The condensation of cold forced the Qing rituals, and there was a banquet of wine at Jiaping.
What can I say to comfort my feelings?
On the 8th day of the Lunar New Year, in the midst of winter, when the earth is cold, Zhu Ping’an’s family set up wine and meat on the table to pay tribute to the gods and ancestors, and to thank the gods and the ancestors for their blessings. Early in the morning, Zhu’s father led Zhu Pingan and his elder brother, Zhu Pingan, to the old mansion with meat and wine offerings, and then went to the ancestral hall to pay respect to the ancestors after joining his grandfather and great-uncle.
Zhu family ancestral hall at this time the grandeur of its more, the door of the flagpole stone fluttering Zhu Pingan in the flag, the doorway and just hung a few days of the couplets, the village people pass by the Zhu family ancestral hall will respectfully pay homage to the grandfather stood in front of the door is quite proud to pay homage to the ancestors to pay homage to the grandfather are full of the Zhu family in my hands the feeling of the home.
When Zhu Pingan and his father and brother returned home, his mother Chen has used rice, millet, red beans, peanuts, lotus seeds, jujubes, as well as the mountain picked fungus, as well as glutinous rice, mung beans and other materials to simmer a pot of particularly fragrant eight treasures congee.
In the next river village has a preoccupation, Lapa congee is done to send as fast as possible to friends and neighbours, must be before noon, and the faster the better, the whole village with the grab what like, you send me a bowl, I send you a bowl of, roughly, is to grab the blessing of the meaning of it.
Zhu Pingan and his elder brother Zhu Pingchuan was instructed by his mother Chen, carrying eight treasure congee from house to house to send, almost almost the whole village ran all over. After sending friends and relatives, Zhu Pingan family talent to sit down to eat eight treasures congee, because the mother of Chen’s simmering too much, it is estimated that the rest of the day or two can not drink, but it does not matter, the rest of the good, the rest of the meaning of the year, is a good omen.
Unlike other people’s celebratory atmosphere, after eating the eight treasures congee, the Zhu family atmosphere is a bit sentimental parting.
This day is the 8th day of the lunar month, and it is also the day when Zhu Pingan left home to go to the capital to take the examination.
A lot of things were placed on the back of the killer black horse by Chen, causing the bast*rd to look back frequently.
A big bag of air-dried jerky has more than thirty pounds, this is Chen’s worry about Zhu Pingan on the road to the Yellow Mountain field can not find food, reserve up emergency hunger, this big bag of jerky is mainly dried pork and a small amount of rabbit jerky, about two or three pounds of meat in order to come out of a jin of jerky, light of these jerky. Chen’s fee is almost a hundred pounds of meat.
Because of the freezing cold, food can be preserved for a longer time, Chen also deliberately gave Zhu Pingan fried a lot of cakes, and also loaded a packet on the back of the killer black horse.
There are also some sun-dried dried fruits to eat. As well as Chen’s pickled cucumbers and other vegetables for Zhu Pingan to eat under the meal.
Occupy empty is bedding clothes, mother Chen’s to Zhu Pingan made five sets of clothes, plus intimate clothes and so on loaded a big bag, Zhu father will be tethered on the sides of the black horse to kill Matt, so that it does not affect the saddle ride.
As for the road guide, examination certificate, lifts the qualification certificate and so on Zhu Pingan are placed close to the body. The silver tickets carried by Chen were scattered and sewn to the inside of the clothes, and there were other small amounts of silver tickets and loose silver Zhu Pingan carried with him.
Of course, the essential is that the black wooden board, practicing writing has been used to leave it, practicing writing brush Zhu father again with the tail of the big black cow to redo a, Zhu Pingan also took along.
In addition, there are some other daily necessities that Zhu Pingan also brought along, including the herbal medicine that Zhu’s father specially went to the town to have the pharmacy dispense to prevent all kinds of diseases, as well as the treatment of snake venom and fierce animal bites, and gold wound medicine, and so on.
Big brother Zhu Pingchuan also specially went to the town blacksmith shop to build a slightly longer dagger for Zhu Pingan’s defence, designed a hanging device on the saddle, placed in the saddle, covered with a pad.
“Swine. You should bring fifty more silver tickets.” When her mother, Chen, was packing up Zhu Pingan’s things, she was worried that Zhu Pingan didn’t have enough money to spend, so she wanted to give Zhu Pingan another fifty taels of silver.
Zhu Pingan shook his head at the words and comforted his mother Chen with a smile, “Mother, no need, I’ve brought more than a hundred taels of silver, it’s enough, leave the money to properly organise the wedding for your brother.”
Before Chen could say anything, the other side of the elder brother Zhu Pingchuan who was putting things on the back of the killer black horse spoke up:
“Swine brother. You just take it, our parents have given me two or three times more money to prepare for the wedding than originally, it’s long been enough, poor family rich road. You just take it.”
“That’s right, you quickly put it away, our family doesn’t lack money.” Mother Chen said and was about to stuff the money into the baggage carried by Zhu Pingan.
“Mother, the money I brought is really enough. Besides, it’s not safe to bring so much money on the road.” Zhu Pingan took a step back and shook his head.
“How could it be. It’s not like people know how much you’ve brought if you don’t pull it out.” Mother Chen insisted on giving Zhu Pingan the money to take with him.
Zhu Pingan knew the situation of the family, recently these days the family spending is also big, mother Chen and Zhu father is a standard farming family thinking, and bought dozens of acres of fields, to carry out the landlord road to the end, to buy the field spent a lot of money; although the family also collected a lot of tenants, but also need to add to the ploughing oxen and farming tools, as well as resettlement of tenants also spent a lot of money; in addition, is the expenditure of the world of human feelings, Zhu Pingan after the successful examination, the village people know that the Zhu family developed, there are a lot of relatives, uh, such as the eldest uncle and so on. Zhu family developed, there are a lot of relatives, uh, such as the eldest uncle, to play the autumn breeze to borrow money and so on, in the clan of the Ming, can not be rejected, how much always have to give a little it; and then is the big brother Zhu Pingchuan’s relatives home with money is still a lot of the place.
In addition is in addition to these money on the surface, Zhu Pingan also has some private rooms, when the child test, the countryside test the rest of the money, the money to the people to bail out the money, in the Li family checking the money earned and so on scattered also have a lot of it.
“I brought enough money, more than a hundred taels of silver enough to spend years in our village, I’ll go for half a year is enough, and besides, my son’s status, the official government offices and so on can be free of charge to eat and live it. Mother will keep the money to buy more good things to eat with father, and wait for my son to come back to earn you a grant back.”
Zhu Pingan smiled as he rolled onto his horse and explained to his mother, Chen.
“Mother doesn’t want a grant, she wants you to have a peaceful journey, just give mother a peaceful return home.” Mother Chen said, tears were flowing down her face, wiping her tears while instructing Zhu Ping An to pay attention to things along the way.
“Okay, don’t cry, why are you crying, it’s unlucky for you to cry on the day when the swine’s son is rushing to take the examination.” Zhu father said from the side.
“Zhu Shouyi, say it again! It’s not the meat that fell off your body, of course you don’t feel sorry for it!” Mother Chen sniffed, also stopped crying, angry, reached out and pinched on Father Zhu’s arm.
“Well well well, the more you cry, the more auspicious it is, okay.”
Zhu father begged for mercy, mother Chen broke into tears, the atmosphere in the courtyard was much better.
“Father, mother, make sure you take care of your body, don’t worry about son, son has been out many times, he can take care of himself.”
Zhu Pingan mounted the killer black horse and bid farewell to his parents, and on his way out, he asked his elder brother to take more care:
“Big brother, I wish you a happy big wedding in advance. Oh, when the time comes, you’ll have your sister-in-law and you together to filial piety our father and mother, brother I’ll come back and contribute more.”
On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month, Zhu Pingan drove his horse out of Xihe Village and started the road to Beijing to catch the examination.
