Wu: Hello, Jinzhai.

Jinzhai is a small town in the south of Xunyang, about 30 kilometers away from the county seat.

Jiuzhai refers to Hongyan Village, Shijiazhai Village, Wujiazhai Village, Jinling Village, Wuhu Village, Taiping Village, Qinglong Village, Thrushcross Village and Sihe Village. Among the nine famous shanzhai, Hongyan Village is the largest, ranking first among the nine shanzhai. This is a magnificent village, and the towering Lingxiao rocks have turned into pearl red. Fiona Fang is ten miles away, and the rocks are high in Wan Ren, surrounded by cliffs. It is shaped like a clock and a seal. It stands like an island at the mouth of the bitter vegetable ditch, surrounded by unfathomable pools. Above the mouth of Kucaigou, there is a village called Liu Jiahe.

Legend has it that on the first day of the new county magistrate's appointment, a villager from Liu Jiahe came to complain. The magistrate asked the newcomer where he was from. The plaintiff said that the right man came from Liu Jiahe. The magistrate heard that I was new here and knew that there were many rivers here, including Dajin River, Xiaojin River, Shenhe River, Luhe River, Pingding River, Guihua River, Xiaohe River and Xunhe River. Although I dare not say that I know all the rivers in China like the back of my hand, I can also say that I know Liu Jiahe! Tell me, how big is the water in Liu Jiahe, and where does it eventually flow? The plaintiff said that the water in Liujiahe was neither too big nor too small, and finally it flowed into Kucaigou. The magistrate felt even more magical when he heard it. Only the water in the ditch flows into the river. How can the water in the river flow into the ditch? Then I asked, where did the water in Kucaigou go? The perpetrators said that the water in Kucaigou had gone to Hongyan Village. Hearing this, the magistrate flew into a rage, saying that the right person was simply lawless and dared to tease the official and pull down the important forty boards! Although the wrongdoer has suffered a lot, he still wants to find out the truth. The county magistrate said, have you ever seen the water in the river flow into the ditch and the water in the ditch go to the village? This is not poking fun at the official. What is this? Express grievances and shout grievances, and say that you can go to the field to see if you don't believe it. These place names are like this!

After this unjust case, Hongyan Village gained a great reputation, and everyone in Fiona Fang knows it. Now the Murakami temple is the top, and the cypress shadow is soaring; On holidays, or on the fifteenth day of the first month, cigarettes are around, bells are ringing, and two green cypresses are covered with silks and satins; Under the village, colorful lanterns and deep pools of rocks; Surrounded by three peaks and two dragons, there is only a winding path at the top of the mountain and an unfathomable pool below.

02

There are many caves in Jinzhai, and there are always 18 large and small caves. Each cave has its own unique characteristics, and each cave has a magical legend.

Among these caves, Shenxian Cave is the most magical. A legend says that there is a yellow dragon and a black dragon fighting here. The two sides fought for 7749 days and tied. Finally, they each squeezed a big hole in this mountain to practice, eyeing each other and containing each other. Indeed, across from Shenxian Cave, there is a big hole called Huanglong Cave, from which a clear spring gurgles. Because the opposite mountain peaks soar into the sky and are like axes and knives on all sides, few people go in and have a look.

Shenxian Cave is embedded at the top of the Mid-Levels. The entrance of the cave is about one foot high and two feet wide. The cave is spacious and bright, and two trains can pass at the same time. There is a stone lion, about two meters high, doing a semi-squat shape, which is in harmony with the sleeping lion. It is composed of stalactites gathered over the years. Above the lion, there is a stone dragon flying in the sky, with its faucet clinging to the rock wall, its tail caught in the crack of the stone, and its mouth constantly spits out glittering and translucent water droplets, which just drop on the head of the stone lion impartially. In the past, whenever there was a drought, people would come in droves to beg for rain, blowing suona, banging gongs and drums and coming to Shenxian Cave in a mighty way.

The water drops in the dragon's mouth gathered in a pool at the foot of the lion. The area of the pool is about ten feet square, and the depth is unknown. It is said that some people connected together with several bamboo poles, but did not find how deep the pool was. Reaching out and touching the pool, a chill instantly spread from fingers to nerve endings, and the skin instantly got goose bumps. Of course, this is the weather in June. In the dead of winter, the water will give off hot air, like a hot spring. On the left side of the pool, there is a stalactite more than 20 meters high, which looks like lotus flowers piled up one after another. In the middle of the pool, there is a wooden bridge. Although it has a long history, it is still as strong as ever.

How long is Shenxian Cave? It is still a mystery, because there are many bifurcated holes in it, and no one has ever gone out. Some say that one end leads to Hubei, and some say that the end of the cave belongs to Sichuan, but no one has ever verified it. The deeper you go, the more bifurcation holes there are; The deeper you go, the darker the hole becomes, and the huge torches or flashlights become more and more like fireflies. At the end of each scenic spot, there is a small hole that can only be used by one person. You have to bend down, crawl forward, climb in, and be suddenly enlightened. It also shows the wonders of nature, which makes you feel glad that you have come.

03

In addition to the scenic Qiaotou Mountain, Hongyan Village with strange peaks, magical Shenxian Cave, fragrant lotus flowers and endless rice fields, Jinzhai has many beautiful scenery. Here, you can not only hear the legendary story of Zhou Lanwang cutting and digging the hillock, but also watch the remains of Mao's farming here. You can enjoy lotus flowers in summer and red leaves in autumn. Of course, these may not be too tempting for you, but the food in Jinzhai is also a must in southern Shaanxi.

In Jinzhai, no matter walking on the wide streets or in the local people's homes with flowing water, there is an open space in front of and behind each house, and the owner carefully carves it like embroidery in his spare time. They surrounded it with bamboo poles or wicker, planted several ridges of cabbage and ordered several nests of cucumbers; Plant several beds of green onions and ginger for a week. Then plant a season of radish in July and August, full of green eyes and melon fragrance all year round. Occasionally, when guests come, the host will unhurriedly open the garden door, carefully select the freshest vegetables and enjoy the gift of nature.

After the garden was cleaned, the hardworking Jinzhai people worked hard in the fields. Spring has just arrived, and the earth has not recovered. People put eggshells on the branches of Toona sinensis all over the mountains and let spring buds grow in eggshells. When eggshells are filled, people take them off and fry them with eggs. Delicious and nutritious, it is a rare and excellent dish. When the spring buds grow up, people will pick them in bundles, cook them in boiling water, dry them in the sun, and mix them with smoked bacon, which will be even more delicious! They are all Toona sinensis buds, and the picking time and methods are different, so the taste is very different.

Bamboo shoots are the most familiar. After a spring rain, women and children sneaked into the bamboo garden in droves, frantically picked these fresh bamboo shoots home, peeled their shells, cooked them in a pot, and then soaked them in water to enjoy them slowly. Tired of eating again and again, people think about how to change their patterns: some of them are soaked in salt water and pepper in a closed container, put pepper on them, and stored until next spring, which tastes no different from fresh ones; Some also sun bamboo shoots. After killing the pig in 2008, they stewed it in the meat frying pan for half an hour, cut some spicy shreds, chopped some Jiang Mo, put a few cloves of garlic, and fried it with the meat slices, which made it even more fragrant.

The best is rainy days! People who have been busy for many days are as happy as children when welcoming the New Year. Ask his wife to fry some delicious side dishes and simmer a pot of old wine. Visit your neighbors, visit your friends and talk about it all over the world to relax your nervous endings. When I am happy, I will strike the table and shout some wild folk songs.

You have to drink wine, and people here are very particular about drinking. They plant a few acres of sugarcane every spring, chop it up in autumn, mix it with soil starter and ferment it in the cellar for half a month. Wait until the fermentation is complete, then add the wine retort for distillation. The wine should be packed hard and the fire should be burned beautifully. When the first glass of wine slowly flows out of the distilled liquid, the host will respectfully fill the glass and sprinkle it into the air. This is a sacrifice to heaven and pray for good weather. Then pick up another cup and sprinkle it on the earth devoutly, which is a sacrifice to pray for a bumper harvest of the earth; The third cup of wine was poured into the hearth to worship the kitchen god and pray for him to speak well in heaven and keep peace on earth. When it's all over, the host can enjoy it.

Spirits will happily call a bunch of friends to share; Not discouraged when the wine was weak, it was distilled again until it was satisfactory. Every time there is a wine field battle, there is a set of rules: first drink six glasses of wine, then meet each other, then guess boxing, and when you are in high spirits, you have to "clear customs" and "release your horse" and finally have a family reunion. Once someone is coy, they will be attacked by others, not drunk, not drunk!

The highest specifications are the "eight big pieces". The so-called "eight big pieces" are eight cool and eight hot, eight meat and eight vegetarian dishes, plus four soup pots. Among the eight hot dishes, chicken, mutton, fish and rice are essential. Named Ji (chicken) Xiang (sheep) Confucianism (fish) Yi (rice). Wedding, funeral and wedding, the wedding banquet and the presence of guests are essential. If you meet such hospitality specifications in Jinzhai, you should cherish this friendship.

I sometimes think: the ancients often said "to be an official for a thousand miles, to eat and wear", which may be the best interpretation of food by Jinzhai people.

Sometimes I also think: there is no decent restaurant on Shili Long Street in Jinzhai, which may be a true portrayal of the cooking of Jinzhai Qiaofu!

I think, in a farmhouse, what kind of artistic conception would it be to invite a few friends, simmer a pot of old wine and climb a yellow dog under the table?

(About the author: Wu, a member of Shaanxi Writers Association, published a collection of novellas "Loud Horn". )