The first Taoist priest of the Tang Dynasty

Zhong Wen looked at the layer of gray crystals on the bottom of the pot, introduced it to Xiao Hua, poked some with a small wooden stick in his hand, put it in his mouth and tasted it, and gave Xiao Hua a taste by the way.

"Brother, it's salty, it's really salt, brother, you are the best."

After Xiaohua tasted it, she was completely convinced that it was salt, salty, what else could it be if it wasn't salt?After tasting the salt, Xiao Hua, with a smiley face, squinted her eyes, looking at Zhong Wen.

From beginning to end, Xiaohua didn't understand why these ashes could be boiled into salt. Although she had been watching carefully from the beginning to the time when the salt was boiled out, and never missed any link, she still didn't understand why the salt was cooked. Being able to cook it is completely a mystery in her little brain.

"Little sister, take a bowl and put the salt in it."

Zhong Wen saw that there was still a little water that hadn't been boiled dry, but according to the fire in the stove, it only took a moment to burn the water dry.

Xiao Hua brought a bowl over, put it on the stove, and stood quietly by the side watching Zhong Wen stir the salt in the medium pot.

After a while, the water evaporated, and the gray crystals at the bottom of the pot fully appeared before my eyes, much better than the salt I usually eat at home.

The salt I usually eat at home is dark, with large particles, and it also has a lot of bitter taste, which is not conducive to human absorption, and it is estimated to be slightly toxic.

With a wooden shovel, Zhong Wen scooped out the gray salt from the bottom of the pot and put it in a bowl.

This time, I cooked nearly a bowl of salt, which is enough for the family to use for a month. Of course, according to my mother's saving method, it is estimated that it can be used for several months.

"What are you doing?"

Xiu, who had just returned home at this time, saw her son and daughter standing by the stove, and didn't know what the siblings were doing.

"Aniang, look, this is salt boiled by brother, there is a big bowl."

Seeing her mother enter the kitchen, Xiao Hua shouted excitedly to Xiu, like a little girl who got [-] points in an exam.

"What? Salt? Where did you get the salt?"

When Xiu saw the bowl of gray crystallized table salt on the stove, she didn't believe it was salt, but after tasting it, she was sure it was a heap. In her heart, it is very precious. Every time she cooks porridge, she just grabs a little bit and sprinkles it in, as long as it has a little taste.

But the bowl of salt in front of me looks better than the one at home, and it doesn't have astringent taste, but listening to Xiaohua's words, it seems that Xiaowen cooked it. Could it be possible to cook salt?How can this be?After staring at Zhong Wen, Zhong Wen was a little at a loss.

Chapter 23 Sending off

Who doesn't know the preciousness of salt, Kexiu looked at the bowl of salt in front of her, not only being frightened, but also shocked.

Zhong Mugen will now walk into the stove from the outside, the him just now has already heard the movement of the stove.

"What salt? Did you run out of salt at home?"

As soon as Zhong Mugen entered the kitchen, he asked loudly. As for the salt in the house, his wife is basically in charge of it, and no one can touch it.

"Husband, look, this bowl of salt, Xiaohua said that Xiaowen cooked it."

After seeing Zhong Mugen come in, Xiu pointed to the bowl of salt on the stove and started talking to him.

"What? Is this salt? Did Xiaowen cook it? Did you lie to me?"

Zhong Mugen looked at the bowl of salt on the stove, the off-white crystals were somewhat different from the salt commonly used at home, then he squeezed some, put it in his mouth and tasted it.

"It's really salt, it doesn't taste bitter, Xiaowen, is this really the salt you boiled? How did you cook it? What did you use to cook it?"

After Zhong Mugen tasted it, his complexion changed drastically, and he asked Zhong Wen loudly, fearing that there might be some problems.

"Husband, don't be too loud, you will frighten them."

Xiu reminded her from the side, then pinched some and put it in her mouth to taste. It was indeed good salt, and this big bowl was enough for the family to use for several months.

"Father, Auntie, we boiled the salt out of plant ashes. I burned some of the straw behind the house to make this bowl of salt."

Zhong Wen looked at his parents' expressions, and didn't know whether he was going to beat him or scold him, but he had to tell them how to make salt.

"Salt can be boiled out of plant ash? Xiaowen, you didn't lie to me?"

Zhong Mugen didn't believe that salt could be boiled out from plant ashes at all. If it was really that simple, someone would have known about it a long time ago. Why did he need to spend money to buy some salt for consumption.

"Father, brother didn't lie to you, it was really boiled out of those plant ash, and I helped."

Xiaohua heard her father's tone of disbelief, and hurriedly argued to Zhong Mugen, and she participated in the whole process of making salt.

"Xiaowen, who taught you this method? Also, you can't tell about this."

After listening to Xiaohua's explanation, Zhong Mugen pondered for a moment, and then spoke out to his family about his decision.

"Father, although the method of making this salt is simple, we will not tell it, and the white-bearded old man who taught me before also told me not to pass it on to others."

Zhong Wen puffed out his small chest, thinking that his father and mother would not be found out about his ability to lie, and Zhong Wen picked up the white-bearded old man casually.

"When did the old man tell you? No outsiders have come here in the past few months."

Zhong Mugen may have some faith in what his son said, but he still asked.

"Father, that happened a few years ago, when I was very young, and my little sister was just born."

Zhong Wen remembered what happened a few years ago, when a lot of people happened to pass by here, as for whether there was an old man with a white beard, his father didn't know if he thought about it.

"That's good, that's good, it's a good thing, our family's salt will be settled in the future, you have to remember, you can't tell about this."

Xiu stood aside, listening to Zhong Wen's words, she was overjoyed. Every time the salt in this family went to Guanli to change, it always cost a lot of linen. Now there is a way to make salt at home. With the sackcloth, you can sew some clothes for your children.

Seeing that his parents stopped talking, Zhong Wen felt relieved, at least he didn't have to ask any more questions, and he could press on the white-bearded old man for any matters in the future, or he could save the trouble. I have a lot of trouble.

After dinner, it was night again, but what happened today made Zhong Mugen and his wife very happy.

The salt at home is available, and it can save a lot of linen. Secondly, with salt at home, for those fish and so on, it can naturally be made into bacon, so there is no need to bake it into jerky.

If it is more possible, you can also make some salt and go to the village to exchange some things, even some linen. Of course, this idea was directly rejected, and this matter should be kept secret, so as not to be known by outsiders.

In the early morning of the next day, Zhong Wen called his father and went to the woods to check the slings.

After two days in a row, the slings were not checked. After Zhong Mugen passed by, he discovered that many slings had wild rabbits hanging on them.

When Zhong Mugen and the others returned home, there were eight hares, which made Xiuda even more happy.

Of course, three or four of the fifteen or six sling sets have been destroyed, otherwise, there must be other prey in this set.

"Xiaowen, I'll check it out in two days. You can make more slings in these two days."

After Zhong Mugen came back, he was carrying a wooden hoe and was about to go to work in the field. Before he left, he didn't forget to say something to Zhong Wen.

"Father, I see."

Zhong Wen responded casually, and then, with a kitchen knife, he and Xiao Hua went to the edge of the forest, and came back after chopping some wild hemp.

For several days in a row, Zhong Wen and Xiao Hua lived in a tense and busy life. They were not fishing, they were collecting firewood, or cutting some wild hemp to make hemp rope, and they boiled salt twice, making the salt at home There are also more and more.

One morning, Zhong Mugen and his wife did not go to work with a wooden hoe as usual, but waited for something at home.

Not long after, the sound of wooden clappers came from the village. Zhong Mugen and his wife tied each of Zhong Wen's brother and sister with straw ropes and walked towards the village.

Zhong Wen knew that today must be the day of Aunt A Hua's funeral.

Zhong Wen remembered that after Aunt Ah Hua died that day, she began to bury her. There were rituals and worship. Today is the eighth day.

Aunt Ah Hua has been dead for seven days, and during these seven days, it belongs to the small funeral, until today, it is the big funeral.

There are ceremonies for the big burial, which is also called coffin covering. Of course, there are customs in different places, and they will definitely be different.

After the burial ceremony is over, there is a funeral, which is also a burial.

But today, all the people in the village, whether they are adults or children, have to see Aunt Ahua off. This is also a rule, and it is an expression of nostalgia and grief.

The ceremony was held early in the morning, and the funeral would be held at noon. The people who carried the coffin were supposed to be relatives, but Ah Cai's family had no relatives in the village, so they could only be carried by the nearby men.

Ah Cai's family was dressed in linen, with a thick straw rope tied around their waists and a tall straw hat on top of their heads. Everyone in the village only needed to root the straw rope.

And these are particular. Relatives wear hats and linen, which means standing upright, and a trip to the next world. Wearing linen means carrying the burden of life and going forward for a lifetime, and wearing a straw rope around the waist means that people have never been born. It comes from the belly, but it belongs to the space between the heaven and the earth, and this space between the heaven and the earth refers to the theory of the spirits and monsters of plants and trees, so I won't repeat it here.

The four members of Zhong Wen's family, each with a straw rope tied around their waists, stood outside Ah Cai's house. After the ceremony, the Taoists began to recite the scriptures, saving everything that could be saved, and then shouted With a sound, the coffin was closed, stood up, and prepared for the funeral.

Ah Cai was holding a spirit card in one hand, Er Shui was holding a brazier, followed by his two younger sisters, each holding a panic bell in one hand and a Luomian brake in the other. People are full of bitterness and sorrow.

Afterwards, eight men carried the coffin and walked out of the house slowly, without stepping on the eaves or on the ground. The road was covered with thick straw, extending to the side of the path.

The Taoists hold ritual utensils in their hands, leading the way, chanting words, followed by the elders of the village, and then the households.

A group of people walked on the small road, sending Ah Hua to the distant hilltop.

Whether it is an adult or a child, they are all silent, with tears streaming down their faces. The women who have a better relationship will cry a few words to show the sadness in their hearts.

Zhong Wen's family was in the front of the team, but Xiu was a little bit sad at this time, Zhong Mugen helped his wife, and then Zhong Wen followed Xiao Hua's little hand.

Zhong Wen was in a very bad mood, maybe he couldn't stand such a scene.

For the rest of my life, the grass and trees fall, I should have been at a good age, but I was poisoned by a big tiger, leaving behind a disabled man and three young children.

For Ah Cai's family, Zhong Wen couldn't even imagine how they would live in the future, at least for now, the future life must be difficult and difficult.

All the way to the distant hills, Zhong Wen's mind has been immersed in how to help Ah Cai's family, but no matter what, he can't think of any good way, maybe fishing traps or something, but he can teach one and two water them.

As for whether Ershui is willing to learn, Zhong Wen doesn’t know. For now, he only thought of these methods, but Zhong Wen’s thoughts are a bit too self-centered. What can be done.

After walking for half an hour, the Taoist priests in front of him began to perform religious rituals and shouted something loudly. Because Zhong Wen was far away, he couldn't hear what they were shouting clearly. .

After another quarter of an hour or two, Zhong Wen and his family came to the grave.

The coffin has already been placed in the earth pit that has already been dug, and every family needs to come over and sprinkle a handful of soil at this time to say their final farewell.

As for the rest, it can only be done by Ah Cai and his family, while the other senders can go home.

Zhong Mugen supported Xiu, and walked slowly on the path home, while Zhong Wen led Xiaohua, looking back at the hill from time to time.

Zhong Wen knew in his heart that all this would come to an end, perhaps this was also the beginning of suffering, or even the beginning of a new life.

Zhong Wen did not cry, nor did he shed his eyes. In this world, tears are worthless, even life is worthless. Not shedding tears does not mean that Zhong Wen is not sad.

Zhong Wen was sad, and the door of sympathy in his heart was also opened.

It wasn't just Zhong Wen who was sad, even Xiao Hua shed a lot of tears along the way, Zhong Wen wanted to help the younger sister wipe it off, but Xiao Hua avoided her.

The whole journey was silent and speechless. After returning home, I could only sit for a while to relieve the sadness in my heart, and I was not in a hurry to make some meals.

Although it's already past the time for breakfast, it's almost two o'clock in the afternoon, so if you want to eat, you can only wait for dinner.

Zhong Mugen and his wife will definitely not go to work in the fields today. Today's sad mood prevents them from going. It is estimated that even the people in the village will not go to work in the fields.

Brother and sister Zhong Wen, sitting under the tree in front of the open space at this time, their eyes were blank, looking at their parents at home, they didn't know what to do, although they were a little hungry, it was difficult to say that they wanted to eat.

After all, this matter still needs a little time to slow down, wait until dinner to fill your stomach.

Shocking bell means to scare away the lonely ghosts nearby, and Luomiansha means to block the nearby evil spirits and guide the dead to go to Huangquan Road. up.

Chapter 24 The Seriously Injured Lee Dojang

On the second day, everyone returned to the usual way, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

Zhong Wen still takes Xiaohua with him every day, busy collecting firewood, fishing, and making salt. Although the number of salt making is not too many, after all, cooking salt requires a lot of plant ash.

A few days later, the rag on Zhong Wen's head could finally be removed. After wrapping it for such a long time, Zhong Wen felt that his head was about to rot.

After removing the rags, Zhong Wen also asked his old mother to help him shave his hair short, and it became a short hair. First, it was because of the weather, second, it was a matter of habit, and third, convenient.

Just because after Zhong Wen's hair was shaved short, he was laughed at by the children in the village. Fortunately, Zhong Wen didn't care about anything. Could it be that an old man in his 30s, with his age added together, went with him? A few brats bickering?Doesn't that lower your IQ?

In these days, Zhong Wen has been studying those characters in his mind, and is also doing some calculations.

Zhong Wen's ancient prose is not very good, it should be said that it is a bit poor. When he studied in his previous life, he didn't study this aspect. Now it's good, and he suffered a big loss.

If Zhong Wen's ancient prose is very good, it may be of great help to the formation of words and sentences in those characters, but right now, he can only sigh.

Although there is some progress every day, for Zhong Wen, that can only be said to be unmoving and standing still.

Zhong Wen hated himself for being too naughty in his previous life, why didn't he learn ancient Chinese?Why choose electromechanical as a major.

Suffering is a blessing, and suffering is a blessing. With such a mentality, Zhong Wen thinks it is quite good.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to this world, and maybe one day, I would be able to sit high in the temple and become a high-ranking official and rich salary.

Although such an idea is a bit whimsical, Zhong Wen comforted himself in this way.

"Little sister, let's not go fishing today, let's go to the wilderness on the other side of the river to lay some traps, didn't we see a lot of hare droppings yesterday."

Not long after breakfast, Zhong Wen took the hemp rope that had already been made, a basket and a kitchen knife, and prepared to go to the wasteland to put on a sling today.

"Brother, there are snakes over there."

Xiaohua has no problem with putting on the slings, but the thatch overgrown the wasteland, and there are many snakes infesting, so she reminded Zhong Wen casually.

"It's okay, when the time comes, chop a piece of bamboo and beat it in your hand to scare away those poisonous snakes."

Zhong Wen walked towards the wasteland on the other side of the river with his calves, talking while walking.