Chapter 221 Showing off one's skills in front of Guan Yu
The rising sun pierced through the clouds, tearing the thin mist into wisps. Grass sprouts, topped with dewdrops, shimmered like jewels.
Under the willow trees in the garden, Wang Qizhi sometimes leaned back and sometimes squatted down. Then he suddenly stood up, spread his arms out in a straight line, one hand pointing to the sky and the other reaching for the ground.
He was muttering to himself: "Bear posture, bird stretch... inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale..."
Ye Anning stood at the back door of the hotel for a while, and only when she walked over did she realize that Wang Qizhi was covered in sweat.
"Uncle, what are you doing?"
"Practice!" Wang Qizhi gasped for breath. "Lin Sicheng said this is a guiding exercise created by Bian Que!"
"Bian Que's medical skills have long been lost. You're listening to his nonsense?"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, I don't know, but it'll definitely work! You forgot, he got into a fight during the Chinese New Year, taking on four people by himself, and he punched a hole in the car window with a screwdriver?"
Wang Qizhi straightened up and made a bow-drawing motion. "He said that once I've calmed down, he'll teach me a set of boxing techniques, and we can practice them together then!"
"Practicing boxing?" Ye Anning exclaimed with a strange look. "Uncle, are you going to make an action movie?"
Wang Qizhi's eyes darted away for a moment: "What do you know?"
Wang Qizhi didn't know whether Bian Que created it. But he did know that the set of movements Lin Sicheng taught him was very similar to the Western Han Dynasty "Daoyin Tu" unearthed from Mawangdui, which contained sexual techniques.
Those who have practiced it say it's incredibly effective, but most people just can't seem to master it...
Ye Anning looked around again: "Where is he?"
"I'm going to practice boxing by the lake!"
"Neglecting your duties!"
As they were talking, footsteps came from behind them, and Lin Sicheng jogged into the garden.
The contrast is quite obvious: Wang Qizhi looks like he was pulled out of the water, while Lin Sicheng's forehead is completely dry.
"Sister Anning, you're up so early?"
Ye Anning pursed her lips: What do you mean by "early"? It's almost eight o'clock.
She actually wanted to get up early, like Lin Sicheng, to go for a run and do some exercises, but after two days, she gave up.
On winter mornings at six o'clock, the sky is pitch black, it's cold, and sometimes it even snows, but Lin Sicheng is unmoved.
I just don't understand, why train to be so muscular?
Ye Anning checked her watch again: "What time are we going to Guansheng Temple?"
"It's still early, let me and the teacher change our clothes!" Lin Sicheng swung his hand and went upstairs. "Then I'll take you to eat something good!"
Upon hearing the mention of good food, Ye Anning began licking her lips: "What do you want to eat?"
"Guan Gong Lamb Soup!"
After changing my clothes, I drove west, then south after passing the salt lake, and finally stopped when I was almost at Guansheng Temple.
The shop is quite large, and it looks newly renovated. The golden plaque above the entrance shines brightly: Jiezhou Wangjian Lamb Stew!
Farmland lined the roadside, and the countryside was not far away, but both sides of the road were full of parked cars, and there were long queues in front of the shops.
Looking further inside, the store was packed with people, so crowded that it was difficult to even turn around.
Ye Anning looked surprised: "Isn't this supposed to be the suburbs? Why are there so many people here?"
Lin Sicheng pointed to the honor wall in the shop, which was densely covered with bronze plaques: China's Specialty Noodles Gold Award, Shanxi's Top Ten Featured Restaurants, Hedong's Top Ten Catering Celebrities, Gold Medal Chef...
"This century-old brand is holding a temple fair today, so of course there are a lot of people!"
Ye Anning licked her lips again: "Is it delicious!"
"Of course, and it's cheap!"
Lin Sicheng simply got a membership card and ordered everything on the menu.
We then went upstairs and chatted for a while before the waiter brought out the cold appetizer platter.
Four types of beef: braised, Sichuan peppercorn, five-spice, and beef tendon. Two types of lamb: lamb tongue and cold cut.
In addition, there are twisted dough sticks, layered pastries, meat pies, and several vegetarian dishes.
Before I could even take a few bites, the mutton soup was served: paomo (pita bread soaked in mutton soup), boiled flatbread, radish, rice noodle soup... a whole table full of different dishes.
After giving a shout, the group started eating noisily.
Ye Anning puffed out her cheeks and mumbled, "Lin Sicheng, this twisted dough stick is delicious..."
"This is authentic Jishan fried dough twist, with an even longer history, over two hundred years!" Lin Sicheng said, scooping up rice noodles from a soup bowl. "We applied for national intangible cultural heritage status last year, and I estimate it will be approved in the next batch!"
"This mutton is delicious too!"
"The grassland sheep of Zhongtiao Mountain eat medicinal herbs... It is said that Guan Yu grew up eating this kind of mutton..."
"Are you talking nonsense again?"
Why would I lie to you? Why don't I just call it Guan Gong Lamb Soup?
The two chatted non-stop and ate incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, Lin Sicheng had finished two and a half bowls of mutton soup.
Ye Anning ate one and a half bowls, but she also ate a lot of cold meat, at least half a pound.
Zhao Xiuneng felt that, putting everything else aside, just talking about food, these two were a perfect match: one loved to eat and wanted to try everything.
The other one is a connoisseur of food; no matter where she goes, she knows exactly what local flavors and delicacies are available.
They devoured the food in a flash, taking almost an hour.
I handed the card to the waiter for payment, and just as he returned it, the sound of firecrackers went off outside.
Looking outside, blue smoke rose from the square outside the Guansheng Temple.
Ye Anning rushed to the window excitedly, shouting, "It's starting! It's starting!"
"What's the rush?"
Wang Qizhi glared at him, then turned back and asked, "Mr. Zhao, did the boss say when the porcelain shards will be delivered?"
"They said it would be in the afternoon, but it won't be until two or three o'clock at the earliest!"
"Let's take a look around first!"
Fang Jin disliked noise, and the two data clerks also found it too noisy, so Lin Sicheng had Zhao Er take them back to the hotel.
Right across the street, the remaining five people didn't drive and slowly strolled over.
There were so many people that the area around the mountain gate was completely packed. Flags and banners stood everywhere, and the crowds were immense.
After the cannons were fired and incense was lit, a dozen strong men carried a sedan chair out of the mountain gate.
There are four figures in total. The first three are Yao, Shun, and Yu, and the last one is Guan Yu.
Just as the four statues emerged from the square, a loud "thud" resounded, and the ground beneath them wobbled twice.
Then, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air.
Ye Anning was startled, then her eyes widened.
Twenty-four girls, dressed in crimson phoenix robes and wearing kingfisher feather headdresses, held drumsticks and vigorously struck the war drums.
On each side, there were eight young men wearing arrow sleeves, four carrying clappers and four holding wooden clappers, standing on both sides to harmonize the music.
I don't know what they were striking, but the sound was powerful and majestic, as if I were on a battlefield, and my blood was boiling.
More than twenty girls, full of vigor and spirit, looked stunning and captivating Ye Anning.
They performed for almost ten minutes before stopping. Ye Anning's face was flushed: "Lin Sicheng, what kind of drum is this?"
"Jiangzhou (belonging to Yuncheng) drum music, flower drumming, is among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items, and it was featured on the Spring Festival Gala the year before last!"
"This is so exciting, like going to war!"
Lin Sicheng nodded: "The performance we just had was 'The King of Qin Breaks the Enemy's Formation Music,' so of course it was exhilarating!"
As they were talking, another drum sounded, and forty or fifty men surged out of the mountain gate.
Dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wearing a hero's headband, they moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, they had formed ranks in the square.
With a basin drum tied around his waist and a knotted hemp rope in his hand, he struck down with soft mallets with a "thud".
After only one strike, the drumming stopped, and then more than ten men on both sides struck their gongs in unison. Then forty or fifty gong and drum players stepped forward together and shouted again.
Suddenly, I felt the blood rush to my head, and my face went numb.
After performing for another ten minutes, beads of sweat appeared on Ye Anning's forehead.
"Lin Sicheng, what kind of drum is this?"
"Wanrong (belonging to Yuncheng) soft-hammered gongs and drums!"
"Is it also a type of rhythmic music?"
"Yes, Liu Xiu fought a great battle at Gufeng Mountain (Wanrong) against Wang Mang!"
After saying only a few words, another drumbeat sounded. Looking in the direction of the sound, a dozen or so men dressed in white came out of the temple gate.
There are drums in the waist, drums on the shoulders, drums in the chest, drums on the back, and even drums on the forehead.
The sound was much crisper, not as surging and passionate as before, but much more festive.
He would tap and jump at the same time, sometimes reaching for his waist, sometimes for his legs, sometimes circling his knees, and sometimes performing a move like Qin Qiong carrying a sword.
Even after the performance was over, Ye Anning leaned closer and asked, "Lin Sicheng, what kind of drum is that?"
"Wanrong Drum Dance, also known as Duogu or Dougu!"
What piece of music is this?
Praying for a bountiful harvest!
Before he finished speaking, a group of girls in red coats rushed out of the temple gate and climbed onto a platform made of stacked benches.
With a drumbeat, Ye Anning exclaimed: more than twenty girls hooked their legs around the benches and leaned back in unison, forming a bridge-like shape on the ground.
He then stood up, peered to his right, and struck his companion's drum with a mallet.
In this way, sometimes he would strike back, sometimes he would wrap his arms around her waist, and sometimes he would entangle her and strike her, making the movements extremely dangerous.
But it was truly beautiful, and Ye Anning was dazzled by it.
It took her a while to come to her senses after the performance: "Lin Sicheng, what kind of drum is that?"
"Jishan Gaotai Flower Drum has also been featured on the Spring Festival Gala!"
"Why are there only drums?"
"The Jin region has defended against the Qiang and Rong tribes since the Warring States and pre-Qin periods, and continued to resist the Hu for more than two thousand years until the Ming Dynasty. With so many battles fought, there are many drum and music traditions passed down. That's why there is a saying that 'all the drum and music in the world comes from Shanxi'..."
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "These four are all national-level intangible cultural heritage application projects. The only difference is that some are already listed in the catalog, while others are in the application process... Moreover, this is only Yuncheng. In the entire Shanxi province, there are at least a dozen or twenty kinds of drum music that can be applied for intangible cultural heritage status..."
"So many..." Ye Anning was startled, then pointed to the stage, "The opera has started?"
Several middle-aged men and women dressed in theatrical costumes stood on the stage, some knocking on four-sided tiles, others playing the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument).
Lin Sicheng glanced at it, then listened for a moment: "Linyi's Meihu opera, also known as Qing opera, this excerpt is called 'Three Successful Candidates.' In ancient times, when wealthy families held weddings, blind and poor people would sing this play to entertain the guests. Therefore, there is a saying that Meihu opera originated from the 'Lotus Flower Ballad' of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces..."
"What about that one? The one with the puppet?"
"That's the Ruicheng folk opera style, which also requires singing lyrics. One person plays two roles, roughly similar to a double act!"
"Hey, Lin Sicheng, look! Isn't that Dou E?"
“That’s Dou E. Guan Hanqing was from Yuncheng, and it’s said he was a descendant of Guan Yu…” Lin Sicheng glanced at it, “This is Puzhou Bangzi, also known as Luantan… It has many unique skills and is quite entertaining…”
How did you know?
"It's written in the book!"
"Hiss~"
The two chatted and looked around, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Zhao Da and Zhao Er strained their ears to listen intently.
Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qizhi looked at each other in bewilderment.
Get this straight, this is Shanxi, not Shaanxi.
Lin Sicheng is quite something; he knows about food, drums and music, and opera... Are there any locals as familiar with these things as he is?
Don't believe me?
Ask any audience member what drumming performance they just heard and what opera they're singing now. How many locals could answer all of these questions?
After the drum and music performance and the opera, and then the acrobatics, the four saints who had been patrolling the city returned after almost three hours.
They carried the animals into the temple, invited them into the main hall, and then offered sacrifices and paid homage. After another round of drumming and music, the real excitement began.
Food, toys, clothes, and daily necessities—it's dazzling and overwhelming.
Seeing a ring toss stall, Ye Anning looked on with great interest: "Lin Sicheng, look, there are chickens and geese... they're all so fat!"
Lin Sicheng looked helpless: "Cousin Ye, where are you planning to keep this thing?"
"Why would we want to raise one?" Ye Anning licked her lips. "Just find a restaurant on the street, right?"
All they do is eat, they're hopeless!
Lin Sicheng sighed and glanced around again: "The chickens are alright, but those geese will probably be harder to catch!"
"Why?"
According to Ye Anning's understanding, geese are bigger, taller, and have longer necks, so they must be easier to raise than chickens.
Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "It can turn its neck and dodge the rings that are thrown at it!"
Ye Anning was skeptical: "Isn't that unlikely?"
Lin Sicheng didn't say anything, but bought fifty yuan worth of rings on the spot.
It's quite expensive, five yuan each. Two chickens are considered a fair price, and three geese are considered a fair price.
Ye Anning took the plastic ring, looked at it for a long time, and then threw it.
Then, before they were even halfway there, the geese started shaking their necks. And it wasn't just the one Ye Anning had lassoed; the whole flock was shaking along with it.
As expected, the circle landed on an open space.
Ye Anning pointed at the goose, stunned for a long time: "No... Lin Sicheng, it can really turn its neck?"
"It won't just spin; it'll even untie itself once the noose is around its neck, believe it or not!"
"impossible!"
"You don't believe me? Look..."
Lin Sicheng caught a ring, casually tossed it, and "whoosh!"
It was so precise it couldn't have been more accurate; it slipped perfectly into the neck of a large goose.
But then, the goose lowered its head, and the hoop slid down.
It's no exaggeration to say that Ye Anning and Wang Qizhi's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Zhao Xiuneng chuckled: "Two city folks, where have you ever seen this before?"
"These geese are specially trained, Assistant Ye. Junior Brother Lin wasn't lying to you; they're really hard to catch!"
Ye Anning listened to advice and stopped using geese, opting instead to use chickens.
As a result, when she threw the rings, the goose moved, and the chicken followed suit. Her aim was also not very good. After throwing eight rings, she didn't even catch a single chicken feather.
Looking at her empty hands, she bought another fifty yuan's worth.
Then he shoved the bag into Lin Sicheng's hand, saying confidently, "I spent a hundred yuan, so I have to get two of them back!"
Lin Sicheng looked around, then at the couple guarding the stall, and the three children in the camel cart (three-wheeled tractor) next to them.
"It's hard work for them to set up a stall, isn't it a bit inappropriate?"
Ye Anning paused for a moment, then scoffed, "You'll talk after you've successfully tricked me!"
"OK!"
As he spoke, Lin Sicheng casually tossed a hoop, which landed precisely in the neck of a large goose.
The goose had barely flicked its neck when the second hoop flew over and snagged it perfectly. Then came the third… By the time the goose realized what was happening, the hoops were already pushed up to its belly, making it impossible to shake them off.
The man tending the stall had a simple, honest look on his face, and seemed stunned.
Lin Sicheng smiled and returned the remaining seven rings: "Buying a goose for a hundred yuan isn't a bad deal!"
The man finally realized: Had he encountered a master?
He thanked him profusely, tied up the goose, and then insisted on tying up a large rooster for Lin Sicheng.
Calculating the cost, a chicken and a goose would easily cost over a hundred yuan, but Ye Anning still felt a little embarrassed.
He quickly tied it up and had Zhao Er put it in the car.
"No... Lin Sicheng, you've even practiced this?"
"Does this even need practice? Didn't you say I'm a martial arts master...?"
"Tch~"
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Anning stopped abruptly.
Not far away, at the entrance of the side hall, a large crowd had gathered. Tables were set up at the back of the area, and several men and women wearing name tags were sitting there.
In the middle are three weapon racks, each with a Green Dragon Crescent Blade hanging horizontally, surrounded by railings, with a sign next to them that reads: "Show off your big knife in front of Guan Yu's gate."
The rules of the game are simple: three Guan Gong swords, one weighing 20 jin, one 40 jin, and one 60 jin.
No matter which one it is, if you can lift it with one hand and hold it horizontally for fifteen seconds, you will receive a reward.
The prizes are plentiful, mostly local handicrafts, with the most common being statues of Guan Yu, in various sizes, depicting both civil and military figures, made of bronze and wood.
Tickets aren't cheap, costing ten yuan per entry, so while many people watch, few actually ride the rides.
Ye Anning pursed her lips: "Aren't you a martial arts master? Come on..."
Lin Sicheng never said that, but Ye Anning would often tease him, saying that he practiced qigong (guiding exercises) or boxing every morning, and that he was so diligent that he would definitely be a martial arts master in ancient times.
Lin Sicheng, too lazy to correct him, pointed and asked, "Which one do you want?"
"That, that half-person-tall Taoist priest, is that a statue of Lu Zu?"
Tsk, you have a good eye for quality?
That's a replica of the Lü Zu statue enshrined in Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, carved from peach wood from Yongle Palace in Ruicheng. In a few years, it will be listed as a national intangible cultural heritage item.
That one bottle, if you were to buy it, would cost at least five or six hundred.
Lin Sicheng nodded and went inside to buy a ticket. He then learned that to get the wooden sculpture of Lu Zu, he had to lift 60 jin (30 kg) for at least 30 seconds.
Ye Anning covered her mouth, laughing gleefully.
Wang Qizhi glared at her, then shouted to the middle, "Lin Sicheng, be careful not to get hurt!"
There are railings on all four sides, so it's definitely not going to hit him. Wang Qizhi was afraid that he would be reckless and strain his ligaments and muscles.
Lin Sicheng nodded: "I'll give it a try first!"
As he spoke, he gripped the handle of the knife and lifted it upwards with one hand.
"Huh~"
Ye Anning paused for a moment, and then froze: Lin Sicheng held the knife up flat, without moving an inch.
In the blink of an eye, the crowd was still noisy, with some people mocking: "Young man, you'd be lucky to even lift him up, let alone hold him up."
Several children were cheering him on nearby.
But then, suddenly everything went quiet, and everyone craned their necks forward.
Wait... dude, that knife weighs a full sixty pounds?
It's not like no one has tried before; with such a long distance between the railings, people can't get close enough to lift it up directly. So, forget about lifting it, they can't even lift it up.
It's not like no one has tried those two on the side; let alone forty pounds, even twenty pounds would require a lot of effort.
After holding on for fifteen seconds, my legs started shaking, my arms were trembling like leaves, and my face turned as red as Guan Yu's.
But this time, the young man's legs didn't shake, his arms didn't tremble, and even his face didn't change.
Lin Sicheng silently counted; forty seconds had passed and no one had called for a stop. He turned around and glared at the staff: "Did you buy your watches from abroad?"
Looking down, I realized it had been forty-five seconds.
It wasn't that they refused to admit it, but rather that they were genuinely stunned...
"Sorry, sorry..." The group quickly stopped the stopwatch and ran over.
Lin Sicheng casually tossed it aside, and with a "whoosh," the weapon rack wobbled twice.
Suddenly, cheers erupted.
Ye Anning stared blankly, stunned for a long time: "He...he really got it up?"
Wang Qizhi didn't take it seriously: "Didn't you say you knew qigong?"
I was just kidding.
Ye Anning opened her mouth, unsure how to refute...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
