The five kingdoms in the north were at war, and Zhu Xiang's feet were so swollen that he could not walk.
Ying Xiaozheng's hearty laughter made Zhu Xiang hallucinate the Tom and Jerry cartoon he had seen before.
He asked Xue Ji to "catch" Ying Xiaozheng and rub his handsome face hard.
"It's funny, isn't it? Huh? It's funny, isn't it?" Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth, "You unfilial son, you're teaching your brother bad habits!"
Ying Xiaozheng's face was rubbed red, but he still smiled with eight well-maintained teeth showing: "It's just funny."
Xiao Chengjiao looked at his elder brother the Crown Prince's face which had been rubbed into strange shapes, grinned, and was glared at by Ying Xiaozheng.
Little Cheng Jiao quickly hid behind Xue Ji and poked his head out to complain: "Big brother can laugh at uncle, why can't Cheng Jiao laugh at big brother?"
Zhu Xiang covered Ying Xiaozheng's mouth when he wanted to scold his brother, and said, "Yes, your elder brother made fun of his uncle, so Cheng Jiao can certainly make fun of your elder brother. Right, Zheng'er? If the top beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked, and the upper beams will follow suit."
Xue Ji had seen enough of the joke, and before Ying Xiaozheng could get angry, she said, "Okay, stop laughing. My dear, do you really not need me to take care of you?"
Winter is coming. The winter temperature has been dropping in recent years. Xue Ji is in charge of the weaving in Nan Qin, and winter is a busy time.
Eyi is at the confluence of the Han River and the Yangtze River. Xue Ji was going to Eyi to prepare winter clothes. She wanted to take the women who were off work to make a batch of cotton-padded clothes to supply the Qin soldiers in the north.
"My instep is just swollen. It will be fine in a few days. Why do I need special care?" Zhu Xiang continued to rub Ying Xiaozheng's face and smiled. "Besides, Zheng'er is so big now. I should enjoy Zheng'er's care."
Ying Xiaozheng did not argue with Zhu Xiang this time: "Aunt, go with peace of mind. I'm here with you."
Xiao Chengjiao poked his head out: "And me!"
Zhu Xiang finally rubbed enough and let go of Ying Xiaozheng's face: "Yes, and Cheng Jiao."
Ying Xiaozheng touched his face which was rubbed so hard that it hurt, and said with a grin, "Uncle, please be gentle, or the skin will be broken."
Zhu Xiang said: "This is the punishment for the unfilial son."
Xue Ji still hesitated: "But I am worried."
Zhu Xiang said, "You must rest assured. Zheng'er, quickly give your aunt a promise."
Ying Xiaozheng patted his chest and said, "Aunt, you don't trust uncle, but you also don't trust me? Uncle is having trouble walking now, so you should be more assured. He can't run around and get into danger now."
Zhu Xiang: "Hello!"
Xue Ji couldn't help laughing: "That's right, I should feel relieved."
Although Xiao Chengjiao didn't quite understand what his elder brother and aunt meant, he just repeated what they said: "Yes, don't worry!"
Zhu Xiang wanted to pinch Ying Xiaozheng's face again: "Little Chengjiao has been completely corrupted by you!"
Ying Xiaozheng dodged Zhu Xiang's hand. Once is enough, how many times does your uncle want to come? You are pushing your luck!
At the urging of Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, Xue Ji left Wujun, looking back every few steps.
As she stood on the boat and said goodbye to her lover and children, she wondered, when she was still in Zhao State, had she ever thought that there would be a day when her lover would take care of the house and the children while she would go out to work
If someone said this to her, she would definitely be very unhappy and would accuse the other person of having bad intentions and wanting to break up her family.
Now she is used to it.
I am different from most women in this world.
But her husband and children support her, so even though she is different from others, Xue Ji still wants to continue on this path.
Xue Ji was just a very traditional woman in the world, who regarded her husband and children as everything else. She was like that in the past, and she is still like that now.
She became different from most women in the world simply because this was more useful to her husband and children than waiting at home.
Is it really just for this reason? Xue Ji sat at the bow, holding her chin and looking at the waves at the stern.
She was stunned for a while, smiled and shook her head, then went into the cabin to avoid the wind.
It doesn't matter whether it is or not. She, her husband and her children all think it is good.
When Xue Ji is busy, Zhu Xiang is free.
During the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the "lunar calendar" formulated by Zhu Xiang was gradually promoted; during the reign of King Renwen of Qin, most of the Qin State's etiquette systems were standardized by Xunzi, and the lunar calendar officially became the official calendar of Qin; after Zichu succeeded to the throne, the Qin people had already become accustomed to the new "Qin calendar", so Zichu changed the beginning of the Qin year from October to the first month.
In fact, during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, due to the introduction of Central Plains culture, the beginning of the year in Qin State had been jumping back and forth between October and January, and most people accepted January as the beginning of the year. Now, Prince Chu of Qin finally confirmed this.
He also designated December 31 as New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month as New Year's Day. Except for the frontiers, everyone from prisoners to government officials had two days off.
During the past two days at the border, each soldier was given an extra day's ration as a celebration.
After Shang Yang's reforms, the whole Qin State entered a state of squeezing, wishing to squeeze everyone until they were exhausted.
Prince Chu of Qin granted a holiday to the whole country, and the holiday date had nothing to do with the King of Qin himself. It was obvious that this holiday was intended to be inherited by future generations.
Xunzi asked official pens to exaggerate the fact that Qin had finally added two official holidays, and touted it as a milestone for Qin to get rid of its previous terrifying image and officially step into the ranks of the most "benevolent" countries in the Warring States Period.
From now on, our Great Qin Kingdom is a country of benevolence and righteousness! If you don't agree, you can also take a holiday!
The other kings were very angry, but they did not dare to take a holiday.
Because only when the supplies are abundant can they dare to take the whole nation off work. Qin dared to do such a thing when it saw the abundant food and grass, but other countries could not.
Although common people do not have holidays, the king and ministers can rest.
Therefore, the other six states also regarded these two days as holidays for all nobles. In the eyes of scholars, this was as benevolent and righteous as Qin, or even more benevolent and righteous.
Because the common people would starve to death if they did not work, the King of Qin, in order to demonstrate his benevolence, forced the common people not to work for two days. I wonder how many people would have starved to death during these two days.
This is not benevolence at all, it is brutality!
There are many such remarks, and no one refutes them.
The Qin scholars were too busy to refute; the common people of Qin were as ignorant as the scholars knew, and they had no idea of these remarks.
Their expressions, which had been dull for a year, became lively during these two days. They came up with more ways to celebrate every year and created many new "customs".
For example, they would save a piece of new cloth, a piece of good meat, some fine rice, flour, and millet, and collect a few bundles of firewood in advance. On New Year's Eve, the common people, who had been gray all year, would take a bath with luxurious hot water, soap beans, and plant ash, put on new clothes made of new cloth, and the whole family would sit together to eat a meal of fine food with meat.
This is the Chinese New Year.
Xunzi does not have a holiday during these two days.
He would always take his students to choose a village to stay in during these two days so that the students could see the smiles on the faces of the common people during these two days.
The disciples he taught were not only Confucian disciples, but also disciples from hundreds of schools of thought in the Xianyang Academy.
So some disciples would become temporary clerks, holding the Qin Law in their hands to mediate disputes between neighbors; some disciples would write blessing words for the rich families in the village who bought red paper and paste them on the door to ward off disasters; some disciples would set up a stage to tell stories, and they could earn back the travel expenses of the group...
Xunzi sat next to the old people in the village with his cane and chatted with them.
"I used to live in a daze, every day was the same. Now I always think about the 'New Year'."
"Yeah, this is what we're looking forward to, right?"
"My grandson keeps clamoring for the New Year every day."
"If it weren't for Duke Zhu Xiang giving us some extra food, these past two days would have been the coldest and hungriest time of the year. How could we celebrate the New Year?"
"Yes, it's good to have surplus food."
"My son Wulang said that the land in the south is better. The county magistrate said that he wanted to recruit people to settle in the south. He wanted to go. Alas, the south has Duke Zhu Xiang. It must be good. But if he goes there, we will hardly see each other again in this life."
As an old man spoke, he began to wipe away his tears, and the others came to comfort him.
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. There is someone at home to take care of you. If he wants to go, then go."
"Yes, it's a good thing to have a good life."
"I heard that there are many women who have fled from Chu State to Southern Qin, and they are all good at weaving. If your Wulang goes to Southern Qin, he might be able to marry a good woman who has learned weaving from Lady Wujun."
Upon hearing this, an old woman spat, "Ah! How can Chu women be as good at weaving as Qin women! Lady Wujun taught us how to weave when she was in Xianyang, and they all came later!"
The other women also cursed at him, and some pointed at his nose and cursed, saying that they would not introduce a good woman to his family in the future.
The person who aroused the public anger immediately apologized repeatedly and brought a bag of roasted pumpkin seeds from home to distribute to everyone, and only then was he reluctantly forgiven.
Xunzi laughed so hard that his eyes became invisible.
"You look like an educated person. Are you from Xianyang? Have you met Duke Zhu Xiang and Lady Wu?" someone asked.
Xunzi smiled and said, "I was teaching students at the Xianyang Academy and met Lord Changping and his wife, Xueji."
"Mrs. Wu is called Xue Ji? What a nice name!" a woman praised, "Snow, isn't it like cotton?"
The others nodded and praised the woman for being right.
They surrounded Xunzi and asked him about what Duke Zhu Xiang and Lady Xue Ji really looked like.
They did not understand that the word "Ji" in "Xue Ji" and the word "Madam" had the same meaning, and that such a name was inappropriate, and Xunzi did not correct them.
Are Duke Zhu Xiang and Lady Xue Ji really immortals
"No, they were originally farmers just like you."
Can Duke Zhu Xiang really kill the gods and defeat the army
"No, Zhu Xiang, he is much more skilled with a hoe than with a sword."
Can Madam Xue Ji weave a hundred meters of cloth in a day as rumored
"Hahahaha, Xue Ji is not in good health and can't be too tired. If she sits at the loom for too long, Zhu Xiang and Zheng'er will smash the loom. For the sake of the loom at home, she definitely can't weave so much cloth."
Duke Zhu Xiang and Lady Xue Ji described by Xunzi were different from what the villagers imagined, but Xunzi was a nobleman from Xianyang, so they believed what Xunzi said.
What's more, Duke Zhu Xiang and Lady Xue Ji described by Xunzi are very down-to-earth and vivid, making them feel very real.
Soon, the title "Lady Xue Ji" became as famous as "Duke Zhu Xiang", replacing the difficult-to-pronounce "Lady Changping Jun" and "Lady Wu Jun".
Some scholars were dissatisfied, wondering how could a woman's name be spread in the world
But Xunzi said that "propriety should not be passed down to the common people." If you want to blame the common people for not knowing propriety, you should lead by example and teach the common people, so that the common people know propriety before you blame them for not knowing propriety.
Otherwise, you are just talking useless nonsense.
Confucian scholars are all a bit stubborn.
After Xunzi criticized them in this way, they carried swords on their waists and paper and pens in their arms. Some went to the county school, while others simply set up a small courtyard in the countryside to run a private school to enlighten the children in the village and send talents to the county school, county school, and Xianyang Academy.
After they let the common people know the meaning of "ritual", they can discuss with Xunzi, the lowly Confucian, what ritual the common people should know!
Nowadays, even the "pedantic" Confucian scholars of Shandong Province who were criticized by later generations were all men of action.
Mencius, the great man, once traveled around the countries with his disciples, carrying swords and driving a chariot.
Zhu Xiang only had his instep swollen. He changed into a pair of wide cotton shoes and was able to walk the next day.
Ying Xiaozheng followed Zhu Xiang with his hands behind his back like a little old man, and started nagging whenever Zhu Xiang walked fast.
When little Cheng Jiao was very active, he would always run in front of Zhu Xiang, then run behind Ying Xiaozheng, and then run in front of Zhu Xiang again, going back and forth in circles. The distance he walked every day was the sum of the distance walked by Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng.
Bai Qi also wanted to take a holiday during the New Year to enjoy family happiness with Zhu Xiang.
At Zhu Xiang's urging, Li Mu, who originally wanted to celebrate the New Year in the south, was forced to return to Wujun to feel the cold, and brought them some tropical fruits to satisfy their cravings.
Zhu Xiang didn't even know where Li Mu had gone.
Could he have gone to Hainan
Zhu Xiang warned: "It's also dangerous near the sea, don't go too far."
Even if there was a compass, the Xianyang Academy calculated the angle between the compass and the true south and made a real "compass", but the sea was rough and there was a risk of sinking even near the coast.
However, Li Mu's army set sail with several ships together, so the danger was much smaller. Even if one ship had an accident, there were other ships to rescue.
Merchants' ships are prone to accidents because they usually travel alone and there is no one to rescue them if they sink.
But even so, if a ship sinks, it will be a lot of money and trouble.
Li Mu listened to Zhu Xiang's nagging and sighed continuously.
Zhu Xiang is good in every way except that he nags endlessly.
At this time, Li Mu finally missed Lin Zhi. Although Lin Zhi's actions were too absurd, with Lin Zhi around, he could always divert Zhu Xiang's attention and prevent Zhu Xiang from nagging him until his ears hurt.
Little Chengjiao clapped his hands and made a very smart expression: "Uncle always said that big brother likes to nag, big brother learned it from uncle!"
Zhu Xiang's nagging words paused.
Ying Xiaozheng clenched his fist and punched Xiao Chengjiao on the head.
"Ouch." Little Chengjiao held his head and screamed loudly, but his expression remained as smart as ever.
Zhu Xiang complained: "Cheng Jiao used to cry when he got hit on the head, but now his expression doesn't even change. He must have learned this iron head from Zheng'er."
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
He stared at his uncle's head with ill intent, wondering whether he should do the same to Zhu Xiang.
Bai Qi coughed dryly.
Ying Xiaozheng put down his fist awkwardly and threatened his uncle with his eyes.
Damn uncle, when Mr. Bai is not around, I will definitely beat you up!
Zhu Xiang gave Ying Xiaozheng a provocative look.
How dare you say that? Your uncle eats more salt than you eat rice!
Li Mu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ying Xiaozheng and Cheng Jiao had diverted Zhu Xiang's nagging attention.
He quickly changed the subject: "In the past, the people of Zhao would also hold celebrations when the King of Zhao offered sacrifices to the heaven. Now I heard that the celebrations in Zhao are also concentrated on the two days of the New Year."
Zhu Xiang nodded: "The celebrations in Zhao State were also very lively in the past."
Bai Qi asked, "Does Zhao have a celebration every year?"
Zhu Xiang said, "It doesn't necessarily happen every year. It depends on whether there is a good harvest. If there is a good harvest, when the King of Zhao offers sacrifices to the heaven, the people will hold a lively celebration along with the good harvest. Zheng'er, do you still remember?"
Ying Xiaozheng, who has a good memory, said: "It's not interesting, not very fun. It was still as lively as the celebration in Chengdu."
Although Ying Xiaozheng has a good memory, his memory about food is even better.
The celebrations in Zhao were just fun. Zhu Xiang carried him on his shoulders to watch the crowds, but he fell asleep after watching for a while. It was really boring.
Besides, Zhu Xiang was still a commoner at that time, and he had to kneel down immediately when he saw the carriages of officials, otherwise he would be punished. Therefore, Zhu Xiang did not often take him out.
Ying Xiaozheng's memory of the Zhao State celebrations was not as good as the jujube tree at home. The jujubes from the jujube tree were delicious. After he entered Qin, he never ate such delicious jujubes again.
Compared with the celebration in Zhao State, the malt sugar at the celebration in Chengdu left a deeper impression on Ying Xiaozheng.
It was the first time for him to eat maltose.
Although the cane sugar prepared by his uncle at home tasted better, Ying Xiaozheng missed the taste because he had never eaten it before.
After that, he pestered his uncle to make it once, but when he ate it again, he felt that it was not very delicious and not as good as the osmanthus candy made by his uncle.
When Cheng Jiao heard Ying Xiaozheng talking about maltose, he held his finger and said, "Maltose, I've never eaten it!"
Ying Xiaozheng pulled Cheng Jiao's finger out of his mouth and said, "You want to eat it? Wait until spring and ask your uncle to make it for you."
Zhu Xiang said, "Sure... Hey? Look, are they selling maltose?"
Ying Xiaozheng picked up his brother and said, "Where is he? Oh, there! Come on, I'll treat you to maltose!"
Ying Xiaozheng strode away. Zhu Xiang wanted to follow him but was stopped by Li Mu.
"Be careful not to get stepped on." Li Mu asked Zhu Xiang to stay where there were fewer people, and he squeezed in to serve as a guard for Ying Xiaozheng and Cheng Jiao.
Zhu Xiang sighed to Bai Qi, "I didn't expect Zheng'er to have grown up to the age where he can buy candy for his brother. Time flies."
Bai Qi recalled the look on Ying Xiaozheng's face when he first met him.
That little chubby ball was much younger than Cheng Jiao is now.
But Ying Xiaozheng had been very courageous since he was young. Even though he was a small boy, he dared to sit in his benefactor's arms and pull his beard.
In this world, only Ying Xiaozheng is so brave.
Bai Qi said: "If the Lord and Yinghou saw this, they would definitely be very happy."
Zhu Xiang shook his head vigorously: "Mr. Bai, what are you talking about? When King Zhaoxiang was sick, he would scold others for praying for him. If he saw the common people not working hard but having fun here, he would definitely be furious. As for Lord Fan, if King Zhaoxiang was angry, he would definitely be angry too."
Bai Qi laughed: "Not really. He will definitely be happy to see the Qin people living well."
Zhu Xiang continued to shake his head vigorously: "I believe he would be happy that the Qin people are living well, but I don't believe he would be happy to see this scene."
Bai Qi laughed and stopped explaining.
He thought that he should understand his benefactor better than Zhu Xiang.
When Bai Qi mentioned King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the depression, dissatisfaction and fear in his heart disappeared.
Maybe time can really dilute many negative things.
Now when he thought of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, his heart was filled with gratitude and remembrance for his benefactor.
Or maybe he was not missing King Zhaoxiang of Qin, but the high-spirited self he was.
"Mr. Bai! I bought one for you too!" Ying Xiaozheng held Cheng Jiao's hand with one hand and held a stick of malt sugar with the other.
Zhu Xiang laughed and scolded: "Your teeth can't handle such sticky candy! You are making trouble!"
Bai Qi smiled and said, "You can eat it."
Zhu Xiang immediately frowned and said, "Mr. Bai, don't mess around. What if your teeth get stuck?"
Bai Qi said: "I have eaten maltose before. As long as you hold it in your mouth without chewing, it won't stick to your teeth."
He took the maltose handed over by Ying Xiaozheng, sucked it for a while, and said, "It's much better than what I had before."
Ying Xiaozheng smiled at Bai Qi, then said to Zhu Xiang, "There is no place for my uncle."
Zhu Xiang said: "Then I will take it from you!"
Li Mu handed Zhu Xiang a piece of maltose, and gave another to Ying Xiaozheng: "Don't grab it."
Zhu Xiang was speechless: "I was just joking with Zheng'er."
"Yeah." Li Mu also put a stick of maltose in his mouth.
The maltose sold at the festival was all mixed on a small wooden stick. A few people held the stick in their mouths and continued to walk with the crowd of the festival.
"There are too many people. We need to send more people to maintain order and prevent human traffickers."
"I've already sent someone. If you work overtime today, your daily salary will be tripled! The yamen runners are scrambling to get here!"
"Good job, Zheng'er. You already know the correct way to send people."
Little Chengjiao took out the maltose that was sticking to his mouth, and suddenly realized: "Uncle gave me some snacks and asked me to do more exercises. This is the correct way to send me!"
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
He gave his brother a look with mixed emotions.
Is this little brother stupid or smart? He couldn't figure it out.
"Please call that the correct way to teach you." Zhu Xiang said righteously.
Xiao Chengjiao muttered, "It's just an errand. I hate math."
He sealed his mouth with maltose again and muttered complaints to himself.
Hate math. Hate it!
"Okay, eat your candy." Ying Xiaozheng led Xiao Chengjiao and pointed at a man selling animal wood carvings, "Do you want to buy any?"
Xiao Chengjiao nodded vigorously.
Ying Xiaozheng squeezed into the crowd again, and Li Mu hurriedly followed.
Zhu Xiang said to Bai Qi, "I think Zheng'er wanted to buy it himself."
Bai Qi smiled and nodded.
Zhu Xiang smiled and sighed: "Zheng'er looks grown up, but his hobbies are still so childish."
Bai Qi said, "Don't let Zheng'er hear you, or he won't buy it."
Zhu Xiang laughed so hard that he almost choked on his saliva.
The New Year celebrations have begun in Qin State, and the armies of the five countries are fighting each other.
(End of this chapter)