Great Qin Emperor

Chapter 10 Small gain

"Hi yo, hi yo." One after another, the horns sounded, converging into a harmonious song of labor.

The helpers in the shed were bare-chested and working hard. Sweat seeped from their faces and dripped down their cheeks on the ground, making a slight ticking sound.

There is a saying that "you get what you pay for", and this saying couldn't be more appropriate for the ancients.The folk customs in Qin Dynasty were simple and honest, coupled with the strict laws of Qin State, everything "has a law" (in the words of historians, it is deep, but it is actually quite complete), misdemeanors are severely punished, and fraud is strictly prohibited. Dare to say, at least they are not working hard, Zhou Chong paid them to work, they are also working hard, not lazy, showing good labor quality.

Seeing this, Zhou Chong was amazed at the great difference between ancient and modern times!The so-called scientific management in modern society is a little difficult to describe. Some people understand scientific management as ubiquitous surveillance, with monitors everywhere, and there are no bathrooms.Even more excessive companies have to set a time limit for going to the restroom, 1 minute for urination and 3 minutes for defecating.

Two house boys carried a wooden barrel containing steaming soup, and another house boy carried a basket with earthen jars in the basket.

Zhou Chong followed in and said, "Masters, put down your work, take a break, and come over for a bowl of soup."

"Okay! Master Zhou, please wait a moment, and drink it after I have compacted this." Pu Feng pulled the bar vigorously.

Pu Feng was the first helper hired for Zhou Chong. He was in touch with oil pressing and making tofu earlier than others. He is a skilled worker in today's words. ".

Zhou Chong warned: "Master Pu, be careful. If it's not ready, make it first. If it's ready, come and drink the soup."

The helpers came over one after another, filled the soup with earthen pots, smacked their lips after drinking it, and said, "Salty, with salt in it. Oh, and oil in it. Master Zhou, you are really kind to us, Even the soup has to be prepared to taste." Yan was very grateful.

Needless to say, everyone knows how important salt is to the body.In ancient times, salt was quite expensive, and many ordinary people could not afford it. Zhou Chong knew that if they did physical work without salt, it would be very bad for their health. Although salt was expensive, he did not feel sorry for the money, so he bought some salt Add them to soups to make them "nutritious."

No, just put some salt and oil in the water. In modern society, people will definitely be accused of being a person like "Zhou Bapi". I don't know how to put some minced meat, bones or shrimps, and add some chicken essence to adjust the seasoning. Certainly no one was drinking.It was different in ancient times, the helpers were regarded as treasures, and the gratitude was beyond words.

Zhou Chong lamented the difference between ancient and modern times, and worried that those helpers who drank like thirsty cows would choke, so he kept saying: "Slow down, slow down, don't choke. Enough is enough, there is more."

Dozens of helpers are all the same: After drinking the soup, wipe your mouth with your arms across your mouth, which is regarded as wiping your mouth.He kept belching and said, "It's delicious, it's delicious, it's delicious, I've never had such a delicious soup in my life!"

"There are stools over there, you all sit down and rest for a while." Zhou Chong pointed to the stools and said to the helpers.

When the master spoke, the helpers naturally obeyed and sat down on the stools, and those without stools sat on the stone pier.Sitting is sitting down, but each of them is like a silly bird, you look at me, I look at you, don't speak, but become bored sitting.

In this way, the boredom became a bit dull, Zhou Chong jumped up the atmosphere for the sake of talking, and said: "During the break, you all sing a song and relax."

"What song to sing?" Pu Feng hiccupped and asked Zhou Chong.

Zhou Chong replied: "You can sing whatever you like, just do what you want, and do what you like."

Pu Feng said with a little embarrassment: "Master Zhou, we only know how to sing hi yo hi yo, but we can't sing. You can teach us how to sing."

"Yes, Master Zhou." The helpers echoed.

Zhou Chong thought to himself that so many poems from ancient times have been handed down to later generations, and the "Book of Songs" has been handed down through the ages, why can't you sing it?For a while, it really didn't make sense. The helpers looked serious, and they definitely didn't seem to be fake. Zhou Chong had to believe that they really couldn't sing, and said: "Then you all sing with me. The reeds are green, and the dew is frost. The so-called Yiren is on the side of the water. If you follow it, the road is blocked and long. If you follow it, you will be in the middle of the water. The reeds are desolate, and the white dew is not yet shining. Let’s go. Follow it, and you will be in the water. The reeds will gather, but the white dew will not stop. The so-called Iraqi people are in the water. If you follow it, the road is blocked, and you are on the right. If you swim from it, you will be in the water.”

This is "The Book of Songs • Jian Jia", which belongs to the Qin Feng chapter, has been handed down through the ages, and has become a masterpiece handed down and sung by later generations.In particular, "the so-called Iraqis are on the side of the water" is a well-known sentence.

"The Book of Songs" can be said to be the general outline of Chinese poetry, and it can also be said to be the source of Chinese poetry. Zhou Chong has put in a lot of effort, and he can still remember the famous poems in it. Not harsh, at least still audible.

The helper listened very carefully, and when Zhou Chong finished singing, he applauded in unison, Pu Feng asked a little confused: "Master Zhou, I don't understand what you mean by singing."

This is a love poem. In elegant words, people in love always imagine that the person they love will appear immediately, but they always don't appear, and they do not hesitate to follow his footsteps in the rustling autumn wind, trying to find his whereabouts.To put it in a bad way, it is a person who is in spring...

What Qin Feng collects is the "decent" songs of Qin State that are widely circulated, very deep, and have a high style, which must be in line with the meaning of the saints.Zhou Chong thought that for the people of the Qin Kingdom, singing Qin Feng would be no problem, but what he never expected was that they couldn't understand it. Zhou Chong really understood it now, and couldn't figure it out.

The "Book of Songs" has indeed made a great contribution to the development of Chinese culture, but the words and sentences in it are too elegant, and it is obvious that this is not a song sung by the most grassroots people.This principle is the difference between "Yangchun Baixue" and the Xialipa people, which is easy to understand.Besides, the so-called folk songs at that time were very different from our current folk songs. The difference I am talking about does not refer to the change of words, but its basis.For example, in the current "Xintianyou", ordinary people in northern Shaanxi can roar a few times when they open their mouths. The folk songs in ancient times may not really be songs sung by ordinary people at the grassroots level, but may have been sung by scholar-bureaucrats.Of course, there are also folk songs that are really sung among the common people.

A more important issue is that the "Book of Songs" handed down to later generations has been processed by Confucius with the "Spring and Autumn Brushwork". Of course, it has the effect of improving the quality of folk songs. How far the poetry is from the blueprint, only Confucius knows, and later generations will not know. (Note: The above is my personal opinion, friends do not have to take it seriously.)
Dazed for a moment, Zhou Chong explained: "The song is about a lovesick man who misses his lover..." Before explaining a few words, Pu Feng's expression changed, and he hurriedly stopped and said, "Master Zhou, don't say I've never heard of this song." It looked like it had nothing to do with this song.

"What do you mean?" Zhou Chong was a little confused, and asked, "You have heard it before, why haven't you?"

"Yeah, Master Pu, what's wrong with you? Your face is also red, and your neck has grown twice." The helpers asked curiously.

Pu Feng looked anxious, looking at him like a tiger is rushing towards him, he said: "You must not harm me, please do not harm me."

(End of this chapter)