The freezing cold forced the Qing Dynasty to offer sacrifices, and there was a banquet in Jiaping.
What is the purpose of my heart, so I can comfort my feelings.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the middle of winter, when the earth is freezing cold, Zhu Ping'an puts wine and meat on the table at home to worship the gods and ancestors, and to thank the gods and ancestors for their blessings. Early in the morning, Zhu's father led Zhu Ping'an and his eldest brother Zhu Ping'an to the old house with wine and meat offerings. After gathering his grandfather, uncle and others, they went to the ancestral hall to pay homage to their ancestors.
The Zhu Family Ancestral Hall is now very majestic. The flagpole stone at the entrance is flying with the flag raised by Zhu Ping'an. There are also couplets that have just been hung at the entrance for a few days. When the villagers pass by the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall, they will respectfully pay homage to their grandfather. I stood quite proudly at the door. When I paid homage to my ancestors, my grandfather felt as if the Zhu family had made a fortune in my hands.
By the time Zhu Ping'an and his father and brother returned home, his mother, Chen, had already cooked a particularly fragrant pot of eight-treasure porridge using rice, millet, red beans, peanuts, lotus seeds, red dates, fungus picked from the mountains, glutinous rice, mung beans and other ingredients.
There is a saying in Xiahe Village that after the Laba porridge is made, it should be given to relatives and friends as soon as possible. It must be before noon, and the sooner the better. The whole village is like grabbing something. If you give me a bowl, I will give it to you. A bowl of it probably means grabbing a fortune.
Zhu Ping'an and his eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan were ordered by their mother, Mrs. Chen, to deliver the eight-treasure porridge from house to house, almost all over the village. After seeing off relatives and friends, Zhu Pingan and his family sat down to eat rice-treasure porridge. Because his mother, Chen, cooked too much, she probably wouldn’t be able to finish the rest in a day or two. But it doesn’t matter. It’s good to have leftovers. Leftovers mean there will be more than enough every year. Yes good sign.
Different from the festive atmosphere in other families, after eating eight-treasure porridge, the atmosphere in the Zhu family became a little sad.
This day is the Laba Festival, and it is also the day when Zhu Pingan leaves home and rushes to the capital to take the exam.
Chen placed a lot of things on the back of the black horse, causing him to look back frequently.
A large package of air-dried pork jerky weighs more than thirty kilograms. This was reserved by Chen to satisfy his hunger when he was worried that Zhu Pingan could not find anything to eat in the wilderness on the way to Huangshan Mountain. This large package of dried pork jerky was mainly pork jerky. There is a small amount of rabbit meat jerky. It takes about two to three kilograms of meat to produce one kilogram of dried meat. This is all the dried meat. Mrs. Chen spent almost a hundred kilograms of meat.
Because it was freezing cold, the food could be stored longer. Mrs. Chen also specially fried a lot of pancakes for Zhu Ping'an, and put them in a bag on the back of Shamat's black horse.
For food, there are also some dried fruits. As well as Chen's pickled cucumbers and other vegetables for Zhu Ping'an to eat.
The empty space was bedding, clothes, etc. Mother Chen made five sets of clothes for Zhu Pingan, plus a large bag of close-fitting clothes, etc. Zhu's father tied them to both sides of the black horse, so that he could not wear it. Affects saddle riding.
As for road guidance, examination certificates, qualification certificates, etc., Zhu Pingan arranged them personally. The banknotes she carried were scattered and sewn into the inside of her clothes by Chen. There were also small banknotes and scattered silver that Zhu Pingan carried with him.
Of course, the indispensable thing is the black wooden board. I have become accustomed to it when practicing calligraphy. Zhu's father made a new brush from the tail of a big black cow, and Zhu Pingan also brought it with him.
In addition, I also brought a lot of other daily necessities here and there, including herbs that Zhu's father specially went to the town to ask the pharmacy to prepare to prevent various diseases, as well as medicines for treating snake bites and beast bites, gold wound medicine, etc.
The eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan also went to the town's blacksmith shop to make a slightly longer dagger for Zhu Pingan to defend himself. He designed a hanger on the saddle, placed it in the saddle, and covered it with a mat.
"Xie'er. Please bring an extra fifty taels of silver notes." When her mother, Mrs. Chen, was packing Zhu Pingan's things, she was worried that Zhu Pingan didn't have enough money to spend, so she had to give Zhu Pingan another fifty taels of silver.
Zhu Ping'an shook his head when he heard this, and smiled to comfort his mother Chen, "Mom, no need, I have brought more than a hundred taels of silver, it is enough, keep the money for my brother's wedding."
Before Chen could speak, the eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan, who was putting things on the back of the black horse, spoke:
"Brother She, just take it. My parents gave me two or three times more money for my wedding than before. It's already enough to make a poor family rich. Just take it."
"That's it, put it away quickly, our family is not short of money." Mother Chen said as she was about to stuff the money into the baggage carried by Zhu Ping'an.
"Mom, the money I brought is really enough. Besides, it's not safe to carry so much money on the road." Zhu Pingan took a step back and shook his head.
"Why? If you don't take it out, others won't know how much you have brought." Mother Chen insisted on bringing the money to Zhu Ping'an.
Zhu Ping'an knows the situation at home. The family has been spending a lot of money these days. His mother, Chen, and his father, Zhu, have a standard farm mentality. They have bought dozens of acres of land. They want to carry out the landowner path to the end. Buying the land will cost a lot of money. A lot of money; although the family has taken in many tenants, it still needs to purchase cattle and farm tools, and it also costs a lot of money to resettle tenants; in addition, it is a matter of humaneness and sophistication. After Zhu Pingan won the election, everyone in the village knew that the Zhu family was prosperous. , there are many relatives, uh, such as uncles, etc., who come to borrow money from Qiufeng. The Ming Dynasty, which pays attention to clan, cannot just refuse, but must give some amount; and then there is the marriage of eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan... ..There are still many places where money is spent at home.
In addition, in addition to the money on the surface, Zhu Ping'an also has some private properties. There are also a lot of bits and pieces left over from the boy's examination and the provincial examination, the money for escorting people, the money he earned while auditing the Li family's accounts, etc. Woolen cloth.
"The money I brought is really enough. More than 100 taels of silver is enough for people in our village to spend for many years. It is enough for me to go there for half a year. Besides, with my son's status as a candidate, he can get free food and accommodation at the post office and government offices, etc." Mom will keep the money to buy more good things to eat with dad, and wait until my son comes back to make a living for you."
Zhu Pingan got on his horse with a smile and explained to his mother, Mrs. Chen.
"Mom doesn't want an imperial edict, I just want you to have a safe journey and go home in peace." Mother Chen said with tears streaming down her face. While wiping her tears, she told Zhu Ping'an what to pay attention to along the way. .
"Okay, stop crying. Why are you crying? It's unlucky for you to cry on the day when Shi'er is going to take the exam." Zhu's father said from the side.
"Zhu Shouyi, say it again! It's not the flesh that fell off your body. Of course you don't feel bad anymore!" After hearing this, her mother, Mrs. Chen, stopped crying and angrily reached out and pinched Father Zhu's arm.
"Okay, okay, the more you cry, the better luck you get."
Zhu's father begged for mercy, and his mother, Chen, burst into tears and smiled, and the atmosphere in the yard became much better.
"Father, mother, you must take good care of your health. Don't worry about your son. He has been out many times and can take care of himself."
Zhu Ping'an rode on the dark horse and said goodbye to his parents. When he went out, he asked his eldest brother to be more careful:
"Brother, I wish you a happy wedding in advance. Haha, then you will have a sister-in-law who will be filial to our father and mother with you. Brother, I will do more when I come back."
During the Laba Festival, when the earth was freezing cold, Zhu Pingan drove his horse out of Xiahe Village and started on his way to Beijing to take the exam. (To be continued.)
