Chapter 57

The small village at the foot of Hugu Mountain has no name; it is an unnamed village.

The villagers here are more accustomed to calling their village Hugu Mountain, simply because it is situated at the foot of Hugu Mountain.

The village is not large, with a small population, but it is well-equipped.

There is a cooked food shop in the village that specializes in preparing wild game from the mountains, which is then sold in Changping County. It is said that business is good. Yang Shouwen has lived here for seventeen years and has eaten at this wild game cooked food shop many times. To be honest, he doesn't think it's particularly delicious. In this era, cooking methods are limited, mainly involving roasting, steaming, boiling, and stewing, with few seasonings. Even a simple stir-fry is impossible due to various limitations.

However, the cooked food shop's business is still quite good.

Hugu Mountain is adjacent to the official road, and there are not a few people traveling between Guchu and Changping, as well as Juyong Pass every day.

Therefore, the cooked food shop sells both wine and cooked food, and there are always customers every day.

Today is no exception. When Yang Shouwen had bought his wine and dishes and was about to leave the shop, someone called out to him from behind.

It was a man in his thirties, with white teeth and red lips, and a handsome appearance.

He was about 180 centimeters tall, with a slender and upright figure. His long legs were in perfect proportion, and his fair face, which made men want to punch it, would be considered a "god" in the modern world.

Yang Shouwen didn't recognize him, but he felt that he really wanted to punch that face to test the sensation.

"Boy, are you Yang Erlang?"

The man approached Yang Shouwen with a gentle and elegant demeanor.

Yang Shouwen was taken aback, "Who are you?"

This person knows Yang Rui? But do I look like that fool?

The man said, "I heard the shopkeeper mention Wenxuan's name when talking to you, so I guessed your identity."

Wenxuan is Yang Chenglie's courtesy name.

Unless they are close friends, few people would call someone by their courtesy name.

"My name is Chen Ziang. I have known your father for many years. We agreed to visit and admire the moon together during the Mid-Autumn Festival. But when I arrived at your house just now, I found it empty. I learned that your family had gone up the mountain, and I was just about to find someone to take me up... Ha ha, I heard that Hugu Mountain is like a maze."

The man smiled confidently and introduced himself.

In fact, Yang Shouwen had already guessed who he was, but he didn't expect the man to be so straightforward.

But, Uncle, who gave you such confidence to assume I am Yang Erlang?

Yang Shouwen smiled, "Uncle, I think you might have misunderstood."

Instantly, the man's expression became very interesting, seemingly embarrassed and unsure of what to say.

"You... are not Yang Erlang?"

Yang Shouwen sighed, "Erlang is only thirteen this year. Have you ever seen a thirteen-year-old like me?"

Yes, Yang Molihua!

But at this moment, Yang Molihua didn't care about Yang Rui's age. She was holding a cooked chicken and chewing it with great satisfaction.

"That... I am truly sorry."

The man's handsome face, like white jade, turned red.

He smiled awkwardly and turned to leave.

Why is this uncle so shy? Yang Shouwen quickly said, "Uncle, where are you going?"

"Ha ha, I mistook you for someone else, so..."

"Uncle, although I am not Yang Erlang, I didn't say that County Magistrate Yang is not my father. Why didn't you let me finish speaking?"

"You are not Yang Erlang?" The man was stunned, seeming a bit confused.

However, he quickly realized and blurted out, "If you are not Erlang, then you must be Achi'er."

Why did the urge to punch him become so strong all of a sudden?

Just as Yang Shouwen was about to answer, the man had already reacted and quickly waved his hands, "Sorry, sorry, are you Dalang?"

Dalang again!

Yang Shouwen sighed, looking helpless, "Uncle, I am Dalang, and Erlang is my brother."

"You..."

"My mental illness has already been cured!"

Seeing the man's confusion, Yang Shouwen added, "Oh... I see. When I first saw you, you looked familiar, just like your mother when she was young."

The "mother" the man referred to was probably not the current Song Shi, but Yang Shouwen's biological mother.

If that's the case, the man and his father must have known each other for a long time! But why has his father never mentioned him?

Yang Shouwen immediately had a question in his mind.

However, family matters are not something a son can interfere with.

So, Yang Shouwen smiled, "Since Uncle now knows my identity, why don't you come up the mountain with me? My father arrived on the mountain last night and probably won't come down for a couple of days. The house at the foot of the mountain is basically empty."

"If so, please wait a moment."

The man said and hurriedly returned to the cooked food shop.

Yang Shouwen shook his head and waited by the roadside. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he turned to ask, "Yang Molihua, what did he say his name was?"

"Ang!"

Yang Molihua lifted her head and mumbled one word.

In just a short while, she had already eaten most of the very fat chicken. She was chewing on chicken bones, making a crunching sound. Yang Shouwen then noticed that she actually ate the chicken without spitting out the bones.

"Yes, Chen Ziang."

Yang Shouwen's heart skipped a beat: Chen Ziang, could he be the Chen Ziang who wrote "I see no ancient men before me, nor any to come after. Thinking of the vast universe, I am alone and tears stream down my face"?

Speaking of Chen Ziang, the most famous work in the later generations is probably "Ascending the Youzhou Platform."

In fact, during the transition from the early Tang to the high Tang period, Chen Ziang was an indispensable figure in the development of poetry.

Lu Zangyong once wrote in the preface to "The Collected Works of Right Censor Chen Ziang": "He stemmed the tide of decline, and the world's literary style was transformed." The revered poet Du Fu also wrote a poem praising Chen Ziang: "For a thousand years, he stood for loyalty and righteousness, and his works remain."

Later, the Jin dynasty poet Yuan Haowen wrote in "On Poetry": "If we were to reward him as we did for the conquest of Wu, we should cast a golden statue of Ziang."

This shows the profound influence Chen Ziang had on the flourishing of literature in the high Tang period and beyond.

At first, Yang Shouwen didn't recognize Chen Ziang because he couldn't associate his somewhat silly father with the famous Chen Ziang. That's Chen Ziang! How could his father know him?

But from what Chen Ziang said just now, it seemed he was familiar with his father, and even his mother.

So, was his father a romantic figure in his youth?

While Yang Shouwen was lost in thought, Chen Ziang led a horse and a large blue donkey over.

The donkey carried a large package, which looked quite heavy.

"Dalang, let's go."

Chen Ziang was enthusiastic, eager to set off immediately.

But Yang Shouwen looked at him, then at the horse and donkey, and said softly after a while, "Mr. Chen, the mountain path is rugged, and it might be difficult to travel on foot."

"Ah?"

Chen Ziang was taken aback, looking troubled.

"What should we do?"

"Perhaps we could leave the horse and donkey at the village headman's house for now?"

"But the package..."

Yang Shouwen sighed, stepped forward, and lifted the package from the donkey's back.

"Be careful, Dalang, it's very heavy."

Indeed, it was heavy, but... he could manage it. Besides, there was Yang Molihua, so what was there to worry about?

Yang Shouwen said, "Mr. Chen, don't worry, a few packages are no problem."

He turned to look at Yang Molihua, who was still enjoying the fatty chicken.

"Yang Molihua!"

"Here."

"Take the horse and donkey to Tian Cunzheng's house and tell him we'll come back in a couple of days."

"Okay!"

Yang Molihua stuffed the remaining chicken neck and head into her mouth, making a crunching sound.

She took the reins from Chen Ziang with her greasy hands.

"Yang Molihua, I'll accompany Mr. Chen on the journey, and you can catch up later."

"Master, don't worry, Yang Molihua will be there soon."

"Also, remember to bring two jars of wine from home. Do you know where the wine is?"

"Yes."

Yang Shouwen, carrying the large package, smiled and said to Chen Ziang, "Mr. Chen, let's go up the mountain first."

Chen Ziang was surprised by Yang Shouwen's strength and felt a bit embarrassed.

"Dalang, can you carry it? Should I help you with some of it... The mountain path is difficult, how can I let you do all the work? I'll help you carry some, some of it."