"Speaking of the Hu clan, I have to ask, Sister Cui, even though you have unavoidable reasons to hide out here on East Market Street, there’s no need to not use your surna, just letting people call you Sister Cui."
Since Sister Cui is a Wild Immortal of the Hu clan, she must naturally have the surna Hu.
So just call her Hu Cui, then.
There are so many people with the surna Hu in the world, no one can determine Sister Cui’s association with the Hu clan based solely on the surna.
"Young Master, you might not know, but nas in the Hu clan always have three characters. The surna is naturally ’Hu’, one character is for the na, and another character represents the generation,
the character representing the generation is more important than the surna itself. If you ntion the surna, you must include the generation."
Sister Cui counted on her fingers and told Zhou Xuan, "The Hu family has four major generations now... Yun, Deng, Chang, Qing. , I’m from the Yun generation."
Hu Yuncui,
If one doesn’t conceal their surna and generation character, anyone who knows a bit about the ways of the Wild Immortals would clearly know Sister Cui’s background.
"So, that’s how it is." Zhou Xuan found it quite interesting. These anecdotes always provide endless fascination.
"Ya Zi is here, let’s stop talking." Sister Cui saw Zhao Wuya in the distance, riding a black donkey and wearing a loose Daoist robe, swaying as he approached the food stall.
"Brother Zhou, this lamb doesn’t have much fat. It’s fresh enough, but not that fragrant. Let add so sesa oil for you."
Sister Cui added half a spoonful of sesa oil, picked up the casserole with two thick towels, and served it on the table.
"Ya Zi, co have so lamb soup, it’s just freshly made, and the sauce is ready. If you like coriander, pick so from the store." Sister Cui also called out to Zhao Wuya.
Coriander is also known as cilantro.
"I must try it." Zhao Wuya tied the donkey’s rope to the water pipe and went into the store to get so coriander.
Zhou Xuan frowned and said, "Taoists aren’t supposed to eat coriander, right?"
The Buddha and Tao don’t eat the five pungent spices, and coriander is one of them.
"What do you an, don’t eat coriander? Those slly Taoist bull-noses are allergic to coriander themselves, and so they established a rule forbidding us juniors from eating it. What’s the sense in that? I’m not allergic to coriander."
Zhao Wuya’s rciless mockery did not offend Yun Ziliang.
Because Yun Ziliang also eats coriander.
"Ya Zi’s words, though crude, are not without reason." Yun Ziliang reached out to Zhao Wuya and said, "Get so coriander for your Grand Master, too."
Zhou Xuan found it hard to keep a straight face. Isn’t it said that the Dragon Seeking tradition is passed down, even eating coriander is inherited.
"Coming right up." Ya Zi scooped a large bowl of coriander, put so in Yun Ziliang’s and Zhou Xuan’s sauce bowls, and then sat down to feast.
"Brother Xuan, Grand Master, I am now a real Taoist. What does Buddhism have to do with anyway? How can a Sinful Buddha sully my purity out of nowhere?"
Zhou Xuan took a piece of lamb chop and casually remarked, "Ya Zi, if you’re a Buddha, you’re not a Taoist. If you’re a Taoist, you’re not a Buddha. I think you look more and more like a Buddha."
"Nonsense... nonsense."
"Xuanzi is right. When you got off the donkey and walked to the stall, I noticed it too. Whether it’s your step technique or posture, you have that rigid deanor of a shaven-headed monk—so upright and proper. How could a Taoist be so free-spirited?"
Yun Ziliang also chid in.
With Zhou Xuan and Lao Yun each putting in their two cents, Zhao Wuya couldn’t help but believe,
He angrily said, "No wonder I felt off from the mont I woke up, even making eye contact with a monk. Ugh!"
"Make sure you ’ugh’ far away, don’t spit in the pot and ruin a good pot of lamb."
Zhou Xuan looked very disdainful,
Zhao Wuya was very upset, took out a mirror from his satchel, and looked at his face, checking from left to right, unable to see any Buddha’s image in himself.
"The person in this mirror is clearly a little Taoist with excellent character and a dashing, immortally ethereal air."
"The few good phrases you learned in school, don’t keep using them on yourself. Have so sha."
Zhou Xuan retorted.
"I know what it is! It must be because my hair is combed too neatly, like a lay Buddhist, I’ll ss it up a bit to feel like more of a Taoist."
At this, Zhao Wuya pulled a comb from his satchel and began to ss up his hair.
This got Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang in a hurry. The two of them quickly picked up the pot and bowls and ran to an empty table far away, lest they be unable to enjoy their soup properly.
"Damn it, using a lice comb to brush hair? Ya Zi, have so sense."
Yun Ziliang turned back and cursed angrily.
A lice comb is a type of comb with very fine-toothed gaps.
This tool is common in slums where the damp environnt easily breeds fleas. Every morning, people use it to comb out fleas hiding in their hair.
Due to its fine-toothed gaps, not to ntion those with dandruff issues, even a healthy person might comb out a lot of dandruff using this thing,
causing dandruff to scatter all over, landing in the pot, bowl, or sauce dish. It could get everywhere, couldn’t it?
Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang found a more distant seat to continue their al, while Sister Cui couldn’t look on any longer, and she called out to Zhao Wuya: "Ya Zi, if you really want to comb your hair, do it under the trees. I thought those were fallen locust flowers fluttering around."
Thus, Zhao Wuya really sat under a nearby locust tree to comb his hair, leaving passersby amazed: "It’s already autumn, where are these drifting locust flowers coming from?"
The al was full of surprises and risks,
but fortunately, Zhao Wuya distanced himself and did not disturb the other guests, nor did he bother Zhou Xuan and Yun Ziliang.
Only then did the two manage to enjoy their lamb soup slowly and settle into a comfortable rhythm, chatting about their schedule for the day as they ate.
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