Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

After eating for a long time, it was completely dark and there was no one to listen to the story.

The real busy farming season has arrived.

Ju Ming announced that "Journey to the West" would stop and would not resume updating until the rice-planting was completed.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took the children to rest, and even the silkworm babies were fed in advance. They had to get up in the middle of the night to prepare for going up the mountain.

Every household in the village is like this, recharging their energy and waiting for work.

Ju Ming, who had to tell stories every night, felt a little uncomfortable and sat alone in the courtyard watching the stars.

Zhu Guoxiang was also very bored. He walked to the eaves and said, "Go to sleep."

"It's probably not eight o'clock yet, let's get some sleep." Zhu Ming missed his mobile phone and computer.

Zhu Guoxiang came up behind his son and slapped him: "Mao Xian! Mao Xian! Can you speak properly? I am your father after all!"

Zhu Ming covered his head and said: "Dean Zhu, please respect yourself. A gentleman talks but never touches."

Zhu Guoxiang stopped talking and sat silently next to his son, watching the stars together in boredom.

It was a cloudy day and there were not many stars to see.

After sitting there for a while, the cold wind suddenly picked up and spring thunder surged.

A few raindrops fell on his face, but Ju Ming still sat there without moving, his clothes not wet from the rain of apricot blossoms...how strange!

It's the Spring Equinox, and the drizzle is getting heavier. The father and son, bathed in the drizzle, soon couldn't bear it anymore and hurriedly packed up the bench and returned to the house.

There is no stable, and the skinny horse is usually kept in the courtyard, but now it strode up and hid under the eaves.

Night, spring rain.

Bai Chongyan held an oil-paper umbrella and held a lantern in his hand, strolling leisurely through the fields, followed by a boy who also held an umbrella.

It was just that the road was a bit slippery, but Mr. Bai, who behaved in a chic manner, almost fell into the field like a dog eating shit.

"Master, be careful!" The boy in charge quickly stopped him.

Bai Chongyan failed to show off and was a little embarrassed. He steadied his feet and said, "It's okay."

Before it rained, Bai Chongyan was still in his garden, taking a candlelight night out with his friend Li Hanzhang. Unable to swim in the rain, Li Hanzhang went to bed, and Bai Chongyan happened to take time to meet the Zhu family and his son.

Regarding the reputation of his old friend, Bai Chongyan did not want to make it public. It would be best to resolve the matter quietly.

"Bah bang bang!"

The children knocked on the courtyard door.

"Which one?" Grandma Yan was old and didn't sleep deeply. She was soon awakened by a knock on the door.

Zhu Ming had gone to the eaves, put on a bamboo hat, and said loudly: "I'll go take a look."

The courtyard door opened and their eyes met.

Bai Chongyan raised the lantern, saw Zhu Ming's face clearly, then put down the lantern and said, "Xiao Zhu Xiucai?"

"Exactly," Zhu Ming guessed, looking at the other party's clothes and the family boy following him, "Mr. Sanlang of the Bai family?"

"Not bad." Bai Chongyan smiled.

Ju Ming moved out of the way: "Sanlang, please come in!"

They walked through the small courtyard, and before they reached the house, Mrs. Yan had already put on her raincoat and came out.

Bai Chongyan handed the lantern and oil-paper umbrella to the boy, bowed and said, "Greetings, aunt!"

Grandma Yan said happily: "Sanlang is back, come and sit in the house!"

Not long after, Shen Yourong also heard the noise, got dressed and came over to meet the guests.

The oil lamp was lit, the bean fire was swaying, and everyone sat around the table in the main room.

Bai Chongyan glanced at Zhu Guoxiang and asked: "This Mr. Zhu, when and where did you and I study together?"

Zhu Guoxiang told the truth: "Today is the first time I meet Mr. Sanlang."

"So, you are blatantly lying?" Bai Chongyan's expression was calm, with no hint of anger.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "It has to do with Mrs. Shen's reputation."

Bai Chongyan did not dwell on this and continued to ask: "You two have very strange accents. Do you know where your hometown is?"

Zhu Guoxiang said: "He's from Guangnan Road."

Guangnan Road is probably Guangdong and Guangxi, where there are various dialects. Not to mention that Bai Chongyan is from Hanzhong, even southerners can't understand it.

The father and son had already agreed that their native place was in Guangnan.

Bai Chongyan asked: "Which state and county in Guangnan?"

Ju Ming replied: "Liuzhou, Liucheng County."

As for the administrative divisions of the Song Dynasty, it would be good if Ju Ming could remember each district. How can he know the specific states and counties? He had a college roommate whose hometown was in Liucheng, so he simply used this place under his name.

Bai Chongyan, who had never set foot south of the Yangtze River, really couldn't ask further.

"What are you two doing in Xixiang County?" Bai Chongyan asked again.

Zhu Ming told lies without batting an eyelid: "My father and son have a small family business in Liucheng. Because they hated the local tycoons, they had to abandon their family and business and go far away. They traveled to various states and armies, and usually did some small business. . Last year, I spent all my property to purchase a batch of goods from the south of the Yangtze River, intending to transport them to the northwest for sale. Unexpectedly, I encountered water bandits in the Han River, the boat was robbed, and people were killed. My father and I jumped into the water to escape, but luckily we were not attacked by the water bandits. Caught."

Bai Chongyan pointed at the top of Ju Ming's head: "What hair do you two have?"

Ju Ming explained: "I was penniless and had no food. I cut my hair and pretended to be a monk. I wanted to beg alms along the way to get some food to fill my stomach."

Zhu Guoxiang interjected: "I picked up a horse on the way. Although it is very skinny, it is very humane. Even if we are hungry, we are reluctant to kill the beast. Because the beast follows, whether begging for food or alms, the villagers along the way are unwilling to do so. Give me something to eat.”

"Thanks to Madam Shen for taking me in, otherwise my father and son would have starved to death." Zhu Ming added.

Bai Chongyan frowned and said nothing. Of course he didn't believe what he said, but he couldn't find any loopholes to expose it.

Shen Yourong left silently, quickly brought the "Three Character Classic", held it in both hands and handed it to Bai Chongyan: "San Lang, please take a look."

The boy was smart and immediately got up and moved the oil lamp closer.

Bai Chongyan read by the light, and his complexion gradually improved. He had learned most of the knowledge allusions in the "Three Character Classic" and it was not too advanced.

Although simple, it is an excellent children's book.

Moreover, those who can compile such elementary school textbooks must have read many books, and their knowledge is not comparable to that of ordinary scholars.

Scholars who can compile the "Three Character Classic" need to deceive and kidnap people in mountain villages? That would be overkill!

Bai Chongyan is a scholar, and the Zhu family and his son are also scholars, so they can naturally get closer to each other.

While Bai Chongyan was reading the "Three Character Classic", Zhu Guoxiang went to get a Hu pen.

After reading it, Bai Chongyan sincerely praised: "Great article!"

"Master Sanlang, please look at this brush." ​​Zhu Guoxiang held the brush in both hands. "This thing is precious and should be kept close to you all the way, so you can only take it with you when you escape."

Bai Chongyan said: "Bring some clean water."

The boy and Shen Yourong acted at the same time and quickly brought a bowl of water.

Bai Chongyan used water to moisten the brush, smoothed it out, held it vertically, and carefully looked at the tip of the brush. Then he flattened the tip of the hair, observed it for a while, smoothed it again, then pressed hard on the paper, and then raised the pen to continue observing.

After completing these steps, Bai Chongyan already looked happy.

Then he weighed the penholder again, tested the center of gravity, and stroked it gently back and forth.

Bai Chongyan sincerely praised: "Pointed, neat, round, and strong, the best among the best."

Zhu Guoxiang began to retell the sales promotion content of the clerk: "Sanlang, please look at the tip of this pen, which is the translucent part of the pen tip. The craftsman calls it the 'spot'. This pen is made of wool. It is too cold in the north and goat hair is soft, so it cannot be made." Front. Only goats from the south that eat grass in spring and chew mulberries in winter can become a front. The hair on the goat's neck and armpits must also be selected. A goat can make four or two strokes in the end. Material. And these four taels of wool, if you can get 'spots', you can get at most one tael or six cents."

Ju Ming supported from the side: "Bai Letian has a poem to prove it: Pick one hair out of millions!"

While Bai Chongyan was still in shock, Zhu Guoxiang suddenly sighed: "It's a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to see purple hair. That is the real best. Just take a handful of hair from the back of a hare, and out of a thousand hares, you can only pick out one or two purple hairs!"

In the eyes of the villagers, the Bai family is an extremely wealthy family.

In fact, they are just country rich people. Not to mention looking at the entire Lizhou Road, even outside Xixiang County, Bai Chongyan is only an ordinary scholar.

Where has he ever used such a fine pen?

Not to mention using it, I have never even seen it!

Under the explanation of the father and son, Bai Chongyan began to pay attention to the pen edge, and there was indeed a handful of translucent ones. He pressed it gently with his fingers, and it was soft, tough, and thin. Bai Chongyan's heart beat wildly in an instant. He really encountered the best product today.

With the modern breeding industry booming, brush materials are easy to obtain, so one of this high quality can be bought for a few hundred yuan.

But in ancient times, although there were many sheep raised in the south, each sheep only had one, two or six cents of wool available. Among the two or six cents of wool, we have to continue to eliminate the ones that are too short and cut off the ones that are too long. How much is left that is really usable?

"Are you two going to sell it?" Bai Chongyan suppressed his excitement and suppressed his voice from shaking.

Ju Ming said: "Goods are sold with destined people."

"What's the price?" Bai Chongyan didn't know how to bid.

Ju Ming glanced at his father. In fact, it was not easy for them to set prices. They could only calculate based on the prices of grain, salt and other commodities.

Zhu Guoxiang asked tentatively: "How about three hundred strings?"

The average household property in remote areas of the Northern Song Dynasty was more than 20 yuan (including the total of various properties such as houses, land, cattle, furniture, etc.).

The average household wealth of a middle-class household in a slightly affluent area is about 50 yuan.

In some extremely wealthy areas, the average household wealth is close to 100 yuan.

The total assets of a first-class household in the southwestern mountainous area, or even the richest man in a county, only amount to a few thousand guan.

Three hundred guan is a lot of money!

For three hundred guan, you can buy 300 big fat pigs in Kaifeng.

Prices in Xixiang County are even cheaper, and you can buy at least four to five hundred big fat pigs.

Spending three hundred guan to buy a writing brush made Bai Chongyan, the rich man's son, feel pain in his body. This is not the prosperous Jiangnan. How much money can the rich people in the countryside of Hanzhong have?

Take Lao Bai's family as an example. Counting all fixed assets, they can barely claim to have a fortune, which is just ten days of living expenses for the Empress Dowager Longyou. When Zhao Gou proclaimed himself emperor in the south, the Empress Dowager was very frugal and spent every day. The living expenses are only one thousand guan.

As for the Bai family's cash, it can last up to five or six thousand guan, and it is also the savings of several generations.

Lao Bai's maternal family, their ancestors and grandchildren have worked hard for generations, and they can save a few days of living expenses for the Queen Mother. They can be considered very capable.

Gritting his teeth, Bai Chongyan said: "Three hundred guan is too expensive. If it were only 30 guan, I would buy it!"