Chapter 69 Dragon Boat Festival
Tan Xiao was silent beside them, and was impressed by the two people's ability to talk at cross purposes. "...Hurry up and start reconciling your appearance."
Tan Chunying used tools to scrape off the original paint on the dragon boat, then pressed the prepared clay and hemp into it, and finally applied another layer of clay before repainting it.
This clay is also easy to make, it is made by mixing hot tung oil and lime powder.
The simple materials also test the craftsmanship.
"We'll wait until it dries, then fix the pattern to make it consistent with the original one." Tan Chunying patted the dragon boat and said lightly, "It's still good wood. Although it looks a bit worn out after being parked for so long, it will be a good boat again after we repaint it. If you want to fix the small hole, just get the materials from me. I'll make some subpackages for you so you don't have to mix them yourself."
Since Tan Xiao needs to repair the mask, the subsequent color adjustment is also very important. It must be consistent with the original color and texture so that there will be no obvious signs of repair. This requires a lot of experience. After all, there are subtle differences in color before and after it is wet or dry.
Tan Xiao painted the mask and held it up to the light. It was pretty good. "Let it dry and then let it dry."
It was getting late, so Tan Chunying and Tan Xiao started cooking together. "This is the first time your classmate has come to our house for dinner, so we have to show him off."!
"...Yeah." Tan Xiaoxin said how many meals he had eaten.
Tan Xiao cut the marinated beef into small pieces and fried it until both sides were golden brown. He also fried the mushrooms in butter. The two together were bright red, with a rich and strong aroma. One was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, while the other was refreshing and appetizing.
Tan Chunying also made another hard dish, fried lamb chops with golden sauce. The lamb chops were marinated with chili powder, salt, soy sauce and other seasonings, and then fried with a little cornstarch. The lamb chops sizzled with oil, first turning golden, then a deeper and more attractive brown, and then some golden sauce was added for stir-frying. The golden sauce used here is made of dried chili, toasted bread crumbs, fried garlic and other ingredients, all of which have a crispy taste, giving the lamb chops a more special flavor.
The aroma of these two dishes wafted out of the kitchen one by one, and the crew was already going crazy with their food. Since the spirit master worship was said to be a major feature, they naturally wanted to film the cooking scenes as well.
Standing in the courtyard, filming through the window while swallowing madly, I secretly asked the director: "Are we sure that this is The Great Witch and not A Tongue in China?!"
Zhu Yixin: "..."
When the food was served, Tan Chunying asked Kong Xuan to eat more. The members of the crew swallowed their saliva again and looked at the lunch boxes they had just bought and had not opened yet. They suddenly lost their appetite.
Kong Xuan put on disposable gloves and started to eat the lamb chops. The crispy and loose golden sand wrapped around the lamb chops that were crispy on the outside and tender and firm on the inside. After the salty and fragrant taste, the mouth was full of tenderness.
Zhu Yixin covered her mouth with tears in her eyes: "I always thought that the biggest challenge of filming was getting up early and going to bed late, running around and being tired, I never expected..."
I didn’t expect that I would have to watch the Tan family eat!
We've already said that we shouldn't disturb the people being photographed, so of course they can't go begging for food!
They did know about the characteristics of the Tan family's sacrifices during their previous research, and they also knew that the performances used to include meals, which were said to be delicious, but they didn't take it seriously, after all, they didn't catch up with the meal time during the research. It was only then that they suddenly felt like they had been hit hard...
"So my dad was also a son-in-law before?" People's joys and sorrows are not shared. Tan Xiao thought of what Tan Chunying had said before and asked Tan Chunying while eating. He didn't know whether what Tan Chunying said before was a joke to tease Kong Xuan or was true.
Tan Chunying recalled, "Isn't that right? Anyway, your dad did a great job, learning how to cook, and whenever there's something delicious, he gives it to my parents first. But this is what he should do, he lives in our house!"
Kong Xuan was shocked. He found that this was a bit similar to what he did. He also lived in Tan Xiao's house.
The only slight difference was that he couldn't cook, and the delicious food that belonged to him was taken away and eaten first by Tan Chunying.
How come suzerain god and live-in son-in-law are synonyms?
When only the last lamb chop was left, Tan Chunying said, "Young man, please eat. I can't eat too much."
Kong Xuan couldn't help but laugh. Who was he trying to fool?
Tan Chunying: “?”
Tan Xiao: "..."
"It's okay, give it to Auntie..." Kong Xuan thought about it and felt that he should still be magnanimous and generous as a sect master god, and should not argue with Tan Chunying about this little food in the future.
"No, no, just eat it. I see you like it." Tan Chunying thought that classmate Tan Xiao could eat as much as he did. The portion today was obviously a lot.
Kong Xuan also continued to be humble.
Tan Xiao looked at the two people who were pretending to be different from usual, and silently picked up the lamb chops, "Okay, I'll eat it."
He stood up, chewing on the lamb chops with one hand, and took the CD to the kitchen and put it in the dishwasher. Then he walked to the bedroom, "Mom, I'll take Kong Xuan to sit for a while."
"Okay, you guys go ahead and have fun, I'll pack up the tools." Tan Chunying said with confidence.
Kong Xuan followed him and stared at Tan Xiao's lamb chops on the stairs.
Tan Xiao tore off a piece of meat and fed it to him: "You are being so polite."
Kong Xuan glared at him while eating: "...Can't I be polite?!"
Kong Xuan also brought some tools up to repair the table for Tan Xiao. Under the desk lamp, he was serious and focused, but his hands were still a little unfamiliar as it was his first time after all.
It suddenly started raining outside the window. Tan Xiao could hear panicked sounds downstairs. It should be the crew urgently collecting the equipment. Tan Chunying was also covering the dragon boat's hull. Passers-by outside the courtyard wall quickened their pace. He was indoors, and the sound closer to him was Kong Xuan's methodical voice filling the table. The very soothing rhythm made people relax.
The same thing went for Kong Xuan. The rain could be heard, but all he could hear was the rhythm of Tan Xiao's heartbeat behind him.
Tan Xiao sat on the edge of the bed and watched for a long time, "Really?"
"Besides being your desk, this is also my altar. Doesn't it deserve a brand new look?" Kong Xuan was planning to repaint the entire place.
"Haha, I just think..." Tan Xiao couldn't find an adjective for a moment, so he leaned against the headboard and thought for a while, "Don't you want to be more like a god? Whoosh, turn it into a new one, or even a golden table."
Kong Xuan was very sensitive. He turned his back to him and angrily said, "I'm going to use the method I learned in the human world, so what?"
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Tan Xiao blinked and said softly, feeling like a little saccharin kicked in the heart. Kong Xuan would give blessings in the ancient way, but he would also express it awkwardly using the skills he learned in the human world.
…
Tan Chunying yawned and got up, brushing her teeth while opening a short video.
The platform pushed her a bloody skit with a very fast pace. It started with catching the adulterer. The wife rushed upstairs with her whole family and knocked hard on the door. The heroine inside was panicked and pushed the mistress out of the bed, "Hide quickly! Hide quickly! Climb out the window and stand against the wall!"
It's very lively.
“Hahahaha what a terrible acting!” Tan Chunying remembered something while boiling eggs. She put the eggs down and walked to the second floor, shouting, “Tan Xiao, are you up?”
Tan Xiao turned over in bed and yawned. He was awake and wanted to lie down for a while. "I'll get up right away..."
"Then I'll just change your bed sheet. Is your classmate awake? Does he want to eat eggs and fried dough sticks?" Tan Chunying was almost at the door.
Tan Xiao's bedroom door was not closed tightly at all , and his originally confused look suddenly became clear.
Oh my god!!
He suddenly remembered that he had been mending the tables until quite late last night, and had been working on some questions, so he and Kong Xuan naturally went to rest as usual. It was already quite late, and Tan Chunying had also been packing up quite late downstairs, so he didn't want to act like he was leaving, and thought of just pretending to stay overnight.
But Kong Xuan didn't stay overnight normally, he lived on the wall! After Tan Xiao realized what was happening, he jumped up and closed the door tightly, blocking it.
"It rained last night, and I saw that he didn't take away the clay and tung oil that I packed for him." Tan Chunying was still chatting, and found that Tan Xiao had closed the door. She said with a smile: "Why did you close the door? What did you two do last night?"
She rarely saw Tan Xiao having such a good relationship with a classmate, which was good, but it didn't stop her from suspecting that Tan Xiao had closed the door to cause trouble, and he almost locked it. But if he really locked it, she would probably be even more confused.
So finally Tan Xiao called out to the great god urgently in a low voice: "Kong Xuan, Kong Xuan, Kong Xuan! Come out quickly!"
Kong Xuan came out of the mask: "What are you doing?"
Tan Xiao pushed him into the bed: "Lie down!"
Kong Xuan: “…”
Tan Xiao took off Kong Xuan's coat and stuffed it into the quilt, then opened the door again: "...I was doing homework last night, but Kong Xuan was not wearing any clothes."
Tan Chunying's eyes widened when she saw Kong Xuan lying in the quilt. The thin quilt was indeed covering him. "Then you don't have to open the door, haha. Then take down the sheets yourself, and come down quickly for breakfast."
"Okay." Tan Xiao was still in his pajamas.
Tan Chunying leaned close to him and whispered, "It's not that I'm worried, I'm just afraid that you two will mess up the house. I seemed to hear you guys making a lot of noise while messing with the tables and chairs last night."
Tan Xiao nodded slowly, but still worried, "Mom, we are a boys' high school, not a husky."
"Hahahahahaha!" Tan Chunying laughed out loud.
After Tan Chunying went downstairs, Tan Xiao turned around and saw Kong Xuan still lying stiffly on the bed. "Phew, that was a close call."
Kong Xuanyi said sternly: "You can't do this. You must remain calm in the face of danger."
Tan Xiao poked his body under the quilt and said, "You are obviously scared as a piece of wood, get up and have breakfast!"
Kong Xuan: “…”
He was a little panicked by Tan Xiao's gaze. Just when he thought of accusing Tan Xiao of being disrespectful and insubordinate, fortunately Tan Xiao smiled inexplicably and turned around and left first.
Well, having said that, he had lived in Tan Xiao’s room for so long, but this was the first time he lay on the bed. Well, the quality of the bed in this world... was actually quite good.
Kong Xuan stayed in bed for a while and then hurried downstairs.
Tan Chunying had already served breakfast on the table. She glanced at Kong Xuan. Tan Xiao, the classmate, looked energetic and radiant even though he hadn't even washed his face in the morning. She suddenly patted Tan Xiao on the shoulder and said, "You always say that you can't tell what people look like. Then why do you look like this when you make good friends... Tsk tsk, to use the words of you young people, you are Versailles."
Tan Xiao: “…………”
This is the most wrongful accusation he has ever received!
…
The weather was not good and it rained a lot in the following days, so Tan Xiao's mask was left hanging for a long time.
He heard that the participating teams were arguing because some teams wanted to customize the fiberglass hull. After all, fiberglass boats are lighter and faster, which is unfair. Tan Chunying didn't care about that. No matter what the final result was, she got paid and just worked hard to dry the hull on this rainy day.
"It's finally done. We're just waiting for the right day to ward off evil spirits on the new hull and dragon head." Tan Chunying said while patting the hull.
What Tan Chunying meant by "dispelling evil spirits" is one of the sacrificial rituals to be performed before the dragon boat is launched.
Because of the nature of dragon boat races in the past, accidents might happen. People believed that dragon boats and dragon heads carried evil spirits, so they needed to remove the evil spirits before entering the water, otherwise they could easily get injured.
"Where is the dragon head? When are you going to get it back?" Tan Xiao asked.
Different dragon heads in Nanchu are worshipped in different temples, representing each other. This is called "dragon gives birth to temple, temple gives birth to dragon". In the past, every village in Nanchu had a temple, and almost every village had its own dragon boat team. Even if conditions did not allow, several places would join together to form a team.
In the past, the dragon boat race in Nanchu was much more lively and a major event. People said that it was better to lose a field than a year's worth of boats. But this time, the competition was organized by districts and counties, and there were not as many temples as before, so Tan Xiao asked this question.
"Their temple disappeared a long time ago. The dragon head is now in the village committee. It is a phoenix head that has been well preserved." Tan Chunying said, "We will pick it up on the day of exorcising the evil spirits, and then we will have the water-entering ceremony."
…
"Xiaoxiao, is your aunt going to perform a ritual for the Dragon Boat Festival's dragon boat race?" Lin Yang asked, turning slightly. He also tried to push the table back a little so that he could be closer to Tan Xiao.
But Kong Xuan sat in the back, not moving at all.
Lin Yang glanced at Kong Xuan.
Kong Xuan said coldly: "If you push me again, I will tell the teacher."
Lin Yang: “…You are really good!”
"Haha." Tan Xiao laughed twice, "Why, you want to go and watch? I can get you a ticket." There will be a boat to watch the performance on the river. As a family member, his family has issued a ticket, but he has no plans to go, as it will definitely be crowded, and he wants to do his homework at home.
"No need," Lin Yang puffed out his chest proudly, "I'll just watch from the shore. Of course, this kind of ticket is for out-of-town tourists."
"Yeah, I'm aware of that." Tan Xiao looked at the rain outside the window, "But I think, with this rain, it may not be held as scheduled. Rain on the Dragon Boat Festival, ghosts are prosperous and people are in trouble, um, not very good."
What do you mean by "ghosts bring disasters to people"? Lin Yang got goosebumps when he heard it. "National Master, what do you mean by "what did you find out when you observed the celestial phenomena at night?"
Tan Xiao: "No, it was just that my phone pushed the Level 3 flood emergency response."
Lin Yang: “…”
Lin Yang was stunned. "Please don't scare me, okay? I thought something bad was going to happen during the Dragon Boat Festival this year."
"That's not the case. Doesn't it rain often during the Dragon Boat Festival? I'm just afraid it will rain on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival." Although there is a custom of warding off evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, the proverb that Tan Xiao mentioned only means that heavy rain during the Dragon Boat Festival used to affect the harvest of crops and cause people to get sick. Now I don't have such worries, I'm just afraid it will affect the event.
"Well, what you said is true... the weather needs to be good. Let's see if the water level can recede by then." Lin Yang sighed. It was difficult to travel, but it was also good to have some fun locally. The Dragon Boat Festival holiday was only half a day.
The rain continued all night until the end of evening study.
The students leaving school rolled up their trouser legs to avoid getting their pants wet.
Zhu Dayong, a physical education teacher at Nanchu No. 1 Middle School, also rolled up his trouser legs and held an umbrella to take the bus. His home is next to Wansui Bridge, facing the Nanxi River, so it can be considered a "river view room."
If the rain stops, this section of water will also be the venue for the Nanchu Dragon Boat Race this year, and Zhu Dayong will be able to watch the race at home.
Zhu Dayong really hopes that the competition can be held successfully. His old house is also by the water. He has watched the dragon boat races held between villages at that time since he was a child. His mother hugged him on the shore and excitedly cheered for the team she supported.
Later, when he was an adult, he even joined the dragon boat team once, but there was no second time, and the competition was later stopped. But for Zhu Dayong, this is a happy festival that is no less than the Chinese New Year in his memory. Unlike later, eating some rice dumplings is considered a festival.
By this time the rain had stopped. Zhu Dayong walked back from the bus stop using the light from his cell phone. There were not many people on the road, only dim street lights.
"Hey, row!"
The shouts from afar made Zhu Dayong look up and to the side. This section of the river was wide, and even with the street lights one could not see far, but he could vaguely see that there seemed to be a boat passing by in the center of the river.
Zhu Dayong stopped in surprise and looked around for a few times, but still couldn't see clearly, "No way, is there still a team practicing dragon boats at this time?"
The rain has not been so heavy these days, but it has just stopped. Zhu Dayong remembered that the dragon boat race was resumed this year, and great emphasis was placed on safety. People were not allowed to go into the water unless they were in designated waters, and those who could not swim and did not wear life jackets were not allowed to go into the water, etc.
But there have been night ferry competitions in the past, and Zhu Dayong was not sure whether there were any regulations on the time period this time.
This scene has brought back memories for Zhu Dayong. Usually one month before the dragon boat race, the dragon boat team would start practicing. At that time, they even divided the boats into practice boats and competition boats. For Zhu Dayong, dragon boat practice in his childhood was also like a good performance.
But in fact, in the year when Zhu Dayong himself participated in the competition, everyone was not as hard-working in practice as he remembered, not to mention singing the Dragon Boat Song like this boat...
That should be the Dragon Boat Song, right?
Zhu Dayong couldn't help but walk towards the river so that he could hear it more clearly. The sound traveled far away on the river at night. It was not very beautiful but very powerful and regular.
"Dragon boats are beating to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, row over here, row fast--"
That's right. Zhu Dayong's mouth curled up when he heard it, and he thought of his childhood again.
There are not only rowers on a dragon boat. There is also a helmsman, also called a helmsman, who is the commander-in-chief; there are gong and drum players, who use drums to communicate... Even among the rowers, there are subdivided responsibilities. There are two rowers in each row, called a gear, and there are usually five gears, from the first gear, the second gear to the last gear. In addition to rowing, the rowers in each gear have other tasks, such as removing stagnant water, protecting the dragon head, etc.
Zhu Dayong was one of the rowers at that time.
Hearing this, he couldn't help but take out his phone and take a picture of the unclear river surface. He wanted to post a message to his friends: [I seemed to have met the dragon boat team practicing on the way home. This dragon boat song is full of childhood memories, my lost youth! ]
Published.
There was a reply soon.
[Teacher Zhu, I can’t see clearly]
Zhu Dayong replied: [It’s true that I can’t see clearly, haha. I only saw the shadow, but there was singing.]
The other party replied doubtfully: [No, it was not recorded? ]
"Huh?" Zhu Dayong opened his video again and watched it again. He found that for some reason, the sound was not recorded.
Do you want to record it again?
At this time, the dragon boat song on the river started again, but the version sung this time was a little different from what Zhu Dayong remembered.
"Old Azure Dragon, young Kirin, follow the flow and bring the Golden Phoenix."
"Don't worry if the cabin is full, and don't panic if the water is rising."
"Boatman, drummer, one more stop short..."
