After cleaning the cellar, Lu Qingjiu covered it with a thick layer of oil paper to separate the cabbages from the ground while they were stored. He then took the wooden box out of the cellar and carefully cleaned it with a wet rag, wiping away any dust and dirt.
It was not clear in the cellar before, but after taking it out and cleaning it, Lu Qingjiu noticed that the wooden box was jet black, without any patterns on it. It was just a smooth box, but the texture of the wood on the surface of the box was very beautiful, and it felt very comfortable to touch.
At the front of the box hung a small, black text lock. A text lock is an ancient lock, somewhat similar to a combination lock, except that the combination is replaced by text. This text lock requires three characters, which should be easy to find. However, Lu Qingjiu held the box and tried every possible option, but to no avail.
Could it be that the box had been stored for too long and the lock had broken down? Lu Qingjiu thought about finding a time to break the lock and casually put the wooden box aside.
Besides, ever since Lu Qingjiu said he wanted to make sugar-roasted chestnuts, Yin Xun has been talking about going to find fine sand every day. Tonight, he actually found a bag of fine sand from somewhere and insisted on eating the legendary sugar-roasted chestnuts.
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, “Wash the sand first, and then you can fry it after it dries.”
"Okay." Yin Xun rolled up his sleeves and volunteered to go and clean the fine sand.
After putting the sand in water, he washed it twice but nothing came out. The white fine sand seemed very clean, without any dirt at all. Although Lu Qingjiu was curious, he didn't ask Yin Xun where he got the sand. After all, Yin Xun was a mountain god, so finding some sand should be easy.
After washing the sand, place it on clean plastic paper and dry it in the yard. Once the sand is dry, you can fry the chestnuts.
There were a lot of things to do today. Lu Qingjiu was busy all day and was a little tired. After finishing the sand, he went to bed early. Before going to bed, he saw the wooden box on his bedside table and thought that if he had time tomorrow morning, he would open the wooden box and take a look.
However, what Lu Qingjiu did not expect was that when he finished making breakfast the next morning and tried to cut off the lock of the wooden box with pliers, he discovered something that shocked him a little - the words on the lock had changed.
The words on it seemed to have been completely replaced with new ones. Lu Qingjiu had tried it for a long time yesterday, so he almost completely remembered the words on the text lock. But now, these words turned out to be several other completely unfamiliar words. Lu Qingjiu was sure that he had never seen these words before.
How could this happen? Lu Qingjiu stared at the text lock for a long time before he was sure that he was not hallucinating.
He thought about it, picked up the pliers and cut the text lock hard, but the text lock, which seemed to be very fragile, did not react at all. Even after Lu Qingjiu used all his strength, not even a faint mark was left.
Lu Qingjiu tried a few more times, but the text lock was still as strong as before. Instead, the iron pliers were stuck in the text lock and made a small dent.
If Lu Qingjiu were an ordinary person, he might find it very strange, but since there were already so many strange creatures in his home, it seemed that having an unopenable box was not a strange thing. Having no way to solve the text lock, Lu Qingjiu took the box and went to find Bai Yuehu in the yard, asking him if there was anything special about the box.
The weather is nice today, and the sunshine shining in the yard makes people feel lazy.
Bai Yuehu was basking in the sun in the yard. He lazily took the box, glanced at it, and asked, "Where did you find it?"
"In my cellar." Lu Qingjiu answered truthfully.
Bai Yuehu stared at the wooden box, his expression becoming somewhat serious. Lu Qingjiu rarely saw him so serious, and he inexplicably became nervous. He licked his lips and asked, "Why, is this wooden box special?"
Bai Yuehu said, "It's indeed a little special." He stroked the text lock with his hand, "This kind of text lock can only be opened at a specific time."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Hmm?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Although only three characters are needed, these characters actually change every day. Only on a specific day will a specific character be revealed." He blinked, "Who left this?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "I found it in the cellar...it should be my grandma."
"Oh." Bai Yuehu said, "Then this may be a gift your grandma left for you." As he said that, he returned the wooden box to Lu Qingjiu.
Lu Qingjiu held the wooden box, a little confused: "But, this wooden box should not be a human thing, could it be that my grandma knows non-humans."
Bai Yuehu seemed quite calm about this and said, "Everyone has their own secrets."
"That's right." Lu Qingjiu agreed with Bai Yuehu's point of view. He said, "But I don't know the password of the box, nor do I know when it will open. Is there any way to force it open?"
Bai Yuehu actually shook his head: "The materials of this box and the lock are very special. They are not from the human world. If you try to force it open, the contents of the box may be damaged."
Lu Qingjiu could only give up after hearing this.
Seeing that he was feeling a little lost, Bai Yuehu comforted him, "You can look at the box every morning when you wake up. Since your grandma left this thing for you, she must have left some clues for you. Maybe she doesn't want you to open it, but it's just not the right time yet."
Lu Qingjiu said, "This is the only way." He smiled and thanked Bai Yuehu, but returned to the bedroom alone with the box in his arms.
Lu Qingjiu's family was thin, with few relatives. Besides his parents, he only had his grandmother. His grandmother raised him until he was eight, when his parents took him back to the city. It could be said that all of Lu Qingjiu's childhood memories were of his grandmother.
His grandmother was tall and thin, and it was obvious that she must have been a beauty when she was young. She didn't like to talk much, but even if she didn't say anything, Lu Qingjiu could feel her love for him from her eyes.
After the sudden death of his parents, his grandmother aged significantly overnight. Lu Qingjiu hadn't finished his studies yet, and he wanted to bring his grandmother to live with him, but she refused to agree no matter what he said, so he had to give up.
This was probably the decision Lu Qingjiu regretted most. If he had returned to Shuifu Village to accompany his grandmother, the old lady might not have passed away so early.
Lu Qingjiu put down the box and his eyes fell on the text lock. He didn't know what grandma's secret was, but he knew that no matter what grandma did, she would not harm him.
Since she didn't leave him the password to open it, maybe it's just like Bai Yuehu said... it's not the right time yet.
Lu Qingjiu composed himself and decided to try the combination lock every morning as Bai Yuehu had said. He felt that one day he would be able to figure out the combination and know what was in the box.
After putting the box down, Lu Qingjiu went back to other things. First, he put the dried sand in the iron pot and stir-fried it roughly. Then he put the chestnuts into the hot sand and rolled them slowly. These chestnuts were all opened to make it easier for the flavor to absorb. After the chestnuts were almost fried, he added a large amount of white sugar and began to stir-fry quickly to prevent the syrup from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When it was almost done, he let it cool in the pot for a while before removing it from the pot.
It has to be said that sugar-roasted chestnuts are really a physical job. Lu Qingjiu was sweating profusely after frying a pot of them. However, the rich aroma of the chestnuts attracted everyone in the room. The two little pigs and the little fox squatted beside Lu Qingjiu's feet and watched eagerly, while Yin Xun stood at the door with his head propped up and drooling.
"Almost done." Lu Qingjiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked Yin Xun to come in and share the chestnuts.
Yin Xun rushed directly to the pot. Before Lu Qingjiu could greet him, he saw him reaching out to grab the chestnuts in the pot. As soon as his hand touched the chestnuts, he was burned and screamed: "Ahhhh, it's so hot!"
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Yin Xun was scalded. After he withdrew his hand, he ignored the burn and started to dig chestnuts from the fine sand with a spatula.
Lu Qingjiu couldn't bear to watch it any longer: "Doesn't your hand hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt much." Yin Xun said as he grabbed a chestnut and began to peel it. After peeling it, he put it in his mouth and immediately burst into tears of emotion. "It's so delicious, these chestnuts are so delicious." Chestnuts are crisp when they are raw, and become soft when they are fried. The white sugar adds a sweetness to the chestnuts, and there is also the aroma of caramel that blends with the chestnut flavor...
Yin Xun ate so hard that tears streamed down his face.
Lu Qingjiu was stunned watching from the side, not knowing whether Yin Xun was crying because her hands were burned or because the chestnuts were too delicious.
"It's so delicious." Yin Xun said vaguely, "I declare that the most delicious fruit in the world is chestnut!"
Lu Qingjiu: "...Eat it. If you like it, I'll fry some for you tomorrow." He gave a few to the pig and the fox, and also pinched a small piece for Yu Shiqi who was hiding in the fox fur and watching eagerly.
Of course, Bai Yuehu, the biggest foodie in the family, would not forget about it either. Lu Qingjiu fished the chestnuts out of the sand, and then several of them sat in the yard and ate them.
He fried about 7 or 8 kilograms, but it was clearly not enough. Yin Xun ate until his belly was swollen, but he still didn't want to stop. White Moon Fox, a carnivore, was also quite interested in chestnuts. Although peeling them was a bit troublesome, the difference in taste between shelling and not shelling was quite significant...
After eating these pounds of chestnuts, they could almost skip dinner. Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun said they would go to the town tomorrow morning. He and the boss ordered a lot of duck eggs to make salted duck eggs, and they also planned to make bacon as well.
Yin Xun nodded and said that he would come over earlier.
The autumn wind is howling, but it is also the harvest season. The persimmon tree at the east end of the village is full of bright yellow persimmons, like beautiful little yellow lanterns, swaying on the branches with the autumn wind.
In autumn, the harvest season, the village is also prosperous. Walking outside, you can see villagers carrying grain everywhere, their faces full of joy of harvest.
This year the weather has been good and there has been no abnormal weather. It seems that Shuifu Village has a good harvest.
Lu Qingjiu walked around the village to digest his food. When he was about to go back to sleep, Uncle Li from next door came and knocked on his door.
"Uncle Li, what's the matter?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"Sake, the village is holding an autumn harvest festival the day after tomorrow," Uncle Li said. "Don't forget to come then. It's at the big dam at the entrance of the village."
Lu Qingjiu then remembered that Shuifu Village still had this tradition, and nodded and said, "Okay, I will definitely come when the time comes."
Uncle Li said, "Okay, I was just afraid you'd forget, so I came to remind you."
"Thank you, Uncle Li." Lu Qingjiu thanked with a smile.
Because Shuifu Village relies on the weather for their livelihood, they hold an autumn harvest festival every year. Each household contributes a portion of vegetables or grain, which the village women prepare for the harvest. After the ceremony, the festival serves as a tribute to the mountain god, hoping for a good harvest next year, and as a way for villagers to bond with one another.
Lu Qingjiu hadn't been back for so long that he had completely forgotten about this matter. Yin Xun didn't mention it either, probably because the Autumn Harvest Festival was originally a sacrifice to the mountain god, and it would be very embarrassing for him to go there alone.
The next day, Lu Qingjiu told Yin Xun about the Autumn Harvest Festival in the car.
After listening to this, Yin Xun was silent for a while, then said, "Oh, the Autumn Harvest Festival, are you going?"
"We should go." Seeing that Yin Xun didn't seem happy at all, Lu Qingjiu asked, "Why, don't you like it?"
Yin Xun said: "I don't like it..."
Lu Qingjiu was curious: "Why?"
Yin Xun said, "Because the things they offer to the mountain gods are all raw, but we eat cooked food ourselves." He felt aggrieved, "And every time I can't participate as a human, I can only watch them eat."
Lu Qingjiu burst into laughter after hearing what Yin Xun said. He imagined the scene and felt that Yin Xun was a little miserable.
According to Yin Xun, during the Autumn Harvest Festival he had to restore his identity as a mountain god to accept the villagers' sacrifices, but this way he could not participate as a human being. After this happened so many times, the villagers thought he had some opinions about the village, so they asked the village chief to come and talk to him. Yin Xun could only use the embarrassing excuse that he was afraid of crowded places as his reason.
This year is probably no exception, only Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu can go.
Lu Qingjiu bought a lot of duck eggs and meat in town, and also replenished all the seasonings that were missing at home. After returning home, he started making salted duck eggs. He had originally planned to make fermented bean curd in the next few days, but because of the Autumn Harvest Festival, it seemed that he would have to delay it for a few days.
Because of the Autumn Harvest Festival, the usually quiet mountain village became lively. The children were as busy as if it were a festival, and they had more delicious snacks in their hands than usual.
Lu Qingjiu planned to bring beef and some vegetables to the Autumn Harvest Festival. This year was his first year back in Shuifu Village, so it was necessary to build good relationships with the villagers.
Bai Yuehu was not very interested in such a large gathering and said that he would just eat instant noodles at home.
Lu Qingjiu smiled and said, "Why are you eating instant noodles? I've steamed glutinous rice and pork ribs for you. Just turn off the fire when the time comes. Don't forget to feed the little fox too."
Bai Yuehu nodded and told Lu Qingjiu to go and come back early.
Lu Qingjiu said hello and went out with the meat. Yin Xun had been missing today, so Lu Qingjiu guessed that he must have gone to become a mountain god.
Quite a few people had gathered in the gathering dam at the entrance of the village. Lu Qingjiu walked over with the meat. As soon as he arrived there, a village aunt greeted him warmly. When she saw the beef in his hand, the smile on her face became even wider. Lu Qingjiu hurriedly handed the meat to her, and then found a place to sit down.
In the center of the dam stood a large wooden platform, upon which sat a stone statue of a mountain god. Like all mountain god statues, it had a goatee and kind eyes, completely different from Yin Xun's goofy demeanor.
The women in the village placed various foods brought by the villagers in front of the wooden platform. At noon, the village chief took the lead in kneeling in front of the statue of the mountain god to worship, burn incense, and pray to the mountain god to bless Shuifu Village with good weather in the coming year.
Perhaps it is because Shuifu Village is located in a remote area and is almost isolated from modern society that this ancient sacrificial method has been preserved.
Lu Qingjiu also looked at the mountain god statue, but he didn't know if it was his illusion. He always felt that when he looked at the mountain god statue, the goateed mountain god smiled at him. But when he looked closely, he found that the mountain god still maintained a serious expression, his eyes staring into the void in front of him.
After worshiping the mountain god, the village chief had the offerings removed and taken to the stove that had been set up long ago to be made into food.
As an outsider, Lu Qingjiu should have sat at a more peripheral position, but perhaps because he was usually generous and had a good relationship with the neighbors, Uncle Li invited him to a table closer to the inside.
After the dishes were cooked, they were served on the table, still steaming hot. Although the taste was ordinary, the quantity was very large. In winter, the weather in Shuifu Village was bad and few people went out, so this autumn harvest festival had a bit of the flavor of the Spring Festival.
Besides the food, there was also the men's favorite liquor. It was their own homemade baijiu, which tasted like a burning knife, but was refreshing enough and very popular with the men. After a year of hard labor, a indulgent drink was permitted.
Lu Qingjiu took a sip of the wine and felt it sliding down his throat. Everywhere it slid was a burning pain. It was not until it reached his stomach that a warm current surged up, and the previous pain turned into pleasure.
"Good wine." Lu Qingjiu praised.
"It tastes good, doesn't it?" Uncle Li said proudly. "This is brewed by my family. I'm treating everyone to it today. Drink as much as you want!"
This wine has a high alcohol content. Even if someone with a good alcohol tolerance drinks it freely, they probably won't be able to drink much. Although Lu Qingjiu's name contains the word "wine", his alcohol tolerance is really average. After drinking a glass of white wine, a blush appeared on his cheeks and his eyes became moist.
The whole village was bustling with activity, the sounds of chatting, finger-guessing, laughter, and noise all around, which made Lu Qingjiu smile brightly. He hadn't had such a lively meal in a long time, and it seemed nice to have some fun every now and then.
Chatting, talking, eating and drinking, before he knew it, Lu Qingjiu was a little drunk.
His head began to feel dizzy, and his consciousness was still somewhat clear, but he could not control his actions. Just as he was lying on the table thinking that he should go home, a familiar face appeared in front of Lu Qingjiu.
The White Moon Fox is here.
He walked over from the other end of the village, and after scanning the crowd, he noticed Lu Qingjiu lying on the table in the corner, seemingly unconscious.
The crowd was still noisy, drunk people were stumbling everywhere, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of alcohol, which was a bit disgusting. Bai Yuehu walked towards Lu Qingjiu and saw Lu Qingjiu who was a little confused after drinking.
Although Lu Qingjiu couldn't hold his liquor, he was quite tactful. When drunk, he remained silent and quiet, lying flat on the table, motionless. It wasn't until Bai Yuehu gently called his name that he raised his head, dazed, and looked at Bai Yuehu with wet eyes. His nerves, paralyzed by alcohol, had become somewhat dull. After observing for a moment, Lu Qingjiu finally recognized the person in front of him. He smiled, his eyes curved slightly, and he mumbled, "Yue... Yuehu..."
Bai Yuehu didn't respond and just looked at Lu Qingjiu.
Lu Qingjiu said, "I... I seem to be drunk." He sniffed and tried to stand up, but his limbs were somewhat out of control, so his nasal voice was filled with grievance, "Why... can't I stand up..."
Bai Yuehu reached out, grabbed Lu Qingjiu's arm, and brought him into his arms.
Lu Qingjiu obediently followed Bai Yuehu's movements, but after leaning into Bai Yuehu's arms, he could smell a light fragrance, which was obviously coming from Bai Yuehu's body. On ordinary days, Lu Qingjiu would probably pretend not to smell it, but after drinking too much, he obviously didn't have so many concerns. He raised his head shamelessly and sniffed Bai Yuehu's neck and body like a dog looking for a bone, saying as he sniffed, "Hey, Yuehu, where do you smell so good..."
Bai Yuehu looked at the person in his arms with an unfathomable expression.
Lu Qingjiu sniffed for a while but couldn't figure out what it was, so he stopped and dozed off in Bai Yuehu's arms.
Bai Yuehu helped Lu Qingjiu away from the crowd, picked him up, and walked back home.
Yin Xun, who had just returned home and was sitting in the yard eating glutinous rice and pork ribs, watched as Bai Yuehu walked in from outside, holding the unconscious Lu Qingjiu. Seeing this, he quickly spat out the bone in his mouth and said, "You're back. Is Qingjiu drunk?"
Bai Yuehu nodded.
"Put him on the bed. I'll go make him some sobering soup." Yin Xun looked at Lu Qingjiu who was lying in the arms of the White Moon Fox, and he was terrified. Lu Qingjiu didn't know what the White Moon Fox was, but he knew it very well. If this thing got angry, not only Lu Qingjiu, but even the entire Shuifu Village would suffer.
Bai Yuehu said, "No need, you go back, I'll do it."
Yin Xun's eyes widened when he heard that. He wanted to say something, but noticed Bai Yuehu's cold eyes, so he swallowed back all the words on his lips. He laughed dryly twice, scratched his head, and said bravely, "He drank too much sake. Don't bother with him."
Bai Yuehu said calmly, "Can I still eat him?"
Yin Xun laughed dryly: "Yeah, there will be no one to cook after we eat." He knew that it was useless to say more, so he left the yard obediently. Although he was still a little worried, he also understood that Bai Yuehu would definitely not swallow Lu Qingjiu in one gulp. After all, Bai Yuehu wanted to eat people, so there was no need to send him away. As long as he wanted, he could eat him and Lu Qingjiu together without spitting out even the bones.
The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: You won’t eat me, will you?
Bai Yuehu: That depends on how you eat it.
Lu Qingjiu: Eh? ?
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