Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Another festive day, Double Ninth Festival, Candied Haws Double Ninth Festival…
The Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. Since Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty, people have loved chrysanthemums very much. Walking on the small roads in the alleys, you will see vendors carrying several pots of chrysanthemums, some yellow like gold, some pink like clouds, and the scene is very lively with clusters of flowers.
Duan Zhiwei had never been sensitive to festivals that were not closed, until Aunt Duan asked, with her hair full of dogwood branches, "How are you going to celebrate Double Ninth Festival this year?"
Duan Zhiwei replied as a matter of course: "How can I live like this? I will live my life as usual."
She had just ordered a few baskets of very fat crabs, and was getting ready for the Double Ninth Festival. When it came, a plate of steamed crabs with rich crab roe, a dish of ginger vinegar sauce, and a jar of osmanthus wine that had been set for ten days would be the greatest enjoyment in the world.
Duan Zhiwei had a very beautiful vision and made a promise to Aunt Duan: "When I make some money on Chongyang Festival, I will go to Nianjin Pavilion and make you a gold-inlaid agate hairpin."
Aunt Duan ignored her empty promises and just said quietly, "Which customer is so crazy that he would come to your restaurant to eat on Double Ninth Festival?"
Double Ninth Festival is a major festival, and people in Chang'an all go out of the city to "watch the autumn". Some people fly kites at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, some drink wine and admire chrysanthemums by the Qujiang Lake, and some go to Leyouyuan to climb the mountain and bid farewell to the old days.
The worst that can happen is watching the lion dance ceremony in front of the temple. If an acquaintance asks you, "How did you spend the Double Ninth Festival?" and you answer, "Drinking and eating crabs in a restaurant."
People you know will definitely sneer at you and call you a "country bumpkin".
Only then did Duan Zhiwei realize the seriousness of the problem.
It was the season of autumn, with clear skies and crisp weather. After curfew, a few food tables were set up under the osmanthus tree in the backyard. Duan Zhiwei generously served a bowl of autumn pears and pomegranates, saying, "In autumn, when the frost falls, we should eat some sweet, sour and moist fruits. Please don't be polite and eat as much as you want."
The shopkeeper who had always been stingy became so generous today. Zhen Hui looked at the fruit and then at the smiling Duan Zhiwei, hesitating and unwilling to take action: "Madam Duan, if you have any request, just tell me directly, there is no need to do this..."
Duan Zhiwei said, "How could this be? The Double Ninth Festival is coming soon. I have already made up my mind to hire an ox cart and take everyone to the foot of Zhongnan Mountain to bid farewell to Qing, drink wine, and fly kites."
Everyone understood as soon as they heard it. Madam Duan was eyeing the Chongyang business again and was thinking of setting up a stall in Zhongnan Mountain. Fortunately, it was not a hard job like picking chestnuts in the woods or walking around the streets with mooncakes asking people to try them.
So everyone relaxed, some took fruit, some drank yogurt.
Duan Zhiwei felt very embarrassed and had no choice but to sit down and take a bite of the autumn pear.
Hiss... so sour, I shouldn't have bought the cheapest one.
Autumn is really a colorful season. Persimmon cakes, dried tangerine peels, chestnuts, and pear strips are dried in several large winnowing baskets in the backyard. Finally, there is a bamboo basket of hawthorn fruits, but there is no place to dry them. Duan Zhiwei simply finds a wall outside the house to dry the hawthorns diagonally.
The hawthorn fruit is red and round, which is very attractive to look at and adds a bright color to the autumn. Duan Zhiwei suddenly had the urge to make some candied haws to eat.
This snack is easy to make. Just string some hawthorn fruits on bamboo sticks, boil a pot of thick syrup, roll the hawthorn fruits in it and let them cool.
The red hawthorns are wrapped in crystal clear sugar coating. Under the autumn sun, they look like bright rubies, which are very tempting. Duan Zhiwei tried one himself. With a "crunch" sound, the sugar coating was crisp and cool. The sweet sugar neutralized the sourness of the fruit, making it taste unique.
Adults didn't think much of this snack, but when Rambutan saw it, his eyes lit up and he picked up one and ran to show off to his friends.
Duan Zhiwei rubbed his hands on his knees twice and began to think about the Chongyang Cake for the stall. Chongyang Cake is also called five-color cake. Duan Zhiwei had never made this before. The cake shops in Chang'an had different ways of making Chongyang Cake. The more particular ones would make a nine-layer cake with a small red paper flag on it, while the less particular ones would just mix rice flour with candied dates and raisins and steam it, which was also considered a Chongyang Cake.
What's even more outrageous is that some people put mutton or duck meat on the sugar cake as decoration... So Duan Zhiwei suddenly realized that Chongyang cake is the cake eaten on the Double Ninth Festival, and no one cares what form it takes, so he just steamed a few baskets of osmanthus cake.
Just as she was thinking about it, Pu Tao came back with an angry look on her face, and there was a layer of mud staining the bottom of her new silver-red half-sleeved skirt.
"What's wrong?" Duan Zhiwei quickly brushed the dust off her skirt.
"Wangfu from the butcher shop next door stole my candied fruit. I was so angry that I had a fight with him." She looked around, picked up a bamboo pole used for drying clothes in the corner as a weapon, sniffed, and left.
The small figure was holding a big bamboo pole, and the red ropes on the double buns on her head were swaying.
"Come back!" Duan Zhiwei chased after him and snatched the pole: "You still want to fight? This skirt is made of a few hundred coins. If it gets torn, the eldest aunt will complain."
Seeing that she was not convinced, Duan Zhiwei could only sigh: "Next Double Ninth Festival, make a bunch of candied haws, and you go to show off in front of him, and give one to everyone, but don't give it to him."
Pu Tao felt relieved and nodded vigorously.
Finally, the Double Ninth Festival came. Duan Zhiwei made up his mind to hire an ox cart for a day. The ox cart was spacious and comfortable to sit in, and the old ox walked steadily, unlike the donkey cart which was shaky.
Today was a clear and sunny day. A bunch of candied haws were sparkling in the sun. Putao Tete took them to the butcher's shop and took a look around. Wangfu was so greedy that his mouth was watering, so he was slapped by the butcher's lady.
Today the sky is clear and blue, and the Wei River surrounds Mount Zhongnan. Duan Zhiwei recalled that it was a lush summer when he and Yuan Shenji walked there, but now it is already golden.
They chose a place under a golden maple tree by the stream, spread a layer of felt, put a jar of osmanthus wine on one corner of the felt, placed a few baskets of osmanthus cakes, and then put a bunch of candied haws on top.
The stream here is clear and the terrain is flat, so many ladies and children chose this place to fly kites. The vendors in Chang'an were also smart, and several stalls were hung with kites of various colors, including cranes representing longevity and carp leaping over the dragon gate. Duan Zhiwei saw Pu Tao looking at them eagerly, so he prepared to buy one for her.
The little girl had a unique taste. She didn't like the butterfly and insisted on having a soft-winged mantis painted green.
Soon, colorful kites were floating in the blue sky.
A Pan took out a few cups and gave each person a bowl of osmanthus wine. Thanks to Xiu Yue's people, the wine was indeed brewed very successfully. As soon as the clay jar was opened, the rich osmanthus fragrance immediately filled the air.
The men and women who came to bid farewell to Qing were already thirsty, and when they smelled the sweet and fragrant osmanthus wine, they hurried to inquire about it. Duan Zhiwei had several jars prepared in the car, and he immediately agreed to sell it to them.
There were many children flying kites here today. Inspired by Wangfu, Pu Tao took a string of candied haws and showed off to the group of children. After a while, the children looked at them with envy and stopped flying kites. They forced the adults to pay for the candied haws.
A whole bunch of candied haws were sold out without any effort. There are a few baskets of osmanthus cakes still there. Although some people buy them, they are not very popular.
Most of the tourists who come here in twos and threes want to drink a bowl of osmanthus wine. This wine is golden and clear in color, with a little foam on the surface. It is mellow and smooth, with the slightly sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
Soon, a few more young men came over. They looked like they were from wealthy families. They came up and directly asked to buy a jar of osmanthus wine.
Duan Zhiwei turned around to hold the wine, but was stared at by the leader in purple robes: "It's you?"
The man was dressed elegantly, with a Qilin jade pendant hanging around his waist. He had fair skin and was quite handsome. Duan Zhiwei looked at him for a while, but couldn't remember who he was, so he had to ask, "Who are you?"
The man angrily said, "You ignorant lady, last time you mocked me for not learning the Book of Rites, you turned around and forgot it?"
Duan Zhiwei instantly remembered that during the summer ice grab, she was mocked by this pedantic scholar for reciting two lines of Lu Zhaolin's poem. She immediately put down the wine jar and taunted, "I haven't seen you for a season. I wonder if you can recite the Book of Rites in its entirety?"
For a scholar, this was a great humiliation. The man's face turned red and he was about to argue, but he was stopped by the person behind him and said, "Forget it, why bother with such trivial matters with women and children."
Duan Zhiwei was unhappy: "You were the one who provoked me first. Do my reciting a few lines of poetry bother you? Every time Le Tian finished a poem, he would recite it to the old woman until the people understood it. That's why his poems are preserved in temples and post stations everywhere. You are such a pretentious person. You have to write a poem in a way that is difficult to understand. That's the most hateful thing."
The gentlemen looked at her in surprise.
There was a few clap of applause from the back, and a short, fat, white-faced scholar came over and said, "What a shrewish lady, but what you said actually makes some sense."
The scholar had a amiable look on his face, but the people behind him saw him walk away in disgrace. Duan Zhiwei looked him up and down.
Yuan Shenji also rushed over from behind and said with a smile: "This is the Duan family lady I mentioned before."
Duan Zhiwei: “Ah?”
The scholar set up a felt tent by the stream and invited Duan Zhiwei to have a chat, and several people sat in the tent.
The scholar bowed and said, "I am Wang Qian from the Wang Clan of Langya. I have gained some insights from listening to Madam Duan's words today."
A piece of fine white linen paper was placed on his desk. "Poems don't need to be too ornate and full of allusions. A simple one may be more popular with the people."
Duan Zhiwei thought, this seems to be another scholar who is obsessed with poetry.
Yuan Shenji added, "Wang Jun loves strange stories and is good at writing Bianwen. He wrote many Bianwen about Da Ci'en Temple and Qinglong Temple. I once mentioned Madam Duan's experience in Nanyan Temple. Wang Jun has always said that he wants to meet you."
So that was the case. Duan Zhiwei felt relieved and thinking that Wang Qian liked to listen to strange stories, he told him the story of the moon-cultivating man he met during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Wang Qian was very surprised and nodded repeatedly. He then ordered his maid to grind the story and write it down.
Then he crossed his arms and saluted Madam Duan, saying, "This article will surely become a popular Bianwen in Chang'an. I would like to thank Madam Duan."
It was just a story, so there was no need to thank him. Duan Zhiwei sat for a while, then stood up and said goodbye.
Only Wang and Yuan were left in the tent, sitting and drinking. Although Wang Qian had a friendly face, his eyes curved when he smiled, like a shrewd fox: "Today I finally saw the fox spirit outside Liangzhou City that bewitched Brother Shenji."
Yuan Shenji frowned slightly, as if he didn't like this title, and said, "The fox spirit story is a variation of the text you wrote, so please be careful with your words."
Wang Qian nodded and said, "He is an interesting and wonderful person, but unfortunately his family background is low. The Saint recently intends to set up a Protectorate in Liangzhou. The position of the Grand Protectorate will definitely be yours. I think your stepmother is eager to make a move."
Yuan Shenji sneered: "It is not her business to ask what kind of woman Yuan wants to marry."
"That's true." Wang Qian nodded and teased, "But Madam Duan looks so honest, I don't think she is giving it to you as a gift."
Not only will I not be able to break off a willow branch to give as a gift, I'm afraid I'll have to research what kind of food I can make with the willow leaves. Thinking of this, Yuan Shenji smiled confidently, "Then you don't have to worry about that, Lord Wang."
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