Chapter 1005 Master Han Cooks
Standing before the desk, holding the calligraphy brush, Xie Zheng still felt uneasy.
He never expected that people would barge into their room and wake him up to copy books.
Thankfully, I behaved myself last night.
Otherwise, he'll lose face completely.
I'll regret it from time to time throughout my life.
Although he felt that if something had really happened to them, Lord Zhao and Daoist Han might not have come into the house.
But soon, he was drawn to what Master Han was reciting.
The contents of the letter were actually ancient classics, containing many difficult and obscure passages, which greatly shocked him, a man who considered himself well-read.
He dipped his brush in ink and began to carefully copy the text.
No wonder Master Han was in such a hurry. Such precious writings cannot be measured in money; they are a treasure more valuable than any mountain of gold or silver.
Master Han read very quickly. He read alone while the four of them copied it down, and they finally finished copying before noon.
Song Chunxue shook her aching wrist; writing was the most difficult thing for her, as she hadn't written for many years.
Fortunately, Master Han was understanding and only recited a few times for her.
Finally, they used magic to dry the paper, then bound it into volumes and added book covers.
Afterwards, Master Han personally wrote the title on each booklet and distributed them to them one by one.
“There are five books in total. Each of us will take one book and must memorize them all within three days, until we can recite them fluently.” He said solemnly, repeatedly instructing us, “This is something more important than your lives. We will teach it to your disciples when the time is right.”
As he spoke, he looked at Xie Zheng and smiled slightly.
"Lord Xie, among us, you are the only one who has not yet joined the tutelage of Immortal Banyue. My senior brother's whereabouts are uncertain, and we do not know when he will appear to formally accept you as his disciple."
“How about this, you and Song Chunxue should become Daoist partners soon, then you can be considered family.” He sighed sincerely, “Although I have lived a long enough life, I have never properly drunk someone else’s wedding wine.”
A blush quickly crept onto Xie Zheng's face, and he couldn't help but look at Song Chunxue, "That's exactly what I was thinking."
Song Chunxue, on the contrary, was quite frank: "But you rejected me last time, saying that the time was not right."
“That’s easy,” Lord Zhao said, picking up his brush again. “Give me your birth dates and I’m good at calculating auspicious dates for you two.”
"Then, does the birth date and time you choose for yourself count?" Song Chunxue truthfully replied, "No one knows my birth date and time anymore; I chose it myself later."
Lord Zhao looked at the others, then nodded, "Yes, of course it counts."
Master Zhang looked at Xie Zheng, who took out a jar of wine from his pocket and handed it to him, saying, "This is what my senior brother wanted."
“You still remember,” Master Zhang said, lifting the wine jar, “I’m going to check if those brats have cooked yet. They must be hungry.”
"Okay, go ahead, I'll be there in a bit." Xie Zheng said with a smile, "I have something to ask my senior brother."
Master Zhang nodded and turned around.
As Master Han watched his retreating figure, he couldn't help but recall past events.
He followed them out of the house and found that the children had clearly defined roles and were doing their tasks in an orderly manner.
Some people were carrying water, some were lighting a fire, some were kneading dough, and some were clearing weeds outside the yard. Their thoughtfulness put people at ease.
Master Han stood beside Zhang Chengxuan, looking at his energetic young disciple, and asked softly, "Do you feel regret?"
“No,” Zhang Chengxuan opened the bottle and took a swig, his eyes filled with an indescribable smile, without sadness or bitterness. “When my junior brother snatched my life from the clutches of the King of Hell, I knew that the most precious things in this world are as numerous as the stars in the sky, and it all depends on how you choose to live.”
"I won't regret my choice now." He handed the wine to Master Han. "Would you like a sip?"
Master Han took it, tilted his head back, and drank two mouthfuls.
"Hmm, fine wine." Master Han looked down at the exquisite wine jar. "This is the Drunken Beauty of the Capital. A generous gift from Lord Xie."
With that, he turned and walked toward the kitchen.
“I suddenly remembered a dish today. Would you like to help me?” As he spoke, Master Han searched in his storage ring. “I have an ingredient that I have stored for hundreds of years, but I have never had the opportunity to turn it into a delicious meal. Perhaps you know how to make it.”
Zhang Chengxuan asked curiously, "What kind of ingredient is it that the Daoist Master treasures so much? Perhaps we should wait for the right opportunity..."
“Today is the time we’ve been waiting for,” Master Han said, looking up at Song Chunxue’s old kitchen. “It is an honor for this kitchen to be able to cook this dish in this dilapidated, dark kitchen.”
These words were so amusing that Zhang Chengxuan thought to himself, "Today is indeed a good day."
Who would have thought that such an important thing was buried beneath this seemingly ordinary little courtyard?
The kitchen is indeed small, with a small door and window, and it's located in the southeast corner, where it's always rather cold, which makes it quite suitable as a kitchen.
If the window were a little bigger and the door a little taller, it would be perfect.
These tall men, every time they come to the kitchen, have to bend over and bend down, and sometimes they even get their heads shaved.
If someone has thin hair, their scalp will be scraped until it bleeds.
When Tu Dan'er, who was kneading the dough, saw Master Han come in, he couldn't help but smile and nod. "Oh, Master Han, what brings you to the kitchen? We juniors can take care of these young men. You can just sit in the courtyard, bask in the sun, and drink tea."
"Wuji told Yebai that the apricot tree outside his uncle's gate looks very thick and straight. If it were cut down and made into an apricot wood tea table, it would look very nice. What do you think?"
Master Han rolled up his sleeves. “Then go and ask your martial aunt for permission, and see if she’s willing to let you cut it.”
Tu Dan'er covered the dough with the porcelain basin to let it rest. "So, should I really go ask?"
“Go on,” Zhang Chengxuan said, looking at Master Han. “How many more days are we going to stay here?”
“Three or four days, I think this courtyard desperately needs repairs. Let’s leave first and let the two of them stay a few more days to catch up and supervise the craftsmen to repair the courtyard inside and out. In case we ever come here for tea in the future, this tiny kitchen will be too much of a hassle.”
This courtyard cannot be abandoned and left to fall into disrepair. Such a valuable little courtyard must be well taken care of.
Moreover, this is the Jiang family's old residence, and it should be well taken care of.
As an elder, he felt it was necessary to remind Song Chunxue to value this courtyard.
She has too many things to take care of, but she can't lose her roots.
Moreover, he suddenly felt that this courtyard was very nice. Staying here gave him a sense of being isolated from the world, and even a feeling of time and space being changed.
The wind here is drier than elsewhere, but also warmer.
The loess here is more silent than elsewhere, yet it is also more solid and reliable.
He had rarely seen such sparse vegetation on a loess slope, warmed by the sun all day, yet still able to support so many people.
He used to think that such a desolate place must be a desert.
But he was surprised to find that the continuous loess slopes here, from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain, as long as there was a flat place to build a courtyard, most of them had a courtyard that blended into the land.
The courtyard walls made of rammed earth and the houses built of rammed earth are warm and comforting, like a child's swaddling clothes, bringing a sense of peace.
"Master Han, are you... are you sure this is edible? Or is it a delicious meal for today?" Zhang Chengxuan swayed slightly when he saw what Master Han took out, feeling like he was having a nightmare.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
