Chapter 39 The thirty-ninth chapter discusses festivals and customs, cooks tea and talks about fans with a yearbook

Wang Jinting said: "You see, this master is full of poems and books. I'm afraid they will be rotten. Let's dry them!" Zhang San felt very funny and said, "There are so many strange things in Jiangnan!" It is also the scripture-turning festival of Buddhist temples. It is said that Tang Lizang returned from the Western Paradise to learn scriptures. He accidentally threw all the scriptures into the sea, waved them up and dried them, so that they could be preserved. Therefore, the temple also exposed the scriptures on this day. There are some beliefs The women of the Buddha also go to the temple to read the scriptures every year on this day, thinking that if you read the scriptures ten times, you can turn into a man in the next life. Come, I will treat you to a salted duck." Wang Jinting pointed to a nearby restaurant, and Zhang San followed him. walked in.

This restaurant is called Yongheyuan Restaurant and is famous for its Huaiyang flavor.In the hall on the first floor, there are three golden plaques of "Yonghe Garden" hanging high.The shopkeeper smiled and invited Wang Jinting and Zhang San to the second floor, where you can enjoy the scenery of the Qinhuai River through the window.The store said: "What do you guys want to order? The most popular dish here is sweet-scented osmanthus duck. It is a famous specialty in Nanjing. It has a short curing period. It is cooked and sold immediately, bought and eaten immediately. It is so tender!"

Wang Jinting asked: "Is this sweet-scented osmanthus duck the famous salted duck in Nanjing?" The shopkeeper nodded and tossed the towel: "You heard, it's the eighth month of the lunar calendar at this time, and sweet-scented osmanthus blossoms, according to the chapter of Nanjing's "Baimen Recipe" Records: During the August period in Jinling, the salted duck was the most famous, and everyone believed that the meat was fragrant with sweet-scented osmanthus.” Wang Jinting said: “Then bring an sweet-scented osmanthus duck, take two plates of duck livers, and prepare two bottles of good wine. What flavors do you have?" The shopkeeper said: "There are also assorted dim sum, shepherd's purse pancakes, flowering steamed buns, crab roe steamed buns, radish pancakes, five-nut steamed buns, crystal buns, etc." Wang Jinting said: "Then come another catty of crab roe steamed stuffed buns .”

After a while, the store brought two bottles of Moutai, a plate of salted duck, two butterfly livers and a catty of steamed stuffed bun with crab roe. The two of them were already hungry and started to eat and drink voraciously. Zhang San pulled off the thigh of the sweet-scented osmanthus duck and chewed it. It was fat but not greasy. It tasted delicious, salty, crispy and delicious. He thought: This salted duck really deserves its reputation, and it is more delicious than Beijing roast duck. The shopkeeper was busy and sat on the side smoking a cigarette.Wang Jinting asked: "What age customs are there in this city of Nanjing?" The shopkeeper "ba da ba da" smoked a pipe, and counted slowly with great interest: "Every New Year's Day morning, when the doors open, the firecrackers are set off three times. It means that it can cure the epidemic for a year, and it is called "opening the door firecrackers". Yizheng people also specially made a firecracker called "full house red", which is bright red inside and outside. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a large round stove is set in the center of each house, and the charcoal fire is kept burning all day long. And it is called "Happy New Year" by paying customers. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, there will be lanterns, and every family must have a lotus-shaped stove lamp, which is hung in front of the stove to express respect for the head of the family, and to show that food is the most important thing for the people. This night in Xiaguan, Nanjing, there will be a Dragon Lantern Festival. Colorful archways will be erected at the main roads, and lantern riddles will be hung for fun; every family will have rice balls for dinner; Going through three bridges is called "walking three bridges"; on the 16th day of the first lunar month, wandering on the top of the city, it is said that walking on the top of the city for a week on this day can drive away all kinds of diseases, which is called "walking all kinds of diseases".

Zhang San laughed and said: "Nanjing women lead night walks under the moon, it's a bit like practicing lightness kung fu, and wandering on the top of the city is like practicing climbing skills." Wang Jinting said with a smile: "Master Zhang always likes to associate these common customs with martial arts, please let this little brother go on." The shopkeeper took a deep puff of cigarette, and slowly exhaled it. The strong smell of tobacco wafted in the air, dispelling the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus. "After the first month of the lunar year, 'red apricot branches are in spring', it is a beautiful time in the south of the Yangtze River. Spring is sunny, and the first day of February is the sun's birthday. Every family eats sun cakes."

"What is sun cake?" Zhang San asked. "Sun cake is a kind of sugar cake. There are five stacks, and there is a noodle pinch chicken that is as high as the rain. This style flourished in the early Qing Dynasty. It is said that the survivors of the Ming Dynasty offered sacrifices to the Sun Xingjun in memory of Emperor Chongzhen at the end of the Ming Dynasty. And the design is based on the thoughts of the majority of Han people after the Qing soldiers entered the customs. On February 2, every family picks up their daughters. This day is also the Zhonghe Festival. The folks say that it is the dragon raising its head, and it is also the birthday of the Land Lord. Nanjing There is a proverb among people that says: "On February 2nd, when the dragon raises its head, every family accepts women to complain about their grievances." It means that some women are depressed and puzzled by their parents-in-law, husband, sister-in-law, and uncle, and need to go back to their mother's house. I complained about my grievances in the past few days. The second month of the lunar calendar is the season of flowers, and the third month of the lunar calendar is the blooming of flowers. The fifteenth day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the flower dynasty, which is the birthday of hundreds of flowers. On this day, every family must plant flowers. They must be hung with red colors, tied to flower branches with red cloth, or tied to wooden sticks and placed in flower pots, expressing congratulations on the birthday of the flowers, and wishing for a beautiful day and prosperous flowers and trees.”

Wang Jinting said: "In fact, it is a flower, tree, osmanthus, and red water. It began with Wu Zetian in the early Tang Dynasty. Mr. Li Ruzhen's novel said that after Wu Zetian ascended the throne of the empress, on a cold winter day, because he saw the wintersweet blooming, he suddenly became curious. He wrote a flower urging poem: "In the Ming Dynasty, when you visit the garden, you will know the spring as soon as possible. The flowers will grow all night, don't wait for the dawn wind to blow!" Order all flowers to bloom at untimely. All the flowers are as expected. Wu Zetian the next day When swimming in Linyuan, the weather was very warm, the ice in the pond had thawed, and it suddenly turned into a scene of early spring. The garden was full of greenery, red and purple to welcome people. Wu Zetian was overjoyed, and ordered the maids to hang red on these flowers and trees, and some even hung gold medals As a reward. Empress Wu was very dissatisfied with the fact that the unique peony had not bloomed for a long time, so she ordered to burn charcoal to burn the branches before it opened. Empress Wu was still angry and ordered thousands of peonies in the imperial garden to be excavated and transplanted to Luoyang, the eastern capital. Since then, Luoyang has become the "hometown of peonies". Some of the peonies withered by the charcoal fire were scattered in Biancang, Huainan, and the dead branches of Biancang peonies have become rare and rare species. Shopkeeper, please continue."

The store said: "The Qingming season is sunny and sunny, the willows are green and pink, and the warblers are flying around. It is an opportunity for outings. More people in Nanjing visit Yuhuatai and Niushou Mountain than at this time. Willows are in a bun. People make tea with seven pieces of willow leaves, which is said to improve eyesight. In Qingming, kites with broken strings are also flown. Get rid of the bad luck that kite-flying people encountered in a year! The day before the Qing Dynasty was called cold food, which was to commemorate the recommendation of the ministers and ministers of Duke Wen of Jin in the Spring and Autumn Period. On this day, everyone did not raise fire or eat cooked food, only some Dry food is enough to satisfy hunger, and we don’t cook again until noon on Qingming Day.” Wang Jinting sighed, “Jie Zhitui is really a good man. Serving Chong’er to eat is really a loyal minister. When Duke Wen of Jin’s Chong’er got hot, he sent a BMW car to pick up Jiezhi and push him to be an official. , he would rather burn to death with his mother in his arms than receive the laurel crown, what a noble and righteous man!"

The shopkeeper went on to say: "After Qingming is Lixia, the weather is getting warmer and hotter, and everything is thriving. Nanjing people cook rice with peas as cakes and sit on the threshold to eat. Dozed off. Nanjing dragon boat races on the Qinhuai River during the Dragon Boat Festival on May 5th. The dragon boat is no more than one step wide and about two feet long. The colorful house has three floors and is five or six feet high. Flying on the water, there is a sudden back and forth, the snow waves shake the sky, and the colorful flags are dazzling. At night, hundreds of lamps are lit, and golden drums are played, such as giant scorpions vacating, fire dragons go out to sea, painting boats, flutes and drums, all day long. The Dragon Boat Festival in Nanjing is to commemorate Qu Yuan, and the second is to commemorate Wu Zixu. The story of Wu Zixu who was deposed and committed suicide by throwing himself into the river is well-known. During the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15th, children and children displayed many small bonsai made of clay in the yard, such as lotus root, melon, rabbit, etc.; , boiled water chestnuts, etc. On the ninth day of September, the Double Ninth Festival is the day of ascent, and people like to drink chrysanthemum wine, which is said to cure illness.”

When the store was introducing the customs of Nanjing at the age, an old gentleman walked upstairs.Seeing that the old man's face was familiar, Zhang San couldn't remember it for a while. The old man came in and came to the window without saying a word, just looking at the night scene outside the window. After the banquet was removed, the store brought tea again. He smiled and said to Wang Jinting: "This tea is the famous Biluochun tea, one of the ten famous teas in my country. It is produced in Wu County and has a history of more than a thousand years. Earlier, Zhu Zhengyuan, a native of Dongshan, found several wild tea plants in the crevices of Biluo Peak, which had a unique fragrance, and after collecting them, the wild tea developed into a family tea and became a tribute tea to Gongyan."

Zhang San picked up the small Yixing teapot and poured a cup for Wang Jinting, and poured another cup for himself. He saw that the Biluochun tea leaves were as clear and green as green, curled like a snail, with slender cords, full of hairs, silver and green, tender and neat , took a sip, the fragrance was refreshing and sweet, and he couldn't help praising: "Good tea, really good tea" At this time, the shopkeeper walked up to the old gentleman and asked, "What do you want?" The old gentleman turned around slowly and said, "After eating, come to this restaurant to relax and enjoy the scenery, don't you?" Are you not allowed to come if you don’t eat or drink?” The shopkeeper saw that he was a little bit "barbaric", glanced at him, and went downstairs. The old man looked at the scenery for a while, then came to Wang Jinting, and took out an oily cloth bag from his arms, spread it on the table, and opened it, it was a kind of plant.Zhang San didn't understand the name of this plant, but Wang Jinting said: "This is Yixing lily, which enjoys the reputation of Taihu ginseng, and it is mainly used for curing diseases such as tuberculosis, hemoptysis, deficiency, restlessness, and palpitations." The old gentleman pulled a wooden stool and sat down, and said, "I want to exchange this Yixing lily for a few cups of tea." Seeing that the old gentleman was acting cunningly, Zhang San became a little alert. He kicked Wang Jinting to signal Wang Jinting to pay attention. .But Wang Jinting seemed to ignore it, and said to the old gentleman with a smile: "You're welcome, please take away the Yixing Lily, please drink tea." The old gentleman was also polite, grabbed the teapot, and stood up , held in the air, the teapot was more than four feet away from the teacup, and the water column of tea trickled out from the teapot, all poured into the cup without dripping.Zhang San thought to himself: This old man has a background, I also want to give him some flair. Zhang San picked up the teapot and tossed it in the air. The teapot turned over a few times and then landed on the table smoothly without dripping water.The old man looked at it, sneered slightly, took off the big cattail fan, waved the fan, and the teapot fell on the cattail fan again.Taking advantage of the trend, the teacups in front of Wang Jinting and Zhang San were already overflowing.Zhang San smiled and opened the lid of the teapot, put a finger on the teacup in front of him, walked to the pillar of the hall, quickly climbed to the top wall, and tilted the teacup, the tea in the cup was poured back into the teapot In, no dripping water was sprinkled.The tourists on the tables nearby were stunned, and some applauded. The old man sneered and asked Wang Jinting: "Old man, let me test you. When did the fan in our country start?" During the time of Emperor Gaozong of the Yin Dynasty, fans probably appeared in the Yin Dynasty of our country. The earliest fans were mainly used to cover the face. "Song History" records that the ancient emperors' courtiers held fans to block the sun, and the courtiers stood on both sides of the emperor. , and gradually became a kind of prestige. At first, the mask was only used by the emperor, and later it was spread to the people and changed to a short handle, but it was mainly used for the mask, especially for young women to hide their shame. Wang Jian, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, had such a poem : 'The round fan, the round fan, used by beauties to cover their faces.'” The old man listened and nodded with satisfaction.Wang Jinting continued: "The earliest fans were all made of feathers, also known as lupine fans. Later, bamboo fans, sunflower fans, bone fans, paper fans, cattail fans appeared; in terms of shape and quality, there were Wan fans and folding fans. Our country Wan fans began to prosper in the Han Dynasty. Wan fans were mostly round, also known as round fans. This round fan was made of silk woven silk. At that time, there was a song "Songs of Complaint" that said: "Newly cracked Qi Wansu, as bright as frost and snow. Cut as The acacia fan is like a bright moon. It goes in and out of the king's sleeve, and the breeze blows it'. This shows that the Wan fan has become very popular and exquisitely made. With the development of the paper industry, there has been a paper dough fan." The old man asked, "What about the folding fan?" Wang Jinting replied: "In ancient times, folding fans were also called Jutou fans, Jugu fans, and spreading fans. Folding fans originated in Koryo, and were introduced to my country during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Folding fans flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. As far as fan bones are concerned, most of them are made of bamboo, but they are also useful. Made of materials such as mahogany, red sandalwood, sandalwood, ebony or ivory. Some fan bones are engraved with calligraphy and painting. The fan surface is made of wool, silk and paper, and also made of banana leaves, wheat straw, bamboo mites, palm sunflowers, etc. Mr. Xiang This fan is made of palmetto." "Really?" The old man squinted his eyes, handed over the big cattail fan, and said, "You're not right, you touch this fan..." Wang Jinting didn't have the time to think, stretched out his hand to touch it, and felt it was cold. , Just heard a "swish", a dart shot down quickly, and hit the fan, but it didn't penetrate, but fell to the ground instead.The old man closed his fan, sneered twice, walked to the window, shrank his body, and jumped out of the window. Zhang San cried out in surprise: "Mr. Iron Fan Dongting!"