Red Mansion Reader

Chapter 12
The rice barn is full, new clothes are put on, the tax is paid, and it will be a new year. Looking forward to the coming year, it will be another year with good weather and good weather.

This is a folklore spread in the countryside of Yangzhou. The words are simple and plain, and it also clearly expresses the vision of the farm.When the farmers finish their farm work, the New Year's Eve will not be far away.

In the last few days of autumn, the tolerance sent by the county went door-to-door in Shanxi Village to collect grain and pay taxes.In ancient times, it was not easy to check the harvest of farmers, so we had to set a quota. Fortunately, there have been no disasters in recent years, and everyone's harvest is not bad.

Because of Chen Heng's study this year, the old Chen's family couldn't afford much money, so they had to ask tolerance to take a few more bags of grain.Seeing it, Mrs. Zhou was very heartbroken. This is all planted by her family.

It's a pity that there is no way, every household is like this.Fortunately, after the new king came to the throne, he intended to take care of the farmers, and the price of grain harvested by tolerance was higher than that charged by ordinary grain merchants. It was really more cost-effective than paying money.

After finishing the last major event of the year, the old Chen family can prepare for the new year with peace of mind.

This year, many happy events have happened in the old Chen family. One is that a child in the family has started to study, and there is a better hope in life.The second is that Mrs. Li gave birth to a son. This was the joy of having a baby, and it made my second uncle Chen Huaijin proud for several months.

Farmers make a living by farming, and the large number of males in the family is a ready-made productivity.In the eyes of Chen Yushan and Zhou's, this big fat grandson is just a bunch of ears of rice that will grow in the future, and they feel happy when they look at it.

Chen Heng had been attending classes at his master's house until the day before the junior year, and the ten-day vacation was about to start.It's a bit like a winter vacation for future generations, but the time is not long, so it will be on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The teacher and the student agreed on the next class start time, and Chen Heng could study at home with peace of mind.This year, Wang Xianming's family is going to Yangzhou Mansion to celebrate the New Year. I heard my teacher's wife occasionally mentioning that there seems to be a relative or friend there.

Chen Heng didn't dare to inquire about the elders.Plus, he himself was busy making money.

Before the end of the year, every household has to change the Spring Festival couplets.It costs ten cents to buy this thing in the county, and it's still a long way to go.

As the only one in the village who was studying, Chen Heng offered eight Wen directly, and he only needed to bring his own paper, and he could take home a pair of Spring Festival couplets with beautiful strokes.

With such a reasonable price, the gates of Old Chen's house were trampled down for a while.Many people from neighboring villages asked someone to come and ask for a pair.Chen Heng did not refuse anyone who came, and he could also practice calligraphy for him.

When these people came to the door, they couldn't help pulling Chen Yushan to say a few festive words to the Zhou family: For example, this grandson of your family has a tall and broad forehead, and he will have a great future.

Hearing that the two elders were smiling, they felt that life would get better and better, and they felt more confident going out and chatting with the villagers.

At this year's end, Chen Heng earned half a tael of silver just by writing Spring Festival couplets.There was not much money, so Zhou asked him to keep it by himself, and use it all as the child's own pocket money.

Chen Huaijin saw it and was very envious.

One night, when he was lying on the bed with his wife Li, he suddenly straightened up and said to each other, "Let's let Shuangxi study too from now on."

Double Happiness is his son's nickname.

Mrs. Li just laughed when she heard that, "The child is not yet old, so you are thinking about this?"

"That's not true." Chen Huaijin lay down proudly, "Look at how proud Heng'er is now, even with my elder brother. There are many old carpenters in the village, and whoever is a carpenter is good at it. This time, they all come to see elder brother. It's not because Heng'er is studying."

Mrs. Li nodded, but said with some hesitation: "I'm afraid this study will cost a lot of money."

The mother-in-law Zhou Shi is in charge of the money in the family, so Li Shi has never been clear about Chen Heng's education expenses.

But Chen Huaijin knew it well. Thinking of the ten taels of silver that his elder brother gave to Wang Xianming, he couldn't help but dim his eyes, and muttered: "No, I have to go to the county to have a look after the New Year. I can't delay Double Happiness in the future."

"Are you willing, father and mother?" Thinking of Chen Huaijin's previous visits and returning in vain, Mrs. Li felt a little hesitant.

"If you don't want to, I'll make a fuss." Chen Huaijin smiled, and began to play a rogue, "I'm not going to the county for fun, and they will definitely agree. You know, I don't like farming, and I face the loess every day with my back to the sky. It's not a human job."

Seeing that Chen Huaijin had made up his mind, Mrs. Li couldn't say much, so he had to give up.

Although Shanxi Village is full of New Year's flavor, it is definitely not as lively as the county.I heard that there are opera troupes singing in the county, and the larger Yangzhou Mansion is brightly lit and fireworks are blooming.For the people of Shanxi Village, they can only fire a few cannons, and the whole family will have a hearty dinner together.

But don't underestimate the end of the peasant family, their highlight is the Lantern Festival after the new year.The preparations for the dragon boat and the palanquin of the Eight Immortals started years ago, starting from the ancestral hall on the [-]th night, along the small roads in the village, and walking all over the houses.

This dragon boat is different from Chen Heng's memory, and the workmanship is very simple.Sections of mahogany are connected to each other. Holes are punched in every other section, and wooden sticks are inserted to facilitate adults to carry and walk around. Lanterns are lit on the top, only the head and tail are shaped like dragons.

This dragon is more than ten meters long, and it dances in the dark, very beautiful.

Occasionally, some good people from neighboring villages would come over with their own dragon boats on their backs and circle around the village to greet them.The young man in Shanxi Village is naturally not timid, and he just stepped forward while carrying the dragon boat.

Several dragons sometimes meet, and sometimes circle around and entrench each other, striving for a better harvest for that village in the coming year.

Chen Heng, who had already started class, was asked by Wang Xianming to watch it and write a poem by the way.Childish exercises, I don't need to explain them here.But after the Lantern Festival, Chen Sande came to visit the old Chen's house and said that he would take Chen Huaijin out to find a living.

This Chen Sande sounds unfamiliar to everyone, but once his son Qisuo is mentioned, everyone can know what kind of person he is.

Chen Sande is a gambler by nature and doesn't do farming.

I heard that he brought his youngest son with him, but Chen Yushan disagreed a hundred times, and the family had a few days of unhappiness over this.

Chen Heng heard about this from his parents.The farmer wanted to save money on lamp oil at night, and often only one lamp was lit in the East Wing. Chen Heng wanted to study, and Mrs. Gu took Chen Qing to work with needles, and only Chen Qi babbled.

"It's said that the idle man has a wide vision and can communicate with the news. Chen Sande plays the horse crane in the village every day, how could he know that a 'Hengshudian' is going to open in the county?"

"What does this 'Heng Shu Dian' do?" Gu Shi squinted her eyes and threaded the thread, which did not affect her response to Chen Qi.

"I heard that it's a pawn shop. The shop from Jinling has a very big background." Chen Qi was worried, and he was also a little puzzled. "What kind of a good place to make a living is a pawn shop? My second brother doesn't know how to coax Chen Sande, so I just have to go."

"Father, isn't the pawnshop bad?" Chen Heng raised his head from the book, curious.

He felt that at least it was a job, which was better than his second uncle staying at home every day, and he didn't like doing farm work.It's not good for Second Uncle himself if he stays like this.

"You study hard, and you don't care about these things." Chen Qi was in a bad mood, so he naturally spoke in a bad tone.

Well, it is only right and proper for Lao Tzu to train his son.Chen Heng can only suffer from being dumb. After all, he is young. Even if he is six years old after the new year, he still has no right to speak in the eyes of his elders.

But if Chen Qi didn't say anything, Chen Heng would naturally have someone to inquire about.

On the second day, while chatting in the school, he asked Wang Xianming about Hengshudian.He originally wanted to inquire about the reputation of the pawn shop, fearing that Chen Huaijin would go astray and cause some trouble.

Coincidentally, Wang Xianming just knew it, and saw his master frowned, "Hengshudian's owner's surname is Xue, and their family's ancestors relied on the fortune of the palace. They used to be an imperial merchant, and relying on the favor of the Supreme Emperor, life has become more and more dignified. Hmph!"

Hearing that the master's tone had hidden meanings, Chen Heng couldn't help asking curiously: "Is there any problem with this pawnshop?"

Wang Xianming let out a long sigh, ready to show his incompetent disciple the world, "What do you think is a good place to go, Heng'er, think about it. If you are the shopkeeper of the pawnshop, and someone else has a rare family heirloom that you want, but he refuses to give it to you, how can you get it from him?"

Chen Heng rolled his eyes a few times, and he had an idea: "Get on good terms, make a false lawsuit against him, put him in prison and beat him for three days, are you afraid that he won't hand it over?"

When Wang Xianming heard it, his eyes turned black, and he stared at Chen Heng viciously and said, "Copy ten times of "Yan's Family Instructions" tonight for my teacher, and if I make a mistake, I will hit the board ten times."

Chen Heng didn't dare to complain, so he could only slander in his heart: It's not that you always tell me to diverge my thinking.

"Why do you need to do this?" Wang Xianming shook his head and sighed, "He only needs to send someone to pass on a message saying that he has a sum of interest to be released, and then send someone to lure you to borrow it. After you press your fingerprint, you will be endlessly revolving. Until you give him the treasure, and then pay for all the money and food at home, isn't it better than your idea?"

Can it still be like this?Hearing this coquettish operation, Chen Heng couldn't help but began to examine his own ignorance, and asked curiously, "Aren't they afraid of the government?"

Chen Heng thought that businessmen in ancient times behaved with their tails between their legs.After all, wealth is really vulnerable in front of power.Shen Wansan's story, TV dramas have been filmed badly.

"Fool, as soon as he sent the treasure to the palace, he got the money and settled it with the higher-ups. No one in the family can beat them."

Wang Xianming slapped the table angrily, obviously dissatisfied with these things for a long time.He continued: "The so-called four great families in Jinling are working together. Now that the Holy Majesty has great ambitions, he will punish them sooner or later to quell the anger of the people."

"Four Great Masters of Jinling?" Chen Heng was taken aback when he heard the words, the name sounded so familiar.

Wang Xianming continued to educate Chen Heng, "It's better to tell you earlier, so that you don't feel guilty about these princes and sons when you go out for scientific examinations in the future. The four families are 'Jia Shi Wang Xue', and this Jia family is the most wealthy..."

Familiar names popped into his ears one after another, and the more Chen Heng heard it, the more panicked he became.He has been in this world for some years, he thought he was just reborn in an unfounded dynasty, but today he finds out that he actually came to the Red Mansion.

Wait until the teacher finishes the science popularization and end the day's study.Chen Heng returned home in a daze, and lay on the bed at night, still feeling a little emotional.

So, in the capital thousands of miles away, there is a young man named Jia Baoyu?

Are all the twelve beauties in Jinling real people?
Unable to fall asleep, Chen Heng simply got up from the bed and came to the courtyard with a volume of books in his arms.At this time, the moon was high and the Milky Way was hanging upside down. Chen Heng casually opened a page of the book, and he had already memorized the contents by heart. He didn't dare to disturb his family members, so he just took advantage of the moonlight to see a line of words, and read silently in his heart.

Live like this for a while, until your mind is clear again.Chen Heng just put down his book, and he figured it out, even if he was wearing a red building, and his surname was neither Jia nor Xue, there was no need to worry about the decline of Jia's mansion.

The distance between him and Jia Baoyu was as far away as from Shanxi Village to the capital.Knowing the lives of those people is useless, it is better to hurry up and work hard now, before the decline of the Jia Mansion, go to the capital to see the prosperity and decline of the Grand View Garden.

It is not in vain for him to come to this world and go on a journey.

The adult's decision made Chen Heng suddenly understand what he should do.Seeing that his expression returned to leisure, after putting down the book, Chen Heng strolled in the courtyard for a while, looked up at the half-laurel moon, and couldn't help but chant:

"When mountains and rivers meet, dragons rise from land, and light boats want to pass ten thousand mountains."

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Chen Huaijin, who doesn't like farm work, finally left home. Zhou couldn't stand his noise, so he had to agree.Even if Chen Heng secretly persuaded him, it would not change anything.

The fate of others is not transferred by one's own will.

And one's own destiny cannot be controlled by others.

After Chen Huaijin left home, Chen Heng studied more seriously.There is quite a sense of urgency that time is fleeting and time will not wait.Wang Xianming saw it in his eyes, was delighted in his heart, and taught even more vigorously.

Several cold and summer.

Two years later, in the 12th year of Wuding, the Yong Dynasty finally decided to abandon the reign name, and changed the reign name to Wenhe when the New Year's bell was ringing.

In the first year of Wenhe, it is the lively Lantern Festival again.

Everyone in Shanxi Village went out to play dragon boats. Only Wang Xianming stayed at home, worrying about Chen Heng's new article.

　Two updates today, the story of the Red Chamber is about to begin, brothers, vote quickly, vote quickly.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)