When February 2 comes, everyone really starts to get anxious. Because this day is the folk Blue Dragon Festival, which is also known as the dragon raising its head.
Today was supposed to be a rainy day, but looking up at the sky, it was still a cloudless day. This is a rare good weather for Liang Chuan, a person who has suffered from smog. However, this weather has made all the farmers sad because it still hasn't rained.
It rained and cleared on February 2nd, and grass sprouts sprouted for a while. The second day of February in Bai Juyi's works is the beginning of the new rain. According to folklore, it will rain today. This is a beautiful legend.
The Dragon Girl of the Dragon Palace fell in love with a poor boy from the seaside. This young man played the flute very well and played at the beach every day. Even the third princess of the Sea Dragon King was fascinated by the sound of the flute. The three princesses secretly went ashore to have a private meeting with this loser, but the matter was exposed and the third princess was imprisoned by the Dragon King. The dragon girl has been locked in the sea for too long, and there is no hope of meeting her. It was easy to start crying, but who knew that the eyes of the third princess turned out to be eyes of sea springs. Starting from February 2, water from the East China Sea began to sprinkle on the world, and the rain did not stop.
There are no people under the camphor trees today. Today every household has to carry out the task of "repelling insects". After the dragon raised its head, hundreds of insects began to hibernate, and snakes, scorpions, insects and ants began to move out. Most of the houses in ancient times were made of earth and wood, and many were even built with lumps of earth, making them easily infested by these insects and ants. If one of these pests accidentally gets into your home, a sting may cause you to be bedridden for several days, or may be life-threatening.
Today we have to worship the Earth God again. The Earth Art Lady of the new house bought a piece of pork and a chicken, then picked a big grass carp from the water tank and slaughtered it to make three animals to worship the land. Some people’s families have basically finished the good wine and food they bought during the Spring Festival, and they have to buy again today.
After worshiping the land, Yi Niang cut a piece of red paper into the shape of scissors and pasted it on the walls, doors and windows. Li Erhua made the shape of a rooster out of cotton and hung it in the room. These images were intended to repel snakes and scare away insects and ants. .
In Liang Chuan's view, these childish behaviors will definitely not have the effect of repelling insects, but he does not point out that psychological comfort can sometimes play a more effective role than verbal persuasion.
After completing these forms of deworming work, it’s time for some real work.
Yi Niang picked some cabbage and boiled it in a pot. After boiling, the water in the pot turned into a potion. He took the potion in the washbasin and sprinkled it in every room. Liang Chuan asked what this meant. Yi Niang shook her head. She didn't understand either, but this was a method of 'forbidding hundreds of insects' passed down from generation to generation. Liang Chuan picked up the cabbage in the pot and looked at it. It seemed to be kohlrabi. Can it repel insects? .
The bedding on the bed should be taken out to be shaken and dried, and the removable bed boards should also be taken out to bask in the sun. There has been no sunshine all winter. Taking advantage of the sun now can kill the insect mites and fleas on the mattress.
Except for the method of sunbathing the bedding, which Liang Chuan thought was more reliable, other methods to repel insects were simply unimaginable. Liang Chuan just smiled and stood watching.
As he watched, something happened that made him furious. In the main hall of He's ancestral hall, many floor tiles have been broken and are just covering the floor. They can be lifted up with just a lift of the hand. After the artist sprinkled the vine water, a huge centipede actually emerged from under the floor tiles!
Liang Chuan has seen strong winds and waves, but he has never seen such a powerful insect! The centipede opened its teeth and claws, and each of its feet moved. Its body was so dark that it seemed like it could be used as a mirror. Many places on its head and feet were already red, reflecting a frightening luster. This giant centipede might be as long as Liang Chuan's hand. It's a good thing Yi Niang didn't see it, otherwise the scream would have definitely brought down the roof!
With quick eyes and quick hands, Liang Chuan dodged into the kitchen, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and immediately ran back to the hall. Liang Chuan's hair immediately stood up when he thought of living with such a big guy for so long. How could he let you run away? With such a big bomb hidden next to him, don't even think about sleeping in the future.
The big red-headed centipede was sprayed with the anti-insect potion by Yi Niang. It looked a little angry, brandishing a few pairs of big hooks and was looking for someone to vent its anger. When it saw Liang Chuan coming, it went straight to Liang Chuan!
Seeing such a big bug coming towards him, Liang Chuan would probably have used pepper spray to kill it. He wouldn't have dared to fight at close range even if he didn't have the guts to do so. But things are different now. Since practicing the ax every day, I have become more precise in controlling the power of my hands. I can click wherever I want with the end of the ax handle without making any mistakes. Now I have replaced it with chopsticks. , it is even simpler to use.
The chopsticks firmly clamped the body of the red-headed centipede. Liang Chuan lifted it up and put it in front of him for a closer look. The more he looked at it, the more ferocious it became. The centipede twisted its body vigorously, trying to break away from Liang Chuan's chopsticks. How dare Liang Chuan let it run away? With this big guy between his legs, it felt like wind was blowing under his feet, and he ran out of the ancestral hall at high speed, heading straight for He Baozheng's home. go.
He Baozheng was holding a pot of incense in his hand and burning it everywhere in the house. This choking smell of smoke was unbearable even to people, let alone the insects and ants in the cracks in the walls.
He Baozheng was startled when he saw Liang Chuan running towards him like he was dying. He was about to ask him what happened. Could it be that seeing him look so panicked would lead to today? When he looked carefully, he saw that Liang Chuan was holding a big thing in his hand! The big centipede was not dead yet, and was twisting vigorously in Liang Chuan's hands.
"Hurry up and stay away from me. This thing is no joke. If you get stung by it, you may die. Sanlang, you are crazy!" He Baozheng almost yelled at Liang Chuan.
"Stop yelling, my ears are almost deafened by your yelling. Quick, take out the sorghum wine you brewed at home. Put this in and soak it. This is a great tonic!"
He Baozheng's Qiqiao was about to burst into smoke and shouted: "Who told you that a living centipede can be brewed into wine? You are not afraid of drinking it to death, but I am afraid!"
Liang Chuan immediately stopped when he heard this, and said with a smile: "I don't understand this either. I thought that medicinal wine is made by just throwing things into the wine, haha..."
He Baozheng said: "You have to first stretch this centipede on a piece of bamboo and dry it in the sun, then find a snake and add some blood vines, so that you can make wine and throw it directly into the wine. That will be a waste of wine!" This kid! Whatever comes to mind is what it is, it's all nonsense.
Liang Chuan touched the back of his head, walked back with a look of enlightenment, and murmured to Centipede: "Brother, it's a pity that you have practiced Taoism for hundreds of years. If you hadn't met me, I would have given you a thunderbolt." You can survive the tribulation, but unfortunately your luck is a little bit worse, so you should be more careful next time you reincarnate."
Liang Chuan exerted force on his hand and pinched it with his chopsticks, and the big centipede stopped kicking. After being tormented by Liang Chuan for a while, he finally went to the West to see the Buddha. Liang Chuan cut a bamboo strip and inserted it into the body of the centipede. He stretched it out on a stone in the yard and prepared to dry it in the sun.
Yi Niang didn't know that such a big centipede had appeared in the ancestral hall. After cleaning the inside and outside, she hid in the kitchen. The kitchen is the most important place after the bedroom, and poisonous insects are afraid of oil fumes. Therefore, people in this era will eat a kind of onion pancake called "Pulling Dragon Scales" on this day, and the noodles they eat are called "Tiaolongwei". If it is Dumplings are called "Dragon Nazhu", and everything must have something to do with the dragon, a divine creature, to be blessed with divine light.
Yi Niang soaked the millet in water for a long time. After the millet became soft, she pounded it into a paste with a stone pound. Coat the surface of the pot with a layer of oil, use a spoon to pour the millet paste into the pot, and use a trowel to spread the Mihu evenly. The thickness of the rice cereal is very thin, just like paper. It can be fried in a short time under the heat of the pan. Sprinkle with some chopped green onion or meat and egg filling. It is crispy, sweet, delicious and delicious.
As soon as Yi Niang's onion pancakes came out of the pan, Liang Chuan couldn't wait to take one and put it to his mouth to eat. The faint aroma of green onions, the rich aroma of sesame oil, and the faint aroma of meat filling will make people want to eat. The scallion pancake was so hot that Liang Chuan took turns holding it in his hands. I blew a few strong breaths through my mouth to lower the temperature, and then took a bite. The rice was fragrant and not greasy. It really had a unique flavor!
Yi Niang spread out several scallion pancakes, put them in bowls, and ordered Liang Chuan to take them out for everyone to have a taste. Yang Xiu and the others were also busy cleaning their houses. They were already hungry, so each of them took a piece of green onion pancake and ate it slowly.
Liang Chuan also sent a piece of cake to He Baozheng. When He Baozheng saw Liang Chuan coming again, he happened to say to Liang Chuan: "Sanlang, do you still have carp in the tank? Lend me one first and I will send it to my daughter."
"What kind of trick is this?"
"My daughter-in-law is going back to her husband's house on February 2nd. She'd better prepare a carp as a gift. After spending the spring, it's time to go home. Although my daughter has been staying at their father-in-law's house during the first month, but you happen to have a carp here, I will Send it to her for good luck." He Baozheng licked his face, making Liang Chuan embarrassed to refuse, since it was only a fish anyway.
Liang Chuan has never been a stingy person. Although buying a fish in the market costs a lot of money, it doesn't matter to him. Now that he is not so poor that he sells fish, why not do it for the sake of others?
When Liang Chuan came back after delivering the cakes, Yi Niang set up a chair in the yard, holding a pair of scissors in her hand. She looked at Liang Chuan with a smile and said, "Third brother, sit down and let me cut your hair."
February 2nd is a festival for shaving the head, which is called "dragon head shaving" among the people. The extra long hair is trimmed and the hair is arranged upside down. This is regarded as the dragon raising its head. Hair is not allowed to be cut during the first month. As soon as the first month comes, people trim their hair one after another on this auspicious day when the dragon raises its head.
It is said to be trimmed, but in fact it means arranging the frizzy ends of the hair. Men and women have long hair, and they do heavy physical work every day. If they don't do it, the smell will choke to death. !
