Because he has to leave for the exam in a few days, Zhu Ping'an has been reading and writing couplets at home these days. The family will use couplets for the New Year, and the old house will probably want to write them themselves this year. Also, his eldest brother and future sister-in-law will probably want to write them themselves. In addition, his eldest brother will also need couplets for his wedding, so Zhu Ping'an has been writing couplets at home these days.
Couplets to welcome the New Year:
"The sound of firecrackers bids farewell to the old year, and the red plum blossoms welcome the new year."
"A harmonious family brings happiness, and peace and spring all year round."
"A home that welcomes good fortune brings prosperity, a door that welcomes wealth brings prosperity."
When he was in high spirits, Zhu Ping'an even wrote his own name into the couplets in a humorous way:
"The country prospers, the family prospers, the nation prospers, the old and the young are safe, the old and the young are safe."
Of course, there are also couplets that need to be posted when the eldest brother gets married:
"A hundred years of love and affection bind our hearts together, and a thousand miles of marriage are tied together by a thread."
"Auspicious clouds linger around the jade-making phoenixes and the Qin and Jin dynasties, and purple clouds rise to celebrate the new songs of the orioles and swallows."
While Zhu Ping'an was writing wedding couplets for his eldest brother, his mother Chen came over with a sewing basket, picked up a pile of coats, compared them to Zhu Ping'an, cut them twice with a pair of scissors, and sat aside to make new clothes for him.
"Mom, you have made two new sets of clothes for me, which are enough for me to wear." Zhu Ping'an put down his brush. He felt sorry for his mother Chen who had dark circles under her eyes because she had been making clothes for him for days.
"What do you know? You are going to be the emperor's guest. How can you do it without some new clothes? You can't let people look down on you."
While threading the needle in the sunlight, mother Chen reminded Zhu Ping'an of some things to pay attention to when going out.
"Mom, let me thread the needle."
Seeing that his mother Chen had tried several times but failed to thread the needle, Zhu Ping'an put the brush on the inkstone, took the needle and thread from Chen, and threaded the needle in one go facing the sunlight outside the door, then handed it to Chen.
Chen took the needle and thread and was very satisfied. She started sewing in the warm sunshine. After a while, Chen would put the needle on her hair and rub it twice before continuing to sew. In the sunshine, the stitches on the clothes were neat and fine. Like fish scales, it ensured that the clothes were durable and strong.
The loving mother's hands sew clothes for her son.
"Zi'er, what are you writing?"
When Chen made a rough outline of the clothes, she saw Zhu Ping'an still writing couplets, so she asked.
"I'm writing couplets. These are for my eldest brother to post when he gets married." Zhu Ping'an replied.
Hearing this, Chen became interested and said to Zhu Pingan:
"Well, that piglet, write the couplet on your eldest brother's wedding room, saying, 'Don't forget your mother after you get married.'"
Well
Old ginger is still spicy.
Zhu Ping'an naturally had to obey his mother's order. After thinking for a while, he picked up his pen and wrote a couplet:
"When you marry a wife, don't forget your mother. Happiness will last forever."
After listening to Zhu Ping'an reading the couplet, his mother Chen was very satisfied. She asked Zhu Ping'an to make a small mark on the couplet with a brush and said that she would have someone hang the couplet on the door of his eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan's wedding room when the time comes.
Seeing Chen's serious look, Zhu Ping'an couldn't help but want to say: My mother is mighty.
"When you get married, you must also put up a couplet like this." After watching Zhu Ping'an mark the couplet, Chen gave Zhu Ping'an another reminder.
"Son, please put on a few more pairs when the time comes." Zhu Ping'an said with a servile smile.
Mother Chen was amused by Zhu Ping'an's servile appearance. She stretched out her finger and tapped Zhu Ping'an's head, saying with a smile: "You have been sweet-talking since you were a child. Even after passing the imperial examination, you still don't behave properly."
Zhu Pingan smiled innocently.
"It seems like mother has to find you a wife to take care of you, so that you won't be so unruly all day long." Chen smiled when she saw this.
"Then you have to find a beautiful one for your son."
Zhu Ping'an thought Chen was joking, so he just laughed it off.
"Okay, I'll find you a beautiful fairy-like wife." Chen thought of Li Shu from Shanghe Village. Isn't that girl as beautiful as a fairy? So she said with a smile.
Like a fairy
That was just a joke, Zhu Pingan didn’t take it seriously.
In the evening, Zhu's father drove the ox cart back home from Kaoshan Town. From a distance, he heard the sound of the bell on the neck of the big black ox. When his mother Chen heard the bell, she put down her needlework and walked out immediately.
"Dad, did you buy it back?"
Mother Chen asked outside before she even reached the door.
What did my mother want my father to buy? Why did she take it so seriously? You should know that even when my mother extorted money from Zhu's father's carriage, she would wait until Zhu's father came home before she started. Now Zhu's father hasn't even come home yet, but my mother Chen has already walked out.
Zhu Ping'an was a little curious.
“I bought it back.”
Zhu's father's voice came from outside the door, with a tone of seeking credit.
The big black bull rang the bell particularly loudly. In the past, the big black bull never rang the bell so happily when he arrived at the doorstep. Everything showed that something was different from the usual.
whistle
A horse neighing suddenly came from outside the door.
Could it be that someone is coming
Zhu Ping'an walked towards the gate curiously, and then saw his father talking to his mother Chen at the door. There was a black horse tied to the side of the ox cart. Well, maybe it can't be described as a horse. Compared with the legendary Dilu and Red Hare, this guy looked like a loser in the herd of horses.
The black horse is about 1.2 or 1.3 meters tall, not tall at all. It has black hair and a long mane, and doesn't look very handsome. A tuft of hair on its head falls down to make a side part, covering half of its eye, making it look like a non-mainstream Shamatte, short and ugly, and completely like a loser among the horses.
The big black bull was a little unfriendly to the black horse, and kept shaking the bell on his neck as if in protest.
The Diaosi Black Horse was still a little bit arrogant, and he twisted his head with his nostrils pointing upwards, ignoring the provocation of the Big Black Bull.
"Dad, how much does this horse cost?" asked his mother Chen.
"Ten taels of silver." Zhu's father untied the black horse from the ox cart, stroked the black horse's mane and replied.
"What about the ten taels?" Mother Chen felt a little painful. These ten taels of silver were almost as much as what she earned in a year before the family was divided.
"This is someone we know well. If it were someone else, it would have to cost an extra 100 taels of silver." Father Zhu explained without losing the chance to take credit.
"Yeah?"
When she heard that it was more than one tael of silver cheaper than others, her mother Chen was a little happy. She looked at the black horse beside her and said with satisfaction, "Well, it's good to have this horse. It will be much easier for Zhu'er to go to the capital to take the exam."
With this horse, it would be much easier for Zhu'er to go to the capital to take the imperial examination... ... It turned out that his mother asked Zhu's father to buy this horse for him to take the imperial examination.
A gust of north wind blew, rolling up the dust on the ground and blowing on Zhu Ping'an. The wind in the cold winter felt like a spring breeze blowing on his face, full of warmth. (To be continued.)