I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 164 Son of the Governor
The entire twelfth lunar month was very lively.

People from Yanzhou visit relatives and friends, worship their ancestors and gods, and pray for blessings.

The streets were filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year, and shops began selling peach wood charms and red paper-cuts, which were bought by various families.

The sesame cakes smelled delicious, the aroma of fermented wine wafted from the tavern, and every household was rendering lard and frying fried dough twists.

With the year's farming season over, families from nearby villages flocked to the city to buy New Year's goods. The South and North Markets of Yanzhou City were bustling with activity, with shops displaying a dazzling array of signs: wine flags hanging in taverns, gourds tucked in front of pharmacies, and bolts of cloth displayed in fabric shops... It was a sight to behold.

Besides the South and North markets, other streets also naturally saw the formation of New Year's markets.

Jiang She finished a bowl of soup noodles at the tavern, which filled his stomach.

Mr. Liu happened to arrive as well, and as before, he asked the waiter to bring a pot of hot water and boil a large pot of piping hot tea to warm himself up.

I saw Jiang She finish his meal.

Mr. Liu greeted him, rubbing his hands together and exhaling cold air: "Young Master Jiang got up early today!"

Jiang She also laughed.

He was always the last person to get up in this neighborhood.

Mr. Liu smiled, his eyes narrowing.

"The day after tomorrow is Laba Festival, and porridge will be distributed everywhere. The five-flavor porridge at Puzhao Temple is the best, but unfortunately I won't be able to enjoy it. You might as well go and have a look."

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu said the same thing.

The four of them left as soon as they said they would.

They left the city in a horse-drawn carriage, stopping almost every day, leaving the driver, Yuan Danqiu, exhausted and covered in sweat.

Li Bai comforted him, and during the midday rest and meal, he specially picked out a larger piece of dry bread for Yuan Danqiu, while he ate mutton flatbread himself.

Yuan Danqiu stared at him.

He added, "Danqiu Zi, eat."

Yuan Danqiu put down the dry biscuit, rolled up the sleeves of his Taoist robe, and was about to have a good talk with Taibai, that scoundrel.

Not far away, someone who was also resting and eating chuckled.

The man also felt it was inappropriate, and smiled as he clasped his hands in apology to the others.

He then asked, "Are you all also going to Mount Tai?"

Jiang Shedao.

"Let's go to Puzhao Temple on the mountain to join in the fun."

The man was young, looking only seventeen or eighteen years old. He was dressed in fine clothes and riches, with more than a dozen servants following behind him. The carriage behind him looked like something only an official's family would have.

Hearing Jiang She speak, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"What a coincidence."

"I'm also going to Puzhao Temple, and it just so happens to be on my way. Why didn't you four bring any servants?"

His gaze fell upon the carriages and horses. A servant cost only twenty or thirty strings of cash; those who were literate or skilled in singing and dancing would be more expensive, sometimes costing a hundred strings. But judging from the clothes and carriages of these men, they didn't seem like people who couldn't afford them.

Why did he drive the carriage himself without bringing any servants?
They even brought a cat.

Li Bai glanced at him and also noticed the dozen or so servants behind him.

"There are no servants in the house."

That person was acting strangely.

Yuan Danqiu said from the side, "Doing everything yourself can be fun too."

The man didn't quite understand, but he just smiled.

"You all have a good sense of humor."

The group ate their meals separately, chatting briefly in between. Jiang She learned that this man's surname was Luo, he was the sixth son in his family, and he was studying at the Yanzhou Prefectural School. Next year, he would be going to study at the Imperial Academy. He had come to seek official recognition.

They then asked them what they had come to ask for.

Jiang She said, "I need some porridge."

Luo Liulang didn't understand.

Jiang She then said:
"I heard that every year on the Laba Festival, the monks of Puzhao Temple would cook a bowl of five-flavor porridge, which tastes quite good."

This is actually the Laba porridge of later generations. Now it is called five-flavor porridge or medicinal food, and it does not yet have the name Laba porridge. Monks in temples would use rice, millet, dates, and nuts donated by believers to cook porridge and share it with believers and the poor. It was believed to be able to dispel cold, nourish the body, ward off disasters, and prolong life.

Luo Liulang listened and asked:
"Are the four of you from the capital city?"

"Yes."

How could anyone travel hundreds of miles just for a monk's bowl of thin porridge?
After the carriage and the group of people had left, a servant called out to Luo Liulang. Luo Liulang snapped out of his reverie, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and said he had finished eating and had given the rest to the servants. "What are you thinking about, Liulang?"

Luo Liulang chuckled.

"These people didn't tell me the truth. They went to the temple to pray, asking for just a bowl of porridge. Who would believe that?"

He can understand it too.

"Why tell people the truth when you just happen to meet them on the street?"

The servants quickly ate a few bites of food in twos and threes. Luo Liulang rested for a while, then looked at the departing carriages and horses and said, "They didn't even bring any servants, and there was one wearing a Taoist robe. He must be a hermit."

The servant asked, "Does the young master wish to pay a visit?"

Luo Liulang shook his head.

"Why bother?"

“Those who live in seclusion in the mountains have always sought fame and fortune. My father is a prefect, so they must have missed out on me.”

On the carriage.

The people he was talking about were also chatting.

After Yuan Danqiu finished eating and drinking, he said, "That kid's family must be quite powerful. The Imperial Academy only accepts the sons and grandsons of officials of the fifth rank or above, both civil and military."

Apart from Yuan Danqiu, they weren't very interested in this kid surnamed Luo.

Jiang She didn't care much.

The old deer mountain god was the same; when he was young, there was no such thing as the imperial examination system down in the mountains. Li Bai recalled the young man's arrogance and didn't pay him much attention.

We traveled all the way to the foot of Mount Tai and arrived at Puzhao Temple.

Incense burned continuously in the temple.

The emperor finally left, Mount Tai was reopened to the public, and people could once again go up the mountain to gather firewood and visit the temples. In no time, the nearby mountain paths were almost worn down by the people of Yanzhou.

When they arrived, it was already the third day of Laba Festival.

The crowd was bustling, with people burning incense, fulfilling vows, eating and drinking for free, and just watching the excitement. It was quite a lively scene.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the monks distributing porridge.

Upon seeing Yuan Danqiu dressed in a Taoist robe, the monk was only slightly surprised. He stirred the pot with a spoon and filled the bowl.

Yuan Danqiu carried the bowl, which was noticeably full, back to Jiang She to claim credit.

"The monk saw that I was a Taoist priest, so he filled the bowl even more. Would you like this bowl, sir?"

Jiang She was eating porridge, and had already finished about half a bowl.

"that's enough."

It has a smooth and fragrant taste, and some of the rice may taste slightly stale, but it's enough to fill the stomachs of poor people.

Jiang She could also see that many people with tattered clothes were overjoyed to receive a bowl of thin porridge, bowing repeatedly to express their gratitude and drinking it with great relish.

Some people even licked the bowl clean after finishing the porridge, just to savor its flavor one last time.

They sat in a secluded spot, not taking up any space.

You can hear a lot of conversations, mostly about porridge, the Lunar New Year, and the morning bathing of the Buddha.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is also the day of Shakyamuni's enlightenment. Monks will boil fragrant herbs and sugar water to make bathing water to cleanse the statue of the prince. At that time, it is solemn and dignified, with continuous music and chanting of sutras in the temple.

Jiang She held the bowl of porridge and listened for a while.

Some people also said that the mountain was much stranger than before.

This time when I came to Mount Tai, I could still hear many other sounds, rustling and whispering.

Some people don't believe it.

"What kind of noise could there be in this cold weather? Even if there are wild beasts on the mountain, they're either frozen to death or hibernating."

An old woman standing nearby chimed in.

"that is!"

"I heard that the palace guards have cleared the mountain path several times. I think even if there were jackals or tigers, they would have been killed long ago."

The man spoke with great conviction.

“I really heard it! Something was really off when we were going up the mountain just now, like someone was talking.”

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)