Xu Jiang breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had taken her point in. She quickly said with a smile, "It's just a heartfelt conversation between friends. It's too distant to be so."
Hearing this, Hu Xu's expression relaxed and he smiled: "Thank you very much."
"That's quite helpful." The atmosphere softened, and Xu Jiang continued, "I'm sure Zhuchun has heard of the reputations of the people attending this book-rewarding banquet. Among them, Mr. Yuan, the Yuan Zu, not only works at the Imperial College, but is also a great admirer of Dong Lingzi. You should read the Dong Ling Selected Annotations carefully. If we discuss it later, I can take the opportunity to have a debate with him. If you don't argue, you won't understand the truth. Only by truly debating with a great scholar can you truly understand why you should attack him."
Hu Xu nodded repeatedly and sighed again, "I must have done a lot of good deeds in my previous life, so I met this noble man like Dongjia in this life."
Xu Jiang laughed out loud when she heard this. This Zhu Chun seemed a bit dull.
After making a list of books, she also had to make a list of food, which made Xu Jiang feel troubled for a while. This banquet to express her gratitude for the books was at least an elegant banquet, so the food had to be fresh and unconventional, so it was best to use cold dishes.
Can be eaten cold...
Xu Jiang looked at the flying snow outside the door and couldn't help shivering. Although the cold food was unconventional, it was chilling to the stomach. The guests coming were all quite old, so she decided to forgo the cold food.
There are many dishes that are good for the spleen and stomach. She thought for a moment and listed a few, such as: Yahutu, Magnolia slices, apricot cheese, fermented fish, and noodles with mushroom oil...
You can also add some dried fruits such as longan, jujube, chestnut, etc., and wine is also indispensable. Potato wine is not suitable for older people because it has a strong aftertaste. In winter, you can choose yellow wine, and Shaoxing Zhuangyuanhong is the best choice at this time.
Soon, she made a list, and before the snow started to fall outside, she put on her cloak and hat and rode her donkey out.
The wind and snow were biting, and both people and donkeys were shivering with cold. Seeing that there were few people on the street, Xu Jiang simply slapped the donkey to let it go. The donkey was annoyed by the slapping, and it also spread its hooves and ran. After a while, it was running hard and panting.
Xu Jiang, feeling warm, pulled the reins to slow the donkey down, but a horse suddenly appeared at the intersection, blocking their path. The donkey, startled by the horse, strained its hooves to stop, but the slippery ground gave it no grip, and both the donkey and the person were thrown headfirst into the horse.
The man on horseback was also wearing a cloak and a hat. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a donkey charging towards him. He quickly pulled the reins and turned the horse, easily avoiding it.
Xu Jiang's hat was blown off by the horse's harness, revealing a frightened face. When the man saw her face, he reined in his horse, stopped, dismounted and picked up Xu Jiang's hat.
The donkey rushed out to the distance of two houses before it was finally stopped by Xu Jiang pulling the rope. She was panting, and her forehead was covered with water droplets, not sure if they were snow or sweat.
"Luckily, fortunately, it almost caused a disaster! I will never dare to do this again." She wiped her face, patted the donkey which was also frightened, and then led it back to find her hat.
But as she walked back to the street corner, she saw the man leading the horse holding his bamboo hat and looking in her direction. Xu Jiang stepped forward, bowed to him and apologized, "I'm sorry, I scared your horse."
As she approached, she recognized that this man was the official she had seen in the inn, whom the waiter called the "Plague God". It was also he who saved Lu Zhen from the kidnapper.
"Don't let your donkey run wild in the streets."
"...Yes." You said it as if you were not galloping on your horse.
Lou Yunchun handed the hat back to her, then jumped on the horse and galloped away.
"Only the county magistrate is allowed to set fire, and the common people are not allowed to light lamps." Xu Jiang put on her straw hat, mounted her donkey, and walked slowly towards the West Market.
It was a snowy day and there were few people in the West Market. Xu Jiang bought everything on the list in no time. On her way back, she passed the intersection again, looked left and right, and then rode her donkey through.
Two days later, Yuan Zuzhi arrived as promised in the snow, accompanied by Du Hui, Lou Jing and Li Tongxue.
Xu Jiang was waiting for them at the door. As soon as the four of them got off the carriage, they saw a long scroll hanging on the tree in front of the door. Upon closer inspection, they found that it was a picture of a beauty, a ghost mask, and a demon.
Li Tongxue said, "This is quite strange." He then held up his umbrella and went over to take a closer look. After seeing it, he asked, "Who wrote this? It's so lifelike."
Xu Jiang shouted into the shop and called out Hu Xu, who was watching the fire. Hu Xu saw several people gathered around the tree to look at his paintings, so he went forward to greet them.
"I am Hu Xu, a student. I would like to meet several gentlemen."
Li Tongxue asked: "Is this painting made by you?"
"Exactly."
"Not bad, what else are you good at drawing besides these?"
"I have a little experience in flowers and birds, ladies, and landscapes, but I can't say I'm an expert."
Li Tongxue nodded, seeming to appreciate his humble attitude very much. Seeing that the snow was falling heavily, Xu Jiang invited several people into the inn.
The bookshop was cramped and felt crowded once they entered. However, the stove in the shop helped trap the heat, making the room even warmer. They took off their coats, shook off the snow, and then began to examine the books on the shelves around them.
Yuan Zuzhi was particularly impatient and pulled Xu Jiang to ask for the copy of Dongling Xuanzhu that he wanted.
"Don't worry, sir. Please sit down first. I have prepared it for you long ago and will bring it to you soon." Xu Jiang invited several people to sit in front of the long low table set up next to the stove, and turned to get books from the nearest shelf.
Hu Xu poured tea for them.
The stove was covered with an iron mesh, and two pots of tea were boiled on it, one pot of Laoyin tea and the other pot of Bitan Piaoxue.
The only two kinds of tea in Xujiang.
"Laoyin tea or Bitan Piaoxue, which one would you like, gentlemen?"
Du Hui hurriedly said, "Lao Yin tea."
Lou Jing and Du Hui asked for the same thing, while the other two asked for Bitan Piaoxue.
Xu Jiang handed the book to Yuan Zuzhi, and she and Hu Xu sat opposite each other on either side of the stove, conveniently serving tea. Yuan Zuzhi happened to be sitting next to Xu Jiang, so she poured him a glass of Bitan Piaoxue and placed it in front of him. Seeing that he was engrossed in his book, she didn't interrupt him, but chatted quietly with the others.
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