Chapter 33 "I'll teach you."...
Even after running a long way, Song Linsheng's heart was still drifting, as if it had landed in a soft, light cloud, unable to find a clear place to rest. His mind was racing, his head was dizzy, and he stared at the back of Wen Yu's head. The light veil on the veil fluttered in the wind, making Song Linsheng dizzy.
He suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart. He glanced down at his arm. Wen Yu's hand was a little cold. The warmth passed through the not-so-thick spring shirt and reached Song Linsheng's arm. It then penetrated into his nerves, causing the fabric to wrinkle where Wen Yu pinched it. It was like someone's heart being entangled.
Wen Yu's hair danced and flowed over Song Linsheng's cuffs. His hands were covered with her silky smooth hair, which was warmed by the sunlight and not as cold as her hands.
He inexplicably wanted to hold it, but before he could react, the strands of hair slipped through his fingertips in a flash.
He recalled how, when he was young, his sister Shen Chuo had a fox cat, bright as snow. Because its fur was pure white like jade, it was named "Xiao Fei Lian." His usually stern brother, however, loved to tease the cat with a ball of fox fur dangling from a long string, making the cat unable to pounce, yet unable to stop chasing after his brother's movements.
At that time, he thought, if this "Xiao Fei Lian" was a child, he and his brother would be tormented to death. But now he found that his mood was similar to that of the cat at that time.
The intertwined feelings of cold and heat in Song Linsheng's body made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave or into lava, falling into a world of ice and fire.
"Master Song!" Wen Yu turned her head and looked at Song Linsheng, who was half a beat behind. Her eyebrows curved like distant mountains, her laughter was as clear as a spring, and she urged loudly, "Hurry up! Master Song!"
Wen Yu's face was partially visible beneath the veil of her veil, revealing only her almond-shaped eyes, which reflected the shimmering light of the waves, as clear and bright as a lake, reflecting Song Linsheng's shadow. When he tried to see more clearly, the veil was pulled back, and he could no longer see.
Song Linsheng felt annoyed. Why did he have to wear a veil when he went out this morning?
His throat moved slightly, as if he had made up his mind, and he replied, "I'm coming!" Then he took the initiative and turned Wen Yu's wrist to hold it. The moment he felt Wen Yu's body temperature through the fabric, his heart moved. Although he hesitated for a moment, he quickly increased his strength and ran away with Wen Yu.
Let those dignified and upright people with gentlemanly manners take a day off and come back tomorrow, Song Linsheng thought.
Casting aside those invisible and intangible worries, Song Linsheng felt a sense of relief. He was like a newly-fledged bird, flapping its wings and soaring out of the Shangdu mansion. He soared across the sky, passing through the clouds and the sun, without asking how far, until he reached Jiangyang Mansion and landed on Wen Yu's shoulder.
Wen Yu felt a greater force on his arm and looked up at Song Linsheng. He was not like the jade-carved or stone-carved Lord Song in his daily life. At this moment, he was just himself, able to run and jump, no different from the laughing young men around him.
There are some, Wen Yu thought: Song Lin is much more beautiful than others.
Wen Yu ran forward following his force, their skirts moving in the wind. Song Linsheng's white dress and Wen Yu's green silk dress occasionally overlapped, like a green lake surging with white waves.
Soon, the two of them made their way through the sea of people and arrived at the carriage carrying the "Goddess of Spring." Song Linsheng felt a flush of heat rising to his face, and a slight breath came from his chest. He rarely moved like this, perhaps because his body was a bit overwhelmed. But at this moment, he felt nothing but a sense of relaxation, a sense of well-being.
He stopped and turned to look at Wen Yu.
Song Linsheng was much taller than Wen Yu, so his strides were naturally wider. Wen Yu used all her strength to run forward relying on the strength of his wrist, but he suddenly stopped. Wen Yu couldn't stop her feet for a moment and actually bumped into him.
It happened that Song Linsheng turned around, and Wen Yu couldn't dodge in time and fell into Song Linsheng's arms.
Wen Yu was startled by the warm feeling and couldn't help leaning back. The veil on her head also tilted backwards, and the front brim of the hat curled up and happened to scrape the tip of Song Linsheng's nose.
Song Linsheng's heart was in turmoil, and he unconsciously raised his arms to hug Wen Yu, fearing that she would fall again. He lowered his head and met Wen Yu's gaze, who was just looking up. Both of them were speechless.
There is a lot of noise around me, but my heart is calm.
But in the end, there were crowds of people around them, and the crowd rushed from behind Wen Yu. Pulling Song Linsheng and Wen Yu back to the bustling street, they both came back to their senses, and Song Linsheng was the first to look away.
He turned around and stood beside Wen Yu, but he did not put down his hands. He still raised them to protect Wen Yu behind him, fearing that someone would bump into her.
It was just that the tip of his nose felt a little itchy, and he couldn't help but raise his other hand to gently cover his mouth and nose and cough lightly.
Wen Yu didn't move at all, just stood there in a daze. Her eyelashes trembled twice, and her cheeks were as pink as ripe spring peaches, with faintly visible fine hairs covering them, so tender that you could squeeze water out of them.
It is so delicious that you can’t help but drool.
Song Linsheng was shocked by his idea! His cough became even heavier.
Wen Yu finally came to her senses. Seeing Song Linsheng coughing uncontrollably and bending over, she raised her hand without hesitation and patted his back gently, hoping to help him calm down.
Unexpectedly, Song Linsheng kept coughing and quickly stood up and hid to the side. Wen Yu looked over in confusion.
Song Linsheng didn't dare to meet her eyes, so he could only lower his eyes and glance left and right, his gaze darting around. He raised his hand to cover the lower half of his face with his sleeve, leaving only his eyes exposed.
"We're here, Madam Wenyu..." He remembered the float beside him and quickly pointed it out to Wenyu, "Look, is that Mu Jingli?"
Wen Yu turned her head and saw Lord Mu on the flower carriage. Unlike before, he now wore a beaded curtain to cover his face, appearing even more elegant and noble, and even more mysterious.
At this moment, a crowd of people are following the float of the "God of Spring", wanting to catch a glimpse of its beauty.
Wen Yu was delighted. It turned out that watching the ceremony and worshipping the gods was more interesting if one got close. What was the point of being far behind and only being able to see a shadow?
She followed, wanting to see how the sacrificial ceremony would proceed.
Song Linsheng lagged behind Wen Yu by half a step, following closely behind. He finally managed to calm himself down, and now he didn't dare to get too close. Song Linsheng shook his head helplessly and chuckled. He was really acting strangely today.
Soon, the flower carriage left the city through the middle gate, crossed the Yuanshui River, and came to the ridges of the fields where paths intersected.
It was just the beginning of spring and the fields had not been planted yet, so at a glance, all you could see was bare ground. The fragrance of moist soil mixed with the scent of flowers and plants lingered around the visitors.
At this point, the float could no longer move, so the "God of Spring" got off and walked. The attendant, Lord Jia, brought a tall and strong yellow ox and handed the reins to the "God of Spring".
"This is the beginning of the first ritual of offering sacrifices to the gods." Song Linsheng explained, looking at the familiar rituals. It seemed not far from the rituals he had seen before.
Wen Yu and Song Linsheng's previous sprint had earned them an excellent view. Now they were at a suitable distance from Mu Tong, so they could see all his movements without missing anything.
Wen Yu nodded as he listened, his eyes fixed on the yellow cow.
They're well prepared! Wen Yu thought to herself, even bringing a yellow ox. She couldn't help but think of Chi Huanglai from the Spring Temple. She wondered if Chi Huanglai was napping in the Spring Temple or if he had gone to the mortal world to farm with his master.
It's the busiest time of spring, and it's almost time for planting. I bet he wouldn't be able to sleep well! Wen Yu smiled with amusement, her shoulders shrugged. Then she curled her lips again. After all, Chi Huang was staying with her master. When would she be able to return to the Spring Temple?
Song Linsheng, who was standing by, saw Wen Yu's look and thought she was just curious about the yellow cattle, so he explained the reason to her.
"There are many kinds of beautiful fantasies about the Goddess of Spring, except for the previous statement that the Goddess of Spring was transformed from Yingchun." Song Linsheng paused, explained the previous situation, and then continued.
"There's also a saying that the God of Spring was transformed from a shepherd boy."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yu turned his gaze from the old ox to Lord Mu's face and replied in surprise, "Mu Tong? Lord Mu?"
Wen Yu couldn't believe it and looked Lord Mu up and down.
Song Linsheng knew Wen Yu had misunderstood when he heard this. He smiled and explained, "It's not Mu Tong from Lord Mu Tong, it's the one from 'The shepherd boy rides a yellow cow, his singing voice shakes the forest'—"
"Shepherd boy?" Wen Yu finally realized that he had misheard for a moment, so he continued.
"Exactly!" Song Linsheng nodded. "People generally believe that the shepherd boy is the incarnation of the God of Spring traveling among the human world. So, naturally, offering sacrifices to the god is inseparable from his 'mount,' the ox."
Wen Yu folded her arms over her chest and couldn't help laughing when she heard Song Linsheng's words. She jokingly said, "So, it's quite appropriate for Lord Mu Tong to play the role of 'Shepherd Boy'?"
Song Linsheng couldn't help laughing and said angrily: "You!"
While they were talking, the "God of Spring" held the yellow cow in one hand and whipped it in the other, driving the cow into the field.
"People feel sleepy in spring, and cows also become lazy. Whipping the spring ox symbolizes driving away the laziness of both people and cows." Song Linsheng spoke at the right time.
"It reminds people not to forget farming and pray for a good harvest."
Wen Yu and Song Linsheng followed the crowd and heard the singing rising and lingering in the distance.
Wen Yu looked and saw that it was Lord Mu who was leading the singing in front, and the people around him also joined in singing.
"Qing Yang starts to move, the roots and stems are complete, the ointment is moist and loving, and the whole process is completed. [Note]"
This song is solemn and dignified, yet also somewhat melodious and graceful. When sung by the people of Jiangyang, Wen Yu seems to be able to see a picture of the bright spring sun and the gurgling spring water unfolding before his eyes.
She had only a vague understanding of Jiangyang's customs. Although she had learned some from books, she was not as good as Song Linsheng, a Jiangyang native. Wen Yu tilted her head to ask Song Linsheng: "What are they singing?"
"The people are bustling with joy, even the unborn are in the womb, and all creatures are chirping with joy, for spring is auspicious. [Note]" Song Linsheng continued, "This is the 'Qingyang' piece composed by our ancestors, a piece dedicated to the worship of the God of Spring."
"It talks about the beginning of spring, when all things are harmonious and full of life. It's also a way to pray to the God of Spring."
"That's why it is chanted during sacrifices." Song Linsheng turned his head and saw Wen Yu's bright eyes, and he was very curious.
"How about I teach you?"
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The author has something to say: 1. Xiao Feilian is a Shandong lion cat (lying down)
2. "Qingyang" is quoted from a Han Dynasty Yuefu poem
3. Leave a comment, sir~
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