There was an ox cart on the Wilderness.
It was an ordinary wooden cart. The wheels of the cart were slightly deformed after traveling for thousands of miles. It squeaked from time to time as it traveled on the hardened grassland. It shook up and down and left an invisible track. It passed through the soft grass and the ruts were deep. There were a few tiny fish jumping in the muddy water that seeped out.
The cow was an ordinary big yellow cow. Its legs and hooves were still strong even after traveling for thousands of miles. It walked on the slightly hard grassland and let out low moos from time to time. It moved up and down to feed on the grass, leaving a trace of grass that couldn't be seen. It passed through the soft grass and the ox's hooves were deep. There were a few white weeds lying in the shallow puddles.
It was an ordinary wooden cart on the official road of the Central Plains and an ordinary yellow ox in the fields of the Central Plains. However, it was unusual for them to appear in the Wilderness. If anyone could see this scene, they would find it very magical.
The person driving the ox cart was a scholar with straight eyebrows and wide eyes. The dusty journey had made the old cotton robe on his body look even older, but the expression on his face looked even more simple and amiable. For some reason, the pair of worn-out straw sandals on the single shaft had not fallen apart after walking on the road for more than a year. The water ladle on his waist swayed slightly with the rise and fall of the ox cart.
Suddenly, a song came from the ox cart.
"You always don't let me go home … It makes me worry so much … Yo yo."
The scholar driving the ox smiled and patted the back of the ox to signal it to stop. Then he turned to the carriage behind him and said, "Headmaster, do you want to go home?"
The curtain was lifted. A tall, gray-haired old man walked out. He rubbed his waist and stretched his arms. Looking at the boundless Wilderness, he said angrily, "I've been out for more than a year, but I've been wandering around in these desolate places with nothing to eat and nothing to play. Who doesn't want to go back to Chang 'an?"
The old man was the Headmaster, so the scholar was naturally the Eldest Brother of the Academy.
The Eldest Brother smiled and helped the Headmaster get off the cart. Then he took out a low stool from the cart and asked the Headmaster to sit down. He comforted him and said, "It's good to see the scenery along the way."
The Headmaster was very tall. He sat on the low stool and the hem of his cotton robe covered the stool completely. It looked like he was squatting on the grassland and looked a little funny.
The Headmaster said unhappily, "What scenery is there to see? The Hot Sea is really frozen. I can't even take a hot spring bath! "
"Although we can't bathe in a hot spring, at least we can eat peony fish." The eldest senior brother comforted him.
There was a sea in the Cold Region of the Far North, and there was a volcano at the bottom of the sea. It was not frozen all year round, so it was called the Hot Sea. In the depths of the Hot Sea, there was a fish named Peony. It was described as plump and tender. If it was cut vertically with a knife, each piece of fish would look like a Peony.
Perhaps only people like the Headmaster and his disciple would know about this.
Hearing the words "peony fish", the Headmaster stroked his long beard and nodded in agreement. He said, "Child, I can't agree more with you. As long as there is a peony fish in the stomach, any long and arduous journey will be worth it."
The Eldest Senior Brother took out a kitchen knife, a chopping board, and a bucket. He held the ice in his hand and melted the fat and tender Peony Fish inside. When the fish had melted to seventy percent, he held the knife and began to cut it raw.
The Headmaster looked at the peony fish that was still fresh on the chopping board. He stroked his beard and praised, "Food must be fresh and rare to taste good. If this fish was not only found in the Hot Sea of the Far North, how could it be so delicious after being sandwiched by the cold and heat? How could it make people feel the beauty of eating for thousands of miles? "
The Eldest Brother smiled and did not reply. He focused on cutting. The peony fish was extremely fat and tender. Even a sharp kitchen knife could not cut into the skin without messing it up. He cut very slowly and carefully. There seemed to be no distance between the two cuts. However, when he lifted the knife, there was already a layer of white fish that was as thin as a cicada's wing.
"If it's a river fish, you can't cut it too thin. If it's too thin, it will lose its taste. But the peony fish is found in the deep sea and its meat is very elastic. The thinner the better. Child, you have basically mastered some of the principles of the world these years."
The Headmaster shook his head and praised. He took out soy sauce, a green seasoning, and ginger juice with his left hand and poured them into a bowl. His right hand reached to the chopping board and picked up the thin white fish with his index and middle fingers. He swung it in the bowl like a koi fish swinging its tail and quickly sent it into his mouth.
The Headmaster closed his eyes to enjoy it as he chewed. His expression was as sweet as the peony fish in his mouth. After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at the kitchen knife on the chopping board. He said hurriedly, "Faster, faster."
The Eldest Brother smiled. His hands did not speed up at all. He still cut slowly and meticulously.
The Headmaster could not wait any longer. He took the kitchen knife from his hand and sighed. "You are good at everything, but you always do things slowly. I am so worried."
The Eldest Brother explained respectfully, "I am not talented, so I always like to think more before doing things."
"You have to learn from Mo in this aspect. Think when you should think, and don't think when you shouldn't."
"Second Brother is so talented that I can't compare with him."
"If he heard you say that, wouldn't he be ashamed to death like he was when he was young?"
The Headmaster's knife moved like the wind. In just a moment, the chopping board was filled with snowflake-like slices of fish. It really looked like a blooming white peony.
The remaining fish bones and internal organs were wrapped in a layer of film and looked as beautiful as a piece of amber.
The Second Brother was free at this time, so he went into the carriage and took two pairs of chopsticks. After the Headmaster was satisfied, he picked up a few pieces of peony fish and carefully tasted it. Then he sent the amber-like fish bones and internal organs to the mouth of the big yellow bull.
It was natural for the big yellow bull to eat grass, but … this big yellow bull ate fish. It opened its mouth and swallowed it. It chewed and shook its head from time to time, looking extremely happy.
The Headmaster was holding a small wine pot and slowly sipped. He suddenly saw this scene and could not help but scold, "The bull chewed on the peony! What a waste! How can fish be eaten like this! "
After saying this, the Headmaster took out another precious peony fish from the ice bucket. He rolled up his cotton sleeves and the kitchen knife rose and fell. In a moment, a pile of white peony like fish appeared on the chopping board.
The Headmaster used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of peony fish, dipped it in some seasoning, and threw it into the mouth of the big yellow bull.
The Headmaster did not mean that the big yellow bull was spoiling things by eating the peony fish, but that the way it was eating it was spoiling things because it could not taste the peony fish.
The big yellow bull chewed two mouthfuls and was stunned at first. Then two lines of tears flowed down from the corner of its eyes. It then began to shake its head, bouncing its front hooves and mooing.
The Eldest Brother hesitated and asked, "Headmaster, is it happy or spicy?"
The Headmaster said, "Of course it's happy."
The Eldest Brother thought that the Headmaster's words were always right, so he took the chopsticks and continued to feed the big yellow bull the peony fish.
…
…
Even the Desolate Man could not survive in the cold region of the Far North. However, this big yellow cow could pull a carriage around and come back safe and sound. Moreover, it was still so strong. Of course, it was not an ordinary big yellow cow. Therefore, it was not difficult to understand that it ate fish and not grass.
The Eldest Brother washed the chopsticks and bowls, then sat on the shaft and stared at the south for a while. He said, "I wonder how the Academy is doing now and how much the Desolate Man's southward impact will be."
The Headmaster sat cross-legged on the ox cart and read a book. He answered casually, "We'll know when we get back."
The Eldest Brother smiled and looked at the Headmaster. He said, "I'm very curious about who entered the Second floor."
The Headmaster looked at the page and said with his head down, "If you want to know, you can go and see for yourself."
The Eldest Brother shook his head and said, "It's too far. We can't go back anytime soon."
After saying this, he suddenly stood up and looked at the north of the grassland with a very clean smile on his face.
There was a row of very tall black shadows. Looking closely, they were the Snowfield Direwolves that were forced to go south with the Desolate Man in the cold region of the far north. Hundreds of giant wolves lined up like soldiers and their huge figures gave people a great sense of pressure. However, neither the Headmaster nor he had much reaction.
On the contrary, the Snowfield Direwolves reacted very strangely. To them, the big yellow bull from the Central Plains was as rare as the peony fish and must be delicious. However, for some reason, the Snowfield Direwolves, who were known for their ferocity and killing, did not pounce on them. Instead, they all let out shrill cries and retreated in fear, as if they had sensed a terrifying aura that was far beyond their imagination.
This group of Snowfield Direwolves was the one that fought with the Tang siblings at the mountain pass. The skinny male wolf led the beautiful female wolf away from the rest of the pack and slowly walked towards the ox cart. When they were about a few hundred steps away from the ox cart, the ordinary male wolf stopped and didn't dare to move forward anymore.
The skinny ordinary male wolf looked at the ox cart and seemed very excited. Its body trembled slightly and it squatted back, raising its two front paws, looking like a human student saluting to his teacher.
The Eldest Brother looked at the male wolf and said in surprise, "Teacher, isn't this the wolf from seven years ago? They are actually married. "
The Headmaster smiled and did not say anything.
The Eldest Brother glanced at the Headmaster and found that the Headmaster did not object. He left the ox cart and walked a few steps towards the ordinary male wolf. He pointed to the northwest of the grassland and said, "Don't continue to the south. There are too many people there. Go that way and there will be a large piece of coniferous forest in another 250 miles."
The ordinary male wolf waved its front paws to salute and bent down to touch its head on the ground for a long time. Then it stood up and looked at the ox cart reluctantly. With a sad howl, it led its wife and subordinates to the northwest.
"Let's go back to Chang 'an."
The Headmaster rolled up his book, lifted the curtain and walked into the ox cart.
The Second Brother turned his head and looked at the meadow in the distance with a smile. He sat on the shaft and patted the ox's back.
The ox cart creaked and went south.
…
…
Looking at the ox cart gradually disappearing at the end of the grassland, Tang Xiaotang stood up with the sleeping snow wolf cub in her arms. Her face was full of confusion. After a long time, she murmured, "This … is the Headmaster?"
Tang stood beside her and looked at the rut left on the grassland. He nodded.
Tang Xiaotang shook her head. She felt that the gluttonous old man was completely different from the Headmaster she had imagined.
After a moment of silence, Tang said, "I wanted to see if there was a Lucky Chance for you to become the Headmaster's disciple. But since the Headmaster did not say anything, it means that the Lucky Chance is not here yet. We will talk about it in the future."
Tang Xiaotang asked in surprise, "You mean the Headmaster knows that we are peeping here?"
Tang turned around and walked down the meadow. He said, "Since he is the Headmaster, he naturally knows everything."
…
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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