【New Red Mansion】Perfect World

"Yes, it is now kept in Pin'er's yard. I will take you back to see it later."

Jia Yuanchun was delighted, as she was busy with work and often on business trips at the time and had no time to take care of the cat. Li Hanlan said he had found a good owner for the cat and often took photos of it to show her, but he never told her that the cat was kept by his grandmother.

Before they finished talking about the topic, Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun arrived. They had just rushed over from the event site and said that everything had been set up there.

"You come at the right time, the banquet is about to start!" As soon as Wang Xifeng finished speaking, Jia Baoyu and Su Miaoyu arrived even more at the right time. They came for the chrysanthemum banquet.

Today's chrysanthemum banquet uses edible chrysanthemum varieties: Huanglian soup. The dishes are made into small portions for each person, and the meal is divided into separate portions, which feels a bit like a Michelin meal. A maid stands by to introduce the dishes.

The first dish is: chrysanthemum sashimi.

"Our chrysanthemums are first soaked in salt water and then refrigerated for an hour to remove the acid. They are not astringent when eaten, but sweet with an oily aroma, and the fragrance of chrysanthemums is retained."

After tasting it, everyone nodded frequently.

The second dish is: Chrysanthemum Abalone Chicken.

"The chicken tastes mainly salty and fragrant, and the chrysanthemum adds a fresh and sweet taste. The abalone slices are chewy. Today's meal is paired with a secret chrysanthemum wine..."

The maids placed a small wine pot next to each person and filled the small wine cups. Then Grandmother Jia invited everyone to raise their glasses and drink.

The third dish is: chrysanthemum and ivory clams.

The fourth dish is: garlic and chrysanthemum fried grass carp balls.

The fifth dish is: Turtle soup with tangerine peel and chrysanthemum.

Su Miaoyu's meal was mainly vegetarian, with chrysanthemum leaf tempura and chrysanthemum vegetarian soup specially made for her. The children's meal was also mainly chrysanthemum shrimp and vegetables, as well as chrysanthemum eight-treasure rice pudding, and finally there were various chrysanthemum cakes as desserts.

After a special chrysanthemum feast, the activity market over there was about to begin. After drinking chrysanthemum tea, they moved to the fountain square.

Some people have gathered in front of the small stage in the square. The talk show team led by Jia Tanchun is conducting a round-robin show. They are popularizing the true meaning of chrysanthemum in our country, which represents: good luck, longevity, seclusion, indifference... They are also explaining why some people think that chrysanthemum is a flower for memorial services, which is due to the impact of Western culture.

Today's chrysanthemum theme is incorporated into each joke, which makes people laugh while also making them think deeply.

"Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, I leisurely see the southern mountains.

Chrysanthemums do not compete with the world;

We would use the phrase "a person is as indifferent as a chrysanthemum" to describe a person's state of being detached from others.

Chrysanthemum, proud and independent: would rather die with fragrance on the branch, never blown away by the north wind..."

"We love chrysanthemums so much that we even print them on mahjong and banknotes..."

"Chrysanthemum first entered our lives as a medicine. The Shennong Herbal Classic believes that taking chrysanthemum for a long time can benefit the blood, make the body lighter, resist aging, and prolong life..."

"Eating chrysanthemums was considered a very fashionable thing by the ancients. Zhong Hui of Wei once praised them: Chrysanthemums are the food of gods. The great poet Qu Yuan also wrote: In the morning, I drink the dew of magnolia flowers, and in the evening, I eat the fallen petals of autumn chrysanthemums. "

The talk show stage was still talking about topics related to chrysanthemums, while the people wandering around the small stalls had already started to choose their own interests and hobbies. The scene was like the recruitment of interest clubs in universities:

Nina pulled Xie Yaning to join the paper-cutting stall. Each of them was given a pair of small scissors and learned the art of paper-cutting from the teacher. The stall next to them that was making paper flowers attracted the attention of Old Madam Li. A white-haired old man was teaching. Seeing that Old Madam Li was interested, Lin Pin'er pulled her to sit down at the table and they learned and made the works at the same time.

"Choose high-quality tongtu wood and cut its stem pith into tongcao paper as thin as a cicada's wing. This tests the maker's control over strength and thickness." After the old man cut the tongcao paper, he carefully cut out the outline of the petals with scissors according to the shape of the chrysanthemum petals.

"The size and curvature of each petal need to be carefully designed to be close to the shape of real chrysanthemum petals."

After everyone had cut out the petal shapes, the old man spoke again:

"The cut petals need to be shaped. Use a wet towel to gently wet the petals of the tongcao to make them soft and easier to shape. Use delicate techniques such as "pinching, twisting, and rubbing" to create natural curls and wrinkles for the petals, making them look full of vitality. For example, the outer petals should be pinched to stretch and show an outward stretching posture; the inner petals should be relatively compact, reflecting the layering of the flower."

Madam Li was the fastest learner. She finished her own and also helped Lin Pin'er finish the rest of the petals. After all the petals were shaped, they started gluing the flowers.

"This step requires that the petals be glued together one by one, starting from the pistil and working from the inside out, in accordance with the natural growth pattern of the chrysanthemum. When gluing, the amount of glue used should be just right, ensuring that the petals are firmly attached without leaving any glue marks that affect the appearance. At the same time, attention should be paid to the spacing and angles between the petals, so that the shape of the entire flower is full and natural."

The old man was very patient. The shapes of the chrysanthemums made by each person were different. He guided them one by one to improve. Although their works were not very delicate, they all received encouragement from the old man.

"Next, we dye the flowers. When dyeing, we adjust the corresponding colors according to the color characteristics of different varieties of chrysanthemums, and perform detailed smudges from the base to the edge of the petals to create a natural gradient effect, making the color of the Tongcao chrysanthemum as fresh and vivid as real chrysanthemums."

Before she finished speaking, a maid had placed fine brushes and paints beside each person. Madam Li dyed the chrysanthemum in her hand with a light blue color, while Lin Pin'er chose light yellow. After the chrysanthemums were painted, they were placed on a bamboo tray to dry. Another maid brought props for them to choose from. There were silver hairpins, ring trays, brooch trays, and even cards, branches, and bonsai trays.

Madam Li chose a tree branch to support her work, and Lin Pin'er chose a silver hairpin and waited for the paint on the flower to dry before sticking it on.

Lin Pin'er specially invited Wu Qing to come and play today, and set up an embroidery stall for her. Nini and Dalulu have wanted to learn embroidery for a long time, and even Fan Meiyu sat with them. Qiaojie also came here because of her reputation. Soon the place was crowded with people.

On a plain white handkerchief, Wu Qing was using a needle as a pen and thread as ink to carefully outline the silhouette of a chrysanthemum. She picked up a very thin silk thread from the embroidery frame, bit it off gently with her teeth, twisted it with her fingers, and passed one end of the thread through the eye of the needle as thin as a hair. Her movements were done in one go, skillful and elegant.