Chapter 15 Chapter 15 On the day of the Ghost Festival, Shen...
On the day of the Ghost Festival, when Shen Xuan entered the city early in the morning, the number of guests was several times less than in the previous few days.
He only received eight orders in the whole morning. After noon, every family started to celebrate the festival and offer sacrifices, and no one came to the sacrificial paper stall. The stall owner closed up and went home, and Shen Xuan also went home early.
Because of the festival, he specially bought two pounds of mutton in the city, killed an old hen, and brought a pot of sake. I also bought a piece of tofu at the entrance of the village and prepared to make a big meal.
During the Jin Dynasty, noble families would hire people to perform rituals and chant sutras during the Ghost Festival, and light incense and candles for their ancestors in temples to bless the safety of the entire family. Ordinary people don’t have that much money, so they just prepare a good meal with good wine and food, and buy some sacrificial paper to burn.
Country people can’t afford to burn paper money, but they will still cook some delicious dishes during the Ghost Festival. They are first placed on the table to honor the ancestors, and then given to the younger generations to eat. No food is wasted and it is called a reward from the ancestors.
Shen Xuan has been influenced by modern society and does not care about these things. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. A big meal still needs to be prepared.
He first washed the old hen, cut it into pieces, and put it into a clay pot together with ginger slices. There is nothing else in the village but corn everywhere. Chen Xuan had already bought a lot from his neighbor lady, and now he broke off two pieces and used them to make chicken soup.
After the chicken soup was cooked, Shen Xuan began to braise the mutton.
He put the cleaned mutton, onion, ginger into the pot, and then added the marinade. Bring to a boil over high heat first, and after the marinade has released its aroma, simmer over low heat for half an hour.
After the whole yard was filled with the aroma of the marinade, Shen Xuan poured the mutton and the marinade into a large bowl, allowing the mutton to continue to absorb the marinade.
Then seeing that the time was almost up, Shen Xuan picked up the mutton and cut it into thin slices evenly. Half of the braised lamb is served directly on a plate, and the other half is set aside for later use.
Then he heated oil in a pan, poured in chopped ginger and garlic, added a spoonful of bean paste, and then poured the mutton he had prepared earlier into the pan and stir-fried it.
After the mutton slices in the pot were evenly coated with a layer of sauce, Shen Xuan poured in a little more of the original marinade soup to dry it out and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
A plate of fragrant stir-fried lamb slices is ready. It is served on the same plate as the braised lamb. It is a two-in-one dish that is both delicious and beautiful.
Finally, he cooked a piece of tofu and a loofah. After the dish is served, throw the soaked vermicelli into the chicken soup pot.
Since we cooked a lot of dishes today and bought some wine, Shen Xuan didn’t steam any rice.
The vermicelli in the chicken soup absorbs the soup, which is refreshing and delicious. It is more fragrant than rice as a staple food.
Shen Xuan was very satisfied with the dishes he cooked today. After serving the dishes to the table, he took out two wine glasses and poured a glass of sake for Xue Fenglin and himself.
After he was free, Shen Xuan discovered that Xue Fenglin seemed a little silent today. When I was helping myself just now, my mood was not very good.
Shen Xuan was a little confused, and he didn't know what happened to Xue Fenglin today?
He was just wondering how to ask, but he didn't expect Xue Fenglin to take the initiative and say, "Chen Xuan, can you take an empty bowl? I want to serve a bowl of rice to my deceased mother."
"Ah, of course." Shen Xuan realized that today was the Ghost Festival, a day to honor ancestors.
He also thought that he didn't know when Lin Ye's biological mother died. It turned out that he missed his deceased mother. No wonder he was in a bad mood today.
Although Xue Fenglin's biological mother, Ye, was the principal wife of the Marquis's mansion, she had always had a bad relationship with the old Marquis Xue because of his concubine, Bai.
After Ye's death, during every New Year and other festivals, Xue Fenglin was the one in the Marquis' Mansion who cared most about her. He personally presided over the sacrificial ceremonies and the lighting of lamps.
Xue Fenglin met with misfortune this year and was unable to return home. She didn't know if the memorial ceremony at the Marquis' Mansion would forget about her.
Xue Fenglin had long given up hope in his biological father.
Shen Xuan was still young when Duke Shen and his wife died. After that, he lived in the modern world for more than 20 years. In fact, he no longer had a deep impression of his parents in this world.
However, when Xue Fenglin mentioned his deceased mother, Shen Xuan also thought of his own parents.
He went to the kitchen and got three empty bowls, filled each with dishes, and placed them on the cupboard next to him, as a way of honoring his elders.
Xue Fenglin then stood up with his wine glass in hand, knelt down and offered a glass of wine in the direction of the bowls, and said in a hoarse voice: "I am an unfilial child. I cannot fulfill my filial duty to my mother in time this year. When I return, I will definitely go to the temple to light a perpetual lamp for my mother's tablet."
Shen Xuan saw that he had a sad look in his eyes and seemed to be suppressing deep emotions in his heart, and he couldn't help but be quite moved.
When he thought about how he had been stupid for so many years and had not even burned a piece of sacrificial paper for Duke Shen and his wife, he felt a little regretful. I should have bought some sacrificial paper earlier!
But he suddenly had an idea and walked out of the room and went to the field next to it.
After an incense stick of time, Shen Xuan came in with several bunches of lush wild chrysanthemums.
Late summer is the time when chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and the fields nearby are filled with white and yellow wild chrysanthemums.
Shen Xuan put the chrysanthemums in a cup and placed it on the cabinet where the dishes and chopsticks were placed.
Although there was no sacrificial paper at home, there were wine, food and flowers.
Chen Xuan also knelt down like Xue Fenglin, raised his glass and said, "Dad, Mom, and Lin Ye's mom. It's all my fault for neglecting to give you some money. There are only food and wild flowers at home, which are also our intentions. I hope you don't despise it."
After finishing speaking, Shen Xuan raised his glass and drank it all.
When he looked at Xue Fenglin again, he saw that he was looking at him intently, with a very complicated emotion hidden in his eyes.
Shen Xuan was stunned by Xue Fenglin's gaze, and asked with some suspicion: "Your eyes... am I wrong?"
Xue Fenglin then realized his mistake. He came to his senses, shook his head, and smiled: "No, it's just that my mother loves chrysanthemums the most. Thank you for the flowers you sent her. She will definitely like them."
Ye loved chrysanthemums, and she had planted a lot of chrysanthemums in the yard of her mansion.
Shen Xuan accidentally hit upon something that actually suited Ye's wishes. Although this was a coincidence, Xue Fenglin felt a different feeling in his heart when he thought that Shen Xuan was the husband that Ye had arranged for him in advance.
I just thought that if the Shen family had not fallen, the Ye family would still be there. I'm afraid that Chen Xuan would have married me a long time ago, and Ye would definitely like this son-in-law very much.
He looked at the two bowls on the cabinet representing Duke Shen and his wife, and toasted them with a glass of wine.
He and Shen Xuan had an engagement long ago, but they had been slow to fulfill the contract. If Duke Shen and his wife knew about this in the afterlife, they would probably crawl over to me in the middle of the night to settle the score.
After this sacrifice, Xue Fenglin seemed to be in a much better mood.
It was already dark by then, and he and Shen Xuan returned to the table to start eating.
Xue Fenglin poured a glass of wine for himself and Shen Xuan, and said to him solemnly: "Shen Xuan, this glass is for you. I owe you a lot, and I will pay you back slowly in the future."
Chen Xuan thought Xue Fenglin was talking about how he saved him, so he smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Lin Ye, you are too polite. I didn't save you for anything in return. You don't need to keep talking about it. It makes people uncomfortable."
Seeing Xue Fenglin drink a glass of wine in one gulp, Shen Xuan also imitated him and drank it all in one gulp.
But after two glasses of wine, Shen Xuan's face turned red. He looked a little excited and talked a lot more than usual. While constantly adding more food to Xue Fenglin's plate, he said boldly, "Lin Ye, you are so pretty. When I saved you, I didn't know you were so pretty, otherwise I would have been embarrassed to bring you home."
Xue Fenglin raised his eyebrows in surprise, it was the first time he heard such words from Shen Xuan's mouth.
He knew that he had an outstanding appearance. When he was in Beijing in the past, whenever he attended a banquet, the ladies and gentlemen sitting opposite him would keep looking at him, and some would even become jealous over who he had spoken a few more words to.
However, after meeting Shen Xuan, Shen Xuan always treated him generously and they treated each other with respect on weekdays.
In addition, Shen Xuan once said that she would never marry in this life, so Xue Fenglin naturally felt that the other party had no feelings for him, and he did not expect that Shen Xuan would have such thoughts in private.
In fact, Xue Fenglin has always been very conflicted. On the one hand, he used his looks as a weapon to socialize and build connections in Beijing, but on the other hand, he didn't like people paying too much attention to his face.
However, when Xue Fenglin heard Shen Xuan praise his good looks, his first reaction was happiness.
Seeing Shen Xuan drink another glass, he seemed to be a little drunk, and even his eyes became dull.
Xue Fenglin curled his lips, and suddenly felt like teasing Shen Xuan, so he asked, "What do you think is good about me?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xuan was stunned for a moment before looking at Xue Fenglin's face and said, "Eyebrows, eyes, nose..."
Before he finished speaking, Xue Fenglin frowned and asked, "Isn't your mouth pretty?"
"No." Shen Xuan said quickly, then stretched out his hand and gently traced Xue Fenglin's lips with his fingertips: "Red lips are bright outside, white teeth are bright inside... This mouth is naturally very beautiful."
Shen Xuan's action was very bold, but in fact it was because he was actually drunk.
Sake is not included, it tastes sweet and delicious, but is very intoxicating. Shen Xuan couldn't hold his liquor, and he was fond of sweets and drank a lot, so he drank too much without realizing it.
“You’re drunk.” Xue Fenglin held Shen Xuan’s wrist, his eyes dimming a little.
"I'm not drunk! You just look good! Why don't you admit it?" Shen Xuan said hurriedly.
He stood up suddenly, but his body lost its balance and he staggered forward. Xue Fenglin immediately reached out to catch him to prevent him from falling and ruining the food and wine on the table.
Shen Xuan half leaned on Xue Fenglin and did not move for a long time.
"Chen Xuan?" Xue Fenglin called his name and turned him over to take a look.
Shen Xuan's face was as red as clouds, his eyes were watery and unfocused, and he was obviously drunk.
Shen Xuan’s alcohol tolerance is so poor!
Xue Fenglin suddenly felt a little helpless and funny.
He carried Shen Xuan to the bed and took off his shoes and coat.
Because it was hot and he was drunk, Shen Xuan was lying on the bed and didn't stay still. He stretched out his arms and legs, with the collar of his underwear opened, revealing his collarbone and a touch of delicate skin on his chest.
Xue Fenglin swallowed his saliva and suddenly felt hot again.
At this time, Shen Xuan happened to turn over while drunk, with the collar of his shirt wide open, revealing a small part inside.
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