Chapter 32: What does the 'Spring Goddess' look like...
Mu Tong held the raw mandarin fish in his mouth, chewing and savoring it repeatedly. It was fresh, fragrant, and as thin as a cicada's wing, but he couldn't figure out what it tasted like. He couldn't help but feel a little skeptical. It seemed that he should go home and try steaming mandarin fish one day.
Mu Tong turned his head and saw Lord Song chatting with Madam Wen. He served her the dishes and explained the exquisiteness of each dish. A gentle smile played in his eyes, a completely different person from before. For a moment, he and Madam Wen enjoyed the meal in a lively atmosphere.
There was no sign of dissatisfaction with the dish. Mu Tong lowered his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he understood the general idea. He laughed for a moment, but said nothing.
It's just a mandarin fish, not some precious jewel or jade worth a fortune, so why should you care whether it's steamed or pickled?
Mu Tong poured a cup of tea and brought it to his lips, but he was in no hurry to drink it, as if to hide the smile on his lips. He shook his head gently, and the silver pendants on his ears rippled with it, making a sound like breaking ice.
"Why is there no wine or drinks at the table today?" Wen Yu swallowed the shrimp and tofu soup in his mouth, glanced around, and asked Song Linsheng in confusion.
Song Linsheng leaned over and took the tea from the table, poured a cup for Wen Yu, and pushed the teacup to Wen Yu's hand, saying, "Have some tea first!"
"The previous 'Qushui Liushang' included wine, but I was so focused on the purification ceremony that I forgot to ask you to bring some wine."
"Ah?" Wen Yuxing's eyes widened. She had actually forgotten that just now by the stream in the back garden, she was so focused on playing with the orchid and making a wish that she didn't even notice the wine cup. She only drank a few cups of "Jingting Green Snow" with Song Linsheng.
Wen Yu was annoyed for a moment, lowered her head, and picked up the vegetables with bamboo chopsticks.
"I think they prepared some wine earlier, so there's no more alcohol on the table. After all, a banquet is mainly about tasting the food. And after dinner, everyone has to go out of the city to worship the gods together, so we must not indulge in excessive drinking and cause trouble."
Song Linsheng explained and comforted Wen Yu. Seeing that Wen Yu was still unhappy, he felt a little helpless. He had never seen Wen Yu like this before. It was as if she had transformed from a wine jar.
Back in Shangdu, the ladies and gentlemen of the city's prominent families often held banquets and sent invitations to Song Linsheng. Spring outings, summer flower viewing, autumn crab tasting, and winter snow viewing all involved alcohol. Although he could drink, he didn't dare to overindulge. He didn't know why he always had a certain fear of alcohol.
Unlike Madam Wenyu, who had clearly just tasted the wine, she would start muttering about it every time she ate.
Song Linsheng couldn't help but lower his head and smile, and promised Wen Yu: "I have sent people to clean up the Xianchun cottage in Houchun Mountain. There is a Hovenia dulcis tree in the yard. When summer comes, I will pick some Hovenia dulcis fruits and save them for you to sober up."
Wen Yu held the teacup in both hands, lowered her head and sipped it in small sips. Listening to Song Linsheng's words, she was nodding at first, but after the word "hangover relief" came out, she looked up in confusion.
"I thought you were going to pick some Hovenia dulcis berries to make me some wine! How can it be a hangover cure? No, no!"
Song Linsheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Yes, yes, yes, whatever wine you want to drink, I have it in my wine cellar."
While the two of them were talking, the feast lasted for quite some time.
Lord Mu, standing by, picked up his bamboo chopsticks to pick up some food and stopped talking. It was so obvious; if he couldn't catch a glimpse, he'd truly wasted his time in the government office. A faint smile flickered across Mu Tong's face, but he couldn't tell if it was at himself or at the others.
For a moment, the meal looked exactly the same, but the three people ate with different thoughts.
The men and women around him were toasting each other and the meal was very lively.
"Lord Mu--" A sudden shout came through the crowd of people sitting side by side, circled in front of Wen Yu, and then reached Mu Tong's ears.
He looked in the direction the voice was calling, but the sudden call froze him in place, a piece of fried chicken still between the bamboo chopsticks in his hand.
"Master Jia?" Mu Tong saw that it was Master Jia, so he put down the juicy frog and a pair of bamboo chopsticks, took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and then asked, "Master Jia, are you ready for dinner? I didn't see you sitting down at the table just now."
"What are you still eating? Master Mu, you have to go prepare for the sacrifice to the gods first. Time is running out!" Master Jia said worriedly, adding, "I'll ask the chef to save all these dishes for you. Come back later and eat them!"
As he spoke, he moved to capture Mu Tong. This Lord Mu was excellent in every way: decisive, thoughtful, and prudent. He had been in office in Jiangyang Prefecture for over a year and had made considerable achievements. He was definitely a top-notch "manager" in the Jiangyang government office. However, he sometimes had an inexplicable calmness, like a mountain falling from the sky, without changing his expression. Even when others were extremely anxious, he remained calm and composed.
Jia Ren always made him very angry, but fortunately, although they sometimes disagreed, they got along well most of the time.
"Sir, please don't rush me!" Although Mu Tong said this, he still asked Sir Jia to support him and he stood up. He held up his high bun and the hair crown with pearls and jade with both hands. After he had tidied it up, he was really graceful and elegant.
Mu Tong's features were soft and beautiful, not a tough, masculine look. This made him a perfect fit for the role of the Goddess of Spring.
Wen Yu put down her bamboo chopsticks and tilted her head to watch him stand up.
"Sir Song, Madam Wen." Sir Jia turned around and explained the reason to Song Linsheng and Wen Yu. "Please enjoy yourselves. I will go out with Sir Mu to prepare the rituals for the gods so as not to miss the time."
Song Linsheng nodded slightly, and Lord Jia followed him out while taking care of Mu Tong's robe that was dragging on the ground.
Wen Yu watched as the two of them disappeared behind the screen.
She lowered her head, looking at the plate in front of her that Song Linsheng had piled high with dishes, and said something for no reason: "Such a delicious feast, but Lord Jia refuses to eat. Some people are locked up in the dungeon, and I'm afraid they can't eat even if they want to."
When she thought that Chen Mian was still imprisoned in the dungeon and that there was no progress on the river water conservancy project, she became as depressed as an eggplant hit by frost.
She said she came to help Song Linsheng, but it seemed like she didn't help at all, and she even made him so tired that he had to take time out to take her around for a stroll.
Wen Yu became more and more discouraged. She looked at the delicious food right in front of her without any appetite.
Seeing Wen Yu like this, Song Linsheng, who was standing by, could guess what was on her mind without having to say anything. From the moment he first met Wen Yu, she had been like this, apologizing to him repeatedly in her sleep and always blaming herself for no reason.
Song Linsheng sighed softly, picked up another piece of her favorite sashimi for Wen Yu, and said comfortingly: "Eat your food one bite at a time, and do things one step at a time."
"This morning when I came out of the government office, I happened to see Lord Jia delivering food to Chen Mian in the dungeon. I think Chen Mian won't be treated too badly."
Song Linsheng also felt a little strange. If Lord Jia had been so harsh in arresting Chen Mian, why did he personally deliver the food box today? But he suppressed his doubts and continued to comfort Wen Yu softly: "You should also be at ease first. Why not think about it from another perspective--"
"Hmm?" Wen Yu looked up at Song Linsheng, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Even if Lord Jia doesn't want to have the banquet, he still has to arrange the sacrifice to the God of Spring first. He is a man who does his duty." Song Linsheng explained to Wen Yu and talked to her in a low voice.
"Now that things have come to this, let's eat first."
"Later, we will go out of the city with everyone else to watch the ceremony."
After hearing this, Wen Yu nodded and said that everything still needed to be investigated, so they would just wait and see.
Perhaps because there was still a ceremony to be held to worship the God of Spring, the feast didn't last long. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they spontaneously left the table without further conversation.
After washing the inkstone, he came to call Song Linsheng and Wen Yu to leave the city.
This sacrificial ceremony would be performed from the city center to Houchun Mountain, with the "God of Spring" carried by floats all the way through the four streets of Jiangyang Prefecture and out of the city through the middle gate.
After leaving the city, the "God of Spring" no longer rides in a carriage, but gets off the carriage and walks on foot. On the way, he has to do two things: one is to beat the spring ox and encourage spring plowing; the other is to hold a willow branch and sprinkle water on everyone to wash away the dirt and spread blessings.
There were many tourists in the city and it was very crowded. Moreover, during such a festive occasion, it is naturally best to experience it in person.
Therefore, Wen Yu and Song Linsheng did not drive a horse or carriage, but just walked along with the crowd.
"Madam Wenyu——"
When Wen Yu heard Song Linsheng's call, she turned her head and felt a veil suddenly fall down.
She had just taken it out while eating, and it might have been left at Jiangyang Restaurant. Unexpectedly, Song Linsheng brought it out again.
Wen Yu held the outer edge of the veil and turned up the gauze to hang it on the brim.
"Thank you, Master Xiao Song!" She had thought she had lost it.
The two of them followed the crowd everywhere, but because they were a few steps slow in leaving the house, they fell behind. They walked all over the place, but they were just chasing after the floats and never saw the "Goddess of Spring" on the floats.
Wen Yu exhaled. She finally understood why Lord Jia had taken Lord Mu away so early. She and Song Linsheng had been just a moment late and already so far behind. If Lord Mu had been slower, the "Goddess of Spring" wouldn't have been able to squeeze onto the float today.
Seeing that she was about to leave the city, she didn't want to miss out on seeing what the front of the float looked like, or even the cows doing the spring plowing.
Wen Yu thanked Song Linsheng, rolled his eyes, and asked, "Master Song, do you want to go see what the 'Goddess of Spring' looks like?"
"Hmm?" Song Linsheng snorted. "Wasn't the 'Goddess of Spring' dining at the same table with us just now? Didn't you see clearly enough?"
Wen Yu choked, but said playfully, "I knew Master Song wanted to see it!"
Wen Yu grabbed Song Linsheng's arm, shook it, and said jokingly, "Come on! I'll take you to see what's ahead!"
The crowd was bustling, but not overcrowded, so there was still plenty of room for one person. Wen Yu squinted her eyes and looked around for a moment. This way, she and Song Linsheng would have no problem passing through.
Wen Yu exerted force on his feet, grabbed Song Linsheng and ran forward.
"Eh——" Song Linsheng didn't expect Wen Yu to move suddenly, which scared her. She couldn't help but want to stop after taking two steps.
When he was in Shangdu, he was either reading books or reviewing papers at home. When he went out, he either took a car or a sedan chair. He rarely appeared in the streets, let alone ran around like this.
Song Linsheng felt a little uncomfortable for a moment. He uttered an "ah" and wanted to call Wen Yu.
"Madam Wenyu——"
However, the sound of wind passed by his ears, and Wen Yu's flying hair moved with the wind, brushing against Song Linsheng's nose, leaving a trace of hair fragrance.
The faint fragrance was so captivating that it made him feel a little lost for a moment...
The figures around him retreated rapidly, the sunlight shining on Song Linsheng's face, and the noisy voices beside him gradually faded away, as if they were still. He only saw the silver butterfly on Wen Yu's hair bun that seemed to be about to fly away, and Song Linsheng suddenly felt:
This is also good...
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