Jufu Tower.
From the window on the second floor, I saw the scholar looking at the bustling crowd downstairs.
Shen Wan smiled and said, "I wonder what you call me, brother?"
When the scholar heard this, he withdrew his eyes and returned the greeting with a smile: "Sir, on the next week of Xu, Ziyuan Day, a person from Huzhou!"
Shen Wan asked in surprise: "A person from Huzhou Prefecture? Why did Brother Zhou come to Nanzhili?"
Zhou Xu smiled bitterly and said: "Not long ago, there was a Japanese invasion in Huzhou, and my family was unlucky... After losing their livelihood, I wanted to come to Songjiang to find a distant relative!"
"Did you find it?"
Zhou Xu shook his head: "That relative has moved away long ago!"
After speaking, he pointed to the grasshopper cage at Shen Wan's hand and said, "Because I loved chirping insects when I was a boy. When I was crossing Taihu Lake, I came across this stupid insect. No, I was hungry, so I thought about using this insect to exchange for some money. flower!"
Shen Wan said: "Brother Zhou is lucky to have caught such a rare insect! Here, here are five taels of silver. You can accept it, but I also want to ask Brother Zhou to teach me how to amuse the insects!"
After saying that, Shen Wan pushed the five taels of silver to Zhou Xu.
But who would have thought that Zhou Xu would push the money back again.
Seeing this, Shen Wan was displeased and said, "How come? You regretted it?"
Zhou Xu smiled and said: "Sir, you underestimate us Huzhou people!"
After that, he tapped the table with his hand and said: "This table of food and wine is worth three taels of silver, no matter what! The young master invites me to dinner, how can I accept the young master's money again!"
These words immediately surprised Shen Wan: "But Brother Zhou, now..."
Zhou Xu waved his hand and said: "I am a person who always repays kindness. If the young master doesn't care about me, how can I be that kind of villain and take advantage of the young master?"
Hearing this, Shen Wan took a deep look at Zhou Xu. After a while, he poured a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp. "Since I was a child, everyone around me has always been greedy for my money. To be honest, I This is the first time I’ve met someone like you, and you don’t want any money!”
Zhou Xu smiled slightly, then changed the subject and said, "Don't you want to learn how to tease insects, young master? I'll teach you!"
When Shen Wan heard this, he immediately became interested: "Say what you say, I'm all ears!"
Zhou Xu nodded and said slowly: "Young master saw that I used the initials to gently move the side of the insect's head, which caused the insects to chirp. In fact, the method I used was the same as when fighting crickets!"
Shen Wan's eyes lit up and he said, "Please tell me quickly."
"When crickets compete, you must first use cricket grass to lure them in!"
Speaking of this, Zhou Xu said to Shen Wan, "Young Master should know about Gorgon, right?"
Shen Wan nodded repeatedly: "You know, I know, when I was fighting crickets, I always looked for someone to buy that small piece of grass. Isn't that the gorgon grass you mentioned?"
Zhou Xu frowned: "Sir, do you still want to find someone to buy gorgon grass?"
When Shen Wan heard this, he immediately felt inferior in his heart: "Yes, I used to use rat whiskers, but in recent years, some people have started to use gorgon to attract fights, but what exactly gorgon is, those people kept it secret, I tried my best, Even after spending all their money, those people refused to reveal anything!"
Zhou Xu smiled and said without any hesitation: "Euryale grass is the grassweed. If the main branches are removed from the top of the grass, silky tendons will be exposed. Fighting insects must use the bravery of these tendon techniques!" "
Shen Wan suddenly realized: "So that's it. Why did that grass look so familiar to me? It turned out to be cowgrass! This thing can be seen everywhere, but these people still treat it like a treasure..."
Zhou Xu frowned and said, "Sir, this is wrong. Fighting crickets with gorgon grass is like adding salt to food. It may seem inconspicuous, but with superb methods, it will definitely be unfavorable in fighting insects!"
Shen Wan was even more surprised, and quickly urged: "You say it, you say it!"
Zhou Xu continued: "Cricket fighting pays attention to [six points for planting Qi, three points for general nourishment, and one point for gorgon grass]. This part of gorgon grass refers to the use of different gravy methods in the process of fighting crickets. Open your teeth, chirp, get angry, and then start fighting. With the gorgonian method, just flick it left and right a few times, and the cricket's fighting spirit will immediately become fierce; if the gorgonian is stiff and violently touched and swept, the originally high-spirited insect will be completely defeated!"
Shen Wan was fascinated when he heard this and asked, "Is this gorgon recipe so magical?"
Zhou Chi smiled softly: "On weekdays, this cricket must not eat grass easily, especially to attract insect teeth. Even if you want to appease the frightened insect, you can also use soft grass on the back of the insect, from the neck to the wings, and gently whisk it. Mo..."
In this way, Zhou Chi talked to Shen Wan for about half an hour before explaining some things to note about gorgon grass.
"Sir, it's very troublesome to make this gorgon grass. Although it is made from goosegrass, even if you know this, you still can't make a suitable gorgon grass!" Zhou Xu took a sip of wine and said calmly,
Shen Wan was shocked when he heard this: "Why is this?"
Zhou Xu smiled: "It's too complicated to talk about. It's best to make it in person for the young master to see!"
When Shen Wan heard this, he immediately stood up and said, "Brother Zhou, let's go, I will take you back to my house, and you can teach me!"
Zhou Xu sat still and said, "Master, don't be anxious!"
Shen Wan suddenly became unhappy: "Brother Zhou, do you want money? As long as you tell me how to make gorgon grass, you can ask for the money!"
Zhou Xu shook his head: "Young Master has misunderstood me. In fact, I met you late, and I have long regarded you as a friend. Don't mention anything about money or not!"
Shen Wan was puzzled: "Brother Zhou, what are you..."
Zhou Xu said: "Actually, on the way here just now, I saw a cricket. It was Shandong Eggplant Purple. This cricket has a ferocious mouth. Although it doesn't look amazing, many southern crickets are scared before they even open their teeth. If you buy it, , I will definitely be able to help the young master go on a killing spree in the insect house!"
Shen Wan was immediately overjoyed: "There are still such good bugs? Come on, Brother Zhou, let's go and have a look!"
"This wine hasn't been finished yet..."
"What are you drinking? Let's go quickly. If we're late, someone will buy them away. After buying the worms, I'll set up another table for Brother Zhou!"
…
A moment later, in the market, Zhou Xu pointed to a young man selling insects in front of him and said, "That's it!"
After that, he led Shen Wan towards the young man.
When the young man saw a visitor coming to his door, he quickly greeted him: "You two gentlemen, do you want to pick a worm?"
At this time, Zhou Xu said to Shen Wan: "Sir, you choose first, and I'll see what you think!"
Shen Wan has been playing with insects for many years, so he naturally has his own tricks, so he picked up each grasshopper cage and looked at it with his eyes.
After a while, he took one and said, "This one is good. The crotch meat of this one is smooth and delicate. It looks like a good insect at first glance!"
With one test, Zhou Xu knew this person's level.
He took off a cage from the young man's burden and handed it to Shen Wan:
The head and neck are high, the wings are flat and numb, the belly is arched and the tail cone has smooth flesh.
The cheeks and chest are thick, the face is broad, and the legs are evenly thick.
The color is pure, the teeth are tight and long, the back must be straight and the crown must be hung!
"Sir, the one you picked can only be considered a middle-grade one. The one in your hand is the one with smooth flesh. Look at this one of mine!"
After a while, Shen Wan held Zhou Xu's hand and said, "Brother Zhou, please be my master. I want to learn these things from you!"
"I treat you as a friend, not a servant. I will give you fifty taels of silver every month as a repairman. As long as you teach me, I will give you a house! How about it!"
…
