The slices are paper thin, easy to eat and delicious.
It was around noon when Zhu Ping'an came out of Mr. Li's house. It was still snowing outside. Whenever he thought of the mutton hotpot he had just eaten, he felt a spring breeze on his tongue and he didn't feel cold despite the strong wind and heavy snow.
Humming a strange tune, with a copy of The Doctrine of the Mean annotated by Zhu Xi lying quietly in his shoulder bag, Zhu Ping'an stepped into the wind and snow again.
Snow is a sign of a good harvest. In folk culture, snow is a sign of a good harvest. Whenever it snows, farmers are always happy. If there is heavy snow this year, the harvest next year will definitely be good. This saying that snow is a sign of a good harvest has been verified for thousands of years. Making snowmen, having snowball fights, skiing, etc., all come with the snow. But after the snow, we have to face a very embarrassing problem, that is, the heavy snow blocks the road and traffic is inconvenient.
The snow was already a palm deep, and it was very difficult to walk on the road. Zhu Pingan walked back home in the snow, one foot deep and one foot shallow. Suddenly, he thought that Master Sun's children were not around and he was a little old, so it would be difficult to sweep the snow. So Zhu Pingan changed direction and walked towards Master Sun's house.
Going to Master Sun's house was also a familiar route. During all these years of elementary school, Zhu Ping'an had gone to Master Sun's house many times to ask for advice.
Mr. Sun's house was not far from Mr. Li's house. It took less than ten minutes to reach Mr. Sun's house. Mr. Sun's family was also well-off, with a courtyard made of earth and wood, and was considered an upper-middle-class family in the village.
Those of you who have read many novels may have this idea: Master Sun was moved by Zhu Ping'an's diligence and eagerness to learn, and thought that this boy was extraordinary, so he wanted to entrust his daughter to him, and so on.
Haha, you really think too much. Master Sun is almost 60 years old, his daughter is over 40, and even his granddaughter has already started a family. However, his children have all started their own families in the town. Master Sun and his wife live together, which is a good story of harmony.
The door of Mr. Sun's house is not locked at night, so you can walk in directly. There is a clump of bamboo planted in the yard, which adds a bit of poetic charm to the courtyard.
When I walked in, Master Sun was pruning his own bamboo. The snow and wind were strong, and the bamboo was bent by the accumulated snow and wind. Master Sun was worried that the bamboo would break, so he was using a small broom to help clear the snow from the bamboo.
"Mr. Master." As soon as Zhu Ping'an entered the yard, he bowed to Master Sun who was tidying up the bamboo.
"Oh, Ping An is here." Master Sun knew it was Zhu Ping An without turning around. Master Sun asked Zhu Ping An while tidying up the bamboo, "Ping An, what do you think of this bamboo?"
What are your thoughts on bamboo
Zhu Ping'an didn't quite understand what Master Sun meant. He looked at the bamboo that Master Sun was pruning. Even with the wind and snow, the bamboo still stubbornly maintained its green color. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that the three friends of winter are pine, bamboo and plum. So he said, "The bamboo is proud of the snow and frost, and is not afraid of the wind and snow. Students should learn from its character."
Hearing this, Master Sun put down his broom and shook his head. "It is true that bamboos can stand tall in the snow and frost in winter, but when the snow falls, it accumulates on the bamboos. Some bamboos are tenacious and resist the accumulation of snow, refusing to bend. Eventually, they will be broken by the snow. There is another kind of bamboo that will bend after the snow falls, quietly waiting for the weather to warm up and the snow to melt. When the snow melts and falls to the ground to moisten the roots, the bamboos will thrive and grow as tall as before."
At this point, Master Sun turned his head and looked at Zhu Ping'an, "Ping'an, we want to be the bamboo that defies the snow and frost in winter, but we also want to be the second kind of bamboo that can stretch and bend. As long as we keep our roots, we won't be afraid of running out of firewood."
"I have learned a lot." Zhu Ping'an benefited a lot and bowed deeply.
Old Master Sun waved his hand, twirling his beard, and said, "I am very optimistic about you in this regard. In a few months, it will be the boy's exam. This exam is like wind and snow to bamboo for you. You must not be crushed by it."
It turned out that Master Sun was worried about this. He was worried that if he didn't perform well in this imperial examination, he would be so frustrated by the failure that he wouldn't be able to stand up again. So he used the bamboo to remind himself.
"Please rest assured, Master, Ping'an understands." Zhu Ping'an made a promise immediately so as not to make Master Sun worry.
"Well, now I feel relieved." Master Sun laughed heartily.
"You old man, why are you letting Ping An stand in the snow? Come here, Ping An, and try the tea that Master's wife has just brewed."
The master's wife had gray hair, but it was kept neatly groomed, and she had a scholarly air about her.
"Haha, thank you, Master's wife. In ancient times, Hua Xiong was killed with warm wine. Today, let me be known as the man who sweeps the snow with warm tea." Zhu Ping'an was much more relaxed when facing his Master's wife than when facing Master Sun. He picked up the shovel, broom and other tools in the yard with a silly smile and started working enthusiastically.
"You kid!" the master's wife scolded.
Old Master Sun smiled and twirled his beard, then continued to tidy up his bamboo.
When Zhu Pingan started sweeping the snow, his hands were still cold as he held the broom, but after sweeping for a while, the heat began to rise from his body, and his whole body became warm. If he wasn't afraid of catching a cold, Zhu Pingan would have wanted to take off his clothes.
It didn't take long before Zhu Ping'an cleared the snow in Master Sun's yard to create a large open space, and also cleared a long path outside the door.
The tea made from snow-sweeping smells especially fragrant. After drinking the tea made by his master's wife and bidding farewell to his teacher, Zhu Ping'an braved the wind and snow and set out on his journey home.
The thatched house where Zhu Ping'an's family originally lived has now been turned into a courtyard with two entrances and two exits made of blue bricks and red tiles. Zhu's father has made a lot of money in recent years by traveling between the town and the villages with his ox cart. Chen is also a good mother who can manage the household. With more money, she rebuilt the courtyard.
"Really? Why is it snowing when the weather is nice?" Chen was looking at the heavy snow in the yard, feeling extremely unhappy.
"Haha, auspicious snow means a good harvest, it's a good sign." Father Zhu smiled innocently while sweeping the snow.
"Damn you, if it hadn't snowed, our ox cart would have earned at least dozens or hundreds of coins a day." Chen said regretfully.
Hehe, Mother Chen's eyes light up just like always when she mentions money.
"Oh, Zhu Ping'an is back. Come in quickly and warm yourself by the fire." Mother Chen was sharp-eyed and was the first to see Zhu Ping'an returning home in the snow. She quickly invited him into the house.
"I'll help my father sweep the snow before going in." Zhu Ping'an smiled innocently.
"Don't worry about him. He has all his brute strength and is worried about where to use it."
Chen didn't care about all this. She walked over, grabbed Zhu Ping'an and dragged him into the house. She brushed the snow off his body and pressed Zhu Ping'an in front of the stove.
Zhu Ping'an did not refuse his mother's kindness and sat down to warm his hands.
"Where is my brother?" Zhu Ping'an asked when he didn't see his brother.
When talking about her eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan, her mother Chen said unhappily, "Not long after you left, your eldest brother went to Old Zhang's house to sweep snow. He really forgot his mother after marrying a wife. He hasn't even married yet, but he has already forgotten me."
Last year, my eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan got engaged to the daughter of the Zhang family from the same village. Because the Zhang family loves their daughter so much, they said they would raise her until she is 18 before getting married. So according to the calculation, they should be getting married next year.
"Hehe, my mother is jealous. Don't worry, my son won't be like his brother when he gets married. He will even take his mother with him when he goes to sweep the snow."
"You are so heartless! You are even more evil than your brother. He just went to sweep the snow alone, but you even want to take me with you!"
Chen was interrupted by Zhu Ping'an. Although she was angry, her mood improved a lot.