Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The village at the foot of the mountain is also decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the festive atmosphere is getting stronger.

The bread cart in front of Li Shoucheng's house was decorated with big red flowers, making it look very festive.

Li Shoucheng stood by the car, speechless. "What's the point of hanging a red flower on this?"

His wife, Wang Xiulan, stood with her hands on her hips, saying confidently, "It's a festive occasion!"

Li Shoucheng said, "But this isn't our own car."

Wang Xiulan said, "We hung it for Taoist Master Cheng."

Li Shouchang was speechless: "I still need to pick up my son. How am I supposed to drive if you leave this hanging?"

Li Shoucheng's son works on the coast and needs to come home for the Spring Festival.

Wang Xiulan then remembered and slapped her thigh: "Oh dear, I forgot!"

She quickly ran over and took the big red flower off.

Li Shouchang shook his head, opened the car door, got in, started the car, and drove away.

......

Xiangxi, Zhangjiajie.

It was already dark when the train arrived at the station.

Cheng Mo and Xia He walked out of the station. The streets were bustling with activity, with colorful lights hanging everywhere, flashing on and off. The trees on both sides of the road were wrapped with colorful ribbons, and every few steps you could see the slogan "Happy Chinese New Year".

Xia He looked around and said, "I've never been out to play during the Spring Festival before."

Cheng Mo said, "I don't have any either."

Xia He blinked: "So this is our first time?"

Cheng Mo was silent for two seconds: "...Your choice of words is strange."

Xia He rolled her eyes at him: "Little Taoist priest, you've been corrupted by me."

Cheng Mo replied, "You do have some self-awareness."

Xia He chuckled twice: "Ha, men, don't I know you too well?"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment: "In a sense..."

Xia He waited a moment, then asked, "Hmm?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "Never mind, forget I said anything."

He felt he shouldn't be too hard on himself.

under night.

In early 2007, Zhangjiajie didn't have as many neon lights as it does now.

The night sky was clear and the stars were visible. The distant mountains were dark and shadowy, with a few lights dotting the landscape.

The two chose a hotel to stay in. This place had only been developed for tourism a few years ago, and it was also the Spring Festival, so there were very few tourists, and the hotel prices were drastically reduced.

Unlike later generations, when the Spring Festival became a peak tourist season, these popular tourist destinations were so crowded that even old and run-down guesthouses were hard to find, let alone hotels.

In the days that followed, the two explored the entire western Hunan region.

On the grand stage of Charming Xiangxi, the Tujia Baishou Dance was performed with deafening force, and the grass skirts of the Maogusi Dance swung with a rustling sound. Xia He watched with great joy, while Cheng Mo watched with yawns.

……

The cable car in the forest park swayed and rose slowly, and the peaks of Tianzi Mountain emerged from the sea of ​​clouds, one by one, like giant stone pillars.

Xia He leaned against the window, her mouth never stopping: "Little Taoist, look at that one, doesn't it look like an elephant? Doesn't that one look like an eagle?"

Cheng Mo looked in the direction she pointed, but couldn't see anything.

Xia He added, "This kind of landscape is only similar to Yellowstone National Park in the United States!"

Cheng Mo nodded vigorously: "You've got a good eye for picking places. Now we're officially on our way to Yellowstone National Park."

……

The cave in Tianmen Mountain is located halfway up the mountain, as if it was smashed open by something falling from the sky.

Xia He pulled Cheng Mo up 999 steps, and they were still full of energy when they reached the top.

The wind was strong on the other side of the cave, blowing hair wildly. Xia He stood at the cave entrance taking pictures, her eyes squinting with laughter.

……

Furong Town is built next to a waterfall. At night, the lights come on and the water gurgles.

The two walked along the stone-paved path, passing a shop selling ginger candy, a stall selling cured meat, and a stilted house with red lanterns hanging on it.

Wherever they went, Xia He would take out her phone and call Duo Duo.

"Duoduo! Let me tell you, this mountain looks like a giant peach!"

"Sister, that waterfall is making such a loud noise!"

"Duoduo, I sent you a postcard, did you receive it?"

Duoduo was so happy on the other end of the line that she kept shouting.

At this point, Cheng Mo would lean over and ask, "Duo Duo, did you miss your senior brother?"

Duo Duo nodded vigorously: "I want to! I really want to!"

Then, Xia He snatched the phone away.

......

In Fenghuang Ancient Town.

Cheng Mo and Xia He chose a clean and well-maintained guesthouse with a good view to stay in.

After completing the formalities, the two strolled hand in hand through the ancient city. Red lanterns hung on the streets, and some houses had red couplets pasted on their doors.

Xia He took a walk around and found something strange.

Some families are busily preparing for the New Year, with people slaughtering pigs, making rice cakes, and grinding tofu, all working up a lively atmosphere.

But some places seemed deserted, and the people preparing for the New Year looked indifferent, as if they didn't care about the New Year at all.

After wandering around, we returned to the guesthouse, where the owner was also preparing for the Lunar New Year.

Xia He leaned closer and asked, "Boss, I see some families here aren't planning on celebrating the New Year or what? It's all very quiet."

The shopkeeper chuckled and explained, "You mean this? Well, there are many ethnic groups here, and their customs are different. Those quiet places are probably Miao people; they celebrate the Miao New Year but not the Han Chinese Spring Festival."

Xia He asked curiously, "And what about you guys?"

The boss said, "We Tujia people don't actually celebrate the Han Chinese New Year. We call this 'Guo Gan Nian' (meaning 'rushing to celebrate the New Year')."

Xia He blinked: "rushing into the New Year? What does that mean?"

The boss got into a conversation, put down what he was doing, and started telling her about history and customs.

The Tujia people celebrate the New Year one day earlier than the Han people; the New Year falls on the 28th of a short month and the 29th of a long month.

This custom is called "Gan Nian". Legend has it that in ancient times, the Tujia people would have a family reunion in advance before going to war.

This custom is called "Gan Nian". Legend has it that in ancient times, the Tujia people would have a family reunion in advance before going to war.

The New Year's Eve dinner must first be offered to the ancestors, and then food must be fed to the fruit trees, farm tools, pigsties, and cattle pens, all in the hope of a bountiful harvest and thriving livestock.

The owner said that when feeding the fruit trees, one should say auspicious words, "May the fruit grow as big as a winnowing basket, and may the fallen fruit resemble peony flowers."

When feeding farm tools, you should offer prayers and say, "You've worked hard all year, so it's New Year's Day and you deserve a good meal."

When feeding livestock, pat their heads and say, "Eat your fill, so you'll have more offspring next year."

Xia He listened, completely stunned.

He lowered his voice: "In some places, there are also rules that chickens cannot be killed for the New Year's Eve dinner, because it is said that 'killing a chicken will bring bad luck.' Oil lamps are not lit at night, for fear of attracting unclean things."

Xia He exclaimed, "How amazing!"

Cheng Mo chimed in, "It's quite an interesting custom."

When we had finished chatting, it was time for lunch.

The boss put down his work, looked up at the sky, and warmly greeted them, "Hey, you two don't have any plans for tonight, right? Why don't you have dinner together here?"

Xia He quickly waved her hand: "How could I possibly do this? It's a day for your family to reunite, why should we outsiders get involved?"

The owner warmly invited, "We're in business, so there aren't many taboos. It's just a matter of having a couple more pairs of chopsticks. Besides, you've come all the way to Fenghuang for the New Year, so it's fate that we met. Come on, don't be shy."

Having said all that, refusing now would be too distant.

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance, then stopped refusing: "Then we'll have to trouble you."

The boss smiled and led them inside.

The boss's house has a large main room with two square tables in the middle, covered with coarse tablecloths with blue backgrounds and white flowers. A dozen or so people, young and old, are sitting around it, making it a lively and bustling place.

Several women were moving between the kitchen and the backyard, carrying steaming bowls and plates.

The boss's father sat in the main seat. He was an old man in his eighties with all white hair, but he was in good spirits. He was holding a pipe and talking to his grandson next to him.

Seeing the boss lead two strangers in, the old man squinted at them for a moment and asked, "Guests?"

The boss nodded: "Dad, these two are staying at our hotel. It's lunchtime, so please have them eat with us."

The old man nodded with a smile and waved to Cheng Mo and Xia He: "Come, sit down, sit down."

Cheng Mo and Xia He sat down at a table on the side.

The table was already laden with dishes—stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, blood duck, sour soup fish, glutinous rice ribs, steamed sausage, cold bracken salad…

Finally, a stewed chicken was served, and everyone sat down.

The owner's grandson couldn't sit still any longer and reached for the plate, only to be gently patted on the shoulder by his father.

"Grandpa hasn't said anything yet."

The child pouted and withdrew his hand.