Delicious Delicacy of the Demon Spirit

There is a river to the east and north of Qingshui Town. This river is called Daochuan. It is neither big nor small. The government uses it to divide Qingshui Town and neighboring towns.There are stretches of wild mountains on both sides of the Inagawa River, often haunted by ferocious beasts, so no one has cultivated here, only some hunters occasionally go into the mountains to hunt. Eat for a month.

Li Ku'er didn't understand the danger there. She had lived in the town since she was a child, and a little girl living alone would not run to the barren mountains.When I was a child, I came to Inagawa a few times with a group of naughty playmates, picking up rocks and catching river crabs in the shallows.She still remembers the last time she came here, when she was six years old, a child named Axu said he saw a big fish and wanted to go down to the river to catch it, but the river was so fast that no one dared to follow him, and they couldn't stop him. Later, Axu Was swept away by the rapids and never came back.At that time, the incident was quite serious, several children's parents searched along the river for several days, including Li Ku'er's father of course, but let alone a living person, not even a dead body was found.After a long time, they gave up and taught their children a lesson, but A Xu's parents were still looking for them for three years, and they didn't let go until A Xu Niang became pregnant again.

She led the horse, looked at the still rushing Inagawa, and the scene of Axu being washed away seemed to be still vivid in her memory.If he is still alive, he will be seventeen this year, will he become a scholar?Or do business?He should have married a wife... It's a pity that Inagawa took away all his possibilities.

"What are you thinking about?" He Weiran came back from the foot of the mountain, rubbing the soil on his hands: "Let's go further upstream."

"Yeah." Li Kuer withdrew his drifting thoughts, and followed He Weiyan on the horse. After getting used to it, Li Kuer realized that he was such a timid person, and he would become nervous when riding with a woman. That's ridiculous.Fortunately, I am much more at ease now, and frankly it is not a big deal at all.

The two walked north and looked all the way, dismounting from time to time to observe the soil quality.Finally, at the corner of the river, they found the soil they wanted.

He Weiran said that with sandy soil and flowing water, the yams grown in such a place must be treasures in the mountains.The hills surrounded by the corner of Inagawa meet these two conditions.

This is an out-and-out wild mountain, and there are no mountain roads stepped on by people. Fortunately, it is not steep, and it should not be too dangerous to go up.In midsummer, everything is luxuriant, and the whole hill is covered with greenery. Li Kuer really has no confidence in finding yams from the green vegetation.

"Well, there are on this mountain. It's just..." Li Kuer heard He Weiran talking to herself, but she didn't understand where she came to this conclusion, since she hadn't gone up the mountain yet.

"How do you know?" Li Ku'er asked directly, but got an unclear answer: "Because, I already smelled the fragrance of mountain treasures. Ku'er, wait for me here."

"Ah? Sister He, I want to go with you. "

"The road up the mountain is not easy." He Weiran frowned slightly, and didn't want her to go with her.

"But..." Li Kuer tightened the reins in his hand, and looked at the surrounding wild mountains with wide eyes: "But I am a little scared here alone." Yes, not long after arriving here, Li Kuer I feel cool on my body, although the place is covered with green trees, but in this weather, the heat has spread to every corner, so how can I fall here alone.

"It may be very dangerous for you up there...Ku'er, you will be fine here." He Weiran's eyes were deep, and this serious look made Li Kuer even more afraid. She felt that He Weiran There was a deep meaning in Ran's words, but he didn't know and couldn't guess what it meant.

Li Kuer wanted to insist, but He Weiran's consideration made her dare not go against it. First, the relationship between the two of them was not close enough for her to change the other's mind by acting coquettishly. With reverence in Ran's heart, she couldn't help but want to obey He Weiran's words.

"Then I'll wait for you here..." Li Kuer was not willing, but she could only suppress the trace of fear that came from nowhere in her heart.

Seeing that she deserved it reluctantly, He Weiran calmed down, picked a willow leaf by the river, put it on her palm, and said: "There is nothing to be afraid of, how about this, you blow the willow leaf here, I am on the mountain I can also hear it, if the sound stops, I will know that something has happened to you, and I will come down to rescue you immediately."

"Hmm." Li Ku'er instinctively doubted that if something happened to her, He Weiran would not be able to save her. After all, she was only a young woman, so what could she do to face wolves, tigers and leopards.I put the willow leaf near my mouth and blew it, only to find that the sound was unexpectedly loud and clear, not comparable to the willow leaf I played with before.She felt surprised, and looked around with the willow leaves, it seemed that it was no different from the ones she saw in ordinary times.

"Okay, you stay here to watch the horse, I'll come as soon as I go." He Weiran said as he tied the horse to the nearest willow tree, took out the shovel and the sack from the horse bag, and walked step by step Go to the mountains.Suddenly, she seemed to think of something, turned around, and said to Li Kuer: "No matter what you see or hear in a while, as long as it is unreasonable, don't pay attention to it, and don't answer, just wait for me to come .”

Li Kuer was puzzled, felt that He Weiran's words were too unusual, poked his neck and watched her disappear into the depths of the tree, and then blew on the willow leaves.She played the ballad "When Will I Return" that has been handed down in Qingshui Town for hundreds of years. It is said that it was the song that the women in the town sang when they waited for their husbands and sons who had fought on the battlefield to return home during the war, but the front line of the battle was defeated. However, none of the soldiers conscripted from Qingshui Town came back.But women can still sing this ballad, both day and night, and that's how "When I Return" has been passed down from generation to generation.Li Kuer just played the tune of this ballad subconsciously, because he usually uses it to practice his hands. Of course, on the other hand, he also inherited the intention of looking forward to He Weiran's return as soon as possible.

The tune is not long, and after three rounds of blowing, it is only half a stick of incense.He Weiran hadn't come back yet, and Li Kuer couldn't hear any movement from her.There are only cicadas chirping in my ears, only birds chirping, only the sound of rushing water, and only the gentle sound of willow leaves.She felt uneasy, although He Weiran could hear her, but she couldn't feel He Weiran, her heart was not settled, and she couldn't be at ease.

After the seventh tour of "When Will Return", Li Kuer sensitively noticed that it seemed that fog had begun to form around her.She looked around, but her vision was not very clear. The fierce sunlight was no longer glaring when it entered the fog, and it seemed that it had lost its original temperature.Whether to stop or not, Li Kuer was torn in his mind. This situation seemed wrong, but there was no danger.

"Sister Kuer, Sister Kuer..."

who?Li Ku'er didn't dare to answer, she could only vaguely hear the voice coming from behind her, but behind her was Inagawa.She was completely panicked, her body froze, and she let go of the willow leaves around her mouth.In the current situation, even if she wanted to, she couldn't.

"Sister Ku'er, save me, save me..."

Don't call me don't call me don't call me! ! !Ku'er didn't even dare to look back, but closed his eyes tightly and recited silently over and over again in his heart, lingering in his mind the phrase "No matter what you see or hear for a while, as long as it is unreasonable, don't pay attention to it, and don't respond to it, just wait Just follow me."She didn't understand the meaning of He Weiran's words just now, but now she knows.It was too appropriate for the occasion, without having to think too much, I knew I had to do what He Weiran said.

"Help me, I want to go home... It's coming again, save me, it won't let me go... Ah!"

The scream almost pierced through Li Kuer's eardrums, and she suddenly felt that the voice was familiar, as if... How could it be possible!After so many years, even if Ah Xu is still alive, it is impossible for him to still have the voice he had when he was a child.Then... then he is... Li Kuer didn't dare to think about it any further.

At this time, the horse tethered to the willow tree suddenly became restless. If it wasn't for the pull of the rein, it might have escaped.Li Kuer's legs went limp in fright, and she immediately squatted on the ground and hugged her knees tightly, shaking like a sieve.

It was so cold behind, and there was a strange sound of water flowing.Want to take a look back?Why hasn't Sister He come yet?

Li Ku'er squatted on the ground, not daring to move, and she couldn't move. She closed her eyes tightly, as if as long as she couldn't see others, others couldn't see her either.And this other person, whether it's a human being or a dirty thing, as long as he can't see it, it's better than anything else.

I do not know how long it has been……

"Woo... woo..." It was the voice of a woman comforting the horse.

"Ba da ba da... ba da..." The horse fell silent.

Li Kuer still doesn't know what happened, but she can feel that her body is warming up again, not only warm, but also a little hot, sweating...

"Ku'er, we should go back." He Weiran walked up to her and knelt down, patting her on the shoulder.

She opened her eyes, and in front of her was He Weiran's smiling face, a warm smile like a spring breeze, and then looked around, the fog had cleared, and the sun was still scorching, as if nothing had happened.

"Sister He..." Li Kuer pursed her lips and was about to cry.

"Okay, okay, isn't there nothing wrong with it? Get up, it will be too late if you don't go back."

Sitting on the horseback, Li Ku'er felt that what happened just now was very real. She didn't know when He Weiran came back, how much she saw, or if she didn't see anything.She still told He Weiran exactly what she had seen and heard, and also told her about A Xu.

He Weiran only focused on driving the horse, not knowing the expression on his face, after a long time, he said: "Next month, let's go to Inagawa to release the river lanterns together."

The sky was getting dark, and the two rode back to the mansion.Li Kuer first went to sweep the yard, and then went to the back kitchen to watch He Weiran cook Shanshui rice.The lotus root has been washed and diced, and the lotus seeds are also peeled and cored. After marinating with soy sauce and vinegar, Wu is steamed in the wheat rice.At the other end, kelp soup was boiling again.According to He Weiran, kelp that has been stored for more than two years is boiled in well water, and the foam is continuously removed during the process to obtain a golden, pure and transparent soup.

Li Ku'er looked again, and saw Yiyuan, Ertong and Zhang Dazheng sitting on the side grinding yam mud with a grinding bowl in their hands.The yam was different from the ones she had seen before. It was not in the shape of a long stick, but in a round shape, just like a big round sweet potato.The three of them were sweating profusely, and finally finished grinding half a bag of yams, and handed them to He Weiran in a large bowl.At this time, the kelp soup is ready, and it really is a golden and charming color.He Weiran poured the kelp soup into the white and sticky yam mud, stirred it for a while until the soup was completely absorbed, and then ordered someone to wrap it tightly in a bucket and hang it in the well to freeze.

By the time the wheat rice comes out of the pot, it's time for dinner.Put a spoonful of steaming lotus root rice in the bowl, and then top it with cold yam puree, it is a bowl of Shanshui rice that is refreshing, refreshing and appetizing.

He Weiran filled five bowls, four bowls were sent to the dining room, and the remaining bowl was put into a single-layer snack box.

"Ku'er, you worked hard today, this is a thank you gift, hurry up and take it home to eat." Unable to resist Li Kuer's refusal, He Weiran stuffed the food box into her arms.Holding the snack box, Li Kuer hurriedly explained that she hadn't worked hard, thanked her embarrassedly, and left.

After returning home, Li Kuer sat alone by the window and took out the bowl of Shanshui rice from the food box with great care.She tasted the yam paste first, the taste was sticky, soft and sweet, without the astringent taste of ordinary yam, replaced by the deliciousness of kelp, and she felt cool all over after taking a bite.Mix it with barley rice, lotus seeds and diced lotus root, scoop up a large spoonful, open your mouth wide and take a bite, the aroma of lotus root rice, the sour taste, and the coolness and smoothness of yam puree make Li Kuer unable to help it on this scorching midsummer night. The appetite is wide open, and the heat fades away.

This long-lost warm feeling... Li Kuer suddenly felt that she was no longer so lonely.

The author has something to say: I finally pulled out a little supernatural.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve written too much about delicious food. Recently, I don’t have much appetite for home-cooked dishes... Dissatisfied =. =|||