Chapter 629
On the morning of the eleventh day of the lunar calendar, Su Yuanzheng drove a black car onto the road leading to Yang County.
Su Miao sat in the passenger seat, tapping the edge of the car window with his fingers, his eyes following the gradually increasing number of fields along the roadside.
Xiaoling sat happily in the back seat. The trunk was filled with the things she brought home and the gifts specially prepared by Su Miao.
Originally, Xiaoling was going to take the bus home. There were many people going to Yang County today. She had wanted to go to the station to buy tickets in advance. Now, she doesn’t have to go to the station to squeeze in, nor does she have to carry so many things around.
On the way, Xiaoling told them a lot about the Paolong Festival. According to legend, it originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. Local people used dragon dancing and blasting cannons to dispel the plague, and later it evolved into a blessing activity.
She wasn't sure whether it had been around for that long, but it had definitely been around since her great-grandfather's great-grandfather, and it was certain that it had a history of thousands of years.
It gradually evolved through the mutual impact and integration of foreign and local cultures, and finally had a mature and fixed celebration model in the late Qing Dynasty.
Su Miao asked, "Sister Xiaoling, is your Paolong Festival a national festival? Every household will participate."
"Yes! Basically everyone in the county will make preparations, buy lots of firecrackers, and prepare sumptuous meals. The county has the largest scale, and some villages will make their own dancing dragons for fun, while others will go directly to the county to join in the fun!
Anyway, it's just a blessing, hoping that the weather will be good and everything will go smoothly throughout the year."
Xiaoling's home is in the center of Yang County. The distance from Yongcheng is half as far as that to Ning County, so they didn't arrive until noon.
As soon as they entered the county town, they were attracted by the loud sound of gongs and drums. It turned out that they had encountered a parade with colorful banners.
The procession is led by a lion dancer, followed by a dragon dancer, with four colorful banners and musicians in the center. The procession is nearly one mile long.
The musicians played passionate and cheerful tunes, with the sounds of gongs, drums and string music intertwined together, as if cheering for this grand parade.
Wherever the parade went, the crowds on both sides of the streets cheered, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Look! It's the banner parade!" Xiaoling excitedly tapped the car window.
I saw four gorgeously decorated frames being carried steadily by strong men. On each frame were three or four children dressed in gorgeous costumes, standing or sitting, posing in various theatrical poses.
A boy dressed as Nezha holds a fire spear, with cinnabar on his forehead, and his expression is cute and focused.
Su Yuanzheng slowly drove the car to the side of the road and stopped. The three of them got out of the car and stood on the street to admire this rare flower stand parade.
Xiaoling said excitedly, "I'm so lucky! We actually have a flower stand this year. You don't see it every year. It takes a long time to make this exquisite flower stand. Not only the people carrying the flower stand, but also the children on top of it have all been trained. Otherwise, if you can't hold on, you'll end up crying."
Su Miao stared at the colorful frame and asked curiously, "Sister Xiaoling, are these kids tired from keeping this posture?"
Xiaoling explained with a smile, "Of course they'll be a little tired, but they all think it's a great honor to be able to participate in the parade. They've been training for a long time for this day."
The colorful parade gradually went away, but the lively scene and cheerful music seemed to still echo in front of our eyes.
Su Yuan and the others returned to the car and continued heading towards Xiaoling's home.
Along the way, there were more and more pedestrians on the streets, their faces filled with festive joy.
The houses on the street were also decorated with lights and colorful decorations as much as possible. Su Miao looked inside the house and could see all kinds of firecrackers and festive supplies they had prepared.
When they arrived at Xiaoling's house, Xiaoling's parents were already waiting at the door and greeted them warmly.
Xiaoling happily introduced the Su father and daughter to her parents. Xiaoling's parents quickly invited them into the house, serving them tea and fruit, and were very enthusiastic.
Xiaoling had called ahead of time to let them know before they arrived, and they nervously made a lot of preparations. After all, they were hosting their daughter's boss! They had to be very attentive.
It was already lunch time, so naturally a large table of delicious dishes was prepared, but Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng were particularly interested in the bowl of sour rice noodles.
"Sister Xiaoling, this must be the legendary Yangxian sour rice noodles! It looks really different from the dry rice noodles in Yongcheng!" Su Miao said.
Xiaoling replied, "Yes! Our sour noodles have a long history. It's said that there are ancient books that record it, saying, 'It's sour and sweet, refreshing, and can satisfy your cravings and go well with wine, and you won't feel tired after eating it. It can help you feel better after a hangover, and it can dispel evil spirits and disasters, leaving a lasting aftertaste.'"
Xiaoling's mother was helping them prepare the sour noodles. She said with a smile, "Actually, sour noodles are perfect for summer. When it's hot, you can't eat, but a bowl of sour noodles will make you feel refreshed! But since you're here, we wanted to let you try some of our local specialties."
The bowl is filled with wide, flat, snow-white rice noodles, topped with refreshing cucumber shreds, peanuts, minced garlic, raw chili peppers and other condiments, then mixed with the sweet and sour sauce and served with meat dishes such as barbecued pork and fried meat.
A bowl of Yangxian sour noodles with meat, vegetables and staple food, which is colorful, fragrant and delicious, is ready.
Su Miao picked up a piece of rice with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The rice noodles were smooth and crispy, the sauce was sweet and sour with a slight spiciness, and the crispness of the fried meat and the freshness of the cucumber intertwined on the tip of his tongue. It was indeed worthy of its reputation.
Xiaoling's father has a pair of skillful hands. He used to participate in the production of dragon dances in the team.
However, this year his rheumatism flared up and he could hardly bear it, so he just provided guidance and let the young people do it, which can be regarded as completing the renewal of inheritance.
There are many handicrafts related to the Paolong Festival that he made at home, such as exquisite dragon lanterns and dragon models woven with bamboo.
There is also an unfinished little dragon on the workbench. Its scales are made of polished bamboo strips, shining in the sun, revealing the love and inheritance of traditional festivals everywhere.
Seeing that Su Miao liked these things very much, he was also very happy and gave her a lot of them with a wave of his hand.
The most lively dragon dance of the Paolong Festival will not be held until the evening. If Su Miao and his father participate, they will definitely not be able to make it back to Yongcheng in the evening and will have to stay in Yang County for one night.
Time passed quickly while chatting at Xiaoling's house. It was already 3:30 in the afternoon. Su Miao said he wanted to find a hotel to stay.
Although Xiaoling's parents asked them to stay overnight, it would be too much trouble for others, so Su Miao decided to stay at the county guesthouse.
The guesthouse is very close to Xiaoling's home, only a five-minute walk away.
Xiaoling's father said, "Why don't you leave the car outside our house and come over when you need it? The guesthouse faces the street, and there will definitely be a lot of people on the street tonight, and there will be fireworks. It would be bad if it got scratched. We can keep an eye on it if we leave it outside our house."
Su Miao was grateful for his attentiveness and responded, "Okay! Thank you, Uncle Qin!"
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