Wei Qing did what he said. Before noon, he arranged for people to post notices in the county town to purchase chickens, ducks, pigs, and charcoal at market prices.
In the Han Dynasty, almost every household raised chickens, ducks and pigs.
Don't mention it, Wei Qing only collected twenty or thirty, even if the number was doubled, it would not be difficult to collect them all.
"..."
As soon as the notice was posted, farmers in the county immediately flocked to Shaoyang. The required chickens, ducks and pigs were quickly collected in Shaoyang.
When the farmers in the surrounding villages and towns were driving chickens, ducks and pigs to earn a few copper coins to buy a few pieces of cloth to make new clothes, but when they were told that the harvest had been collected, they all became so angry that they spit on the spot, chopped off their feet and cursed their mothers.
"..."
By noon, the charcoal matter had begun to take shape.
A charcoal farm in Houtu County has tens of thousands of kilograms of ready-made charcoal. The owner of the charcoal farm heard that it was purchased by the military camp and was willing to sell the charcoal to the military camp at 70% of the market price.
Shaoyang is responsible for purchasing, while Wei Qing also has other things to do.
Wei Qing, on his side, brought all kinds of gifts and went door-to-door to return gifts. He had no choice but to do so. This is how people are.
On New Year's Eve, the heat was boiling in the huge military camp and the smell of meat was overflowing.
I don’t know if it was the New Year’s Eve or the high-spirited border folk songs that aroused everyone’s emotions.
Or maybe it’s the table full of good wine and delicious food that dazzles everyone, or maybe it’s the good wine and delicious food that ignites the atmosphere of the scene.
All in all, the dinner party this night was extremely lively, with hundreds of old men acting like they were all crazy, singing and making noise, as if they were drinking like crazy.
"..."
Wei Qing, who knows that as a general, must keep a cool head, he rarely drinks alcohol on weekdays.
Therefore, even on New Year's Eve, when everyone gathered together, Wei Qing only ate some meat and vegetables, nibbled on a few pieces of white flour steamed buns, and then sat there quietly, watching the soldiers making trouble.
At the beginning, he could hold his own. When someone came to propose a toast, he would take a sip from the wine bowl. He meant it so that it was not rude.
He has a high status and is the boss of the army, so others will not care about him.
But gradually, with the contagion of New Year's Eve and holiday enthusiasm, Wei Qing couldn't stop thinking about it.
First, several drunken corps commanders, smelling of alcohol, walked up to him and shouted that toasts should not be "meaningful".
Immediately afterwards, several personal guards came to have a drink with him, and then dozens of veterans who had followed him from the beginning to the present.
These people proposed a toast, and Wei Qing was too embarrassed to refuse.
By the end of the drink, after several kilograms of wine, Wei Qing no longer knew anything, not even how he got home.
He didn't even know that that night, the oil lamps in every household in Houtu County were on all night.
"..."
On New Year's Eve, at night, according to folk customs, it is necessary to stay up late, which is commonly known as "staying up late".
On New Year’s Eve, every household dared not sleep and waited for dawn...
It was too boring to just sit there, so I gradually started to drink, eat, turn on the lights all night, set off firecrackers, etc. The purpose was to spend the night safely.
The custom of staying up late on the New Year's Eve contains not only a feeling of nostalgia for the old days that have passed like flowing water, but also a feeling of good hope for the upcoming New Year.
New Year's Eve is a night for thousands of homes to be lit up with lights, and it is also a night for people to reunite with their families.
New Year's Eve never goes dark, and the day is brilliant.
As early as the Han Dynasty, there was a folk tradition of keeping lights on on New Year's Eve.
Even the people who usually knock on the door will not turn off the lights on this night.
In the history of mankind, fire represents light and heat, and represents the beginning of civilization.
I think back hundreds of thousands of years ago, a thunder and lightning fell from the sky, hit the big tree, and ignited a raging flame. That was the first time humans came into contact with fire.
Later, people learned to use fire, learn to preserve fire, and make oil lamps.
So far, lights and candles have become the only warmth for people in the dark night.
Observing New Year's Eve is not a tradition...
It is people's desire for light in the endless darkness, and it is also the hope for the new year in the future.
In the county town, little lights appeared in front of the windows of the people, gradually starting a prairie fire.
The lights of thousands of houses are the continuation of the light and hope of the ancestors of the past generations.
It was getting late, and the road became more dangerous and difficult to travel at night, but at this moment, there were still merchants doing business everywhere.
Because of this, people who built their houses on both sides of the road also hung a lantern on this night to serve as a beacon to guide the way.
Hazy, the light of the lights spread out, turning the surrounding area into a hazy yellow. Under the moon and stars, it seemed like a light of hope.
That night, steaming white smoke was rising from the chimneys of every household, and the aroma of delicious food spread throughout the town.
No matter how the family is or how they live their daily life, at this meal, everyone will take out the food from the bottom of the box.
Light red sorghum rice soup, golden millet, homemade pickles, dried vegetables, dried bacon and white flour trowel are all placed on the table.
Although there is no big fish or meat, people of the same race, surname and blood gathered together on New Year's Eve, and the atmosphere was really lively.
Everyone sat cross-legged on the pit, and the old man in charge told a story, either an anecdote or a personal experience, either happy or sad.
The young people considered it, lowered their heads and discussed it, enjoying it endlessly.
The elderly are older and have more experience. They have traveled extensively as merchants and have endless stories to tell. The young people are also eager for unknown things in the distance, so they listen very carefully.
Unknowingly, the sky gradually gets brighter, and the sunset glow in the sky fades away from its colorful makeup like a costumed song and dance.
The next day, at three o'clock in the morning, Wei Qing touched his sore head and slowly woke up.
He drank too much last night.
After drinking four to five kilograms of wine, he still doesn't feel very well until now.
As a result, as soon as Wei Qing opened the door of his house, he found that his door was crowded with people.
"..."
Good guy, Wei Qing was shocked.
There was an endless stream of people from all walks of life wishing him New Year's greetings.
The people who came include squires, landowners, farmers, and county officials. Before one group of people left, another group of people had already arrived.
When the few chairs in the hall were not empty, there was really no place to stay, so some people simply stood.
None of the people who came were empty-handed, and there were no direct senders of money.
However, there are many gifts of silk, silk, eggs, and live ducks.
Regardless of whether the courtesy is light or heavy, Wei Qing will accept it first.
There was no way, there were too many people, and there were too many acquaintances, and he couldn't tell everyone to take their things back.
