mage in the late qing dynasty

Chapter 58
At the end of the 29th year of Guangxu, the Russo-Japanese War finally broke out.

The Qing government declared its neutrality on the grounds that both Japan and Russia were friendly states.

The war has just started, and there is no winner yet.

Du Lisan, who was far away in western Liaoning, sat in a daze after learning of the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War.

"He really hit it off?"

He also wants to take another look to see if the follow-up develops as he said.

……

On New Year's Eve, Zhao Chuanxin cooks at home.

Yes, preparations start in the morning.

Like people at this time, he is used to having two meals a day.So, what is being prepared now is actually the evening meal.

Liu Baogui, Gao Li and Da Yasu also came early.

Liu Guigui helped chop vegetables, and Da Yasu poured dirty water or something to help.Goryeo had nothing to do but add firewood to the fireplace.

Not long after, a group of kids came to the door.

Hula, the not-so-big house is packed with people.

There is a child whose head is not very bright, so he is kneeling now.

Zhao Chuanxin was taken aback: "I, Cao, which one are you from? It's too early to kneel, don't knock!"

Zhao Chuanxin first took out a big burden from the room: "No, this is a foreign handkerchief. You have a big nose every day, how ugly. Wipe it off in the future."

Today, not only boys but also girls are here.

Boys are not rare, but girls can't put it down.

Immediately afterwards, some wooden boxes that were stacked high were pushed with their feet.

"One per person, don't take more than one."

These wooden boxes were custom-made by Carpenter Li before him.The word "Fu" on the lid of each box was carved by himself.

Zhao Hongzhi opened the box and found that there were candied pastries, candies, assorted biscuits, and a hard-boiled egg inside, which also had the word "福" written on it.

After the kids ran away, Zhao Chuanxin continued to cook.

Liu Guigui muttered, "This is too extravagant, how much will it cost?"

Zhao Chuanxin said: "You don't understand!"

The children of later generations will still bow their heads during the Chinese New Year, playing black games together.

How can it be so lively now?

What is spending money?

Da Yasu said honestly: "Captain likes children, why don't you marry a wife and have a few."

Zhao Chuanxin waved his hand: "No need, isn't this ready-made?"

Three people: "..."

Can it be the same?

In the afternoon, the meal was ready, and the four gathered around the bar and had a big meal.

The soft and rotten pig's trotters of the scorpion, the chicken feet collected by Zhao Chuanxin, the jelly of pork skin, cabbage, chicken stewed with mushrooms, fish, spicy shredded pork, and even a relatively expensive bear's paw.

During this meal, I also drank a lot of wine.

Dishes are messed up.

Over there, Zhao Zhongyi came to call them.

Just about to leave, Zhao Chuanxin said, "Wait, I'll get something."

With that said, he took four decks of playing cards from the cabinet.

"What is this?" Bao Bao had never seen it before.

Zhao Chuanxin said mysteriously: "I will teach you how to play later."

Arrived at Zhao Zhongyi's house.

It doesn't take so many people to make dumplings.

Zhao Chuanxin Zhang Luo: "Come on, I'll teach you how to play cards. Brother, you put these two decks of cards on the altar, so that the ancestors can also play with foreigners. After the New Year's Eve dinner, you need Draw December with these two decks."

Zhao Zhongyi didn't know what December was, so he could only obediently put the cards on the kitchen altar table.

Zhao Chuanxin taught them to play planing.

Recognize the cards first, and then do it.

I was not proficient at the beginning, and I couldn't remember the cards.Slowly, join Jiajing.

Liu Baogui: "This is interesting!"

Gao Li threw out the four 5s in her hand: "I'll kill you!"

Da Yasu had a constipated expression on his face: "Xiao Yao, take care of it!"

Liu Guigui was anxious: "Hey, why are you out now? There's still blood behind!"

When Zhao Zhongyi came back to take a look, good guy, what are you playing here? It's noisy.

After watching the excitement for a while, I started to feel itchy: "Precious, let me go, and I will play for a while."

Liu Guigui shook his head: "No, you let Da Yasu go down. He played bad cards, and I lost two games with him."

Zhao Chuanxin said: "It's okay, there are still five people to play, let's play together."

Played until the dumplings were put into the pot.

Then, Zhao Zhongyi found out that Zhao Chuanxin was not joking, he really followed them to sacrifice.

He kowtowed to his ancestor very seriously.

What is this?

Unfortunately, before he could express his doubts, Zhao Chuanxin hurriedly took the poker on the altar and taught them how to draw December.

Then, he walked home by himself.

He has to wait for those children to come to pay New Year's greetings.

In Lugangling Village, even the dogs guarding the entrance of the village and at the foot of the mountain shared the dumplings.

Everyone in the village happily had a good year, except Jin Tai's family.

Jin Tai became addicted to cigarettes, and was tied up and howled, with veins on his forehead bursting out, and he was in pain.

Because of the New Year's Eve, Zhao Chuanxin didn't do anything wrong, and let Jin Tai go home on New Year's Eve.

However, although people can go home, they are still tied up.

He warned Defu, if you don't want to give up all your efforts, don't let him loose.

Jin Tai's mother-in-law had tears in her eyes: "What kind of abuse did you make, please untie your father quickly."

Defu shook his head firmly: "Mom, do you want him to die? I don't want to say death for the Chinese New Year, but if you want him to die, untie him and let him continue to smoke. Tomorrow, people from the insurance team , I will take him away, and continue to watch until I quit smoking. Mom, I have to go to pay Captain Zhao a new year's greetings. With lucky money, we can buy some rice and noodles, and we will live on."

Seeing Defu with a mature look on his face, Mrs. Jintai wiped her tears, gritted her teeth and said, "Go ahead, mother must have taken a fancy to your father."

Telford ran out.

Call Zhao Hongzhi and other children in the village to go to Zhao Chuanxin's house together.

Bannerman children kowtow to the Han people to pay New Year's greetings, this matter will definitely cause an uproar.

Defu knelt down and kowtowed to Zhao Chuanxin.

"Happy New Year to Uncle."

Zhao Chuanxin touched his head: "Happy New Year."

Defu touched it, and probably knew how much money was inside, and stood aside with brows happily.

The second one is Zhao Hongzhi.

Zhao Chuanxin hurriedly stopped him: "Go and stand aside first, and then talk at the end."

What about a joke?Asking him to kowtow to himself might directly cut off decades of life.

Zhao Hongzhi was stunned, why didn't he let him knock?Is there any red envelopes to take?

Next………

These children looked at the red envelopes they got, so pretty.

There are paintings on it, and everyone's is different.

A child couldn't help it, opened it and knocked, and then his eyes widened.

Generally, the New Year's money given by the family is just one or two copper coins.

But in this red envelope, there was actually one silver dollar and 10 copper coins.

I am Cao, silver dollars.

The landlord's family didn't give out red envelopes like this.

After everyone finished their New Year worship, Zhao Chuanxin asked them all to go out.

Then, he took out the red envelope and handed it directly to Zhao Hongzhi: "You don't have to pray."

Zhao Hongzhi was still a little reluctant.

Why can't I do it when they are all knocked out?

This lacks a sense of ritual, as if I took the money for nothing, and I feel quite unhappy.

Yes, pouted and left.

Zhao Chuanxin: "..."

Wait for a group of children to go out.

All the children ran far away, and then gathered together, holding the lanterns in their hands, so that the light gathered.Those who were in a world of ice and snow took out red envelopes one after another, and everyone opened them to have a look.

"Whoa, silver dollars!"

"This year's greetings are worth it."

"I still want to go back and knock one!"

"Why are there 1 silver dollar and 10 copper coins?"

Everyone looked at Telford.

After thinking about it, Defu said, "I see. If we go back with silver dollars, our family will definitely take them away. Captain Zhao must know this, so he gave 10 more copper coins so that we can quietly collect them by ourselves." , When the salesman comes, you can buy food."

What a thoughtful thought.

Indeed, that is exactly what Zhao Chuanxin meant.

As for whether they can comprehend it, it depends on the fortune of these children.

Back then, the most painful thing for him was that every year relatives in the family would give each other red envelopes.If he gives one hundred, I will return one hundred.

Then, the child's red envelopes will be confiscated.After that, it was equal to the books, and no one made a profit and no one lost.

But Zhao Chuanxin, he still wants to use the red envelope money to buy something he wants.

Take it away, and buy a fart.

For this, he hated it deeply.

No sincerity!

If you don't want to give it, then don't give it to anyone.You have to play with formalism.

He wrapped 1 silver dollar and 10 copper coins because of the "skin pain".

Zhao Hongzhi rolled his eyes: "Since that's the case, uncle will definitely not tell my father how much money was given. Don't tell everyone, just say that I gave one silver dollar when we go back. Let's hide the copper coin ourselves."

"it is good!"

"Who says who is a dog!"

"Hey, you girls, don't tell me when you go back, you know?"

A group of little girls said timidly, "Got it."

Unexpectedly, just after the discussion here, Zhao Chuanxin chased him out again.

These kids are confused, what do you mean?Give too much and want to regret it?

I heard Zhao Chuanxin say: "Girls, go back and tell your parents that if any girl binds her feet in the future, she will have no lucky money for the New Year. If any girl doesn't bind her feet, I will give you five silver dollars when she gets married!"

Then, the children hid the money first, then dispersed in a crowd, and all went home to show off.

As expected.

As soon as they got home, they were shocked to hear that Zhao Chuanxin had wrapped a silver dollar in a red envelope.

This is not one or two children, all the children in the village have gone, how much does it cost?
What a loser!
Immediately, the money was confiscated, leaving only an empty red envelope for the children.

Some even wanted to take away the red envelopes, because they were so beautiful, but the children refused to do it, crying loudly.

It's not good to do this for those who celebrate the New Year, so I have to return it.

And when Zhao Hongzhi came home, he told Zhao Zhongyi about Zhao Chuanxin not letting him kneel.

Zhao Zhongyi frowned at Lao Gao.

He was generous and told his son directly to let him keep the silver dollars for himself.

This gave Zhao Hongzhi to the United States.

As everyone knows, his father fell into great confusion.

His mother-in-law asked curiously, "What's wrong with you? Are you preoccupied?"

Zhao Zhongyi frowned and said, "It's weird, it's weird. Do you think someone's family celebrates the New Year and goes to someone else's house to worship their ancestors?"

His mother-in-law was taken aback, she had never heard of it.

Zhao Zhongyi said again: "Look, Hongzhi went to kowtow to him, but he refused to kowtow. What do you think is going on?"

His wife: "What's going on?"

Zhao Zhongyi was delighted: "Can't you just think about it and think about it? I doubt, just doubt, that he might be, really, a relative of our family who passed on the salary. Small, so Hongzhi was not allowed to kowtow to him. This also explains why he was willing to help me back then..."

(End of this chapter)