Although the city is small compared to the capital of Dayan, it is still prosperous enough. The blend of Eastern and Western culture and economy makes everything here extremely strange. You can see everyone and everything while walking on the road. Although the carriage and horse shop is full of people every day
In the past, the carriages and horses were noisy, but they only brought all kinds of things in the world and strange news from various places to the Taoists. It became quiet at night.
Even if the sun in Jade City is scorching, as long as you hide in the shade, it will not be hot at all. Instead, there will always be a refreshing breeze, accompanied by the ringing of the bells on the camels' necks and the girls' feet.
Before I knew it, another few days had passed.
One month is almost here.
If I finish what I want to do and what I should do, and I am not old yet, I might come back and live here for a year or two.
Don't stay too long.
Because there are still many places I want to live.
The rain and dew should be evenly distributed.
Song You was sitting at the dining hall table, thinking this.
My ears were filled with voices.
There were two businessmen sitting at the same table with him, both with Dayan faces. When he asked about the high mountain in the southeast, they answered him enthusiastically. There were three or four businessmen sitting at other tables and heard
They talked about it, turned sideways or turned around, and they all heard about the mountain or passed by it. They also talked to him enthusiastically, as if they themselves enjoyed the process.
"That mountain is too high. It's tall, steep and huge. It would take two to three hundred miles to go around it. The locals call it the sacred mountain and regard it as a god. I heard that there really is a god on the mountain."
"I heard that some people can climb up..."
"That place seems to be called Green City. It's like a big snow mountain, but it grows on green mountains and grasslands."
“The mutton wrapped in naan made by Greentown people is excellent!”
"Not only mutton is wrapped in naan, but the herdsmen on the mountain are also hospitable and very simple. They are famous throughout the Western Region. If you get lost on the mountain, you will be saved if you meet a herdsman. Even if you don't understand the language, they will still
I’ll give you food and water, and then find a bullock cart to take you down the mountain. Although the cart is very simple, you will keep sitting on it and bumping your butt, haha. But you can’t understand what the other person is saying the whole time.”
"They seem to be so innately..."
Everyone was talking to each other, not knowing how long and lonely the road to come and the road to go would be. At this moment, we could talk freely.
"Ding ding..."
Several more girls from the Western Regions passed by outside the door. The earth-yellow house walls, the golden sunshine, the wind, and the sound of bells were soft and thin.
"Thank you all, I have benefited a lot."
Song You stuffed the last piece of naan into his mouth, drank the last mouthful of camel milk, and then stood up to say thank you and goodbye.
The businessmen were still talking happily and kept talking.
The Taoist returned to the room leaning on his bamboo stick.
Two little monsters were throwing balls and playing in the house.
Even if the Taoist entered the room, the process did not stop, but they all paused and turned to stare at the Taoist.
"Keep playing."
The Taoist gently opened the door and walked into the house.
The two little monsters continued.
What is rare is that today, the swallow transformed into a human form, and the Sanhua Empress transformed into a cat——
The young boy Yanzi sat on the cloth blanket the whole time. His task was to throw the cloth ball out. The cat would naturally rush to pick it up quickly, or he might jump up in the middle to stop the cloth ball, and then move forward with the cloth ball in his mouth.
He walked back to the swallow with cheerful little steps. The swallow shrank his neck, took the ball from the cat's mouth with a little fright, and threw it quickly.
One is responsible for playing and the other is responsible for playing with.
Song You sat on the bed and watched this scene calmly.
After playing for a while, Yanzi was already a little sleepy, but he still managed to cheer up. On the contrary, the cat was in high spirits and had endless energy. The more he played, the more excited he became.
The weather is good today, with good sunshine and good wind.
"Squeak..."
The breeze from the corridor pushed open the door to the room.
As soon as the calico cat hugged the cloth ball, he immediately turned his head and looked at the door habitually. When he saw no one, he looked at the Taoist again.
"Who wants to come in?"
"nobody."
"The door is open!"
"It's just the wind."
"The wind has the key to our house."
"It's just not closed properly."
The Taoist said calmly, seeing Yanzi's dilemma, and happened to come out to rescue him. He stood up and said: "The weather is good today. I look at the sky. It will probably be like this tomorrow. Empress Sanhua paid for her accommodation by catching mice."
The one-month opportunity ends today, and it’s time for us to leave.”
"time to go?"
"Yes."
“The owner said it’s okay to stay for two months!”
"That's too long, and if we stay here for another month, it will be cold. We still have a long way to go."
"right……"
Mao'er held the cloth ball and thought for a while: "Miss Sanhua, I think you are right."
"Sanhua Empress Ming Jian."
"I'm leaving again..."
"Would the Sanhua Empress not like this kind of wandering life without a fixed place?"
"Sanhua Empress is used to it. Sanhua Empress was like this before. Sanhua Empress just thinks that there are a lot of rabbits that look like mice outside this city, which are very fun, and they haven't caught them all yet."
"..."
Song You pursed his lips and then said: "Just wait a few more years. When we return to Yin Yang Mountain, we will settle down."
"Yin Yang Mountain!"
"Yes."
"Catch some rabbits and put them on the mountain!"
"Empress Sanhua has the final say."
"Dig another tangpa! Fill it with fish! Empress Sanhua will fish for you every day!"
"This has been promised to Empress Sanhua for a long time."
"Raise that fish with eight legs! Shrimps bigger than cats!"
"That's sea fish and shrimp."
"right……"
The calico cat thinks what he said makes sense.
Sanhua Empress is good at listening to truth.
He shook his head, picked up the cloth ball in his mouth, and was about to continue to play with the swallows when he heard the Taoist say again: "Since we are leaving tomorrow, let's take advantage of the last day and the good weather to go out for a walk. After that,
It’s hard to find a city as prosperous as Jade City. It’s time to buy some things you can use on the road.”
"right……"
As soon as the Sanhua Cat let go of her mouth, the cloth ball immediately fell to the ground. She was very excited: "It just so happens that the Sanhua Empress has a new baby, and she can hold a lot more things!"
"yes……"
The calico cat was in great spirits and followed him out for a stroll.
The swallow was also freed.
"Ding ding ding..."
The sound of bells came from nowhere.
The Taoist man and the girl walked along the street with the bay-red horse.
There are many specialties in Jade City. The biggest specialty is various precious jade, and jasper is the most famous. Among the merchants, in addition to spices, there are also many merchants who come for the jade from the Western Regions, and then enter the Dadu through a pass outside Shadu.
Yan, and even this pass got its name from this.
In addition, the grapes in Yucheng are also famous far and wide. Song You has already seen them, and the blankets and mats are also famous. No matter what shop, they are spread on the floor.
In addition to jade, Song You wanted to buy some.
Grapes may seem difficult to preserve, but in fact the locals have their own methods.
The most common method is to make raisins by drying them. This method requires almost no effort in the local area - the sunshine in Yucheng is inherently good, the sun is mostly hot during the day, and there are often winds passing through the city, so you only need to let those who eat
The unfinished grapes are hung on the grape rack and will naturally be dried in the sun. It is said that the quality of the grapes in bunches is better than those picked and dried.
There is also another secret method.
Song You also saw this secret technique in Changjing.
The grapes are wrapped in sand. It is not just random wrapping. I don’t know if there is any special method. After the wrapping is completed, the sand will be empty, and the grapes will be stored inside. When you want to eat, you only need to use bricks and stones.
Break open the hard sandy shell on the outside, and the grapes inside will be fresh, and it is said that they can be stored for half a year.
Song You bought some raisins and a few bags of grapes wrapped in sand. He also took a look at the local craftsmen's method of sealing grapes in sand, which was a bit of a gain.
I also need to buy some honeydew melons and watermelons.
When walking in the Western Region, honeydew melon and watermelon are excellent things to supplement sugar and water. Honeydew melon has relatively more sugar. If necessary, you can even just eat honeydew melon. On the contrary, watermelon has a large amount of sugar that is not easy to spoil and does not change flavor easily.
of water, which is more useful than a water bag.
But now is the time when melons are ripe. There is no drought here and the ground is full of melons. There are always wild ones even in uninhabited land, so there is no need to buy too many.
Going further, there is another felt blanket selling.
Mainly wool products.
The quality is naturally high-quality, but the styles are also very rich. The patterns on it are the condensation of Jade City culture, aesthetics and art in this era. If you want to leave something as a souvenir, it means that Taoist and his party have been here in this era. There is nothing more beautiful than this.
It's appropriate.
But you still have to discuss it with the breadwinner of the family.
Song You lowered his head and said to his children: "Miss Sanhua, let's buy a cloth mat."
"Cloth pad?"
"Small blanket."
"Blanket?"
"almost……"
"We have felts and blankets, both of which were given by Yu Zhizhou. They are not broken yet." Empress Sanhua thought for a moment and said in a mature tone, "It would be a waste to buy another one."
"We can buy one as big as this!"
Song You used his hands to mark a distance about the size of a futon, still using a negotiating tone: "Sometimes the ground is cold and when you want to sit down, it's not worth it to bring out a whole felt. If there is such a smaller piece of cloth,
A blanket pad is much more convenient. And it can be used as a futon for me, and it can also be used as a mat when Sanhua Empress turns into a cat, so sleeping will be much more comfortable."
"Well……"
The little girl carrying a sash was somewhat moved.
"And they are very beautiful. They are different from the cloth blankets that Dayan bought. You can't buy them anymore after passing here." Song You struck while the iron was hot. Looking at her expression, he thought it was so cute. "We will make them together along the way."
It is brought back to Fulong Temple in Yin Yang Mountain. Many years later, when we look at it, we will be reminded of this place, and when others see it, they will also know that we have been here."
"How much?"
"Much cheaper than wool."
"How much?"
“It won’t be too expensive.”
"How much?"
"..."
This little thing is really persistent.
Song You was helpless and ran to ask.
I took a few strings of copper coins and made some calculations, made some selections, and looked at each other several times with the mainstay of my house. Finally, I spent more than 100 coins and bought the thickest and favorite cloth mat.
There are several colors on the cloth mat, woven and embroidered, with a sun-like pattern in the middle. The colors are all yellowish and warm, very much like this khaki plateau city and the bright sunshine here all day long.
Song You fell in love with it at first sight.
After purchasing, he handed it to the girl.
It’s interesting to say——
Sanhua Empress frowned when she bought it, and was very reluctant to part with it when she paid. Now a mat that belonged to her was handed to her, and she immediately hugged it in her arms, hugging it tightly, and then
He continued to walk around with the Taoist with a serious expression on his face.
I bought some more naan.
it is necessary.
However, I also bought two kinds of naan. One is softer and more fragrant. It is the naan commonly eaten by Yucheng people. It tastes very good and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it. The other is baked very dry, dry and hard, which is convenient for long-distance travelers.
Although Sanhua Empress' brocade bag has a sealed space, time inside does not stand still, nor is the temperature extremely low. There is even air inside, and it is roughly synchronized with the outside space. If you can grab some living thing and stuff it inside,
It can also hold live animals, so it has no ability to preserve freshness, and it is impossible to put a bowl of vegetables in it and it will still be steaming hot after a long time.
Therefore, when storing food, you still have to consider the shelf life.
After spending a lot of money, I returned to the carriage shop.
As soon as I arrived at the door of the room, I saw the maid.
The maid held a freshly washed Taoist robe, silently lowered her head and stood waiting at the door, motionless.
She didn't raise her head until the Taoist approached.
As soon as he saw the Taoist, he handed over his clothes.
"Thank you."
The Taoist's tone was sincere and natural, and he still used Western dialect.
The maid remained silent after hearing this and waited beside her.
In fact, Song You didn't feel that he was kind to her, nor did he feel that she owed him anything. The reason why the great monks outside the city took away the silver pot was because of his arrival and they wanted to entertain him with wine. That can't be said about the maid.
The disaster was caused by him, and it was all his fault. This was wrong, but it was obviously related to him. Therefore, he stepped forward to help, not only to resolve the causal involvement with her, but also to calm down the problems caused by his arrival.
A series of changes, this is what counts.
However, the maid didn't know it and didn't understand the language. She just relied on her own simplicity and kindness and felt that she should repay others for saving her, so she came to wash Song Youhuan's clothes.
It's been a month, I guess.
In a month, except for the four days when he went to find the weasel spirit, he wore clean clothes that had just been washed and sunbaked every day. It was considered a luxury experience during Song You's more than ten years of travel.
"We are leaving tomorrow. In order to repay your help and your kindness, I have something and a sentence to give you." Song You said according to what the businessman surnamed Xie taught him in his dream, even though he has been doing it these days.
I have tried very hard to remember, but my memory can't help but be a little blurry. At the same time, I took out a talisman——
"Take it and go out of the city. There is a wolf waiting for you. Follow the wolf to the mountains and you can find some treasures. The treasures are precious and dangerous. Don't take too much and tell others."