The dog's father asked again: "What's the savior?"
Brother Dog said: "We protected the young master under the Great Wall. It was already dark, so we slept in the wild. That night, thieves came and attacked. They were all very fierce and forced them to attack the camp fence. Our postmen rushed forward bravely, and they all He was injured by a crossbow arrow. The thief lost his crossbow and retreated, and the master was safe. Brother Ma died, and the rest of us all received a title!"
The dog's father was pleased and said: "It's rare to bravely advance forward and make great achievements." Several elders also nodded and said: "It's rare, it's rare!"
The dog's father asked: "What can I do about his injury?"
Brother Dog said: "It's been a long time!" As he said this, he took off his clothes and showed his scars. The elder and the dog father looked at the scars one by one and said, "Fortunately, they are not deep."
After Brother Quan got dressed, Father Quan returned to the door and said, "Who are you today?"
Brother Dog said: "There is a small town outside the Great Wall. Does my father know about it? This town was surrendered by Lord Xinling, and the king granted it fifty miles to Lord Xinling. Lord Xinling recognized our merits and appointed them all as governors of the town. Brother Zheng, who is the eldest and has the most merit, is the Guan Ling; Brother Su, who is the oldest and has the second most merit, is the Guan Wei; Mr. Cao, who is under Lord Xinling and has far-reaching wisdom, is the Guan Cheng; the fourth brother, I am the fourth The youngest one has the same merit as my wife, and is my right and left companion."
The dog's father bowed in his seat and said, "I didn't expect the officials Ling, Wei, and Cheng to arrive. I'm rude!" The other elders also thanked him profusely.
Zheng Anping returned the greeting and said, "Brother Quan and I are all brothers. Fathers and elders should not be too polite to condescend to the younger generation."
Brother Dog took out a piece of gold cake from his body and said, "This is what we have earned through our meritorious service. I dare to offer it to my father!"
Zheng Anping did not expect that Brother Dog would donate half of his annual salary, and he was deeply moved. But they themselves were unprepared and couldn't come up with any gifts, so they had no choice but to bow down and pay homage.
The dog's father was very excited when he saw such a big piece of gold cake. He quickly declined and said: "You can't do this. ... You have earned it through your meritorious service, and you can use it for yourself. ..."
The oldest elder took the gold cake, broke off a small piece from it, handed it to the dog's father, and said: "If you don't take it, the dog will be uneasy. Take a piece of cake to think about it." He took the rest. He handed it back to Brother Dog and said, "Take back the rest. As the leader of the team, I will spend it morning and night. Don't be without money!" He said that he divided the money like this. Zheng Anping and others secretly praised the work of the Presbyterian Council, and they all agreed with the elders.
The dog father rubbed the gold cake and said, "I didn't expect to see real gold in this life..." He was groping all over his body, as if he was looking for something. Finally, he took off a sachet from his belt, carefully put the gold cake into the sachet, and said: "I will carry it with me and pass it on to my descendants! ... It's all the work of dogs."
When Zheng Anping saw the dog's father acting like this, not only did he not find it funny, but he felt deeply moved by the deep love between the father and son of the dog family. Cao Bao said: "Brother Quan is in the center, and there is no ultimate goal in making great achievements. I'm afraid that my father's sachet will not be enough."
The dog's father said: "I dare not go against the doctor's words. The dog has made great achievements, and his body is in danger. The old man who hid this gold thought that it was not easy for my son to make great achievements, so I dare not let him be injured again! I will check carefully and find out that his body is Being injured five times...and even one of my peers died, isn't it sad and painful to think about it! My relatives and friends, I would rather not move the world with sorrow!" Holding Brother Dog's hand, he let out a sad cry. Everyone hurriedly tried to persuade him.
Zheng Anping glanced at Xiaosi, and both of them recalled their experience of traveling to Mayi together: Ma San's death did not cause any disturbance in his hometown; sending a relative to visit the deceased seemed like a great grace. When I think about myself again, if one day I die in battle, will the elders in my hometown let out a cry of sorrow? Although this thought flashed through my mind, my body followed everyone and saluted the dog's father: "Father, don't worry!"
When I was young, the eldest son knelt down outside the hall and asked, "The meal has been prepared. Are the princes and fathers sitting in the hall, and are they eating in front of the court?"
Only then did the dog's father stop crying, panting for a moment, and said: "It's cold in front of the court, and all the old people can't bear it, so they eat in the hall."
So the three sons each took charge of several cases and brought food to the hall. But they started arguing over who should give it first. Zheng Anping insisted that the elders come first and the young come last, while the elders insisted that the venerable come first and the humble come last. In the end, the longest person came out to smooth things over, and asked the host and guest to pay respect to each case in turn. In the first case, he should pay respect to the dog's father first, and then to the dog brother. Only then could they reluctantly reach an agreement.
There were actually three utensils on each table, a large bowl of thick rice porridge mixed with fish; a small plate of salted plums and a few small pieces of dried meat.
When everyone had food utensils in front of them, the dog's father said: "Old tiles in the countryside, all the officials, please don't think it's vulgar, please help me have a meal!"
Zheng An and Ping all said politely: "How dare you trouble your father to give me delicious food!" There was no other etiquette, and everyone ate with chopsticks. It seems that the old people also eat less meat, and the porridge is especially sweet when sipping.
Eat all in one moment. Zheng Anping chatted for a few words and left. A group of elders and Brother Quan's father and brother were sent straight to the exit, watching everyone heading out of the city along the avenue. When no one could see the shadows anymore, the dog's father suddenly let out a loud cry and fell to the ground crying. The frightened people hurriedly helped him and comforted him...
Zheng Anping, who was walking back home, suddenly said: "With a family like this, what more can I ask for!" These words revealed everyone's thoughts, and they all expressed their envy to Brother Dog.
Everyone hurried out of the city before the city gate closed. When they arrived at the gate of Guanyi, it was already dark and the city gate had been closed. They had to shout to open the city gate and enter Guanyi.
The city lord welcomed him into the mansion and told him about the ancestor worship tomorrow. Zheng Anping asked the city lord to take out five liters of the grain he brought as a sacrifice for his five people. The five people discussed the entire sacrificial process and each person's role with the city lord. According to Cao Bao's request, the five people only watched the ceremony and assisted the sacrifice, but did not participate in the sacrifice. The chief priest was still the city lord. After making the decision, the five of them went back to their rooms to rest.
Wu Wang did not go to the field with Zheng Anping and had a complete free time. He and Wu Er discussed it and decided to go to the wasteland of the abandoned city to collect stones. After picking it up for a day, I was so tired that I was covered in sweat, but I was very energetic. I came back, had a bowl of porridge, and rested in the house. Seeing Zheng Anping come in, he stood up to greet him. Zheng Anping asked him about his arrangements and found out that he had gone to pick up stones in the wasteland south of the city again, so he knew that he was serious about it. The land south of the city is very close to the river. If a road is left, there is almost no room for cultivation.
He didn't want to dampen Wu Wang's enthusiasm, so he said to him: "We visited the Great Wall and the fields today. The commander said that the land south of the city is not suitable for farming and has no other use. Don't work anymore!"
This sentence made Wu Wang feel so wronged that he almost cried, and said: "I have been clearing the accumulated stones for three days, why don't I waste it in vain?"
Zheng Anping said: "No. There are roads and flower forests there, so they can be used."
Wuwang said: "I only wrote it for Father Zheng, and others don't know about it."
Zheng Anping comforted him and said, "If you don't do it, I will do it myself. What you do is for me, not for others." Wuwang's expression softened slightly.
Zheng Anping asked: "Have all the accumulated stones been exhausted?"
Wuwang said: "From the wall to the river, the accumulated stones are almost gone."
Zheng Anping asked: "How many steps does it take from the wall to the river?"
Wuwang stepped on it with his feet and said, "About a hundred steps."
Zheng Anping said: "The main road is broken in the middle. There are only twenty or thirty steps on both sides, which is not enough for farmland. This is what Yousi said."
Wu Wang asked aggrievedly: "Since Father Zheng's land is not in the south of the city, where is his land? I will do my best to take care of it! There is no need to delay."
Zheng Anping said: "Mr. Cao arrived yesterday, and now he is going to the garden with him. Tomorrow he will be in charge of the city's big sacrifice. It's not the right time. Maybe it can be discussed after he is in charge of the sacrifice."
Wu Wang said: "Is it still possible tomorrow?"
Zheng Anping said: "No. You can rest and accumulate strength, but if you get the acres, you will do your best." Wuwang had no choice but to respond.
The next day, the city lord opened a courtyard that had been closed for a long time. The city lord introduced that the main hall here is dedicated to the so-called Guan Zu, and the one with the temple next to it is Guan Zhong. The time has not yet come, the main hall has not been opened, and the appearance of the two sacred seats is unknown.
After the gate of the courtyard was opened, the two sons of the city lord carried a large cauldron and placed it under the steps of the main hall - this main hall turned out to have three steps. In front of the steps is a corridor paved with stones. All these indicate the extraordinary level of this courtyard.
Under the command of the elder, several young people worked hard and dug a square pit similar to the size of the tripod in front of the tripod.
A chicken in a chicken coop was also carried to the pit.
Unlike community sacrifices, the sacrifices of each family are not placed in the courtyard.
At noon, many elders and heads of families came to the City Lord's Mansion. The parents held the sacrifices offered by their families and placed them in front of the City Lord's Mansion. As time goes by, everyone's sacrifices become similar. Seeing Zheng Anping, they all bowed respectfully. The city lord said: "Today we are worshiping our ancestors, the doctor will help us sacrifice five liters of millet." Everyone in the crowd praised him. The city lord also laid out his sacrifices, and at the same time, he filled a gui with five liters of millet from Zheng Anping, and showed it to Zheng Anping.
Households in the courtyard began to gather together. This time, everyone was very solemn, unlike the joyful and free-spirited atmosphere during community sacrifices. Each man held a slender, dry piece of firewood in his hand.
At noon, a drum sounded on the tower, and the already solemn courtyard became even quieter. Everyone consciously lined up on both sides of the corridor.
Under the leadership of the elders, the city lord and the parents of each family walked into the corridor holding the sacrifices, with Zheng Anping following at the end. Sheng Su's Gui was held not by Zheng Anping, but by Cao Bao. The five people were dressed in scholarly attire, and they stood out among a group of people in short brown gowns.
At the end of the corridor, the elders all knelt down, each parent knelt down in turn, and Zheng Anping also knelt down in the back row. After prostrating, the elder shouted: "Master, watch the ceremony!" Except for Cao Bao, Zheng Anping and four other people stood up, crossed the crowd, went straight up the steps, and stood in front of the steps.
The elders at the front of the steps shouted again: "Invite the Divine Ancestor!" The four elders went up the steps together, held the key to unlock the door, and pushed the door open. A stale air rushed towards them. Four elders stood on both sides of the gate.
The elders at the bottom of the steps called again: "Doctor's assistant!" Cao Bao stood up, holding the Gui, came to the front, and entered the gate with the elders.
There is a large table inside the gate, with a stone about two feet high placed vertically on it. The surface of the stone is very smooth and it is obviously a river pebble. Due to the dim light, no material can be seen. On the east side, there is a table with a smooth river pebble. There are two baskets under the case, covered with cloth.
When Cao Bao saw this layout, he felt very strange: Is this a salute to these two stones?
