homecoming

The weather in early spring is not warm yet, even if you are bathed in warm sunlight, you can still feel the slight chill in the wind from time to time.The willows on the shore have just branched out, and the tender yellow wicker dances softly in the wind.The grass in the outskirts has long since lost the rot of the winter, and the tender green shoots have emerged from the ground, looking soft and gentle.

With one hand behind his back, Tang Fei put He Xi's shoulders in his arms to protect him, preventing him from being bumped by the crowd.He Xi's injury has not fully healed yet, Tang Fei shouldn't have promised him to go out for a walk today, but his heart softened just seeing his longing look, so he had to try his best to protect him and stroll slowly on the bustling Cotton Brocade Street.

"Are you tired?" Tang Fei turned his head and asked He Xi softly, with a trace of distress in his eyes.He Xi was thin before he was injured, but now he is so thin that he is almost out of shape after suffering an almost fatal injury. The hand on his shoulder has the illusion that a little force can crush his bones. The clothes are more elegant and ethereal on him.

He Xi was half a head shorter than Tang Fei, looked up at Tang Fei's side face slightly, and replied with a smile: "I'm not tired. We will take the road east of the city later, although we have to detour to Xiaoxiangju, but there is a small road in the east of the city. At this time of year, camellias are in full bloom, and the scenery is very beautiful.”

"Okay, I will accompany you wherever you go."

The gentle and deep words made He Xi's heart skip a few beats, and her pale face was stained with a faint pink.

"Let's go."

Compared with the commercial street in the city, the east of the city is quieter than 01:30. He Xi said that although the people living here are not high-ranking officials, they are also well-known households in cotton and brocade.Therefore, the environment here is quiet and quiet, and the courtyards of Zhumen stand next to each other.

Suddenly, He Xi stopped in front of a mansion gate, Tang Fei also stopped, looked at He Xi and asked suspiciously: "What's wrong?"

"Look." He Xi pointed forward.Tang Fei looked along, the dark red door, the plaque on the door was entwined with layers of spider silk, and he couldn't make out what was written on it.

"Is this place deserted?" Tang Fei asked in amazement. The green brick and high walls of this house seem to be quite large, so why is it deserted?

"I heard that this mansion is called Huaiyuan." He Xi looked at the strangely red door, and said in a low voice, "Ten years ago, this was the place where a second-rank official and concubine lived. It is named Huaiyuan because it is surrounded by pagoda trees."

But isn't the locust tree commonly known as the ghost tree, which is easy to attract unclean things?How could a high official's concubine live in such a place with bad feng shui?Tang Fei thought about it but didn't ask. He just looked at He Xi and signaled him to continue talking.

"That concubine is beautiful, and the second-rank official dotes on her very much. This has already aroused the jealousy and dissatisfaction of the wife of the second-rank official. When the news of the concubine's pregnancy came out, that The wife of the main room started to kill. One day the second-rank official left Beijing to inspect the tax situation in various places, and the wife of the main room did it. She bought a group of bandits to ransack Huaiyuan and asked them to take the owner of Huaiyuan A total of 33 servants were killed. The concubine died tragically under the bandit knife. When the second-rank official came back after receiving the news, the concubine had already been buried for half a month. On the day the second-rank official came back, The lady in the main room suddenly bleeds to death from seven orifices, and died in front of the second rank official. No one can find out the reason for her sudden death, and the servants who know the inside story say that it is the concubine's ghost who came to take revenge. "

Tang Fei looked at He Xi, not understanding what he meant by telling him this.

"The locust tree has another name called the ghost tree, you know?" He Xi asked in a deep voice, and Tang Fei nodded. "The house here is shaded and there are so many pagoda trees that attract ghosts. In addition, the owner here died tragically, so this house has become the most famous haunted house in cotton brocade, also called ghost house. Every night, the courtyard There are ghostly shadows and shrill ghost howls everywhere. It is said that people who go in at this time will never come out again. The next day, their bodies will be abandoned at the gate, and they will all be disemboweled—” Said After that, He Xi tilted her head and smiled strangely at Tang Fei. Her pale face and sad smile made her look so gloomy, even in broad daylight.

"He Xi..." Tang Fei looked at him dumbfounded, "I'm not afraid of ghosts." Then he couldn't help but patted his head and said, "I never knew you were so, so naughty. On the one hand..." He actually told ghost stories to scare him, and it was still broad daylight!

"Oh," He Xi said with a playful smile, "I haven't told this story for a long time. I used to tell this story to scare the children in the neighborhood. Because I lived here, every time those children see I screamed and ran away like I saw a ghost, it's funny to think about it."

"Have you lived here before?" Tang Fei looked at He Xi in surprise and asked, how could he have lived here before?

He Xi was taken aback, and he unknowingly told the past... He Xi smiled at Tang Fei, without the playfulness just now, and the ripples in his eyes were faint. "It's nothing. I lived here for a while when I was very young. At that time, it had been deserted for two years. I lived here every day and didn't see any ghosts. The legends are all lies. But there are really many The locust tree.” At that time, his parents and brothers all died of the plague, and he was driven out of the village as an unknown person. Where could the homeless orphans go?At that time, he didn't know what to be afraid of when he was young, and he ran into this haunted house just to find a place with tiles to cover his head.Then I lived a life of going out to beg during the day and coming back here to sleep at night.Maybe it was at that time that he would share a little of the things he got back to sacrifice to the concubine who died tragically. Except for nightmares every night for the first month, everything was fine after that.Until later, I met the owner and followed him to leave cotton brocade.

Tang Fei knew that what He Xi said was easy, and only he knew the pain and fear involved.He couldn't help thinking of the feeling of living in hell when he was a child. Even if he left that "home", he was often awakened by childhood nightmares.He just didn't expect that He Xi, who always seemed lonely, had suffered before. He always thought that He Xi was the son of a family.

"Let's go." Tang Fei was not afraid of the haunted mansion in front of him, but he was afraid that He Xi would be sad when he remembered the past.

"Are you afraid that I will be sad?" He Xi tilted his head and asked. Tang Fei was taken aback for a moment. Before he could answer, He Xi heard He Xi go on to say: "Actually, after I left here, I won't worry about the past anymore. People, always It is necessary to look forward. Living in the past world will only make yourself miserable." He Xi paused, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face, and said, "It's better to wait for us to come back from Xiaoxiangju. It's time to go inside and have a look, when the sun just goes down."

Tang Fei couldn't help laughing, and said in a doting tone, "As long as you're not afraid, I'll be with you."

The two walked out of the city gate slowly, occasionally talking softly.

"Ah..." Tang Fei stopped in a daze, and looked in surprise at the mountain of camellias in front of him, all of which were pure white double-petaled white orbs, with elegant taste and graceful flowers.Is this a paradise built with camellias?

On both sides of the official road fifty miles outside the city, there are already fields on both sides. At the foot of the mountain is a large flat land. The mountain road winding up from the flat land is full of tall trees and newly sprouted wild flowers and weeds. Another pure white camellia covered the entire mountain.

Once upon a time, Tang Fei went to an international flower show and saw various kinds of camellias cultivated by an old Chinese flower farmer. Although it was the Eighteen Bachelors plant that amazed the audience at that time, what Tang Fei remembered thoroughly and never forgot was the heavy camellia in front of him. Petal white orb.Although some people have said that the camellia is beautiful but the fly in the ointment is that it has no fragrance, but Tang Fei doesn't think that the camellias all over the mountain exude a faint fragrance that is refreshing, which is much better than the rich fragrance of peony and hibiscus.

Camellia likes shade and dampness, so this mountain can breed such a pure-colored variety, right?

Tang Fei couldn't help standing up straight, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths of the quiet air.

He Xi looked up at Tang Fei with a faint smile on his lips.

"If you come here at dawn, the scenery will be more charming. At that time, the camellias are covered with dew, and when the sun rises, the light will sprinkle on the petals, and each petal will be covered with a layer of golden gauze. It's like Yes—" He Xi tilted her head and thought about how to describe it, "It's like many camellia fairies dancing in front of you, very beautiful..."

It's a naive metaphor, but Tang Fei can imagine that picture, a very beautiful picture.

"Find a time in the future, let's do it again at sunrise." Tang Fei slowly opened his eyes, looked at He Xi with a smile on his lips and said.

"En." He Xi nodded lightly, but her heart was extremely heavy.Tang Fei, do we have a future?

Xiaoxiangju is on the mountainside, it is a small guest house surrounded by trees and spring plums, and there are a few low and elegant futons in the small guest house.There is a small bamboo courtyard behind the guest house, which is where the owner of the Xiaoxiang house lives.

Tang Fei, who was already shocked by the camellias in the mountains, was shocked again when he saw the light red spring plums all over the yard, and suddenly remembered a poem he learned in college.

"The wind blows the fragrance out, and the bird peeks at the beauty. Next year, if you follow the law, you will start the Yingchun Terrace first." This is the second half of the poem, and he only remembers this part.Because, Chen Chen read it to him.

He Xi handed the greeting card to the little boy who was welcoming the guests, and when he turned around, he saw Tang Fei in a sea of ​​flowers, lost in thought.

"Tang Fei." He Xi called softly and walked to his side, "What are you thinking?"

"It's nothing, I'm just shocked by the beauty and tranquility here, just like the paradise mentioned in the book." Tang Fei replied lightly.

"Yeah, so I come here once a year." He Xi said with a smile, "It's also because I come here every year, and I have become close friends with the owner here, and it is easier than others to pass greeting cards." Wen Tianxia, ​​but there are no more than ten people who can enter this residence to enjoy plum blossoms every year.And these ten are naturally the ones that the owner of Xiaoxiangju has his eye on.

"Old friend, you are here again this year." A thick male voice sounded, with an imperceptible smile, "It's rare that you are not alone this year."

Tang Fei and He Xi turned around together, and a bearded man in his thirties came slowly from the bamboo courtyard at the back, with a faint smile on his face, and the dark black Confucian uniform was blown by the wind because of the owner. Come and dance.

The person who came here was the owner of Xiaoxiangju who didn't have enough money!

"Old friend, long time no see. Are you satisfied with the wine that the consignee brought you the month before last?" He Xi stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder and said with a light smile.He Xi is a round older than the one who is not enough money, but they are close friends who have known each other for many years.

"Excellent!" Qian Buquan gave a thumbs-up without hesitation, turned his eyes to Tang Fei, and said, "This is——"

"He is my friend, Tang Fei." He Xi took Tang Fei's hand and introduced, and then pointed to the lack of money and said: "Tang Fei, this is my friend I have known for nearly eight years, and the money is not enough."

Not enough money? The name is vulgar. Tang Fei looked curiously at the owner of the most elegant residence in the world. He may have lived with plum blossoms in the bamboo room all year round. Long beards have a strong bookish air, shouldn't this kind of people have the surname Gongsun, Murong, etc. to match their character?Why is this gentleman just the opposite?

"Although Mr.'s name is vulgar, the person is elegant!" Tang Fei said bluntly, his eyes full of admiration for the lack of money.

"Huh?" Qian Enough looked at Tang Fei suspiciously for a while, and then laughed heartily: "Okay! No wonder He Xi brought you here, you are indeed a wonderful person!" No one dared to tell him in front of him before. His name is not good, those who want to visit are either racking their brains to praise his name, or they are trying their best to avoid mentioning his name. Resistance!The one who dared to say that his name is vulgar over the years, apart from He Xi eight years ago, is now Tang Fei.

Not enough money, he looked at He Xi again, and then saw his pale face and thin body, frowned, and said, "Are you injured? How come you never take good care of yourself?"

He Xi stuck out her tongue, pulled Tang Fei over, and said, "Old friend, I came here today to let Tang Fei try your skills. Don't embarrass me later, I will praise you so much." Is there a ground or not?"

The money is not enough He Xi glanced at him, knowing that he was deliberately using Tang Fei as an excuse, and did not expose him, saying: "Okay, brother today, I will show my hand for you!" The head said: "Go, put out the utensils for making tea." The little boy went away in response.

"Old friend, today you make tea and I cook!" After finishing speaking, he strode towards the bamboo courtyard.

"This Mr. Qian can also cook?" Tang Fei asked in surprise, then changed his tone and said, "Also, when did you mention him to me?"

"Shouldn't I mention it now?" He Xi smiled slyly, and said: "If you insist on talking about his dishes, you can only say that they are barely edible. But his skill in making dim sum is superb." Reminiscing, he turned his head to look at Tang Fei, and said with a teasing look: "But he hasn't done it himself for several years, and today he is doing it for your sake, I'm in your favor .”

Tang Fei shook his head dumbfoundingly, He Xi seemed to be particularly rowdy today. "He Xi, in fact, this is the real you today, isn't it?" She loves to laugh and is childish.

He Xi also seemed to realize that she seemed to want to make trouble with Tang Fei today, and rubbed her nose in embarrassment. Fortunately, it was the little boy who brought the tea set into Xiaoxiang Residence, so she hurriedly dragged Tang Fei in.

The little boy put the tea set on the low table in the middle and stepped back respectfully.

He Xi sat down with his back facing the southeast corner, and Tang Fei naturally sat on his right side.

"You've seen me make tea, but you haven't seen me make tea, have you?" He Xi asked Tang Fei while arranging a whole set of cumbersome tea sets in order.

"Is there still a point?" Tang Fei looked at He Xi puzzled and asked.

He Xi looked up at Tang Fei abruptly, the doubt in his eyes flashed away, and said with a smile: "Of course there is a share, making tea is to boil the water and put the tea leaves directly, and making tea is a cumbersome process, and you need to pay attention to the steps. "Tang Fei's real identity is Fang Lin, the young master of the Fang Family Escort Bureau of Mianjin.He Xi always knew about it, but "Fang Lin" seemed to like being called Tang Fei, so he didn't bother to ask him why.Although Fang Lin is the young master of the Escort Bureau, he is well-known for his literature. He obtained his fame at the age of 15.Naturally, people in the countryside don't know what kind of tea to brew, but it is impossible for Fang Lin's family status not to know.The doubts in her heart gradually deepened, and He Xi could only secretly bury them in her heart.He believed that Tang Fei would not deceive him about anything, maybe he would tell him this question one day?It's just that I don't know if I can wait until that day...

He Xi calmed down and started making tea.

"First of all, light this small charcoal stove, put the tea cakes on top of the charcoal stove to bake, and take them off when the tea biscuits are ready. This step is called roasting tea." He Xi picked up a wooden tong to dry the tea cakes. Take out the tea cakes and put them on a small saucer, then grind them up. "Then there is water selection. This step is very important. Mountain spring water is the best for making tea. The water here is all spring water drawn from the mountain, so it is the best." Picking up a small wooden ladle on the side, scooped a spoonful The water contained in the small wooden bucket is poured into the kettle (Note 1) and placed on the charcoal stove.

Tang Fei sat upright, watching He Xi's every move intently.The smoke from the charcoal stove lingered all over He Xi's body, making He Xi look unreal, but also had a feeling of being in the air.

"At this time, we need to increase the charcoal fire, and then add the ground tea before the water boils." He Xi's movements are skillful, and he explained to Tang Fei while doing it, "At this time, we have to wait quietly. .”

"What are you waiting for?" Tang Fei asked unconsciously. He Xi's sudden stop made him feel a little lost, like watching a wonderful movie, but the disc jammed at the most critical moment. The feeling was terrible.

He Xi smiled and said nothing. After waiting for a while, there was a slight rolling sound in the cauldron. He Xi opened the lid of the cauldron, and waited for bursts of white mist to flow out before motioning Tang Fei to look.

Tang Fei looked and wondered, "Why are there flowers?"

"This is called Mobo, which is the essence of tea." He Xi explained, picking up a small spoon to scoop out the floating Mobo, and put it in the cooked bowl (Note 2).

"Didn't you mean the essence? Why scoop it out again?" Tang Fei couldn't help asking.

"It is the essence and then boiled, it will lose its original color and taste." He Xi said while fanning the fan vigorously to increase the charcoal fire in the stove. He Xi stopped when the tea in the kettle was completely fused with the waves. , Cook slowly over low heat.

At this time, half an hour had passed.The little boy who didn’t have enough money to bring a tray of food came over, sniffed as he walked, and said, “It’s delicious, it’s so fragrant! Only the tea made by an old friend has this taste!”

"The time is just right." He Xi said with a smile. As soon as the money was not enough to sit down, he used a small stick to push away the coals that were still burning. taste.The clever little boy put the tray full of food on another low table, and then put away the tea set for making tea on the table.Immediately after that, another boy stepped forward to arrange various delicate snacks, and they both retreated.

He Xi arranged the three exquisite white jade tea bowls one by one, picked up the tea spoon, scooped up the boiled tea and put them in the tea bowls, and finally poured foam on them before handing them to Tang Fei and Qianqian one by one.

The ancient people's cloth tea meant that the rain and dew should be shared equally, and Tang Fei still understood this.After receiving the tea, Tang Fei couldn't help holding the tea bowl up to the tip of his nose and smelling it deeply. The fragrance was sweet and mellow, mixed with the fragrance of spring plums in the air.He took a sip, the taste was sweet, and the fragrance lingered on his teeth and cheeks, which was several times better than the tribute tea snow buds he had been drinking.

"After drinking tea for so long, I realized that I was wasting tea before." Tang Fei put down his tea bowl and said with a sigh.

"Hahahaha! Well said! It really touched my heart!" Qian Buqi laughed heartily, "I said that if brother He is down in the future, he can become famous all over the world by selling tea."

"Hehe," He Xi shook his head and chuckled, "It's my old friend, you are too much, my skills can only be shown in front of you, and I can't show it outside."

"You're being humble again, aren't you?" Money is not enough to take a sip of tea, and looked at He Xi quite reproachfully, "I told you a long time ago, don't go to that muddy water, come to me and be an idle tea drinker. comfortable?"

He Xi's smile froze for a moment, and she immediately pretended to be nonchalant and said: "You are here again, I didn't tell you, I was in it just to repay your kindness..." Speaking of this, He Xi didn't Naturally looking at Tang Fei, Tang Fei happened to be looking at him too.

Tang Fei smiled at him and said, "It's the prince?" That's why He Xi told him that he couldn't leave for a long time.

"Tch, it's just that the prince has a more exquisite heart than others. He appreciates your talent and recruits you as the prince's staff. What kind of kindness is this?" Qian Bu Bu couldn't agree with it.

"The kindness of knowing you is also a kindness." He Xi said nonchalantly, "What's more, it was when my younger brother was down and down. If His Highness hadn't taken him in, I wouldn't be able to show my ambition today."

"Okay, okay." Qian Enough impatiently waved his hand to interrupt him, and changed the subject and said, "What's going on this year? Or do you decide not to go back and have a look?"

He Xi was taken aback, the hand holding the tea bowl trembled slightly, and a little bit of the tea in the bowl came out.

Tang Fei looked at He Xi, then reached out and patted the back of his hand lightly, and said, "He Xi, are you okay?"

"It's okay." He Xi lowered her head slightly and said in a dull voice, "This year, let's forget it..."

"Hey!" Qian Buqiu sighed deeply, and his tone contained the elder brother's love for his younger brother: "I knew it, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting with your back to Southeast."

Tang Fei frowned slightly. What does it mean that the money is not enough?Does He Xi's seat have any meaning? "

Seeing Tang Fei's doubts, He Xi smiled and said, "It's nothing, the southeast of Xiaoxiangju is Xianhu Village."

Tang Fei was startled, Xianhu Village... "Is your home nearby?"

"Yes." He Xi smiled, but her eyes were full of loneliness and desolation, "So I will come here once a year. Although I can't really get close, it's enough to see from a distance."

"He Xi." Tang Fei patted the back of He Xi's hand lightly, his movements full of worry and concern.

"You are simply masochistic." Money said with a sigh.

He Xi smiled at Tang Fei, and then said in a relaxed tone: "Okay, let's leave this topic behind. It's rare that an old friend cooks and makes desserts by himself today. Tang Fei, try it." He Xi said Then he put a piece of crystal clear ice cream in Tang Fei's bowl, and said, "This is Camellia Cake, but it's his own dessert. It's the only one in the world, and you can't eat it anywhere else."

"En." Tang Fei picked it up and took a bite. It tasted really good, sweet and refreshing, with the unique fragrance of camellia.It was just because of what He Xi said just now that Tang Fei was no longer in the mood of just coming here, and everything he ate was tasteless.Even the tea that He Xi made seemed a little bit bitter.Not having enough money seemed to be in a bad mood, he sipped his tea, but looked behind He Xi with distant eyes.

On the way back, He Xi didn't even glance in the direction of Xianhu Village.He didn't even go to the haunted mansion at night as promised, He Xi didn't say anything, and Tang Fei didn't remind him.

Looking at He Xi's thin figure, Tang Fei's heart ached a little.What did Qin Yi do to He Xi?Can this elegant man who should be hidden in the world be allowed to wander in this secular world and treat each other with his life?

Kettle: original meaning: ancient cooker.The mouth is closed and the bottom is round, or there are two ears.It is used for cooking, placed on a stove, and placed on a retort for steaming.Usually copper.

Cooked bowl: A container made of purple sand mud or porcelain clay for holding things, generally used for holding boiling water. In my country's "Tea Classic", it can also be used for holding tea and foam.

Mobo: In ancient times, tea leaves were fried together with camellia and tea leaves to make tea cakes, and the floating objects that appeared when the tea was soaked and blown away were Mobo.The foam is the small flower of tea, and the tea is the relatively large flower.