one
In the past, when I was in Fengxue Village, sitting on the eaves felt like the days passed by like years, but now that I came to Dongfeng City, I felt that time flew by so fast.
The beginning of winter is here in a blink of an eye.
Xie Xiangcai stood in front of the table and looked out of the alley. The clothes of the people passing by had become much thicker.
The young man used all his strength and headed outside the house. As soon as he walked out of the house, a gust of cold wind blew and he quickly tightened his collar.
A burst of autumn rain and a burst of cold. As expected, this winter in the south has a bit of dampness and coldness that I have never felt in Fengxue Village.
He couldn't help but shudder, and then walked quickly towards the shop where the clothes were made.
The shop that makes winter clothes is located three streets away. The shopkeeper is an old man who is both a clerk and a worker. The old man has gray hair on his temples and a thin cheek. A handsome young man.
Seeing Xie Xiangcai rushing in through the door, the old shopkeeper quickly stood up with a smile and handed him a cup of hot tea, "Xie, it's already getting cold, isn't it?"
Xie Xiangcai smiled and nodded, took the hot tea and took a sip, feeling that his whole body felt much warmer.
The old shopkeeper walked tremblingly to the window with a small crack exposed, stretched out his hand to tighten the window, then turned around and moved toward the table behind the counter.
He searched for a long time in the wooden box under the table, and finally took out a navy blue coat. He walked up to Xie Xiangcai with a smile and put the coat into his arms.
Xie Xiangcai's hands sank, sighing in his heart that the old shopkeeper used reliable materials.
The young man smiled and shook off his big coat and put it on his body. It fit him just right.
The old shopkeeper's face was full of smiles, and his wrinkles spread like the roots of an old tree twisting underground. He stretched out his hand and touched Xie Xiangcai's body, and said slowly, "If my Lingling is still here, our grandson will be like you, Xiao Xie." It’s big…”
Xie Xiangcai was startled when he heard this.
The old shopkeeper sighed and waved his hand, "That's all."
Prime Minister Xie didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Shopkeeper, how much does the coat cost?"
The old shopkeeper smiled and said, "One tael of silver."
Xie Xiangcai hurriedly took out a piece of silver from his arms, stuffed it into the shopkeeper's hand, then turned around and ran towards his residence like flying.
The old shopkeeper looked at the five taels of silver in his hand in astonishment. After a while, he quickly walked to the door and shouted at the top of his voice towards the other side of the street, "Thank you, you gave me too much!"
No reply.
The old shopkeeper sighed and put the money into the purse at his waist.
He turned around and looked around the house, which seemed particularly deserted, and then glanced at the smoke coming out of the chimneys outside the house, and his smile couldn't help but turn bitter.
Xie Xiangcai was wearing a big coat and walking slowly on the street.
There were a lot of people coming and going. Even though it was getting dark early, they still didn't rush to close the stall. Instead, they threw the remaining unsold meat and vegetables into a large iron pot and stewed it.
The restaurant that bought the wine simply set up a big table at the corner of the street and asked the people who were passing by to sit down and eat, drink and chat.
"Thank you, Mr. Master, if you have nothing to do, come and drink and eat meat!"
"Thank you, Mr. Thank you for moving last time. Is the house short of charcoal in the cold weather?"
"Thank you, Master..."
"..."
When the neighbors saw Xie Xiangcai passing by, they all greeted him with smiles and hello.
Xie Xiangcai felt warm in his heart and responded with a smile.
He really wanted to sit and chat with the people, but at this moment, he had another more important thought in his mind.
The young man walked quickly towards a shop not far away from the street.
"Thank you, Mr. Sir, what do you want to buy today?"
The shop owner was a middle-aged man. He looked at Xiang Xiang and asked cheerfully.
Xie Xiangcai took out a bunch of copper coins from his arms and put them on the table that was slightly stained with flour. "Boss, please bring some dumpling wrappers."
The boss smeared the flour on his apron, reached out and pushed the coins back, then took out a large bag of dough from under the table and placed it in front of Xie Xiangcai.
"Thank you, Master, are these enough?"
Xie Xiangcai pushed the copper coin back again, "Boss, you can't give up the money."
The boss scratched his head, picked up the copper coins and threw them accurately into Xie Xiangcai's arms. He smiled and said, "Master Xie, these are all leftovers. If you don't keep what you have today until tomorrow, just accept it!"
After Xie Xiangcai heard this, he smiled and said no more. He thanked the boss and walked towards the south side of the street with the coins and dumpling wrappers.
Along the way, he bought a few more kilograms of meat, some cabbage, onions, ginger and other condiments, and then hurried towards the house.
When I was young in Fengxue Village, the beginning of winter was always the busiest time in the Xie Mansion. It was rare for the whole house to work together to do one thing.
Make dumplings.
Even if Xie Xiang is a young master who has no fingers in the spring water, he can't help but have the experience of making dumplings dozens of times.
I think my skill in making dumplings is incredible.
Carrying large and small bags, he came to the hut, took off his coat, and lit a charcoal fire. It didn't take long for the whole house to become warm.
He put the two tables together and wiped them spotless with a brand new rag.
He laid out the ingredients for making dumplings on the table one by one, then rolled up his sleeves and got ready to start work.
"Dong dong dong——"
There was a knock on the door suddenly.
Xie Xiangcai casually wiped the flour on his body and hands, walked forward and opened the door.
Outside the door, the bare-chested Seventh Young Master was holding a wine jar in one hand, a roast goose, a roast chicken, and a braised pig's ear in the other, leaning against the wall.
Xie Xiangcai was startled.
He hadn't seen his seventh senior brother for a month, and he seemed to be a little more mellow.
The young man hurriedly welcomed the Seventh Young Master into the house.
The Seventh Young Master looked at the meat and dough on the table, laughed, and placed the roast goose and wine jar on the plate beside the table.
"Senior Brother Seven, why are you here?"
"I know you're alone, so why don't I come here to drink with you and brag?"
"Isn't today a holiday?"
"The South is not a festival, but the North is!"
The Seventh Young Master patted Xie Xiangcai on the shoulder and said, "Why are you standing there in a daze? Chop meat and stuff it to make dumplings!"
The young man was moved in his heart. He quickly suppressed his sore nose and went to pick up the kitchen knife inserted on the chopping board with a smile.
The house was originally small, but fortunately, during these days, craftsmen were hired to extend a useless open space to the outside, creating a space that could be used as a kitchen, so that the young man could take some time out of his busy schedule to cook some food for himself.
Xie Xiangcai held the kitchen knife and was about to chop the meat when he was stopped by the Seventh Young Master.
"Junior brother, it's wrong!"
When the young man heard this, his palm holding the kitchen knife hung in the air, and he turned his head to look at the seventh senior brother who was walking slowly with some confusion.
The Seventh Young Master walked over leisurely, took the kitchen knife from Xie Xiangcai's hand, raised his hand into the air, and then suddenly let go.
The kitchen knife did not fall, but was held up by the energy emanating from the Seventh Young Master's body.
The Seventh Young Master moved his finger, and the kitchen knife moved accordingly.
A cold light flashed on the knife's surface, and when the knife fell, the fat and thin pork belly suddenly split into two halves.
Up and down again, the pieces of meat gradually become smaller.
Xie Xiangcai's eyes widened and he lay in front of the chopping board, looking at the natural texture of the pork, amazed in his heart.
The meat doesn't look like it's been split apart by external forces, but more like it's splitting apart naturally.
The Seventh Young Master handed the kitchen knife back to Xie Xiangcai, "Not long ago, I was visiting Bangpu and met a butcher. He was very good at cutting off cattle. The butcher knife in his hand was still as good as new after being used for decades. Same thing, when I was drinking with him, I figured out how to slaughter a cow, little junior brother, guess what happened?"
The young man pondered for a moment and shook his head, not knowing the answer.
The Seventh Young Master brushed the kitchen knife with his fingertips, "The old butcher said, he is just good at observation. He has known everything about the structure and context of the cow's body for decades. When slaughtering the cow, he does not need to use brute force, but follows the direction of the slaughter. With just one stroke on the bone meridians, the bones and flesh can be separated, making it appear natural."
Xie Xiangcai immediately said, "This is 'natural'."
The Seventh Young Master gave a thumbs up, "Natural means unintentional. It exists in the invisible yet tangible. If you can be natural at all times, your martial arts will be considered invincible in the world."
After speaking, he patted his chest and said, "Just like your senior brother."
Xie Xiangcai nodded heavily, held the kitchen knife in his hand, and released his consciousness into the small pieces of pork belly.
Suddenly, the young man was sweating profusely. He simply took off his clothes and left his upper body bare, feeling every fiber between the flesh and the flesh.
After half an hour, he breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, and picked up the kitchen knife with confidence.
The falling knife is like a god!
In less than half an hour, the delicate and distinct meat fillings were already covered on the entire chopping board.
The Seventh Young Master said "Hmm" with satisfaction, and helped Xie Xiangcai move the minced meat and chopped cabbage leaves into a wooden bowl the size of a washbasin. After entering, the two of them each grabbed several chopsticks and stirred vigorously against a pot of minced meat.
"Bang bang bang——"
Just when Xie Xiangcai took the chopsticks out of the meat stuffing, someone suddenly knocked on the door very rudely.
He frowned and stepped forward, opening the door with a creak.
Standing outside the door was still an old friend whom he had not seen for a long time.
The young shopkeeper of the tavern, the white-haired "youngster" Hu Jie.
The young man looked at Hu Jie with empty hands in surprise, curled his lips and said, "What are you doing here?"
Hu Jie rolled his eyes at Xie Xiangcai, "What's wrong? I can't come anymore?"
Xie Xiangcai sighed and had no choice but to turn sideways and walk into the house.
The white-haired boy glanced at the Seventh Young Master who was playing with the minced meat, and said in a somewhat sinister tone, "Hey, isn't this the Lord of the City?"
When the Seventh Young Master saw Hu Jie who suddenly came into the room, his face twitched very obviously, but he soon returned to his natural state. He turned his head to the side without saying a word, staring at the minced meat in a daze.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while, and Prime Minister Xie couldn't help but feel at a loss, but he quickly coughed dryly, turned his head to look at Hu Jie and asked, "Can you make dumplings?"
Hu Jie snorted coldly, "Making dumplings? Who doesn't know how to do this?"
Xie Xiangcai nodded slightly, then pointed at the dumpling wrappers on the table that formed a hill.
"Then come on, let's do it!"
Hu Jie raised his eyebrows, "What, you want me to help you make dumplings? Okay, just remember to pay me when you're done!"
Xie Xiangcai's face was covered with black lines. He pulled Hu Jie's sleeves and pulled him to the table, "Okay, okay, stop talking nonsense and do it. After eating the dumplings, I will give you the money!"
The young man looked at the white-haired boy and nodded with satisfaction, cursing this guy a thousand times in his heart for falling into the eyes of money.
The three of them worked together, and after half an hour of win-win cooperation, they made a table of weird dumplings in perfect harmony.
If you have to choose a general among the dwarves, only the dumplings made by Xie Xiangcai can be seen as "dumplings".
Xie Xiangcai walked to the stove, boiled half a pot of water, and put three or two dumplings in. When the water boiled and the dumplings floated up, he turned off the heat and put them into three small bowls, and placed them in front of himself, Seventh Young Master, and Hu Jie respectively.
The young man took the lead in using his chopsticks and stuffed the unsatisfactory-looking dumpling into his mouth. He held it in his mouth unconfidently for a long time before stamping his feet and chewing it twice.
"It's ugly, but it tastes...ok."
Hu Jie swallowed the dumplings wholeheartedly and nodded slightly.
The Seventh Young Master on the side slapped the table, took off the gourd from his waist and took a sip, also nodding in appreciation.
Xie Xiangcai chewed his food carefully, feeling a little unconsciously in his heart.
The three of them looked at each other, and in unison, they rolled up their sleeves a little higher, and looked at the remaining dumpling-skin hill with their heads down as if facing a formidable enemy.
After another half an hour, the three of them finally made a table full of dumplings.
Xie Xiangcai collapsed on the bed with some back pain, and so did the other two.
"Hey, when are we going to eat?"
Hu Jie was lying on the far right, turning to look at Xie Xiangcai in the middle.
Prime Minister Xie turned to look at the Seventh Young Master on the far left.
"Senior Brother Seven, when will we eat?"
The Seventh Young Master remained silent.
Xie Xiangcai and Hu Jie sat up at the same time and turned their heads to look at the Seventh Young Master. After they calmed down, they heard the other party snoring slightly.
"Tsk, tsk, beauty..."
The Seventh Young Master chirped, turned over, and kicked Xie Xiangcai and Hu Jie out of bed together.
Xie Xiangcai sat down on the ground and blushed for a moment when he heard the word "beauty".
Hu Jie on the side didn't get up when he saw Xie Xiang. He sat on the ground side by side with him and said mockingly, "What's wrong, are you thinking of spring?"
Xie Xiangcai stood up quickly, grabbed the coat beside the bed, and rushed out of the room like a gust of wind, leaving only one sentence.
"Wait until I come back for dinner!"
Hu Jie clicked his tongue, stood up, stretched out, and walked around the house leisurely. Finally, he walked to the Seventh Young Master who was sleeping soundly, and sighed, "Old Seventh, Old Seventh, what are you doing about this?" Junior brother, you are a little too attentive..."
"Master, if you ever...forget it, damn it..."
two
On the street, the navy blue figure turned into a blur and swept towards the north.
It was already dark outside, but every house was brightly lit, and the scent of chrysanthemums and honeysuckle floated in the air, refreshing the mind.
People in the north like to make dumplings at the beginning of winter, while people in the south like to scavenge scabies at the beginning of winter.
Xie Xiangcai walked through the streets and alleys, and finally stood in front of the hibiscus bush.
The drooped head of hibiscus quietly lifted up a little, its buds opened, and the fragrance of flowers overflowed.
"Moon Girl!"
Xie Xiangcai called in a low voice.
After dozens of such sounds, the window was slowly opened a small crack, and Yueying poked her head out, her hair wet.
Yueying looked at Xie Xiangcai with a smile and asked softly, "Mr. Xie, is there something wrong?"
Xie Xiangcai's heartbeat quietly accelerated, "Miss Yue, are you okay tonight?"
"nothing!"
"Miss Yue, my family has cooked dinner. Do you want to come over and eat with me?"
"Are they dumplings?"
"Miss Yue, how do you know?"
"Today is the beginning of winter. Didn't you say you are from the north?"
"Yes, let's eat dumplings. My Seventh Senior Brother and the owner of Youpeng Tavern are also here."
"Oh, there are others."
"Yue...Miss Yue, don't worry, they are both good men who are upright and not afraid of shadows. They won't do anything to you!"
"I didn't say I didn't dare."
"Then... Miss Yue... are you... coming?"
Yueying did not hesitate and nodded slightly.
She retracted her head into the room, and not long after, the window was completely opened. Yue Ying was wearing a long skirt and a red flower jacket draped over her upper body.
Yueying stood in front of the window, looking down at Xie Xiangcai under the window.
Xie Xiangcai scratched his head, raised his neck and looked at Yue Ying, "Miss Yue, why are you coming down here?"
Yueying pondered.
The boy's cheeks turned red and he opened his arms tentatively, "How about...Miss Yue, please jump down! I'll catch you!"
Yue Ying smiled "Pfft", and saw the soles of her feet tapping the ground, her figure swept out of the window, and landed firmly on the ground.
Xie Xiangcai's arms froze in the air, his eyes widened and he said, "Miss Yue, it turns out you know martial arts!"
Yueying snorted softly, "Who said I can't do it?"
Xie Xiangcai was thoughtful.
At this time, a cold wind blew, and Yueying couldn't help but sneeze.
The boy looked at the girl's long wet hair. After hesitating for a moment, he stretched out his palm. A warm breeze blew out of his palm, drying the girl's hair in just a few breaths.
Yue Ying turned her head, her eyes as bright as stars staring at the young man's delicate face.
Xie Xiangcai quickly turned his head and stammered, "Yue...Miss Yue...let's...let's go?"
Yue Ying nodded lightly, and Lian Bu was about to move forward, but paused.
Because the young man stopped first.
Xie Xiangcai looked towards the back of the street and thought of the old shopkeeper who made clothes.
The beginning of winter is a day for family reunion, but he was guarding the shop alone.
The young man tilted his head and told Yue Ying what he was thinking.
The girl's smile became softer, she nodded slightly, and then followed Xie Xiangcai towards the street behind.
In the shop, the old shopkeeper took out half a piece of cold steamed bun from his arms under a spark of fire, preparing to take a casual bite with the dried radish on the table.
"Dong dong dong——"
There was a sudden knock on the store door. The old shopkeeper stepped forward with some confusion and gently opened the wooden door.
Outside the door, young girls looked at him with smiles.
The old shopkeeper was a little stunned. Looking at Xie Xiangcai in front of him, he subconsciously put his withered palm into the money bag and said while groping, "Xie, you gave me too much money..."
Xie Xiangcai held down the old shopkeeper's hand and said with a smile, "Old shopkeeper, no need! Have you eaten? If not, go to my house. There is no food tonight, so it's busy!"
The old shopkeeper subconsciously wanted to refuse, but before he could say anything, Xie Xiangcai and Yue Ying took one of the old shopkeeper's arms and rushed out of the house.
Two strands of soft power wrapped the old shopkeeper's thin body, making the old man inside feel as warm as spring.
Not long after, the three of them came to Xie Xiangcai's hut together.
Xie Xiangcai took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The Seventh Young Master and Hu Jie were standing on both sides of the table, each holding a thigh of the roast goose and facing each other from a distance.
When they saw the door being pushed open, they released their hands at the same time and took a step back shyly.
Xie Xiangcai couldn't help but laugh, then turned around and hurriedly welcomed the old shopkeeper and Yue Ying in.
The eyes of the Seventh Young Master and Hu Jie only stayed on the old shopkeeper for a moment, and then they looked at the girl behind the old shopkeeper in unison.
Hu Jie chuckled, "No wonder you rushed out in such a hurry. It turns out you brought your little girlfriend with you, right? After a while..."
The old shopkeeper turned his head to look at Xie Xiangcai beside him in a dull manner, "Xiao Xie... are you... the Eighth Young Master?"
Xie Xiangcai smiled bitterly, nodded slightly, and then looked at Hu Jie with fire in his eyes.
Yue Ying took a step back with a blush on her cheeks, keeping some distance from Xie Xiangcai.
Xie Xiangcai quickly calmed down his expression and said seriously, "Miss Yue and I... are just friends, you guy, don't talk nonsense."
The Seventh Young Master was obviously very interested, but his eyes did not stay too long on Yue Ying. He patted the table and said loudly, "We have the beauty, wine and food, so let's get started!"
Xie Xiangcai nodded heavily and smiled brightly at the old shopkeeper and Yue Ying beside him, showing his white teeth.
"Eating dumplings!"
