In the years of ancient traders

On the morning of New Year's Eve, before Song Shu opened his eyes, he heard the noise outside.

"Well, what's the matter?"

No one answered him, and Song Anan was not in the room either.Song Shu got up, his hair was messed up like a chicken coop, his head drooped, and he was about to fall asleep again.The door of the house was blown open a crack, and the cold wind poured in, Song Shu shivered.

woke up.

"Look, this is butter hot pot, this is bone soup, it's all made by my elder brother." Song Shu tidied up and opened the door to go out, only to see Ah Xiao, Tan Li, Qilang and Liu Niang from the village head's house. yard.

Yesterday, after he cooked the bottom of the butter pot and the bone soup, he put both big pots in the yard and kept them frozen in the natural refrigerator.At this moment, Liu Niang opened the lid a little and showed it to Ah Xiao and Tan Li.

"We're going to eat this tonight, it's delicious." Liu Niang said.

She has a kind of blind trust in Song Shu, as long as it is made by her elder brother, it will be delicious no matter whether she has tasted it or not.

"What's a delicious way?" Tan Li asked when Ah Xiao was drooling.

"Just, it's very fresh!" Liu Niang said.

"What kind of fresh method?" Tan Li asked again.

Liu Niang was at a loss for words, and after thinking for a long time, she couldn't say anything. She looked around and saw Song Shu coming out, and immediately asked for help: "Brother, brother, what's a new way to use hot pot?"

This question really stumped Song Shu.

The taste of hot pot is really varied. In a word, it is delicious.The word delicious is too general, if it is more specific, it will be addictive.Addictingly delicious.But how to explain it to these children who have never eaten hot pot?Song Shu had a headache.

"Gluck cluck cluck..."

He caught a glimpse of Song Anan who was feeding chickens at the corner, and suddenly had an idea.

He knelt down and asked Tan Li and A Xiao: "Look, is Brother Anang cold and expressionless?"

Tan Li and Ah Xiao nodded.

Song Shu said again: "But when you eat hot pot, Brother Anang, you have a rich expression, you can cry and laugh, and you can exhale while shouting that it's so spicy, so spicy, and then keep eating. Tell me, isn't it very spicy?" tasty?"

Tan Li and Ah Xiao looked at Song Anan, he fed the chicken expressionlessly, clapped his hands after feeding, turned around and left, not missing the group of yellow and fluffy chicks that had just been bought.

Tan Li and Ah Xiao nodded vigorously.

The hot pot is really delicious, so delicious that Brother Anang, who is expressionless, can cry and laugh.

Unknowingly, Song Anan walked into the kitchen, where there were two copper pots that had just been delivered two days ago.This thing cost Song Shu a lot of money.There is a big chimney in the middle of it, and the bottom is like a small stove. Charcoal fire can be put in through the chimney, and poured out from the stove after burning.Outside the chimney is a circle of pots. Song Shu said that this copper pot is used for hot pot.

Why can't we eat New Year's Eve dinner at night?Song Anan suddenly felt that this kind of habit is not advisable, it is good to eat at noon, you can eat until night.

In the evening, Song Shu scooped a large spoonful of boiled spicy butter into the bottom of the pot, and scooped several spoonfuls of beef bone soup until the copper pot was full.

The bottom of the pot was served on the table, beef tripe and various vegetables were placed on the whole table, Liu Niang turned around the table excitedly, and asked Song Shu when the meal would be ready, Song Anan leaned against the door with arms folded, staring at the room without blinking Hot pot on the middle table.

"Brother, is this cooked?" Liu Niang picked up a piece of meat that was still glowing red.

At the beginning, she would ask if the meat slices were cooked or not, and how to adjust the sauce, but then she had no time to talk at all, and stuffed the meat piece by piece into her mouth.After eating, I yelled that it was so spicy, so I took a sip of soy milk and continued to stuff it.

Song Anan ate his head sullenly, his face turned red.

Sanniang couldn't accept the spicy pot, so Song Shu made another beef bone soup, and Cheng Erniang and Song He also ate the pot.

"Brother, don't eat clear soup, spicy hot pot is delicious!" Liu Niang herself was so hot that she kept saying that she even boiled a piece of spicy beef and wanted to stuff it into Song Qilang's mouth.

Qilang was only four years old, how could he bear this, and was stopped by Sanniang with chopsticks.

"Eat yours well." Sanniang said.

Liu Niang didn't dare to do it again, and concentrated on stuffing meat into her mouth.In addition to beef tripe, Song Shu also made garlic and bean sprouts. There are not many tricks in winter, so he tried his best.In the eyes of outsiders, these two dishes are also treasures that are priced like gold, but in Liu Niang's place where they eat every day, they are just two dishes of air.

With the experience of this night, Liu Niang was very proud, and the next day she blew it to Ah Xiao and Tan Li, and later the adults in the village heard about it.Song Shu walked around the village, and people would ask him from time to time, would they have a chance to try the hot pot?

"Of course." Song Shu said.

"When?" those people asked.

Song Shu smiled without saying a word, which made those people's hearts itch even more.

On the first day of junior high school, he went to his family, and on the second day of junior high school, he went to Yue's house. Song Shu had agreed with Mr. Chu and Mr. Fu that he would visit him in the third junior high school.Early this morning, he took Song Anan to the city in a mule cart.

Mr. Fu was very happy to see him, and he said a lot, long and short, that he stayed with Song Shu for dinner, but it was not easy for Song Shu to go to the city, and he had to go to Chu's hometown next time, so he didn't stay.

Chu's house is located at the entrance of Jinxiufang, so it is easy to get in and out, and you can come out from the square to the bustling street.

The so-called squares here are different from the one hundred and eight squares in the concept of Song Shu, they are just alleys where people live.Those that can be opened to traffic are called squares, and those that can only pass people are called alleys.

Mr. Chu likes to be quiet, and there are not many people who come to pay New Year's greetings here in Chu's house, and many half-baked people are blocked by the porter.Song Shu was led in by the housekeeper himself, and within two steps, he saw Chu Ning running towards him.

"What's wrong?" Song Shu was taken aback, there were tears on Chu Ning's face.

Chu Ning wiped his face and said, "Ah Weng wants to sell the house."

Sell ​​the house?Why sell a well-lived place?Song Shu also became nervous for no reason, has something happened to the Chu family?He dragged Chu Ning in quickly, and the butler quickly followed.

"Song Silang is here." Entering the front hall, there was a peaceful scene. Mr. Chu sat in the main seat, and the butler invited Song Shu to the guest seat, "Ning'er, go and wipe your face." He reminded Chu Ning that there will be a servant girl immediately. The mother-in-law took him to wash his face behind.

"I heard from Chu Ning that you want to sell the house?" After a few pleasantries, Song Shu asked, "But what happened?"

When Mr. Chu heard this, he laughed instead, and comforted Song Shu not to be nervous, nothing happened.

"I'm getting old, and I want Ye Luo to return to my roots, so I want to sell this place back to my hometown in Jianghuai. The child Chu Ning has been with me since he was a child, and he wants to go when he knows I'm leaving, but he can't bear you as a master." Chu said , "I heard that he works as a helper in your steamed bun shop, which is very good, and he likes it too."

"Have you decided to leave?" Song Shu asked.This incident was indeed quite sudden, and few people mentioned moving during the Chinese New Year.

"Yeah, once this year is over, I will be one year older again. If I don't go back, I don't know if I will be able to return." Chu Lao smiled. At his age, he has experienced the ups and downs of the court, and his wealth and power have long been overlooked. , I just want to close my eyes and go back to my hometown, and take another look at the yard where I grew up.

"Song Silang," after a moment of silence, Mr. Chu said again, "It's a good day today. I'll show you around this house."

With that said, he got up, leaning on crutches and took Song Shu for a walk.

The house has three entrances, front and back, and is very large. There is also a man-made landscape in the inner courtyard, which has the flavor of a Soviet-style garden.Walking along the gravel road, Song Shu listened to Mr. Chu talking about the flowers and plants planted in the yard.

"It's a pity that it's winter now, and there's nothing in full bloom except wintersweet. If it's spring and summer, the flowers and plants in this yard can make you overwhelmed." Mr. Chu took him to the sunniest gentle slope in the yard. , there are a few bamboo poles inserted on it, it should be a plant trellis, with vines climbing on it.

"A few years ago, when I was in the imperial capital, an envoy from the West gave it to me. He gave me a large bag of seeds. Unfortunately, I don't know how to plant them, so I only survived these few plants." Mr. Chu said, "This flower It's very wonderful, it's green, and it's not in full bloom, but small, round, spike-shaped flower buds, many of which can be formed on one plant."

Song Shu glanced at the vine, but didn't recognize it.It's winter now, and I can't see the flowers. After saying a few words, Mr. Chu took Song Shu to see the rockery again.

The Chu family's house is really nice, spacious and bright, and the garden has been meticulously maintained.After this circle, Song Shu kept thinking about one thing.When they returned to the front hall, Song Shu asked, "Old man, since your house is going to be sold, can you sell it to me?"

"You? You want to move to the county seat?" Mr. Chu was surprised.

"To be honest, your place is in a good location, quiet amidst the noise. I don't want to live here, but do some small business." Song Shu said.

"The business you want to do is never small." Chu Lao smiled, "Can you tell me what kind of business it is?"

Song Shu touched his nose: "It's probably a restaurant or something."

Song Silang is going to open a restaurant.

I don't know where the news leaked from. The day after Song Shu bought Chu's house, the news swept the streets and alleys of Datu County like a gust of wind.

"The one sold by Song Silang is definitely not an ordinary thing."

"I don't know what it is?"

"Don't worry about scallion pancakes. If he comes to sell them, how can we have any business?"

"About something new."

"I heard that Wanghailou has sent people to investigate. Mr. Chu's house is so big, and the restaurant he opened is completely comparable to Wanghailou. My cousin is there as a waiter. He said that their young master heard the news and dropped the teacups." gone."

"So exaggerated?"

"That's right, Wanghailou owes its popularity to Song Silang. If Song Silang also came to open the restaurant, what hope do they have?"

The streets and alleys of the county town are full of rumors.

Wanghailou did send someone there, but it was to give back gifts, and of course congratulated Song Shu by the way.It's just that no one knows what he wants to open this Chu residence.

The young man has been staying at her house for six days.

Zhou's daughter-in-law came back from the river with her freshly washed clothes. The young man who came on New Year's Eve was sitting on the big rock by the courtyard, holding a bamboo sign in his hand.She knew the bamboo card, it was given to everyone by Song Shu during the shooting of the golden fruit, and the strange symbols engraved on it seemed to be numbers.It's just that most of you can't read, let alone have seen such symbols, and don't know what the numbers are.

That young man must have never been to Xianghe Village, he didn't know where he got the bamboo card, and he held it in his hand every day, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

Zhou's daughter-in-law put away the dried clothes and started to dry the clothes she just washed today.

As soon as the two items were hung, the young man came in and asked, "Aunt Zhou, do you know which yard Song Silang lives in?"

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Thank you for your support, okay~