Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Winter Solstice Worship Winter Solstice Customs "Long shoes...

After the Taoist priest's lecture, Duan Zhiwei still didn't realize what was going on, but Aunt Duan immediately started to tremble: "Another monster? Oh, what sin have I committed? I have never been at peace since I moved to Xuanyangfang."

She quickly crossed her arms and bowed deeply to the Taoist priest, saying, "Master, please save me."

Taoist Master Jingyun hesitated for a moment, then took out a red talisman from his bosom and said, "Hang this talisman on the door of your home, it will keep you safe for a while."

Aunt Duan thanked him profusely, but Duan Zhiwei still wanted to find out what had happened to the handsome young man from the Mu family, and where the evil spirit came from. Seeing that Taoist Master Jingyun had an unfathomable look on his face, and knowing that it would be impolite to ask casually, he had to give up and took Aunt Duan, who was still chattering about her miserable life, back to the restaurant.

Aunt Duan immediately pasted the red talisman on the doorpost.

Duan Zhiwei looked at it from all sides and felt uncomfortable. He wanted to move the red talisman away, but was quickly stopped by Aunt Duan.

Duan Zhiwei could only advise: "Aunt, if you stick this talisman on the pillar, it will clearly tell everyone that our restaurant is not clean. Who would dare to come and eat here?"

This actually made some sense. The two of them took a step back, and Duan Zhiwei hid the talisman inside the beam.

Now Duan Zhiwei was more pleased with his restaurant and began to study the menu for the Winter Solstice with peace of mind.

In her previous life, she didn't think the Winter Solstice was a big festival. She was just called back to her hometown to worship her ancestors and then have dumplings or something. But in this dynasty, because the Winter Solstice is the first of the 24 solar terms, people treat it as the Spring Festival and celebrate it with great ceremony.

As the saints held a ceremony to offer sacrifices to heaven on the winter solstice, all officials and envoys from foreign vassal states had to participate in the grand court meeting on the winter solstice. Even Yuan Shenji became busy and was only seen occasionally in the restaurant for a meal.

Although the program of the winter solstice court meeting was still kept secret, the transportation of seven elephants from Yunnan to Chang'an was no secret. The people in the city had never seen such strange beasts, and they all flocked to Zhuque Street to see these huge creatures. The government office had to urgently mobilize a group of Jinwu and Qianniu to guard both sides of the street, for fear that the people would rush forward and scare the elephants.

Yuan Shenji then described to Duan Zhiwei the results of the training of chariot elephants in the royal gardens. During court meetings, seven elephants would line up in a row and bow to the north.

Duan Zhiwei was delighted to hear this and poured him a plate of sugar-roasted chestnuts.

These chestnuts were picked up at the foot of Mount Zhongnan in autumn. While people in this dynasty were still cooking chestnuts in sugar water, Duan Zhiwei had already taken a step ahead and started frying chestnuts with sand and gravel. He placed a large iron pot at the door of the restaurant. The gravel was black and shiny, and the firewood underneath was burning hot. When he fried the chestnuts, the gravel collided with the chestnuts, making a rustling sound.

The sweet aroma of caramel spread all the way to the other street.

Every afternoon, Duan Zhiwei would sell chestnuts at a fixed location in front of the restaurant for half an hour. The reason was simple: the iron wok with stones and chestnuts was extremely heavy. After swinging the wok for half an hour, her arms would become sore.

Perhaps because it is limited in time and season, the sugar-roasted chestnuts have triggered a hunger marketing reaction. Every afternoon, before she sets up the pot, diners have already lined up in the autumn breeze.

The chestnuts in the pot gradually became oily and shiny because of the syrup. Occasionally, one or two chestnuts would burst out of the iron pot, revealing the golden chestnut meat inside.

The diners waited for a long time in the wind, and finally it was their turn. They learned to use copper coins to insert into the gap between the chestnuts and pull them apart. Then the sweet caramel-flavored meat popped out. They took a bite and it was hot, soft, sweet and extremely delicious.

It was a pity that not many chestnuts were picked in the autumn, and they had to stop supplying them after only a few days of selling. Duan Zhiwei secretly kept some for herself to eat, and also gave a plate to Yuan Shenji, telling him not to tell anyone. Even when a young man from a noble family sent his servants to buy them, she was reluctant to sell them.

Yuan Shenji couldn't help but laugh, but still bowed to thank her.

The two were chatting happily when they saw Su Qian walk into the restaurant with a dazed look on his face and asked for a bowl of hot mutton soup. Duan Zhiwei had just been trying to make mutton dumplings for the winter solstice, so he was going to find this clear-headed and stupid looking ninth-rank recorder to try them out.

"Mr. Su, would you like to try our new mutton dumplings? They are made with fresh lamb leg meat and the filling is juicy." Duan Zhiwei recommended.

Su Xun didn't know whether he heard her words or not. He just nodded randomly and stared at the empty air in front of him, trembling.

The restaurant had already heated up the brazier a long time ago, and it was as warm as spring inside. Even a woman like Ah Pan who was afraid of the cold took off her outer clothes and worked in only a thin skirt. This Su Qi was too weak.

Thinking of this, Duan Zhiwei turned around and cooked a bowl of mutton soup dumplings and handed it to him.

In fact, Duan Zhiwei was unsure. People in his dynasty loved mutton, but modern people are polarized about mutton, a meat with a strong smell. Except for mutton skewers with a large amount of cumin, most restaurants, including Duan Zhiwei's own restaurant, still choose more stable beef, pork, chicken and fish as the main menu.

This resulted in Duan Zhiwei's mutton cooking skills being very poor. The mutton stuffing was mixed with onions, peppercorns and other ingredients to remove the mutton smell. Duan Zhiwei even gritted his teeth and sprinkled a large spoonful of pepper.

Duan Zhiwei was observing Su Que's expression. Pu Tao quietly pulled her sleeve and said with shame on his face: "My wife, I was just looking at the picture book and accidentally made dumplings with the mutton stuffing I had just chopped. The plate of mutton stuffing with seasonings is still frozen by the well..."

This meant that Su Qi was eating a dumpling without any seasoning, and the taste was terrible... This was an unforgivable mistake for the restaurant. Duan Zhiwei was so scared that she turned pale and had to stammer as she approached Su Qi to prepare an apology and compensation plan.

Unexpectedly, Su Qianmian ate a portion of mutton dumplings without any seasoning without changing his expression, and then prepared to pay.

Duan Zhiwei couldn't help but ask, "Is Su Lushi doing well these days?"

What kind of blow can make a person lose his sense of taste?

When Su Xun heard Duan Zhiwei's unexpected concern, he couldn't help but tear up.

"Hey, don't cry," Duan Zhiwei said hurriedly. She turned her head and saw Yuan Shenji still eating the Hu Bing with big mouthfuls. She quickly called him over, ready to listen to how much injustice Su Juan had suffered.

Unexpectedly, Su Qi choked up and said, "I saw a ghost a few days ago."

Yuan Shenji and Duan Zhiwei looked at each other. Duan Zhiwei wanted to laugh, but seeing that he was serious, she quickly swallowed her smile.

As a superior, he naturally cares about his subordinates, so Yuan Shenji asked first: "Recruiter Su, please tell us in detail what happened."

Su Qun began to talk about his previous experiences.

Su Qi had a neighbor named Mu, called Mu Sheng. He met a beautiful woman under the lanterns on the Double Ninth Festival. The two of them became friends after a few interactions. Sometimes when Su Qi was reading at home, he would see a maid holding a double-headed peony lantern, leading the beautiful woman to meet him.

Su Qun said, "Mr. Mu even invited me over to drink a bowl of wine. I have also seen that beauty. She is indeed stunningly beautiful."

His face was as pale as wax, completely bloodless, and he had a strange sandalwood smell on his body.

The day before yesterday, Su Xun wanted to return the book he borrowed from Mu Sheng. He shouted for half a day but no one answered. He went around to the window next to him and looked through the gap in the window paper. Unexpectedly, he saw a white skeleton and Mu Sheng sitting under the lamp playing chess.

He immediately screamed in fright, but Mu Sheng was still staring at the chessboard without any reaction. The pink skeleton actually raised its head slightly, looked at the window paper, and smiled at him.

Su Xun quickly packed up his belongings and ran to seek refuge with his uncle-in-law, where he stayed for a few nights. The princess's mansion was heavily guarded and had the aura of a real dragon, so Su Xun felt a little relieved.

After feeling relieved, he felt ashamed. Mu Sheng was so good to him, but he just slipped away like this. It was really a waste of his time reading the books of sages. So Su Xun picked a bright and sunny day, brought two guards from the princess's mansion to find Mu Sheng, and told him what he had seen that day.

Having dated a skeleton for half a month, Mu Sheng was horrified but also somewhat unconvinced: "But Li Niang is so beautiful, and I even know where she lives."

Duan Zhiwei listened carefully and couldn't help but interrupt: "Then why don't you go and ask the neighbors?"

Su Que slapped his thigh and said, "That's exactly it."

As a result, several people went to look for it according to the address given by Mu Sheng.

Duan Zhiwei asked: "Have you found the person?" ”

Su Xun's face was pale and his lips began to tremble. Duan Zhiwei quickly poured him a bowl of hot wolfberry, red dates and longan drink. Su Xun drank it all in one gulp and said, "I found the person."

At dusk that day, he and Mu Sheng rode their horses to the place that Li Niang mentioned. It turned out to be a dilapidated little temple with a coffin inside.

Su Qun wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "The coffin is inscribed with Li Niang's coffin. In front of the coffin hangs a double-headed peony lamp, and a maidservant stands under the lamp."

Several people were so frightened that they ran away immediately with cold feet all over their bodies and trembling legs.

Duan Zhiwei and Yuan Shenji were silent for a long time. Yuan Shenji said, "This is a demonic thing. It seems that I need to write a memorial to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. It must not affect your majesty's winter solstice sacrifice to heaven, nor the people's winter solstice joy."

After saying this, he bowed to Duan Zhiwei and left.

Duan Zhiwei really wanted to hear the sequel to this horrible story, but Yuan Shenji and Su Xun did not come to the restaurant during those days, so she had to put the matter aside and concentrate on preparing for the Winter Solstice.

The old and red pumpkins picked in the summer are put together with glutinous rice flour and steamed into pumpkin balls for ancestor worship, while people are also busy pounding rice in the winter to prepare the granary.

Because of the folk proverb "winter wontons, winter dumplings", Duan Zhiwei and A Pan made wontons with various flavors.

Duan Zhiwei chose meat fillings such as pork, mutton, and fish, and added vegetarian fillings such as winter leeks, mushrooms, and red beans to make more than ten kinds of wontons. The wonton wrappers were also dyed with spinach, cabbage, pumpkin, and red yeast rice. A bowl of wontons with a hundred flavors was colorful and looked very beautiful.

To celebrate the winter solstice, one also needs to "walk long" and "respect the teacher".

"Lu Chang" means offering shoes and socks to elders. So that day, Aunt Duan received socks and shoes from several younger generations. A Pan was skillful and made solid and warm winter shoes, while Pu Tao embroidered a few small peach flowers on the socks. Duan Zhiwei did not know how to do needlework, so she bought a pair of silk shoes in the East Market.

Aunt Duan was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She complained to Duan Zhiwei: "Why did you go to such great lengths to buy such expensive shoes for me?"

Duan Zhiwei: “…” I don’t know who the person was who had mentioned a certain shoe store in East Market repeatedly in my ears a few days ago.

"Longshi" means respecting the teacher and paying homage to the teacher. Zhen Hui had placed the statue of Confucius in the back hall a few days ago. As most of the other scholars lived in the post station and it was not convenient for them to pay homage, these scholars, after eating a bowl of dumplings with all kinds of flavors, went around to the back hall to pay homage to Confucius.

So, on the winter solstice, a group of scholars ordered a bowl of wontons in Duan's restaurant and waited in line to pay homage to Confucius. This became a scene in Xuanyangfang, and the director of the restaurant came specially to praise Duan Zhiwei.

After all, Duan Zhiwei was a girl with modern ideas and had been studying for so many years, so she took advantage of the fact that no one was around at night and hurried to pay homage to Confucius.

"The father who keeps watch over the winter lives a long life, the mother who keeps watch over the New Year lives a long life." For this proverb, Pu Tao decided to stay up all night to keep watch over the winter. Except for Aunt Duan who was old, the other people accompanied her to keep watch. They talked around the stove, drank red date tea, read storybooks, and ate melon seeds.

When it was almost midnight, Putao yawned loudly and opened the door, wanting to go out in the cold wind to wake himself up. As a result, he ran back as if escaping after just a short while.

Duan Zhiwei thought it was funny: "Is there a tiger chasing you outside?" while refilling her bowl of red date tea.

As a result, Pu Tao said with horror: "The beautiful lady who came to our restaurant to look for someone that day was walking outside with a scholar, followed by a maid holding a double-headed peony lantern."

Duan Zhiwei was so frightened that she woke up from her sleep. She immediately jumped out and went to the door. Looking up, she saw that the sky was dark and the moon was dark. The people had gone far away. Only a faint fire was floating in the cold night and winter wind. She quickly called A Pan, and the two of them worked together to put the door panel back on.

The next morning, everyone felt a little listless. The restaurant was closed for half a day, so they all went back to their rooms to take a nap to regain their energy.

After noon, Yuan Shenji and Wang Qian, whom Chongyang had met, came to the restaurant together.

Duan Zhiwei served two bowls of wontons with various flavors and told them what happened last night.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shenji said seriously: "Mu Sheng is dead."

"ah?"

The day before yesterday, Yuan Shenji reported the matter to the Imperial Observatory. The next day, he led the Imperial Observatory to look for Mu Sheng but couldn't find him. So he went to Li Niang's coffin and found Mu Sheng's clothes stuck in the gap of the coffin. When he opened the coffin, he found that Mu Sheng had been dead for a long time.

Duan Zhiwei sighed twice, feeling that this pair of mandarin ducks were miserable. Then he thought that Mu Sheng even went to the Taoist temple to ask the Taoist priest for the red talisman to avoid disaster. Maybe he was also a rebellious person who was tempted by beauty.

She felt bored, and Yuan Shenji drank his tea silently. Only Wang Qian was so excited that he kept asking Duan Zhiwei to bring him pen and ink.

Duan Zhiwei gave it to him, and the man leaned over the table and began to write with great enthusiasm.

Yuan Shenji said to Duan Zhiwei helplessly: "I'm afraid that Wang Jun has got the inspiration to write Bianwen again."

Without even looking up, Wang Qian wrote quickly, "I've already thought of a name for it. It's called The Peony Lantern."