Hu Yun hadn't been to Ju'an Pavilion for a long time. After walking around, he heard Lu Shanjun's words and jumped onto the stone table.
"Is this place bad? I think Ju'an Xiaoge is great, with beautiful scenery and quietness."
Lu Shanjun looked at Hu Yun and nodded.
"The fact that you can think this way shows that you have indeed grown."
As he spoke, Lu Shanjun also walked to the stone table, then looked up at the crown of the jujube tree in the yard.
This season should have been the time when jujube flowers were in full bloom, but although the jujube trees in the yard were lush and green, they were not in bloom.
Deep within the lush branches and leaves, there are fiery red fruits hidden. However, this jujube tree, which always seemed extremely magical in Hu Yun's words, looked like an ordinary tree today. Apart from the branches swaying in the breeze, there was nothing special about it.
Lu Shanjun thought for a moment, stood upright, clasped his hands together, bowed and saluted towards the trunk of the jujube tree.
"I am Lu Shanjun. With the guidance of the master, I have been practicing in Niu Kui Mountain. Today, I have accomplished my mission and come to Ju'an Pavilion to pay a visit to you."
Lu Shanjun always remembered what his mentor had told him not to reveal the master-disciple relationship to others, so even here, he addressed him as "Mr."
The red fox also reacted and pointed at Lu Shanjun and said.
"This is Lu Shanjun, the big tiger in Niu Kui Mountain."
Lu Shanjun and Ji Yuan also often mentioned it. It's not like he had never heard of the jujube tree, but he had never seen one. Now that he heard the other party introduce himself clearly, he let down his guard a little.
“Rustle… rustle… rustle…”
The branches swayed, a breeze blew through the yard, and a faint spiritual energy swept around.
At this time, Hu Yun stared at the crown of the jujube tree, as if expecting something.
Sure enough, not long after, a red light flashed in the shade of one of the branches of the jujube tree, and the next moment, a huge red jujube fell from it.
Lu Shanjun subconsciously reached out and caught the date.
The date is half the size of a fist. It feels as soft as jade to the touch. The skin is fiery red, and there is even fire and heat flowing on the surface with a faint glow. There is also a faint fragrance that is refreshing.
"This must be the fire dates that Hu Yun mentioned. They are indeed extraordinary."
Lu Shanjun observed carefully for a while before bowing again to express his gratitude.
"Thank you for the dates."
Lu Shanjun took the dates and just opened his mouth and inhaled. The dates entered his mouth in a puff of smoke, but he did not eat them without swallowing them. Instead, he put them away.
Then he waved his sleeve to brush one of the stone benches, sat down beside the stone table, closed his eyes and felt the tranquility of Ju'an Pavilion for a while.
He sat there for the entire day until the sun set and he stood up again.
At this time, Hu Yun had fallen asleep on the stone table. He used to sleep here often. Even in the years when Ji Yuan was away, he would occasionally come here to sleep.
Because whenever I feel upset, it is always easier to calm down under the jujube tree.
Lu Shanjun did not wake up Hu Yun. What he was going to do was not suitable for taking the red fox with him. Moreover, although the fox had become more and more diligent in his practice over the years, it was still not enough in his opinion. He needed some stimulation to make him more diligent, and loneliness was one of them.
Woo… Woo…
The branches were rustling in the breeze.
“Rustle… rustle… rustle…”
The branches of the jujube tree were swaying gently. Although Lu Shanjun had just sat with his eyes closed all day, the tranquility he exuded had already been recognized by the jujube tree to a certain extent.
Lu Shanjun didn't say much. He bowed lightly towards the jujube tree again, then jumped lightly out of the Ju'an Pavilion and came outside. After bowing deeply towards the entire yard, he turned around and strode away.
Although he was not good at divination, at this moment, Lu Shanjun had a vague feeling in his heart about the nine people who made the covenant that year. Although it might not be absolutely accurate every time, there would be no problem in finding a direction and approximate range.
Walking out of Tianniufang, the stall owner of Sun's noodle stall, who looked to be in his fifties, seemed to be preparing to close the stall. When he saw Lu Shanjun coming out, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at him. He remembered that he should have seen this man in the morning.
"Is the stall owner going to close the stall?"
Lu Shanjun stopped and asked. He remembered that he had not eaten any worldly food since he became an adult, especially vegetarian food made from wheat like noodles. Since he had to try it sooner or later, it would be better to eat it at the doorstep of his mentor's house.
Hearing the question from the elegant man in green, Sun Fu came back to his senses and answered with a smile.
"Yes, the sun has set, and my family is still waiting for me. I am ready to go back. However, if you want to eat noodles, I can make you a bowl. We still have some ingredients to spare."
Lu Shanjun nodded, walked a few steps closer, chose a seat and sat down.
"What's the point of this?"
Sun Fu came over to help wipe the table.
"Sir, you are not from Tianniufang, right? My Sunji Noodles stall has been run for several generations. We have always sold braised noodles. The offal soup is also a specialty. People who have eaten it praise it highly! As for me, I inherited my father's true skills, and the taste is just as good as before!"
"Haha, OK, then a bowl of braised noodles and a bowl of offal soup."
Lu Shanjun smiled and ordered something.
Sun Fu scratched his head and said embarrassedly.
"Uh, sorry, sir, we still have the braised noodles, but the offal soup, uh, is gone."
"Gone?"
Lu Shanjun frowned. As a fierce tiger in the mountains, his sense of smell was naturally not bad. He could clearly smell some braised sheep offal left, which should be the ingredients for the offal soup.
It didn’t really matter whether Lu Shanjun ate the offal soup or not. Thinking there might be other reasons, he didn’t delve into it.
"Then a bowl of braised noodles."
"Okay, I'll do it for you right away!"
It didn't take long before a bowl of steaming hot braised noodles was served to Lu Shanjun. However, Lu Shanjun had never used chopsticks before, and he didn't know how to use them for a while after taking the chopsticks from the chopstick cage.
Sun Fu was a little surprised and walked over to ask.
"Sir, is there something wrong with these chopsticks?"
“I can’t pick it up!”
Lu Shanjun said truthfully.
"Ah? Let me see!"
Sun Fu took the chopsticks from Lu Shanjun, tried them in his hand, picked up a chopstick from the chopstick cage and put it down, then picked up another one and turned it around. The chopsticks were straight, without any bends.
"It's fine, no problem."
Lu Shanjun smiled, picked up the chopsticks again and used them for a few times. This time he used it very smoothly and it was hard to tell that he had just learned it.
"It's indeed no problem."
Sun Fu was a little surprised, but he still said, "Enjoy your meal, sir," and went back to pack up his stall.
After extinguishing the stove, wiping the counter, and putting away the dishes, Sun Fu glanced at the remaining materials in the cabinet of the cabinet, and sighed as he looked at the scholar who was concentrating on eating noodles over there.
"Sir, I have some mutton offal here. If you want some, I'll sell it to you."
Lu Shanjun thought to himself that he was right. He chewed the noodles and swallowed them, then looked at Sun Fu and asked.
"If that's the case, why didn't you sell it just now?"
"Why… "
Sun Fu sighed. He didn't know why he had such a strong urge to talk today.
"It's a long story. If you don't mind, I'll tell you about it."
Seeing Lu Shanjun nod, Sun Fu sat down next to Lu Shanjun and continued.
"In fact, there lived a strange man in Tianniufang. Everyone called him 'Mr. Ji' throughout his life..."
Lu Shanjun's heart moved. It turned out that this had something to do with his master!
"Many people have only heard that Mr. Ji is a strange man, but it is just a joke after dinner. But my father is convinced that Mr. Ji is a strange man, so every time Mr. Ji comes to the noodle stall to eat noodles, he is very courteous. His kindness is naturally rewarded. One year, Mr. Ji left his hometown and asked Yin Wenqu to send some fresh dates to my father. By the way, you are obviously a scholar. Do you know Yin Wenqu?"
"Of course I know. Yin Wenqu is the master of literature in Dazhen. He won the top three places in the imperial examinations and is the incarnation of Wenquxing!"
Hu Yun has talked a lot about the Yin family, so Lu Shanjun naturally knows about it.
"Yes, yes, that's Yin Wenqu! I've also eaten the dates he brought that year. They're so sweet and really good for your health. They make you energetic. Since then, my family has rarely caught a cold. My father always says it's all thanks to those dates."
"Anyway, my dad always told us that Mr. Ji is not an ordinary person. He likes to eat my braised noodles and offal the most. So no matter how good the business is, we always leave at least one bowl of noodles and one serving of offal at our Sun Ji Noodle Stall in case Mr. Ji suddenly comes to eat. If he doesn't come, there will be one more serving anyway, and he can eat it at home..."
Sun Fu looked in the direction of Tianniufang.
"Ah, so many years have passed in a flash!"
Lu Shanjun frowned.
"Then why are you selling me out again?"
Sun Fu shook his head.
"Mr. Ji hasn't come to eat noodles for many years. My father has passed away two years ago. I think there is not much point in following this rule..."
Before Sun Fu finished speaking, he saw the guest who was eating noodles raised his hand to stop him. The other party had finished his noodles without him knowing.
"Shopkeeper, since this is the rule left by your father, I think it's better to stick to it. I won't eat the offal either. How much is this braised noodle?"
Sun Fu smiled and didn't comment.
"Three cents."
Lu Shanjun touched his chest, took out three stacked copper coins and placed them on the table, then stood up and bowed solemnly to the stall owner.
"The money is here. The braised noodles taste good. I used to only eat meat. This is the first time I have eaten noodles in my life. It's very good!"
Only eat meat? He must be from a wealthy family. Sun Fu also hurriedly returned the gift and waited until the other party left before collecting the copper coins and bowls and chopsticks.
That night, Sun Fuqing pushed the stall cart back home and counted the day's earnings, but he fell out of the cash box of the stall a piece of bumpy gold nugget, which was heavy and as big as two fingers put together.