258. Chapter 258 Because the little things are the most special
Xia Chuyi made such a fuss this time, which completely angered Feng Luo, who had always been indifferent to emotions and anger.
On the way back to the inn, she pulled Chang Huan and followed Jin Yuanbao obediently. She looked like a child who had done something wrong. She lowered her head and pouted, and was extremely well-behaved.
Jin Yuanbao looked on and shook his head, thinking that this is what he calls his own misfortune.
A group of six people walked through the crowded street and were about to go back to Jinyu Tower. Who would have thought that someone who loves trouble would stop looking for trouble, but that trouble happened to them.
A white-haired old lady in her seventies or eighty stood in front of a few people, and she opened up Jin Yuanbao and Feng Luo, and set her sights on Xia Chuyi.
The old woman had no spiritual power at all, and Jin Yuanbao and the others couldn't stop her. They could only ask politely: "Old woman, what can I do for you?"
The old woman completely ignored everyone and just stared at Xia Chuyi for a while, then suddenly said: "Is the girl fifteen years old?"
When Xia Chu heard this, she raised her head and felt baffled at the situation in front of her. When she looked at Jin Yuanbao, she saw that he also shook his head at her, and she couldn't help but feel even more puzzled.
"Fifteen, it should be these days." She counted on her fingers and said softly.
The old woman was pleasantly surprised when she heard this, and hurriedly pulled her away: "Just in time, we still have a girl missing from the sacrifice. Girl, come with me!"
Xia Chuyi felt like he was being chased away. He turned around to look at Jin Yuanbao and Shadow, hoping for rescue, but saw everyone shaking their heads.
It's not because the opponent is powerful, but because the opponent is as weak as an ant to them, and they can be solved with a single strike.
Just like Xia Chuyi now, being pulled by the old woman, she didn't even dare to struggle vigorously, for fear that the old woman would be injured by her.
Sometimes people are so strange. If the opponent is stronger than themselves, the fire of fighting spirit in their chest will burn more and more intensely. But facing this harmless old woman, she felt that the spirit king level around her
All spiritual power was instantly wasted.
Come on, maybe just go and do a small favor?
In the spirit of helping others and bravely helping the old woman cross the road, Xia Chuyi completely gave up resistance and followed the old woman to another place in twists and turns.
Behind them, naturally followed Jin Yuanbao's long tail.
"Old lady, where are you taking me with you?" Xia Chuyi felt that even if he was a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, he should know whether he would eventually make mutton dumplings or mutton ramen.
The old woman didn't even look back and said: "Hey, isn't it just in front of you?"
When Xia Chu raised his head, he saw countless stairs extending upward in a vast field.
And above the stairs, a statue of a woman, which is taller than a three- or four-story house, stands there, with flowing hair and flowing skirt, like a celestial being.
"Wow, a fairy!" She suddenly exclaimed.
The old woman smiled, turned her head and said to her: "Fool, that's Empress Baihua."
Xia Chuyi marveled inwardly. The people in Baihua City seemed to admire the Baihua Empress. To erect such a big statue here, in this era of lack of craftsmanship, it took a lot of manpower and financial resources.
The two of them climbed up the stairs step by step. Both sides were lined with men and women holding incense and worshiping. Their expressions were serious, as if they were doing something very sacred.
But everyone would rather walk on the side than in the middle, leaving a large section of the originally spacious staircase free. But she and the old woman were walking in the middle, receiving everyone's attention and respect. It felt like that.
Feeling like sitting on pins and needles.
Xia Chuyi gently tugged at the corner of the old woman's clothes and whispered to her: "Mother-in-law, are we in the wrong place?"
The old woman stopped and waited for her to come forward and join her. She reached out and patted the back of her hand with her other hand: "Yes, it's here. Don't be nervous for a while. It's just a few minutes. I will remind you of other things."
your."
"Recharge? What on earth am I here for?" Xia Chuyi suddenly felt an inexplicable fear of what was going to happen next.
…
The five people following her watched Xia Chuyi climb up the middle. Ying 1 and 4 quickly prepared to follow, but were stopped by Jin Yuanbao.
"This is a place where the clergy team can only go to worship Empress Baihua. If you go there, you will be beaten to death by the people around you."
Eh~~so cruel!!
Ying 1 and 4 trembled all over, retreated, and asked with some confusion: "Then Miss Xia is not a clergyman, how can she go up from here?"
Jin Yuanbao held his chin with one hand, lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then said: "I can probably guess what she went to do."
Except for Feng Luo who didn't like to talk and Chang Huan who never spoke, Ying One and Ying Four were very curious and immediately asked: "Young Master, tell me quickly."
Jin Yuanbao pointed to the passage next to where men and women walked, and motioned for everyone to enter from the side. He walked along.
"In addition to the sideshows we just saw, the most important thing for the birthday of the Baihua Empress is naturally the sacrificial ceremony for the Baihua Empress. The status of this sacrificial ceremony here is comparable to that of the heavenly sacrifice ceremony during festivals.
It’s much more important. Baihua City will even have some dedicated clergy to preside over all these matters, just like the old lady just now.”
"And this sacrificial ceremony, in addition to inviting Baihua Empress, sending Baihua Empress, bathing ceremony, worshiping, and head baptism, there is another item that requires non-clergymen to perform."
Ying Yi quickly asked: "What is that?"
Jin Yuanbao was no longer as nervous as before, and smiled thoughtfully: "Every year at the sacrificial ceremony, twenty-four young girls with both ability and political integrity who have not yet had hairpins will be selected in advance in the whole city to join them together.
On the birthday of Empress Baihua, all the women in the city, on behalf of the whole city, receive the blessings from Empress Baihua and perform the hairdressing ceremony. I guess there must be a girl who is temporarily unable to come, and the old woman happened to find a place to take her place when the first day of the new year comes.
Bar."
After Ying 1 and Ying 4 listened to Jin Yuanbao's words, they twitched their lips at the same time.
A girl with both political integrity and talent... It seems that there is no word that can be said about Xia Chuyi, right?
A group of five people were like human meat on a bun, squeezing and squeezing in the crowded queue. It took them a long time to finally reach the top of the altar.
At this moment, they missed Xia Chuyi very much. They remembered that when they were in Gejiazhuang, Xia Chuyi opened the way in front and they followed behind, without wasting any effort.
"Hey, why is there no one?"
Yingyi looked around and suddenly felt strange.
I just saw the old woman coming up with Xia Chuyi.
"Behind the statue of Empress Baihua is a preparation room. She was probably taken to change clothes." Jin Yuanbao was not in a hurry at all, and did not forget to comfort Chang Huan who was a little restless after leaving Xia Chuyi next to him.
Chang Huan has a photographic memory for everything. So Xia Chuyi deliberately took him to get to know all the shadows who followed them one by one, so as not to fight each other in the future.
Because Jin Yuanbao often stayed by Xia Chuyi's side to handle various trivial matters for her, he had more contact with Chang Huan. Sometimes he could get along with Chang Huan, and when Xia Chuyi disappeared for a short time, he could also
Look at him for her.
Chang Huan took a candy from the candy box he carried and stuffed it into his mouth. The group of people waited quietly for the ceremony to begin.
It didn't take long for the ceremony to pay homage to the Baihua Empress finally began.
A majestic woman in her fifties or sixties slowly walked up from the bottom of the stairs holding a law enforcement stick. Her gorgeous clothes and crown made her look more graceful and luxurious, like a moonlight high above, unattainable.
.
Behind her, there were two long rows of young women, specifically supporting her with the long hem of her clothes trailing behind.
Afterwards, there were women holding various tributes, row after row, neatly and solemnly, with the most pious faces, walking upward step by step.
There were so many people standing on both sides, but no one made any sound at this moment. It was as quiet as if everyone had become mute.
Yingyi felt that this quiet environment was inexplicably weird, so he couldn't help but move closer to Jin Yuanbao and asked in a low voice: "Young Master, who is that old woman?"
Jin Yuanbao turned around and glared at him, then reached out and knocked him on the head: "Not polite. She is the lord of Baihua City. She is a philanthropic person and has made great achievements in governing Baihua City. She is a respectable elder."
Ying Yi covered his head and did not dare to retort to his young master like he did to Xia Chuyi. He could only squeak his lips and retreat to stand with Ying Si.
What follows is exactly like what Jin Yuanbao said, a series of complicated rituals that seem to be endless.
Several people waited and waited until the flowers withered this year and bloomed next year. Only then did the long section of singing and praying come to an end.
And what followed was the only ceremony they wanted to see.
The young girl has reached the age of haircut, and when she pulls her hair back, it means that she has reached the age of marriage.
Their eyes fell firmly on the center of the altar, and they saw a group of beautifully dressed girls slowly walking onto the stage, led by a group of gray-haired old ladies.
Twenty-four futons had been prepared on the altar, arranged in two rows. The women came over and immediately knelt on the futons.
Several people present, including Feng Luo and Chang Huan, stretched their necks and glanced at the girls one by one.
"Young Master, look, look, Miss Xia is there!"
Ying 1 and 4 Ying immediately called out when they found Xia Chuyi's figure. When they turned their heads and looked at it, they saw that the other people had seen it a long time ago, which made them feel frustrated.
However, this small frustration was instantly submerged in the amazement of Xia Chuyi's glance, and then it took a long time to recover, as if I was trapped in an illusion that I couldn't get in or get out of.
.
The moon-white clothes touched the ground, and the graceful figure swayed.
There was only a simple bun on her head, and two hairbands of the same color were used to tie a bow between the temples, which was simple but elegant.
And that small and exquisite face, with exquisite and unparalleled facial features, accentuated by a touch of makeup, looks to have a kind of unbridled beauty, which is so beautiful that it is heart-wrenching.
I don't know if it was because she had changed into women's clothing, but her expression had a rare drop of the usual arrogance, and her beautiful eyeliner formed a beautiful arc, turning into a shallow smile.
Everyone was stunned, and it wasn't until another lengthy prayer was finished that they seemed to have recovered from the huge shock.
Ying opened her mouth and said nonchalantly to Jin Yuanbao: "Young Master, while Miss Xia is still a piece of rough jade, marry her home as soon as possible."
Once someone excavates and carves it, it may be priceless and hard to find.
Jin Yuanbao just smiled softly and did not comment.
The hair-raising ceremony finally began, and a row of young women walked up to the twenty-four girls carrying trays and stood respectfully beside the old ladies.
Those old ladies are the lucky ones who have been chosen from thousands of places. They have happy families, full of children and grandchildren, and are already in their 60s. It is said that the women they marry will be able to marry a good man and live a happy life like them.
Jin Yuanbao watched everything the whole time, only to feel that the hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves were about to be trapped in his palms.
That feeling, how should I put it, is like a flower that I have carefully cared for, and it has finally reached the flowering stage, and it has bloomed in such a gorgeous and gorgeous way.
At that moment, somewhere in my heart seemed to soften into a puddle of water.
On the first day of the summer, she was old enough to get married.
On the altar, Xia Chu kneeled on the futon unwillingly, but the thoughts in his heart were very different from those of others.
She just prayed that it would end quickly. She felt that her vest was itchy and wanted to scratch it...
She twisted her body restlessly, trying to relieve her physical discomfort. But when she looked up and saw the old woman looking at her with a sullen face, she didn't dare to move.
I thought to myself, what kind of nonsense is this, that she actually got involved in it. Little did he know that the other twenty-three women present had gone through many layers of screening before they could kneel here.
What an honor it must be for a woman to be blessed by Empress Baihua!
The long prayer finally ended. Xia Chuyi saw the old woman standing aside finally picking up the hairpin in the tray next to her. At that moment, she almost burst into tears with excitement.
But when she glanced out of the corner of her eye, she was stunned for a moment. She looked at the old woman who was holding a hairpin ready to insert it into her head with some confusion, and asked softly: "Mother-in-law, why are their hairpins all made of wood?"
Hairpin, but mine is a jade hairpin?”
The old woman with a hairpin hairpin was standing, and Xia Chuyi was kneeling, so she couldn't see the expression or face of the old woman at this moment, but in her ears, a voice belonging to another person came so clearly.
——Because, little things are the most special.
Xia Chuyi raised his head for a moment, and because he was so excited, he almost knocked over the old woman in front of him.
His eyes fell on the old woman's face, and she still had that kind face with crisscrossed grooves, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression.
She blinked and was stunned for a long time, then finally lowered her eyes and said with some disappointment: "It's a hallucination."
She didn't know how the last ceremony ended. When she walked off the altar, she reached out and pulled out the hosta on her head, put it in her hand, and played with it carefully.
The body of the hairpin is delicate and small, transparent and emerald green. It is as quiet and deep as a thousand-year-old ancient pool, but it has some warm color, which makes her, a person who does not like jewelry, rarely fall in love with it.
After getting off the altar, Jin Yuanbao and the other five people quickly gathered around her. Ying 1 and 4 sang in harmony and praised her fiercely.
Normally, she would have shaken her head and put on a silly pose to accept their admiration and admiration, but at this moment, she didn't even have the intention to agree with them.
It was originally a great joy, but looking at Xia Chuyi's expression, there really wasn't any joy at all.
Jin Yuanbao drove Ying 1 and Ying 4 far away, stretched out his hand to pull Xia Chuyi, and asked with some worry: "What's going on?"
Xia Chuyi handed the hosta in his hand to Jin Yuanbao's hand: "Show me."
Jin Yuanbao didn't say anything, and immediately took the hosta in his hand, weighed it repeatedly, and then said: "If I read it correctly, this hosta is called Bi Linglong. Its provenance and origin cannot be tested, but in the world
In the book written by Jade Pei Li, the No. 1 Jade, this exquisite jadeite ranks first."
"Is this gadget ranked number one?" Xia Chu felt a little unbelievable and took the hosta into his hand, but he didn't understand why.
Jin Yuanbao raised the jade hosta and said, "You have to look at the light."
Xia Chuyi immediately followed her words and saw the not too strong sunlight shining down on her. In the tiny hosta, she could vaguely see two golden flying dragons rolling and flying in the sea of clouds!
She was immediately speechless: "What is the principle of this?"
"Who knows? The world is so big, there are all kinds of wonders." Jin Yuanbao shrugged, and then looked deeply at Xia Chuyi, "Rather than its principle, I want to know more. There is no guarantee that one can be found in the entire Wuji Continent.
How did you get Jade Linglong in the first grade of junior high school?"
When he mentioned this, Xia Chuyi also became depressed: "If I say that it was the old lady from Zhi Ji Li who put it in my head just now, you will never believe it, right?"
Jin Yuanbao was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "How can I believe it no matter what you say?"
Xia Chuyi covered her chest, feeling as if some of the loss just now had been washed away by something.
She put the hosta in her hair and smiled softly: "Let's go back to the inn. Yingyi and the others just bought food. I'm going to try it all!"
"Aren't you afraid of turning into a pig?"
"Don't be afraid, I am a rich little woman and can support myself!"