Chapter 110: New Year's Day, Lantern Scenery, Zhuo Jing
The lantern scene in the mountains is praised all over the world. From the wealthy gentry to the small households, every household feels ashamed not to put up lanterns before and after the Lantern Festival. There are many bamboos in Shaoxing and candles are cheap. It only costs a few cents to make a lantern. Ordinary people
Households can afford it, and the finished lanterns can be hung for several years. Of course, this is only for small households. Rich and luxurious families like Shan Yin Xi Zhang require new lanterns every year.
Looking for novelty, seeking more, and striving for excellence in production, it costs hundreds of taels of money. Next year will be the Lantern Festival in the 41st year of Wanli. Because the inspector Zhang Qilian will invite the weaving eunuchs from Hangzhou to come and enjoy the lanterns, so in early November in Shaoxing
The prefect Xu Shijin specially summoned the governors of Kuaiji, Shanyin and Yin counties as well as local squires to request that next year's Lantern Festival should be decorated with lanterns. Zhang Qilian, the prefect, also visited Zhang Rushuang and mentioned this matter. In recent years, Emperor Wanli's memorials to his ministers have often been delayed.
The reply was even left unpublished, and the memorials of the mining tax eunuchs, the weaving eunuchs, and the tax collecting eunuchs from various places were approved very quickly. The mining tax eunuchs in various places caused a lot of chaos because they disturbed the people too much, and the people were extremely angry.
A few years have passed, but the weaving eunuchs and banknote customs supervisors cannot be stopped. This is the main source of the Wanli Emperor's internal treasury. Emperor Wanli loves money as much as life, and favors eunuchs. The eunuchs sent to various places are all arrogant, and local officials
The flattery is not enough. Zhang Qilian, the inspector of Zhejiang Province, is a third-rank official. He is in charge of the punishment of a province and supervises and evaluates the officials of the province. Both the commander and the chief envoy are the heads of the third department. They have great power, but they also have to weave eunuch songs in Hangzhou.
In order to flatter you, Eunuch Zhong is coming to Shaoxing to see the lantern scene. This has become a top priority for Shaoxing Prefecture early next year. There are officials in Kuaiji and Shanyin counties telling every household to prepare to buy new lanterns.
, don’t hang out some old lanterns, that’s not festive. Although the poor households in the city have complained, it is a lively event during the New Year after all, and it doesn’t cost much, so they don’t want to boycott Zhang Rushuang’s eldest son Zhang Yaofang and Zhang Yaofang.
The third son, Zhang Bingfang, planned the Lantern Festival next year, and it must be so surprising and innovative that Eunuch Zhong will never forget it once he sees it. It doesn't matter how much money he spends.
Zhang Dai and Zhang E have also been busy following their fathers and uncles this winter, while Zhang Yuan is still studying.
But since the county government has ordered to make new lanterns, Zhang Yuan's family is no exception. Zhang's mother, Lu, ordered Shi Shuang to find a craftsman who is good at making lanterns and make six pairs of new lanterns. Shi Shuang said: "Mrs.
, a little person can make a lamp stand, but he can’t paint the lamp surface.”
Zhang Yuan on the side said: "Yes, I will figure out how to paint the lamp surface, and Uncle Shi will only make the lamp frame.
Zhang's mother, Lu, wondered: "My son can't draw, why?" Suddenly he woke up and asked quietly: "Are you going to ask Miss Shang to help you draw?"
Zhang Yuan said with a smile: "Mother is great. She can see through her son's thoughts at a glance."
Mrs. Zhang's mother, Lu, smiled and said, "I gave birth to you. I can't see through you, but who can see through you? Haha, my mother knows that you are taking the opportunity to see Miss Shang again, okay, go ahead."
On the 20th day of the winter lunar month, Zhang Yuan came to the Shang family's residence in Kuaiji and explained his intention to Shang Zhoude. Shang Zhoude smiled and said, "I can't make the decision on this. You can ask Dan Ran yourself."
We still met across the curtain, and Xiao Jinghui was indispensable. He agreed to draw six lantern paintings, using pink silk. On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, when the great gallop was held to collect gifts, Zhang Yuan was appointed by Zhang Yaofang, the father of Zhang Dai.
The groom's elders will go together, and the gift of receiving coins includes hairpins, rings, gold beads, gems, black tassels, and white sheep.
Gray goose, sake, white wine, japonica rice, Albizia bells, Jiuzimo, and gift boxes of various colors. The gift boxes are made of long strings of cypress branches and silk thread fruits, or cut ribbons to make mandarin ducks, and use evergreens and auspicious grasses, which are called "
"Auspicious omen", the woman does not need to return the gift, but only waits for the dowry to be given to her when she gets married. Since Zhang Yuan is still young, Shang Zhoude and Zhang Yaofang agreed not to invite any relatives for the next two years and wait until Zhang Yuan reaches the age of seventeen.
It is agreed that now that the big engagement has been carried out, both men and women can be called husband and wife. Zhang Yuan can meet Shang Danran privately. They are still in the third small hall. The Suzhou embroidery lady screen has been put away. There are two big fire pits.
The charcoal fire was red. When Zhang Yuan walked in, he saw Shang Danran waiting for him with a red face. The shy and beautiful appearance of the newlyweds made Zhang Yuan's heart skip a beat and thought: "It will take three years."
Getting married later can be considered a kind of torture."
Physically speaking, the sixteen-year-old Shang Danran is obviously much more mature than the fifteen-year-old Zhang Yuan. She has a slender waist, graceful neck, and the beauty of an adult woman. However, Zhang Yuan's body cannot keep up with his psychology.
He had had an erotic dream, but he was obviously still a bit naughty, but his eyes were burning and fiery, showing that the young man's heart was stirring, and love was in this stirring. Without stirring, there would be no love. Shang Danran was a little flustered, and he didn't know what to call Zhang Yuan.
Logically speaking, he should be called husband or husband, but he couldn't say it properly at the moment. When he saluted Zhang Yuan, he wanted to be vague, but Xiao Jingwei was right next to him and asked: "What does aunt call Mr. Zhang, brother?"
Zhang Yuan laughed and said, "Well, I didn't hear it clearly either. Xiao Hui can help me ask clearly."
Shang Danran glanced at Zhang Yuan with half shame and half annoyance. He relaxed a little and said to Shang Jinghui: "Like you, I also call him Brother Zhang."
Xiao Jinghui shook his head repeatedly and said: "No, no, my aunt is sixteen years old, and Mr. Zhang's brother is fifteen years old. How can the older one call the younger brother?"
Shang Danran still had some grudges about being one year older than Zhang Yuan. When his niece said it to his face, he felt a little embarrassed and said, "Then you can't call him brother, you have to call him Yi."
Xiao Jinghui raised his head and asked, "If I don't call you Mr. Zhang, what do you call me?"
Shang Danran was stunned by the question again, and said helplessly: "You can call me whatever you want, I can't control you, you annoying person."
This is the conversation between a shy newly engaged girl and her cute little niece.
Shang Danran's six lampscape paintings have been completed, and each painting is accompanied by a poem. Zhang Yuan took the silk paintings back and designed the style of the lamps by himself. He cut wood and cut bamboos day and night, and rushed to finish the six paintings on the day before the New Year.
Once the big lantern is ready, it is hidden in the west pavilion so that no one can see it. The lantern will be lit up on the twelfth night of the first lunar month to surprise people. The lantern scene in Shaoxing lasts from the twelfth to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month and is known as the Five Nights Lantern.
Replies from his father Zhang Ruiyang and his sister Zhang Ruoxi arrived one after another. Zhang Ruiyang brought back fifty taels of silver with the letter to help his son make an appointment. Although Zhang Ruiyang was reserved and restrained in the letter, his joy of comfort overflowed in every word.
After not seeing each other for more than a year, he could not believe that his son had made such great progress. The two eight-part essays were better than his old boy, and he was engaged to a girl from the Shang family in Kuaiji.
He couldn't help but not believe it. Zhang Ruiyang said in the letter that if His Highness the King of Zhou allowed him to resign, he would return to Shanshan next summer or autumn. Sister Zhang Ruoxi's letter was even more full of surprises.
It was the Chinese New Year, and she really wanted to rush back to her parents' home to visit her little brother. When she saw her little brother's letter, the eight-parted eight-parted stockings, and the engagement with a girl from the Shang family, she was so happy that she would send a capable servant to Qingpu in early February next year.
I came to Shanyin to pick up Zhang Yuan, hoping that Zhang Yuan would be successful in the county examination. After sending the Stove Lord to heaven on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month, the smell of the New Year suddenly became stronger, and the beggars who fell among the people were smeared and deformed, dressed up as ghosts and sent to various places.
Every household called Tiao Hu Nuo to ask for gifts, and every household exchanged peach charms, door gods, spring posts, bells, blessings, and tiger heads on the door and walls, and the sound of flutes and drums in the neighborhood continued all night long.
Mu Jingyan, Mu Zhenzhen and their daughter came to Zhang Yuan's house to help them from the day they sent the Stove Lord to heaven. They cleaned the hall and washed the utensils. There were many tedious things to do and they were busy. In a blink of an eye, New Year's Eve arrived, and Zhang Yuan went to Xi Zhang's house.
I went to the ancestral hall next door to worship my ancestors with my tribe. When I came back, it was already midnight. I saw Mu Jingyan chopped a pile of pine wood and put it on the open space inside the bamboo fence gate of the front yard. He lit a fire to burn the wood. This is called burning, and there were fireworks.
, warm and lively, filled with the fragrance of rosin, Zhang's mother, Lu, Yi Ting, Tu Ting and others stood in front of the gate and watched with a smile as the five drums sounded on the first day of the new year. Zhang Yuan took Wu Ling to the Lishe Shrine to use it.
Sugar beans and rice balls are made to worship the Kitchen God, which is called "receiving the stove." After returning, the rice balls are distributed to family members for consumption, which is called happy balls.
Zhang Yuan was very busy that day. He wanted to pay New Year greetings to his clan uncles and clan uncles in Dongzhang and Xizhang. Near noon, he went to the county government office to congratulate Hou Xianzun on the New Year. Hou Xianzun was not there, and he didn’t know where he went to pay New Year greetings.
, Zhang Yuan wrote his name in the ceremonial book of the house, and handed the trough gift to the steward. This was also regarded as a New Year greeting.
Without rest, he had to rush to Kuaiji to pay New Year greetings to Shang Zhoude and Wang Siren. He went to the merchant first and had lunch at the merchant. He only met Shang Danran briefly and invited Shang Danran to Shanyin to watch the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival. He was busy and happy.
Rejoicing, it was already the twelfth day of the first lunar month. In the evening of that day, Shi Shuang and Mu Jingyan built a wooden shed in front of the bamboo fence. When it got dark, they hung six big lanterns with candles, and
Several Kuixing lanterns, bead-burning lanterns and gauze lanterns accumulated in previous years were bright and dazzling for a while.
Zhang Dai and Zhang E's brothers came over with a few servants. When Zhang Dai saw the lamp scene painting, he praised: "Excellent! Jiezi, who painted this?"
Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "Zhuo Jing."
Brothers Zhang Dai and Zhang E looked at each other in astonishment, and then burst into laughter. Zhang E laughed and said: "Meson is going crazy when he wants to enter the bridal chamber, and even the jinglings are screaming."
Zhang Dai smiled while looking at the six lamp scene paintings. One of them was a painting of a corner of a thatched hut. There was a rose flower in bloom, with a plate on it. The title said: "The end of the dawn is extremely clear and even, and it does not occupy the top of the garden. Spring: suddenly a branch blooms."
In the valley, I seem to know that there is a poet in the hut."
The second one is a frog under a peony flower. The flower is gorgeous and the frog is vivid. The title says: "The peonies are all planted in the right place. The drizzle is silent and the frogs come. It seems that they have not seen each other for a long time. They are as red as fire."
Zhang Dai also praised: "The wildness is natural, the calligraphy and painting are excellent, Jiezi, good luck, good luck."
Zhang E shouted: "Meson is putting up a lantern to show off. It's irritating. It's really irritating."
Zhang Yuan laughed and said, "I'm going to see the lanterns at my eldest brother's place."
Zhang Dai spread his hands and said: "There is not even a lamp."
"Why?"
"Waiting for Eunuch Zhong to come."
This chapter moves forward a little faster, it’s a transition, and the excitement is about to unfold.@.