This place is actually a remote and wild land, and most of the natives cannot speak Mandarin. Song You felt deeply when he came here——
It's hard to find anyone to ask for directions.
What they can find are often people from other states, either to serve as officials or to do business, or to escape from the north. Correspondingly, it is difficult for them to meet people from other states, let alone a person.
He was a Taoist who could talk freely, so he seemed extremely happy every time he talked to Song You. After Song You finished asking for directions, he would ask Song You about many things about the Central Plains or his hometown.
Later, Song You learned to be smart——
When asking for directions, look for large shops or government offices.
The officials and merchants of Dayan were friendly to Taoists, let alone in this remote and wild place.
It's the same today.
Song You arrived at the government office of Lan'an County, gave his name and expressed his intention to come, and said he wanted to ask for directions. The native at the door had just gone in to report, and after a while, the local county magistrate came out to greet him in person.
The county magistrate was also a native of Yizhou, his surname was Lu. He was born fat and was sweating profusely in this hot weather.
When I saw Song You, I felt so enthusiastic.
That kind of enthusiasm does not come from his status, nor from his magical power, nor from Dayan's respect for Taoists, but from the fact that he is a native of his hometown.
It's actually homesickness.
Song You had already seen the direction of the sea. He wanted to simply ask how to get out to the sea and where was the most convenient place to go to the sea. Then he walked straight to the seaside, but unexpectedly, Magistrate Lu insisted on keeping him here and asked his wife to give him
Prepare a room, wine and food, and leave him to talk all night.
Song You saw his heart clearly and didn't refuse any more.
After the meal was prepared, the magistrate of Lu sat down with him.
There is a pot of boiled chicken on the table. If you look closely, you will find that it is not water, but coconut water. You can also see shredded coconut meat, a plate of roasted pork ribs and pig tails, and a plate of fresh lychees with water.
I didn't see any specialties from the sea, but I just knew that Song You brought a calico cat along with him on the trip and prepared a sea fish for the cat.
Under the dim light of the sky and the oil lamp, Magistrate Lu held the chopsticks but had no intention of using them, only concentrating on talking to Song You.
The cat on the bench was also looking up, down, left, and right at the fish in the bowl. Seeing that it was long and flat, with some reflections on its body, it kept getting closer and smelled it again and again, seeming extremely confused.
"Mr. Lu has been to Lingquan County before. It's a good place. I also heard that there is a Taoist temple in Lingquan County. It's very, well, very magical."
"But on Yin Yang Mountain?"
"Oh, yes, yes! That's the one!" Lu Zhixian's eyes almost lit up, "Could it be..."
"It should be my Taoist temple."
"That's really fate." Magistrate Lu said and paused. "It's a pity that at that time, um, I was just passing by and didn't go to burn two sticks of incense."
"The county magistrate must have heard that the Taoist temple is not effective, right?"
"a ha ha ha……"
Lu Zhixian raised his head and smiled cheerfully.
Then he suddenly remembered that he was only busy chatting with fellow villagers, and for a moment he forgot to entertain the guests and use chopsticks, so he quickly said: "Sir, please! The coast of Langzhou is really remote and wild. I haven't had a guest here for a long time, so
Sir, please be sure not to be polite to me. If I am not entertaining guests well, I must be careless and forgetful about hospitality. Sir, please don't forgive me and be considerate to me!"
"If so..."
"This chicken is a local chicken, boiled in coconut water. Although it is a bit bland, it is tender and sweet, and it has a different flavor." Luzhi County paused, "There is very little mutton here, so there is no such thing as mutton."
I can't serve mutton to my husband. Fortunately, the local pigs here grew up eating plantains. Although they are small, their meat quality is quite good and there is not much fishy smell. They can be eaten dry-roasted over the fire and sprinkled with salt.
Got it!"
"The county magistrate is too particular."
Song You picked up the chopsticks and took a bite of the coconut chicken and roast pork one after another as he said.
What Lu Zhi County said is indeed true. The coconut chicken has a light taste, with the sweetness of coconut water and no chicken smell. It is very good. The pork ribs are roasted half-burnt, and even if there is a bit of fishy smell, it is removed by the high temperature.
It is overshadowed by the burnt aroma. It is fat and thin, so it is charred on the outside and tender on the inside. It even bursts with juice when you bite it. The meat is fresh and tastes very meaty. It is delicious with just a little salt.
But what interested him the most was the plate of lychees.
Song You peeled one off and it was very sweet.
It was only then that he noticed his eyes, looked down at his cat, and when he saw her taking the first tentative bite, he whispered to her: "This is hairtail, a type of sea fish, go ahead and eat it."
"
"Sir, you are from Yizhou and you also do research on marine fish?"
"I've only heard about it. I heard that there are abundant fish and shrimps in the sea, which are quite rare. I came here specifically to see them." Song You replied.
"Ha ha!"
After hearing this, the magistrate of Lu County raised his head and smiled, and said to him: "Fish and shrimp in the sea are indeed rare to the mainland. When Mr. Lu first came here, he thought that fish and shrimp could be enjoyed to his heart's content. However, as time went by, these things became very
It’s easy to get bored, but it’s the lack of supplies here that makes it difficult to want to eat something else with a different taste.”
Only when Song You heard this did he realize how rare the table prepared by Lu Zhi County was.
"We have traveled here and heard that there are many strange rumors overseas, so we want to go to the sea and try our luck to see if we can see those strange things with our own eyes. So we want to ask the county magistrate where to go to sea from Lan'an County.
It’s convenient, so how can I rent a boat and take the boat?”
"Huh? Sir, want to go to sea?"
The Lu County Magistrate was stunned for a moment when he heard this.
"Exactly..."
"Sir, have you heard about the Lilliputian Kingdom of Yaksha or about the Siren and Sea Dragon King?"
"I've heard it all." Song You paused, "I also heard that Lan'an County under the governance of the magistrate is the most prosperous and prosperous, and it is the most convenient to go to the sea, so I came here."
"That's not easy to do."
Lu Zhixian was not proud of his compliment, but just frowned: "If sir just wants to go out to sea for fun, such as fishing, go all the way down, just find a fishing village, find a fisherman, and give him some money.
They took their husband to the sea. Even if Mr. Lu took a break, he would be happy to bring a pot of wine and play with his husband. However, if he wanted to find the things just mentioned, he would have to go deep into the sea for a hundred or two hundred meters.
Only within..."
"Oh? Isn't it convenient?"
"In the past, it was okay. There were dedicated people to handle these businesses. But last year, I heard that a big demon came to the sea and fought with the Sea Dragon King. Later, the Sea Dragon King became particularly moody. It was fine in the first two months, but from the last two or three
From the beginning of the month, people who go out to run boats rarely come back if they run far away. I don’t know whether they were hit by wind and waves, sea monsters, or angered the Sea Dragon King..."
"So I can only buy a boat and go to sea?"
"So it's very dangerous to go to sea!" Lu Zhixian said in an earnest tone, "Sir, it's better not to go out!"
"Don't be alarmed, magistrate. I have some skills in the lower reaches of the world, but I am not afraid of the sea monster waves. As for the real dragon on the sea, I really want to visit it." Song You said with a smile, "Not to mention that you have come here.
Even though I’m here, I still have to go out.”
"Even if you know some magic, Sir, the Sea Dragon King is the Dragon King. The biggest ship next to him looks like a plaything, but it is definitely not something that ordinary people can deal with!"
"Don't worry, magistrate..." Song You could feel the sincerity in his tone, so he said to him sincerely, "To be honest, when I go to sea, I also want to find something. If the Sea Dragon King is a real dragon, it will be long.
If I don't have the knowledge, I won't be afraid of him, but this object must be found."
"This...oh..."
The county magistrate of Lu didn't ask any more questions or persuade him. He just said to him: "Then we really have to buy a boat and go to sea, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to find someone who is willing to row a boat for me."
"Then I'll have to do it myself."
"Well, it seems that Mr. Lu is very determined." Magistrate Lu sighed and said to him, "Some time ago, the sea was very rough. Recently, there are fewer people who dare to go out to the deep sea. Many people who rely on the sea to make a living have difficulty.
If you live on, it will be convenient for you if you want to buy a boat. As for the price, I will find a native from the government office to accompany you to buy it. Maybe I can get a more reasonable price."
"Thank you so much, Magistrate."
"Why bother talking about this?" Magistrate Lu said, "Sir, you can row a boat and find directions, right?"
"My companion below has a swallow. He is very good at finding directions, so he will not get lost at sea." Song You said, "As for rowing, I have to practice offshore for a few days. It just so happens that my Sanhua Empress is very familiar with the fish and shrimps in the sea.
Crab and Clam are very interested in it, so it would be a good idea to take her fishing."
"this……"
Lu Zhi County suddenly became more worried.
Seeing this, Song You smiled slightly, picked up a lychee and said to him: "You can still eat this lychee in Yizhou, but it is very rare in Changjing."
"yes……"
"But it should be more delicious if iced."
"Colder?"
"Exactly."
Song You gently fanned the plate of lychees with his hand.
There was a sudden chill in the room.
Magistrate Lu felt it was very strange and quickly reached out to touch the lychee, but his hand trembled as soon as he touched it——
This lychee is already cold, as if it has been frozen.
"Sir, you are very capable."
"It's just some charlatanism, brought out to show off my embarrassment. I hope I can give the magistrate some new experiences and repay the magistrate's hospitality."
As Song You spoke, he peeled off the lychee in his hand, but did not put it into his mouth. Instead, he took it and handed it to his cat on the bench. The cat gently took it from his hand and touched his hand with its mouth.
When he took the second pill, there was always a fishy smell on his hands.
"Sir, you might as well stay here for a few more days."
"Thank you so much for the magistrate's kind invitation, but I am satisfied with staying with the magistrate for one night, so I don't want to stay any longer." Song You said and paused, "I'm watching the sky and I feel that the weather has been very good recently. I will buy a boat tomorrow and go to the beach.
We played fishing for a few days and then went to sea."
"The weather is good these days? There are dark clouds overhead tonight."
"It's just a light rain tonight, it will be sunny tomorrow."
"Um……"
The magistrate of Lu County was doubtful.
But he was just a stranger whom he met for the first time. Although he wanted to keep him and talk to him more, seeing that he had already made up his mind, he didn't want to persuade him, so he just raised a glass to toast him.
Immediately, the magistrate of Lu County asked him about his hometown in Yizhou, the affairs of the Changjing Dynasty, power disputes, and the floods in Fengzhou and Yaozhou. Song You also asked him about more strange things at sea and along the coast.
This county magistrate often deals with these matters, and the truth and falsehood must be weighed. What I heard from him is not bad.
The calico cat kept squatting on the bench, lowering his head and fighting seriously with the hairtail. Only when he heard something he was interested in, such as cooking chicken in coconut water or going fishing at the beach, would he stretch his neck and raise his head to stare.