Engagement, that is, betrothal, is so big in China, and the customs are different all over the world.
Especially when the Ming Dynasty is transitioning from the old to the new era, the marriage customs in different places, families, and statuses vary even more.
Maybe a village in a certain state or county in the mainland still uses a completely classical marriage process, with matchmakers talking about matchmaking, parents making arrangements, etc.; maybe there are already people in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Yingtian and other prefectures who are engaging in free love in a chic way.
After leaving the Ministry of War Yamen and returning to Jiangxinzhou Station, Zhou Changfeng thought for a while and then summoned several married officers to consult them on this issue.
I thought the leader had something to explain, but unexpectedly it was for this?
"What should I give as a betrothal gift? In addition to the bride price, what else do I need? Some gold jewelry?"
Zhou Changfeng really didn't know much about it. He only remembered the three types of gold and hardware, such as gold bracelets, gold necklaces, gold earrings, and gold rings.
"I didn't give you anything valuable at that time, just small things like combs and mirrors. The only valuable thing was the bracelet." Second Battalion Commander Chen Min replied.
"My wife's family is more respectable and has several kinds of gold jewelry." Chief of Staff Zhao Hanfeng recalled, "If you can't make up your mind, you might as well prepare them all."
Zhu Lizhuo even joked with a smile: "Well, if you really want to make a scene, what kind of jewelry should you give? Just put a few gold bars on it, and everyone who sees it will sigh."
When Zhou Changfeng heard this, he glared at him, waved his hands and said, "I'll hit you on the head twice if I buy a gold bar."
Several people present laughed.
After a moment, Yao Liangchuan, who looked calm, said leisurely: "I think, if you are more informal and casual, you don't need to care about this at all, just be sincere and sincere."
It’s a joke, I’m not a fool, you are a real potential stock, even if you propose marriage with nothing, your parents will still agree.
"That makes sense. Who is our leader? Who dares to say that he is not an outstanding talent of our Ming Dynasty? I will be the first to kill him!" Xie Wancheng said and patted his chest.
"I think the most important thing is... Captain, you have to prepare the house first." Fan Qijin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
hiss! That makes sense, why did you forget this?
All the officers were quite embarrassed. They talked about this for a long time and forgot the most important thing.
Zhou Changfeng recalled that when he met Xia Xiaoshi's father before, he specifically talked about the house. The latter's opinion was that it was better to buy a house in the city. Although it was more expensive and smaller, life was more convenient.
"Okay, then I have to hurry up and get ready. Time is running out. Let's all disperse and go about our own business."
Zhu Lizhuo, who was smiling, stretched out and said, "My brother Zhou finally has to worry about his life-long affairs. I'm so happy."
"My age is very young for an official position, but I am already not young in terms of life." Zhou Changfeng said helplessly.
Apart from the house matter, he couldn't find any constructive suggestions after asking around, and he didn't have time to ask specifically about this, so he just came up with a hodgepodge.
I'll fix them all, this should be okay, right?
Before leaving, after Zhou Changfeng reviewed the list of casualties in the bandit suppression operation, he took out his large square seal, dipped it in ink pad and then carefully tapped the red seal.
After taking care of the official business that needed to be handled, he went to the dock and took a boat to leave Jiang Xinzhou.
The huge check given by Zhu Lingjing should not be spent lightly. If he went to the city and spent a lot of money to buy a luxurious compound, it would be too eye-catching, and Shen Yu might come to invite him to tea the next day.
You can use it, but you have to split it up, take it apart, and use it bit by bit.
Zhou Changfeng originally planned to wait for school to end at the school gate, and then take Xia Xiaoshi to choose a house with him. However, he was bored and wanted to go in for a walk. The guard at the school gate naturally couldn't refuse.
The teaching building here is three-story, and the campus environment is very good, with ponds, pavilions, and waterside pavilions everywhere.
When walking in the corridors of the teaching building, you will be surrounded by large classrooms, where teachers are giving lectures or students are answering questions.
His footsteps stopped at the door of the eleventh-grade liberal arts class three classroom, and the content of the history class being taught inside attracted him.
It is roughly the difference in science and technology between the East and the West in modern times. Then a student stood up and asked the teacher, why was Western Europe the first to establish a modern scientific system?
Of course the teacher couldn't answer.
This question is actually the question mentioned by the later British scholar Joseph Needham in his book "History of Chinese Science and Technology": Although ancient China made important contributions to the development of human science and technology, why did China not establish a modern scientific system or develop industry? revolution?
There are different opinions on this issue, and it is also one of the important research topics for later generations.
It may be extremely difficult to identify the reasons, but it is easy to list specific examples of gaps.
Algebra was completed in 1572 AD, during the Longqing period;
Kepler's laws were completed in 1609 AD, during the Wanli period;
Snell's law was completed in 1621 AD, during the Wanli period;
Analytical geometry was completed in 1637 AD, during the Chongzhen period.
Europeans completed the foundation of natural science around the late Ming Dynasty. From a God's perspective, the gap between the East and the West has appeared, but it has not been reflected in a large amount.
During this period, Europeans were already leading in science, but they still lagged behind China in technology. There was a lag between science and technology.
A typical example is artillery. Although the various types of artillery in the Ming Dynasty have a long history and were considered advanced in the fifteenth century, they were already lagging behind by the seventeenth century.
For example, in terms of design, the entire barrel of the cylindrical general cannon has a uniform thickness and has a lot of redundant dead weight; while the Hongyi cannon is spindle-shaped, thicker at the back and thinner at the front. , the configuration is quite reasonable.
The key factor that determines the design of the artillery is the "modulus", which is the ratio of the gun body thickness to the caliber, and the ratio of the barrel length to the caliber. The Europeans have summarized the most ideal design range for various artillery pieces. The resulting artillery has an excellent configuration and the stress is balanced throughout the gun body.
There is a record in "The Essentials of Fire Attack" that "when Western-made large blunderbuss are made, the length, size, thickness, and thickness are measured very carefully... and must be based on certain authentic traditions and comparisons of degrees."
However, in terms of casting technology, Europeans at this time were not yet able to master cast iron cannons. The Portuguese even hired Chinese craftsmen in Guangdong to go abroad to help them cast cannons.
But it is obvious that the technical advantages will soon be surpassed.
There is no scientific system, relying only on the spontaneous accumulation and improvement of technology by craftsmen all over the world, which is loose and inefficient.
In contrast, in Europe, metallurgical technology began to be continuously improved based on the understanding of chemical elements, and mechanical manufacturing was designed with the help of mathematics and physics.
However, the establishment of a scientific system is inherently quite strange. Of all the civilizations in the world, only Europe gave birth to science.
So there is no need to regret this. What should really be regretful is that China failed to introduce the natural science system early.
(End of chapter)
