Xu Xuzhi

Chapter 25

The temperature in Guangdong this year is obviously higher than in previous years. Guangzhou can reach [-] degrees Celsius at noon. Fengjiu went to the streets a few times and found that many men and women were wearing all kinds of xiangyunsha, and suddenly thought of xiangyunsha The origin of it seems to be in Guangdong, but she doesn't know exactly where.

Almost a month has passed after such a happy life, and in Fengling's words, it means "joy here, don't think about serving." Bao Buqu, who had been away from home for a week, finally came back. Hearing that Fengjiu was very interested in Xiangyun Sha, Explaining, "There is a saying in Guangdong - men wear gauze and women wear silk, probably men are more afraid of heat, and gauze is cooler. How about this, I will take you to see an interesting one tomorrow."

When Feng Jiu heard this, he immediately became interested.

Unexpectedly, Bao Buqu led them to Shunde.Shunde is adjacent to Guangzhou. Since ancient times, business has developed, culture and education have flourished, and many famous merchants, literati and politicians have emerged. It is a place with great tradition and respect for tradition.

After walking a few steps with Bao Buyi, Fengjiu found many splendid temples. Then he secretly looked back at Wu Ma, his joy was beyond words, and he could not help but support his head secretly: I am afraid that Wu Ma will go to worship one by one again. up.

Feng Jiu asked, "Where are we going?"

Bao Buqu smiled, "Go to Lunjiao."

Lunjiao is a county in Shunde, next to the Pearl River estuary. Bao Buqu said: "Lunjiao has also been called 'Haixinsha' since ancient times."

Feng Jiu said: "It's better to hear "Hai Xin Sha". I thought there was a church in Lunjiao." Bao Buqu smiled and took Feng Jiu and the others to the beach. When Feng Ling Qiusheng and the others saw the sea, they immediately took off their shoes and rolled up their pants legs Went to the sea to play in the water.

Just as Feng Jiu was about to follow, he suddenly saw a dozen or so open spaces surrounded by the sea. Several men were standing in each open space. Thin but not weak, their bodies are dark and covered with mud, and when they get closer, their nails are full of mud, their knuckles are thick and deformed, their faces are densely covered with wrinkles, and their faces are also strange, with brown hair. yellow.

Feng Jiu guessed that these people were not very old, but that they were aging prematurely due to overwork. In fact, in China at this stage, as long as there are hardworking people who rely on strength to make a living, which one is not like this?

Einstein, the master physicist whom Feng Jiu admired very much, came to China seven or eight years ago.

But it is said that I have a very bad impression of the Chinese people. Apart from saying "hardworking", they also say "an animal-like nation, insensitive, dirty, and gender-neutral."

... When Feng Jiu heard this evaluation, most of his admiration for the master immediately went away—it was mean, it was so mean, isn't this simply a matter of standing up and talking without pain in the back?Do the Chinese think so? A Western philosopher once said: 2000 years ago, when the Chinese began to pay attention to etiquette, we Westerners were just monkeys wandering in the trees.

Only by "canglin reality" can "know honor and disgrace". The ordinary Chinese people are really suffering so much that as long as they can live, they have exhausted all their strength.

These dozen or so men chanted "Hey Yo Hey Yo" and shook pieces of fabric of different colors tens of meters long in their hands "fluttering". Through the sparse and fine lines on it, Feng Jiu even saw the blue sky and the dazzling spots formed by the sunlight at noon.

The men in more than a dozen open spaces acted together like this, which can be called a big battle.

Feng Jiu asked Bao Buqu curiously: "What are they doing?"

"I'm making xiangyunsha."

Bao Buyi picked up a brown-black tuber from several large water tanks next to him, and explained it to Feng Jiu: "This is called Buttercup. Look at the sliced ​​noodles. It's red. Xiang Yunsha is pressed by it." Only by crushing the boiled juice can it be done."

Feng Jiu looked at Shu Ranan, rolled his eyes, and saw that Bao Buqu was about to speak, but Bao Buqu took the first step and said, "You can't eat it." Then he laughed.

Feng Jiu smiled embarrassingly: "Brother Bao, you really understand me."

Bao Buqu grinned and showed his white teeth, looking at Fengjiu in front of him, this girl was born with a pleasant quality, and she wanted to laugh whenever she saw her.

"When you mentioned Xiangyunsha, I remembered it. I've always been surprised. Xiangyunsha doesn't have any fragrance. Why did you get such a name?"

"Actually, this is caused by the homonym - because Xiangyun yarn is hard, the clothes made of it will rustle when walking, so it was originally named 'Xiangyun yarn'." Fengjiu nodded, indeed, she My xiangyunsha clothes are okay, but the black xiangyunsha short-sleeved double-breasted gown my father wears in summer makes a very obvious "rustling" sound when he walks, which is not small.

"Later, some of us thought the word 'Xiang' sounded better, so we changed the name."

It turns out that Fengjiu understood, smiled, but became confused again, his eyes were full of curiosity: "How is the potato used?" Bao Buqu couldn't explain the production process of Xiangyun yarn, so he had to ask The director of the spinning mill came to explain Fengjiu's doubts.

The director of the spinning factory in his forties ran over when he heard that the boss Xiaobao was coming, and introduced the production principle of Xiangyun yarn graciously. After listening to his introduction, Fengjiu knew that only Shunde, Nanhai The river-crossing mud at the place is fine and sand-free, so it can be used in the final production step of Xiangyun yarn. The mud in other places is not up to standard.

First whiten the white gauze or fine flower silk, then apply the juice of yam, sprinkle and dry, repeat these actions many times, and then cover it with river mud, which is called "three steams, nine boils and eighteen suns". Fabrication is complete.

The fabric made in this way is waterproof and sun-resistant, and not as delicate as other silks. It doesn’t like drawing or wrinkling, and the more it is washed, the more beautiful it becomes. Fengjiu remembered that many elders in the family wore almost all the clothes made of xiangyunsha in summer. The clothes seem to be really good things.

Feng Jiu's eyes lit up: "At first I didn't like Xiang Yun Sha very much, but I didn't expect the making process of Xiang Yun Sha to be so interesting and difficult."

When they came back from Haitian, they went into the biggest Xiangyunsha shop in the street. Fengjiu decided to buy more Xiangyunsha to give away to others. Grandma, father, elder brother and sister-in-law are not bitter... They all thought of it, and kept a piece for themselves: " I think Xiangyun gauze with beeswax, silver trim, or colored glaze is appropriate, simple and indifferent, and complements each other." Bao Buqu is one of the few men who knows how to wear it, and he nodded in agreement.

Fengjiu suddenly thought of Ning Zheng. When I saw him back, he had the most military uniforms. If it was casual clothes, it was either black or gray, blue and white. It really was the "four colors for men", and he had never seen any other colors. He was extremely conservative.Tsk tsk, it's hard for me to stay abroad for so many years, but I haven't gained much.

In fact, this is true, because whether a person can do well in a certain aspect requires talent.Ning Zheng has a high IQ and good athletic talent, but when it comes to dressing himself, his savvy is so-so and he doesn't know much about it.

Wu Ma smiled and said, "Buy a few more pieces of fabric, the girl's in-laws often send you things, and you should bring some gifts in return."

When Feng Jiu heard this, he was speechless for a long while, as if he just remembered that he was a girl who was about to get married, and his interest seemed to fade a bit, Wu Ma felt a little regretful.Feng Jiu finally pointed to the fabrics in four colors of white, black, gray and blue put together on the display wall in the store, and told the shop assistant: "Wrap each of these colors of fabrics with six or seven yuan!"

Then he became happy again: "Give me a few pieces for my great-grandmother in Shanghai, my second aunt and fourth aunt-grandmother, amber and red are most suitable for her elderly; my second aunt has a pale face and likes to wear clothes that are different from others Similarly, the autumn fragrance is good, and she can hold it back, and the plum red is not bad; the fourth aunt is a little darker, but the royal blue and ginger yellow look more transparent."

After finally choosing the fabrics, Fengjiu told Qiusheng to shake the phone and ask for the mailing addresses of relatives in Shanghai at home, and mail them directly to avoid having to take them to Fengtian.Bao Buqu felt that Fengjiu was young but thoughtful and well-organized, which was really rare, so he boasted on the spot.

Wu Ma laughed when she heard this: "Our girl has been forced by her elder sister to become a butler since she was a child. She can plan and reconcile accounts, arrange manpower, and arrange banquets, all of which are easy to deal with."

Bao Buqu heard that, in the past, rich families did have such rules - they were afraid that their daughters would be ridiculed for not being housekeepers after they got married, and if the housewife could not look after the accounts, it would be very unqualified.

But now this trend is getting weaker and weaker. Unexpectedly, the Tang family is quite persistent.

When Feng Jiu heard it, he remembered that a few days before she came out, she was taken to the shop by her eldest brother to check whether her ability to reconcile accounts had regressed. The elder brother took the accounts that were arranged by various stores and companies a few years ago, and "pointed the soldiers" with his fingers. The "place" is counted as the one, and then checked with the shopkeeper or the manager's account, and ordered a full three, and it took a long time to let her go back. I couldn't help but shivered, and said with a bitter face: "I don't like reconciliation the least, it's boring."

Fengtian people like to use the word "old" when they speak, which is synonymous with "special": "old is annoying", "old recruits are rare", and outsiders who don't understand it will naturally be confused, but those who understand it will find it very interesting. Looking at Feng Jiu's miserable look of the past, it's rare to see her deflated, so she couldn't help laughing.

"The girl has always had a good eye." Wu Ma praised, and then secretly said: "You have to buy it for the third young master, you can't be so capricious. The third young master is your fiance, so you will give more."

Feng Jiuyi thought it was right, so she also chose a piece of crimson fabric for Ning Zheng, with faint curly grass patterns on it. She had never seen Ning Zheng in red, but felt that his fair complexion would complement his calmness. And the color of joy, although in my opinion, others are not calm at all.

Because I don't know the size of each person, I try to buy each piece of fabric as large as possible.

Bao Buqu kept silently watching Feng Jiuxuan's fabric until Feng Jiu finally covered his mouth and said something to the clerk, and the clerk turned around smiling and looked him up and down, he felt something was wrong.

Finally, Feng Jiu followed the advice of the shop assistant, chose a piece of misty blue cloth, wrapped it up, and tied a bow with his own hands.

Wu Ma Qiusheng and Feng Ling had already gone to the next store to watch the excitement, Feng Jiu took the piece of fabric and handed it to Bao Buyi with both hands: "Brother Bao, thank you for being with me for so many days, I have delayed you a lot. This piece of fabric is a piece of my heart, please accept it."

When Bao Buyi saw her handing him the fabric he had chosen and wrapped by himself, he became silly: Bao Buyi grew up to be 22 years old and received hundreds of gifts, but there was never a moment when he could I was as excited as when I just received a gift from Feng Jiu.

Knowing that it was impossible, knowing that it was only due to her good family education, but in her heart, she was still extremely happy.

At least explain yourself, in her mind is a friend of some weight, right?

He accepted the gift without saying a word, Feng Jiu was very happy, the two walked out of the shop together, and went to find Wu Ma and Feng Ling and the others.

At this time it was time for dinner, Bao Buqu said: "When you arrive in Shunde, if you don't try the most authentic Yusheng in Shunde, you will be in vain."

As soon as these words came out, Feng Jiu's eyes lit up immediately, so Bao Buqu led the way, and they went to the most famous fish restaurant in this place, went in and took a seat, and a waiter came forward to ask them to choose fish.The guests can choose whatever they want, including the flower fish; then they are asked to choose the toppings, such as shredded ginger, shredded green onion, shredded pepper, soy sauce, crushed peanuts... There are more than [-] kinds, let Fengling decide Randomly selected seven or eight.

The servants of the Bao family didn't go into a restaurant with them, but Wu Ma and Qiu Sheng could only sit at the same table with them after they couldn't avoid it.While waiting for Yusheng to come to the table, Fengjiu found it very interesting to listen to the chatter of the Cantonese people in the house, listening to them talk about the joys and worries in their lives.

Yusheng was served quickly on a big red lacquer plate: the fish fillets were iced and crystal clear, and you could even see the lotus petals on the lacquer plate below. Code into a series of concentric circles.At this time Bao Buqu stood up and said that everyone stretched out their chopsticks to mix the raw fish with the ingredients just now and the condiment with salt sauce, and said "Feng Sheng Shui Qi" several times while mixing.

All the Northeast people here couldn’t help laughing and completed this action. Fengjiu looked at the Cantonese people in the whole restaurant who were “floating” one after another, and then believed that they are really flattering their mouths all the time. Haha, maybe This is one of the reasons why they have been rich since ancient times?

Shunde Yusheng really lived up to its reputation. The fish fillets were cold and smooth, full of delicious flavors, which made them endlessly aftertaste; and then the famous Lunjiao cake, that is, the taste of white sugar indica rice cake was a little more ordinary.

After eating, they pulled out Wu Ma, who was determined to stay alive, and Feng Ling and Qiu Sheng, who were happily watching the fun, from a nearby temple. They finally walked on the street again. big banyan tree.

There are many such big banyan trees in Guangdong. The single tree forms a forest, and the canopy stretches for tens of meters. One or two hundred children can sit under the tree. It's not surprising.

Suddenly I heard a burst of ups and downs in Cantonese. A folk artist dressed in red and green with eyebrows and eyes was holding a very delicately painted wooden dragon boat, with a small gong and drum hanging on his chest. The snare drum followed suit, and a circle of people surrounded them, laughing from time to time.

Mama Wu and the others were at a loss as to what they were laughing at. Bao Buqu noticed that Feng Jiu had listened attentively to a few words, and then smiled.

Bao Buqu whispered: "This is Guangdong's 'Dragon Boat Rap', where the Shunde tune is considered the most authentic. Can you hear what he is singing?"

Feng Jiu said: "It seems that the famous 'Three Unknown' generals in Shandong wrote a poem a few days ago, which is very funny, right?"

"... Can you understand what poem it is?"

"It seems to be called "Ode to Lightning"—

Suddenly saw a chain of fire in the sky,

It seems that the Jade Emperor wants to smoke.

If the Jade Emperor does not smoke,
Why another chain of fire? "

Feng Jiu couldn't help laughing after barely finishing speaking. Only then did Wu Ma and the others realize why the Cantonese onlookers laughed so happily, and they also laughed along with them—they had known Feng Jiu's talent in language learning, although I couldn't understand, but I was still very interested. It would be good to watch the excitement, so several people went up to listen carefully, leaving Feng Jiu and Bao Buqu in place.

Bao Buqu was not as calm as they were, he stared blankly at Feng Jiu for a while before saying, "Your language talent amazes me." Feng Jiu has been in Guangzhou for less than two months, and is known for being difficult to master. Cantonese——Cantonese is a fusion of ancient Yue and Chinese. It was finalized in the Song Dynasty, and its pronunciation is completely different from Beijing Mandarin, which lacks the four-tone entering tone.

He clasped his fists in both hands and made a gesture of admiration.

Feng Jiu smiled "hehe": "It's just a superficial hearing, so it is worthy of your admiration? In life, you must have a skill. I hope my so-called 'talent' can help me gain a foothold in society in the future. "

Bao Buqu was startled, and couldn't help but stare at her deeply: "...Actually, the Spring Festival is the most interesting time for us in Guangdong. There are flower markets, lion dances, or in June, there are dragon boat races. Do you want to stay until then? Or Yes, next Spring Festival, do you still want to come?"

Feng Jiu turned his head, Bao Buqu had deep eye sockets, and when he looked at people seriously, his beautiful eyes seemed very affectionate. However, what is contained in them now is bright focus and seriousness, Feng Jiu, who has always been outspoken and quick, can't help but hesitated.

Back in Guangzhou, I received a call from Ning Zheng at night. He asked Feng Jiu what he liked about the layout of the new house.
Feng Jiu casually responded that whatever is fine, Ning Zheng was silent for a while, then asked again, "I heard that you have gone to Shunde, is that fun?"

"It's very interesting." Feng Jiu told him a little about the origin of Xiangyunsha. Ning Zheng listened carefully and asked questions from time to time. Then Feng Jiu couldn't help talking about the delicious Shunde Yusheng, which was just like her. Coincidentally, Ning Zheng ate the Lunjiao Cake when he returned to China and first went to Guangdong, so he inevitably exchanged a few words of experience. When the two said good night and put down the phone, Feng Jiu realized that they had been chatting for a quarter of an hour.

"Ah, what am I doing here?" Feng Jiu was a little annoyed, how could it be interesting to talk to him?Isn't he too talkative, can talk to anyone if he catches him?This is a problem and needs to be corrected. Feng Jiu set rules for herself, but she also found out that she and Ning Zheng on the phone can get along harmoniously, especially when it comes to eating...

(End of this chapter)