playful peasant girl

Chapter 101 Summer Welcome 2
Xia Lan could only smile helplessly, let her go.

This year's summer festival sacrifice is also a big sacrifice that has not been seen in Linzhou Prefecture for many years. With the support of local officials, the people are actively following suit.

After all, this is a backward ancient agricultural society, and the development of society depends on the prosperity of agriculture, and the prosperity of agriculture in this era of God's tricks, common people can only pray to non-existent gods to express their simple wishes.

More and more people were rushing to the southern suburbs, and the carriage could only run out of the city gate.

There are already many people visiting the Taoist temple in the Yuan and Qing Dynasties in the southern suburbs. The incense for the sacrifices has already been lit, and wisps of misty blue smoke swaying and waving, drifting out of the Taoist temple with the breeze.

A tall altar has been built before the Taoist temple in the Yuan and Qing Dynasties. The fresh and beautiful red cloth is hung on the four corners of the altar and the erected sacrificial staff. atmosphere.

Xia Lan and Zhou Yuxi got off the carriage together. There was still some distance from the altar, and there were also shrewd small traders who set up stalls here.

"Moldy tofu! Moldy tofu! Spicy and delicious moldy tofu!"

"Crispy and delicious deep-fried moldy dried tofu, come and try it, take away this year's bad luck, every day is a good sign!"

Hearing the vendor's yelling, Xia Lan moved closer to look curiously.

This mildewed tofu is similar to the modern fermented bean curd. It is a piece of tofu with a layer of white hair, which is eaten cold or deep-fried.

"Uncle, here is a deep-fried mildew dried bean curd." Zhou Yuji quickly took out a small piece of silver from his purse.

Xia Lan has always disliked fried food, and the dried tofu was moldy, so she just checked to see if she bought it.

When Xia Haoxuan was in Qingshui County, he had never seen moldy tofu, so he wanted to buy it now. Seeing that Xia Lan was not interested, he had no choice but to follow behind and dig out his purse to buy it.

The deep-fried moldy tofu has the aroma of soybeans, dipped in spicy sauce, it is crispy and refreshing. Xia Haoxuan quickly finished a portion and couldn't resist buying it again.

Xia Lan frowned slightly. After all, this is food with mold, and I'm afraid it's not good to eat too much.

"Haoxuan, eat less of these things."

"Sister Yi, let him eat it. I have to eat moldy tofu for the summer festival. The ones sold here are delicious. Eating it can also get rid of bad luck for a year. Let him go." Yuzu ate again A small piece of dried tofu.

"Come on, sister Yi, try it, it's really delicious." Yuji generously squeezed a piece of moldy tofu and fed it to Xia Lan.

Xia Lan couldn't avoid it, and couldn't bear to take away her kindness, so she just opened her mouth.

This moldy dried bean curd is both crispy and tough when chewed, and it tastes delicious without the unpleasant smell of modern stinky tofu.

Xia Lan didn't stop Xia Haoxuan any more, but she did not eat another bite. Although she had already tasted that the moldy tofu tasted good, she still couldn't accept it psychologically, and there was nothing she could do about it.

I have already eaten a piece, which can be regarded as the custom of this summer festival.

When they squeezed in front of the altar, it was almost time, and the officials of Linzhou Prefecture also came out of the Taoist temple one after another.

The sacrificial bell in the Taoist temple rang five times at first, and then all the people around the altar slowly became quiet.

"Sacrifice-"

A row of uniformly dressed Taoist priests walked up one by one with pig heads, sheep heads, and fruit snacks, arranged them in a certain direction, and then separated them in a fan shape. They sat under the sacrifices, facing the southeast direction.

The people had already consciously knelt down to the altar, Zhou Yuxi tugged at Xia Lan's sleeves, and whispered, "Sister Yi, lower your head and don't look directly at the sacrifices, or the gods will be angry."

And this requirement?Xia Lan had no choice but to bow her head when she heard her words, really bursting out laughing in her heart.Glancing at her quietly, this girl is usually careless, but now she has become so devout.

Xia Lan saw that Yuji no longer paid attention to herself, so she raised her head to look at the altar again.

An old Taoist priest in a green robe and a smoky gray tulle, with a beard and eyebrows as clear as snow, walked up to the altar with a dust whisk in his hand, and then the officials of the state capital all stood in front of the offering with their hands down in order. .

"The state capital burns incense, and the rest worship—"

It is the sacrificial ceremony presided over by the old Taoist priest. After all, the old Taoist priest also faced the southeast and worshiped.

"Emperor Yan blesses Rong, and the people of Linzhou Prefecture pay homage. May the emperor be merciful, and bless me with good weather and good weather in the land of Linzhou.

After a long eulogy, the old Taoist kowtowed three times towards the southeast sky.

"Goodbye—"

"Three salutes—"

"Take the incense---"

A handsome Taoist who followed the old Taoist took the incense stick from the master of the state capital and inserted it into the incense burner.

"Visiting the state capital--one kowtow--kowtow again--three kowtows--"

"Ode to—"

Then the fan-shaped Taoist priests began to chant.

"Clang—clang—"

The rich bells wafted through the air in the southern suburbs accompanied by chants.

"rise--"

"kneel--"

…………

After tossing for half an hour, the sacrificial ceremony came to an end.

After another five long bell tones, the sacrificial ceremony was considered complete.

Xia Lan patted her numb knees and stood up. It was really not easy to watch the sacrificial ceremony.

It was even more difficult for a sincere girl like Yuyu, who knelt down for half an hour in a daze.

"Sister Yi, don't your knees hurt?" Yu Yu rubbed her knees with a worried face.

"It's okay, come on, I'll support you." Seeing her appearance, Xia Lan feared that she might not be able to walk for a while and had to rest for a while.

Xia Lan supported Yudou and walked two steps. The Taoist priests were about to pass by, so she helped her move to the side to make way.

The people just stood up, and the surrounding crowd was surging and crowded.

Xia Lan felt that the aura around her suddenly cooled down, and when she raised her head to look for it, the group of Taoist priests had already walked over.

The breath just now was very similar to Sui Yan, and when Xia Lan tried to identify it carefully, there was no one there.

Holding Yudou and walking towards the carriage, "Sister Yi, what did you watch just now, so engrossed?"

Xia Lan didn't want to say more, so she prevaricated, "It seems that I saw someone I knew, but I didn't see him in the blink of an eye, maybe I misunderstood it."

"Oh", Yuji pressed Xia Lan's arm and walked with difficulty, unable to distract herself from thinking.

Back on the carriage, Yudou was so tired that he could drink a few sips of tea while eating snacks.

Xia Lan recalled just now, and intuited that it was not her own illusion.But Sui Yan is a killer, so how did he get mixed up with Taoist priests?
"Yuji, now that the sacrifice is over, can we still go to the Taoist temple to pay homage?" Xia Lan was not quite sure.

Yuyu thought that Xia Lan was a believer and wanted to pay homage, "Sister Yi, are you going to pay homage? Generally, after the sacrifice at the altar, no one would go to the Yuanqing Temple to pay homage, but if you want to go, you can It’s not impossible, but one hour after the end of the sacrifice, the Taoist temple will be closed, and it’s fine if you can come out before then.”

Xia Lan's thoughts moved slightly, "You guys wait in the carriage first, I'll go back as soon as I go."

After saying that, Xia Lan jumped out of the carriage.

"Sister Yi, Sister Yi, are you going?" Yu Yu opened the curtain of the carriage and asked.

(End of this chapter)