The cold weather is approaching and the Qingsi Festival is about to begin, so there is a banquet in Jiaping.
How can I express my old feelings? I will use this to comfort my feelings.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the depths of winter, the earth was frozen. Zhu Ping'an's family put wine and meat on the table to worship the gods and ancestors, thanking the gods and ancestors for their blessings. Early in the morning, Zhu's father led Zhu Ping'an and his elder brother Zhu Ping'an to the old house with wine and meat offerings, and then met up with his grandfather, uncle and others to go to the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors.
The Zhu Family Ancestral Hall was much more magnificent at this time. The flagpole stone at the entrance was fluttering with the flag held by Zhu Ping'an, and there was a couplet hung at the entrance just a few days ago. Villagers would pay their respects respectfully when passing by the Zhu Family Ancestral Hall. My grandfather stood at the entrance quite proudly. When paying homage to his ancestors, my grandfather was full of the feeling that the Zhu family had become rich in my hands.
When Zhu Ping'an and his father and brother returned home, his mother Chen had already cooked a pot of particularly fragrant eight-treasure porridge using rice, millet, red beans, peanuts, lotus seeds, red dates, fungus picked from the mountains, glutinous rice, mung beans and other ingredients.
There is a custom in Xiahe Village that after the Laba porridge is made, it must be sent to relatives, friends and neighbors as quickly as possible, and must be before noon, and the sooner the better. The whole village is fighting for it as if it is something. You give me a bowl and I give you a bowl. It seems that they are trying to grab blessings.
Zhu Ping'an and his elder brother Zhu Pingchuan were ordered by their mother Chen to deliver the eight-treasure porridge to every household, almost running through the whole village. After sending the relatives and friends, Zhu Ping'an and his family sat down to eat the eight-treasure porridge, because his mother Chen cooked too much, and it was estimated that the remaining porridge would not be finished in one or two days, but it didn't matter, it was good to have leftovers, which meant surplus every year, which was a good omen.
Different from the celebratory atmosphere in other families, after eating Eight Treasure Porridge, the atmosphere in the Zhu family became a little sad with a sense of parting.
This day was Laba Festival, and it was also the day when Zhu Ping'an left home and went to the capital to take the imperial examination.
Chen placed a lot of things on the back of the Shamatte black horse, causing it to look back frequently.
A large bag of dried meat weighed more than 30 kilograms. Chen was worried that Zhu Ping'an would not be able to find food on the road in Huangshan, so she stored it for emergency use. This large bag of dried meat was mainly pork and a small amount of rabbit meat. It took about two or three kilograms of meat to make one kilogram of dried meat. Just for this dried meat, Chen spent nearly 100 kilograms of meat.
Because it was cold, food could be preserved for a longer time. Chen also fried a lot of pancakes for Zhu Ping'an and packed a bag of them on the back of the Shamatte black horse.
In terms of food, there were some dried fruits and Chen's pickled cucumbers and other vegetables for Zhu Ping'an to eat with his meal.
The space was occupied by bedding, clothes, etc. Zhu Ping'an's mother, Chen, made five sets of clothes for him, plus underwear, etc., which were packed into a large bag. Zhu's father tied them on both sides of the Shamatte black horse so that they would not affect the saddle.
As for the road permit, examination certificate, and qualification certificate for the Juren, Zhu Ping'an kept them close to his body. The silver bills he brought with him were sewn into the inside of his clothes by Chen, and Zhu Ping'an also carried small silver bills and loose silver with him.
Of course, the black wooden board is indispensable. He has become accustomed to it when practicing calligraphy. Zhu's father made a new brush using the tail of a big black cow, and Zhu Ping'an also took it with him.
In addition, there were a lot of other daily necessities that were also brought in scattered pieces, including herbal medicines for preventing various diseases that Zhu's father had specially asked the pharmacy in town to prepare, as well as medicines for treating snake venom, beast bites, and wounds.
The eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan even went to the blacksmith shop in the town to make a slightly longer dagger for Zhu Ping'an for self-defense. He designed a hanger on the saddle, placed it in the saddle, and covered it with a cushion.
"Zhi'er. Please bring another fifty taels of silver notes with you." When Zhu Ping'an's mother Chen was packing his things, she was worried that he didn't have enough money, so she wanted to give him another fifty taels of silver.
Zhu Pingan shook his head and smiled to comfort his mother Chen, "Mom, no need, I have brought more than 100 taels of silver, which is enough. Keep the money and arrange your brother's wedding."
Before Chen could speak, his elder brother Zhu Pingchuan, who was putting things on the back of the Shamatte black horse, spoke up:
"Brother, just take it. The money my parents have prepared for my wedding has increased by two or three times. It is more than enough. We are poor but rich. Just take it."
"That's right, put it away quickly. Our family is not short of money." Mother Chen said as she was about to stuff the money into the bag Zhu Ping'an was carrying.
"Mom, the money I brought is really enough. Besides, it's not safe to carry so much money on the road." Zhu Ping'an took a step back and shook his head.
"How could that be? If you don't take it out, no one will know how much you have." Mother Chen insisted on giving the money to Zhu Ping'an.
Zhu Ping'an knew the situation at home. The family had been spending a lot recently. His mother, Chen, and his father were typical farmers. They had bought dozens of acres of land and were determined to be landlords. Buying the land cost a lot of money. Although the family had many tenants, they also needed to buy oxen and farm tools, and it also cost a lot of money to settle the tenants. In addition, there were expenses for social relationships. After Zhu Ping'an passed the imperial examination, everyone in the village knew that the Zhu family had become wealthy, and many relatives, such as his uncle, came to ask for money. In the Ming Dynasty, which emphasized clans, they could not just refuse them. They had to give them some. Then there was the marriage of his eldest brother Zhu Pingchuan... There were still many places where the family needed money.
In addition to the money that is open to the public, Zhu Ping'an also has some private money, including the money left over from the boy's examination and the provincial examination, the money given to Baohang, the money earned when checking the accounts of the Li family, and so on.
"The money I brought is really enough. More than one hundred taels of silver is enough for people in our village to spend for many years. Half a year will be enough for me. Besides, as a juren, I can get free food and accommodation at the post station and government office. Mother, keep the money to buy more good food with father, and wait for your son to come back and earn an imperial edict for you."
Zhu Ping'an climbed onto the horse with a smile and explained to his mother Chen.
"Mother doesn't want an imperial decree, I just want you to have a safe journey and come home safely." As mother Chen spoke, tears began to flow down her face. While wiping her tears, she reminded Zhu Ping'an of things to pay attention to along the way.
"Okay, stop crying. Why are you crying? It's the day when Zhu'er is taking the exam. It's unlucky if you cry." Zhu's father said from the side.
"Zhu Shouyi, say it again! It's not your flesh and blood, so of course you don't feel sorry for it!" Upon hearing this, mother Chen stopped crying and pinched Zhu's father's arm in anger.
"Okay, okay, the more you cry, the better luck it will be, okay?"
Zhu's father begged for mercy, his mother Chen burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the yard became much better.
"Dad, Mom, you must take good care of your health. Don't worry about your son. He has been out many times and can take care of himself."
Zhu Ping'an rode on the Shamatte black horse, said goodbye to his parents, and asked his eldest brother to take good care of him before leaving:
"Brother, I wish you a happy wedding in advance. Haha, when the time comes, you will have your sister-in-law to help you take care of our parents. I will help you more when I come back."
During the Laba Festival, the earth was frozen with cold. Zhu Ping'an rode his horse out of Xiahe Village and started his journey to Beijing to take the imperial examination. (To be continued.)