Chapter 397 [Road Encounter]
It was noon at this time, so at this mutton noodle stall, I would definitely not meet Xie Guangan, an acquaintance who has been traveling between Huaifeng Mansion and Longan Mansion all year round.
Fang Chang ate the noodles seriously, then turned to ask Xu Lianrong:
"Why don't you see Lao Xu?"
Xu Lianrong was gently placing a bowl of tofu noodles on the table next to her, and giving it to the diners who ordered the noodles, her face darkened when she heard this:
"My father has been dead for five months."
Speaking of this, tears welled up in her eyes, but someone called the stall owner immediately, and Xu Lianrong turned around and went to say hello.
Fang Chang sighed slightly, but didn't say anything.
He looked intently at Xu Lianrong and his wife, and sure enough, a close relative died of illness recently.
Birth, old age, sickness and death are common things in the world.
It means that practitioners are free from disease and disaster, and have a limit on their lifespan. This is the way of heaven, which cannot be defied.
After paying some money, Fang Chang walked out of the bustling Huqiao Town.
The official road in the south of the town turned a corner and turned to the west. The front is Huaifeng Mansion, he has passed by here many times, so he is no stranger.
The fields on the road have been harvested, and most of the pear trees in the mountains have been picked.
The pears in Huaifeng Mansion are very famous. They are sweet, juicy and thick-skinned. Fang Chang bought more than ten catties and put them in a bag, preparing to eat them as snacks on the way north.
Going out from the north gate of Huaifeng Mansion is a place Fang Chang has never walked through.
Looking at Xingqing Mansion to the west, I saw that the cultural energy in that direction was flourishing, flourishing like the rising sun, which seemed to have stirred up the luck of the human race. It seems that during this period of time, the two Mr. Jian of Xingqing Mansion continued to expand their careers.
Along the way, Fang Chang walked neither fast nor slow.
Faster than pedestrians on the road, slower than chariots, horses, donkeys and mules, with snow-like white clothes and a sword behind his back, he looks like a kung fu Jianghu man.
The sun in late autumn is not as strong as in summer, but like many people on the road, he still wears a bamboo hat to keep out the windy sun.
On this day, Fang Chang walked to a new land.
This place is called Heyi Mansion, and it is out of the sphere of influence of the rebels, but it is not under the rule of the imperial court.
Listening to the discussions of the surrounding people, the local Zhizhou first raised taxes significantly two years ago, which made the people's livelihood difficult, and then suddenly rebelled, fighting back and forth with the two surrounding states. Under the see-saw of competition, the market is quite declining.
Until the soldiers of the Southern Rebels approached, for some reason, the fighting suddenly ceased.
As for the reason for Zhizhou's rebellion, Fang Chang didn't know what was going on, but since the place is still peaceful now, he didn't plan to take care of it. After all, the purpose of going north this time was to uproot the root cause.
Looking at the sky, Fang Chang turned and walked into a small shop by the road.
The autumn wind is already bleak, rolling the fallen leaves on the official road and swirling in the corner of the wall.
"Store, what can I eat?"
"Guest officer, please sit down. We have noodle pancakes, millet rice, womb cabbage that has just been marinated for a few days, which can be stewed with tofu, and a few seasonal vegetables that can be fried with oil and salt. By the way, There is an old cow reported to be killed in the nearby village, and there is some beef here, the price is extremely cheap, if the teeth are good, don’t miss it.”
Fang Chang casually found a stool and sat down, and asked, "What do you want to drink?"
"Only tea." The shopkeeper said, "But if customers want to drink something smooth after traveling for a long time, here are the leftover fried dough sticks from the morning, which can be cut and stewed with fresh vegetable leaves."
"Well, let's have a fried dough stick soup, and cut up two plates of beef, nothing else is needed." Fang Chang said.
"Alright, wait a moment, sir."
The owner of the store went to work immediately. This place is just a shed. The tables, chairs, benches, and cooking boards are under the same roof. Fang Chang turned around and watched the actions of the store owner.
I saw that he put some oil in the pot, boiled a few scallions for a while, threw in fresh green vegetable leaves and fried it for a few times, then added water to boil, and cut a few hard leftover fritters into small sections, Pour into the pot. When the soup in the pot turns into flowers again, put it into the pot and serve it to Fang Chang:
"Guest officer, please use it, the beef will wait a moment."
The owner walked to the cutting board, took out a large piece of juicy beef from a basin covered with sorghum stalks, and sliced it with a kitchen knife. The other party put the sliced meat into a plate, and ordered two drops of balsamic vinegar and two drops of sesame oil before serving it.
"Thank you."
Fang Chang said, and then stretched out his chopsticks to eat.
Sure enough, it is old beef, very chewy, and there is some firewood. Fortunately, Fang Chang's teeth were not a problem, and the beef on this plate was not as hard as copper and iron, so he chewed it up and ate it.
Sip carefully, the taste is not bad.
Of course, it must be very laborious for ordinary people to eat.
In the countryside, the most common and cheap meat is generally mutton. Fat pork is a precious thing, while chicken and duck are different from the expensive ones in the city, and the price is moderate.
Beef is the most unusual thing. In some places, a big family has received a license to raise beef cattle, so they can raise cattle and sell them.
But for ordinary people, the only thing they can see is cattle, which are important means of production. No one will slaughter them without authorization, and the government controls them strictly. Only sick cows and old cows can be slaughtered painfully after reporting. This kind of meat is often of poor quality, and the cooking methods in the village are not good, so the price is very cheap.
It is said that heroes who walk the rivers and lakes like this kind the most.
After all, it is a meat food that can replenish physical strength, can relieve cravings, and is cheap, which does not put much pressure on the wallet. Besides, good teeth are very important when walking in the world, and everyone is not afraid of it being difficult to chew.
At this time, a few people walked into the store, just ordered some pickled vegetables and corn rice, and started eating there very quickly.
Fang Chang asked the store for a small clean bowl, untied the gourd around his waist, poured out the wine, and ate and drank the beef.
This fried dough stick soup made by the store, the golden yellow and white fried dough sticks are boiled soft, with oily flowers and green vegetable leaves floating on it, very beautiful. The deep-fried dough stick soup tastes smooth, and it has a bit of the shadow of Huqiao town mutton noodles, but there is a big difference.
After drinking a few cups, I heard the diners next to me gobble up the millet and rice in the bowl, and then asked the store for tea to pour the seam and moisten the throat.
After a meal, it is natural to sit down to refresh, so several people, men and women, started chatting.
A man with a yellow face at the head said: "The past two years have been really dangerous. The surrounding states have been brutally fought, and how many villages and towns have been destroyed! From time to time, routs pass by, poisoning the village, really, oh..."
The one next to him asked: "Brother Li, why did they stop fighting so fiercely?"
"Isn't it because of the pressure!" The yellow-faced man called Brother Li complained, but immediately he said, "But it's really strange, even if the rebels—" he lowered his voice, "—were getting closer to here , How come the few Zhizhou who are about to hit the dog's brains are so tacit?"
(end of this chapter)