Zhang Sheng groped in the dark and cautiously walked out of the inner room.
The moon hung high in the sky, and even with the pure white moonlight, Zhang Sheng still couldn't see anything clearly. He could only hear the voice of his wife Chunmi coming from the courtyard.
Relying on his intuition, he walked to the warehouse, picked up a few bundles of dry firewood, and carefully returned to the courtyard. In the dark night where he couldn't see anything, only the voice of his wife Chunmi kept coming to his ears. Zhang
Zhang Sheng sat aside and waited. The cold wind was biting, and Zhang Sheng couldn't help shrinking his body. Until his wife lit the stove with flint and steel, the flames flickered. This time, Zhang Sheng could finally see clearly.
Although the weather was not hot, my wife's forehead was covered with sweat drops. Under the firelight, my wife's face looked softer and more beautiful.
She was obviously just a simple and unpretentious village woman, but in Zhang Sheng's eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
The wife looked at her husband sitting not far away, looking at her stupidly, and shook her head, "The meal is not ready yet... My husband can go back and rest for a while."
"It's okay...I can't sleep without you around me..." My wife hurriedly glanced at the inner room, then rolled her eyes at her husband.
She started to make wheat rice, while Zhang Sheng talked about his plan.
"The business of shaving is not very good... The government office is looking for a shaver, and they say they shave the hair of prisoners... I'm going to go there and ask about the situation. If the price is reasonable, it's in the county government office.
Give me a name..."
Zhang Sheng and his wife live in a small county town. They got married four years ago. Zhang Sheng has a shaving skill inherited from his family, specializing in shaving beards and hair. Throughout the township, his father's skills are also famous, and he often
Some fellow villagers came to him to have their faces shaved. Zhang Sheng learned from his father since he was a child, and he also had good skills. He could be regarded as inheriting his father's legacy.
The wife was a little unhappy, "You're not a errand... So is shaving a prisoner's head the same as shaving his face? Aren't you ruining your reputation?"
"If you do this, who will dare to come to you for a shave in the future..." Zhang Sheng was stunned, "You are right."
My wife was a little confused, "The harvest is good now, and after paying the taxes, I can still keep about ten baskets... There is no shortage of food and drink at home... Why is my husband so anxious lately? Could it be that he owes some debt abroad?"
My wife wiped her hands with her apron and looked at Zhang Sheng seriously, "If your beloved has debts abroad, don't hide it... We can find a way together... Mistakes can be corrected..."
"Where did you think...I never had gambling debts."
"Are you thinking that I am old and planning to marry a younger one?" "Hahaha..."
In the quarrel between the couple, the meal was finally ready, and the daughter's exclamation came. Zhang Sheng hurriedly walked into the inner room. After a while, he walked out with a cute baby rubbing his eyes, and the family knelt down.
Sitting down to eat, Zhang Sheng took some food for his daughter.
"I want to eat chicken!" "Okay, okay..."
Zhang Sheng glanced at his wife, who frowned and said, "No, that's for your father to eat..." "It's okay, just give it to her..."
The little daughter looked at the full meal in front of her and ate herself into a squirrel, her face was round and moving every move. Zhang Sheng was eating wheat rice and looked at his wife who was lowering his head to eat in front of him and hesitated to speak.
"Zi... I've suffered a lot for you..." "What's so painful..." "I want to discuss something with you?" "You tell me."
"I want to save some money... lend the farmland at home to others for farming... Then we will go to the county to open a small shop. I have also chosen the location... Uncle Wang's restaurant outside the East City Gate, Wang
Uncle passed away, and his children don’t want to continue to open it... I want to buy it... Let’s open a barber shop... There are many people in the county, so I think life will be much easier."
Zhang Sheng slowly talked about his plan, with a hint of perseverance in his eyes.
His wife looked at Zhang Sheng with some worry, "My dear... we are actually living a good life now, you don't have to be like this..." "After you married me... you couldn't even eat a few meals of meat..."
Although Zhang Sheng's wife did not come from a wealthy family, she was still from a very wealthy family. Their family was a butcher, and they were considered wealthy in the entire township...
When Zhang Sheng followed his father to their home to have a facial, he met her. The two fell in love at first sight and made a private engagement. In the early Han Dynasty, when the social atmosphere was extremely open, even their family members could not object... they could only
I admit it, but Zhang Sheng has always felt a little guilty towards his wife, and his wife also understands this. She is very satisfied with her current life and does not want her husband to pay more. He is already very lucky.
The wife looked at her husband who was full of confidence and wanted to say something, but she couldn't say anything. "If you have already decided, then I won't object... Just don't be tired." Zhang Sheng hurriedly finished the meal.
, took the hoe and left.
At this moment, the smoke from other houses was just rising.
Zhang Sheng had to go to work in the farmland in advance. He walked through the empty and quiet road and slowly hummed a tune under the cold wind. The Chu country's accent was most suitable for such an empty environment. When he arrived at his home
Zhang Sheng spit into the palm of his hand while plowing the land, and then began to work.
He had been busy for a long time, and when it was almost dawn, someone passed by the roadside. Everyone in the village knew him and greeted him from a distance.
"Zhang Sheng! I have to go to your house in the afternoon!" "I got it~~"
Zhang Sheng responded with a smile. The reason why he came very early was so as not to affect his barbering business. After the farming, people usually came to him for a shave.
After being busy for a long time, Zhang Sheng carried a hoe, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and returned home panting in the scorching sun. Putting down the hoe, he washed his hands, took out the prepared hairdressing tools, and waited for the customer to come to his door.
His father was unable to support his family through the face-shaving business. After all, for poor people, spending money on face-shaving was still too extravagant, and the nobles looked down upon him, so his father usually took care of him.
The tools go to the homes of rich people, such as butchers... It's less than a hundred dollars a month, and it's really impossible to support the family. But it's different now. Zhang Sheng can't say when it started, and life is gradually getting better.
, he didn’t have to go door to door like his father did, and people would come to his home to have his face shaved.
When business was booming, he could earn five to six hundred dollars a month... His father-in-law was a little impressed. The first customer came to the door, and he was a strong man.
This man was a local postman. He had obviously just returned from overseas. He walked in with a messy beard and greeted Zhang Sheng warmly.
Zhang Sheng hurriedly smiled and asked his wife to bring water and food.
The postman was sitting in the courtyard. Zhang Sheng began to wipe his face with hot water, holding a razor in one hand, "What kind of cultivation do you want to achieve?"
"Hey, it's up to you to fix it a little bit..."
"I went to Puyang this time, you don't know... the people there have all kinds of strange beards, and the barber shops there are so big... However, the fees there are also high, and it costs a lot to get a shave.
One hundred dollars! Let me tell you, it’s time for you to raise the price... Others pay one hundred dollars, but you only have ten dollars..."
Zhang Sheng listened to the customer's words and just smiled honestly, "My craftsmanship is not worth a hundred dollars..."
"The changes around here are so great, let's talk about Puyang... My dear, just to enter the city gate, you have to wait five or six hours... The carriages are almost waiting for Chang'an.
.. The city has also changed a lot, it’s different every time I go there... The women there are also very pretty, and there is a girl who has fallen in love with me... She wants to come back with me... I have a wife at home, how can I
Can I marry again? Those women, the rouge they put on, they smell so fragrant... The clothes they wear, it is an eye-opener for me..."
"Just after entering the city, seven or eight grooms came to ask you where you are going... without even looking at what I do. Do I still need them to take you there?"
The guests were talking nonchalantly, but two more guests came. Everyone bowed, and they sat aside and waited.
The postman is also talkative, "But one thing is bad, you have to pay for everything in Puyang... When I'm thirsty, I go to a family to drink water, and they ask me for money... It's better here, I'm going to bring it
Move your family there... I've already looked at the houses... You should also go to Puyang and open a shop, you'll make money!"
Zhang Sheng carefully helped him repair it, scraped off the excess parts, and designed a new one for the postman.
He has a strong beard style, and before anyone can finish talking about Puyang, his beard has already been trimmed.
The postman looked at the bronze mirror and patted his face, feeling very satisfied.
"There is a kind of mirror in Puyang. The things you see in that mirror are very clear, very clear, unlike this bronze mirror... Well, next time I come here, I will bring you one!"
He gave ten yuan, took another fruit from the fruit plate, and left with a smile.
The second customer was a young man. Zhang Sheng also knew him. When he sat down, he asked with a smile: "School is out so early?" "I came to visit my parents. I'm here for three days."
Zhang Sheng nodded, "Then I can clean it up for you?" "No, just make it the same as Brother Cao..."
"That kind of beard is the most popular right now..."
Zhang Sheng began to get busy, and the young man said with a smile: "Don't believe what Brother Cao says... The houses in Puyang now, even if they are not even close, cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars... I don't dare to buy a good one."
I'm afraid...it won't be easy to open a store there."
Zhang Sheng said with a smile: "I won't go there... I want to open a shop in the county... Young man, you have studied... Do you think it is appropriate to open a shop in the county?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, "That's okay... There are more and more stores in the county now, and the commercial tax is not high. It's just that the procedure is a bit troublesome, and you have to wait for approval from the Food and Drug Administration. But brother, if you want to open a store, go to
I'll help you apply when the time comes...but you can't spend another ten dollars there..."
"well."
"After I graduate from Chinese Studies, I plan to take the exam... But the places that are short of people now are too far away. I want to wait..." "It's not easy for your father and mother... You should pass the exam as soon as possible."
It’s better to take care of them.”
"Yes... they raised me and my two younger brothers to go to school... I have been studying and haven't made much money."
"Don't worry...you are going to do big things, study hard...you are the most promising among us! In the future, you can go to whatever school you want...become a general and bring honor to our village!"
The young man smiled bitterly, "Taixue? I am a child from a poor family... Where did I go? Taixue... And what I studied was the law... There are too many people studying the law these days...
The official assessment is getting more and more difficult... I should have learned a trade from you... Sigh..."
The young man looked a little sad, but Zhang Sheng smiled and patted the hair off his face. "Don't say such things, come and take a look..."
The young man looked at himself in the bronze mirror and couldn't help but sigh: "Brother Cao is right about what he said... Your craftsmanship is indeed better than those who open shops in Puyang..."
He hurriedly stood up and took out the money, but Zhang Sheng shook his head, "No need, I'll give it to you next time! Read your book carefully! I didn't give you any gift when you were admitted to Chinese Studies... I'll just make up for it."
Bar."
But the young man refused. The two declined for a long time, but the young man reluctantly collected the money. "Thank you, brother!"
"You're welcome.. Study hard~~~"
Zhang Sheng sent him away with a smile and asked the third guest to sit down.
The third guest is their neighbor. He is an elderly man who has some problems with one of his legs and it is not convenient for him to sit down.
"Just say no to me? I'll go directly... Why do you have to come in person?" "I can't ruin your business."
The old man said with a smile.
"Same as the same?" "Yeah."
The old man is an out-and-out farmer. He has been doing farm work all his life. He doesn't talk much...but the old man seems to be in a very good mood and is always cheerful. He once had four children, but he only left one.
Now that he has a family and a career, his grandson is about to start a family, but he is unwilling to move in with his son. When his son came to beg him to go to the county town, he just said that he was used to it here.
Zhang Sheng had no choice but to open the topic himself, "It looks like the harvest will be very good this year..." "Yes... the harvest is getting better and better..."
"An official came to teach farming the day before yesterday...Why didn't you go? The man gave a good lecture...and talked about a lot of techniques.
"I've been working in the land all my life...do I still need officials to teach me?"
"That's not right... I heard people say that those officials are all educated. They have written many books on farming... There are many new technologies... They just specialize in how to farm."
"What's there to study? I won't go..."
"They said this was sent by the Holy Emperor to help us. You'd better go and listen. There are books in Li Zheng. They can explain it to you for free..."
The old man was stunned, "Sent by the Holy Emperor??"
The old man suddenly felt distressed, "You should go, you should go... What should I do... The Holy Emperor sent people to help, but I, an old man like me, still don't appreciate it..."
Speaking of the Holy Emperor, the old man obviously spoke a lot more, "The Holy Emperor was very kind to us... Both of my sons died in corvee service... I can save one of them because of the Holy Emperor.
.Every year he also distributes food to me... clothes... farm tools... you don't know, the Holy Emperor is a very nice person... and he even asks me to go to him if I have something to do!"
"ah??"
Zhang Sheng was startled and almost trembled. He asked, "Have you talked to the Holy Emperor???"
"Yeah... An official came to my door earlier and said that the Holy Emperor told me that if an official bullied me, I could tell him... He also asked me if I wanted to write a letter to the Holy Emperor... I said I couldn't.
I wrote a letter... and asked him to say thank you to the Holy Emperor for his love... and also asked him to help me bring some apricots from home to the Holy Emperor..."
Zhang Sheng suddenly understood, but he didn't explain much, he just laughed.
"You're right!"
After fixing the noodles, the old man stood up and tremblingly took out the money from his arms. He took out six or seven dollars. Zhang Sheng took the money directly and said, "That's enough, that's enough. You can tell me directly next time."
...You don’t have to come in person anymore...I’ll take you back..."
"Isn't this enough? I..."
"Ten dollars is enough, I'll take you back!"
When Zhang Sheng returned home, his wife looked at him strangely, "Three customers...Sixteen dollars? My dear, you want to open a shop in the county?"
My wife was not angry, but there was a smile in her words.
Zhang Sheng scratched his head, "Mr. Zhang is my family... Besides, he lives here alone... He is too old... he is my father's friend...
"I will definitely take it next time...I will definitely take it..."
Just as he was talking, someone suddenly broke into the house.
It was a half-year-old child, crying, "Father Zhong...my father wants you to go there." "Ah??"
Another old man in the village passed away and left in the early morning. Several of his children came after hearing the news. At this moment, many people gathered at the door. Seeing Zhang Sheng approaching, everyone gave way to the road.
The old man's eldest son's eyes were red, and Zhang Sheng hurriedly comforted him.
The old man in their family used to be an excellent carpenter, but later he contracted a disease and has been ill for five or six years. Their children take the old man to the county hospital for medical treatment every day, although they have prescribed medicine from the local area.
It proved that a lot of medical expenses were exempted, but this still caused a lot of trouble for their family, and several children were almost exhausted... The eldest son told the purpose of looking for him, "My father is going to be buried... I want to
In order to have a clean burial, I specially invite you to come and have a face-dressing..."
The Han Dynasty did not have any taboos about this. They did not feel taboos about death. They believed that death was a new beginning. People should wear the best clothes and go to another world cleanly.
Therefore, facial shavers often shave the faces of deceased people. In the past, many ordinary people often shaved their faces for the first time when they passed away. This is even the biggest income of facial shavers in daily life, and it is more expensive than that of living people.
Many, many times.
Zhang Sheng quickly took out his tools and began to clean up the old man's face seriously.
Several of his children covered their faces and cried bitterly. The eldest son cried and slapped himself when he saw his father's face gradually becoming more handsome.
"Father...why couldn't I make you so clean in the past...I went
Why didn’t I take you there...""
Their family is all farmers and they don't have much money at all. Because of the old man's illness, they have no property and are on the verge of bankruptcy.
While Zhang Sheng was cleaning up for the old man inside, his youngest son was also outside to greet the officials. The officials raised their heads arrogantly, "Festival burial! Do you know? Festival burial!"
"No big funerals are allowed! No grand burials are allowed!!" "Anyone who dares to disobey will lose their head!!"
He roared outside, and everyone just looked at him in silence.
When the official entered the inner room, the arrogance on his face disappeared. He patted the eldest son on the shoulder, "I also know the situation in your family... Just have a safe burial... If anyone dares to say that you are unfilial,
You go directly to the official...don't worry. I know your family's filial piety...I will find a way to get you some rewards...to compensate for the medical expenses during these days..."
If in the past, the old man passed away, the family had to have a grand burial. Otherwise, even if they worked hard to take care of the old man for five or six years, they would still be reprimanded as unfilial by others, and they might even be kicked out of the village.
After Zhang Sheng finished his work, the eldest son fumbled with his sleeves and asked, "How much should I give you?" Zhang Sheng fell silent.
Zhang Sheng returned home and smiled awkwardly.
"They are almost broke...I can't collect money..." "But look...I brought this!"
Zhang Sheng held a wooden foot-operated rice pounder, "With this... you won't be so tired when you have to pound rice in the future... But that barber shop..."
The wife looked at her husband who was standing not far away, holding something in his arms, with a guilty look on his face, and he was at a loss, and laughed. "Let's keep it at home."
ps: This is the first time to describe today's Han Dynasty from the perspective of ordinary people... There are no policies or ministers, only a few simple people and an enthusiastic barber... I don't know if you like it or not.