Chapter 21 Section VI

The willow branches and willow branches are green, and the county town is gradually becoming lively.Everything is revived, the weather is clear, and people recover from the laziness that has been silent for a whole winter, walking and cleaning in the streets and alleys.There are more frequent ox carts or mule carts entering the city, and the sound of creaking and turning wheels resounds throughout the county; old cart drivers wearing white or black hats are crackling and flicking their whips, and the noses of yaks or cattle are breathing hot air. They trotted slowly to the beat of the whip; the mule carts moved faster than the ox carts, and the mule's hoofs tapped on the gravel, as if all the streets were running with it.The children held their homemade tile kites and hugged them to the wilderness outside. They used the kites to send their little wishes and yearnings to the sky, and they went straight to the sky; the spring was growing old with the kites floating...

In the late spring, all the locust trees are in bloom, and the branches are covered with snow-white fine flowers, and the whole county is filled with a strong fragrance.Several old women stood on wooden benches under the elm trees on the side of the street. While lifting the elm coins on the branches, they hummed the operas they had learned: Wang Sanjie kept the cold kiln for eighteen years, and Liu Cuiping spent a hard time. Sixteen springs; there are also former British and Taiwanese girls who love Liang Sheng life and death; this is because parents dislike poverty and love wealth, and daughters do not forget their love...Since the old women have lost a few front teeth and their mouths are leaking, they They can only speak in the local dialect, so the operas they sing are out of tune, and they can't really hear what they are singing.

Because of Sophora japonica and Yuqian, there was boundless excitement and joy in the county town. The Luo family is one of the few families in the county that eats three meals a day.Near noon, my mother also picked Sophora japonica from the branches of Sophora japonica in her yard.She pinched the flowers with thick petals from the stems and put them in a white porcelain basin. After a while, the porcelain basin was full, rinsed it under the tap, put the Sophora japonica flowers in boiling water, and then mixed them with flour. And seasonings such as ginger, green onion, salt, pepper noodles, etc., then turn on the stove and set up a steamer, put the mixed Sophora japonica flower in a cage and steam it until cooked.Such meals are called Sanzi.

In the spring of 1964, the difficult period had just passed, and the bruises on people's faces had not completely faded.Residents of Ping’an County, who used to rely on elm money or pagoda tree flowers to survive the three-year famine, seemed to be grateful and pilgrimage, waiting for the time when the elm trees sprouted and the pagoda tree bloomed every spring, and every family must eat a few meals. The elm money or sophora japonica mixed with flour and steamed scattered seeds, and gradually evolved into a unique living custom in the county.On this day, the mother who picked the Sophora japonica flowers lit the coal stove in front of the porch early.Soon, the steamer on the stove creaked white steam, and the fragrance of Sophora japonica wafted in the yard.When the Sophora japonica seeds are steamed and put in a porcelain plate, it is a kind of translucent off-white dough. Drizzle a little sesame oil on the dough, and endless warmth and fragrance will waft all over the streets and alleys.

The noon sun was shining warmly.Grandfather closed the book in his hand in this warm and fragrant atmosphere, and snored softly.My aunt took away his tea bowl, and brought a thin blanket from the room to put on him.Luo Yang, who was playing in the yard, didn't know what kind of dream his grandfather was having, and what kind of people he saw in the dream.Would a sleeping grandfather dream of his grandmother?Or is the frail and tottering grandmother often alone in Royan's dreams? During the cooking break, my mother has already pulled a rope between two big locust trees to dry the freshly washed bedding and clothes.Suddenly, patches of shadows were cast in the yard, swaying gently, as if auspicious clouds had fallen on the ground.The snores of Luo Yang, aunt, grandfather, and grandfather were submerged in the auspicious clouds.

With a creaking sound, the door of Luo's Chaifei courtyard was suddenly pushed open, and three people came in.The one walking in front was older, with thick beards and balding hair.Luo Yang recognized him as Director Liu of the County Cultural Center, and he often came to the house to ask his grandfather about cultural relics.Following Director Liu were Luo Xinyu and a young man, each carrying a long wooden box. Luo Yang woke up his grandfather: "Grandpa, Uncle Liu is here." "Oh...it's Curator Liu?" Grandpa raised his head and looked at the person coming. "Mr. Luo, I want to disturb you again today. This is a pair of blue and white vases collected by the cultural center. I think something is wrong. I'm not sure. Bring it here for you to have a look."

"Father, look!" Father had already opened the wooden box in his arms. "No hurry, no hurry, bring the table here first." Grandpa stopped his father, then turned to the aunt who was sitting beside him, "Bring me my reading glasses and magnifying glass." After a while, my father moved out a small table and placed it in front of my grandfather.Mother moved out three more chairs and made several bowls of tea again. Both wooden boxes were opened, and a pair of blue and white vases were carefully placed on the table.Grandfather held up a magnifying glass to examine it carefully.

It is said that the pair of vases were heirlooms of the old lady Mai who sold jelly in the county town, and she donated it when the county cultural center was established.Her son Mai San also became a staff member of the cultural center.The labels of the inserted vases were filled with "Xuande blue and white flowers in the early Ming Dynasty". The pair of vases are as white as jade, with a bunch of bluegrass and two butterflies painted in the middle of the bottle, one butterfly rests on the branch of the orchid, and the other flutters around the leaves of the bluegrass, lifelike.The pattern is indigo, which makes the bottle more clean and glows faintly in the intoxicating spring light.

Grandfather wears a pair of reading glasses, holds up the magnifying glass, and observes every trace of glaze color and every line of the inserted bottle.He shook his head for a while, nodded for a while, and shook his head again for a while.After pondering for a long time, my grandfather finally said to Director Liu: "It's fake. Judging from their firing process and glaze color, they should be produced in the late Republic of China." Director Liu nodded, and he and the young man who came along carefully He picked up the bottle and sent it back to the cultural center.It is said that curator Liu wrote an appraisal report on the vase insertion of "Xuande blue and white flowers in early Ming Dynasty" to the superior department overnight.

Later, Mai San still worked in the cultural center, but the pair of blue and white vases could no longer be seen in the exhibition hall of the cultural center.According to people familiar with the matter, the pair of fake antiques returned to Mrs. Mai's hands.