I

  Chapter 42 041【Winter Solstice Chinese New Year】

  The winter solstice is a big day, and generally speaking, there are three days off.

  Pang Chunlai took out some money and asked Zhao Han and the others to go to the town to buy vegetables, planning to celebrate the festival together with the master and apprentice. He also called Xu Ying's family over, saying that they were helping with the cooking, and that it was nothing more than a way of helping.

  Arrived in Hekou Town, not far from the Sanren Pavilion, it was the newly established Lie Nu Fang.

   "This is too anxious." Fei Ruhe complained.

  Zhao Han murmured, "Don't be in a hurry, the Fei family's reputation depends on it."

  Compared with the majestic and gorgeous Three-person Pavilion, the Martyrdom Archway is simply shoddy. It's just that the words have been carved, and the rough edges of the stone are not trimmed, so they are hurriedly erected on the riverside.

  The rest of the details are chiseled and polished by craftsmen with scaffolding, and may continue to be polished for a year or two.

  The formalities were not completed.

  The county government has already asked for a list, but the report has not yet entered Beijing, and it will have to be approved by the court at the end of next spring at the earliest.

  Everything is like child's play, and the government is too lazy to pursue it.

  Decades ago, chastity archways were still strictly approved, but now they are showing a trend of flooding. Half of the 36,000 chastity archways in the Ming Dynasty were built in the late Ming Dynasty. Anyway, if you have the money to apply for construction, it will be approved for you.

  In the Qing Dynasty, there were more than a million chaste martyrs. In 296 years, there were an average of more than 3,000 martyrs in each county!

  It is more like a comparison between families, and it is also a manifestation of the achievements of local officials.

  Taking Huizhou alone as an example, the number of chaste women: 2 in the Tang Dynasty, 5 in the Song Dynasty, 21 in the Yuan Dynasty, 710 in the Ming Dynasty, and 7098 in the Qing Dynasty.

  This kind of hurricane data began in the late Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty, which can provide a glimpse of the abnormal development of ethics.

  Fei Ruhe said in a low voice: "That matter, it won't be revealed, right? Fei Yuanjian is next to us every day, does he have any suspicions? I feel guilty just looking at him now."

   "Yes, I'm also very scared." Fei Chun agreed.

  Zhao Han asked with a smile: "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't understand anyway."

  Fei Ruhe was taken aback, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, I don't understand, and I haven't done anything."

   "Master, I'm still afraid." Fei Chun struggled.

  Fei Ruhe immediately scolded: "You didn't do anything bad, you are afraid of a fart!"

  Fei Chun quickly shut up.

  Xu Ying asked curiously: "What are you talking about?"

   "It's nothing," Zhao Han explained with a smile, "They peeked at the little widow taking a bath, and they were almost caught on the spot."

   "I didn't, don't talk nonsense!" Fei Ruhe denied it.

  Zhao Han smiled and said: "That's right, if you don't admit it, you don't have it."

   Fei Ruhe cried out, "I really didn't peek at the little widow taking a bath."

  …

  Probably during the Chenghua and Hongzhi years, the social economy began to develop greatly, and ordinary people were also keen on celebrating festivals. Three days before the winter solstice, the shops closed one after another, and everyone greeted and sent them off, and it was as lively as the New Year.

  But Hekou Town can't go out of business. It is the thoroughfare of eight provinces and a prosperous business center.

   Arriving in the town, Zhao Han found that the traffickers and pawns all wore new clothes, at least they had to put on clean and good clothes.

  Many porters carried loads and sent them to cargo ships or inns.

  These burdens are filled with gifts, commonly known as "winter solstice plate". Small families and small households can just carry the food box, and it is a good idea to communicate; rich and powerful families have to carry a burden, and the gifts are too shabby and they will lose face.

  There are always some businessmen from other places who cannot go home during the winter solstice, and business partners are complacent and considerate.

  So the restaurants in the town specialize in "winter solstice plate gift packs", which are divided into different price levels, and they also provide door-to-door delivery services.

  Zhao Han was walking by the river when he saw a porter carrying a load onto the boat.

  The second shopkeeper, who was dressed in silk, bowed his hands to the merchants on the ship and said: "On behalf of the Chimelong, I come to worship winter. I wish your master a wealth of wealth and prosperity, and I also wish brother Liu good luck and prosperity."

   "The treasurer Fei has a heart, a small gift is not a respect." The merchant immediately returned the gift.

  Even those porters who carry the burden, each of them has a reward to take.

  Crossing the pier and coming to the town street, Zhao Han had to admit that Jiangnan is generally very prosperous.

  A deformed affluence.

  There are many people coming and going here, some are black households who lost their land, some are slaves of rich families, and their lives are not bad. At least, it looks good on the surface, and it is impossible for them to rebel.

   Unless there are successive years of catastrophe, the imperial court raises taxes again!

  Prices had risen a bit, and Pang Chunlai didn't give enough money, so Zhao Han and Fei Ruhe paid for it. After buying a few catties of glutinous rice flour, a catty of pork, two carp, a big rooster, and some preserved fruits and vegetables, I happily returned to Hanzhu Mountain.

  Fei Ruhe was very excited. He had never bought vegetables in person before, and everything he saw in the market felt fresh.

   On the way back, I met some Baidong farmers.

  No matter how poor these farmers are, they have to wear the best clothes and carry the "winter solstice plate" to visit relatives and friends.

   It is possible that in their box, there is just a bowl of brown rice.

   "Master, that is our family's sedan chair!" Fei Chun suddenly pointed to the distance.

   "Really!" Fei Ruhe quickly chased after him with the big cock.

  Fei Yinghuan's wife, Lou Shi, is sitting in a sedan chair, heading straight for Hanzhu Academy.

  The queue was very long, and there were two other sedan chairs on which Fei Yinghuan's daughter was sitting.

   There are more than a dozen porters who carry burdens along the way, all of which are gifts for teachers and classmates.

   "Mother, mother, wait for me!" Fei Ruhe ran happily.

  Before Mrs. Lou heard it, the little **** the sedan chair shouted: "It's brother, brother is behind!"

  Ms. Lou quickly greeted her to get off the sedan chair, and looked at her son happily.

  Fei Yinghuan has two daughters. The eldest daughter is named Fei Rulan. She is thirteen years old and has already been betrothed. The second daughter's name is Fei Rumei, she is seven years old this year, and Zhao Zhenfang is closely following her at the moment.

   There were two other births before, one miscarried and the other died.

  Zhao Zhenfang stood beside the second young lady, wearing brand-new clothes, looking at the second brother from a distance with a smirk.

   "Mother, elder sister, younger sister, why are you here?" Fei Ruhe asked.

Mrs. Lou caressed the top of her son's head, smiled and said: "Your father sent someone to report that he will not go back this winter solstice, and he will study in seclusion in the academy. He also said that you have made progress. You have studied hard recently, and you will go home together after the New Year. Mother Don't worry, I will take your sister to see."

   "Is that mother also celebrating the festival at the academy?" Fei Ruhe asked.

  Mr. Lou said with a smile, "I'll go back in the afternoon, and I will celebrate winter at home tomorrow."

  Fei Chun had the most things in his hands, and finally caught up with Zhao Han.

  Fei Chun spoke articulately: "Chun'er pays homage to mother, to sister Lan, and to sister Mei!"

  Zhao Han only put down the pork in his hand, bowed and said, "I pay my respects to the Young Madam, I met the Eldest Miss, and I met the Second Miss."

  Xu Ying quickly followed suit: "Worship to the wife, and to the two young ladies!"

  Ms. Lou was very happy and praised: "They are all good boys."

  Yingchun immediately came to give out money, not reward money, but happy money for the Winter Solstice Festival.

  Xu Ying was about to decline, but was kicked by Zhao Han secretly, and thanked again after receiving the money.

  The team continues on its way.

  Zhao Han walked up to Zhao Zhenfang and said in a low voice, "Little sister, how are you doing these days?"

  Zhao Zhenfang said happily: "It's very good, Madam and Miss, as well as mothers-in-law and sisters in the inner courtyard, all of them treat me very well."

  Zhao Zhenfang is now the second young lady's playmate. As long as the maids in the inner courtyard are not stupid, they will never dare to treat her harshly.

  Zhao Han asked again: "How many teeth have you replaced?"

   "After the second brother left, only one was lost." Zhao Zhenfang bared her breathy mouth.

   "I'm changing my teeth too."

  Second Miss Fei Rumei spoke suddenly, and deliberately opened her mouth for Zhao Han to see clearly.

  Zhao Han flattered casually: "Second Miss's teeth are replaced well, neat and white."

  Fei Rumei looked at Zhao Han curiously: "Are you Chunfang's brother? Chunfang often tells stories, saying that you were very good in Tianjin and beat off many bad guys."

   "Second brother, my name is Chunfang now." Zhao Zhenfang was a little uneasy, afraid of being scolded after changing her name.

   Chunfang?

   What a cheesy name.

  But it doesn't matter, just change back to the original name when you grow up.

  Zhao Han said with a smile: "Chunfang sounds pretty nice."

   "Hey, Chunfang's brother," Fei Rumei began to speak again, "You are also a child, so you are not afraid of adults? How dare you drive the bad guys away?"

  Zhao Han replied: "Bad people bully my sister, of course I will drive them away."

   "Then you are very kind," Fei Rumei said with a pouted mouth. "My brother is not good. He only knows how to play tricks on me. Last time he went home he scared me with caterpillars."

   Zhao Han said, "I'll beat him up for you."

   "Really?" Fei Rumei's eyes widened, "But you are his schoolboy, how can the schoolboy beat the young master?"

  Zhao Han said: "If he dares to bully you, I will definitely beat him."

  Fei Rumei clapped her hands happily: "That's settled, no lying."

   "Don't lie." Zhao Han said.

  Zhao Zhenfang proudly said: "My second brother is amazing."

   Fei Rumei sat on the palanquin and stretched out her arm: "It's not just talking, let's pull the hook."

   Coax children, easy to grasp.

  After the two hooked up, Fei Rumei suddenly shouted: "Brother, don't bully me anymore, or your school boy will beat you up!"

  Zhao Han was speechless, pretending not to hear.

  Including Lou Shi, everyone looked for the sound.

  Fei Ruhe raised his fist and said, "He can't beat me, he only knows how to run away."

  Fei Rumei said: "Chunfang's brother is very powerful, he beat away many bad guys in Tianjin!"

   "I can beat bad guys too!" Fei Ruhe refused to show weakness.

  Zhao Han felt very helpless. After time travelling, he became a brat and could only deal with a bunch of brats.

  (end of this chapter)