Chapter 3: The Wilderness (Part 4)

In the tribe of the Thunder people, the status of the patriarch is extremely respected, but the patriarch's home is no more luxurious than that of ordinary clansmen. The only sign that distinguishes Sussier's felt bags from the rest of his family is that there is an unpainted wooden fence erected around the perimeter of his family's dozen felt bags, while there is no fence outside the felt bags of other people's houses.

The felt bags of the two maidens and Aunt Qing were inside the fence, mixed with the other minor children of the patriarch Su Sixier's family and the felt bags of his wife. All felt bags are wrapped in white felt and topped with a piece of silver satin. It was only because of the wind and sun that the white felt and silk had already lost their original luster and became white and yellow, as if a layer of dust had floated on them.

"The innermost felt bag is where Aunt Qing lives, let's sneak in, we will definitely scare her!" The blue-shirted girl pointed to a felt bag that looked relatively clean in the back of the courtyard surrounded by the fence, pulled Li Xu's arm and dragged it inside.

But the two teenagers said that they would not mess with her, and stood outside the fence, asking the two sisters to go in first. The girl pulled a few times, and saw that Li Xu and Xu Dayan refused to give in no matter what, so they had to pout and go in disgrace.

This time, it was only half a pillar of incense kung fu that it turned back. The blue-shirted girl felt that she had lost face in front of the guests, and explained a little unhappily: "Aunt Qing is really wordy, and she sent someone to report to her father, and she ordered someone to wash the tea set. The copper kettle that makes tea on weekdays was actually washed three times by her......."

The girl in the yellow shirt was calmer than her sister, and first apologized to Xu and Li, and then stopped her chattering little sister, and invited distant guests to come in for tea for the host.

Although Aunt Na Qing is not the biological mother of the two girls, she is her mother's sister in terms of generation. Therefore, Xu and Li entered the felt bag, that is, they greeted the younger generations of the Central Plains people to meet the elders. The woman in the house was already dressed up, and suddenly saw the etiquette of her hometown, and quickly got up to thank her. His speech and demeanor were downright and generous, but his voice gradually became dumb.

Xu looked at each other secretly, and saw a **** wearing Han family clothes standing in front of him and Li Xu. Judging by the color of her skin, the woman should be less than forty years old. It's just that the temples have long been dyed by frost, and the spots are a little haggard.

"Two distinguished guests, please take a seat, I rarely have guests here, so I have to take some time to prepare!" The woman adjusted her mood and said in a Zhongyuan dialect with a slight Jiangnan accent.

"It's the juniors who are in a hurry to disturb, please forgive the elders!" Li Xu and Xu Dayan confessed again, and then sat down in the order of the guests. If they were in the Central Plains and they came to see a middle-aged woman so late, the other party would definitely not allow them to enter. Therefore, the trouble that the blue-shirted girl said was a normal etiquette in the eyes of Xu and Li. Although it took some time, I felt very cordial in my heart.

The young woman nodded slightly, appreciating the young man's knowledgeable behavior. Then he casually asked a few kind words about whether the journey was tiring and whether he was accustomed to living in the Xia tribe, and stood up again, holding out two delicate azure magnetic bottles in both hands.

The two girls had stopped talking since the guests had entered the tent, and they had never seen the etiquette of meeting guests and hosts between Han Chinese, and at first glance, they were very curious. When she saw the young woman take out the azure magnetic bottle that she had never moved to people, she was even more surprised in her heart, and her two pairs of big eyes stared brightly.

At this moment, the copper kettle that had been scrubbed by the young woman in advance was bright and bright, and the copper kettle filled with water and placed on the charcoal fire was already faintly sounding. The young woman walked over with the magnetic bottle in her arms, squatted down with half of her skirt, and then straightened the magnetic bottle a little further away from the charcoal basin. Then he slowly stood up, took a very clean silver spoon from the cabinet, scooped out a small half spoonful of refined salt as white as a snowflake in one of the two magnetic bottles, opened the lid of the copper kettle, and gently put it into the water.

"Do you want to make tea?" Li Xu was secretly surprised in his heart. Since entering the felt tent, every move of the beautiful young woman has given a very comfortable feeling. If the two girls are compared to the lake on the grassland, the beautiful young woman in front of them is a pole of bamboo cultivation in the south of the Yangtze River. (Note 1)

He turned around and smiled apologetically at the guest to show that he was waiting. Then he turned his mind to the copper kettle. When the water in the pot is a little louder, remove the lid and use another silver spoon to skim off the fine foam on the water surface. Then, cover the copper kettle again.

After a while, the water in the pot boiled like falling beads. Lifting the lid again, this time instead of skimming the water, he scooped out two large spoonfuls of boiling water with a large copper spoon and poured them into the prepared magnetic bowl. Immediately, a bamboo tong was gently stirred in the water, and while stirring, a silver spoon was used to scoop some tea powder as fine as broken rice from another azure porcelain bottle, and slowly put it into the boiling water.

At this time, the felt bag was already full of tea fragrance, and there was no need to drink it, and it was already drunk. The two girls had never seen anyone deal with a pot of tea so patiently, their eyes widened, and their small mouths opened in a semicircle.

For the amazement of teenagers and girls, the beautiful woman is unaware. Stirring the tea wholeheartedly, when the tea "soaring waves", he stopped stirring, added the two large spoons of water scooped out before, covered the lid of the copper kettle, and turned the charcoal fire weak, so as to raise the taste of tea.

When the water in the pot made a faint bubble sound again, the young woman slowly got up, lifted the copper kettle, poured most of it into the fine magnetic pot in front of each guest, and then poured half of it for herself, gently put the copper kettle down, and raised it between her eyebrows to invite.

Needless to say, the four teenagers returned at the same time. Boiling tea in this way is no longer the effect of quenching thirst. Except for Xu Dayan, a wealthy child who has been cultivated by the family as a hope since childhood, the other three people just mechanically raised the lamp with the woman's action of tasting tea and inviting tea, and straightened their waists with the woman's action, only feeling that each of the other party's movements implied rhythm, and the beauty was like expressing their arms in the wind, and they simply forgot what it was like to taste the tea in their mouths!

The girl in the blue shirt is okay, she usually admires the young woman very much, and no matter what noble and charming behavior the other party makes, she thinks it should be. The girl in the yellow shirt was both envious and admired in her heart, and there was a faint feeling of jealousy. She has been taken care of by the other party since she was a child, and two or three years ago, she also worshiped Aunt Qing like her sister. When he was a little older and understood some things in the world, he slowly began to be indignant for his biological mother.

There are few men in the tribes, so men can marry several wives at the same time. As the head of a clan, his father could not have a group of wives and concubines like a Turkic prince, and there were more than ten wives behind him. Among the many wives, including the mother of two young girls, they are either older or younger than Aunt Qing, but no one is favored by Aunt Qing.

The woman in the yellow shirt usually only thinks that the Han woman is different from the grassland woman, and the blooming time is late, so her face is retained for a long time. Today, I watched the tea art that I had never seen before, and I only felt that if I was a man, I must take Aunt Qing in my arms and protect her, and I didn't dare to let her be wronged. As a woman, I still have this idea in my heart, let alone my father, a hero on the grassland.

Therefore, the woman in the yellow shirt secretly swore that she must learn this tea-making action from Aunt Qing in the future. In this way, after marrying the patriarch of a neighboring tribe, no matter how old he is in the future, no one will be able to snatch his husband from his hands.

"This woman will never be born in the dust! No Qinglou can cultivate this kind of temperament! Peeking at the distraught appearance of several companions, Xu Dayan secretly sighed in his heart. After the Two Jin Dynasty, the Han family traveled to the south in good clothes, taking with them a large amount of wealth in the north, and at the same time swept the books, music, etiquette and customs accumulated over hundreds of years since the Qin and Han dynasties to the south. The two Jin Shi clans pay the most attention to freedom and ease, and the way of drinking tea has long been formed with the condensation of the giant family, and a complete set of procedures and actions have long been formed. The beautiful young woman is treated with the gift of making tea by herself according to the hospitality of the Han people. What is shown to everyone is only the last process, and there are four processes in front of it: baking, colding, pounding, and sifting are not shown. If you have done a full set of work and replaced the copper kettle with a white pottery pot, it is estimated that everyone will not take a look at the milk tea boiled in the big copper kettle again in half a month, even if the copper kettle is the most expensive tea cake.

But the woman's demonstration of the tea ceremony in front of everyone was not for show, but because she had been influenced by it since she was a child, and thought that these were the etiquette that should be used to entertain distinguished guests. Therefore, no matter what she does, bystanders such as Li Xu, E Ru, and Tao Kuo Tuosi feel cordial and natural. And looking at Xu Dayan's eyes, he was even more firm in his speculation.

The copper kettle was not big, and in a moment, a pot of water was finished. The woman surnamed Chen said a few modest words, which meant that she was not well prepared, and she did not mean to snub the distant guests. And where could Xu and Li, who had been treated with such courtesy, still have half a sense of blame, and thanked them again and again, until their arms began to be sore, and they were thanked.

The blue-shirted girl changed her usual urgency, and made an exception and did not urge Aunt Qing to measure the clothes for herself and her sister as soon as possible. It wasn't until the beautiful woman removed the tea set and took the ruler and string that she woke up like a dream and asked Li Xu in a low voice: "You, do you Central Plains people drink tea like this on weekdays?" It's so beautiful, it's like dancing, and you can get hooked up before you know it! ”

"Ping, I don't usually drink tea. Only, I just like to drink! Li Xu began to stutter again. He wanted to tell the truth that it was the first time he had drunk tea like this, and he was afraid that it would make Mrs. Beauty feel disgraced. I had to give the girl a plausible answer.

The beautiful woman's behavior made Li Xu feel a little ashamed of himself, feeling that he was also a Han person, and he was like a stubborn iron compared to a woman. As everyone knows, the royal family of the Great Sui Dynasty has Xianbei blood, and the behavior from the king to the courtiers tends to be rough and heroic. This kind of way of drinking tea from wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River is not only uncommon in the homes of the people in the north, but even if it is placed in the homes of Yang Su, Yu Wenhua and these ministers, it may not be able to be so elegant and beautiful.

"Yes, I forgot you're an alcoholic!" The blue-shirted girl said loudly. Li Xu's feat of making several bags of horse ** wine in one night has long been spread in the tribe, and almost everyone knows that the young man in the Central Plains who has a wolf as his companion has a great amount of alcohol, even the strongest hunter in the tribe can't compare to him in terms of drinking.

Li Xu smiled and didn't dare to respond. Falling drunk after being amazed that night was the most embarrassing thing in his life. Especially when a young girl falls asleep and runs away, every time I think about it, I feel ashamed.

Losing the limelight in front of others, finding someone weaker than themselves is a common psychology of girls. The blue-shirted girl didn't realize that she was bullying, frowned slightly, and continued to taunt: "I can't walk after drinking, and my body is heavier than a dead camel!" ”

Li Xu's face was red again, and at this time, he realized that it was the girl who helped him back to the tent that day. In this way, wouldn't your behavior that night be even more excessive? According to the details found from Zhang San and others in the past few days, if the Hu women get into your tent at night, and you don't do anything, they will not only blame you, but will also show respect to you. But whether the deserted and escaped can win respect, no one has done this in the past, so Zhang Laosan and others don't know.

"Wine is the companion of heroes, and it is good to be able to drink. If the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest didn't have wine, they wouldn't have written such a wonderful article! The beautiful woman smiled and opened her mouth to relieve Li Xu.

Who are the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest, the girl in the blue shirt doesn't know. Seeing Aunt Qing speaking for Li Xu, she decided that the seven sages were all great heroes among the Han people. glared at him fiercely, no longer looking for fault.

The beautiful young woman has been through all the ups and downs, and she has seen the thoughts of these young people very thoroughly. smiled kindly, and asked Li Xu and Xu Dayan to sit quietly for a while. Then he dragged the two girls to another tent next to them to measure the size of their clothes. After a while, the three women walked back talking and laughing, as close as sisters to each other.

Xu Dayan and Li Xu went out to carry Shu brocade into the felt bag and cut six pieces according to the young woman's instructions. The three women each had two pieces, and none of them was less than the others. When the two girls began to pay the bill with the silver bell, Aunt Qing's eyes widened in surprise, and she involuntarily asked, "Is Shu Jin very expensive in the Central Plains?" Under the rule of the Great Sui Dynasty, was it so tired? ”

"No, it's not very expensive!" Li Xu was like a thief caught red-handed, and he was ashamed of himself. His original intention was to give half price to the three women. Before the words could be spoken, they were blocked back by two girls. Now that I have the silver bell in my hand, it is too late to change the price.

"Ha, it turns out that you are in a strange place!" The blue-shirted girl finally used a Central Plains idiom correctly, glared at Li Xu and shouted: "Aunt Qing also said that you are a decent gentleman, it turns out that you are only honest on the surface." Say, did you earn us twice or triple the benefits? Have you always planned to make money like this? ”

Not only Li Xu, but Xu Dayan's face was also red to his heels. Taking advantage of the opportunity that the people did not know the price of Shu brocade to exchange silver, this idea was completely from his own hands, and Li Xu purely acted according to the plan, and should not bear any responsibility at all. According to the comparison of silver and copper coins in the Central Plains, the profit of Shu brocade sold by him and Li Xu was more than ten times. The girl took the triple price hiker as the villain, if she knew that the two people in front of her had made so much money, wouldn't she pinch Li Xu to death on the spot?

Xu took a step forward with a red face, and just wanted to stand up and take all the mistakes on one person, but saw that Aunt Qing lightly nodded the forehead of the blue-shirted girl, and said with a smile: "They have come all the way, and they have been difficult and dangerous along the way. Sensei said that he earned twice, that is, he earned ten times, and it was also the income he deserved. If you don't make money doing business, what do people still do in our tribe? ”

Hearing this, the two teenagers breathed a sigh of relief as if they had been amnestied, and cast their grateful eyes on Aunt Qing. The beautiful young woman smiled apologetically at them, as if admitting that she had caused them trouble by talking too much. Then he opened a small cabinet in the felt bag, untied several silver bells one by one, and paid the cost of Shu brocade at the same price as the girl.

"No, not so much?" Li Xu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said sincerely. People are content, the first time they went out of the jam, although they suffered some hardships on the way, the harvest was more than ten times as expected. This result was already very satisfying to him, and he didn't want to give the impression of insatiable greed to the women in front of him.

"Take it, if you don't need money, who would run so far when winter comes?" Aunt Qing said very reasonably, looked at Li Xuhong's face, smiled, and began to comfort him in a low voice: "Doing business is not as good as studying, and you can't be hard-hearted." Looking at you like this, it must be the first time to run a business. Slowly get used to it, just get used to it! ”

"Hmm!" Li Xu nodded lightly. Although there was not much contact, the woman in front of him made him feel very close to him like an elder in the family. Thinking that I still have to stay in the Kabu for a while, I have the opportunity to return this favor. So he smiled gratefully at the woman, and carefully put the silver bell into the purse at his waist.

With Shu brocade, the girl's mind immediately focused on the clothes. Seeing that it was already dark, Xu and Li hurriedly got up and said goodbye. The beautiful young woman didn't stay for a long time, and she held a girl in one hand, got up and sent it out.

"It's rare for people from the Central Plains to come to our tribe, and today I have spoken my hometown dialect for a while, and my heart is very comfortable!" Before parting, the young woman looked at the dome sky above her and said softly.

"If Aunt Qing likes it, tomorrow they will collect the stall, and I will bring them to drink tea, okay?" The girl in the yellow shirt knew the taste of the marrow, and asked in a somewhat pleading tone.

"They will collect the stall tomorrow, they should sort out their packing back to the Central Plains!" Aunt Qing thought about it and looked at Xu and Li with inquiring eyes.

"If the patriarch allows, we may stay in the tribe for the winter!" Li Xu replied honestly. If he has the opportunity, he is willing to do something within his power to make the other party happy for the young woman in front of him. In order to relieve herself several times today, and to appreciate the charm of drinking tea again.

"Li Xu, you, do you really want to stay?" The blue-shirted girl was the first to jump up, pulled Li Xu's arm and asked. This Han family is greedy and shy. But according to the explanation given by Aunt Qing, he did everything for a reason. Including sneaking away that night, in Aunt Qing's mouth, it was all an act that only a gentleman in the Central Plains would do.

Actually, what happens in a tent? The girl herself doesn't understand. The first time she learned from adults, her behavior was unfavorable, and although she was annoyed, her curiosity about Li Xu was even better. The Han man in front of him is very different from the young man who chases him every day in the clan, where is the specific difference, and the girl herself is also confused. I just think that if Li Xu stays for one more day, she can dig into a lot of fun.

"I, I haven't mentioned this to the patriarch yet, I don't know if he will allow it!" Li Xu's arm was used to being pulled by the girl, and he had some experience, and he no longer felt as shy as he did the first time. After thinking about it, I gave a very serious answer.

"You can stay, it's too late for my father and elders to be happy!" The blue-shirted girl was happy, and she couldn't leave any secrets in her mouth. The Turks used the wolf as a totem and had a wolf as a companion, especially wolves with unusual coat colors, such as golden-gray or silver-gray, which were considered a symbol of good luck. The Xia people are currently attached to the Turks, and although they use the swan as a totem, their beliefs are also greatly influenced by the Turks. The patriarch and several elders had been thinking about how to let the little wolf Gan Luoduo stay in the tribe for a few days, and they never had the opportunity to mention it to Li Xu, but they didn't expect that Li Xu himself planned to stay in the tribe for the winter.

"Well, tomorrow I'll cook a few side dishes with my own hands and invite your father and your friends to eat them!" Seeing the girl's happy appearance, Aunt Qing pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes fluttering, as if she was in her twenties in an instant.

Back then, he was as carefree as the girl in front of him, and the young man that day was better than Li Xu. and his brother, who is smarter than the person named Xu Shiji in front of him, and his eyes are still bright.

More than 20 years later, it all feels like it happened yesterday.

Note 1: For a description of the scene of boiling tea here, see the "Book of Tea" written by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty. In order to compare the differences between the Central Plains culture and the grassland culture, it is slightly exaggerated.