Yipin Tang

Chapter 237 Spring Festival Couplets
This is Wang Xiang's first New Year in Datang, and his heart is full of excitement and curiosity.

The few days before the Chinese New Year are also the busiest time, the streets and alleys of Chang'an City are full of voices selling New Year's goods.

Although Steward Wang and Aunt Lin prepared the new year's goods, shopping is a kind of fun in itself, and Xiao Luoli and Ju Yiya both like to be lively, so Wang Xiang took them along the way to choose and buy. Lots of gadgets.

What made him feel strange was that he didn't see any stalls selling Spring Festival couplets and lucky characters after walking around half of the street.

When passing by a small stall, the little loli took Ju Yiya and ran over, squatting on the ground to pick.

Ju Yiya didn't know much about the Spring Festival in Tang Dynasty, so she pointed to the exquisitely carved wooden boards on the pavement and asked curiously: "What is this?"

Not to mention Ju Yiya, Wang Xiang was also a little curious, squatting down and picking up a thin wooden board to observe.

"This is a peach charm."

"Peach charm?"

Seeing that Wang Xiang didn't seem to know peach charms, the little loli introduced triumphantly: "Peach charms are made of high-quality peach wood. During the Chinese New Year, the names of Shentu and Yulei are written on the peach charms and hung on the door. It can drive away evil spirits and avoid darkness."

Wang Xiang heard that the peach charms mentioned by the little loli seemed to be similar to the Spring Festival couplets, but he didn't understand what the meanings of Shentu and Yulei meant.

Little Lolita flaunted: "It is said that Shen Tu and Yu Lei are two brothers who live under a peach tree and can catch ghosts and exorcise evil spirits."

"I see." Wang Xiang nodded.

While speaking, little Lolita had already picked out several exquisite peach charms. In fact, Butler Wang and Aunt Lin must have prepared such things, but little Lolita still likes to pick them by herself.

A few pieces of peach charms add up to only a dozen Wen, and Wang Xiang doesn't like to carry a lot of copper coins when he goes shopping. He has used up all the copper coins on his body just now, and only silver is left on him, so he took out a silver bean and handed it to the seller. The old man with peach charms, the old man looked embarrassed, all the peach charms sold here are not worth a silver bean, and the copper coins on him can't be found at all.

Wang Xiang saw the embarrassment of the old man, smiled and said: "You don't need to look for it, I want to ask where I can sell Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters."

"Spring Festival couplets? Fu characters?"

Not only did the old man not understand, the little Lolita also looked at Wang Xiang curiously and asked, "Brother-in-law, what are you talking about?"

Wang Xiang was surprised and said: "It's only pasted on the door. Don't you have Spring Festival couplets and blessings on it during the Chinese New Year?"

Little Lolita shook her head: "Didn't we buy peach charms?"

Wang Xiang suddenly realized that the paper at this time is still rice paper, so there are no Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters.

It’s not festive enough not to paste Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters during the New Year. Besides, Gewuyuan can already make new paper, as long as it is dyed with red paint, then you can make Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters yourself.

Little Lolita kept asking what the Spring Festival couplets and the word "Fu" were. Wang Xiang waved his hands and said with a smile, "Go home first, and you'll know when I make them. Spring Festival couplets and the word "Fu" are just like Chinese New Year."

Back at the Hou Mansion, Wang Xiang asked Xiaoya to fetch a stack of new paper made by Gewuyuan, and then asked someone to dye the paper red and put it outside to dry.

Everyone was very curious to see Wang Xiang messing around as soon as he came back. Wu Shun asked, "What is your husband doing?"

Wang Xiang smiled mysteriously: "You will know in a while."

After the new red paper was dried, Wang Xiang cut the paper into strips five inches wide and five feet long, and then cut several square pieces of paper about two feet wide.

Little Loli picked up a few pieces of paper and looked at them, then tilted her head and asked, "Brother-in-law, are these the couplets and blessings you mentioned? Are you going to stick these papers on the door?"

The red note looks really festive, Wang Xiang said with a smile: "Of course it's not just like that, next..."

Wang Xiang suddenly encountered a problem. He used a brush to write Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters. He has been in Datang for a year, but his calligraphy has not improved at all. Now the calligraphy written by Xiao Sizi is better than his. many.

Seeing Wang Xiang frowning, Wu Shun asked, "What's wrong with your husband?"

Wang Xiang scratched his head, a little embarrassed and said: "Writing Spring Festival couplets and blessing characters should be written with a brush..."

The little loli laughed and said, "Brother-in-law can't write calligraphy!"

Wang Xiang coughed dryly, and said solemnly: "I just wrote in a relatively ordinary way. This couplet and the word "Fu" are meant to be pasted on the gate, so of course we can't do it casually."

Wu Shun covered his mouth and smiled when he heard the words: "What words does my husband want to write?"

Wang Xiang patted his head and said happily: "Yes, how could I forget, Madam's handwriting is beautiful and delicate, just suitable for writing Spring Festival couplets, little girl, quickly get the pen and ink!"

When Xiaoya took the brush and ink, Wu Shun picked up the brush and looked at Wang Xiang with a smile. She already understood Wang Xiang's intention.In fact, Spring Festival couplets existed a long time ago, but they are not called Spring Festival couplets but peach charms, yes, they are peach charms, because the couplets at that time were written on peach charms.In the Five Dynasties, Meng Chang of Later Shu wrote the inscription on the peach talisman "Nayuqing in the New Year, and Changchun in Jiajie". It is said that this is the first couplet of the Spring Festival.Writing Spring Festival couplets requires a certain literary talent, so most people directly write the names of Shen Tu and Yu Lei on the peach charms.

I have seen Wang Xiang's literary talent and Wu Shun for a long time. The few poems he wrote at the Jinguang Lake Poetry Fair are now well-known and cited as classics. Now Wang Xiang seems to have a plan to show his literary talent. Wu Shun is natural is very much looking forward to.

Facing Wushun's expectant gaze, Wang Xiang gave a dry cough, put his hands behind his back in a feigned manner, and paced while thinking, in fact, he was recalling those classic couplets of later generations.

Suddenly a gust of cold wind blew by, and little Lolita exclaimed: "Oh, it's snowing!"

Wang Xiang smiled slightly: "Yes."

"The mountains and rivers in the snow are beautiful."

Wu Shun's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he started to write, the handwriting is beautiful and delicate, which makes people feel pleasing to the eye at a glance.

"The years between the flowers are new."

Seeing that Wu Shun continued to write after the last sentence, Wang Xiang said hastily: "These two sentences should be written separately, and when the time comes, put one on each side of the gate."

The two sentences were completed in one go, Wu Shun was a little embarrassed, Wang Xiang said: "It's okay, these two sentences are just relatively short, just cut them in the middle."

The little loli admired Wang Xiang's literary talent very much. Seeing this, she clapped her hands and cheered: "Brother-in-law, write another couple!"

Wang Xiang smiled and said: "Well, write more, a pair of Spring Festival couplets are pasted on every gate inside and outside the house, which makes it look festive. Well, here are a few horizontal batches. Couplets are pasted on both sides of the gate, and in the middle A horizontal batch was pasted on the eaves of the door."

"What is a horizontal batch?" Little Loli asked curiously.

"Horizontal script is the meaning expressed by couplet." Wang Xiang explained, and Chao Wushun said: "Horizontal script should be written horizontally."

Wu Shun nodded. With her intelligence, she already knew what Spring Festival couplets and Hengpi meant. What she was looking forward to most now was what kind of couplets Wang Xiang would make next.

(End of this chapter)