It was the first year of Jingyou, and the new emperor ascended the throne. The cool dew frightens the autumn, and the red and emerald decline.
A young servant brought two pots of red chrysanthemums and placed them under the beautifully carved window coffin, and found a lotus sprinkler to water and loosen the soil with these two pots of delicate flowers. The Ji Mansion never likes to be overly sculpted, and the Kanghe Courtyard, because of its young master's infirmity, has always avoided those spicy and pungent things. When autumn and winter come, when all the flowers are dying, it will be a little more elegant. The chrysanthemums are in full bloom, so it won't be too deserted.
The master of the Ji family was born tall and majestic, imposing, and there is no servant in the house who is not afraid. Today the master kindly asked someone to bring two pots of rare red chrysanthemums to the Kanghe courtyard. The boy was so happy that he kept chattering nonstop.
"Oh my god, keep your voice down! The little ancestor just fell asleep." A nanny walked out of the room and whispered to the non-stop servant.
Hearing this, the servant immediately became tiptoeing: "Oh! Got it, Mother Xu!"
As soon as the two finished speaking, they heard a sound from inside the room, the closed door was pushed open little by little from the inside, revealing a barefooted doll, wearing only an inner garment, wide and wide, The bottom of the trousers covered the instep, only a few round toes were exposed, but it made him look like a white porcelain doll. He rubbed his eyes ignorantly, and asked softly, "What are you doing?"
"Young master, why are you running out dressed like this?" Mother Xu ran over in fright, and went into the house to get thick clothes.
The little baby suddenly regained his energy, and ran out to look at the two new pots of red chrysanthemums. After looking at them and smelling them, he said displeasedly, "It doesn't smell good!"
The young man next to him blinked and said solemnly: "Young master is not in good health, you can't smell anything exciting, red chrysanthemum is just right."
"No, Hong'er wants to see the sweet-scented osmanthus!" The little baby jumped up and stretched out his two short arms to make gestures, "Brother Yan took me to see such a big sweet-scented osmanthus tree!"
The boy was surprised: "When did the second son take the young master to see it?"
The little baby frowned and thought for a while: "Well, last time. The day before yesterday, no, the month before..."
The nanny at the back was carrying a cloak, wrapped the hood around the little doll, and took out a pair of little shoes from her bosom, and said helplessly, "That was last autumn, young master. The second young master is now studying, and you still have to go to school." It's time to test for merit, and I don't have the time to come and see the young master right now."
"Who said that?" Suddenly, there was a laughing sound from the gate of the courtyard, and another slender figure walked in, also a jade tree facing the wind, with a handsome figure, "Isn't this coming? Ah Hong, did you listen to the mother's words today?" ?”
"Brother Yan!" Don't put on the little doll's shoes, and went straight to the boy, who was so entangled with him that he picked him up before stopping, "Brother Yan, take me to see the sweet-scented osmanthus, and drink sweet-scented osmanthus tea!"
Ji Yan pinched the face of the baby in his arms, and responded with a smile: "Okay, Second Brother will take you there."
"Second son!" Mother Xu said frightened, "You take the young master out, and the master and wife will come later, if you blame me..."
Ji Yan said: "What are you afraid of, just say that I took Ah Hong out to play, and I will be back before evening."
Xiao Jihong nodded, imitating his second brother and saying, "Yes! I came back earlier!"
Nanny Xu couldn't help but watch Ji Yan take the little baby away, and the two went out holding hands. It's just that Nanny Xu didn't expect that there were still two people talking and laughing when they went out, but only one Xiaotuanzi who was dying of illness returned home. When she opened the curtain of the carriage and carried down the unconscious little doll, more than three months had passed since the day of seeing the osmanthus.
And the second son, Ji Yan, never came back.
**
A bowl of noodle.
When Yu Jinnian cooked the dishes and brought them out, this was the scene that caught his eye.
Ji Hong leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, as if he had dozed off, and the smoky cloak wrapped around him was scattered on the ground. It was very quiet when I got up, and there was no such awe-inspiring chill when we first met in the afternoon.
Because it was getting late, the diners in the shop were gradually emptying out, and Yu Jinnian was about to close the business early, when he saw a watchman jogging in from outside, with an unlit lantern pinned to his waist, and a pot the size of a basin by his side. Tong Gong came in cheerfully, saying that he missed the food cooked by Brother Nian, and said that he would take a rest after eating this meal, so he knocked off the watch at the door of their noodle shop.
This knock down watch is the first watch after nightfall.
When the day is over and the night is up, it's time to watch the watch. It is said that Dageng originated from ancient witchcraft. It is said that after dark, the yin energy is heavy, and it is easy for ghosts to sneak into the world and cause trouble. The loud sound of gongs and clappers is to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. Although the rumors of witchcraft cannot be investigated now, the people of Daxia are superstitious after all, and they think that it is auspicious if the first door can be knocked on the door of their own house. Therefore, many families with children and elderly people who are sick or have trouble recently will specially spend money to ask the watchman to knock down the watchman in front of their house, so as to get rid of the mold.
Today, the watchman intends to rest at a bowl of noodle shop, and it is a good thing to call off the watchman at their door, but...
Yu Jinnian looked back at Ji Hong, who was still sleepy in the corner, and smiled at the watchman: "It's not a coincidence today, Brother Lu, I have some housework in the shop, I'm really sorry... In this way, you go on from here There is a street where there is a night wonton shop, the wontons are delicious and big, Brother Lu, why not go there, there is still wine for sale, it can warm you up at night."
The watchman was not unreasonable, so he agreed immediately. Yu Jinnian didn't ask him to come here in vain to regret it, he went to the back kitchen and wrapped a small plate of ingot egg rolls in oiled paper, and sent him to eat on the way. The watchman didn't expect such a good thing, but he couldn't hold back his greedy heart. After a while of evasion, he put it in his arms, turned around and walked away happily.
Just a few steps out of the noodle shop, he greedily opened the oiled paper bag, and saw a few very cute oblate rolls lying inside, still warm, and really like ingots and copper coins, circled inside and outside. Circles, these two circles are shells made of egg skin, with lotus root meat stuffing in the middle, when you bite down, the egg and meat are fragrant and come into your mouth together.
The watchman ate deliciously, so he made up his mind to have another bowl of noodles at the door of the restaurant to beat the watchman.
At this time, in a bowl of noodle shop.
Yu Jinnian closed the shop ahead of time, and laid out the food lightly. Seeing that Ji Hong hadn't woken up yet, he moved forward curiously to take a closer look. This person's face is cold, and his breath is not warm, as if he was dug out of an ice cellar, but he is so good-looking, and his eyelashes look like a girl's, which makes Yu Jinnian feel itchy Being cheap, I always want to grab it.
Before he could put into practice the mischievous idea in his heart, he saw that the other party's eyelashes trembled, and slowly cleared away the fog, revealing the bright and bright dark moons under his eyelids.
This situation was unexpected by Yu Jinnian, his hands were still on her face!
Ji Hong opened his eyes, and suddenly saw a big frozen face, and couldn't help but freeze.
The two looked at each other for a while, Yu Jinnian laughed dryly, withdrew his hand as quickly as lightning, turned his head and withdrew, and shouted, "Er Niang Sui Sui! It's time to eat!"
Seeing his guilty look, Ji Hong thought he had something on his face, and raised his hand to touch it. When he came back to his senses, he realized that there were four or five delicacies on the table in front of him. Never seen it before, it's strange.
A woman with a kind face walked slowly through the back hall, leading a beautiful doll in her hand, and sat down at the table.
The little girl was not yet old enough to judge people by their appearance, and her classification of the people around her was simple and rude. After being frozen twice by Ji Hong, she automatically put him in the column of "vicious villains", even though Ji Hong was very handsome. Tianxian is also unwilling to sit next to him.
Yu Jinnian couldn't do it, so he sat down next to Ji Hong and passed chopsticks to everyone to share the meal.
Although Sui Sui is a bit afraid of strangers, but with the temptation of delicious food in front of her, she gradually becomes more comfortable and eats with her belly open. She is small and the dishes are placed far away, so she tugs on Yu Jinnian's sleeve and asks him to hold this and that , Eat until your cheeks are shiny.
Yu Jinnian picked up a chicken wing for Suisui, turned around and saw that there was still a lot of rice in Ji Hong's bowl, and he didn't eat much, so he also picked up a boneless wing and two pieces of squashy pumpkin for him .
Ji Hongben was already full, and when he lowered his head, the bowl was spiky again, but this boneless chicken wing was tender and juicy, the diced vegetables inside were rich and crisp, and the pumpkin was salty and delicious, and it melted in the mouth. The garlic cloves at the bottom of the crock were boiled to get rid of the smell of garlic. Rao Ji Hong usually only eats a small bowl of food, but today he forced Yu Jinnian to fill his stomach.
It was not Yu Jinnian's original intention to feed Ji Hong, it was because this person ate too elegantly, as if such and such rules were pressed out of wooden molds, the food must be chewed a fixed number of times before swallowing, and three mouthfuls of food must be eaten After drinking a spoonful of soup, the bowl is held motionless less than a foot away from his chest, and eating a garlic clove can give him the momentum of eating a shark's fin bear's paw. Yu Jinnian thought it was very interesting, so he couldn't help but want to bring him some food.
One bite, two bites, three bites... It's time for soup!
Sure enough, on the third bite, Ji Hong put down his rice bowl on time and took a sip of the side ear soup.
As if the prank had succeeded, Yu Jinnian snickered with a snicker.
Seeing the young man holding a bowl and laughing after taking a look at himself, Ji Hong inspected himself up and down, but still didn't find anything wrong. Trembling.
At this time, Sui Sui shook her little feet and called softly: "Brother Xiaonian, Sui Sui still wants to eat that egg roll."
Yu Jinnian was in a good mood, he smiled and said, "Okay, give Sui Sui another small ingot!"
"Slow down, who can snatch it from you?" Er Niang pulled out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped her daughter's mouth with a smile.
Listening to the laughter next to his ears, Ji Hong looked at the unusual but delicious food in the bowl. The square table in front of him seemed to have been used for more than a few years. There were old patterns of ravines on the wooden boards. There was also a small gap in the scrubbing of the sun, the moon and the moon, and the distant knocking sound could be heard through the wooden boards of the shop door.
Everything is so ordinary, yet so real, just like the smile on the young man's face at the moment, there is a kind of warmth that can be touched, and he can't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.
"I'll give you one too." Hearing a clear and smiling voice, Ji Hong raised his head to see that the young man was holding two chopsticks of food for him, "Ruyi Xiangdried, Yuanbao Egg Roll, Mr. Ji will be happy in the future wishful."
Ji Hong pursed his lips, and his expression couldn't help becoming gentle: "Thank you for your good words."
—
After dinner, Erniang chatted with them for a few words, then took Sui Sui back to the room to read the scriptures, Yu Jinnian cleaned up the table, and took out a small jar from behind the counter like a thief, very proud Put it in front of Ji Hong.
"The lychee wine brewed before is ready to be opened now, so I will try it with you first."
The lychees were hard-won. This summer, a fruit farmer came to Sichuan to deliver lychees to the north. The world knows that lychees "if they are away from their original twigs, their color will change in one day, and their taste will change in three days." It is very delicate, so there is another name "Li Zhi". Unfortunately, as soon as this fruit farmer settled in Xin'an County, he became unaccustomed to the soil and had diarrhea, which delayed his journey, and it was because he was so worried that he clutched his stomach and turned around. Yu Jinnian saw that he was very anxious, so he grabbed a pair of Huoxiangzhengqi decoction and drank it with him. After the man recovered, he didn't know how to thank him, so he left a basket of fresh and plump danli.
Litchi has the effect of nourishing blood, promoting body fluid and regulating qi. He peeled some of them and gave them to Suisui Erniang to eat, and the remaining few went into the altar to make wine. It is not difficult to make fruit wine. The most important thing is that raw water should not be seen, otherwise the growth of bacterial colonies will turn a jar of good wine into bad vinegar. Therefore, the lychees must be washed and drained before peeling, and the wine jars are also boiled in boiling water. Yu Jinnian used sorghum wine, the higher the alcohol content, the more mellow the taste. He put the wine, a layer of sugar and a layer of lychees into the altar, sealed the mouth of the altar, and put it in a small, cool partition under the counter. waiting.
Now counting carefully since the altar was sealed, it has just arrived in March, which is a good time to start wine.
Ji Hongqi wanted to say something, stared at the wine jar for a while, then restrained himself, and nodded slightly.
Yu Jinnian knocked off the mud that sealed the altar with an empty bowl, and when he lifted the red cloth, a burst of sweet fragrance wafted out, he sniffed greedily a few times, then poured out two small bowls from the altar, the wine was clear Transparent, with a hint of lychee sweetness.
While drinking, the two chatted about the gossip of the parents in the market, such as what fruit is cheap and delicious in this season, or the tofu and bean sprouts in Zhangjia Doufang are much better than the tofu Xishi's that is overcrowded all day, or how many days later? It's time for the grapes to be planted to make wine again... blah blah blah.
It is said that the parents are short-sighted, and the natural structure is very narrow. Most of them are inseparable from "eating". In short, the food is finally brought back to the food, and most of them are explained by Yu Jinnian himself, while Ji Hong is silent on the sidelines. Listening, sometimes blinking a few times as if approving, was surprisingly harmonious.
Ji Hong took a sip of the wine in the bowl, while looking sideways at the young man pouring two bowls in a row, he finally quenched his thirst, stopped chattering, and narrowed his eyes contentedly.
Like a cat, Ji Hong thought.
After drinking, Yu Jinnian began to boldly observe men again—since he discovered that Ji Hong's model rules are very interesting, it has become his most important entertainment tonight—but this time he is a man of his own accord. For the sake of boredom, the man didn't have any weird little movements when drinking, he just sat upright and drank slower than others.
He did the voyeurism business aboveboard, completely forgetting that he was doing the banquet today to apologize to others, but fortunately Ji Hong didn't come here for this, and he didn't care. The two drank for a while while holding the altar and handing over glasses, Yu Jinnian suddenly remembered something, and suddenly stood up and ran to the back kitchen with an exclamation, which surprised Ji Hong.
"I almost forgot to make medicine for Er Niang!" Yu Jinnian opened the curtain, looked back at Ji Hong again, and said, "Don't rush away, I'll make some hangover tea as well."
Ji Hong was calmly persuaded by the young man to drink a lot of wine at this moment. Although he sat upright and seemed to be fine, in fact he was a little dizzy and unclear. Hearing the young man telling him not to leave, he laid his emphasis on it dully. Nodding, and shaking like this, I feel that the chaos in my mind seems to be filled with paste, and my chest is also depressed.
You shouldn't be drinking, you shouldn't be drinking, this is going to happen.
A gust of night wind swept in and blew out the only lamp on the table. In the darkness, Ji Hong could even hear the beating sound of his chest cavity. Stretched and tripped by a table leg, he hurriedly walked towards the direction where the boy disappeared just now.
The author has something to say:
Ji Laogong: Who turned off the light! Open QAQ quickly!
Ji Lao Gong's weakness: yip, yip, afraid of the dark (how about your dignity as Lao Gong!)