It's Mid-Autumn Festival, and the weather gets cooler in the afternoon. The roadside is still lush and green, and occasionally a pheasant flies up. Before it can be seen clearly, it flutters away and flies away. There are also hares poking their heads in the grass, looking at the pedestrians on the road.
Wang Xiaolie was riding on the horse, looking at the scenery with an open mind. It has been a few months since I came to this world, and I have finally settled down. It's not like the previous days, where there was fighting and killing, and there was no peace every day.
When we arrived in front of the village, we saw a group of people gathered near the big stone mill at the end of the village, chatting there. Seeing Wang Xiaolie's team coming, they all came to greet them. They said auspicious words and bowed their hands, which was really affectionate.
Wang Xiaolie dismounted and asked his companions to bring the mooncakes he had brought. Said: "This is the new moon cake in the state. Compared with the past, it looks better and tastes more delicious. Each person has a pack, take it home and try it."
As he spoke, he personally delivered it to everyone.
Everyone accepted the mooncakes and thanked them profusely. This small member of the Wang family is as considerate of the villagers as the old officials.
Wang Qingxiu met Wang Xiaolie who was entering the village halfway. He stepped forward and saluted, and said: "When you come home, send someone to inform you first, so that I can go to the village to greet you in advance. Unlike before, you are now a court official, how can you lose etiquette."
Wang Xiaolie said: "What's the use of those false gifts? You are my sister, just sit at home."
While talking, he walked with Wang Qingxiu. The villagers on the road saw it and stepped aside early.
When officials go out, pedestrians should avoid it. Although these are troubled times and etiquette is not well thought out, everyone still understands the basic rules.
Every time he walked in front of someone, Wang Xiaolie smiled and said hello. Those on the roadside were all flattered and responded hurriedly.
When they got home, Wang Xiaolie sat down, and Wang Qingxiu went to pour tea. He said: "Last time you said that we should not hire anyone else at home. Now I am alone and many things are inconvenient."
Wang Xiaolie took the tea and said, "What's the inconvenience? If you don't do anything at home all day long, it's not a good day to stretch out your hands for clothes and open your mouth for food. Now I have to pay for the expenses at home. Salary, sister is just making a move."
Wang Qingxiu smiled and said: "Of course you are right. It's just that in this world, no one has enough money to spare and doesn't hire someone to take care of them."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Why do you need someone to take care of you? Why are you willing to be taken care of? There are too many things in this world that shouldn't be done, but we are accustomed to them. I can't control others, but my sister can always say a few words about herself. "
After hearing this, Wang Qingxiu just laughed. In the eyes of the sister, whatever the brother does is right, even if it is a little weird.
The soldiers moved all the gifts Wang Xiaolie brought into his home. Wang Xiaolie said: "They cook their own food. Today is a festival. I cook a few dishes and our sister drinks two glasses of wine. It has been more than a year since we had a good reunion."
Wang Qingxiu said: "A gentleman cooks far away. Not to mention, you are now the magistrate of the state, so many people have to listen to your orders. Now that you have returned home, you can rest aside. I don't hire anyone at home, so I can do all this."
Wang Xiaolie said: "You have taken care of me since I was a child. Now that I am older, it is my turn to take care of it. A gentleman stays far away from the kitchen, which means that a gentleman does not see flesh and blood and does not kill. How can he bear to eat when he sees them alive? Their meat? That’s why there are butchers in the world. Now in the kitchen, everything is slaughtered. I just go in and cook the meat and vegetables, so what does it matter?”
Wang Qingxiu just refused.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Sister, there is no need to insist. In this world, women do not have to cook, men can do it too. If one day, women go out to make money to support the family, it is natural for men to cook. Our family is different. The two siblings, today During the Mid-Autumn Festival, just sit back and celebrate the festival with peace of mind."
Men don’t cook? In later generations, women generally worked, and in many families it was men who cooked. Whatever national traditions cannot be changed, the Chinese people do not have any pressure to change them. This tradition has proven to be worthless in the face of facts.
Wang Qingxiu couldn't resist. Seeing that all the soldiers had gone out, they had no choice but to let Wang Xiao hunt.
His mother died young, and Wang Xiaolie was taken care of by Wang Qingxiu. The eldest daughter is like a mother, especially in Wang Xiaolie's family.
Entering the kitchen, he saw that the utensils were exquisite and of various types, but there were none that he was accustomed to using. Wang Xiaolie shook his head helplessly. In my previous life, I cooked frequently and could cook a large table of dishes by myself. But the things that were commonly used at that time were rarely seen in this world.
The stove is newly renovated. Wang Zhong built a new wok based on what he learned in Kaifeng Mansion. There is a big pot next to it, which was bought by Wang Rudai after he became a Jinshi. It is not available in ordinary people's homes. Others, there are many jars and jars.
It was getting dark, and the moon had just climbed up from the eastern sky. Round and bright, hanging in the clean sky. The moonlight shines down through the plane trees, leaving mottled shadows on the ground.
There was a table and two chairs under the tree. Wang Xiaolie and Wang Qingxiu sat opposite each other, admiring the bright moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Looking at the dishes on the table, Wang Qingxiu said: "I didn't expect that you could cook so many dishes in one year."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Sister knows that I have loved eating since I was a child. If I don't know how to cook, and I have to rely on others, I will inevitably suffer from this mouth."
With that said, Wang Xiaolie took out the wine bottle and poured wine for the two of them. He said: "I didn't expect to find this bottle of osmanthus wine. On a full moon night, for us two siblings to have a drink, it is really a joy in the world."
Wang Qingxiu smiled and shook her head: "I raised you since you were a child, but you don't feel like this."
Wang Xiaolie looked at his sister. After a while, he whispered: "In the past year or so, I don't know how much suffering I have endured, how many wars I have gone through, and how many lives and deaths I have seen. How can it be easy to meet again today? The Jin soldiers brought trouble to the Central Plains, and how many families Families have been destroyed, so many wives have been separated, and so many people have filled the ravines. Living is no longer easy."
Wang Qingxiu said: "We are alive, but my father is gone. Many families are like this -"
Wang Xiaolie nodded. He raised the bowl and said, "Let's drink. I cooked a few dishes today. Sister, I'll try them all."
After drinking, they put down their wine bowls and picked up their chopsticks to grab the food.
Today is the festival, and there are eight dishes and one soup on the table. One braised pork, one white-chopped chicken, one roast duck, and one braised fish. There are also four vegetarian dishes, leek and egg, vegetarian fried lotus root slices, dried celery, and fried bean sprouts. The soup is an egg drop soup.
Because they were siblings, they did not share food. Eight dishes and one soup were put together on the table, and each person had a pair of chopsticks to grab whatever they wanted to eat.
After eating a little of each dish, Wang Qingxiu said: "Where did you learn such good skills? These dishes have a taste that I have never tasted before. They are fragrant and sweet. Today is just a good taste."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Then tell me, if I don't become the governor of the state and open a restaurant, will it be a good business?"
Wang Qingxiu said with a smile: "Of course it's good business! For this taste, as long as I have money, I will definitely patronize it every day."
After saying that, the two laughed together.
The moon rose higher, many stars disappeared, and the sky became extremely bright and clean.
Wang Qingxiu put down her chopsticks, looked at the sky, and whispered: "When I was young, I used to beg for cleverness at this time. At that time, there was a small table with offerings on it, and I prayed to the moon. When I grow up, I can be clever. I can do it. If you have good red needlework, you can embroider the best flowers and birds. Now that I am older, I no longer have that thought. Sometimes I think about it, the thoughts of children are still very interesting."
"Yes, children's thoughts are the most interesting. They don't know much about this world. They don't know much, and their wishes are simple. When they grow up and see what the world looks like, many of their thoughts will change."
Wang Xiaolie said, his eyes a little blurry.
Wang Qingxiu turned around, looked at Wang Xiaolie, and asked seriously: "Now, what is your wish?"
"What is it?" Wang Xiaolie casually caught a floating sycamore flower and held it in his hand, feeling a touch of sweetness. "Actually, I have been thinking about it for a long time. I wish I could drive away the Jin soldiers and make the world peaceful. I wish the country is peaceful and the people are happy. I wish I could live happily without worries. There is nothing wrong with these, but I always feel that it is not enough and it is not who I am. .”
Wang Qingxiu was a little strange: "Then what do you think you want?"
"I have been in this world before!"
"What?" Wang Qingxiu couldn't help laughing after hearing this. My brother's wish is really strange.
Looking at the moon in the sky, Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "When I returned to Ruzhou, I did a lot of things. Some people benefited from doing these things and praised me all the time. Some people even scolded me when they were not satisfied. What is done in the court? Officials, some people praise them and some people criticize them, it’s all normal things.”
Wang Qingxiu nodded: "My father also said the same thing when he was an official."
Wang Xiaolie smiled. My father was a good official, but when the country was in danger, he spent all his wealth, raised troops to serve the king, and even sacrificed his life. But is this world worth it?
worth. The Zhao royal family may not be worthy, but this world is.
Wang Xiaolie continued: "But most of the things I do, others just find it confusing. The closest ones are like Wang Zhong, who is not allowed to serve in our house and is paid a monthly salary. He doesn't know why. For example, the government office Here, the generals and officials under their command are not allowed to do business and can only receive salary. They are happy that the salary is high, but they don’t understand in their hearts. For example, when they build a new village, the people can have land to grow and food to eat, but they don’t understand why the land does not allow them to I buy and sell privately. Then I go out to the government to do a lot of business. No one understands why it is different from the previous government offices."
Having said this, Wang Xiaolie smiled and shook his head slightly.
"Everyone doesn't understand. They look at me like a weirdo. What can I do? If you don't do this, you can't build a strong army to fight against the Jin Army in a short time. There is not much time, so we can only use the most powerful force in this way. I want to do it quickly. I also want to be like brothers with my men, drinking and eating meat together when we have nothing to do. I also want to be with the people like neighbors, and be able to greet them all the time. But if people don’t understand what I do, I can’t do it.”
Wang Qingxiu said: "As long as it is good for everyone, it doesn't matter if you don't understand it for a while. Besides, you don't have to be in a hurry when doing things, you always have to take your time. As long as the time comes, everyone will always understand."
"What if I die? After we finish this meal today, we will die. Or tomorrow morning, I will never get up again—"
"How can you say such a thing! Don't say anything unlucky tonight during the Mid-Autumn Festival!"
Seeing that Wang Qingxiu was a little anxious, Wang Xiaolie nodded and said nothing more.
After a long time, Wang Xiaolie said: "Prosperity and wealth will eventually come to nothing. Life is a big dream. Buddhists say this is enlightenment, enlightenment, enlightenment of one's nature. So what if we have enlightenment? People in this world are still suffering endless suffering. Good. When a man comes into this world, he does not seek fame or wealth. What he seeks is for the people of the world to live and work in peace and contentment! How to make them live and work in peace and contentment? I can only use what I know and the fastest way to do the most things. If in the future When someone comes to see this world, they know that I have been here before!”
How to save this world? Wang Xiaolie was just confused. I feel like I know it, but I can’t explain it. There are many ways to simply repel the Jin army, but they are not enough. The Ming Dynasty drove away the Mongols, but fell to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. History cannot be simply repeated.
What should I do? Wang Xiaolie can't, at least not now, that's clear. But I know one thing, what I do must have the imprint of my previous life and my own imprint, and cannot be done by others.
Only in this kind of life can we say that even if we don't know what Wang Xiaolie's past life was, we can clearly know: Wang Xiaolie has been in this world.
