The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.
Zhang Xiaozu and Pearl got off the carriage first, and then helped Zhang Guangyao down.
When Butcher Zhang saw Zhang Guangyao coming, a smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand to stroke his beard, and was surprised to find that his long beard had become frozen with snow foam.
"Grandpa, why are you standing outside? Don't freeze your body."
Zhang Xiaozhu saw a thick layer of snow on Butcher Zhang's head and shoulders. He quickly stepped forward to pat him, and took off his cloak and put it on him.
"Haha, I have a strong body, but I'm not as weak as you think." Butcher Zhang said with a smile.
Zhang Guangyao broke away from Pearl's support, took two steps forward, knelt down to Butcher Zhang at the doorstep, kowtowed: "I am an unfilial son, I kowtow to my father. I have made you wait for so long, and I have made you suffer so much. You really deserve it." Death!"
His words "I've been waiting for a long time" actually meant two things. It meant that Butcher Zhang had been waiting for a long time at this moment, and it also meant that he had been waiting for so many years and was exhausted from running around to treat him.
Butcher Zhang understood the meaning of his words, nodded happily and said, "It's good that you're here. Come in quickly, the food is ready."
The meals are sumptuous.
The three of them, grandfather and grandson, sat around a table, drinking, eating and chatting.
Let’s talk about Zhang Butcher’s heroic deeds, the embarrassing things that happened when Zhang Guangyao was a child, and the interesting things about Zhang Xiaopou when he was a child.
Talking and laughing, the atmosphere was very warm.
After the meal, Butcher Zhang said he had to deal with some military affairs and left the house in a carriage.
Zhang Guangyao drank two glasses of wine. He was too drunk and a little dizzy. Zhang Quan and Pearl helped him to rest in his room in the palace.
Zhang Xiaozhu declined the servant's escort and walked alone in the heavy snow, enjoying the snow scenery while strolling.
But the palace was very small, not even one-fifth of the Guowei Palace, and he was able to visit it all in a short while.
Then he walked to a roof sheltered from the snow and stood there all afternoon.
At dinner time, Butcher Zhang sent someone to inform him that he would not be coming back tonight or for the past two days, leaving Zhang Guangyao and Zhang Xiaozu to make their own arrangements.
Zhang Xiaozu knew that Butcher Zhang was making arrangements before leaving.
The father and son had dinner at the house, and then took a carriage back to the courtyard where Zhang Guangyao lived.
There was no free room in the courtyard for Zhang Xiaozhu to sleep, so Zhang Guangyao invited him to sleep in the same room. Naturally, he would not refuse his father's eagerly awaited invitation and readily agreed.
Zhang Guangyao was extremely happy.
Lying on the hot kang, listening to the swishing sound of the wind and snow hitting the windows, they should have fallen asleep quickly, but the father and son could not sleep.
Zhang Guangyao couldn't sleep because his closed heart reopened, his thoughts were chaotic, and his brain couldn't quiet down.
Of course, it was also directly related to the fact that he drank two glasses of wine at noon and slept for most of the afternoon.
Zhang Xiaozhu couldn't sleep simply because the kang was too hot. He felt like his whole body was burning and he really wasn't used to sleeping.
"Father, what does mother look like?" Zhang Xiaozhu knew that Zhang Guangyao was still awake, so he asked in a low voice.
"Go and light the lamp." Zhang Guangyao said.
Zhang Xiaozu lit the oil lamp as instructed.
Zhang Guangyao sat up with his clothes on, raised his hand and pointed to the northeast corner of the room, and said, "Bring that sandalwood box over."
Zhang Xiaozu followed the direction of Zhang Guangyao's finger and saw a wooden box three feet long and wide. He moved it to the kang according to Zhang Guangyao's instructions. At the same time, he couldn't restrain his excitement and anticipation, thinking that the box contained a portrait of his mother.
Zhang Guangyao opened the wooden box, and Zhang Xiaopou took a quick look and found that it was filled with a box full of wood carvings.
The wood carvings range from large to small, and each one is carved lifelike.
Zhang Xiaozu saw that all the wood carvings were of the same woman. He already knew without asking that these wood carvings must be carved in the likeness of his mother.
Zhang Guangyao reached out and picked up a wooden sculpture. The figure on the wooden sculpture was holding a book and reading, quietly and seriously.
His skinny fingers rubbed the wood carvings, his eyes became a little blurry, and he murmured softly: "These wood carvings were carved by me recalling your mother's appearance. Although the carvings are not delicate enough, they should be eighty-nine times like your mother's. .”
Zhang Xiaozu picked up the wood carvings one by one, looked at them carefully, and remembered his mother's various appearances in his heart.
"Your mother has a cheerful and lively personality, and loves to smile. She has two dimples on both sides of her mouth when she smiles. She is very cute and beautiful. When she is quiet, she looks very quiet. She likes to eat candied haws the most -"
Zhang Xiaozu was admiring the wood carvings, while Zhang Guangyao was talking about Shen Wenjun. Zhang Xiaozu finished admiring each one one by one, and Zhang Guangyao happened to finish talking too.
"Father, can I get two?" Zhang Xiaozu asked.
"certainly."
Zhang Xiaozu chose two wooden carvings and put them in the mustard seeds, and said with a smile: "I will keep one for myself and give the other to my mother when I see her to tell her how much you miss her."
Zhang Guangyao's cheeks turned red when Zhang Xiaopou said that.
"Father, can you teach me?" Zhang Xiaozhu asked suddenly. He was amazed by Zhang Guangyao's carving skills and wanted to learn it.
"Teach what?"
"This, carving." Zhang Xiaozhu pointed at the wood carving and said.
"How do you like it?"
"Um."
"Okay, I will teach you tomorrow."
Zhang Guangyao was very happy, and Zhang Xiaozhu's adoring eyes made him feel a sense of satisfaction.
"Father--"
"Um?"
"You are really too thin. You need to eat more meat to gain weight."
"hehe, ok."
"I have a body-tempering prescription that is of great benefit to the body. I wonder if you would like to try it?"
"My Dantian Qi Sea has been destroyed, there is no need to waste the elixir."
"The elixirs used are not very valuable, but you have to endure great pain during body tempering. I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it based on your current physical condition."
"Oh, forget it, it's okay."
"Don't you want to be more handsome and cool when you meet your mother?"
"……think."
"Then you eat more and recuperate your body. Then I will temper your body and make sure you are a hundred times cooler than you are now."
"All right."
After chatting for half an hour, the two turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next morning.
Zhang Xiaozu opened the door and couldn't help but widen his eyes. He saw that the snow on the ground was already piled as high as his calf.
"Young Master, are you scared?" Pearl asked with a smile at the door of the west wing.
It snowed in the past. At this time in the morning, she and Zhang Quan had already cleared the snow from the door and the yard. The reason why they didn't move it today was specifically for Zhang Xiaopou to see.
Zhang Xiaozu nodded in amazement and said: "This is the first time I have seen such heavy snow. It is so... so spectacular!"
He unfolded his subtle state of mind and saw that the streets, alleys, roofs and walls were all silver, and the sky and the earth were white, which was very spectacular.
"Young master, I want to go to the roof to sweep the snow. Do you want to come with me?" Zhang Quan asked with a broom in his hand.
"Okay." Zhang Xiaozu agreed happily.
Zhang Quan turned around and went into the utility room to find another broom. With the snow dripping down his legs, he walked up to Zhang Xiaozu and handed him a broom.
"Young master, the roof is very slippery, so be careful." Pearl warned worriedly.
"Don't worry, even if you fall from this height, you won't be able to hit me." Zhang Xiaozu responded.
He stood on the ridge of the roof, imitating Zhang Quan's movements, and pushed the snow layer down with a broom. The large pieces of snow immediately slid down the sloping roof, and fell to the snow on the ground with a bang-bang sound. .
“Young master, you don’t know that last year’s snowstorm, the snow fell heavily for a whole month and almost buried the entire Eternal City.
Countless houses were collapsed by the heavy snow.
It's too awful. "Zhang Quan sighed while sweeping away the snow.
"Human beings are too insignificant in the face of natural disasters."
Zhang Quan's words reminded Zhang Xiaozu of the drought in the southern border last year, and he couldn't help but sigh.
"Young Master, do you want to build a snowman for fun?" Pearl asked while sweeping the snow in the yard.
"That's a good feeling."
"You have to let me teach you. The snowman I built will be just like the real thing." Pearl said.
"That's not a snowman, that's a snow sculpture." Zhang Guangyao walked out of the room.
He carried a wooden box in his hand and walked to the yard along a path opened by Pearl. He raised his head and looked at Zhang Xiaopou on the roof and said, "Xiao Pou, don't you want to learn carving? How about you start practicing with snow sculptures?" ?”
"It's up to you." Zhang Xiaozu responded.
Zhang Guangyao looked at Pearl and ordered: "Zhenzhu, pile all the snow in the yard to the east wall and compact it. Be careful and try not to mix the soil in."
"clear."
"Let me do it."
Zhang Xiaozu jumped down from the roof and swept the snow on the ground with the broom in his round hand.
To be precise, slap it away.
The thick layer of snow was lifted up by him and flew towards the east wall.
"It's amazing!" Pearl couldn't help but marvel.
Because she carefully discovered that the snow blown away by Zhang Xiaopou was very clean, and there was no dirt on the ground at all.
This precise control shocked and amazed her.
Soon Zhang Xiaopou piled all the snow in the yard to the east wall, and then compacted the snow pile according to Zhang Guangyao's instructions.
Because there was too much snow, he finally built a rectangular refrigerator that was nearly a person tall, five feet thick, and as long as the courtyard wall.
Zhang Guangyao walked closer and placed the portable wooden box in his hand on the ground. It contained a variety of carving tools, which opened Zhang Xiaopou's eyes.
"Let me carve one for you to see first," Zhang Guangyao said.
"Um."
"When you get a piece of material and want to carve something, we first have to observe the shape and texture of the material, consider what kind of tool to use, where is the best place to cut, etc."
"Cut a piece three feet long and wide for me."
Zhang Xiaozu took out a bone knife and cut off a piece.
"Then outline the pattern on the material and just draw the lines lightly. Remember to make it too deep. If it is too deep, it may affect your subsequent carving."
As Zhang Guangyao spoke, he used the carving knife in his hand to lightly outline a portrait on the cut piece of snow.
Zhang Xiaozu discovered that what Zhang Guangyao had painted was the action he had just taken when he was waving a broom to sweep away the snow. The painting was very lifelike.
"Then carve roughly first, your hand should be steady, the knife should be moved slowly, and the force should be accurate-"
"Then there's fine carving, fine carving, and modification—"
Zhang Guangyao taught carefully.
Zhang Xiaozu studied seriously and developed his subtle state of mind, otherwise he felt that he would definitely not be able to learn it.
