When you are busy, time flies very fast.
Cui Xie went to school during the day, worked on problems, and painted and endorsed at night. The time passed like a stream of water, and he only worried that twelve hours were not enough. There were no days without holidays in the school, and he didn't have time to read the almanac. He couldn't remember what day it was and what day it was. He only knew that the countdown to the county exam was getting shorter day by day.
When he was about to go out that morning, he suddenly found a slender line of stove ashes poured from the yard, leading from the wellhead to the kitchen. And from the mouth of the well is another line that looks like bran. Cui Yuan was cleaning next to him, but he didn't move the two long lines at all, as if there was some kind of custom.
He stopped and looked at it for a while, then asked curiously, "What day is it today that you put all this ashes in the yard?"
Sister-in-law Huang came out of the kitchen and said timidly, "Young Master Hui, this is a custom in our county. If you want to bring dragons into the house, you will have to make a fortune this year."
Cui Xie was a little afraid to speak, for fear of revealing that he did not understand the customs of his dynasty. Fortunately, this custom is really unique to Qian'an. It is not fashionable in Beijing. Holding the inkstone by his side, he explained to him: "I also learned that this is the custom of our hometown. Use rice bran to lead it to the well, and then Use the ashes from the well to lead to the water urn, so that the dragon can be brought into the house, and in the future if the dragon lives in the well of our house, it will bless the master's family to make a fortune!"
Sister-in-law Huang was a little timid towards him, but she was holding the inkstone like a junior in her own family. She looked at him with a smile and said a few more words: "I still want to eat fried cakes today, but cakes in the morning. It’s not easy to digest, and I’m afraid of the wind blowing on the road at noon, and the oil cake will not be crispy. The son will come back early in the evening, and I will fry the rice cake for you, sprinkle a lot of sugar and eat it.”
Cui Xie nodded, and said warmly, "Okay, I'm just about to eat oil cakes. Since I've already used oil, I'll also fry some sesame balls, sweet hemp leaves, naan, and fork... Make more, you are at home. Just eat it first, and give it to the neighbors to taste.”
Sister-in-law Huang responded with an "ahhh" and went back to the kitchen to do her work. He went to the door of Zhao's house and waited for Zhao Yinglin to come out, and the two still went to school together.
The Zhao family did not have the habit of not eating oil cakes in the morning. Zhao Yinglin wrapped two pieces of oil paper and fried rice cakes that were crispy and buttery. , Nan Bian'er's method is different from other people's, you try it, it is guaranteed to be delicious."
The weather in early February was still quite cold, and the fried oil cakes were no longer hot. Cui Xie took it honestly and took a bite. There was a thin layer of lard and white sugar filling in the rice cake, which almost scalded him, but the taste was different from the one here. The cake was softer and sweeter for some reason.
Cui Xie couldn't help but rejoice that he had obtained the study, otherwise he wanted to make money by selling snacks like other travelers, and even the tastes of the customers on this street could not be satisfied.
Cannibals have short hands. After eating the cake, he consciously patted the back of Zhao Yinglin's hand and said, "If your teacher is to test the scriptures of Moyi today, I promise to copy it for you for the sake of Nanny Zhao's fried cake."
The smile on Brother Zhao Xiaoshi's face was about to burst out, and he pretended to be reserved and said, "How can I be that kind of person? Posting scriptures and Moyi are the basic skills of our scholars. Naturally, I have already memorized them."
Cui Xie almost laughed, taking care of the elementary school students' emotions and saying, "Brother Ying Lin naturally doesn't mean that. It's because I'm a little unsure about myself, so I have to pair with you when writing it."
The smile on Zhao Yinglin's face deepened. He no longer pretended to be a good student who didn't cheat, nodded casually, and told him enthusiastically about the two days of Shang Ding and Shang Mao offering sacrifices to the Wenwu Temple. The gentleman may have to go to the county magistrate to make some arrangements. Poetry, maybe give them a holiday.
Such a real child always has nothing to worry about and is easily satisfied. Just in order to be able to copy a single stroke when taking the test, he was happy from the morning to the afternoon, until the master officially asked them to write the scriptures by dictation—
Suddenly someone came to the Cui family, saying that there was a guest in the capital and asked Cui Xie to go back to entertain the guest. Zhao Yinglin's joy suddenly turned to panic, staring at him as he walked away step by step, but he didn't have the courage to hold him, he could only watch him walk outside the bright and free door, facing the whole topic by himself.
Not to mention what happens to the Zhao family's younger brother in the classroom, Cui Xie was also a little nervous when he went out: there are only two families in Beijing who have come to him, most of them are looking for trouble, and the other is because he wants to make friends. My friend, the difference between these two options is as big as meeting a robber on the road, or picking up five million in cash on the road.
He shook his head and asked the worker who came to pick him up: "Who came to me?"
"He's a servant of Jinyiwei's family, his name is Xie Shan." The worker didn't live in the Cui family, so naturally he didn't know that Xie Shan had come here during the New Year's holiday, and he didn't know their relationship. With a natural reverence for Jinyiwei, Lowering his voice, he said, "I said I'm here to bring wine to the young master."
Cui Xie's smile became clearer, he accelerated his feet, and hurried back home.
Sister Huang had already fried a lot of hemp leaves, sprinkled a thick layer of white sugar, glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bean filling, and crispy and slightly salty forks, all of which were brought out to entertain guests. Xie Shan sat in the flower hall and ate a sip of tea and snacks. When he saw him, he clapped his hands and stood up. He smiled and said, "Young Master is about to thank you for your hospitality. Your family's snacks are unique and not inferior to those in Beijing."
He handed over another gift list. There were not so many special products of the capital on it, only some ordinary desserts and fruits, plus ten jars of fine wine.
This wine is the recipe he gave, the strong-flavored sorghum distilled wine.
Xie Shandao: "This wine was just steamed. Our master tasted good, so we hurriedly ordered the younger one to send it to the son. However, the wine was brewed for a short time, although it was clear and fragrant, it was not soft and mellow enough. Tell me to tell the young master that this wine is best stored in the cellar for a year or two, and then you can drink it when you are angry. At that time, you will be older and you will be able to drink strong wine. "
Cui Xie held the gift list and said with a smile: "How can I be so concerned by the thousand households. I have accepted the wine, and I have a gift for my brother to take back for me."
He accepted the gift list, and went to the study to get another scroll. When it was opened, it turned out to be a scroll of Guanyin pictures, as detailed as Xie Qianhu's portrait. The appearance of Guanyin is completely taken from "Journey to the West", but he can't remember the specific clothes, but he drew it according to the image of Guanyin sold outside.
Xie Shan stood up on the spot, recited the Buddha, and sighed: "This is the real Buddha statue. How could the young master draw such a shape, and the offerings in the temple are not as good as this!"
That's because Mr. Zuo Dapin is good-looking, and he was recognized by the masses as Guanyin when he went out to film. At most, he has a deep childhood memory and draws more like it. Cui Xie smiled humbly: "Brother Xie has won the prize. I was thinking about painting a portrait that could be hung because you said last time that the portrait is not easy to hang. I didn't know that Lord Qianhu believed in Buddhism, so I painted it. This one."
The last time Xie Shan came to send so many paints, he wanted to use that paint to paint a picture for Xie Qianhu to see.
Ordinary portraits are inconvenient to hang outside, and self-portraits are not something to give away. But today, when Zi pays attention to the integration of the three religions, Taoist monks and monks all go to the court, and the folk beliefs are also strong, and most people will invite a deity or Buddha statue to go home. Sanqing’s memory was a little vague, and the painting was not very good, so he had to send a Guanyin statue first—even if Xie Qianhu didn’t use it himself, he could still give it to his elders, relatives and friends who believed in Buddhism.
With a pious face, Xie Shan held the scroll and said, "We adults don't really believe in anything. Anyway, we go to temples and temples to donate some sesame oil money during festivals. We will see such a good Bodhisattva statue as Cui Gongzi. , maybe it's true."
Cui Xie breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "That's good, there are a few newly printed Diamond Sutras in my family, all of which are from my own bookshop, and they are not worth anything. You also help me bring them into the capital and ask Lord Xie to take them. Send it away."
He looked at Xie Shan holding the painting and didn't dare to move, so he went up to help him roll it up and tied it with a red thread. Xie Shan put the scroll on the clean table respectfully, got up and thanked him: "Then I will thank the young master on behalf of my master. After March is the Qingming Festival, and there is the Buddha Bathing Festival on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. On a good day of scrolling, with the scriptures printed by the son, our master can save a lot of trouble."
He dragged another cart of gifts back, Xie Ying first hung the painting in the study, then opened a book of scriptures, looking at the colorful paintings of lotus flowers and scrolls and trailing prints on the bottom of the scriptures, he couldn't help frowning: " This is Cui Meiren's printing method. You say this is Cui Gongzi's own printing?"
It turns out that Zhirong Study is his home? Cui Meiren is really that Cui Mei... Young Master Cui
Xie Shan didn't know what he was thinking, he nodded and said, "Cui Gongzi said that it was printed by his own bookstore, but he thought it was just a few volumes of scriptures, and it doesn't cost anything to return the gift..."
Xie Ying glanced at him lightly: "You know that it doesn't cost anything? He is such a lonely and indifferent young man can have some wealth, this scripture is printed in color, and a lot of money must be spent when printing the book. I don’t know how much it cost to buy it, how can you bring back so many of his books!”
He lowered his head and didn't speak, secretly slandering: "You guys who came here to give gifts and returned gifts, ran errands back and forth with this servant in between, and you still complained.
After thinking about it, he didn't dare to say these words, instead he wanted to put on a positive look and say, "Young Master Cui said that this book was printed by his bookstore, or he should take a few family members back and pretend to be out of town. The merchants inquired about where his shop was located? If someone bullied him without his eyesight, he would quietly hand over a post of a thousand households to the yamen, guaranteeing that his shop would be safe and sound, and he would make a fortune every day!"
Xie Ying said with a sneer: "His family bears the imperial decree, and he is also the parent and son of Hubu Langzhong. He has a deep friendship with the son of the commander. Who would dare to insult him in Qian'an. It's just that these scholars don't necessarily know how to run business... Take a look - don't have to come to see him again, just look at the unsalable books in his shop, buy some and I'll give them away."
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In Xie Ying's impression, Cui Xie, who is arrogant and ignorant of common affairs, is thinking about how to sell those "Diamond Sutras".
The fourth day of the second lunar month is Shangding day. The county has to sacrifice to the Confucian Temple. It is on this day that the students have to put on a pretense. Mr. Lin got out of the car early in the morning, and also gave the group of elementary school students a day off. Cui Xie finished his homework the night before and came back on horseback in the morning. issue of sale.
Inspired by Xie Shan, he wanted to print more scriptures to donate to the surrounding Buddhist temples, and use the monks there to sell his own scriptures.
Shopkeeper Ji was silent for a while, seeing that he was not joking, and then he asked tentatively, "Is your son only interested in reading, and don't know how many temples and monasteries we have around Qian'an?"
Cui Xie blinked and asked boldly, "There are many? Could there be five or six?" If there were only two or three temples, they would be able to donate dozens of copies from one temple. .
These scriptures are useless in the temple, and most of them are either sold to Xinshan or given to wealthy lords. His Diamond Sutra was made into a folded sutra, which is a little more refined than the two hand-painted books he painted during the Chinese New Year. The cover is covered with fine jacquard silk, and each page is printed with a light-colored lotus pad. The front of the book is painted with the Daleiyin Temple in Xitian, and the tail is painted in white and painted with Guanyin. When you give it out, you will be several times more pious than those ordinary scriptures. Is there anything the good believers do not like
He is optimistic about the business opportunities here, and wants to use the power of the temple to promote his own Diamond Sutra in advance. First let everyone know that his family scriptures are good, and when the two festivals of Qingming and Bathing Buddha, when everyone is scrambling for the donation scriptures, they will naturally buy them first from their bookstores.
At that time, you can also make a private order. If you buy a large amount, you can print a single page after the scriptures.
He thought quite well, but the shopkeeper Ji gave him a meaningful look, as if he was looking at a younger generation who didn't know anything. In the past, the shopkeeper always regarded him as Shen Wansan, but he rarely looked at him like that. Cui Xie couldn't help but feel a little guilty, and added a few more seats: "Is it possible that there are still more than ten seats?"
The shopkeeper Ji shook his head and sighed: "The young master only counts how many mountains we have here, and we should know that there are only more temples than mountains, how can there be less than mountains? Our Qian'an is one point of seven mountains and two waters. In the place of Tian, there are temples on every mountain. There are sixty-two temples, and there are only two temples with imperial plaques. There is also a Guanyin Temple. Giving is a must.”
There are dozens of temples in such a small county, is it unreasonable? Who built this? There are only more than 5,000 households in a county, and there are about 60 temples. Can the monks eat
The shopkeeper Ji said proudly: "Most people in this county are devout and benevolent, and they don't give away firewood. The masters also lent out temples and temples that year, and gave up a lot of rice to save people, so now the incense is even more prosperous. Mile! Looking at the prefectures and counties under the Yongping Mansion, and even the prefectures, only one in Luanzhou, Zhili, has a few more temples and temples than us, and none of them are as good as us!”
Okay, I know that the monks can eat, and we have to point to the monks to eat, so this time, how do you give the dharma to the scriptures
The shopkeeper Ji recalled for a while, and said: "There is a Xuanjue Temple in the east of the county, which is necessary to give charity, and then there are two Qingning Temple and Baoning Temple, which have received imperial plaques, and a Guanyin Temple. The incense is also the most prosperous. It’s almost enough to donate hundreds of scrolls. A few years ago, our shop was able to run water for about a thousand taels a month, and now there are not many books printed, so it’s not a problem to spend a few hundred taels on it.”
In fact, it is just to pray for the owner himself, and it is not too much to spend a few hundred taels to worship the Buddha.
The author has something to say: There are so many temples in the Qian'an County Chronicle printed in the Republic of China, not necessarily in the Ming Dynasty, but at least one of the data is more accurate than what I compiled, so I wrote it like this