Knowing that Chu Xun loved to eat delicious food, Tang Shijun took him to taste all three specialties of Fenggu City.
Tender tofu sliced, stuffed with a filling of minced chicken breast, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms, coated in egg white and fried until golden, then slow-stewed in broth to make Grain-Brewed Tofu.
Salty and sweet wheat-fragrant crispy cakes, the salty cakes stuffed with preserved mustard greens and minced at, the sweet cakes embedded with osmanthus honey.
Fresh grass carp pounded into fish paste, mixed with buckwheat flour, and made into fish-shaped noodles pointed at both ends and round in the middle.
Mixed with Sichuan pepper, minced garlic, and aged vinegar, sour, spicy, and refreshing.
This made Chu Xun eat so happily that he couldn't help but say, "Big cities are still better. Unlike in the village, where we can only eat pig head at, roast chicken, sausages, roast duck, and the like."
Passersby nearby were dumbfounded hearing this. Is this human language?
Tang Shijun laughed heartily upon hearing this, pointing at Chu Xun and saying, "You, oh you, with such massive abilities, yet you only set your mind on eating sothing good. It's truly a waste."
Chu Xun didn't mind and said, "Life is long. If one can't even eat well, it would be too aningless."
Tang Shijun naturally couldn't understand these words.
They all say life is short, where does the saying of it being long co from.
Thinking back to when he first t Chu Xun, he was only twenty-two years old.
Now, in the blink of an eye, over ten years have passed.
Although not old, white hair has already grown.
Two years ago, Tang Shijun had already married and had a son.
His wife was the granddaughter of the Duke of Qing, Jia Xingzhou, with a beautiful appearance and dignified and elegant deanor.
Among the civil officials, the Duke of Qing ranked in the top three, and could be said to have overwhelming power and influence.
Although the maiden family's background might not necessarily bring benefits to the husband's family.
But among the courtiers, mutual intermarriage had beco a habit.
Various forces were intricately intertwined, and even the Tang family couldn't be exempt from this custom.
During Chu Xun's visit this ti, Tang Shijun didn't let his wife and son show their faces, which was a small regret.
After touring Fenggu City for two days, Chu Xun and Huan'er took their leave and went ho.
Tang Shijun gave Huan'er over a dozen annotated classics, all of which he had read and personally annotated back in the day.
He instructed Huan'er to study them more after returning, and in next year's college examination, he should take the top spot again.
Huan'er naturally thanked him happily, and the bond between teacher and student was thus established.
Before leaving, Chu Xun specially returned to the quiet small courtyard.
"Why did Uncle return here?" Huan'er asked in confusion.
Chu Xun said, "Having picked the flowers of this sophora tree, one must always thank it and return the courtesy."
Huan'er was even more confused. Making stead vegetables with sophora flowers has existed since ancient tis, what is there to thank?
Besides, this is just a tree, it wouldn't know even if you thanked it.
Chu Xun didn't explain much, only saying to the old sophora tree, "Many thanks for the hospitality this ti, the sophora flowers were very delicious."
Although Huan'er didn't understand, he still followed Chu Xun and cupped his hands to bow to the sophora tree.
Leaving the courtyard, they locked the copper lock on the door, tugged it twice, and then left.
Not long after walking, a gust of clear wind blew.
Huan'er let out a light "yi", reached out to wipe his face, and looked up at the sky, "Is it raining?"
Sure enough, a misty drizzle began to fall from the sky, but it was only confined to the vicinity of the courtyard.
The raindrops on his face were blown over by the wind.
Chu Xun's fingers forming the spell seal were hidden in his sleeves, and he smiled, "Let's go, otherwise we'll get drenched by the rain."
In the courtyard, the old sophora tree bathed in the spiritual rain, its leaves drenched even greener.
The branches swayed gently, as if trying hard to stretch out, welcoming a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
Amidst the swaying branches and leaves, pieces of sophora flowers flew out of the courtyard like white snow.
The clear wind blew gently. Chu Xun seed to sense sothing and raised his hand to catch a few sophora flowers.
Putting them in his mouth and chewing carefully, they were a bit sweet.
He turned his head, smiled and cupped his hands towards the direction of the courtyard again, and then left without looking back.
Returning to Pinecone Village and learning that Huan'er had taken first place in the prefectural examination made Lin Qiaoxi extrely happy.
She originally ca from a wealthy family, so she naturally hoped her son could pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to his ancestors.
Zhang Sanchun didn't have much feeling about this. He didn't care whether he could beco an official or not.
As long as his wife and son were happy, that was enough.
A few months later, sudden bad news ca from Li Tianjian's family.
Li Tianjian's wife woke up in the morning, saw her man still lying there, and called out a few tis with no response.
She pushed him a few more tis, only to find that he was already out of breath.
Despite the relationship with Li Tianjian's family not being very good, Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu still rushed over to help.
The villagers helped set up the mourning hall, and Li Tianjian's wife found fault everywhere.
One mont this place wasn't arranged smoothly, the next mont that place was placed improperly.
A group of people were ordered around by her until they were badly battered, yet it was hard to say anything.
She chattered endlessly, her mouth never stopping for a mont.
Li Shoutian, leaning on a crutch, was supported over by Li Guangmao.
Two years had passed, and not only had his injured leg not healed, but it had beco even more serious.
Now one leg could almost completely not bend, and he could only rely on the crutch to slowly shuffle his steps.
His body was also becoming increasingly thin and weak, his forehead covered with wrinkles, his hair white and hoary, aging much faster than in previous years.
Chu Xun also hurriedly went over to help support him, walking into the mourning hall and looking at the older brother lying in the coffin.
Li Shoutian's old tears flowed freely, trembling all over as he cried out, "Brother..."
No matter how others looked at it or what they said, the one lying inside was ultimately his own older brother.
That familial affection could not be discarded no matter what.
Chu Xun stood on the left side, supporting Li Shoutian, and glanced into the coffin.
Inside, a straw mat was laid according to the rules, and the person had also been changed into clean blue-bottod white-flowered burial clothes.
The white hair, which had already fallen out quite a bit, was combed ticulously.
Further down, Chu Xun saw Li Tianjian's missing ear.
Only then did he rember that during the fight for water back then, Li Tianjian also went, and had an ear forcefully torn off by soone, blood dyeing half his body red.
At that ti, he felt Li Tianjian was a real man.
But he didn't know since when the relationship between the two families had beco increasingly distant.
Perhaps when people get old, they change.
Li Sanjing and Li Manggu, bringing their sons and daughters, knelt on both sides of the mourning hall, kowtowing to thank the villagers who ca to help and pay their respects.
Only Li Tianjian's wife was still chattering endlessly there.
Whoever spoke to her, she would quarrel with them, even more shrewish than before.
On the third day, the day of the burial, when Chu Xun arrived, he happened to see Li Tianjian's wife pointing at the neighboring villagers.
Scolding them for making so much noise early in the morning, causing her to not sleep well.
The neighbors, considering that a funeral was being held, could only swallow their anger and not argue with her.
Zhang Anxiu felt unhappy seeing this and said, "How can she not understand any sense of propriety and etiquette!"
"Enough, can't you be quiet for a mont!" Li Shoutian, supported by Li Guangmao, walked over and scolded.
That woman was not afraid at all, glaring at Li Shoutian, "None of your business!"
Li Shoutian was so angry he almost couldn't catch his breath. Too lazy to talk to her anymore, he began to preside over the burial ceremony.
The eldest son, Li Sanjing, ca over holding the earthen basin and forcefully smashed it.
The n in the village ca over to help lift the coffin.
Yellow paper was scattered, white strears were erected, and the suona blew deafeningly loud.
Arriving at the fields, the grave had already been dug.
The coffin was suspended and slowly lowered. Li Shoutian trembled, gritted his teeth and said, "Bury!"
The villagers stepped forward one by one, taking turns shoveling dirt with shovels.
No one noticed that Li Tianjian's wife was no longer chattering.
She stared blankly as the coffin was gradually covered by dirt, then suddenly rushed over like crazy, pushing people away, and even jumped directly into the pit, desperately digging away the dirt covering the coffin.
The whole village heard her heart-wrenching, mournful wailing, "Don't bury! You are not allowed to bury him!"
"Old man, old man!!"
Everyone was stunned. They were already used to seeing Li Tianjian being grabbed by the ear and lectured by his own wife.
Being lectured like a grandson every day, not daring to talk back.
Shrewish, unreasonable, that was the only impression she left on people.
During the three days of the funeral, she chattered for three days and three nights.
Who knows how many people scolded her thoroughly behind her back.
Her own man died, and she didn't even know to restrain herself a bit, truly an old shrew!
But now seeing her kneeling on the coffin, desperately digging dirt, crying and howling.
Only then did everyone understand that she wasn't deliberately finding fault these three days.
But had already lost her sense of propriety, at a loss for what to do, and only then had to use this thod to keep herself from thinking about the things she didn't want to think about.
However, when the coffin was about to be covered by dirt, there was no longer anything that could block the fear in her heart.
She would never see that person again.
Never see him again!
Li Shoutian's face was covered in tears, and he had people go down and forcefully pull her up.
"Bury!" The old Village Chief roared again with a crying tone.
You can't bear to part, do you think I can?
That's your man!
Also my brother!
Li Tianjian's wife struggled madly, scratching and biting, tightly hugged by her sons Li Sanjing and Li Manggu, not letting go.
Sobbing sounds ca from beside him. Chu Xun turned his head and saw that Zhang Anxiu was already weeping uncontrollably.
No matter how bad the relationship was, in such a scene now, who could hold back.
Chu Xun sighed, his hands forming a spell seal.
Spiritual Rain Spell 1
In the past few years, he had sent off quite a few old people in the village, but most of them were of the grandfather generation.
Li Tianjian's passing showed that the ti for the people of the uncle generation had also co.
Those who would leave the world in the future would all be people he was more familiar with.
A pattering drizzle fell. The crows habitually flew over, and the weasels, voles, and rabbits in the fields also popped their heads out.
But they didn't approach, because they knew this rain didn't belong to them.
[End of Chapter]
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