Records of Strange People and Strange Events in the Old Mansion

Chapter 50 Regret

When Zhu Badger returned home, he regretted more than anything else. He regretted that he had not been able to truly "stop with silence". He regretted that he did not listen to Lan Yuliu's advice and insisted on bolting the door. He regretted that he did not stop Lu Huan from pretending to be a ghost in time. He regretted...

"Okay, let's all go to bed. It's best to sleep like a dead pig." Lan Yuliu took the lead to go upstairs. Lu Huan shouted at her back: "Are you still in the mood to joke at this time? Weasel and Huangdoujiang are not good friends, especially Huangdoujiang will definitely make us miserable and ruin our reputation."

"Don't worry, I didn't let them enter the ancestral hall." Lan Yuliu said and walked up the stairs with ease.

Zhu Badger suddenly raised his head, stared at Lan Yuliu's back, and asked loudly: "Is it true or false?"

"It's definitely not cooked. I posted it on the wall of Tian Lezi's house and never moved it, just to scare them to go home." Lan Yuliu turned back and smiled at Zhu Badger.

Zhu Badger breathed a sigh of relief, squeezed out a smile and responded to Lan Yuliu, opening his mouth a few times and then closing it. Lan Yuliu asked: "Are you worried about Zhu Hu? Don't worry, he didn't notice you. Besides, he doesn't have the courage to do so."

"Okay, okay, with Sister Liu, everything will be alright. Badger, go to your room and go to sleep. Maybe your father and your mother will be back soon." Lu Huan went upstairs with brisk steps.

After Lan Yuliu climbed two steps of the stairs, she turned back to Zhu Badger and said, "Huanhuan is right. Your father and your mother will be back soon. Mr. Zhu and some household heads will come over. You'd better go back to your room quickly."

"Well, okay." Zhu Badger quickly walked into her room. She had never obeyed someone like this before. She always had to retort or deliberately pretended that she understood what he wanted you to say?
After entering his room, eight thin dogs and eight pig badgers huffed around him. Each one was so excited that they shook their heads and tails, vying to use their mouths to nuzzle the red badger's feet.

Zhu Badger leaned over and stroked the thin dog and pig badgers, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably, and deep regret and self-blame welled up in his heart again.

Yes, I bolted the door just because I wanted to close the door and beat the two dogs, Weasel and Huangdoujiang. Of course, if Lan Yuliu behaves inappropriately, she will also be beaten. But why did things turn out like this? Is it possible that Weasel and Huang Doujiang did not enter the ancestral hall at all? Is it possible that Lan Yuliu has become the heroine who saves me and everyone? But so far, that's what it is.

Lan Yuliu, Lan Yuliu, what kind of person are you? Good guy? Bad guy? If you are a good person, then why are you stalking my parents? And put on the swimming suit you mentioned in advance? I think they are specially made night clothes. You have made an appointment with Zhu Hu, and you will take action when my parents go out.

And Lu Huan, how did you know that Lan Yuliu went to the ancestral hall? Did I go to the ancestral hall? How did you enter the ancestral hall? Where did your ghost costume come from? Why are you pretending to be a ghost to scare me? And why are you pretending to be a ghost to scare Fatty Zhu and everyone else? You were clearly walking with me when we went to the back hall. Why did you suddenly appear in the back hall? Could it be that you are more familiar with everything about the ancestral hall than I am? Could it be that you and Lan Yuliu are really the "Liu Lu" Grandma Taizu told me in her dream?
"Liu Lu has arrived, and the old house is safe." Is the willow a blue jade willow? Lu is Lu Huan? If it's really the two of you, why don't you say "Lan Lu Zhi"? Just give each other their last names, right?

To be honest, if it hadn't been for Lan Yuliu and Lu Huan who came here this night, I would have become the target of public criticism. The heads of households would have dragged them to the stage of the ancestral hall and spit on them. Weasel, Huang Doujiang, and the flat-mouthed woman just took this opportunity. Slander me. It was definitely wrong for Lu Huan to pretend to be a ghost to scare Fatty Zhu and the heads of households, but if she didn't show up, I would definitely kick in the door and cause a big uproar. Also, if Lan Yuliu didn't hide me on the stage in time, I would definitely rush into the crowd. At that time, I couldn't choose whether I would be the "true fairy" or the "Eight Badger Immortals". My biological father, who had just returned, was afraid that it would be even worse. There is no choice.

After making out with the thin dog and pig badger, Zhu Badger lay on the bed tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep. His body was obviously very tired and his head hurt as if it was about to split. But he just couldn't fall asleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, something flashed through his mind. What is most noticeable is either the bloody face of the stiletto man, or the scene of people squeezing and trampling each other, with noses and eyes swollen and dripping with blood.

It was so uncomfortable that Zhu Badger got up and wanted to put on her cotton-padded jacket and go out. She apologized to her parents who had already returned, as well as Mr. Zhu and other heads of households who came to her house. As soon as she put her hand into the pocket of her cotton-padded jacket, she immediately froze there, her body He slowly returned to the bed, took out the piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. The words "Be still and be prepared" came into view, and his whole heart calmed down instantly.

He twice asked people to pass notes to me, reminding me to stop with silence. Why should I act rashly? Zhu Badger, Zhu Badger, if you don't change your firewood personality, you will burn yourself to death sooner or later.

I understand the principle of staying still, staying humble and foolish, and responding to all changes by remaining unchanged. But why can't I do it? He asked Dan'er to bring me a note. At that time, I listened to my father's words and planned to stop making the "tenon" with the head and prepare to make the "mao" with the recess. However, I couldn't help but compete with Okra. Although It may be considered a victory for the time being, but in fact it has attracted more opponents and established more enemies.

Mr. Zhu has taught me since I was a child that the highest state of a person is to "stay humble and act like a fool". The more talented and intelligent a person is, the less likely he is to show off his talents. However, I want to be in the limelight for fear that others will not know that I have great abilities. . But how many kilograms do I have? I'm afraid it's not much better than Dan'er. Dan'er is honest and trustworthy. I have to say, listen to the adults. If I could be like him, I wouldn't be able to make such a big fool of myself.

Zhu Badger slowly calmed down, but the voices in the hall became louder and louder, mixed with noises. Are you trying to denounce me? I can't let my biological father and mother take the blame. Zhu Badger walked to the door of the room and listened to the noise outside, but did not open the door and go out immediately.

"Yunshan, just let us ask the fairy to come out."

"That's right, Brother Yunshan, if the fairy doesn't come forward, can we still have a stable life this year?"

"Now that the chaos is like this, it can only be calmed down by the fairy's intervention. The fairy should wake up, right?"

"Everyone, this matter has nothing to do with my daughter. The only one to blame is my return, or I should continue to disappear."

"Yunshan, what are you talking about? The only person to blame for this matter is Fatty Zhu. He missed the old master's house so much that he did such a thing."

"That's right, I usually look like a Maitreya Bodhisattva, but I didn't expect him to be so bad. Are you better now? He's greedy and a snake swallows an elephant. Why didn't the evil ghost just drag him to the underworld?"

"If you do any unjust deeds, you will be punished. Sooner or later, you will receive retribution, and it will definitely be retribution in this world. You will be reimbursed as soon as the time comes. How dare he, a pick-up, talk nonsense in front of Grandma Taizu's main shrine, slandering Yunshan and slandering the fairy?" .”

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment and let me say a few words. Those who commit unjust acts will be punished by death. Those who want to do unjust acts have already received retribution. I believe they will have a long memory and will not dare to do anything wrong again. Yes. "Be patient and be patient," is another sentence. We are all villagers living in the same old house, so there is no need to kill them all. Being able to live in harmony with each other is a blessing for all of us, and having a good year is the right way."

"Mr. Zhu is right. Come on, today is the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month. I just fried a pot of mountain products. Let's have a try."

"Wrap rice dumplings on twenty-four and twenty-five, freeze them on twenty-six and twenty-seven, and fry wild goods on twenty-eight and twenty-nine. If Aunt Ma doesn't tell me, I've forgotten it, so I'd better go home and fry mountain goods."

"Yes, go home and speculate in mountain goods."

Everyone dispersed, and Mr. Zhu also left. The only sound left in the main room was the sound of Ma Yasha frying wild products. Zhu Badger returned to bed, lay down and quickly fell asleep, having a good dream, a dream that could truly calm her down. …

It is a custom in the village to fry wild products two or three days before the New Year, and it is also a ritual for people in old houses.

The speculation of mountain products is not only about the wild products, but also the diligence of the male owner and the ability of the hostess. Over the past year, has your family been cooking wild products? How about the fried mountain products? You will know it when you have a reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year.

There is a tradition in the old house. After having a reunion dinner at home on New Year's Eve, starting from lunch on the first day of the first lunar month, we go from house to house and eat one meal at a time until the first full month of the lunar month. The order starts from the main house and ends with Mr. Zhu.

Since Zhu Yunshan left that year, because there were only two orphans, Ma Yasha and Zhu Badger, it was not convenient for men to come in. In addition, Zhu Badger had a unique personality, so meals in the first month started at Zhu Hu's house. Later, Zhu Hu didn't go home for the New Year for several years, so he started to stay at Weasel's house. In the end, each household in the old house took charge of its own affairs, and this tradition was no longer passed on.

Zhu Yunshan returned, everyone was happy. Mr. Zhu took advantage of the wine to announce that this tradition would be restored during the Chinese New Year this year. He said that this was a rule made by Grandma Taizu back then, and the purpose was to enhance everyone's feelings. Everyone agreed. After what happened last night, Mr. Zhu and Zhu Yunshan felt that it was even more necessary to restore this tradition. Regardless of whether they can stick to it in the future, this year it is definitely only through this tradition that they can reunite the hearts of every family in the old house.

As the owner of the main house, Ma Yasha reassured Zhu Yunshan that if he had wrapped enough rice dumplings and made enough meat jelly and fish jelly, he would definitely have enough fried mountain products.

There are more than a dozen varieties of fried mountain products for old people, among which five cannot be missing, otherwise the man of the house will be a lazy man and the mistress of the house will be a lazy woman. These five indispensable fried mountain products are: torreya, chestnut, peanut, pecan, and sweet potato slices. Among them, torreya, chestnut, and pecan are specialties in Lvbuo Village, especially torreya, which has hundreds of trees in Lvbuo Village. The torreya tree, which is hundreds of years old, is a rare crop in Jiangnan.

Speculating wild products is not just about frying, but if any link in the entire process from planting, maintenance, picking to washing and drying is out of touch, your wild products will not taste good no matter how much you fry them.

Take torreya as an example. From planting to picking to frying, every process is very complicated and requires physical strength and professional skills.

Because torreya trees are dioecious, artificial pollination is required during growth. Pollen from the male plant is mixed with water and sprayed onto the top of the female torreya tree. The torreya tree has three generations of fruits coexisting, that is, the "grandfather fruit", "father fruit" and "son fruit" coexist on the same tree. During the harvest season, you must climb the tree to pick carefully. Only the mature fruits of the year are picked, leaving the young ones. Wait until the second or third year to harvest the fruit.

Torreya cannot be fried and eaten directly after being picked. It needs to be fermented, peeled and dried first. During this period, it must be treated with care. The shell must not be damaged, otherwise it will easily become burnt or too salty during frying, which will affect the taste of the torreya.

No one in the village or in the old house can surpass Ma Yasha in her cooking skills. She stir-fries torreyas with salt, stir-fried chestnuts with sugar, stir-fried pecans with goat's milk, stir-fried peanuts with mountain sand, and stir-fry sweet potato chips with wild honey. The spatula is used to stir-fry it patiently so that it is neither burnt nor tender, making you want to eat it again.

Zhu Badger fell into a deep sleep amidst the sound of Ma Yasha's spatula, and met Chou Yu as soon as he fell asleep.

"You damn thing, where have you been these days?"

"Hehe, I'm just a dead thing. How can it be so easy to want to see a fairy? But I miss you, fairy, all the time."

"Come here, you miss me all the time and don't come out to see me for so long?"

"Fairy, my maid is in trouble. Ever since Zhu Chongba caused trouble for no reason, my maid has been trapped in the underworld and has been unable to escape."

"Hey, hey, you ugly jade, dare to chew my tongue in front of the fairy? See how I slow you down!"

"Fairy, save me, fairy, help me!"

Chouyu hurriedly hid behind Zhu Badger. Zhu Badger shouted back Zhu Yuanzhang and asked Chouyu what was going on?

Chou Yu replied that although Zhu Yuanzhang was trapped in the underworld, he was the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty after all, and the Lord of Hell still had to give him some respect. Zhu Yuanzhang was not born entirely because of Chou Yu. Chou Yu wanted to see Zhu Badger, but Zhu Yuanzhang always blocked him and said bad things about Chou Yu in front of the Lord of Hell. The Lord of Hell sent little devils to keep an eye on Chouyu and prevent her from looking for Zhu Badger.

Zhu Badger was angry and scolded Zhu Yuanzhang, "Why do you have to put an ugly jade back on your back if you can't be reborn?" He also threatens Lingchi at every turn.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Zhu Badger was angry, he quickly defended himself by saying that he was just scaring Chou Yu. In fact, he wanted Chou Yu to come to Zhu Badger, and Zhu Yuanzhang would help Chou Yu ascend to heaven, so that he could follow him.

Zhu Badger sneered: "Aren't you the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty? You still have to rely on me and ugly jade to ascend to heaven? I don't think you want to ascend to heaven, but you want to be your dog emperor again."

Zhu Yuanzhang licked his face and chuckled: "Of course it would be better to be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. In that case, the first thing I will do after sitting on the throne is to recruit all the skilled craftsmen in the world to rebuild your old house."

Zhu Badger was disgusted with Zhu Yuanzhang's face and scolded: "Stop begging for money. Does the old house really need you to rebuild it? As long as you don't appear in front of me, I will be thankful to God and my ears will be much cleaner."

Zhu Yuanzhang bowed to Zhu Badger and explained: "The fairy doesn't know something. You don't have to worry about others damaging the old house. It won't be damaged anyway. Instead, you should consider how to repair it."

"You are still talking about begging. No one has damaged the old house, so why should it be repaired? Now they are going to demolish the old house." Zhu Badger scolded Zhu Yuanzhang, but he felt that what he said seemed to make a little sense, but in detail Still can't understand it.

Chouyu came over and spoke: "Fairy, what the old emperor said is right. The old house has actually been destroyed beyond recognition. The top priority is to restore it to its original appearance. As long as it is restored to its original appearance, no one will dare to demolish it."

"What are you talking about? Just now you kept scolding this old emperor, how can you speak for him now?" Zhu Badger was still scolding Chou Yu, but she had learned a lot in her heart. She hoped that Chou Yu and Zhu Yuanzhang could Make it clearer.

Chouyu said: "Fairy, except for your main house, the ancestral hall and the stage inside, the current old house has almost remained the same as before. The other buildings have almost changed beyond recognition. Such an old house has no value of preservation in the eyes of outsiders. , it’s better to demolish it.”

"That's right, Fairy, take a closer look. Which old house doesn't have a latrine in the east and a pigsty in the west? Some even changed the purpose of the original room. It should be a study room and turned into a kitchen. It should be What should be the hall has become a bedroom, what should be a bedroom has become a storage room, what should be a flower bed has become a vegetable garden, what should be a rockery and fish pond has become a pile of firewood and a pickle jar." Zhu Yuanzhang continued.

Chouyu then said: "Fairy, Huang Qiukui wants to demolish the old house to build her own big villa. The old house has good feng shui, she understands. Of course, she will not demolish the ancestral hall and stage, but then the old house will no longer be an old house."

"She dares!" Zhu Badger was furious.

Chouyu continued unhurriedly: "It's not a question of whether she dares or not, but if she tells the superiors that there is no need to preserve the old house except for the ancestral hall and stage, the superiors will definitely support her."

"Will the superiors support her? Impossible!" Zhu Badger didn't believe that the superiors would support Huang Qiukui's demolition of the old house.

Zhu Yuanzhang spoke: "Fairy, please calm down. Didn't Chouyu and I just talk about it? Now, except for the ancestral hall and your main house, the old house has been completely changed. There is no reason why the higher-ups disagree with her demolition. Really? And she is demolishing the village in the name of building roads and protecting the ancestral hall, and the higher-ups will completely agree to her doing so."

"Go and dream of her spring and Autumn dream, I will never agree even if I die." Zhu Badger became even more angry.

"Fairy, it's useless to get angry. Only by finding a way to return the old house to its original place and hype it up can we completely protect the old house. I have a way." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

(End of this chapter)