauty!"

Li Shimin paused, then released his hands that were protecting his daughter, letting the starlight shine into his eyes.

Lu Chen also started eating; he had Western food, accompanied by dry red wine.

Lu Chen cut off a small piece of black truffle with a knife. The rich aroma of mushrooms spread on his tongue. He squinted slightly, savoring the unique and mellow taste.

The little girl next to him smelled the aroma, dropped her spoon, and ran over to Lu Chen with her short legs. She tilted her chubby face up, tugged at his clothes, and cried out in a childish voice, "Brother, I want to try that black thing too! And the round buns!"

"This is a black truffle. Also, this isn't a real steamed bun; it's a fake steamed bun made of mashed potatoes."

"Oh." Little Sizi pouted.

"Come on, open your mouth~~"

Lu Chen smiled and forked a small piece of black truffle to her lips. Xiao Sizi carefully took a sip, her eyes widening instantly. She frowned and smacked her lips again: "Mmm—it smells good, a little strange, but it's delicious!" As she spoke, she reached out to grab the black truffle on the plate.

Zhu Yuanzhang, standing under the sky, saw this scene and his eyes widened like copper bells. The chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

He jumped to his feet, pointing at the black truffles in the sky, his voice trembling: "Good heavens! These black truffles look like rotten tree roots in the ground, how can they be eaten? And that little princess ate them and said they were delicious? This—this is too bizarre!"

He rubbed his hands together, his throat bobbing up and down, his heart itching with anticipation, wishing he could immediately dive into the sky and snatch that black truffle to taste.

"I'd like to try black truffles too!" Li Tai exclaimed.

"But we don't even know what a black truffle is. Let's wait for Si Zi to come back and ask her," Empress Zhangsun advised.

"Then I want mashed potatoes!" Li Tai slammed his fist down hard.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang watched as his son, Xiao Sizi, ate with great relish, wringing his hands anxiously and muttering, "What does this black thing taste like? Is it even better than the delicacies from the imperial kitchen?"

The more he thought about it, the more it tempted him, so he slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "No way! I have to find a way to get some to try! Someone! Go and look in the pine forest!"

"

Seeing his daughter's greedy expression, Li Shimin was both amused and annoyed. He said helplessly, "Sizi, don't be greedy, or you'll get a stomachache."

But Little Sizi couldn't hear anything. Her eyes were fixed on the black truffles on Lu Chen's plate, and her little head was nodding, just like a little kitten begging for food.

Lu Chen smiled and forked another small piece of black truffle, holding it to her lips: "Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."

The little ox took a big bite, smacking its lips, and mumbled, "Brother, this black thing is so good, like fragrant mud! And that red meaty thing, I want that too!"

The little one pointed to the deep red braised beef, "I want those round mushrooms too!"

boom!

Under the sky.

Li Tai left Zhu Yuanzhang bewildered once again.

Does black truffle taste like mud? Is it dug out of the ground?

Here.

"Okay!" Lu Chen fed him unconditionally.

"Mmm, mmm—the meat is so tender and juicy, both sour and sweet! So bouncy and smooth!" Little Sizi babbled.

"Red wine braised beef? Sweet and sour? Sure! Let's make it like that!" Li Tai was the first to respond.

"Alright, I'll make it for you tonight." Empress Zhangsun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Beef braised in wine? Is it even good? Can you eat sour meat too?" Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his chin, his big eyes darting around.

"Why don't you try it and see?" Empress Ma smiled gently.

"Fine! Let's give it a try!" Old Zhu said decisively.

Emperor Qianlong has already sent people down to do it.

Just then, the escort aircraft's contrail suddenly changed again, turning from blue to purple, outlining a giant purple peony in the clouds. Little Sizi stared wide-eyed, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "Wow! How beautiful Fafa is!"

Emperor Qianlong, fanning himself thoughtfully, said, "The phoenix in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* is said to bring peace to the world. This iron phoenix can indeed protect the iron bird, living up to its name. But this black truffle—I must find it and see what kind of magical object it is that captivates the little princess so much."

"Your Majesty," Heshen bowed, "that black truffle is probably a Western concoction. Tomorrow, I will inquire with the foreigners about it."

""

Inside the cabin, Lu Chen was about to continue enjoying the black truffles when he saw Xiao Sizi come over again, looking at him pitifully: "Brother, I want to eat more—"

Lu Chen smiled helplessly and pushed the plate in front of her: "Here, you can have it all."

Little Sizi immediately cheered and jumped for joy, picked up a spoon, carefully scooped up the black truffle, and ate it in small bites.

Zhu Yuanzhang, standing beneath the canopy, drooled with envy, wishing he could immediately crawl inside and snatch the black truffles.

He rubbed his hands together and said to the guards beside him, "Quickly! Go and get me some black truffles! No matter what it takes, I must taste this stuff today!"

The guards obeyed and left, while Zhu Yuanzhang continued to stare at the sky, his eyes fixed on the little ox eating black truffles, his mouth constantly swallowing saliva.

Ying Zheng and Li Shimin also stared at the sky, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Just then, the escort aircraft suddenly accelerated, its exhaust flames drawing a long arc in the clouds before disappearing into the horizon.

Seeing this, Little Sizi immediately put down her spoon, ran to the porthole, and waved in the direction where the escort plane had disappeared: "Goodbye, Luan Niao!"

""

Lu Chen smiled and patted her head: "Alright, Luan Niao is off on her mission, we should have a proper meal too."

Xiao Sizi nodded, picked up her spoon again, and continued eating the black truffle.

After finishing her meal, Xiao Sizi started playing with the rabbit and cloth tiger she had brought, as well as the book Lu Chen had given her.

Lu Chen was thinking about writing a letter to his parents, in case he was stuck in the Tang Dynasty or trapped in a time rift and couldn't come back.

Who knows how many years a card will last?