Preston Chen's Mirror of Eternity Chapter 9

On the post road, there is a long pavilion for ten miles and a short pavilion for five miles, which are used for travelers to rest. When people on the corridor are tired from walking, or encounter rain or snow, they come to the pavilion to sit for a while, have a drink of water, eat something, and regain their energy to continue on their way. Therefore, there are always some restaurants and inns opened next to the post pavilion so that people can go on their way. Passersby hit the tip. Over time, a village formed around it.

Peach Blossom Pavilion is located at the entrance of the village. I don’t know which generation of pavilion chief still had a bit of elegance, so he gave this ordinary pavilion such an elegant name. Several peach trees were planted beside the pavilion, which suddenly made it look extraordinary. There is a small inn called "Hejia Old Shop" next to the post pavilion, which provides food and accommodation. It was originally a business for passers-by, but now the whole shop is crowded with people, and a waiter is very busy and can't wait to Even the feet were raised. Seeing Preston Chen appear at the door, the waiter came over to say hello with a plate in his hands, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Please, sir, what do you want to eat?"

This is the waiter's business experience. When he sees someone passing by, he will immediately step in. He doesn't ask if he wants to eat, but just asks what he wants to eat. With this kind of attentive hospitality, even if the passers-by are not very hungry, they will probably come in and have a few sips of wine. Preston Chen was already a little hungry. When he saw a big steamer standing in front of the wine shop, and the steaming aroma was wafting from it, he felt even more hungry. He came over and said, "Are there any steamed buns? Buy two."

When the waiter saw that Preston Chen only bought two buns, he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. However, for a shop owner, everyone who comes is a customer. No matter how much or how little the customers eat, they cannot be neglected. He said: "Sir, wait a minute, I will bring it to you right away." After saying that, he quickly placed a plate of wine and food in front of several drinkers, then went to the front desk to grab a dried lotus leaf, opened the steamer and made two buns and said: " Two meat buns. Sir, would you like a glass of wine to relieve your fatigue? The shop's homemade peach blossom wine is very good, and the braised chicken is also delicious. "

Preston Chen was very excited when he heard what he said, and the smell of chicken wafted out from inside, which made him even more greedy. Although he was short of money, he still said: "Then, give me half a chicken to try."

The waiter said: "Sir, do you want to eat in or take away?"

Preston Chen saw that the hotel was crowded with people and there were probably no empty seats, so he said, "I'll pack it up."

The waiter agreed, picked up a cleavage knife, and chopped half of the braised chicken into pieces. His hands and feet were extremely agile. Preston Chen saw that he was cutting each piece of chicken into the same size with his knife, and he was not sloppy. He thought to himself: Practice makes perfect. This little brother must not know martial arts, but he is also very good with a knife. "Zhuangzi" says that the cook is trying to solve the problem of an ox, but the master says that this is similar to martial arts. It seems to be true. He thought of his master and couldn't help but feel sad. At this time, the waiter in the shop had wrapped the chicken and handed it over. Seeing Preston Chen's expression, he thought he was worried about missing the journey, so he smiled and said: "Sir, you want to cross the river, right? There's no need to be in a hurry, wait until Yuehe Village has finished the sacrifice." , the road is closed."

Preston Chen took the chicken and asked in surprise: "Reopening the ban? What happened ahead?"

"Aren't you going to cross the river?"

Preston Chen said: "I want to go to Lei Xiaze."

"That's right, Lei Xiaze is in the north. Yuehe Village has been busy with sacrifices these two days, and the bridge has been closed, making it impossible to cross. You see, there are all guests waiting to cross the bridge."

When Preston Chen heard that the bridge was closed, he asked anxiously: "When will the ban be lifted?"

"Very fast, very fast, just for a few days."

At this time, the shop owner shouted loudly from inside: "Xiao Liu, the guests at table three are waiting for their food, you still have time to chat!"

Seeing the boss speaking, the waiter hurriedly responded: "Boss He, I'll be here right away." Then he turned to Preston Chen and said, "Sir, you can't make it through these two days. I think we can rest in the shop for two days before we talk." "You eat first, I have to go do something."

Preston Chen saw that there was no room left in the store, so he sat down in the peach blossom pavilion and ate meat buns and chicken. The buns were well cooked and the chicken was even more fragrant and tender. To the north of the village is a big river that goes around the village like a crescent, which is probably why Yuehe Village got its name. Looking inside the Peach Blossom Pavilion, all I can see are black tiles and white walls. The sound of the river is coming, just like a colorful ink painting with sound. Occasionally, a gust of wind blows, and a peach blossom petal is blown off the branch and floats down diagonally. He thought to himself: This scenery is very similar to the Peach Blossom Spring mentioned by Tao Yuanliang. There is a poem by Wang Bao called "Village peaches are brushed with pink powder", which seems to be what he is talking about. When he thought of these predecessors' poems, he thought of his master's long and stern face again. The master disliked him spending more time on poetry. He always said: "When you have time, practice the secret skills of Guigu more. Recite a few lines of poetry, and the Sui prisoners will not fall." In fact, poetry is also taught by the master. Yes, he also saw a collection of poems written by his master in his early years. The style of poetry was also the same as Mr. Jiang's, but the latest poems were more than ten years ago. It seems that the master has not written any more poems since then. He is very fond of poems. Also deeply disgusted. Perhaps the master has focused all his attention on reviving Dachen, and no longer has the elegance he had in his early years.

When he thought of his master, Preston Chen was worried and a little sad. He thought: No matter what, we should get to Lei Xiaze as soon as possible and find Uncle Bennett. One day later, Master has less hope of survival. After he had eaten and drank enough, he got up and walked towards the village. Although the waiter in the shop said that the bridge was closed, he still wanted to see what happened.

The village is not big, probably only a few dozen households. When we arrived at the north of the village, we saw a long bridge across the river, but the bridge head was blocked by some wooden fences. Some people were setting up a platform by the bridge. Preston Chen walked over and asked one of them: "Brother, may I ask, can't we cross this bridge now?"

The man was sawing a piece of wood. Hearing Preston Chen's question, he stopped what he was doing and raised his head and said, "Young master, do you want to cross the bridge? Just wait for two days. It will be opened the day after tomorrow."

"What's going on?"

The man said: "Is this your first time back to Yuehe Village, sir? Our village holds a river god festival every year, during which the bridge is closed to traffic."

Preston Chen scratched the back of his head and said with a grimace: "Brother, I'm in a hurry. Can you be accommodating and let me go first?"

The man seemed to have heard something extremely terrifying and said anxiously: "Sir, be silent! Don't say that. It's time for the River God to wake up. If someone crosses the bridge at this time and offends the River God, our village will be in trouble." There's a big problem."