239, outside conversation (please ask for full order)
"Your fiancée is a generous person..."
"Now that we are giving so many expensive gifts, we must not be weak in accepting the tax. She is a young lady from an official family... I will discuss this matter with the clan leader. After all, our Bailu Village has not made any big deal about marrying my aunt.
scene……"
Bai Youde said.
Looking at the dazzling array of gifts, he felt happy and his face was bright. He told the villagers about this after dinner, and it could also be used as conversation material.
Shili Hongzhuang is a matter of great pride to both the man's and the woman's families.
"Those who accept the levy receive the betrothal wealth. The levy is the result. The betrothal gift is paid first and then the marriage is completed." - Kong Yingda's commentary "Book of Rites·Shihunli".
"Okay, don't rush this matter now, it won't take more than a few days."
Bai Gui agreed.
Marrying Bai Xiuzhu is indeed a private matter of their Bai family.
But Bai Jiaxuan is the clan leader. It is not too much to inform the clan leader Bai Jiaxuan and the clan about this matter and let the clan discuss the matter. This decision is extremely appropriate.
Weddings, weddings, and weddings all require the help of fellow clan members.
In addition, Yan Jing and Qin Sheng Luyao have been waiting for their wedding for several years, so they still need this little time and a half.
"We have agreed, then... I will prepare some chickens, ducks and live poultry tomorrow, and we will go to the patriarch's house to discuss this matter together in the evening."
Bai Youde took a puff of dry cigarette and said, "Smash it, smash it."
Father and son were speechless.
Silent for a moment.
Although Bai Gui was a talkative person, he really couldn't think of anything to say to his father Bai Youde, so he was silent for a long time. He often searched for a suitable partner to talk to. However, as soon as he said a few words, Bai Youde said
"Not bad, um, okay" was disrupted by words that could be considered "perfunctory", and when he opened his mouth again, there was only silence.
"Do you smoke?"
Bai Youde took out the dry tobacco roll. The brown tobacco leaves grown in his own land have a strong flavor. Roll the brown tobacco leaves with paper and fold them over a little fire. It is a finished dry tobacco product.
"Dad, my brother doesn't have the habit of smoking. He doesn't smoke."
Liu Baoer couldn't help but interjected.
In her opinion, smoking is a bad habit, and she must not let Bai Gui get into it. In the past few days she and Bai Gui have been together, she has indeed seen that Bai Gui does not have the habit of smoking.
Lifestyle is better.
"Don't smoke here... Mr. Bai, I made the bed for you this morning. Now go and warm yourself up. There is a kang, which is much warmer than the living room..."
When Aunt Wang saw the scene between father and son, she had gone through a lot of hardships as a widow in her early years and was a smart person, so she used the opportunity to make the relationship between the two not too stiff and awkward.
One has just returned from studying abroad, and the other has been staying in the village all day, with no common topic.
It'll take a while to get used to it.
Bai Gui nodded, understanding Wang Bai's thoughts. He stood up from the Grand Master's chair and prepared to go to the bedroom to rest first.
Although I wasn’t very tired along the way.
But socialize down.
I also want to have some peace and quiet for a while.
He walked to the threshold, opened the door curtain, paused, and looked back.
Bai Youde had finished smoking a cigarette at this moment. The cigarette was about the thickness of a finger, much thicker than a cigarette. The length was almost as different. The burlap paper was burned and only the tail was left. It was removed from the gap in the living room door.
The cold wind blew, and the cigarette butts became bright again, with a few sparks popping up randomly.
In a moment, it is gone.
The cigarette butt was thrown under Bai Youde's feet and trampled to death.
"When I go to the provincial capital, I will buy you some Laodao cigarettes and you can smoke them. Dry cigarettes are more harmful to the body than cigarettes. You should smoke less and pay attention to your health..."
Bai Gui crossed the threshold, walked out, and put the hat on his head.
On very cold days, you must wear a hat, otherwise it is easy to catch wind and cold due to the hot and cold weather.
Laodao cigarettes were very famous at this time. They were sold in Shanghai in the 17th year of Guangxu's reign. They were foreign cigarettes produced by the English Wheels Company. The name of Laodao cigarettes came from the sailor's left hand printed on the cigarette box.
With his arms akimbo and a knife in his right hand, many people do not think of the English trademark "Pirate CCigarette" and the "Knife Holding" symbol on the cigarette label, so they are called Lao Dao brand cigarettes.
Later generations of Hardman cigarettes, Daqianmen cigarettes, and Fairy cigarettes that were comparable to Laodao cigarettes were either small in scale and had little reputation, or the brand had not yet been established...
Therefore, among the more genuine and guaranteed cigarettes that can be bought on the market now, Laodao brand cigarettes are the best.
Bai Gui knows that it is difficult to quit smoking. It is unlikely that he will succeed in persuading Bai Youde to quit smoking. So it is still feasible to replace dry cigarettes with cigarettes, which are less harmful.
…
Just the first day back home.
night.
It didn't take long for Bai Gui to regret going home.
The sound of a fight between his father, Bai Youde, and his stepmother, Aunt Wang, could be heard in his ears. The fighting was so fierce that for a moment, it was impossible to tell who was stronger and who was weaker. However, most of the time, Aunt Wang was the one yelling and cursing, while his father, Bai Youde, just kept mumbling like an old cow.
The sound of...
hard working.
It was so noisy that he couldn't rest quietly.
"When it comes to fighting, no one has conflicts. It's normal to have spears and shields..."
"There are frictions and quarrels between husband and wife..."
"Fight at the end of the bed and at the end of the bed."
He sighed, shook his head, and walked out of the bedroom.
Since he studied abroad, the Bai family has expanded the Zhuangzi. Now, although it is not big, it has two entrances. His bedroom is in the front yard. This was planned long ago and has not changed. The master bedroom has been moved to the back.
.
As soon as I opened the door, the moonlight poured in.
Bai Gui looked up.
The persimmon tree in the yard was blown by the cold wind, and its branches were dancing wildly. The moonlight was shining, and it was completely white. Occasionally, a piece of wilted persimmon with only half of it eaten by birds could be seen hanging on the treetop.
The rules of the older generation.
You cannot pick all the persimmons on the persimmon tree, you have to leave some for the birds to eat.
But sometimes the half-pulled persimmons that have been carved by birds taste really good and have a unique flavor.
"If there are persimmons, there should be persimmon cakes."
Bai Gui put on his shoes and walked to the window of a mansion. He touched the dried persimmon on the window sill. It was about the size of half a palm. He ate it in his mouth. It was quite sweet. The glutinous persimmon pulp filled his mouth.
middle.
It is a persimmon that has not yet completely become a persimmon.
He ate two or three.
I saw a thin figure groping over.
"Baoer?"
"Why did you come out? By the way, you also heard the sound of fighting..."
Bai Gui immediately understood and felt the same.
When parents quarrel, it is the children who are in trouble. However, children cannot speak out about this kind of quarrel and can only endure it silently. After all, most of the villagers at this time had little education and did not know what taboos meant.
Even educated scholars have much more open ideas than those of later generations.
For example, "Spring and Autumn Fanlu·Praying for Rain" says: "The four seasons are all on the day of Gengzi, so officials, people and couples all live together. When praying for rain, the husband wants to hide it, and the woman wants to be harmonious and happy."
This means that on Gengzi Day, within this day, all officials and people must have sex...
The harmony of yin and yang is an ancient way of praying for rain.
In the Tang Dynasty, due to a severe drought in Chang'an, Bai Juyi petitioned the palace to release a group of maids to marry among the people. This could harmonize yin and yang, move the heart of heaven, and cause rainfall.
Gradually..., I went to see Taizong, and Xuanzong had already arrived. Whenever there was a drought, there were more people to choose from..."
Another example is the Book of Songs. In the Book of Songs, Confucius deleted a lot of licentious words. Confucius said: "The Book of Songs, in three hundred poems, can be summed up in one sentence, saying that thinking is innocent." Even so, this kind of description is still indispensable in the Book of Songs.
"Brother, I just said that I would rather stay in a girls' school than go home..."
Liu Baoer glanced at Bai Gui faintly and said helplessly.
Before she came back, she had already hinted that she did not want to return home, but she was embarrassed to tell the truth. Her elder brother was like her father, so she did not dare to refute it, so she had no choice but to follow him back home.
Otherwise, she would rather stay in the provincial capital, wait until the end of the year, and then go home if she can no longer hold off.
"This is my fault."
Bai Gui smiled awkwardly.
He was thoughtful and saw that Liu Baoer was unwilling to return home in the provincial capital, but he thought Liu Baoer had a conflict with his family. As the eldest brother, he must find ways to resolve this conflict instead of ignoring it.
So I pretended not to see Liu Baoer's reluctance and took it home.
"Forget it, they have each had a son and a half daughters over the years, so they are probably impatient. Don't worry about it."
Bai Gui consoled him.
I regret teaching my husband and son-in-law to seek the title of marquis.
He is studying and traveling abroad, so he cannot be in Bailu Village all the time. The same goes for Liu Baoer, who spends most of his time in a girls' school. With him as an older brother, his family status is well established, and the person he will marry in the future will not be too bad.
And his father, Bai Youde, and Aunt Wang were old, and they were alone without a son or a half, so how could they not be anxious.
"I know this well, so how can I blame them?"
Liu Baoer's face turned red and he half spat.
As long as you know this and I know it, it’s weird for a girl like her to answer or not answer whatever she says.
"Here, these persimmons are pretty good."
"Sweet."
Bai Gui changed the topic and casually took a few soldiers who were almost drying and handed them to Liu Baoer.
When he saw Liu Baoer blushing, he knew what he said was inappropriate. It wasn't that there was anything really wrong with what he said. This matter had to be faced. They were brothers and sisters... and some things couldn't be taken too seriously and left unmentioned.
.
"Thank you, brother."
Liu Baoer took the persimmon cake and thanked him.
"Brother, tell me...who is my sister-in-law, and why did you decide to get engaged to her..."
While chatting, she mentioned inadvertently that after she finished speaking, she raised her eyes and carefully glanced at Bai Gui's face. As a younger sister, there was nothing wrong with her saying this, but according to her original identity, it was still inappropriate to say this.
Okay, but she does want to know some.
"She's quite fair and fat..."
"The main reason is that she is pretty. I fell in love with her at first glance. What can I say? It's better to be attracted by sex..."
Bai Gui took a bite of the persimmon, leaned against the window, looked at the moonlight and recalled.
"Aroused by sex?"
Liu Baoer looked strange.
His brother is an upright gentleman. How could he rashly enter into a marriage contract just because of sex? There must be another reason.
"Sister-in-law must be in love with you, eldest brother, and they are in harmony with each other..."
