NOVEL NEXT Chapter 87 - Bossy and Bossy-bitten Tiger Bronze Block
Chapter 87 Bossy and Bossy-bitten Tiger Bronze Block
Long Xi continued to look at the silk painting. The fourth part was the seedling growing up with vigorous leaves and branches. In the fifth part was a small flower bud. In the sixth, the bud grew larger and was going to bloom. In the seventh, the flower was half blooming and it could be regconized that it was a camellia. The eighth part was the camellia in full blossom, extremely beautiful and enchanting.
Long Xi admired the ancient silk painting and said with a smile, “It looks a bit like a comic strip! And it also looks like the Painting of Ode to Goddess Luo by Gu Kaizhi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, which was also made up of several parts and used sceneries of mountains and rivers to let the transitions go naturally. But what does the silk painting suggest? What is the implied meaning of camellia?”
Zhu Junyao said, “According to our research, the camellia in the painting is the Dian camellia, the most extraodinary one out of the Eight Eminent Flowers of Yunnan. It has been cultivated in the early period of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.”
Long Xi liked such kind of “brain-burning” reasoning games very much and was attracted deeply driven by curiosity. She couldn’t help talking to herself to analyse, “I remember the flower of Kunming is camellia. Does it imply Kunming? Oh, oh, nah. It happened long after. In the period of the ancient Kingdom of Dian, there was no such thing like the flower of a city. Tengchong is the origin of camellia in Yunnan, so it is implying Tengchong?”
Niu Xi said, “We have also searched Tengchong but we gained nothing. Personally, I think we need to collect all the clues of our twelve families and analyze them comprehensively so that it may work! Now have a look at the clue of my Ox Family— carefully!”
Granpa Shu grabbed a key again and handed it to Niu Xi.
Niu Xi opened the drawer with tag “Astragalus” and handed out a boxy box. He then fished out a key from the bosom and opened the small iron box.”
There was a small bronze-made item. It was in the shape of a tiger and a bossy. The tiger was biting the bossy’s head with its claws scratching the bossy’s eyes.
It was apparently that the bossy was hurt and struggling terribly. But it still put its body blocked to protect the calf hiding under its stomach.
Long Xi could not help but admire, “It is showing vividly! The selfless mother’s love is weaved together with the cruel principles of jungle justice, conveying quite a lot!”
Xiaolu touched his head and said, “I seem to have seen a similar bronze block in the Yunnan Museum. It left a deep impression on me. Oh, exactly. But that one is much larger than this one and the tiger is on the back of the bossy, biting its tail. Anyway, the extreme protective behaviour of the bossy is actually the same.”
Niu Xi said, “Yes, yes. I once disguised myself and went to the museum to have a look. It is called ‘Bossy-tiger Bronze Block’, made in the period of the Warring States.” Granpa Shu sat on the chair and said calmly, “Block is also called as ‘board’, functioned as a kind of sacrificial vessel to contain fleshy sacrifice in ancient China. You’ve all heard about the saying that ‘enermies are knives and chopping boards while we are flesh of fish and meat’, right? The bossy-tiger bronze block was used to contain the sacrificial oxen. It is the most important part of sacrifice because the sacrificial oxen are the most significant of the ‘three kind of sacrifices’. At the same time, tiger has its own place in the culture of Dian and can often be seen on the top of the bronze pillars of sacrifice. People of Dian worship the tiger for sure.”
Zhu Junyao said, “The bronze block guarded by my husband should have the same origin with that bossy-tiger bronze block. Maybe they were even made by the same craftman.”
Long Xi asked, “Why is this tiger biting the bossy’s head? Does it imply something? Usually, when a tiger attack a bossy or ox, it should attack from its back rather than front to front because it has the most powerful weapon on its head— the horns! Oh, will it be the name of the place related to the head of an ox? I remember that there seems to be a village called ‘Niutou’, meaning the head of an ox, in some province.”
Lord Mo Kun searched through the database of his high intelligent chip and got access to it immediately. “There is a Niutou Village in Hebei Province and another Niutou Village in Anhui Province.” He said.
Long Xi said with a smile, “Wow, do you want me to recommend you to participate in the reality show of Super Brain?”
Xiaolu said a little unwillingly, “Mr. Mo Kun, haven’t you recently come back from a foreign country? How could you be so familiar with the geography of Z Country? You leave no way for me, a local Z Country person, to save my face! It embarrasses me!”
Mo Kun sighed deeply and said reluctantly, “I can’t help it. I am so superior! I am so lonely!”
Long Xi asked, smiling, “Are you lonely? Ain’t I here to accompany you?”
Mo Kun couldn’t help but laugh, and he said, imitating the tone of Gudu Qiubai, “Being invincible— is the most lonely, the most painful!”
Xiaolu laughed, too, and sang the song “Invincible”: “How— lonely is being invincible. How— empty is being invincible. Alone at the peak— chilly wind blowing ceaselessly. My loneliness, who can understand my loneliness?”
Mo Kun asked Long Xi, “What’s this song?”
Long Xi said with a smile, “This is a famous song of Deng Chao, Tom Holland’s ‘daddy’. It is an interlude song in the film ‘The Mermaid’, written and composed by Mr. Stephen Chow himself! I guess he wrote how he felt in the song ‘Invincible’. Hey, wait, we are digressing!”
Granpa Shu smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter at all. Being young is so great, full of vigor and energy, being innocent and happy!”
Niu Xi said, “The clue of the Horse Family is guarded by Junior Brother Ma and stored in one of the drawers. But the key was in his hand. We asked his wife about the key after he passed away in an accident in the construction site, but she said there was no key in his leavings.”
Something suddenly hit Long Xi. She said, “His wife’s name is Yu Xiaotu. Is she… the descendant of the Rabbit Family?”
Niu Xi said, “Yes, she is. But she hates her role in this stuffs very much and only wants to be a common person. She brought the clue of the Rabbit Family away, too. We don’t know where she is working now. I even doubt that the key of Junior Brother Ma is with her, but she doesn’t want to give it to us.”
Zhu Junyao said to Feng Zihao, who had been silent and fiddling with the mimosa in his hand, “Hao, you have the clues of the families of Rooster and Monkey. Share with us.”
Feng Zihao looked up at her and said coldly, “Why should I obey you? You do think you are a princess, huh? Funny!”
Zhu Junyao’s expression changed a little, but she controlled her temper and did not let it fray.
However, the warm and honest smile always staying on Niu Xi’s face, which made people have a sense of security, was taken place by an angry expression immediately as Niu Xi heard what Feng Zihao said just now.
He rolled up his sleeves and shouted at Feng Zihao, “Feng Zihao, you are already 18 years old, right? Are you still being so childish? Anyway, we witnessed your growing-up. We are the elderly! How can you say it? I cannot keep my hair on! I have to discipline you bad wild silly kid!”
Zhu Junyao stopped him immediately and said, “Don’t!! His parents have just passed away recently. It is understandable that he is in a bad mood now. Niuniu, Niuniu, keep your temper! You say that every time I call you ‘Niuniu’, you won’t be still angry!”
Niu Xi took a few deep breaths, like pressing his anger down. He pointed at Feng Zihao and said, “Apologize!”
Feng Zihao said to Zhu Junyao toughly, “Sorry. But my parents warned me over and over again not to tell anyone anything about the clues before they passed away. I cannot go agianst their will!”
Granpa Shu said, “Little boy, why don’t you simply tell us? It will be much better if you tell us earlier. It is quite reasonable and we won’t be coercive. Oh, I feel hungry after discussing about the clues for so long a time. We haven’t had our lunch!”
Zhu Junyao said to Long Xi, “Hao is not an ill-disposed child. It is merely because he grew up in the mountain in seclusion and has some difficulty dealing with the people from the outside. When we were making our lunch, he happened to play with White Ape in the woods and find the enermies hidden around us. But for he informing us through the tweedle of phoenix, we would not hide ourselves in the basement from the enermies! He really loves us, but he doesn’t know how to express it.”
Feng Zihao said coldly, “Whatever you think. I will go out for a walk and serve myself lunch and dinner. Don’t wait for me.”
After saying that, he left Water Curtain Cave alone.
Long Xi said to Zhu Junyao, “My sister, I picked some gray tree mushrooms, do you have pots and slices of meat? Fried mushrooms and slices of meat, delicacy in the whole world!”
Zhu Junyao said with a smile, “You should call me aunt rather than sister. I am already 40 nominally.”
Long Xi smiled and said, “But you look pretty young. I shall call you sister and I don’t want to change the address!”
Zhu Junyao said, “Oh, you little girl! You flatter me so sweetly. If only I had a daughter like you!”
Niu Xi said to her, “My Prince Zhuzhu, when we hand over the treasure clues to the country, we can have a peaceful life to have a child! You don’t need to worry, Niuniu is not old and still fertile!”
Zhu Junyao rolled her eyes and said with a pouting smile, “How can you be so shameless in the public? I don’t feel like having another word with you. I will bring Xixi to the kitchen and make a great meal for you three as a meal of welcome.”
Long Xi held her arm intimately, looking like a close sister of Zhu Junyao, and walked elegantly into the innermost cave.
It was really a kitchen with stove, kitchen utensils, firewood, seasonings, tableware, completely equipped. There were also some dried bacon, sausage hanging here. And a closed small door was on the wall.
Zhu Junyao opened the small door and the cold air flowed out immediately. Long Xi took a look and found it was a small ice cellar with varieties of ingredients in it.
Zhu Junyao said with a smile, “The small ice cellar…”
Long Xi continued, smiling, “…was made by Feng Zihao. He is actually quite smart!”
Zhu Junyao poked her little head with her index finger lovingly and said with a smile,”You have a brain as good as his! Oh, I want to have you as my daughter!”
Long Xi smiled spoiledly and said, “It should be ‘sister’! I recognize you as my senior sister!”
Zhu Junyao said with a smile, “I am 22 years older than you. I feel ashamed to call your sister!”
Long Xi moved her eyes in a round, cocked her head, and said, “How about I calling you my little aunt? Didn’t your ancestor and my mom’s ancestor have family friendship? Then my mom is your sister of family friendship!”