Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 99 Lin Ruhai

Jia Qiang "died in a foreign land" and stayed in mourning on a canal boat for more than forty days. Compared with Jia Zhen's funeral, the procedure was much simpler.

After hanging sacrifices and fasting for seven days in the old house of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong was ready to mourn.

On this day, there was a big funeral, Ningrong Old Street was covered with white curtains, and paper money was scattered in the sky. The two coffins of Jia Zhen and Jia Qiang were carried by the pole bearers in the center. Jia Rong was wearing hemp and wearing mourning, holding a bamboo stick in his hand, stroking Jia Zhen's coffin and crying loudly. Jia Kun, Jia Geng, Jia Xing and other "filial sons and grandsons" also supported and cried around Jia Qiang's coffin.

Before the funeral, Jia Kun followed Jia Rong's example and smashed a pottery basin in front of Jia Qiang's coffin.

This is to prevent Jia Zhen and Jia Qiang from forgetting their loved ones before they drink "Meng Po Soup" in reincarnation.

Starting from Ningrong Old Street, under the guidance of soul-calling flags, we cry out to Jinling City all the way. On both sides of the road, wealthy dignitaries all set up colorful sheds for road festivals. Jia Rong led Jia Kun to serve wine and water to the guests.

In this way, we gradually walked around Jinling City and headed towards Jiangning County.

******

Jiangning County is located in the southeast of Jinling City. It is the mother county of Jinling City along with "Shangyuan County". There is a saying in history that "the people of Shangyuan are good at business, the people of Jiangning are good at farming, the people of Longdu are good at medicine, the people of Longdu are good at medicine, the people of Taowu are good at making pottery, the people of Taowu are good at weaving, the people of Moling are good at weaving, and the people of Dou Village are good at carving." , and has the reputation of "Wang County in the world and the best place in the country".

Jiangning is known as "six mountains, one water and three plains" and is the "grain producing area" of Jinling City.

Nearly 80% of the land in Jiangning County is all occupied by the Jia clan, which is the first-class wealthy family in Jiangning County.

Jia Rong came with a coffin, and all the Jia clan members in the countryside were ready. Everyone wore sackcloth and mourning, and cried and offered sacrifices to Jia Zhen and Jia Qiang on both sides of the road.

Then they led the funeral procession to "Qinglong Mountain".

Qinglong Mountain is the "ancestral tomb" of the Jia people. Legend has it that the feng shui is excellent, forming a "green dragon absorbs water" ground pattern, which can provide shade and prosperity for future generations. Sure enough, two princes were born in this dynasty and became the first-class wealthy nobles in the Zhou Dynasty.

The acupoint tombs of Jia Zhen and Jia Qiang have been built long ago. The bearers carefully placed the two coffins into the tomb and built the brick walls. Jia Rong and others cried and burned paper in front of the tomb, and then returned with the spirit in hand.

Returning to the old house of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong and Jia Kun spent another night with the spirit in Yongchang Pavilion. On the third day, people go to the tomb to cry, offer sacrifices and burn paper to "warm the tomb". After doing all this, the funerals of Jia Zhen and Jia Qiang are all over. Jia Rong and others finally got rid of their clothes and no longer even needed to wear plain white hemp hats. All the white curtains and memorial lanterns in the mansion were removed and replaced with the usual decorations.

******

Jia Rong didn't expect that as soon as she got rid of her mourning clothes, she would have to wear a "plain dress with gold belt" to mourn Jia Min in Yangzhou City.

Yangzhou, known as "Guangling", "Jiangdu" and "Weiyang" in ancient times, is located at the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, across the river from Zhenjiang City, and connected to Jinling City in the southwest. It is known as "the famous capital of Huaizuo and the best place in Zhuxi", and It has the reputation of "the first city on the canal".

In the Tang Dynasty, the great poet Li Bai wrote a poem "Send Meng Haoran to Guangling from the Yellow Crane Tower", which made Guangling famous all over the world and went down in history.

At this moment, Jia Rong came in on a building boat. He was on the deck, leaning on the railing and looking at the scenery along the river. He stood with his hands behind his hands and chanted loudly in the wind.

"My old friend bid farewell to the Yellow Crane Tower in the west. Fireworks descended on Yangzhou in March.

"The shadow of the lonely sail is in the blue sky, and only the Yangtze River can be seen in the sky."

Jia Rong sang Li Taibai's original poems in a cadence, and she couldn't help but admire and yearn for it.

Li Taibai, a banished immortal, has majestic poems, eternal romance, and is unparalleled. He is the swordsman in many men's dreams. "It's a pity that I have come to the world of Red Mansions. If I go back to the Tang Dynasty, I will definitely make friends with Li Taibai, Du Fu and others, pick fairy grass, find immortals, refine elixirs, and become a romantic and unruly madman!"

Jia Rong thought secretly.

Unfortunately, the time and space are wrong, and the season is wrong. It is not the fireworks in March, but the cold autumn in October. Although the scenery on both sides of the river is still green, it is a bit bleak and makes people feel lonely.

After a while, the building boat docked, and Jia Rong and others entered Yangzhou City and went straight to Lin Ruhai's residence. The group of people was huge and very eye-catching.

Much different from Jinling City, Yangzhou City is very prosperous. There are many merchants and people on the road. Dignitaries and dignitaries rode on horses and sat in sedan chairs, high above the crowd. There was the dandy kid who was like a "street fighter" who gathered the crowd and laughed. There are also many scholars in green shirts and high crowns, who are simple and elegant, showing the style of celebrities.

Except for "subduing the demon", which makes people shake their heads secretly, everything else is not bad.

Mei Xiang, Cai Wei, and Xiang Ling were crowded in a car with a red wheel cover. Occasionally, they lifted a corner of the green cloth curtain to enjoy the scenery of Yangzhou City. But I happened to see a man with peonies on his head, pink clothes and green skirt, wearing wooden clogs, walking across the bluestone bridge in a swagger. Mei Xiang and Caiwei were only shocked.

"It is said that the Jiangnan scholars are bold and uninhibited, and do not follow the rules of etiquette. There are so-called "submissive demons". Now it seems that they are more powerful than the rumors."

Mei Xiang caressed her chest gently and exhaled a long breath, as if to calm her mind.

She wears peonies in her hair and an alternative outfit of pink and green skirt. Even girls like them cannot handle it if their appearance is average and their skin is slightly dull. But the scholar dressed grandly and ostentatiously through the city, and others were not surprised when they saw him. It was really amazing.

"The customs in Jiangnan are indeed very different from those in Shenjing City." Caiwei also sighed.

Xiang Ling's reaction was mediocre, because she was originally from Suzhou and came to Jinling.

Even if the girl is raised in the house, she has seen many of them on the road, so she just raised her head, opened her big pure eyes, and timidly asked, "What are the customs in Shenjing City?"

When Mei Xiang and Cai Wei heard this, they couldn't help but smile at each other and chattered around Xiang Ling. The pride of the people in the capital was faintly revealed between the lines.

******

Lin Ruhai, her surname is actually Lin and her name is Hai, and her abbreviation is Ruhai.

His ancestors had attacked other princes, and he had been demoted to hereditary rank, and his title had been lost. Fortunately, Lin Ruhai worked hard on his own, studied hard, and had a good literary talent. He was ranked No. 1 in high school as a scout, and even became acquainted with Emperor Long'an when he was staying in his residence. He is now a "confidant official".

Therefore, not long after the doctor moved to Lantai Temple, he was sent to another place and appointed as the censor of salt inspection in Yangzhou.

Responsible for the salt administration of Huaihe and Huaihe Rivers, in charge of salt transportation and sales, tax collection, payment and settlement of money and grain, as well as salt smuggling cases in various places, anti-smuggling assessment, etc.

He is the highest salt affairs official in the Lianghuai Salt Region, also known as the "Salt Administration" or "Salt Transport Envoy".

On this day, Jia Rong and his party entered Yangzhou City and went straight to Lin Mansion. But they saw a white curtain hanging outside Lin's Mansion, a lantern with the inscription "Denial" hanging on it, a long queue outside the gate, and cars and sedans of all sizes crowding the long street, taking turns entering the Mansion to pay homage to the crying souls.

In the house, there were also loud cries and Sanskrit chants of chanting scriptures.

(End of this chapter)