Volume 1: The Happy Life in the Ivory Tower Chapter 56: Iron Water and Steel Flowers Blooming Magnificently

  "The iron flower of Yincheng is a unique kind of fireworks, unparalleled in the country. It's also known as 'iron plowshare', 'iron gift flower' or 'iron sparkler'. It's made by melting cast iron into a viscous liquid and throwing it into the air. As it disperses, the hot iron water oxidizes and naturally bursts into sparks. This is even more magnificent than regular fireworks... This is closely tied to our Luoyang region's long history of iron smelting. Professors Zuo and Song, you two are experts in this field, am I not a bit out of my league?"

  Minister Xu smiled and turned around, saying that the two professors sitting in the back seat had come to observe this grand folk photography scene together. Although it was only two months since they last accompanied him, Minister Xu was even more careful than before. The unexpected incident at the Rongyuan Institute made Professor Zuo angry and leave with a flick of his sleeve, and he also suffered from being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  There are still over 30 kilometers from the city of Lüliang to Yincheng Town. At this time, Zuonanxia and Song Chengyang in the back seat were in a good mood. It was just after dinner, and Zuonanxia, who was slightly drunk, smiled and said modestly, but unexpectedly, his old friend Song Chengyang revealed the truth, laughing and saying: "Director Xu, you really are a master of your craft! Left Lao's mother's hometown is Yincheng, and her uncle is the captain of the Iron Flower Team in the 1960s. In the 1970s, when Left Lao returned to Lüliang, I accompanied him on a visit to his relatives, and at that time, Uncle was still playing iron flowers at the age of 70."

  "Is that so?" Minister Xu exclaimed in surprise, no wonder he had a special liking for this temple fair, and wanted to take a look himself.

  "Haha, at that time we were both poor teachers, but without the treatment of nowadays."

  Zuo Nanxia smiled and handed over a bottle of iced tea that Director Xu had passed to him, putting it in Song Chengyang's hand, taking care of this professor who was older than him, explaining the origin:

  "Strictly speaking, this is a ritual of our Lüzhou ancestors to worship and drive away ghosts. In the past, the funeral ceremony for the deceased was to strike iron flowers. According to superstitious ideas, the unjustly dead could not be reincarnated, so every February 15th or July 15th, people would specially strike iron flowers to mourn the wronged ghosts. The venue was deliberately chosen under an old locust tree, and the iron flowers were intentionally struck onto the branches and leaves to symbolize the blooming of the iron tree. In the past, this method was used to express sympathy for the unjustly dead and to wish them a new life in the afterlife. Later, it evolved into a folk custom of striking iron flowers during the Ghost Festival... However, due to the stunning charm of iron flowers, it has transformed into an entertaining activity to celebrate the holiday, and funerals no longer strike iron flowers. Hehe, sometimes the evolution of folklore can be like the dialectical theory in philosophy, where opposites can transform into each other."

  "Oh, I've seen Iron Flower many times, but I really didn't know its origin was from funeral rituals." Minister Xu had a look of being enlightened, though with some flattery, also showing respect. If one were to talk about folk customs, this native-born Lucheng person might not necessarily know more than these two old men. Professor Song, sitting on the side, chimed in and brought up another round of folk customs such as Eight-Cornered Tower, Eaves Platform, High Stilts, and Nuo Opera, etc., saying that as early as the 1930s, a Dutch missionary had introduced many of Lucheng's folk arts to foreign countries, especially the Eaves Platform and Iron Flower folk art, which he called "magical magic" in his book.

  The car was driving, chatting and laughing, Zuo Nanxia occasionally turned his head to look back, this time the motorcade was even bigger than last time, with police cars blowing whistles to clear the way in front, led by four Audis with municipal committee O-number plates, followed by seven or eight vehicles from Tianji Chemical Industry, TV station and filming crew.

  Upon hearing the sound of a police siren, Zuo Nanxia slightly furrowed her brow and turned around. Song Professor, with his sparse hair and dark complexion, jokingly asked: "What's going on? Have you ruined Old Zuo's peaceful and simple life again?"

  To be honest, it's a bit much. My daughter is the chairman of Tianyi Petrochemical, and the city has made investment attraction a top priority, so this reception is a bit over-the-top. A short section of highway, toll booths fully open, police officers saluting at intersections, empty roads with all vehicles passing through unimpeded... it goes without saying that the road was cleared. Left Nan took a deep breath, smacked his lips, and clearly looked down on this, shaking his head and saying to Professor Song: "Don't be modest, old Song, I really never thought that one day I'd become part of the privileged class too. Do you remember what happened when we returned to our hometown in the 70s? The bus broke down halfway, and we had to take a donkey cart back to Yincheng."

  "This is also the mutual transformation of pros and cons, what's there to be unhappy about?"

  Song Chengyang threw his head back and laughed loudly, but the two in front of him didn't know there was such a secret and they also laughed. Song Chengyang understood his old friend's mood at this time, probably having some reservations about the city's arrangements. Laughing, he advised: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do! You say you're such a big shot now, can't still have someone lead a donkey to send you off, right? I didn't notice, your temper is quite big, without a word you just left, and this old bone of mine still has to be pulled along to apologize."

  "That's not right, I didn't mean to embarrass you that time... I was really angry, the whole city only has one high school, how did it end up like this."

  "What's wrong with you, isn't what's in front of your eyes also unbearable, didn't you also force yourself to accept it?"

  "No, don't change the subject. This educational atmosphere and social climate should at least have a buffer zone in between? I went to Renda (a university) and didn't even know that there was a student strike, and then there was a fake diploma scandal... Let's not discuss this scene, but is it okay for this school to be like a ruthless arena where people fight for fame and profit?"

  "Going south, you don't look like you're seventy, you look like you just turned seventeen... I've now discovered that your air of detachment is also put on. Hehe, I don't believe it, nowadays every household is expanding enrollment and everyone is pursuing higher education, how much better can the university you're at be compared to Tsinghua? This is so similar to the 'Down with the Stinky Old Ninth' and 'Knowledgeable Youth Going Up the Mountains and Down to the Countryside' of years past. So-called culture has always been a follower of politics and power, this isn't something that one or two people can change, even if they wanted to, it's not you or me. Aren't we also just survivors of the political tidal wave?"

  The two of them exchanged a few words, but it was Song Chengyang who ended up speechless. In comparison, although Song Chengyang's face was dark and wrinkled with age spots, his words had a higher level of depth than Zuo Nandong's. When he heard this, Zuo Nandong smiled wryly and shook his head, at a loss for words.

  Minister Xu, however, did not dare to intervene in the dispute between these two old men. Now he also vaguely understood that Zuo Nanxia's pain was mainly about the destruction and damage of urbanization to folk customs. The last time it was because of the rotten things that happened at the Ruan Institute, which was really suffocating locally, and secretly added a bit of reverence for this old man who didn't have any rich and noble air.

  "Alas... Old Song, we two won't live for many more years. I wonder what kind of environment our next generation, and the one after that, will grow up in. Honestly, I don't dare to imagine."

  "This growth, will always grow up, we don't have the ability to predict the future, but we've done our best for the future, no regrets in this life. I'm not worried about this point, just like you said, cultural factors are rooted in every person of this nation, if there is suitable soil and sunshine, it will always flourish... I use facts to refute your worries, I received the first round of thesis reviews from all departments a few days ago, of course, most of them are rubbish, but among this rubbish, there might be one that interests you..."

  Song Chengyang said, casually pulling out a stack of paper papers from an old-fashioned bag. Zuo Nan was still thinking that Old Song wanted to recommend someone, and smiled without revealing it. This kind of favor had already been extended to many people since arriving in Lu Zhou. Taking the papers, he roughly browsed the beginning, and his interest grew greatly after reading a few sentences. Holding an old magnifying glass, he called for the lights to be turned on. Director Xu hurriedly arranged for the partition between the front and rear compartments to be put down, providing a quiet space for the two of them to discuss their academic work.

  Very quiet, Zuo Nanxia was staring at the thick thesis paper, until Yin Cheng was in sight but had not noticed, Song Chengyang smiled slightly, smiling with great satisfaction, as if he really had an advantage over Professor Zuo.

  The car got off the highway and drove for several kilometers, but it was all winding mountain roads. This Yincheng Town is as its name suggests, a large town surrounded by towering mountains and steep hills. As we entered the town, we drove straight to the highest building in Yincheng, the Yincheng Hotel. Telescopes had already been set up on the rooftop, and the elevating camera equipment had moved into the square, waiting for the grand opening of the most spectacular fireworks display at night.

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  In the town center square, amidst a bustling crowd, Lei Dapeng had just come down from the opera stage and was playfully making funny faces at Simu Xian, who was dodging him. When Simu Xian got angry, he kicked Lei Dapeng, and they ran forward for a while before realizing that Dan Yong was nowhere to be seen. They turned back to look for him, but only found out by calling his phone that he had climbed onto the eaves of a building, staring at something in the crowded square below.

  "Wow, this stupid B, is going to die!" Lei Dapeng looked up and said with a smile, the eaves of the roof were more than ten meters high, all made of thick wooden beams wrapped in red silk, if he fell down, he would definitely be unable to take care of himself. Simu Xian smiled and said: "Even if you don't want your life, it's not necessarily possible to see Niya."

  Wow, indeed, looking around the square, there are tens of thousands of people performing, setting up stages, singing operas, dancing lions, and performing dragon dances... From the afternoon onwards, it attracted nearly 10,000 people from all over the town to watch, almost all the police force in the town were dispatched to maintain order, I heard that the local government also invested a lot of money, just this performance cost over 10 million.

  After a while, the two brothers saw Dan Yong still looking on with no intention of giving up. Lei Da Peng shouted loudly: "Egg brother, come down quickly, Tie Hua is about to start."

  "It's the boss, come down, can't you see there are so many people? It's getting dark." Si Mu Xian was also shouting.

  Down he came, finally starting to come down, only to see the egg brother wearing a yellow jacket, white headscarf, and red cheeks, slipping down from the eaves column with a few swishes, standing still, looking exactly like a young farmer, making Lei Dapeng want to touch the egg brother's face, that was so much fun, Shan Yong slapped open his hand with a loud noise, ignoring him.

  These two brothers, one following the other, with Shan Yong in front and Si Mu Xian on either side. They arrived right at the start of the afternoon session, but putting Egg Brother's suona skills among a group of old artists immediately made him lose his luster, and he could only bask in the glory of being younger. Standing in front of the suona team, he played a tune of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and "General's Command", but was recorded live and had several wrong notes picked out. It wasn't until then that it became clear that Shan Yong's suona skills had never been systematically learned, and were simply based on following his father Shan Changqing's random playing. The most familiar tune he played was "Lifting the Wedding Sedan", which in village gatherings whoever could play would get to eat first, but didn't necessarily have to learn it well.

  But Dan Yong, his mind was probably not on the lively scene either, constantly looking around from afternoon till night, but still couldn't see the person he wanted to see. Who was it? No need to say, even Lei Da Peng knew. He nudged Dan Yong and teased: "Egg brother, why so glum? I've also been dumped, but look at me, I'm fine. Not that I'm saying you're wrong, Egg brother, but chasing after Lao Tuo's daughter is like a white bone spirit trying to eat the Tang Monk's flesh..."

  "What's up, Second Brother?" Simu Xian teased. Shan Yong ignored him.

  "Daydreaming, I suppose." Lei Dapeng said, and then advised Dan Yong: "Besides, you two are together all the time, what's that called? Wearing pants and a tie."

  "What's going on?" Simu Xian asked again.

  "It doesn't match." Lei Dapeng said, exchanging a glance with Simu Xian and continuing to say: "And what's it called... shaving hair on eggs, also known as being foolishly optimistic..."

  Two people ate and laughed, it seemed they had already persuaded Shan Yong. Shan Yong walked while glancing at them with a smile, saying: "Mu Xian, you can use Lei Da Peng's mouth to mock me, stupid Lei wants to learn riddles don't ask him, ask Ge instead, Ge will teach you one, what is 'playing a big knife in the crotch of pants'?"

  "I know, I know, this I know, stupid (kill) hang." Lei Dapeng excitedly said, immediately woke up, pulling single bravery to reason: "Yo, scolding people or not? Who is stupid?"

  "Who scolded... I said it's a girl's pants. What's the big knife in the crotch?" Shanyong asked with a smile, and this question made Leida Peng react slowly. Shanyong smiled and walked away, while Lei Ge bit his finger and thought hard, unable to figure it out. He grabbed Simu Xian, who was smiling, and curiously asked: "What does it mean?"

  "Stupid (killing) fool. Change your pants and you won't know?" Simu Xian smiled and also left.

  Lei Dapeng was finally relieved, having been scolded from all sides, and the two of them chased after him, winking at each other as they ran.

  Right on cue, the loudspeaker broadcast Director Qin's voice, directing everyone to their positions. As San Yong and his friends looked on, several film and television company directors' cars were driving in from outside along the entrance road. People on both sides of the road were making way, and the long-awaited Iron Flower Troupe finally entered the scene. This entry was quite spectacular, with 28 windboxes and blast furnaces mounted on the cars emitting blue flames. Behind them, each member of the Iron Flower Troupe carried a wooden board as wide as their hand, some taller than others. Whether they were pushing carts or performing iron flower stunts, they all wore straw hats, had bare backs, red waistbands, and thousand-layer-soled shoes. Suddenly, so many bare-backed, rugged men appeared on the scene, instantly drawing everyone's attention to this spot.

  "Suona team, gather at the east venue... Gather at the northwest corner of the drumming, the band from Dawangzhuang is coming to the front stage, clear the area around Tiehua team, everyone pay attention to safety, follow the instructions of the on-site police comrades, make way for a 50-meter space, Tiehua has some danger... Must pay attention to safety."

  The director was shouting hoarsely, and Dan Yong and Si Mu Xian were walking towards the gathering place, still wearing their costumes. Lei Da Peng, who had already finished his work, followed behind them. He had seen iron flowers before, but only occasionally in the city during the Temple Fair, where a few dozen people would play with one or two cars. However, he had never seen an iron flower team like this, with dozens or even hundreds of people. Every time he looked at those men wearing straw hats, their dark skin and bulging muscles made Lei Da Peng touch his own belly in envy.

  "Egg brother, egg brother, I'll play too, okay?" Lei Dapeng was envious and wanted to take action himself. Shan Yong turned back with disdain: "Don't mess around, do you know why we wear straw hats? The temperature of the iron slag after blooming is over 100 degrees, if you touch it, your skin will peel off. Those who haven't practiced iron flower for three to five years dare not enter this arena."

  That's also true, Lei Dapeng had heard of the danger of this thing. This time it was easy to maintain order, and the crowd naturally made way for a large empty space in the center of the field. Shan Yong and Si Muxian entered the band, each holding an instrument, and Lei Dapeng squeezed beside the band, watching the scene become more and more grand, but didn't dare to make any rash moves.

  Ignition, ironing, most of the time using pig iron plows, making iron flowers is simple, it's just melting pig iron, throwing molten iron into the air and naturally oxidizing to produce sparks. It's hard to say, the temperature of the molten iron is over a thousand degrees, and if you're not careful, you'll get scalded.

  It's just that the masters in the field, what they play is called a heartbeat. As soon as the loud and clear call is made, the strong-armed men operating the bellows stretch and shrink their arms, blowing fiercely to make the furnace fire burst into blue and white flames. Following the director's gestures on the high platform, the iron gradually turns red. With a preparatory gesture, the musicians hold their instruments in hand, and with another movement, the prelude of "Dragon and Tiger Leaping" starts. The Iron Flower Troupe, holding wooden boards, uses the pounding on the ground as rhythm and the calls as accompaniment. All that can be heard is a string of simple calls: "Hai yo yo... hei yo yo yo..." along with the music and the sound of stomping feet. The simple melody is shouted out by these many robust men, creating an astonishing atmosphere.

  "It's out of the oven!"

  An ancient, rusty bugle sounded, and the Iron Flower Team dispersed around the circular furnace, each holding a wooden board. The scarlet iron water that was about to solidify was accurately poured onto the heads of the boards by the blacksmiths, and the entire scene was filled with a hissing sound as it emitted a blue smoke, making the atmosphere appear grand yet eerie.

  The bugle sounded, the music swelled, and gradually became more stirring. In an instant, the conductor of the Iron Flower Troupe waved his hand and shouted out a single syllable: "Hai!"

  In an instant, hundreds of tons of molten iron were swung onto the heads of dozens of meters by the men of Tiehua team, and the whole audience raised their heads in unison.

  In an instant, drums and music sounded together, echoing throughout the entire venue.

  Almost at the same moment, the crimson iron water droplets burst open in mid-air, illuminating a 50-meter square of sky with thousands of sparks simultaneously bursting forth, emitting red, blue and yellow iron flowers that shone with unparalleled brilliance. The entire square was bathed in light, the deep starry sky lost its color, leaving only the multicolored iron flowers to create a dazzling display of light and shadow, flashing by in an instant, leaving the onlookers dazed and enchanted.

  Soft rustling sounds, at the iron flower scene, fell a layer of black, oxidized iron filings, still hot, if not seen with one's own eyes, perhaps it would be impossible to imagine that such an inconspicuous iron filings could produce such a brilliant flame.

  The second oven is about to go on stage.

  Shan Yong patted his shoulder, and a few black iron filings fell off. The fleeting light and shadow made him seem lost in thought. It was only then that he realized he had forgotten his own identity and the tune he was supposed to play along with. However, in the face of such an awe-inspiring scene, any language description, background, or musical accompaniment seemed pale and superfluous. Looking at the scene before him, the dark, robust backs, the fiery furnace, the rugged male bodies, the rough tools, and the ancient number plates, it was already a picture that needed no embellishment.

  Shan Yong seemed lost in thought, holding the flute in his hand, biting the reed, covering the sound hole with his palm, and filling his lungs with air. In his mind's eye, a scene flashed by that he could never forget.

  "Hey!" Another whistle sounded and molten iron flew into the sky.

  With a single, bold and vigorous breath, a sharp, piercing, and metallic suona sound overwhelmed all the drumming sounds, as the iron water shot up almost to the extreme of high B pitch, that stimulating sound made several people nearby cover their ears.

  Rise... Rebirth...

  The moment the iron flower blooms, the suona sound comes in high B pitch with several tremolos and rotations. There is no melody, just a single high note, like words pent up in one's heart, wanting to be blown out with all one's might. The excitement reaches its peak, as if carrying a hint of desolation, echoing through the sky where the iron flower blooms, following the fleeting rotation of the iron flower, as if it is a regret for not being able to retain this dazzling beauty, and also a sigh that this brilliant light flower cannot last long, can only gradually disappear with the most beautiful light and shadow.

  Suona, the sound stopped.

  The iron filings fell down with a rustling sound, like the tears of fireworks, but the most beautiful light and shadow remained in everyone's memory.

  Shan Yong closed his eyes, and for the first time, he blew a little too hard, causing a slight lack of oxygen in his brain. It was as if an illusion flashed before his eyes, as if the sound of the suona was like the whistle he used to blow, able to make the beauty turn around, but unfortunately, that lovely figure also flashed by like the iron flower, unable to be pursued or retained...

  He didn't notice that the photographer's lens had captured him from the moment he spoke, and this strange sound seemed to be played just for Tiehua, with an inexplicable harmony. He also didn't notice that many pairs of eyes were looking at him, and his sudden voice made people's hearts hang high for no reason. Even more, he didn't notice that on the top floor of the Ying Town Hotel, which was less than a hundred meters away, there was a figure who had once tossed and turned with him, seeing him at this moment, lightly putting down the binoculars with shaking hands. That sound, perhaps only she could understand, understanding the call from the bottom of her heart, the thoughts that had been tossing and turning.

  At this moment, Father Zuo Nanxia and Sister Zuo Xihong also withdrew their gaze. Zuo Nanxia smiled and said: "This is a high-pitched B tone that only blew one phoneme, a bit off-key, but quite suitable for this occasion, with some flavor."

  Everyone present smiled kindly, focusing on the iron flower blooming, and didn't notice the music until that unusual suona tune burst out, which everyone heard. Professor Song also understood music theory and said this seemed to be a tune from "Feng Qiu Huang", although it was off-key, running so high-pitched was rare, and this tune had an inexplicable harmony with the iron flower blooming, unlike random blowing.

  Just then, as he looked down at his daughter on the left, she was nowhere to be seen. He beckoned and whispered in the ear of his living secretary, who came running after him with a tight and anxious expression...

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  "Hey, I'm talking about your team, is there anyone who can blow like that? You're the only one with enough breath to make it sound so loud?"

  The conductor of the band was training alone bravely. He blew away the entire "Dragon and Tiger Leaping" tune.

  Shan Yong put down the suona and turned to leave, but unexpectedly, the leader of the Iron Flower Troupe, a robust man in his forties, shouted: "Young man, you play well! Come on, give us another tune!"

  "Wait, don't go... just that sound you made earlier, blow it again." Director Qin also caught up, grabbing Xian Yong and complaining, "You've been blowing for an entire afternoon, and now this one note is still not right, and you're not even letting people leave!"

  This got the band all confused, they stopped playing the good tune and started playing randomly. The director rushed forward to explain that this tune matched perfectly with the fireworks scene, when the iron flowers bloomed in the sky, the band lowered two beats, just this one tune tried to soar higher. And synchronized with the time of the iron flower bloom. Shan Yong was fine, directly pulled by the director into the iron flower field, stood together with the leader, but unexpectedly just as he stood still and picked up the suona, his hand shook, almost unable to hold it steady.

  In his eyes, he finally saw the figure he had been searching for all day, rushing forward, being stopped by the police on the scene, standing at the forefront of the scene, smiling and waving to Single Courage, as if appearing out of thin air in the vast crowd just for a reunion. The smile seemed to be filled with long-awaited joy. Single Courage subconsciously wanted to rush over to welcome him, but was held back by the team leader, still waiting for the trumpet to sound. This simple action made Single Courage hold his breath, following the melody, another loud and stirring note chased after the iron flower, the sound lingering in the air above the scene, persisting for a long time.

  This time, it was Heart Flower bursting forth with the magnificent iron flower...