The villagers welcomed their lord and future mistress very much. There were only about 500 people in the village, with a total of about 100 households, and the snow on every road had been swept clean.
Even the stone tablet inscribed with "Yongfeng Village" at the entrance of the village has been wiped clean and tied with red silk. It is extremely eye-catching against the snow everywhere.
There is a hill to the northwest of Yongfeng Village. It is not big, but it is also densely forested.
This nameless hill is a joint property of the Jia family and the neighboring villages. It has no mineral resources and is only used by the villagers for hunting and gathering herbs.
The people in several villages are quite familiar with each other, and there are no conflicts on weekdays, and they often interact with each other.
Because it was the Chinese New Year and there was heavy snowfall, few people went into the mountains in the cold weather. But today was different. The clan leader personally issued an order for the best shooters in the village to go into the mountains early in the morning to hunt the freshest game for the master and mistress.
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
Two feathered arrows suddenly broke the silence of the winter mountain forest. The pheasant was nailed to the ground, struggled for a while and then stopped moving.
The two feather arrows shot almost at the same time belonged to two people. One of them was slightly shabbier in clothes. He approached Chai Guiyong who was carrying the pheasant with a rather troubled expression on his face.
He knew Chai Guiyong, a good hunter from Yongfeng Village. He often met him in the mountains on weekdays. He would always give him a pheasant, hare or something when he had no harvest.
Ordinarily, the two of them shot the pheasant at the same time today, so he should give it to the other, but the children at home didn't even get a few bites of meat during the Chinese New Year. The weather finally cleared up, and he really wanted to cook a bowl of meat for his children in the afternoon. Drink soup.
"It turned out to be Uncle Liang. Who could have such superb archery skills? He shot this pheasant in the neck with an arrow from fifty steps away."
Chai Guiyong picked up the pheasant, pulled out the arrows from its neck, wiped it into the snow, and handed it back to Chen Liang who was approaching.
Chen Liang took the feathered arrow and inserted it into his quiver. He opened his mouth and finally resisted asking for it. He planned to exchange some pleasantries and then go look for prey.
But Chai Guiyong touched his chest and took out a small piece of broken silver, almost two taels, and stuffed it into Chen Liang's hand.
"Uncle Liang, I won't let you go with this pheasant today. It's true that the clan leader gave the order to die. If I don't bring back fresh game before noon, I will be beaten."
ah?
Chen Liang was a little confused, and even forgot to refuse, and asked in surprise: "We are celebrating the New Year, and you Zhuangzi are not short of this kind of meat. How could Lord Wu give such an order?"
As soon as he said this, Chai Guiyong straightened his back and patted his chest with pride: "Uncle Liang, my master and mistress are coming over today and plan to stay in Zhuangzi for a few days. Are they planning to hunt some game for me?" Master and mistress, please give it a try."
Chen Liang suddenly realized: "Is it Master She, the Marquis of Rongguo? By the way, I heard that Master She has returned from southern Xinjiang."
"Uncle Liang, you have forgotten again, why is our village called Yongfeng Village? Our village has long been given to my master by the great master. My master is the third son of Rong Guohou, and the third master Cong of Yongfeng is granted the title of uncle."
Whenever Chai Guiyong talks about Jia Cong, he looks proud.
It’s true that Mr. She is famous, but in the countryside of Gyeonggi, who doesn’t know Yongfeng Bo Jia Cong?
Potatoes and corn gave the poor people in Gyeonggi Province a full meal for the first time to celebrate the New Year.
Chen Liang is one of them. He is a landless tenant. He used to go hungry every winter. If he hadn't been good at hunting, he might not even be able to support his wife and children.
Fortunately, with the availability of potatoes, corn and other divine objects, and with the Holy King in court, the Imperial Village recruited landless refugees and rented them several acres of fertile land at a very low rent. Although there was not much meat in this winter, there was still a lot of food. Don't worry about being cold or hungry.
Thank you to the great and merciful Emperor!
By the way, I would also like to thank Marquis Yongfeng and Princess Wen'an who pioneered the household responsibility system. Chen Liang suddenly remembered who the mistress Chai Guiyong mentioned was, wasn't she Princess Wen'an?
"You mean Uncle Yongfeng and Princess Wen'an are here?"
Chai Guiyong nodded, but saw Chen Liang put the silver in his hand back into his hand, pulled him and walked towards the mountain.
"If you didn't tell me earlier, my uncle and your highness the princess are rich and valuable people. What can these pheasants and hares have to eat? I will take you to a place... By the way, if there are any more people, please call over and we will fight." That thing is probably quite choking.”
…
She left Beijing early in the morning and spent more than an hour on the road. After arriving at Zhuangzi, Daiyu accompanied Jia Cong to meet the elders of the village and listened to Jia Wuer's report.
After noon, Jia Wu'er's son Jia Yunchang entered the main hall respectfully, saying that the luncheon had been prepared and asked if food would be served.
Jia Cong nodded, and saw a group of servants coming in one after another carrying basins, plates, and bowls of various sizes. The round table was covered with a clean tablecloth, and the largest basin was opened. Good guy, what is this? Why are there bear paws in Zhuangzi?
Among the meals on the table, pheasants, hares, and rabbits were no longer worth mentioning. Venison, roe deer meat, wild boar meat, and finally, bear paws.
Yongfeng Village is rich, yes, but it is not rich enough to be able to assemble this table of precious game.
"Second Grandpa, this..."
In fact, Jia Wuer was also confused. He just asked the good players in the village to hunt some fresh game. At this time, he could also hunt pheasants, wild rabbits and so on. Could it be that these young men had given up the mountains behind the village? Out of pocket?
It was Jia Yunchang who handed over his hands and said: "Back to the Lord, it was the hunter from the village who met the old hunter from the Huangzhuang next door in the back mountain. The old hunter was grateful for the kindness of the Lord and the mistress, so he took them to dig out the blind bear's lair. On the way back, I met another group of wild boars on the road, so I brought them back with me."
"From Huangzhuang? It's Chen Liang, right?"
"Dad, this is Chen Liang. Gui Yong met Chen Liang and told him that the master and mistress were temporarily staying in Zhuangzi for fun, and that's how the blind bear hunt came about."
Jia Wuer knew clearly after hearing this. He had seen this Chen Liang before. He often hunted game in the village in exchange for salt, wine, or needles, thread, and brains.
After all, Yongfeng Village is famous for its wealth in the west part of the city. In order to save the few money they brought into the city, farmers from nearby villages often come to the village to trade when they have money.
Jia Cong figured out the origin of these prey. He felt deeply impressed by the simplicity of the farmers and a little annoyed by the impulsiveness of these hunters.
Are blind bears in hibernation and restless wild boars easy to hunt? Don't want to die?
I wanted to reprimand him a few words, but in the end it turned into helplessness. Yongfeng Village was the place where his soldiers were incubated. The men in Zhuangzi were instilled with martial loyalty since childhood.
What about blind bears and wild boars?
In order for the master and mistress to have a good meal, they dared to go to the East China Sea to catch the dragon king, and to Kunlun to kill the phoenix.
Not only could he not reprimand him, but he also had to finish the meal beautifully and praise him.
"Sit down, Second Grandpa, all of you. After we finish eating this meal, we will go and see these brave men."
…
The sky has cleared and the door to the courtyard is open.
Jia Cong, Daiyu and the elders of Zhuangzi sat around a table in the main hall. Outside the hall were also filled with large round tables, with ten people at each table, a total of sixty large tables, which not only crowded the front yard of the other courtyard. , and even placed them on the street outside the door, until they were placed on the spacious campus.
At noon, the warm sun in the sky dissipated the coldness of the early morning. Coupled with the steaming broth on the round table and the home-brewed rice wine going into their throats, both adults and children felt warm and did not feel cold at all.
Jia Cong and Dai Yu ate something to fill their bellies, and then walked out of the main hall accompanied by Jia Wuer.
When they stood at the entrance of the main hall, the villagers who were eating meat and drinking wine all stopped using their chopsticks.
"Greetings to the lord and greetings to the mistress!"
"Today is a family dinner, no need to be polite, just get up."
The rules in Zhuangzi are basically based on the rules in the army. Everyone bowed down in unison, making Jia Cong feel like he was in a military camp.
Men, women, old and young all set their sights on the pair of beauties in front of the main hall. This is their future dependence. Relying on the uncle and the princess, the people of Yongfeng Village can live a fairy life that is envied by others.
They live in a brick house and eat rice and meat. The children can study in the village school and practice martial arts with the clan leader.
Even if you get old, you don't have to worry about being homeless. The public will allocate money and food every month to support you in old age. When you are sick, you don't even need to leave Zhuangzi. There is a doctor with excellent medical skills living in the house near the back mountain.
"There is wine and meat, and I feel relieved to see that everyone is doing well."
Jia Cong took a few steps forward and reached out to pinch the face of a fat baby in front of him. He was so frightened that he ran and hid behind his father, exposing half of his head to peek.
He raised the wine glass in his hand and saluted everyone: "New year, new atmosphere, may the summer last forever, and may everyone's life get better and better. Come, drink this glass with me!"
"May the Great Xia live forever, and may the Lord, the Mistress, and the United States be healthy!"
Everyone raised glasses to congratulate each other, and Jia Cong and Daiyu drank with them. The alcohol content of this home-brewed rice wine was not high, and it tasted quite soft. Even Daiyu did not feel any discomfort. Instead, she felt a hint of sour and sweet taste, which was quite pleasant. nice drink.
The two of them greeted the villagers on both sides and wished them New Year's greetings. They walked out of the courtyard and drank New Year's greetings with tables of people.
After having a drink with the ten people at the last table, the two returned to the main hall of the courtyard.
Even if the two of them just took a sip when they were drinking and congratulating each other at the banker, they were already blushing and feeling a little dizzy after sitting down from table sixty.
Especially Jia Cong, he was not willing to make Daiyu drunk and uncomfortable, so he drank several drinks on her behalf.
Jia Wuer asked his maid to bring the hangover soup that had been prepared long ago. After the two drank a few sips, they were taken care of to eat again.
Grandma Wang felt sorry for her girl, but she didn't dare to stop her from going out for a toast. Just like a bride entering the house, the people in this village are the iron walls of Yongfeng's house. The girl must show her sincerity in order to receive his loyalty.
Daiyu knew this truth, Jia Cong also knew it, and Jia Wuer also knew it.
So today's banquet is the first time that Daiyu officially accepts the allegiance of everyone in Yongfeng Village as the hostess of Yongfeng Mansion.
From today on, the word "mistress" has become a symbol of Daiyu's status in the hearts of these villagers. If Jia Cong is absent one day, Daiyu, as the mistress, can mobilize the power of the entire Zhuangzi to protect herself and the Yongfeng residence.
…
In the afternoon, I originally planned to go to the village to look around, but because Jia Cong and Daiyu drank too much wine at noon, I had to postpone it.
The fire in the back hall of the courtyard was very hot, and the charcoal in the stove occasionally crackled and made a slight sound, like a hypnosis, causing the snow geese and zicuckoo who were guarding Daiyu to doze off unknowingly.
It was almost dark when Daiyu woke up. She rarely drank alcohol, but she was still drunk today even if she had Jia Cong to drink for her.
"Snow geese, purple cuckoos..."
"Ah, girl is awake?"
Xueyan heard Daiyu's call first, rubbed her eyes, and walked quickly to the kang. Zicuckoo also woke up. When Daiyu said she was thirsty, she took the copper kettle burning on the stove and mixed it with a cup of warm water.
After Daiyu moistened her throat, she looked around at the furnishings in the room.
This room in the other courtyard is completely different from her small courtyard in Rongguo Mansion. It is worthy of being the other courtyard of Wuhou's family, simple, rough and even more murderous.
For example, there is a long knife hanging in front of the bed, which would never appear in a daughter's boudoir.
Daiyu took the knife out of curiosity and pulled it out with a swipe. She saw three words - Jia Wu - engraved on the blade.
"Jia Wu, Jia Wu Er..."
"This is the sword of Grandpa Wu, my grandfather's original military commander."
Jia Cong strode in and told Daiyu the story of this long knife.
"I have never seen Grandpa Wu, but I see this sword every New Year's Eve. It was originally enshrined in the ancestral hall, but it was not until the year before last that my father invited him out to guard Yongfeng Village for us."
Jia Cong pointed to the gaps on the blade and sighed: "The last battle of this sword was in the 38th year of Zhaowu, the battle of the sage's fifth northern expedition to the desert. The prince's palace in Beijing County was hit by a reckless attack. The Tatar ambush meant that my grandfather, as a general of the Chinese army, had no time to organize a defense. Grandpa Wu was ordered to block the attack. Three thousand people fought against tens of thousands of Tatars in the vast sea and fought to the death, giving the Chinese army enough time to arrange...etc. When reinforcements arrived, the only thing left there was the knife."
Daiyu understood the meaning of this knife appearing in Yongfeng Village. It was a special inheritance, not only for the sons of Yongfeng Village, but also as a warning to Jia Cong and herself.
Don't forget the blood of the soldiers. Sometimes these people are closer than their own blood brothers.
Daiyu sheathed the long sword and held it up solemnly.
"I understand. This long sword represents the loyalty of the Jia family's soldiers, and also represents the Jia family's commitment to these soldiers."
Jia Cong smiled, put his hand on the scabbard, and said to Daiyu: "Not only the Jia family, but also the Yongfeng uncle's house. I, the Yongfeng uncle, and you, the Yongfeng uncle's mistress."
The two looked at each other, and Daiyu smiled.
The word "mistress" seems to have been engraved on her heart. After listening to it many times, not only has the shyness at the beginning disappeared, but it has become a heavy responsibility and a glorious honor.
Due to drinking at lunch, the two of them ate a lot, but they really didn't appreciate the taste.
Grandma Wang led the servants to work in the kitchen and delivered delicious meals. Daiyu has gradually recovered since the injection, and her appetite has gradually increased.
In addition, I was so happy today that I had to eat an extra bowl of rice during dinner. The two maids were so shocked that they didn't dare to let him lie down.
Jia Cong then found two lanterns, lit candles and took the tightly wrapped Daiyu to play in the village.
As soon as she left the hospital, Daiyu was stunned by the sight in front of her.
The neat courtyard now has lanterns hanging at the entrance. Little children are carrying lanterns in the shape of the Chinese zodiac, lining up to play and laugh around the village.
After seeing Jia Cong and Daiyu, they no longer had the fear at noon. Instead, they rushed forward and wanted to drag them to join their lantern parade.
Daiyu looked at the lantern in her hand, then looked at Jia Cong's smiling eyes, then reached out to hold the little girl with two sky-high braids, playing the role of a doll.
"On New Year's Eve, light lanterns, and each one will be bright red. The mountain village dolls are making a New Year's Eve, and their faces will be red under the lanterns."
The songs spread with the wind, it seems that tonight in Yongfeng Village is the New Year's Eve, and the New Year's flavor is even more full!
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I’ll stop updating here tonight. I’ve been too busy lately, so I’ve been staying up all night coding. I’ll be back to normal in a few days.
The update is a bit late, sorry.
(End of chapter)
