Dragon Boat Festival Special: Yu Mo, Zongzi, and Fish (Part 2)
Lifting the pot lid, a fragrant aroma filled the cabin. Yan Dan looked at the dumplings bobbing in the pot with a troubled expression. She had thought they would stay and eat together, so she had made enough for two extra people. Now, who would eat the extra dumplings? She slowly turned her head and saw the assassin huddled in a corner of the cabin. She smiled broadly and said, "Since I cooked so many extra, I'll feed them all to you."
The assassin, his face ashen, said tremblingly, "No need, I'd rather not waste what you've cooked, young lady..."
Yan Dan ladled out a bowl of dumplings and pushed it in front of Yu Mo, then turned to look at him, her face slowly darkening: "You seem very scared... Is it because I look scary that I frightened you?"
The assassin immediately shook his head vigorously: "The young lady is naturally beautiful, incredibly gorgeous!"
"Then what are you afraid of?" She scooped up a dumpling with a spoon and brought it to his mouth. "You're shaking so badly, I'm afraid you can't even hold the spoon steady. How about I feed you?"
The assassin's face turned even paler, and he stammered, "But...but the meat inside...the meat..."
Yan Dan let out a long "oh," and suddenly untied the white cloth wrapped around his leg: "Look for yourself, where's a piece of flesh missing?" She smiled slightly: "Come on, open your mouth, my cooking skills are quite good." The assassin looked at his leg, closed his eyes, and resignedly swallowed the dumpling in one gulp.
Yan Dan stared intently at him: "Does it taste good?"
The assassin immediately exclaimed, "Good, excellent!" At this point, even if it were pig swill, he would only say "good," let alone the dumplings with their thin wrappers, generous fillings, and perfect seasoning. He praised them endlessly, fearing that Yan Dan might actually chop his flesh into mincemeat if she got angry. Yan Dan smiled and said, "Then have another one." She fed them one by one, and before they knew it, all the extra dumplings in the pot were gone.
Yu Mo glanced at them, then at the dumplings in the spoon, and said nothing.
Yan smiled faintly and said, "What's your name? I can't exactly call you 'Hey'."
The man had dumplings stuffed in his mouth and mumbled, "Leopard...leopard."
Yan Danyan said, "How about we change to shumai tomorrow? The best shumai I've ever had was in Tongcheng. I don't know if we can make it taste like that."
Leopard couldn't help but ask, "Is it the shumai sold by that old man Huang in Yangliu Alley in Tongcheng?"
"Yes, yes, so you've eaten it too."
"His steamed pork with mung bean jelly was also delicious, no worse than his shumai."
Yan Dan was very happy, her face beaming with joy: "Yes, yes, I used to line up to buy them every morning, and they would be sold out by the time I arrived."
Yu Mo put down his bowl and coughed lightly, saying, "Yan Dan."
Yan Dan immediately turned to look at him. Yu Mo said calmly, "I think you've made enough of a scene today." Yan Dan nodded obediently and moved the oil lamp to a suitable position: "Mountain Lord, are you going to read now? I won't disturb you."
The leopard asked in a low voice, "Are you that afraid of him too?"
"I'm terrified. If the mountain lord gets angry, he won't care who it is; he'll just chop them into eight pieces and throw them into the river..."
The leopard shivered and fell silent.
Yu Mo glanced at her, then opened his book and began to read. As he turned the pages, he couldn't help but look up to see what Yan Dan was doing. He saw her using magic to conjure a set of dice and gambling with a leopard, a small stack of winning coins beside her. It seemed she was having a lucky streak. Yu Mo gripped the book and said in a deep voice, "Yan Dan!"
Yan Dan was startled, and the dice slipped from her hand, landing face up as three ones. Leopard laughed loudly, "Three ones! I'm the dealer, I win everything! These coins are mine."
Yu Mo rubbed his temples: "I think you'd only be happy if you were buried alive..."
Yan Dan was terrified and stumbled to the table: "I will never play dice again, and I will never make you angry again. Please don't bury me..." Yu Mo patted the cushion next to him: "You sit here. No bargaining allowed."
Yan Dan pouted and reluctantly moved to his side, secretly glancing at the book Yu Mo was reading. It turned out to be Fuxi Numerology. It was amazing that he could read such a boring book.
Without Yan Dan to play dice with him, Leopard had to gamble with his left and right hands by himself. After throwing the dice for a while, he got bored, curled up in a corner, and fell asleep snoring loudly.
Yan Dan sat there for a while, propping her chin up, before slowly closing her eyes to the sound of the leopard's purring. She had been dozing for a while, then suddenly woke up with a start. The oil lamp was out, and the cabin was pitch black. She was resting her head on Yu Mo's shoulder, probably leaning against him while she was dozing off, and Yu Mo hadn't pushed her away. She moved slightly, and Yu Mo frowned slightly, nuzzling his chin against the top of her head.
Yan Dan quietly moved aside, pulled over the blanket beside her, and gently covered him with it. She carefully reached out and touched Yu Mo's eyelashes, murmuring with deep sympathy, "I know you must have been heartbroken to see that flower fairy girl with someone else in her arms. I'm not very good at comforting people, so there's nothing I can do, but I think the lark will give you warmth..."
At dawn, the boat was moored at the ferry platform on the riverbank, and Wuzhen was not far from the platform.
Looking at the people carrying their wares to the market early in the morning, Yan Dan couldn't help but wonder, "Is today some special day? It's so lively."
The leopard counted on his fingers for a while: "Today is the third day of the fifth lunar month, and the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival."
Yan Dan hummed in agreement and murmured, "It's the Dragon Boat Festival..."
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the day when the yang energy of heaven and earth is at its peak. In the mortal world, there are customs of eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and racing dragon boats. But for them, demons, this day is the most difficult to endure. She has profound cultivation and is naturally not afraid, but she still feels uncomfortable in the end.
However, we still have to eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) for the Dragon Boat Festival just to celebrate the occasion.
Yan Dan bought glutinous rice, bamboo leaves, salted meat, and chestnuts, and handed them all to Leopard to carry. As they passed an apple stall, Yu Mo's steps noticeably faltered. Yan Dan snapped to attention and immediately said, "Young Master, what do you think of those oranges over there?" Oranges can be eaten simply by peeling, while apples need to be peeled and cut into pieces. Yu Mo naturally didn't mind the hassle, but she wanted to save herself the trouble.
The leopard said with a silly grin, "Eating too many oranges can cause internal heat."
Yan said coldly, "It goes perfectly with mung bean cake."
Yu Mo paused with his folding fan in his palm, and said calmly, "Then let's have oranges."
Yan Dan smiled slightly, her bright eyes and white teeth revealing her beauty: "Young master, you are so kind." The leopard, feeling scorned, could only slink away, carrying its basket and following behind.
Yu Mo said in a low voice, "The Dragon Boat Festival is in two days. I'm afraid we won't be able to get back to Yelan Mountain in time. Can you handle it?" Yan Dan didn't care much: "That's right. It's not the first time I've celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival."
Yu Mo smiled, his eyes and brows softening: "If you say this now, don't come crying to me when you're feeling down."
Yan Dan immediately felt embarrassed and pouted slightly: "I won't cry."
Leopard pointed to the stall selling cold noodles: "Cold noodles with steamed meat..." Yu Mo gave him a cold look, and Leopard trembled with grievance, then silently took two steps back.
Yan Dan, biting her chopsticks, watched Leopard stuff the steamed pork and cold jelly from the plate into his mouth like a flowing stream. She quickly asked, "How is it? How is it?" Before Leopard had even finished swallowing, he mumbled, "Good, better than Old Man Huang's..."
Yan Dan lifted a corner of the steamer and picked out a steaming hot shumai: "Here, try this."
The leopard took a bite of the shumai from her hand, chewed it a few times, and said, "Very good, this one is also excellent."
Yu Mo gripped the book in his hand, and a crease suddenly appeared on the smooth page.
"Miss Yan, could you please give me another one?" The leopard stared longingly at the steamer.
Yan Dan picked out another shumai, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to his lips: "Here, be careful, it's hot..."
Yu Mo put down his book, stood up, grabbed the leopard by the collar, and dragged him toward the bow of the boat. The leopard struggled fiercely, but Yu Mo seemed oblivious, continuing to drag him out without even glancing at him. Yan Dan quickly grabbed Yu Mo's sleeve and gently shook it: "Mountain Lord, you're not going to throw him into the river, are you?"
Yu Mo said indifferently, "So what if it is?"
"The boat is already off the shore. It would be pitiful to throw someone into the water and make him swim back. Isn't that right, Leopard?"
The leopard nodded quickly.
"What if I insist on throwing him down?"
Yan Dan weighed the pros and cons and resolutely stepped aside, saying, "Then you can throw it away."
The leopard closed its eyes in despair.
A thud was heard outside the cabin, and Yu Mo lifted the curtain and walked in. He casually dusted off his sleeves, sat down at the table again, and picked up his book to continue reading.
Yan Dan listened intently to the sounds outside, and quietly reached out to pull back the curtain to peek out. But when she heard Yu Mo cough lightly behind her, she immediately withdrew her hand and sat up straight: "Mountain Lord, are you hungry too?"
Yu Mo put down his book, and Yan Dan immediately brought the food to the low table and began to serve him: "Mountain Lord, what kind of zongzi do you like? Sweet or savory?"
Yu Mo thought for a moment and said, "Salty."
Yan Dan nodded: "I also think it's better when it's salty."
It's rare to experience earthly festivals, and the feeling of celebrating them is truly wonderful.
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival.
On this day, the small boat happened to drift onto Huanhua Creek.
Yan Dan felt stuffy as soon as she woke up, and after sitting on the bow of the boat for a while, she felt even more dizzy. Yu Mo soaked a towel in the stream, wrung it out, and handed it to her: "What's wrong? Feeling hot?" Yan Dan was already dizzy and didn't reach out to take it. She just rubbed her hand on the towel and murmured, "I just feel a little uncomfortable, weak and listless..."
Yu Mo looked at her, gently wiped her face with a handkerchief, and said softly, "It's like this every day, just bear with it, it'll be over soon." His fingers were slightly cool, and felt nice against her face. Yan Dan mumbled, "Why are you completely fine..."
Yu Mo chuckled softly, his voice deep and pleasant: "Do you feel any better now?"
Yan Dan forced herself to stay awake and rowed the boat to the dock. Just as she was about to struggle to climb into the cabin, she suddenly heard someone shouting loudly not far away: "Help! Help! ... glug glug, help, help..." A head popped up in the stream, but sank back down a moment later. Yan Dan squinted and saw that it was a child of about ten years old. She wanted to climb down the boat to rescue the child.
Yu Mo stopped her, saying calmly, "You're in this state, so just behave yourself, or I'll end up having to save two more." He stepped into the water and slowly waded towards the spot where the child had drowned. Yan Dan watched him from the boat, feeling that Yu Mo's nonchalant demeanor was nothing but a facade. In terms of demonic magic, Yu Mo was superior, but in terms of cultivation, they were evenly matched. If she was uncomfortable, how could Yu Mo be at ease?
As Yu Mo drew nearer, he reached out and grabbed the child. The child struggled a few times, eventually clinging to Yu Mo's arm and refusing to let go. Yu Mo cleanly and decisively struck the child unconscious with a single blow and dragged him to the shore. Yan Dan watched this and felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. The two reached the shore, and before they could even stand properly, a peasant woman rushed up to them, grabbing Yu Mo's hand: "Thank you so much, young master, for saving my brother! I will never forget your kindness..." She released Yu Mo's hand, then snatched the child away and slapped him several times: "Serves you right for being naughty! Serves you right for going into the water to play... You just wouldn't listen..." The child, who had been stunned by Yu Mo's blow, was suddenly jolted awake by his sister's beating and began to wail loudly.
Yan Dan found it amusing and walked up behind Yu Mo with the clean clothes in her arms: "Young Master, are you alright?"
Yu Mo looked at her, smiled gently, his smile as warm as a gentle breeze: "It's alright."
Seeing his smile, Yan Dan couldn't help but think that perhaps Yu Mo really was very gentle.
The peasant woman, Lianxin, led them into her home, which was much cooler than the boat because it was shady. Yan Dan laid out clean clothes on the old wooden table, then closed the door and stood outside. The little devil who had been pulled from the water was being chased all over the yard by his sister. As soon as he saw Yan Dan, he quickly hid behind her and dared not peek out again.
"Go ahead and hide! If you're so capable, then hide forever and never come out!" Lianxin angrily rolled up her sleeves. "Do you know that Grandma isn't well and can't stand being upset? You're so old and all you do is cause trouble!"
Yan Dan smiled slightly and said, "Miss Lianxin, children need to be taught slowly." She turned around, her voice gentle, "Shall I tell you a story? Once upon a time, there was a mountain demon who ate disobedient children. He had many, many henchmen who searched everywhere for disobedient children, and immediately captured them. First, he would cut off the children's ears to eat with his wine. Anyway, no matter what the adults said, those children wouldn't listen. What use are ears anyway..."
The child's face turned pale, and he trembled as he hid behind his older sister.
The door behind him creaked open, and Yu Mo walked out, chuckling slightly, "Yan Dan, you're being silly again." He had changed into a light blue outer robe, looking every bit the elegant young gentleman.
Yan Dan tapped her chin with her finger, not forgetting to seize the opportunity to praise, "Young master, noble young men all love the elegant blue robe, but none are as fitting as you."
Yu Mo raised his hand and pinched the tip of her nose, sighing softly, "Yan Dan, when are you going to get rid of this habit of saying one thing to one person and another to another?"
Yan Dan remained silent: Mortals often say that it's hard to be a human, but she felt that it was even harder to be a demon. You can't say anything unpleasant to hear, and if you say something nice, you'll be disliked. It's just too difficult.
Lianxin smiled and said, "It's almost noon, why don't you stay here for lunch? My grandma will cook it herself." Before they could agree, she grabbed one of them with each hand and said, "My grandma's cooking is amazing. I guarantee you'll crave it again after you've tried it once."
Yan Dan was quite interested when she heard her say that.
They entered the main room and saw an elderly woman with white hair setting out the bowls and chopsticks. Yan Dan couldn't help but think that the old woman looked quite old, probably a fraction of her own age, and it must have been really difficult for her to raise these two siblings.
As she approached the table, she immediately noticed a bowl of yellow croaker stewed with pickled mustard greens in the center. Besides zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), yellow croaker is an indispensable dish for the Dragon Boat Festival.
One of the things Bailing had repeatedly emphasized, at least ten times, was that no matter whether the fish was steamed, grilled, fried, or caught from a river, stream, or sea, it was absolutely forbidden to serve it to the Mountain Lord. What she had secretly learned was that Yu Mo's true form was a fish. After all, seeing the cooked corpse of one's own kind placed on a plate before one's eyes, and having to watch someone else eat it, was a truly unpleasant experience.
Yan Dan couldn't help but steal a glance at Yu Mo, only to see that he remained calm, as if even if Mount Tai collapsed before her, she wouldn't be moved.
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