Chapter 29 Sacrifice
After entering the restaurant, Gu Xu and Ma Qin sat down at a dining table by the window.
The peach blossoms are in full bloom outside the window, like burning clouds.
The sun shines on the peach tree, casting a motionless shadow on the ground.
The restaurant owner is a kind old man.
When he saw a new customer, he immediately walked over on crutches with an amiable smile on his face, and kept recommending the store's special dishes to the two.
“Young man, seeing how thin you are, you should eat some braised pork to replenish your health,” he looked at Gu Xu’s thin face and said in a concerned tone, “After eating this, your life will be prosperous.
“The Qingtuanzi in our store is also very famous in the town - sweet but not greasy, fat but not plump. Young people like you like to eat it!
“Oh, by the way, don’t miss the cinnamon wine in our store. A scholar once wrote a poem for it - 'Gui wine mixed with pepper pulp, brewing with fragrance', which is even more leaking. The effect of heat and muscle relaxation is of great benefit to your body
"..."
Gu Xu smiled, listened carefully, and nodded in agreement from time to time.
Ma Qin's face looked a little unnatural - because he was ignored again.
In the eyes of these Taoyuan Town residents, it seems that there is only Gu Xu, and there is no Ma Qin at all.
When the shop owner finished speaking, Gu Xu said politely: "Then let's have a plate of braised pork, a portion of fried tofu with soybean sprouts, a pot of cinnamon wine, two green dumplings, and two more A bowl of rice with whole grains. Thank you for your hard work!”
“No problem,” the old man replied readily.
The eyes he looked at Gu Xu became more gentle and kind, like a grandfather who loved his grandson.
After a while, the old man put the cinnamon wine on the table.
“It smells so good!”
Gu Xu took a deep breath, as if intoxicated by the refreshing aroma of wine.
He couldn't wait to grab the wine bottle and pour himself a glass of wine.
"What a lovely boy." The old man said with a smile.
Seeing such a scene, Ma Qin, who was sitting opposite Gu Xu, frowned——
If his feeling is correct, this so-called "Gui wine" actually exudes a An unpleasant rancid smell.
So, does Gu Xu have a problem with his sense of smell, or is he just acting?
Ma Qin suddenly felt that he couldn't keep up with Gu Xu's brain circuit.
However, at this time, while Gu Xu was pouring the wine, his hand suddenly shook.
The wine spilled out and splashed on the table.
"Young man, be careful when pouring wine," the old man immediately brought a rag and prepared to wipe the table for him. "It would be a pity to waste such good wine!"
< br>"Let me do it myself!" Gu Xu raised the corners of his mouth and took the rag from the old grandfather's hand.
His smile is like the faint morning light, clean and pure, with the unique vitality of a young man.
Everyone in the restaurant turned their heads to look at him involuntarily, with almost the same intoxicated expression on their faces.
"Although Gu Xu is handsome, he is not so handsome that he can confuse all living beings!" Seeing this strange scene, Ma Qin's heartstrings suddenly tightened, "Why are the residents of Taoyuan Town, Everyone, young and old, looks like they are drooling over him?”
Ma Qin couldn’t help but start to secretly brew the true energy in his body.
He now has no weapons, and his combat effectiveness is greatly reduced. But as a monk of the Exorcism Department, if something strange happens, he will take action decisively. Afterwards, the waiter brought the remaining dishes to the table one after another.
Ma Qin always thought that these meals looked strange - but what exactly was wrong, he couldn't put his finger on.
"Brother Ma, do you think the food in this restaurant is a little strange?" Gu Xu asked with a smile, seemingly guessing his thoughts.
Ma Qin nodded honestly.
“If you pay careful attention to the dishes recommended to me by the shop owner, you will find that their types are quite similar to the offerings at the tombs during the Qingming Festival,” Gu Xu explained, “For example, this cinnamon wine has a poem about it. Steamed rhubarb and orchids, osmanthus wine and pepper pulp', 'Send off osmanthus wine, worship and dance to clear the soul'... Maybe there is no such custom in our Qingzhou Prefecture, but in the Jingchu area, cinnamon wine is very common Sacrificial supplies.
“Also, fried tofu with soybean sprouts, mustard soup, braised pork, braised yellow croaker, steamed goose... these are all typical Qingming soup rice. As for the green dumplings, as well as rice with whole grains, they are very common tomb-sweeping offerings in the Jiangnan area. ”
Having said this, Gu Xu rested his chin with his left hand and rested his elbow on the table. He picked up a pair of chopsticks with his right hand, pointed at the food, and said to Ma Qin in a joking tone: "Brother Ma, do you want to try it? Anyway, we are here now." In the illusion, everything you see is false."
Ma Qin immediately shook his head: "Don't even want it."
At the same time, he stared with vigilant eyes. Holding the chopsticks in Gu Xu's hand, he thought: You don't really want to do anything with these foods!
Seeing Ma Qin's reaction, Gu Xu put down his chopsticks and couldn't help laughing.
He just felt that Brother Ma was really a serious and honest man, and it would be quite interesting to scare him.
So, the two of them sat quietly in the restaurant, no one said a word, and let the food gradually get cold.
The cinnamon wine spilled on the table also fell on the ground drop by drop, and then gradually spread along the gaps in the floor tiles.
…………
In the next period of time, there were more and more guests in the restaurant, and it became more and more lively, noisy and full of people.
The restaurant owner also used a cane and walked back and forth between different tables, very busy.
"Boss, I heard that your restaurant has new dishes today?" a customer asked the shop owner.
"New dishes," the shop owner inadvertently glanced at where Gu Xu and Ma Qin were, and licked his lips, "I'm sorry, sir, you have to wait a little longer."
The guest's expression looked a little dissatisfied: "I am almost tired of eating chicken, duck, fish, goose, whole grains and green dumplings every day for so many years. I really want to taste some fresh meat."
The store owner apologized repeatedly and said that the new products in his store will be unique and delicious. As long as you are willing to wait patiently, you will never be disappointed.
A few minutes later, the owner returned to the kitchen with the menu.
When he appeared again, he actually held a butcher's knife with a cold light in his hand, and came directly in front of Gu Xu and Ma Qin.
"Young man, why are you so reluctant to use your chopsticks?" He still had a kind smile on his face and said to Gu Xu kindly, "Do you dislike the food we have here?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the waiters who were busy working nearby also gathered around, holding kitchen knives, chopsticks or forks in hand, with scary smiles on their faces.
…………
Note:
(1) "Cinnamon wine mixed with pepper pulp, brewing and fragrant." - Song Dynasty Liu Xueji's "Mid-Autumn Equinox rhymes with clouds into three hundred words"
(2) "Steamed orchid dishes are cooked , drink osmanthus wine and drink pepper paste." - Pre-Qin Dynasty Qu Yuan's "Nine Songs of the Eastern Emperor"
(3) "Send off osmanthus wine and worship and dance to clear the heart and soul." - Tang Dynasty Li Bai's "Lu". Junyao Temple sends Wu Wu's Langya"
(End of this chapter)