Entertainment starting from the windy place

Chapter 199 The bright moon shines on the ditch

The sky was high and the clouds were light. The sunlight was filtered through the leaves of the sycamore trees, and it spread a layer of gold on the old stone road.

An electric car shuttles through the streets and alleys of the ancient city, where there are Bai people's houses with gray tiles and white walls, carved and painted wooden doors and windows, weaving shops where tourists gather, and coffee shops and bookstores hidden in the alleys, a mixture of bustle and tranquility.

"Woohoo~~"

With the wind blowing in her face, Su Qingya in the back seat let out a cry of satisfaction.

Hu Youyu glanced at the rearview mirror and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

Su Qingya opened her hands to feel the shape of the wind and said, "When I first arrived here, I liked the wind here the most. Now that I'm leaving, I still can't get tired of it."

Hu Youyu chuckled, "I know, it was Chen Mo who drove Aunt Agui's electric tricycle to pick you up."

Su Qingya recalled it and smiled knowingly, "Oh yes, you were there at that time, too. You were going to perform there. I think you invited me to come to the ancient city with you."

Hu Youyu shrugged and said, "Yes, you said you would do it another day, but I didn't expect to change it to the day before you were leaving."

Su Qingya smiled, "Don't blame me. You asked someone out on your first date. Most people would decline."

"Like this?"

"Of course, you're performing in a bar. What if you're a bartender and want to defraud money?"

Hu Youyu blinked, "Shouldn't you be afraid that I'm cheating on you?"

Su Qingya said seriously: "It's okay to cheat in feelings, but it's really not okay to cheat in money."

Hu You was speechless and said regretfully: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Su Qingya asked with a smile: "What if I told you earlier?"

"You should have said it earlier." Hu Youyu paused deliberately.

Su Qingya had a smile on her face and waited for what was to come with great interest.

"I should have explained it to you earlier. I am a serious professional. It's not okay to cheat on someone's feelings, but I will never cheat on their money."

Hu Youyu pretended to be helpless and covered it up with a joke.

Su Qingya didn't seem to notice anything wrong, she just nodded and said, "I have to try it before I can believe it."

Hu Youyu sighed: "My uninhibited temperament is indeed always misunderstood, but in fact I am very conservative in love. Those who know me know that under my seemingly attractive appearance, I hide a loyal heart."

Su Qingya chuckled, "Teacher Hu, I have actually heard about some of your deeds."

"Ah?" Hu Youyu suddenly felt something was wrong.

Su Qingya suppressed her smile and said, "I know you have been trying very hard to attract people, but it seems that it never goes smoothly."

"Uh, haha, that's just that I felt it was inappropriate after getting to know it."

Hu Youyu smiled awkwardly and changed the subject: "We've been walking around for so long, let's go eat something."

After saying that, Hu Youyu drove Su Qingya through the ancient city of "Nine Streets and Eighteen Alleys" and came to a busy snack street.

There are various pushcart stalls along the street, with freshly baked flower cakes, large and affordable old-fashioned bread, rose milk boiling in ceramic pots, roasted browned bait blocks, steaming glutinous rice cakes, sour and spicy pounded chicken feet, freshly squeezed corn juice, fried potatoes, and roasted sweet potatoes. The aroma is sour and refreshing.

The two parked the car and walked along the way, carrying several bags of food in their hands.

Then, Hu Youyu took Su Qingya to sit down in a small grilled tofu shop.

The store is not big, with only two large ovens. Customers sit around the ovens and choose what they want to eat. The boss charges by corn kernels, 50 cents per kernel.

Su Qingya found this pricing method novel.

Seeing this, Hu Youyu smiled and said, "Have you ever eaten tofu with paste before?"

Su Qingya nodded, "I bought one when I came to the market before, but it wasn't priced like this."

"Try the tofu here, it's different from other places."

Hu Youyu greeted and picked up a piece for Su Qingya.

Under the slow fire of charcoal, the goose-white tofu turns golden. When you bite it, the skin is crispy and not burnt, while the inside has the fluid texture of tofu pudding. Paired with Yunnan's special dipping sauce, it is sour, spicy and fragrant, making you unable to stop.

"Hmm!" Su Qingya took a bite and her eyes lit up.

"Is it delicious?"

"Well, this dipping sauce contains Houttuynia cordata. I like it."

Su Qingya nodded, "I thought the coated tofu tasted good before, but the one here is definitely different."

The shop owner who was flipping tofu on the grill heard this and said with a smile: "We use Shiping tofu, while most shops and stalls outside use Jianshui tofu."

Su Qingya heard this and asked curiously, "Is there any difference?"

The lady boss said: "Whether the tofu is good or not depends on how well the gypsum is placed. The tofu in Yunnan is different from that in other places. We don't use brine or gypsum to make the tofu, but we use the unique plant Physalis here. Plus the water here is good, so the tofu is naturally delicious."

"The most famous ones are the tofu from Jianshui and Shiping. The methods of making the two are similar. Jianshui tofu is more famous, but I personally think that Shiping tofu tastes better."

Su Qingya recalled: "I remember eating a kind of yellow tofu before, which was also delicious when fried with ham. Is that the same kind?"

"That's the yellow tofu from Tangtang, which is dyed with turmeric."

The lady boss said with a smile: "One of the eighteen strange things in Yunnan is selling tofu tied with hemp rope."

Su Qingya was puzzled, "Selling it while tied up?"

"After the Tangtang tofu is cooked with turmeric, it will be tied with hemp ropes to dry out faster and prevent spoilage." The proprietress is very talkative. "The buyer chooses one of the strings, and the owner cuts it off with scissors and lets the buyer take it away in a string."

On both sides of the stone-paved streets, you can see golden tofu hanging from the eaves of tiled houses everywhere. It is the unique scenery of Tangtang.

But we didn't talk for long, as the proprietress continued to busy herself with greeting other customers.

Su Qingya asked Hu Youyu curiously, "What are the 18 strange things in Yunnan that the boss lady mentioned just now?"

"The Eighteen Oddities of Yunnan are a popular saying about the local geography, features, customs and folkways of Yunnan. There are many versions."

Hu Youyu picked out a few popular ones and told them to Su Qingya. They included "eggs skewered on grass and sold", "rice is called bait", "grasshoppers can be eaten as a snack", and "four bamboo rats in a sack". These were all about local specialties.

There are also sayings such as "wear the same clothes for all four seasons", "the sun rises in the east and sets in the west", and "three mosquitoes share a dish", which describe the climate and environment.

Yunnan is located in the subtropical plateau. It is spring-like all year round, but the temperature difference between day and night is large, so the clothes you wear in all seasons are similar. However, because it is mountainous, the weather is often different every ten miles, and there are many mosquitoes, needless to say.

"There are also folk customs such as 'a girl calling an old lady' and 'falling in love while carrying a baby on one's back'."

Su Qingya was puzzled and asked, "The first ones are easy to understand, but why are there these last two?"

Hu Youyu smiled and explained: "In the local dialect, the word '嬢' and '娘' are not differentiated, so the word '少女' becomes '姑' and '孃', which means old lady."

"As for 'dating while carrying a child', it refers to the custom of some ethnic minorities in the past that 'the bride does not live with her husband's family', which means that after marriage, the bride continues to live in her own home, and only after giving birth will she move back to her husband's home with her husband."

Su Qingya smiled in surprise and said, "So it's not just marriage first and then love, but having a baby first and then love?"

"That was in the old days when arranged marriages were common. It's rare now." Hu Youyu shrugged. "Anyway, some of the 18 weird things in Yunnan are outdated, and some are new creations in recent years."

"Like what the boss lady just said, 'Tofu tied with hemp ropes' should be a local slogan to promote Tangtang tofu."

"There are also things like 'the lake is called the sea' and 'stones grow beyond the clouds', which are used to promote the Erhai Lake and Stone Forest scenic spots."

Su Qingya understood after hearing this.

After they finished eating, Hu Youyu took Su Qingya to the bar where he performed to listen to music.

The bright moon is like frost, the wind is like water, and the scenery is endless.

On the way back, the two walked on the quiet village road.

Su Qingya asked casually: "Teacher Hu, how long have you been here?"

Hu Youyu thought for a moment and said, "For me, it's been about two or three years."

"Have you been performing in the ancient city?"

Hu Youyu nodded, "I like this, and I only know this."

Su Qingya nodded slightly, "No wonder you are so familiar with the ancient city. You can find your way around all the alleys."

After being driven around the alleys by Hu Youyu for an entire afternoon, Su Qingya once again appreciated the different scenery of the ancient city.

Hu Youyu smiled and said, "I just like to ride a small motorcycle around when I have nothing to do every day."

The two walked to the gate of the courtyard, and Su Qingya turned around and said, "Anyway, thank you for today. I had a lot of fun."

Hu Youyu looked at the person in front of him. She was wearing the same white dress as when they first met. Even the moonlight seemed a little dim at this moment.

"Then let's go in quickly."

Su Qingya smiled, turned around and pushed the door.

"Qingya."

"Ok?"

Su Qingya turned around and looked at Hu Youyu in confusion.

Hu Youyu exhaled lightly and said seriously, "I like you."

Su Qingya was stunned when she heard this.

Hu Youyu quickly added: "I don't mean anything else, I just want you to know."

Su Qingya reacted, curved her eyebrows, and said softly: "Okay, I got it."

Hu Youyu explained incoherently: "Well, I know, it seems a bit rash for me to say this now, you may not believe it, although I usually seem a bit out of tune, but..."

"I believe."

Hu Youyu was stunned. "Ah?"

Su Qingya replied seriously: "I have no reason to doubt your feelings."

"Then..." Hu Youyu couldn't help but show anticipation in his eyes.

Su Qingya pursed her lips and said softly: "But I can't respond to your feelings."

Hu Youyu subconsciously asked: "Why?"

Su Qingya blinked, "Is it impossible to refuse a confession?"

Hu Youyu quickly waved his hands, "Of course not, that's not what I meant."

Su Qingya smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I don't have any plans to fall in love in the short term."

Hu Youyu asked tentatively: "Is it because of your last relationship?"

"To be honest, it's just because of the trouble." Su Qingya shrugged casually, "But if you say it's because of the pain of the previous relationship, if this reason is more acceptable to you, you can also think so."

Hu Youyu opened his mouth, not knowing what to feel for a moment.

It can be said that it is a setback, but it is not his personal reason for being rejected. It sounds like it is just the wrong time, not that there is no hope from now on, and it doesn't seem that sad.

But the person is leaving tomorrow, and this hope suddenly becomes slim.

Hu Youyu's mind was in a mess. When he came to his senses, Su Qingya had already gone in.

Hu Youyu shook his head and walked into the yard with mixed feelings. He was about to go upstairs, but suddenly he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye and was startled.

"Come on, what are you doing here?"

On a moonlit night, Chen Mo sat there, took out a erhu from somewhere, closed his eyes, and sang in an old opera style:
"I wanted to turn my heart to the bright moon, but the moon only shines on the ditch. The fallen flowers wanted to follow the flowing water, but the flowing water had no intention of lingering on the fallen flowers."

Hu Youyu: “.”

(End of this chapter)