After Gu Xu and Ma Qin entered the restaurant, they sat down at a table by the window.

Outside the window, the peach blossoms are in full bloom, as if the clouds are burning.

The sun shone on the peach trees, casting a still shadow on the ground.

The owner of the restaurant is a kind old man.

Seeing a new customer, he immediately walked over on crutches, with an amiable smile on his face, and kept recommending the restaurant's special dishes to the two.

"Young man, seeing that you are so thin, eat some braised pork to replenish your body," he looked at Gu Xu's thin face and said in a concerned tone, "After eating, the days will definitely be prosperous."

"There is also the Qingtuanzi in our store, which is also very famous in the town - sweet but not greasy, fat but not fat, young people like you like to eat it!

"Oh, by the way, don't miss the cinnamon wine in our store. A scholar once wrote a poem for it - 'Cinnamon wine mixed with pepper syrup, brewed Tengxinfen', which has the effect of dissipating heat and relieving tendons, which is of great benefit to your body.

“……”

Gu Xu smiled, listened carefully, and nodded approvingly from time to time.

Machin's face was a little unnatural—because he was being ignored again.

In the eyes of these Taoyuan Town residents, it seems that there is only Gu Xu's existence, and there is no Ma Qin at all.

When the shopkeeper finished speaking, Gu Xu said politely: "Then let's have a plate of braised pork, a soybean sprouts fried fried tofu, a pot of cinnamon wine, two green dumplings, and two bowls of multigrain rice." Thank you for your old age! ”

"No problem." The old man replied briskly.

He looked at Gu Xu with more and more gentle and friendly eyes, like a grandfather who loved his grandson.

After a while, the old man brought the cinnamon wine to the table.

"It smells so good!"

Gu Xu took a deep breath, as if intoxicated by the refreshing aroma of wine.

He couldn't wait to grab the flask and pour himself a glass.

"What a lovely boy." The old man said with a smile.

Seeing such a scene, Ma Qin, who was sitting opposite Gu Xu, frowned-

If his feeling is not wrong, this so-called "cinnamon wine" actually exudes a bad smell.

So, is Gu Xu having a problem with his sense of smell, or is he acting?

Ma Qin suddenly felt that he couldn't keep up with Gu Xu's brain circuit.

However, at this time, Gu Xu's hand suddenly shook in the process of pouring the wine.

Drinks spilled and spilled onto the table.

"Young man, be careful when pouring wine," the old man immediately brought a rag and prepared to wipe the table for him, "It's a pity to waste such a good wine!" ”

"Let me do it myself!" The corners of Gu Xu's mouth turned up, and he took the rag from the old man's hand.

His smile is like a faint morning light, clean, pure, and has the unique vitality of a young man.

Everyone in the restaurant involuntarily turned their heads to look at him, and their faces showed almost the same expressions of intoxication.

"Although Gu Xu, this kid is handsome, he hasn't reached the level of turning sentient beings upside down!" Seeing this strange scene, Ma Qin's heartstrings suddenly tightened, "Why do the residents of Taoyuan Town, regardless of men, women, and children, look like they are salivating over him?" ”

Ma Qin couldn't help but start quietly brewing the true yuan in his body.

He now has no weapons on him, and his combat effectiveness is greatly reduced. But as a monk of the Exorcism Division, if something really happens, he will also take decisive action.

Subsequently, the shopkeeper served the remaining dishes to the table one after another.

Machin always thought the food looked weird—but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

"Brother Ma, do you think the food in this store is a little strange?" As if guessing his thoughts, Gu Xu asked with a smile.

Machin nodded honestly.

"If you pay close attention to the dishes recommended to me by the owner, you will find that their types are quite similar to the offerings made at the tomb of the Qingming Dynasty," Gu Xu explained, "For example, this cinnamon wine has poems such as 'Hui cuisine steamed orchid, dian gui wine and pepper pulp', 'send off the restaurant and worship the soul of the dance'...... Perhaps there is no such custom in our Qingzhou Prefecture, but in the Jingchu area, cinnamon wine is an extremely common sacrificial item.

"Also, soybean sprouts fried fried tofu, vegetable mushroom soup, braised pork, braised yellow croaker, steamed goose...... These are typical Qingming soup rice. As for this Qingtuanzi, there are also cereals and rice, which are very common tomb sweeping sacrifices in the Jiangnan area. ”

Speaking of this, Gu Xu held his chin in his left hand, propped his elbow on the table, picked up a pair of chopsticks in his right hand, pointed at the food, and said to Ma Qin in a joking tone: "Brother Ma wants to taste it?" Anyway, we're in a fantasy right now, and everything you see is false. ”

Ma Qin immediately shook his head: "Don't fake it." ”

At the same time, he stared at the chopsticks in Gu Xu's hand with alert eyes, thinking: You don't really want to do anything with these foods!

Seeing Ma Qin's reaction, Gu Xu put down his chopsticks and couldn't help laughing.

He only thinks that this brother Ma is really a serious and honest man, and it is quite interesting to scare him.

So, the two of them sat quietly in the restaurant, no one said a word, and let the food gradually get colder.

The cinnamon wine that was spilled on the table also fell to the ground one by one, and then gradually spread along the gaps in the floor tiles.

…………

In the following period, there were more and more customers in the restaurant, and it became more and more lively, noisy and noisy.

The restaurant owner also walked around different tables on crutches, and was very busy.

"Boss, I heard that your restaurant has a new dish today?" A customer asked the owner.

"New dish," the shopkeeper casually glanced at where Gu Xu and Ma Qin were, and licked his lips, "I'm sorry, guest officer, you have to wait a little longer." ”

The guest's expression looked a little dissatisfied: "For so many years, I have been tired of eating chickens, ducks, fish and geese, whole grains and green dumplings every day." I really want to taste some fresh meat. ”

The owner apologized again and again, and said that the new products in his store will be unique and delicious, and as long as you are willing to wait patiently, you will never disappoint.

A few minutes later, the owner took the menu and returned to the kitchen.

When he reappeared, he actually held a pig-killing knife with a flickering cold light in his hand, and went straight to Gu Xu and Ma Qin.

"Young man, why don't you move your chopsticks?" He still had a kind smile on his face, and said to Gu Xu kindly, "Isn't it bad to dislike our food here?" ”

As soon as the words fell, the shopkeepers who were busy working nearby also gathered around, holding kitchen knives, chopsticks or forks in their hands, with a wicked smile on their faces.

…………

Exegesis:

(1) "Cinnamon wine mixed with pepper syrup, brewed Tengxinfen." - Song Liu Xueji, "The Mid-Autumn Equinox Rhymes into Three Hundred Words"

(2) "Steamed orchid with Hui cuisine, and laid cinnamon wine with pepper pulp." - Xianqin Qu Yuan, "Nine Songs, Eastern Emperor Taiyi"

(3) "Send off the Gui Liquor and worship the dance to clear the soul." ——Tang Li Bai "Lujun Yao Temple Sends Wu Wuzhi Langya"