"What's there to thank you for?" Tang Ning said seriously, "If you hadn't saved me, I would have almost drowned in the river. I should really thank you for saving my life."
When it comes to saving someone, Zhang Yun's eyes suddenly evaded. He asked softly, "Are you speaking for me just because I saved you?"
"That's true, but not entirely." Tangning thought for a while before saying, "Because you saved me and took care of me, I had the opportunity to know you as a good person. The fact that you saved me was an opportunity. If you did something else to help me understand you, I would also speak up for you."
Zhang Yun lowered his head and said nothing.
Tangning was a little confused, not sure if she had said something wrong.
"By the way, Zhang Yun, I would like to ask what you know about the wishing well?" Lin Yun asked from the side.
"Is it the wishing fountain in our town?" Zhang Yun asked Lin Yun, "It has been abandoned for a long time. Normally, no one goes there. But after foreign tourists came in, many tourists like to check in, take photos and pay with coins."
"Oh? Is it because the wishes made here are very effective?" Lin Yun asked. He remembered that in addition to ancient coins, there were also coins from many ancient times in the pool, and some of the coins were thrown out by tourists.
Zhang Yun shook his head. "Before the old man went there to make a wish, it was just an ordinary pond. Most tourists liked to go there because they thought the sculptures in the middle of the pond were good."
"Is the sculpture a river god that you believe in?"
Zhang Yun said something that was somewhat unexpected: "Many of us no longer believe in the river god."
"But didn't you just abolish the ritual recently?"
Speaking of the ceremony, Zhang Yun looked a little unnatural, as if his wounds had been exposed. However, after looking at Tang Ning who was also expecting an answer, Zhang Yun suppressed his emotions and explained softly, "This ceremony is to punish the river god for his evil deeds. Although many older generations no longer believe in river gods, they still believe that they exist."
"They believe that the river god will give birth to us if we stop worshipping him, and that he will do evil when he gives birth. So in order to protect the peace of the town, they have to hold a ceremony to suppress the river god and make him regenerate."
"Why don't people in your town believe in the river god anymore?" Lin Yun asked.
Zhang Yun shook his head and said, "I'm not sure either. Maybe the older generation will know. I asked my grandfather before, but he didn't want to tell me."
It’s the older generation again.
There are huge differences between the young and old generations in the ancient town.
"Shao Mingxuan seems to know about this." Tangning typed, "When the old man made a wish to the river god before, he introduced the wish-making process to me."
Even Zhang Yun, a local, didn’t know much about the details of the wishing well, so how could Shao Mingxuan, also a foreign tourist, know about it
"Let's go ask Shao Mingxuan later." Lin Yun said.
Tang Ning nodded. He and Lin Yun went to the wishing fountain. There was nothing much around the wishing fountain at that time. Tang Ning stood by the pool and watched the coins pile up in the water. Many of them were thrown in by tourists. The ancient coins they really wanted were pressed at the bottom.
Tang Ning stretched out his hand and dipped his fingertips into the water. He felt his reflection being stirred up, rippling the water and reflecting the half-fish sculpture. Tang Ning nervously raised his head towards the stone statue in the center of the wishing pool. He didn't know if he remembered it wrongly, but the statue felt a lot cleaner than it had been in the morning, as if the moss and dirt on it had been cleaned, revealing the blurred outline of the facial features.
The eyes are blurry and have no pupils, but give an eerie feeling as if the eyeballs of a stone statue are turning around.
Tang Ning quickly lowered his head and picked up a cold ancient coin at random. He wrapped the coin in a tissue and put it in his bag. After doing all this, he couldn't help but go to the stone statue.
It's no wonder that tourists like to check in here. This stone statue is really great. After the details are blurred by the light, it has an indescribable sense of mystery. The corners of the lips seem to be raised, as if smiling, but then again it seems like an illusion.
"Have you got it?" Lin Yun urged, "Once you've got it, let's get out of here."
Tang Ning followed Lin Yun's footsteps and walked a step. There was a strange feeling of being watched from behind. Tang Ning turned his head carefully and looked back. The sculpture was left alone in the pool, its entire body in a posture ready to go. Its slender fish tail was folded together, as if it would shoot out in the next second and pounce on its prey like the most ferocious predator!
Tang Ning couldn't help but get goose bumps all over his body. He quickly left the place with Lin Yun and told Lin Yun about his uneasy feelings.
"It's only the second day. Even if He is reviving, it won't be so fast." Lin Yun comforted.
Tangning felt even more anxious. It was only the second day, what would the chaos be like
"You can ask Shao Mingqi later if he knows more about the river god, why people in the town no longer believe in him, and why the statue's hands are incomplete," Lin Yun instructed Tang Ning. Tang Ning wrote down these questions and came to the yard where Shao Mingqi lived.
Shao Mingxuan was cooking. He placed a table in the middle of the yard and brought out two dishes that had just come out of the pot. First was the garlic-flavored spareribs. The golden and crispy spareribs filled the white porcelain plate. The aroma of frying filled Tang Ning's nose, so fragrant that she subconsciously secreted water.
The braised pork with the right amount of fat and lean meat was also placed on the table. When the plate was placed on the table, the plump and round pieces of meat that had been fried to a sugary color were trembling slightly. Shao Mingxuan placed the chopsticks and bowl in front of Tang Ning and smiled, "I'm afraid you won't have an appetite for fish, so I'm not cooking fish for this meal."
"I came here to ask you a question."
"One dish for one question, how about that?" Shao Mingxuan picked up a piece of braised pork and put it to Tang Ning's lips.
An increasingly rich aroma fills the nose.
After eating soaked and dried food all day, Tang Ning could not resist such fragrance. As soon as he opened his mouth, Shao Mingxuan put the dish into his mouth. It was rich but not greasy and melted in his mouth. The juice overflowed from the corners of Tang Ning's lips and was caught by Shao Mingxuan.
like
Tang Ning opened his eyes wide. Although all braised pork is called braised pork, each one tastes different. Some braised pork is so bad that Tang Ning doesn't even want to call it braised pork, while some braised pork is so delicious that Tang Ning has ordered it many times in the real world and still can't taste the taste in his memory.
It was as if every taste bud was trembling. Tang Ning forgot all the questions he had prepared in his mind. The only thing he could think of was that Mo Yunchu had made braised pork before, and it tasted similar to this.
"How come your cooking is so delicious?" Tangning jumped out.
Shao Mingxuan smiled happily, "Do you like it?"
Tang Ning nodded vigorously, waiting eagerly for Shao Mingxuan's answer.
"I am self-taught." Shao Mingxuan picked up another piece: "If you like it, have another one."
Tang Ning wanted an answer other than this. He didn't know what answer he wanted. His mind was in a mess. One moment he thought Shao Mingxuan's cooking was like Mo Yunchu's. The next moment he thought Shao Mingxuan's eyes were like Gong Yun's.
"Do you know Mo Yunchu?" he asked in a low voice.
Shao Mingxuan asked doubtfully: "Mo Yunchu? Who is he?"
The look in his eyes was unfamiliar, as if he really didn't know her. Tangning said disappointedly, "My ex-boyfriend."
Veins popped out of his hand holding the chopsticks, and the trembling piece of braised pork was split in two in an instant, plopped onto the plate, and splashed a pool of red sauce.
Shao Mingxuan did not change his expression and changed a piece of pork ribs. "The braised pork was stewed too much."
Tangning quickly replied, "No, I think it's just right. I really like this feeling!"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but reach for the braised pork on the plate. Shao Mingxuan only took a pair of chopsticks, and he didn't even have other chopsticks to pick up the food himself.
"By the way, why did you suddenly ask me whether I knew your ex-boyfriend?" Shao Mingxuan said gently.
He acted like he was just chatting with his family. His eyes and words were very casual. Tangning responded casually, "Because your braised pork tastes just as good as his."
Perhaps Tang Ning himself didn't realize it, but whenever he mentioned Mo Yunchu, even if he just used a simple "he", his expression would be extra soft.
Click.
This time it was the sound of chopsticks breaking.
The ribs that were brought to Tang Ning's mouth fell to the ground along with the chopsticks. Tang Ning lowered his head in confusion and saw a layer of ash on the ground. He said with some pain, "Ah, the meat has fallen off."
Shao Mingxuan slowly raised his hand, pushed up his glasses, and said softly, "The quality of the chopsticks is not very good. I'll go get another pair."
These chopsticks do look very old, and the paint has peeled off a bit.
Shao Mingxuan stood up and walked into the kitchen. Lin Yun, who was almost out of breath, took this opportunity to lean over to Tangning's ear and whispered, "Ancestor, what are you asking?!"
Tangning then realized that he had strayed from the topic. He quickly said, "I'll just—"
"Lin Yun." Shao Mingxuan stood at the door and said with a smile: "I got you a set of bowls and chopsticks, come and have a taste."
Lin Yun froze all over, a chill running down his spine that made the hairs on his head shudder. His legs went limp and he sat down at the dining table.
Shao Mingxuan enthusiastically helped Lin Yun arrange the dishes and chopsticks, and said considerately: "The food will not taste good if it gets cold. Eat more food and talk less."
After that, he looked at Tangning again with great interest and asked gently, "Does the braised pork I make really taste similar to your ex-boyfriend's?"
Tangning nodded vigorously, "So similar! They are exactly the same!"
"What about the garlic pork ribs?" Shao Mingxuan asked softly.
"He has never made this for me." Tangning took one herself. The ribs were still hot and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They were so delicious that Tangning squinted her eyes in happiness, "Mm, so delicious!"
Shao Mingxuan smiled and pushed his glasses, although the position of his glasses had not moved. "I didn't expect there would be such a coincidence in this world. I really want to meet Mo Yunchu and have a good exchange with him if I have the chance—"
"Cooking skills."
Tang Ning felt a little lonely when he heard this, because he knew it would be difficult for him to see Mo Yunchu again.
"Does your criterion for a boyfriend require cooking skills?" Shao Mingxuan asked.
"Not necessarily, although their cooking is delicious." After saying this, Tangning smiled even more brightly.
"them."
"All?"