Meeting them VIII

卖猪的, 卖猪的！ The day dawned bright and early to a periodic bellowing of MaiZhuDe! The host leads a curious traveler to the street where a massive pig lays splayed on thin, ripped plastic in a truck bed. The seller stands by, loudly proclaiming his presence. Locals choose hunks of meat, and the seller judges their weight, holding a simple balance by a cord. The host buys a few pounds of meat (for ¥60), and the pair return inside for breakfast.
Breakfast is fried triangles of dough, stuffed with vegetables, and a cold salad. The hostess urges more food on the traveler, but eventually relents. The traveler's bill for dinner, a bed, and breakfast? ¥38.
A Hancheng policeman is in town, and stops for breakfast, then takes the traveler back to Hancheng, to The Confucius Temple.

"Hancheng is a place propitious for giving birth to great men. People are honest and unspoiled. A saying that half of the court officials were from Shaanxi, and half of Shaanxi officials were from Hancheng was very popular among the people. Xue Guoguang and Wang Jie, the most famous scholars, were promoted as the Prime Minister of Ming and Qing dynasties." So says a sign in the mini-museum found within. A later sign informs us that a citizen of Hancheng was Mao Zedong's Russian translator.

For ¥30 (on top of the ¥15 entrance fee) one can have a personal tour of the Temple and museum displays. Without this tour, one might pass by this old pillow unawares. (Well, who would have guessed? It's made of stone.)
The traveler struggles to read Confucian anecdotes, with much help from the guide. Passing over the bridge between the half moon pools and three courtyards flanked by monks' former clothes-changing building, eating hall, living quarters and libraries the pair approach the building of scrolls.
The traveler poses in white shorts, annoyingly beltless.

After seeing the Temple, the traveler wanders the market.
Food, Nails...
Medical care... (Zhen Suo)
A man selling bags of concrete tells the traveler how to flag a passing minibus to the bus station, where she gets on a fast bus back to Xi'an. The scenery is rather fascinating.
Welcome back to Xi'an!
The traveler returns to Xi'an, but only long enough to change clothes. Mount Hua beckons!