"Read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles." Fang Yizhi agreed very much with the educational method of Li Xingzhi, the dean of Zhixingyuan.
He took He An and Fan Dazhi, either on foot, by hiring a car, or by boat, along the Han River and through the Funiu Mountains.
Along the way, he would patiently explain to the two of them whenever they encountered well-known scenic spots or anecdotes about local celebrities. He has a gentle personality and speaks slowly. After many days of getting along, the two children became closer to him.
After more than a month like this, the three of them arrived at Yique County, which is close to Luoyang City. It was already dark when we entered the county town, so Fang Yizhi took the two of them to an inn to rest. Dinner was a simple meal. After dinner, Yi Zhi began to meditate and practice, telling He An and Fan Dazhi that they could go out for a walk.
Reading is knowledge and practice is action. Traveling to different places and appreciating the different customs and customs will be of great benefit in the future.
When Fan Dazhi heard that he could go out to play, his eyes suddenly lit up, he nodded hurriedly, grabbed He An's sleeve and ran out.
The two of them left the inn, turned a corner along the alley, and saw brightly lit streets not far away.
Yique County is close to Luoyang, Kyoto, and is actually very prosperous. As far as the eye can see, the streets are full of brothels, painted pavilions, and embroidered bead curtains. Sometimes carved cars and horses pass by, with the faint fragrance floating in the air, and the fragrance of Luoqi floating in the air. The sound of joyful laughter is heard in the Liumo Flower Street, and the strings are tuned in the tea house and wine shop. The eight wastelands are fighting to get together, and all the countries are connected. Rare treasures from all over the world are gathered in the market, and the strange smells of Huihuan District are all found in the kitchen. The flutes and drums are noisy. How many people are having a night banquet? The skill is astonishing, and the extravagance is inspiring.
He An and Fan Dazhi were dazzled by what they saw. Walking into the night market, the sweet smell of powdered powder, the aroma of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and the aroma of cooking in nearby restaurants mixed together, and the air was filled with noise and joy.
Many vendors in the night market pushed their carts to the street and started shouting at the top of their lungs. The cries came one after another.
At a glance, there is a dazzling array of dried fish, mutton, tripe, kidneys, white sausage, quail and rabbit, fish and shrimp, chickens and ducks, clams, crabs, spicy rice noodles, fragrant fruits and other foods. Some vendors also sell crown combs, collar wipes, hair and face, clothing, copper and iron, utensils, suitcases, porcelain and the like.
The two of them were squeezing around in the crowd, and Fan Dazhi was drooling at the sight. Before walking far, he had already bought two bunches of candied haws, three glutinous rice fish, and half a bucket chicken from the stall. Give some of each to He An, and he devours it with great enthusiasm. Following Fang Yizhi these days, he has been eating very little every day, which really makes him hungry.
Going further, I saw a group of people gathered in front of a stall, and it was very lively. Fan Dazhi pulled He An and squeezed in.
There was a copper pot and charcoal fire inside, and the thick brown sugar juice in the pot was simmering warm and smoking. There was a chopping board next to it, with many thin bamboo sticks stuck on it. A bearded old man stood in front of the chopping board, blowing and pinching them. After a while, a little tiger appeared vividly in his hand. The little tiger shook its head in a naive manner. He An and Dazhi were stunned to see it.
The old man's business is very good, and he keeps blowing the candy man, which looks like a small animal for a while, and a little man for a while. It is very interesting to make it lifelike.
Fan Dazhi was itching to see it and couldn't help but move forward. He also followed the example of others and threw a copper plate into the old man's money box.
The old man happened to make a little rabbit and handed it to a girl in the crowd. He turned around and asked Fan Dazhi what he wanted to do. Dazhi rubbed his head and remembered that the braised pork elbow made by his father was extremely delicious. After that, it was difficult to eat it when he went to Luoyang, the imperial capital, so he asked the old man to blow a braised pork elbow.
The old man didn't say much. He fiddled with the charcoal fire a few times, scooped a spoonful of sugar syrup into the copper pot with a spoon, spread it on the chopping board, and quickly started using it with his hands. The sugar syrup was hot, and he kneaded it quickly with his left hand. The thumb quickly pressed on the oval-shaped syrup, and the three fingers of the right hand skillfully stretched it into a tube shape. Then, he quickly pinched it and blew lightly with his lips, causing the syrup to slowly expand.
As the old man moved, the shape of a pig's knuckle slowly appeared. The old man quickly dipped a little starch on the table with his fingers and applied it to the extra section of his elbow. It looked like an elbow bone. Then he scooped a little syrup into the copper pot and poured it gently with a spoon. The red syrup was like pouring a layer of marinade, and instantly turned into a bright red and mouth-watering braised pork elbow.
The people watching laughed loudly. He An had never seen a candy man before, and he didn't know how long it could be stored. Thinking that Dazhi had promised Miao Feifei to bring her delicious and fun things, she would definitely like this kind of candy man.
Suddenly there was a chuckle from behind, and He An turned around to look, but it was a girl about the same age as himself. She was wearing a moon-white pipa-breasted top, a hundred-flower embroidered Luo skirt tied with a red double-luan belt, and a large satin fox-heeled pleated cloak, which made her look outstanding among the crowd.
The girl wore her hair in a fringed bun, with picturesque features and a charming smile. She said to a woman wearing a headscarf next to her: "Aunt Xue, that person eats sweets and blows them into an elbow. What a glutton!" After speaking, she suddenly Realizing that He An was looking at her, she pursed her lips and glared at He An fiercely. Her eyes were black and white and her eyelashes were long and thick. They were not evil at all, but rather cute.
Seeing that He An was still looking at her, she stretched out her small pink tongue and quickly licked the bunny candy man in her hand. She held the arm of the woman next to her with one hand and left, looking indescribably naughty and cute.
He An watched the girl take the woman's arm and disappear into the crowd. Fan Dazhi held up the braised elbow in his hand, squeezed in front of him and said: "Xiao An, try it, it's still sweet... um... it's delicious. Ah!" After saying that, he couldn't help but take another lick and suck gently with his mouth.
He An smiled and said: "I originally thought that after you went out to buy so many things, you would go back and bring one for Miao Feifei, but it turns out that you have put them all in your stomach!"
Fan Dazhi chewed the candy man loudly, slapped his head and said, "Oh! If you didn't tell me, I almost forgot!"
The two of them continued to wander along with the crowd, and He An stopped in front of a stall selling top jewelry.
There are not many tourists here in a relatively remote place. The stall owner is sitting listlessly. In front of him are all kinds of picks, distractions, full crowns, hairpins, sideburns, flower necklaces, headbands, buns, hairpins, and earrings. etc.
He An looked at it for a long time and picked up a peach wood butterfly hairpin. This hairpin has a simple shape. The curved hairpin body is carved with beautiful patterns. The head of the hairpin is also uniquely decorated with two peach leaves, trimmed into the shape of butterfly wings. Two filaments were picked out from the front end, and two beads the size of rice grains hung down, like the tentacles of a butterfly. The two peach leaves in my hand moved with the fan, and the tentacles trembled slightly, as if a real butterfly was flying.
Fan Dazhi's eyes lit up, and he asked the stall owner the price, then took a few coins from his arms and handed them over. He An said: "Miao Feifei will definitely like this hairpin. When the time comes, I will tell you that you chose it!"
After saying that, he was about to hand the hairpin to Fan Dazhi when suddenly a voice came from behind him: "Wow... what a beautiful hairpin!"
He An turned around and saw that it was the girl with the fringed bun just now. I saw her holding the woman with one arm, pointing to the hairpin in He An's hand with the other and saying to the stall owner: "Boss, I also want a hairpin like this... Well, it must be exactly the same as the one in his hand!"
The stall held a bun face and said angrily: "It's a small business, and all the goods are only one. Little girl, you can buy something else. Look at this dragon and phoenix hairpin..."
The girl's black grape-like eyes rolled and she said to He An: "This hairpin... I like it very much. Can you part with it and transfer it to me? How much does it cost? I'll give you double the price!"
He An shook his head and said: "I'm sorry, I like it very much too. I brought this to a friend of ours..."
Before he finished speaking, the girl took out a tael of silver from a delicate little purse around her waist, handed it to He An, and raised the corner of her mouth: "Hey...is this enough?"
Fan Dazhi looked at the girl's bright eyes and white teeth, and her expensive clothes. He gently tugged on He An's clothes and whispered: "Xiao An... it's better to leave it to her."
He An whispered to Fan Dazhi: "If you give Feifei a farewell hairpin, if it is too expensive, she will be reluctant to wear it. If it is too ordinary, it will appear that you are not sincere. This hairpin is very unique. I think it will definitely please her." .” After saying that, he shook his head at the girl and said, “Sorry, we don’t sell it!”
The girl frowned, and angrily took out another yellow golden bean from her purse, stretched out her white palm, and handed it to He An along with the one tael of silver.
He An didn't even look at it, still shook his head, pulled Fan Dazhi, turned around and left. The girl's pretty face was sullen and she said crisply: "Don't leave!"
He An ignored it and instead quickened his pace. Footsteps sounded behind me, and the wind blew behind my ears. I heard the woman whispering: "Chanjuan, don't mess around!"
He An turned his head, and a pink fist passed by him. The girl actually used force against him. He An bent his knees and raised his elbows, and instantly flicked away her other hand that was grabbing at him.
"Okay, you can actually do martial arts!" The girl's almond-shaped eyes were wide open, and she was full of anger, but the expression on her face was eager to try, like a little female cat showing its teeth and claws.
She jumped up and rushed forward again. The two of them flashed around on the street and exchanged more than ten moves in an instant. The girl's movements are light and agile, and her palm skills are exquisite, but He An has been trained by his uncle He Kui since he was a child. How can he be an ordinary person? The girl can't do anything to him for a moment.
"Let me ask you again, will you give it to me?" The girl narrowed her eyes, bit her lip with scallop-like teeth, and turned her right hand into a beak, striking at He An's shoulder like lightning.
"Don't peck three times"!
He An didn't have time to think, and his hands scattered with the clouds to bully him. Use one arm to block the opponent's left palm and hold the opponent's chest. The other hand turns the palm into a knife and cuts towards the opponent's neck.
Suddenly, he saw the messy hair on the back of the girl's neck, and her skin was as white as snow. His nose smelled a fragrance like orchid and musk on her body.
Caught off guard, He An hugged him closely and put a hand on his chest. The girl was stunned for a moment, her face flushed, and she quickly broke away with an elbow behind her. At the same time, she hooked her delicate hand and snatched the butterfly hairpin from He An's hand. He stamped his feet and said softly: "You are shameless!" He turned around and ran towards the woman.
He An was stunned for a moment. Fortunately, there were not many people shopping here, so no one was watching the conflict between the two.
Fan Dazhi had the last bit of candy in his mouth, and came over to support He An and said: "You can't tell, this little girl is very good-looking... quite powerful... so unruly and aggressive, Xiao An, are you okay? Are you injured? Where?"
There was still a faint fragrance in the air, and He An's palms were soft just now, but now a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. I couldn't help but feel that I was too abrupt just now, and I felt a little sorry for the girl. It was just a hairpin, but it made her so unhappy. Now the lights were dim and the figure was dim. I don't know when we will meet again, and I can't help but feel a little disappointed in my heart.
Fan Dazhi noticed that He An seemed a little disappointed, so he stopped talking and the two of them walked back the way they came. Along the way, Fan Dazhi looked around and felt strange about everything he saw. When he was approaching the door of the inn, he held a bunch of snacks in his arms!
