When Xu Milu was a child, she heard Old Man Liu say that when ghosts and gods eat offerings, they only consume the "essence" of the food. Any hot food will become bland and tasteless after being eaten, just like chewing wax.
What are the origins of these two masters and one servant?
The Journey to the West doesn't say that ghosts and monsters can walk on official roads in broad daylight!
Recalling what Sister-in-law Niu mentioned, that it was almost the Ghost Festival in July, and that Old Man Wei had also said he was taking his granddaughter back to his hometown to visit relatives, Xu Milu had a vague idea in her mind.
On the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, the gates of hell open. If the souls of the deceased from Chang'an return home, then it makes sense.
Seemingly noticing Xu Milu's confusion, Old Man Wei leisurely stroked his beard and comforted her:
"Young Master, do not be afraid. Although I do not eat food from the mortal world, I am not some wandering ghost. My lifespan ended twelve years ago, but I still have five hundred and fifty years of lifespan in the underworld, which allows me to return to my hometown every year to relieve my homesickness."
Xu Milu's heart stirred. She noticed that although Old Man Wei's face was pale, he did not have a ghostly aura. On the contrary, he had an upright and unyielding demeanor.
“Young Master, don’t be afraid. I only asked you to take me with you because I saw that you were young. That’s why I broke the rule that ‘humans and ghosts cannot communicate.’”
Jiao Nu chuckled and brushed a stray hair behind her ear, saying with no small amount of pride:
"Although His Majesty is now working hard to govern the country and the world has been at peace for a long time, there are still many monsters in the mountains and wild paths. My grandfather is an upright man who once beheaded the Dragon King who violated the heavenly rules. Now he is a judge of the Department of Benevolence in the underworld. Even in the Fengdu Palace, those demons and monsters have to give him some respect. So naturally no monsters will harm you."
Twelve years ago, in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era, a dragon was slain. The man's surname was Wei, and he even became a judge in the underworld.
Xu Milu had now made up her mind, and she bowed slightly with her hands clasped in greeting:
"It's actually Minister Wei in person? My secular surname is Xu, I pay my respects."
Seeing that Xu Milu immediately pointed out his background, Wei Zheng was somewhat surprised, then stroked his beard and said:
"I see that you are quite young, young master. Could it be that you also know my name?"
Xu Milu suppressed her excitement and let out a soft breath:
"It's just that the elders in my family often tell the younger generation the story of Prime Minister Wei's uprightness and his dream of slaying a dragon. Now that Prime Minister Wei is in person, I'm being impolite."
The story of Journey to the West begins with the Tang Dynasty prime minister Wei Zheng beheading the Jing River Dragon King in a dream. Afterwards, Li Shimin was haunted by the dragon's spirit and wandered to the underworld, which led to the later journey of the Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang to the west to seek Buddhist scriptures.
There is also a folk legend that Wei Zheng went to the underworld and became a judge in the Department of Rewarding Good Deeds in Fengdu City, while the judge of the same level, the Department of Punishing Evil, was the well-known Zhong Kui.
This is a big shot!
Xu Milu was immediately filled with wonder. What could be more exciting than having characters from a book come to life right before her eyes?!
"Oh? I wonder how your elders, young master, judge this old man?"
Wei Zheng leaned forward, seemingly intrigued.
Xu Milu could recite the scenes from Journey to the West by heart. She immediately began to tell the story of the opening chapter, in which the Dragon King of the Jing River made a bet with the sorcerer Yuan Tiangang, thus violating the heavenly rules and being beheaded. The Dragon King of the Jing River went to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, to plead for mercy, but unexpectedly, he was beheaded by Wei Zheng in a dream.
"So that's how it is."
Wei Zheng pondered for a moment: "It seems that the elders in the young master's family are no ordinary people, otherwise how could they have acted as if they had seen it with their own eyes?"
Xu Milu immediately stopped talking. How could she not be familiar with it?
When she was little, the TV station would replay it every day, but all she remembered watching was the monkey.
"Since you're not an ordinary person either, then I'm not afraid!"
Jiao Nu cheered and immediately abandoned the half-cold pumpkin rice, grabbing Xu Milu's arm to examine her closely:
"How did you raise the little immortal? His skin is so tender you could squeeze water out of it. And how did you make that pumpkin cake? How did it become so delicious? Dear sister, please tell me!"
This girl was so enthusiastic that Xu Milu, disguised as a child, almost couldn't handle it:
"It's just ordinary pumpkin rice. First, the pumpkin is steamed until cooked, then the cooked rice is stir-fried with lard, and eggs, cucumber, and diced meat are added and stir-fried. Finally, pepper powder is added and pressed down, and that's how you make pumpkin fried rice."
"It's actually Hu Gua! Little Master is so generous!"
Jiao Nu was taken aback. Although cucumbers had been introduced to the Tang Dynasty for a long time, the common people still called them "Hu Gua" (foreign cucumbers). Hu Gua were not easy to cultivate, so ordinary people could not get their hands on them.
She asked curiously:
"What is that pepper powder? Does it taste like the spiciness of dogwood? No wonder this rice has a fragrance."
Xu Milu suddenly remembered that chili peppers hadn't reached the Tang Dynasty yet. Although the Journey to the West world and the Tang Dynasty in Chinese history are somewhat different, the timing of the introduction of the ingredients is similar.
Chili peppers are still growing wildly overseas right now.
"Cauliflower is a vegetable from overseas. It can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or ground into powder and used in cooking. It's spicier than dogwood. If you like it, you can take this packet back and use it in your cooking."
As Xu Milu spoke, she took out half a packet of chili powder from the large bag behind her, completely forgetting that the delicate slave in front of her was not a living person.
Seeing how serious she was, Jiao Nu couldn't help but giggle.
"Silly sister, have you forgotten that the underworld is dark and gloomy, devoid of the smoke and fire of the mortal world? How can I cook? This pepper powder is nothing but a waste for me."
This was the first time Xu Milu had heard of such a theory, and she listened with rapt attention, unconsciously asking more questions:
"There's no kitchen in the underworld? Do the people there ever get hungry?"
Jiao Nu glanced at Wei Zheng beside her before smiling and explaining:
"We beings of the underworld only eat one meal a month on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month. That one meal can sustain us for a year. If we want to eat, we can only do so if our relatives offer us food. Those lonely ghosts are even more pitiful. They cannot approach the incense offerings of the human world, nor do they have relatives to offer them food. They usually eat nothing but wind and dew, and are just starving ghosts. If they are lucky, they may encounter a temple that offers incense, and then they can have a full meal. If they are unlucky, they will be captured by mountain spirits and monsters to be eaten as wine—"
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