Dust off (three)

  Long Dahai took the wine, stroking his mustache lightly, and continued his story: "That year, Long Haitao returned to Huai Shu Garden, He Laoshi also entered our school, and at the same time, he walked into my life..."

  The moonlight is like a dream, like gauze, like poetry and painting. The fields, villages, and the banks of the Long River are all filled with the fragrance of pagoda flowers. The Long River wraps around the whip, herding the geese and ducks into a large courtyard. The yellow dog takes advantage of the opportunity to squeeze out of the bamboo door. "You'd better watch them closely! If one is missing again, I'll kill you as a dish for wine!" After chasing the dog back in and locking the gate, he turns around to face Long Shan Hui and Geng Feng Huang: "I guess Shun Xing wants to invite you, I want to sit with him, Little Baldy will follow the moon to share your glory! Let's go!"

  "Grandfather, are you sure he's going to invite me?" Fenghuang asked as she walked.

  "How many twists and turns does he have that I don't know?" Long Dahai said, hurrying forward in a flurry.

  Geng Fenghuang's phone rang. She opened it, and Long Tianxiang's voice came from inside: "Why didn't you say a word? You don't even answer your phone. Tonight, I'll be waiting for you at Zhuimeng Mountain Villa to welcome you."

  "I'm really sorry, but we're actually planning to go to Long Dahai's house tonight." Geng Fenghua politely declined.

  "Secretary Pang got off the plane and immediately called to set up a banquet especially for you, just to give you some face?"

  "I really can't bear it, I'm just an ordinary teacher of civics, why should a secretary bother with me?"

  "What? You're now the director of the Municipal Bureau! What about Teacher Min? Does our school need his support for some things? He must be bringing back a lot from Japan!"

  "Are we going to Long's house for dinner, do we still need to ask Shun for instructions?!" Geng Fenghua hung up the phone, "Or, Principal Long, shall we go to Huai Tree Garden Elementary School?"

  "Dragon River scolds: 'What kind of heart does the yellow weasel have to wish the chicken a happy new year? What medicine is in Pang Shun's gourd? Don't you know, clever child?'"

  Geng Fenghua said: "That's all in the past. I think Secretary Pang has changed now."

  "The dog runs all over the world eating shit. Damn it, he molested a female student, and from top to bottom, he managed to get away with it, while the victim's mother refused to acknowledge anything happened. He even got better and better at mixing things up, and ended up becoming the director of the street committee?" Longshan Hui couldn't help but curse.

  "Haha! Haha! You little brat, this is the first time I've heard you scold someone! How about Dragon Mountain comes to my place for a drink?" Long Dahai asked with a big laugh.

  "Don't forget when you go home, Longshan will not eat meat."

  "Geng Fenghuang, I didn't think you still remembered!"

  "Who can forget? That year we went to the city for a speech contest, even the head of the teaching and research department specially gave him a nod of approval!"

  The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked, and before long they arrived at Long Dahai's home.

  The gate of Longdah River's yard has a dry well with a waterwheel on top. Due to long-term non-use, the well frame is rusty. Although some public facilities were destroyed and sold as scrap metal in recent years, perhaps because of fear of Longdah River, this waterwheel was preserved. Not far from the well is an ancient Chinese evergreen tree, its main trunk splitting into two branches, on which a fragrant thyme tree grows, called "Huai Bao Chen" by locals. This ancient tree and the "Dragon's Claw" Chinese Evergreen of Huai Shu Yuan Elementary School on the east bank are collectively known as the "Double Dragon Chinese Evergreen".

  Geng Fenghua came under the tree and started telling the story of the pancake rolled with lard and scallions.

  "I also really didn't think that on that day, Teacher He would bring a bowl of pork. I don't know how much I ate, maybe it was too much and too hasty, or maybe it was because I was eating while crying, but I threw up a lot, my stomach kept bloating, Teacher He sent me to the hospital and I had an IV drip for a whole day. Drip by drip, the medicine entered my veins, my mind was filled with the image of my father's angry face. At that time, it wasn't like now where you just get a slight headache and fever, but back then, you only got an IV if you had a serious or severe illness. I remember relatives, friends, classmates, and teachers were all standing in the room. I felt so ashamed! First, I stole the pork fat, second, I was scolded by that yellow-haired girl. How could those men lift their heads in front of everyone? From that day on, whenever I saw meat, I would feel dizzy and vomit after eating it, and I never had anything to do with meat again. Haha! Longshan doesn't hold any grudges, thinking about it now just makes me laugh."

  The Xiao Long River, the old locust tree was shrouded in a faint night color. Geng Fenghuang and Long Shan followed behind Long Dahai to his courtyard. The courtyard wall was surrounded by green cypress, Sichuan pepper trees, and marigolds, with red, yellow, and green blending together naturally, giving off a rustic charm.

  "Old Pang, how's the wine and dishes prepared?" Long Dahai opened the gate of the fence, put down the fish basket, and shouted to his partner.

  Pang Haiyan came over to pick up the fish basket and discussed with Long Dahai: "Let's stew the fish, Long Shan will like to eat fish!"

  "I also like eating shrimp!" Long Dahai said.

  "Not what I mean, I'm saying Longshan won't eat meat!"

  "What about the fish? Don't you see the fish basket? Hundreds of geese and ducks are gone! Won't they be eaten by snakes?"

  "Even if it's a snake that ate them, could it have eaten so many? Let's look for them tomorrow. We can't lose the geese and ducks, but we can't lose people either! How come you're back so late?"

  "Lao Pang, someone has brought one back. Look who's here!" Long Dahai gestured for Long Shan to sit at the stone table and shouted out.

  Pang Haiyan, as soon as she came in, said to Geng Fenghuang: "Still those two fiery and charming big eyes." Then she hugged Geng Fenghuang tightly and said: "It's been ten years, I dare not recognize you." As she spoke, she brought over melon seeds, fruit, and refilled the tea.

  Pang Haiyan invited everyone to sit down, looked at Geng Fenghuang, and suddenly felt awkward again. She took a newspaper and sat across from him, trying to find a topic for small talk, but was so anxious that she couldn't think of anything. Pang Haiyan had prepared a bundle of Tsingtao beer and placed it on the stone table, softly saying: "The delivery guy just dropped off the dishes and left!"

  "I'd like to see what kind of Swan Goose Banquet they're going to put on. Serve the dishes, Old Pang!"

  Pang Haiyan is nearly fifty years old, but her clothes are neat and tidy, her home is clean and spotless, making people feel warm. She moves quickly, takes a few steps, serves wine and dishes, and says in standard Mandarin: "Huaimi beans, mountain scorpions, shed skin white cicadas, well-cooked double-yolk duck eggs, just-bloomed white lotus root, stir-fried small Longhe shrimp, Cuishan told me before leaving that I should eat these few small dishes first."

  Long Dahai opened the wine bottle cap, hey! "Pagoda flower fragrance" filled the small courtyard.

  "Why don't we give Tianxiang and them a call?" Pang Haiyan suggested.

  "Come on! Let's have a good drink. It's been ages since we've lived it up like this!"

  "Tonight's moon is so round and bright. Do you still remember the story of watching opera under the old locust tree?" Long Shan asked.

  "This is a dish stir-fried with peanut oil, eat it, Longshan will!" Pang Haiyan wanted to change the subject.