"Don't grab it, don't grab it, come one by one! Well, this one belongs to you, and the fruit belongs to you, so eat slowly!"
A slightly older, but extremely kind and patient voice came from the direction of the kitchen. What came over earlier than the voice was a rich fruity aroma.
The three of them followed the sound and walked towards the back room on the left side of the back hall of the house. Surprisingly, the further they walked in, the cleanness and tidiness of the inner hall, as well as the exquisite carvings on the pillars and lintels, were incomparable with what they saw from the outside. The contrast between the dilapidation and the dilapidation seems to be completely different from the two worlds: What an old man who "keeps himself in the dark" and is good at "hiding wealth"!
It is said to be a back room, but it is actually a side hall. Judging from the fragrance wafting from the room, it may be the back kitchen.
In the center of the square well in the backyard, a lush plum tree is showing its most beautiful posture. The plum blossoms in full bloom add infinite warmth and warmth to this old house, which becomes more and more stylish the further you go in. Soft colors.
Under the tree, there is a stone table surrounded by four stone round stools. On one of the stools sits an old man with white beard and hair, wearing a white linen robe, looking like an immortal. On the stone table is a The basket is filled with a basket of handmade pastries the size of crab apples. The appearance of the pastries is also very similar to crab apples: swollen, almost completely transparent skin, it seems that you can see the filling inside, and it emits a dark red color. , and the top of the dough is dotted with a big red dot, which is very festive.
The old man took a piece of pastry and carefully broke it into three pieces. The outer layer of the puff pastry could be seen from the cut surface. It was so crispy that it fell apart. The filling inside was exposed, which was bright red, like a concoction. There was a mixture of red bean paste and flower petals, and some dried fruits embedded in it. The old man put them all on the palm of his hand and handed them to one of the long-tailed pheasants. One piece was pecked into its beak by the old man, and he raised his neck. , bent a few times, and was quickly swallowed; the second piece was also swallowed by another long-tailed pheasant in the same posture.
When the old man saw that they were eating so well, he put the remaining third piece into his mouth and chewed it carefully with them. He looked at the plum blossom petals with a smile, and was occasionally attracted by the long The chicken tails fluttered down and landed on the backs of the two chickens, adding a bit of spring color to their coats, which was so beautiful.
The two chickens ate so leisurely and comfortably, without any sense of strangeness or defensiveness. Obviously, this was not the first time that they and the old man had met, and this kind of "eating cake and making three people" was obviously not the first time they had combined. .
Seeing this scene of "one person and two chickens, enjoying food under the plum blossoms", the three of them all felt that the scene in front of them was very eye-catching, and they all stopped quietly without making a sound, just quietly admiring this quiet picture. No one had forgotten that they had originally carried the chicken all the way here.
"Hmm!"
In the end, Xiang Zhengxian couldn't help but clear his throat with a cough, breaking the "silent stealth mode" of the three of them.
"Hello, Mr. Xiang! The younger generation, Bo Wufu and his younger brother Zhong Wenfu, have been crowned today and are here to pay homage to the elders of the clan. Please forgive us for being presumptuous and not inviting us in. Is it possible for Yi Ga to come and pay homage to you?"
"It's just the two of you! You have caused my Ah Zhai and Ah Luan to almost fall into the wok. Why do you two have to choose my beloved as a gift bird? Since you two have finished the crowning ceremony, please also Stop thinking about my Luan and Zhai, that’s fine. If you don’t pay me your respects, I won’t accept it. Please come back immediately!”
The old man who had been looking at the two chickens with a kind face just now, as soon as he heard Xiang Zheng introduce himself, in a speed change that they could not imagine, his entire figure flashed in front of the three of them in "seconds", this efficiency , making the scalps of the three people numb, and they felt a white shadow flashing in front of their eyes. They had no time to know what the process was, and the old man was already standing in front of them.
The old man held his head high, with a shiny black jade hairpin inserted into a bun at the top. He held one hand behind his back and gently stroked his silver beard with the other, looking awe-inspiring and distant.
Although Zhao Cheng didn't know this old man, he knew "Luan and Zhai" as they were the names of ancient divine birds. He didn't expect that those who were chosen to serve as the ceremonial birds for the Xiang brothers would all be so famous. The origins of these two chickens, and they were raised by this old man, are unknown as to whether these two chickens were bought or tricked, but from the old man’s words, we can also guess that he Knowing that these two birds would have a chance to be selected, they were one of the alternatives. Although they were reluctant, it was not convenient to refuse because it was an important matter for the clan.
Fortunately, the ending was perfect. The two chickens returned to their owner's home and did not become a feast at the banquet.
"Please forgive me! I am the son of Zhao Wenzi, and today I am the 'praiser' for the Xiang brothers' crown ceremony. In the past, I heard my father say: according to the Zhou rites, after the crown is crowned, the recipient must hold a gift to pay homage to the elder. Listening to the warnings and blessings, this is to "wear the Xuanguan, Xuanduan, and Jue, and lay the foundation to see you sincerely, and then show your sincerity to the township doctor, Mr. Xiang." Dare to ask the venerable sir, look at the emperor's courtyard, the more inside it becomes, the more colorful it becomes, the carved beams and painted pillars, It is very beautiful. It can be seen that the gentleman is not an ordinary person. Naturally, he should be more respected for his strict etiquette than the ordinary people. Only now did he realize that the names of Zhai and Luan were originally raised by the king, and we should all bear them together. Thank you. Now that I know this bird is extraordinary, if I am more fortunate to hear your words of appreciation, wouldn’t it be the beauty and supreme merit of an adult? What’s more, you and these two are of the same race, respected and elders, and have the responsibility to teach the younger generations! Therefore, on behalf of the two of us, would you like to ask for some advice?"
When Zhao Cheng saw the old man's displeasure, he stepped forward and bowed deeply to him. He spoke sincerely and sincerely, and the words were touching and reasonable. It really made the old man's face turn back and became much softer. .
"Yes, yes! I don't know what I call you? I, our juniors, are rude, please forgive me, Mr. Xiang!"
Xiang Zheng saw that the old man's face had improved. More importantly, he was shocked by the "flash movement". Besides wanting to be taught and asked for blessings, what he wanted most was to learn this magical skill from his old man. effort.
"Junior Zhong Wenfu, I agree with my brother, please give me your blessing!"
Xiang Zhong also quickly saluted and interrupted, expressing his sincerity with the same level of attention.
Seeing these three juniors bowing to each other, this was enough to give him face. The old man was satisfied and took the hand behind his back to the front, spread his hands, held them up one by one, and said: " Okay, okay! No gifts, no gifts!"
Finally, this old man, who was not a bad person in the first place, returned to his "kind-hearted" nature. After standing up straight, he stepped back slightly, pointed to the stone table and bench over there with his sleeves, and said: " Now that we are here and there is a seat over there, let’s try the ‘Spring Heart Cake’ I just made together!”
"Okay! Great! What you ask for is disrespectful!"
Xiang Zheng was quite happy that his attitude toward the old man could change. He thought to himself that it didn't matter whether he ate snacks or not. What was important was that once the atmosphere relaxed, his selfish desire to "learn from his master" was gone. The opportunity comes true!
