On the day when Lingchu officially broke through to the second level of Qi training, He Yi returned from his trip.
I also brought a lot of food.
Lingchu happily opened the large and small ceramic cans on the table, revealing various preserved fruit pastries inside, as well as bunches of bright candied haws wrapped in oil paper.
"Uncle He, you are such a kind wife."
Lingchu had an apricot preserve in his left hand and a sugar-frosted hawthorn ball in his right hand. His cheeks were as bulging as a squirrel while eating them, and his bright eyes were as curved as magatama.
He Heyi shook his head and laughed, with a gentle voice, "Huan Niang told me that you like these snacks."
Huan Niang......
The half-bitten apricot preserved in his hand paused in mid-air, and Lingchu suddenly felt that the sweet and sour taste in his mouth had weakened by two points.
In the blink of an eye, she has been away from Huan Niang for more than half a year.
"By the way, I met Sister-in-law Li when I just went up the mountain. She asked me to invite you to play in the village. She said that there will be a bonfire party and a small market in the village tonight, so you can go and have fun together." He caught the sadness in Lingchu's eyes and changed the subject with a smile.
The child's emotions come and go quickly. Lingchu is only over nine years old, still only a half-grown child.
I was still very interested when I heard about playing, "Bonfire party? Small market?"
Lingchu's eyes were bright. She had been staying in Taoyuan Temple for more than half a year. She had never gone out once. Uncle He went to sell wine. She was bored for a long time. Even though Lingchu didn't like the excitement, she still had some fun. Quiet and thoughtful.
Every year after the New Year, in order to celebrate the beginning of the new year, Wujia Village, where Sister-in-law Li lives, will hold a celebration. During the day, there will be flowing water mats and at night, a bonfire party will be held. It is extremely lively and attracts people from several surrounding villages to watch. , those merchants and hawkers who smelled business opportunities would also come to Wujiacun to set up stalls that night, forming a small market.
He Yi just joined in the fun the first year he came to Taoyuan Temple, which was indeed quite interesting.
Although he was a bit messy, Lingchu was not just a nine-year-old child, he was also a second-level qi-training monk. In terms of strength, he was not inferior to the mortal martial arts masters.
As a result, Lingchu, who had been chatting for half a cup of tea with Uncle He, gnawed a bunch of candied haws on a stick in his mouth, and carried two bunches of candied haws on his hand, floating slowly down the mountain as light as a swallow.
It's evening now. It's almost past dinner time as we slowly walk down the mountain. We're just in time to go shopping at the market and then wait to watch the bonfire party.
Candied haws on a stick can also be used as an after-dinner snack for Sister-in-law Li’s children to help digestion and strengthen the spleen.
Lingchu had been to Sister-in-law Li's house once before, so he was familiar with the road.
When we arrived at the door of Sister-in-law Li's house, Sister-in-law Li's family was preparing to go out.
The two adults, one holding the child and the other holding the child, opened the door and were about to go to the market and watch the bonfire party.
"Ah, Taoist priest, you're here." Sister-in-law Li smiled brightly when she saw Lingchu.
At first, she respected the Taoist priests in Taoyuan Temple because the Taoists saved her husband. Now, it is because her two children have become stronger and stronger since they wore the silver bells sent by Lingchu. The eldest child had a dream at night. For a long time, I couldn’t sleep well, but now my sleep is particularly sound and unshakable.
Sister-in-law Li is illiterate and doesn't know much about Taoist principles. She only thinks that this is because the Taoist priests in Taoyuan Temple are really capable, so they are naturally more respectful.
Sister-in-law Li's husband, Wu Dayou, is an honest-looking man. When he saw the little Taoist priest in his benefactor's temple, he couldn't say anything and just smiled with gratitude on his face.
On the other hand, Sister-in-law Li's two children, the younger of whom were still young, showed toothless smiles, waving their hands in the sky, and the silver bells tied to their ankles jingled.
The oldest one is only six or seven years old, younger than Lingchu, thin and small, with the yellow-black skin unique to the children who play crazy in the village.
The boys were a little afraid to look at Lingchu, but their eyes often passed over the candied haws in Lingchu's hand.
By the way, candied haws.
Lingchu handed the two bunches of candied haws to each of Sister-in-law Li's two children, and greeted them warmly, "Come, come, let's try it together, it's delicious."
The younger child was so happy that he wanted to grab the red fruit when he saw it. The older child grabbed the hem of Sister-in-law Li's clothes with one hand and looked up at his mother hesitantly.
Sister-in-law Li did not refuse. In her opinion, people interact with each other and come and go. The candied haws on a stick are not expensive, but it is rare for those traveling merchants and hawkers to come to these small villages, so they are relatively rare.
Today, she collected the sugar-coated haws from Xiao Dao Zhang. When the fruit trees in the village bear fruit in two days, she will just pick some and send them to Taoyuan Temple.
After taking the candied haws from Lingchu, Sister-in-law Li's eldest son, Wu Dawa, obviously had a better impression of Lingchu. The specific manifestation was that at least he no longer avoided looking at Lingchu.
Occasionally, I can even have a few words with Lingchu.
Lingchu also learned a lot of news from Da Wa.
In addition to the bonfire dancing at the finale of the bonfire party, the village also invited a troupe to perform operas and perform juggling performances.
There is a large open space at the entrance of Wujiacun, with a thick banyan tree growing in the middle, and a piece of red silk as thick as an adult's arm is tied to the trunk.
A simple stage was set up under the tree, and a circle was made of small stones. There were three firewood piles inside, but there was no fire. According to Da Wa, this was the highlight of the night, the fire jumping.
When Lingchu and Sister-in-law Li's family arrived, there was already a long line of stalls lined up at the entrance of the village. Singers wearing red, pink, blue and green and heavy makeup were also on the stage, waving their sleeves and singing.
Listening to the sometimes ups and downs, sometimes low-pitched singing, the noisy music played by gongs and drums, and the hustle and bustle of people coming and going.
Watching people from ten miles and eight villages, as well as visitors from other places, rubbing shoulders, young and old, men and women sitting and chatting casually, holding hands while walking around the market, the heat is rising from the stalls.
There is a sweet smell of sugar in the air, as well as the smell of fireworks from cooking noodles.
Lingchu was actually in a daze for a moment. After staying on the mountain for more than half a year, this was the first time he saw so many people and such a lively scene.
I don’t know why, but it still feels like a world away.
No wonder the immortals in the storybooks all look independent from the world.
She had only been practicing for less than half a year, but she already felt a little uncomfortable.
Young people don’t know what it’s like to be sad.
After just sighing, Lingchu and Da Wa stood in front of the candy maker's stall with blushing faces.
This is one of the busiest stalls in the small market.
Surrounded by carrot heads of all sizes.
With his flexible skills, Lingchu and Da Wa managed to fight their way from the outside and squeezed into the inside.
"This, this, I want this big tiger!"
The person making the candy man was a white-haired old man wearing a clean blue cloth. He looked at the chirping children in front of him with a kind smile on his lips, and deep wrinkles appeared in the corners of his eyes.
There is a row of twelve zodiac signs on the old man's stall, and each one is lifelike.
Lingchu took one look at it, pointed at the sugar tiger that looked like a tiger descending from the mountain, and shouted loudly.
There was nothing I could do, there were excited children all around, howling at every word you said.
There's no point in being louder.
For example, Da Wa followed Lingchu and asked in a low voice, "How much does a candy man cost?"
This question was drowned in the tide of sound, without causing any splash.
It happened that the girl who made the candy bunny got the candy bunny and was paying for it.
The eldest child watched quietly, and the little girl gave him fifteen cents.
Fifteen cents, Da Wa carefully touched the twenty cents hidden on her chest, and her worried little face finally showed a smile.
"Grandpa, I also want a big tiger!"
A loud sound, overwhelming the voices of all the children in an instant.
Lingchu was right next to Da Wa, so he naturally heard Da Wa's quiet question before, and was still thinking about whether to help Da Wa buy it together.
When she went down the mountain this time, in addition to the money Huan Niang had prepared for her, she also brought pocket money from Uncle He. Her money bag was now bulging.
Before I could decide whether to help buy it together, I was suddenly startled when I heard the eldest child's unusually loud voice, which had changed from his previous introversion.
Not only was Lingchu shocked, most of the children gathered here were from the village, so naturally they all knew and understood Da Wa.
First, he was shocked by the roaring voice, and then when he saw that it was Da Wa, the scene was very quiet for a while.
The old man who made the candy man was also frightened. Whose child was so angry?
Looking up at the lovely little girl in red and fair skin in front of him, and then at the child next to him who was calming the scene, Grandpa Sugarman smiled and said, "Two tigers, right?"
After a while, Lingchu and Dawa, each with a candy tiger, exited the candy-making circle.
Lingchu glanced at Da Wa, who had returned to his introverted look.
It is true that people cannot be judged by their appearance, and the ancients do not deceive me.
