() Yunzhai is the highest village in Jinxiang Mountain and the smallest village in Nanlong.
There are only a few families in the village. Each family has lived here for generations since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and gradually multiplied, with a total number of only a few dozen people.
The valley in front of us covers an area of hundreds of acres. Most of it has been cultivated into paddy fields to grow glutinous rice, which is a staple food of the Miao family. Others are planted with vegetables around the fence, and some chickens and ducks roam among them. Because the terrain is too high, the clouds
There is basically no custom of raising pigs and cattle in the village. In addition to hunting, the meat mainly consists of fish raised in paddy fields and these chickens and ducks.
The Miao family's daily schedule is usually sunrise and sunset. At this time, it is getting dark and there is no one in the fields.
On the slope leaning against the cliff, there is a fence surrounding it, and several large stilted buildings stand in the middle, with smoke curling from the kitchen above.
The group of people walked outside the village. Lu Jiangan was a few steps ahead and raised his voice.
"Is Lao Shi here?"
Following this, a man in his fifties wearing a coarse cloth coat and wooden slippers ran out. When he saw Lu Jiangan and his party, he laughed loudly and hurriedly opened the fence.
"Lao Lu, why are you here?"
"Come for a stroll in the mountains," Lu Jiangan had already taken out the gift he had prepared from his bag, handed it over and asked, "How are you doing as a family?"
The Miao family attaches great importance to etiquette, so even if a good friend comes to visit, it is best not to neglect it. Of course, the gift is not very expensive, and what Lu Jiangan prepared was only two bottles of wine and two cigarettes.
"well!"
Lao Shi nodded repeatedly, took the cigarette and wine, and looked at the group of people, especially Jiang Jingdong, who was standing side by side with Lu Jiangan. He had a special bearing at first glance.
Lu Jiangan introduced the group's origins and asked if he could bother them all night.
"Lao Lu, what you said is right." Lao Shi punched Lu Jiang'an with a wine bottle and said, "You're so outspoken! Please come in!"
The group followed into Yunzhai, where there were five stilted buildings, some large and some small, inhabited by the five surnames of Yunzhai: Shi, Zou, Tao, Xiong, and Ma. However, due to generations of intermarriage, they were also related to each other.
The Miao family was very enthusiastic. When they heard the commotion, they came out to take a look. They greeted anyone who knew Lu Jiangan and warmly invited the group to eat and drink at their home.
Lao Shi immediately laughed and scolded him, not to steal his guests.
The Shi family was the first to farm here, and at one time it had the largest population. Lao Shi was the village chief, so he naturally occupied the best location and the largest building.
The Shi family's stilted building has five bays. The main hall in the middle is ornately decorated, and the bays on both sides are divided into several bedrooms. It was originally home to more than a dozen people from four generations. Now the elders are almost gone, and the next generation is young.
People like to go out to work, so the house seems a little deserted.
Lao Shi led a group of people into the main room. The Miao family's ancestral spirit shrine is displayed on the inner wall in the middle, with characters posted around it. There is a bamboo shed in the middle of the lower part, which looks sacred and solemn. There are bamboo tubes for incense on both sides of the shrine box, and the display below
There is an ox horn attached to the skull, which has been preserved by the Shi family for ancestor worship. Nowadays, ancestor worshipers go to the foot of the mountain to buy ox heads.
There was a wide long table in front of the shrine. The group put down their luggage and sat around the long table. The Miao family in the mountains often had a fire pit. Lao Shi stirred up the fire, and the original coolness after dark disappeared a lot.
The fence porch on the sunny side extends about half a meter, and a long wooden high-backed chair is installed on it, commonly known as the daughter's chair. In summer, it is a place for resting and entertaining guests.
Lao Shi called on his two daughters-in-law and granddaughters to bring out snacks and prickly pear wine to entertain the guests. The snacks were dried fruits made from local products in the mountains. The prickly pear wine was a light wine brewed by mixing glutinous rice and prickly pear, with hot water.
The water is warm and your whole body will feel warm after taking a sip.
This time was the day when the Miao family was cooking. Lao Shi apologized and asked his daughter-in-law to take care of a few people and prepare meals.
Lao Shi's granddaughter Xiao Shi is only nine years old this year. She is studying at Yaoquan Township Primary School and is currently at home during the summer vacation.
Jiang Yang was the most interesting. He was very shy in front of the enthusiastic and generous Xiao Shi and didn't dare to say much, which made Lu Yang tease him a little.
An hour later, a table of sumptuous meals was served one after another.
There are two kinds of staple food. One is yellow glutinous rice, which is made from wild yellow flowers on the mountain. It is dried and used to soak the glutinous rice. The rice turns yellow. After steaming, the fragrance is overflowing, which makes the group feel excited about the food. The other is
The seed is rice
The table was filled with non-staple food, including all kinds of common stir-fry dishes, as well as special foods unique to the Miao family, such as sour soup, pickled fish, pork belly, etc., as well as some cured game that can only be eaten in the mountains.
Lao Shi also sat down at the table. He put his chopsticks on the rice bowl, dipped his fingers into two drops of wine and sprinkled it on the ground. He nodded and said, "Our ancestors eat!"
Then he smiled and greeted everyone to start the meal.
"Why doesn't Xiaoshi come to dinner?" Jiang Yang suddenly realized that someone was missing and asked strangely.
"She is bringing food to her grandmother," Lao Shi raised his chopsticks first and advised diligently: "Let's eat first, come on, how do you like the taste of this pickled fish?"
Miaojia pickled fish is a specialty. Fresh carps are disemboweled, the internal organs are removed, washed and soaked in salt and rice wine. Then glutinous rice, sweet wine koji, chili powder, pepper noodles, ginger and garlic are mixed and stuffed into the fish maw.
Put it into the pickling bucket, stack it layer by layer and press it tightly. Cover it with rice dumpling leaves soaked in salt water. It can be sealed and stored for a long time.
Miao family elders liked to pickle fish when they were young, and then after a hundred years of death, the family would use the pickled fish to entertain guests at the funeral. It is said that it can bring good luck.
Shijia's pickled fish has tender skin and tender meat, and the more you chew it, the more fragrant it becomes. Everyone except Jiang Yang and Jiang Jinghua, who are not used to spicy food, praised it.
Lu Yang sat next to his mother, Zhang Shufen, and quietly looked at the girl opposite who was obviously well-educated and moved smoothly and freely on the Miao family's mountain mat. She looked like a picture scroll and couldn't help but smile.
It wasn't until Jiang Yuan's cheeks turned red, whether it was because of the prickly pear wine or because of her own gaze, that Lu Yang smiled slightly and started to eat attentively.
If the wine is not intoxicating, people will become intoxicated, so Lu Yang couldn't help but drink a few more glasses.
Jiang Jingdong was obviously in a good mood. He chatted eagerly with Lao Shi, who had a strong accent, asking about what he had seen on the mountain. Then he asked about hunting at night, and Lao Shi patted his chest and made small talk.
After the meal, everyone went to the assigned bedrooms to pack up. The few people who planned to go up the mountain for night hunting at night were in the outer bedroom on the left. Jiang Jinghua, Jiang Yang and Zhang Shufen, who were already exhausted, all shook their heads and did not plan to go and went to the left.
The inner bedroom.
Lu Yang was naturally looking at someone's choice. When Jiang Yuan said he wanted to go, he naturally smiled and said that he would not be a true man if he did not go to Fengyun Ridge, which earned someone a helpless look.
It was very windy and cold on Fengyun Ridge at night, so everyone put on thick clothes that Lao Shi had found.
Lu Yang was wearing a short vest, made of self-spun and self-woven blue indigo linen, with thin cotton batting sewn inside the two layers, making it quite thick.
When Jiang Yuan came out of the back bedroom, everyone's eyes lit up. She was wearing a bijia over her sportswear. The bijia was embroidered with detailed moiré patterns. Not only did it not look obtrusive, but it had a unique sense of beauty.
.
It was already dark at this time, and the other people were all well-equipped and had just walked out of the main room.
An elderly woman in her eighties, with a scarf wrapped around her head, staggered out of the room on the right.
Lao Shi hurriedly greeted him, helped the old man over, and said a few words in Miao language.
The old woman looked at Jiang Yuan with a pair of hazy eyes, a smile appeared on her wrinkled face, and she spoke in Miao language that only Lao Shi and Lu Jiangan could understand. Then she took off a silver hairpin from her head and placed it on Jiang Yuan's head.
in hand.
Jiang Yuan was obviously surprised too, but the elderly woman held her hand, so she didn't want to act too aggressively.
Lao Shi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Grandma, she said you are as beautiful as Yalue, so I want to give you this silver bracelet."
Jiang Jing, who was deep in the east city, just smiled and nodded to Jiang Yuan, asking her to accept it.
After Jiang Yuan accepted it, she bowed to thank her. The old woman staggered to Lu Yang again, which made him stunned. Only then did he remember that he had met this old man when he came last time.
Lu Yang thought that he was so lucky and could receive some jewelry. The old woman just smiled, touched his forehead, and then turned and left.
Lu Yang reluctantly touched his forehead. Jiang Yuan, whose face was already hot, suddenly burst into laughter when she saw this scene.
Lao Shi looked at the two little guys and said with a bad smile: "Hey, Xiao Yang, you have to work harder if you want to make love!"
"Lao Shi, please stop joking." Lu Jiangan obviously knew this allusion and quickly shouted to stop.
Jiang Jingdong asked Lao Shi with great interest what the background of this was.
Lao Shi smiled mischievously and didn't answer. Lu Jiangan, under Jiang Jingdong's urging, had no choice but to explain embarrassingly.
It turns out that according to legend of the Miao family, in ancient times there was a girl from a rich man's family in Leigong Mountain named Yalue, who was as beautiful as a fairy. Later, a young man from a poor family named Jiaoxiang accidentally saw Yalue when he was helping the rich man's family.
, fell in love with this girl, so he tried hard to please Yaluo. Later Yaluo also fell in love with the young man. When the rich man learned about it, he was furious and kicked Yaluo out. The young man felt guilty and wanted to beg the rich man to tell him to give up.
Please let Yaluo go back, but Yaluo told the young man that poverty is temporary, love is eternal, and she will not change her heart if she likes her. Later, the young man worked hard, and the two of them were recognized by the rich man and lived a happy life.
"Secretary Jiang," Lu Jiangan finished speaking, looking at Jiang Yuan who was blushing so much that she couldn't hide her color at night, and explained uneasily: "Don't think too much about it, these are just rumors."
"Lao Lu, it's okay. This rumor is interesting."
Jiang Jingdong waved his hands and finished speaking. He looked at Jiang Yuan, who had a rosy face and didn't dare to look at him, and then at Lu Yang, who didn't care and was just smiling. He seemed to be thinking of something while smiling.
After this small episode, the group of people began to walk out again.
"Dad," Lu Yang walked up to Lu Jiangan, who was a few steps behind Jiang Jingdong out of embarrassment, and asked in a low voice, "What on earth did that nainai say?"
"She said," Lu Jiangan glanced at his son and lowered his voice: "Jiang Yuan is a fairy who was born to go to heaven."
Fairy?
Lu Yang was wondering, what is this? Then he saw Jiang Yuan in front of him looking back at him.
