Princess Changping has withdrawn from the stage of history.
I don’t know if Wu Nuxia, who relied on her to secretly investigate the murderer of her father, has found out what she wanted to find out, and I don’t know if the fox demon who repaid her kindness in Changjing has gained freedom.
Whether Yu Zhizhou, who was transferred back to the capital to take on important responsibilities, was involved, and whether County Sheriff Liu was affected by the storm.
I think it was a huge storm.
After all, there are so many old friends.
Song You was away from home, so although he could not see the turmoil and undercurrents in the capital, he did not feel it was a pity. At that time, he might have been climbing the Wucai Pond in Yuezhou, or listening to the snow in front of the Yuelong Waterfall, or he might have been walking in the mountains left over from ancient times. He was waiting for the divine bird to fly in the green tung forest. What he saw in front of him was a scenery and wonder that ordinary people would never see in their lifetime.
General Chen is destined to be a famous general through the ages.
Even if he is harmed by the emperor or powerful officials in the end, even if time changes him in the future, even if he is not saved in the later years, this still cannot be changed.
The Taoist was thousands of miles away, in the farthest state from Changjing in the east, in a remote and inconspicuous small county. He spent time with his cat, harvested and dried chili peppers several times, while working. While trying to teach a cat how to grow food, it wasn't until the morning of New Year's Eve that he took the cat with him, followed by the young swallow, and went out to buy meat.
There are very few commodities in this small town, even during the New Year.
Except for some agricultural supplies, the vegetarian dishes are mainly pickled vegetables and cellared vegetables. There are very few fresh vegetables. It is because of the Chinese New Year that there are many meat sellers.
After shopping around, I bought a big pig's trotter, a few ribs, and two or two cuts of meat.
Also bought a chicken.
It's not that he has too many scruples because swallows are also birds. Although this swallow is timid by nature, he is also more sensitive. If he notices it, he may blame himself.
It is common for people to eat chicken.
It's okay to avoid some taboos appropriately, but in addition, it's better to let nature take its course. Just like the Sanhua Empress eating mice, Song You can't stand watching it. In this case, it's okay not to watch it.
When I came back, I borrowed the store's stove to pack up everything, and then borrowed the store's pot to prepare the brine in the morning. After boiling the brine, I threw the pig's trotters, ribs, and chicken in to cook.
New Year's Eve is bustling with activity.
Outside, there were people playing brightly dressed people with heavy make-up, singing and dancing, playing suona and waist drums. The people behind them were carrying local gods that can eliminate diseases, walking through the streets. Occasionally, you could see the local magistrate and his wife. The family members walked through the street followed by many attendants. They could also see many Jianghu warriors, who also came to the street in groups. Most of them carried different styles of long knives. They were probably the largest in Zhaozhou. Pai Hanjiangmen's influence.
The braised meat in the house was bubbling.
Song You also took a bench and sat outside to watch this rare bustling scene.
But today, in this small town, everyone who lives around this inn or walks by it smells a strong fragrance.
This is a taste that does not belong to this era.
"What is the taste?"
“It smells so good!”
"It seems to smell like meat!"
"Ouch, which family did it come from?"
"It smells so good!"
I don’t know if the aroma of wine is not afraid of deep alleys, but the aroma of meat is definitely not afraid of deep alleys.
People who are used to eating meat may not feel it, but if you are locked up in one place for a period of time and the supplies are insufficient, even an ordinary stewed meat will be very weak when it is far away, and people who smell it will also I feel so ecstatic, not to mention the braised pork which has a rich and alluring smell.
Unless you don’t like meat in the first place.
But the people in this city have not only been without meat for a while.
Even the innkeepers, who live relatively well-to-do, were surprised when they smelled the rich aroma of meat coming from their own stoves.
This Taoist borrowed his own stove, so he naturally wanted to watch what this Taoist was doing with his own stove. It was not easy to keep staring, but he also knew that this Taoist used some spices and cooked something. The pot said it was called brine, and at first it only smelled of spices. It smelled strange, but it didn't make me want to eat much. But as soon as the meat was added, the taste suddenly changed.
The store owner couldn't help but ran to Song You, bowed and asked:
"What's the name of what you cooked sir?"
"Go back to the store, it's called Braised Pork."
"Braised pork?"
“The way I do it in my hometown is not common in the outside world.”
"..."
The store owner's mind immediately became active.
I wanted to ask this Taoist if he could teach me, and then I thought about the large number of spices weighed in proportion. Each one seemed to be extremely meticulous, and I felt that this was some secret that was not passed down. I want to say that I can waive his rent or pay him some other price, but I always feel a little reluctant to do so. I just wanted to bite the bullet and be more generous, but I also felt that this Taoist would live here for more than twenty days and might do it again. I just need to look more carefully next time and read it a few more times, maybe I can learn it. It would be nice to be nice to him, take better care of him, and give him more things.
He was calculating in his mind, but before he could come up with a result, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw this man turning his head and looking at him with a smile.
That gaze seemed to be able to see into people's hearts.
"!"
The store owner couldn't help being surprised.
It was as if Xiao Jiujiu had been discovered in his heart. It wasn't that he was guilty or afraid, but more like a naked sense of shame.
However, the man in front of him smiled: "Do you want to try it, store owner?"
"This...how is this good?"
"Is the store here to celebrate the New Year?"
"Originally, I wanted to go back to the outside of the city and take my father over with me. However, my father has passed away this autumn. The eldest son is doing business abroad and the second son has not returned from the army. So we, the old couple, have to spend the New Year here. , I’ll go out to visit relatives after the New Year.”
"That's just right." Song You smiled at him and said, "I have a lot of meat to cook, but there are no other dishes and no rice. If the store owner is willing, he can divide the cooked vegetables and rice among others, and I will also cook some. Wouldn't it be nice to share some of the braised pork with the store?"
"Isn't that taking advantage of sir?"
"The store is joking." Song You laughed again, "How can this be said during the Chinese New Year?"
"That……"
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and found that he could no longer find a reason to refuse, so he had no choice but to bury his head and said, "It's better to be respectful than obey."
The Taoist continued to sit here and watch the excitement.
There aren’t many places to visit in the small town, and as soon as it gets dark, it’s New Year’s Eve.
The sound of firecrackers can be heard sporadically.
Song You stood in front of the window of the room upstairs and looked out, but there was no trace of fireworks in the sky. Then he looked at the streets elsewhere. Although he could see shops lighting up lights, there were people walking on the streets holding lanterns, and the lanterns reflected them. There were many figures swaying in the darkness outside, but they were not like those in Yidu in Changjing, where lanterns were lit in front of every house.
But it's not that it's not lively here, it's just that the way of liveliness is different.
You have to see it from those dark shadows, you have to see it from the noisy and noisy sounds.
After staying for a few days, Song You quite liked it here.
"call……"
A cold wind blew into the room.
Song You closed the window and turned back to the house.
There were also lanterns lit in the room, one hanging at the door and one hanging on the bedside, both ordered by Empress Sanhua. An oil lamp was lit in front of the table, which also ignited without oil. Half of the dishes were placed on the table.
Several kinds of braised pork made by Song You are chopped into pieces or slices at will, and served in thick bowls. They don't seem to be very particular, but the color and aroma are very attractive. The store also makes its own stewed meat, jelly skin, and deep-fried meat. The river fish and tofu balls were brought to him in large bowls. The craftsmanship seemed to be very ordinary. Most places do not have much cooking skills these days, but the portion did not treat him badly at all.
A small plate of raw lean pork and a small raw fish.
Two figures were already sitting at the table.
A little girl, sitting upright, turned to look at him, a handsome young man with a reserved expression.
"..."
Song You smiled and sat down at the table.
"Eat."
"Ouch!"
Sanhua Empress was not polite. She had been craving for the braised pork that the Taoist priest told her about. She was too lazy to use chopsticks, so she reached out and grabbed a piece of ribs.
As usual, take a sniff before putting it in your mouth.
The Taoist looked at her with a smile on his face:
"Is it delicious, Miss Sanhua?"
"..."
The little girl lowered her head and gnawed intently, and a low whine came out of her mouth as an answer. She was never allowed to speak when she was eating.
Until you finish chewing one piece, hold the bone in your hand, chew the meat in your mouth and swallow it, smash the juice in your mouth carefully to make sure there is no residue, then put the bone into your mouth and chew it, not only It is to swallow the marrow and juice inside, as well as the bones and residue.
Young Yanzi was shocked after seeing the operation.
The little girl turned her head and looked at the Taoist.
Her eyes seemed to glow under the light.
However, he still didn't answer immediately. Instead, he kept looking at him, as if he was thinking about a reply or organizing his words. It took him a long time to speak, but he asked rhetorically:
"Why don't you throw away the water in which the meat was cooked?"
"Save it for cooking next time."
“I’ll cook it next time!”
"yes."
"Can it be cooked again?"
"certainly."
After Song You answered this, he frowned.
There was another ominous premonition in my heart.
Sure enough, the little girl sitting next to him already looked thoughtful again. If you look carefully, you can see that her head is still nodding slightly imperceptibly, and her eyes are turning, and she suddenly looks towards the people in the room. The small mobile stove that came to keep warm and boil water suddenly looked at the quilt bag containing the small pot.
"..."
Song You was helpless and speechless. He could only sigh and pick up the meat for her: "Sanhua Empress, eat more..."
The little girl looked down at her bowl. Although she reached out to pick it up, she said to him seriously:
"Taoist priest, eat more!"
It looked like he wanted to save his stomach for eating at midnight.
"well……"
So whether it’s a cat or a child, sometimes having too strong learning ability, hands-on ability, and self-care ability may not always be a good thing, especially for an all-around child who is strong in everything.
After eating, we went out for a walk with lanterns and felt the atmosphere of the people celebrating the New Year in this remote northern town.
…
That night, at midnight.
The people living near the inn smelled a strange aroma similar to that in the daytime. Although it was not as strong as the daytime, and the meaty aroma was not as strong, it was still attractive.
The innkeeper and his wife were also awakened by the fragrance.
First, the wife woke up the shopkeeper and said she smelled the aroma. The shopkeeper was impatient at first and only said that she ate the braised pork cooked by the customer tonight and missed it so much that she smelled the aroma in her dream. However, just after I finished speaking, I also smelled the same aroma. I got up and turned on the lamp to check. When I got to the stove room, I didn't see any fire. When I went upstairs to look, I found that the gentleman's room was also quiet and dark. , the aroma didn't come from the husband's room, I couldn't help but feel confused.
But smelling the aroma, it seems to be still warm.
I searched and found nothing.
I walked to the cupboard and opened it. I saw that the braised pork that my husband and I didn't want to eat tonight and wanted to keep for two days to share with my brother and nephew who were walking around the city was also put in the bowl. It wasn't stolen by any neighbor or thief, but I couldn't help but grab two pieces of pig's trotters, stuffed one into my mouth, held the other in my hand, and shared it with my old wife when I went back to the room.
"It's really weird."
The shopkeeper shook his head and muttered as he walked.
(End of chapter)
