Farming Beneath the Changbai Mountains

Early in the morning on the twenty-eighth day of the winter lunar month, three couples, Zhixin, Zhiming, and Zhide, as well as Zhixiang and Wu Matchmaker, drove a carriage and drove to the county with the bride price. It takes about two hours to get to the county seat, which is a bit far, so everyone set off early.

The cart was carrying a big fat pig, four jars of fine wine, and four pairs of large boxes. These items were all tied with red silk, which made it obvious that they were for betrothal gifts. Even the people and things could not be moved in one carriage, so two carriages were used. The car in front was used by Zhixiang when he came back. It had a carriage. The women were sitting in it while Zhixin drove the car. The one at the back is a flatbed with no compartment, just for putting things on it. Zhiming drove the car, while Zhide and Zhixiang sat in the car to look at those things. Everyone is wearing thick clothes, otherwise there might be something wrong with the cold in this winter.

The carriage went all the way downhill to the county town, and finally arrived at the county town at Sishichu. The Lu family is on the east side of the county, and the several large houses next to it all belong to the Lu family. The Lu family is a big family. Although it is divided into several houses, to the outside world, there are no separate houses. Each house only has its own courtyard. If anything big happens, it still needs to be in the main house.

The door of the Lu family was open, and there were servants waiting outside. From a distance, they saw two carriages coming, with the ones behind them pulling so many things. Naturally, they knew that this was the Xu family coming to deliver the betrothal gift. He quickly sent someone to report inside, and he also hurriedly welcomed him out.

"Master Xu, you are here. My family is already waiting, and the parents of the fourth girl have been here long ago." This man is a confidant of Mr. Lu, and he and Zhixiang both work together in the south.

"Hey, brother Lu Wen, why are you here today? Look, my brother is helping me organize my brother's happy event. I will invite him to drink someday." Zhixiang is very familiar with this person, so he said Very hot.

"Okay, I will wait for Mr. Xu's words." Lu Wen is a servant of the Lu family, and Zhixiang is Mr. Lu's staff. Their identities are different, not to mention that Zhixiang is still He has the reputation of lifting people up.

While they were talking, many people came out, led by Zhixiang's classmate, Mr. Lu. "Zhixiang, you're finally here. It's winter, so hurry up and go into the yard. Let's talk in the house. It's too cold outside."

Two people came and lifted everything off the car. The big fat pig was taken directly to the stable. There was no pig pen in the Lu family, so it had to be kept in the stable first. Naturally, the remaining things had to be carried to the living room.

Everyone came to the reception room in the front yard. Zhixiang introduced everyone one by one and got to know each other. Mr. Lu also introduced the people in his family. Everyone sat down as guests and hosts. The servants brought tea. Mr. Lu said, "Zhixiang, we will be relatives from now on. The fourth sister is gentle and virtuous, so I think she is." A good match for a good brother. From now on, the husband and wife must live in harmony."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir. Zhixiang will definitely take good care of Wanting." Zhixiang replied.

Here, Matchmaker Wu handed the list of betrothal gifts sent by the Xu family to the person next to her, and then handed it into Master Lu's hands. Mr. Lu looked at it and handed it to a middle-aged couple next to him, "Third uncle, third aunt, this is a gift from the Xu family. Take a look and see if there is anything you are dissatisfied with."

The man next to him took the order, looked at it with his wife, and then smiled with satisfaction, "Binghao, this gift is really too high. It's enough for several wives. We have nothing to dissatisfy." Yes. Mr. Xu is a talented person and has a good reputation. Now he has prepared such a large amount of gifts, which is enough to prove that he values ​​Wanting. He must also thank Binghao for finding such a good candidate for Wanting. Langjun."

What is written on this gift list is a set of red gold head jewelry set with rubies, a set of red gold head jewelry set with pearls, a set of emerald head jewelry, and a set of agate jewelry. Carnelian, emerald, white jade, black jade, one handle each of the four colors of Ruyi, symbolizing the four seasons of good fortune. There are also a pair of red coral bracelets and a pair of beeswax bracelets. Then there are the fabrics, sixteen pieces of silk and sixteen pieces of fine cotton. There are also four fire fox furs, two sable skins, two otter skins, and two raccoon skins. Two sets of clothes for the fourth girl of the Lu family, two loads of wedding cakes, eight boxes of wedding tea, and of course four jars of wedding wine and a fat pig. In addition, Zhixiang gave another one hundred and sixty taels of gift money.

Some of these things were prepared by Zhixiang himself, some were sent by Lu Binghao in advance, and of course some were prepared by Chen and the others. Those pieces of leather were all saved by Zhixin in the past few years, and he picked out the ones in the best condition and sent them to him.

Speaking of these betrothal gifts, it can really marry several wives, so the Lu family could only be happy when they saw it.

Since both parties were satisfied, there was nothing more to say. After discussing some details of the marriage, the Lu family set up a banquet and everyone had a meal together. At the banquet, Lu Binghao also praised Zhixiang greatly. He was naturally very satisfied with the marriage that he had facilitated.

After sending the betrothal gift, the countdown to the marriage has begun. The Xu family has agreed not to prepare too many things, so it won't be too busy then. But after all, it was a wedding and the banquet had to be prepared, so Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Xue were busy preparing the banquet.

If it was according to Jinghan's wishes, it would be better to entertain these relatives and friends in a restaurant. But where is this custom here? They all serve wine in their own homes. It's easy to hold banquets in winter. This year, the family raised four fat pigs. One was sent to the Lu family, and there are still three pigs left. Mrs. Chen said that she wanted to kill two pigs to prepare a banquet. I have raised so many geese at home. Before going down the mountain a while ago, I killed some and sold them, and the rest were brought here. Otherwise, if they were not on the mountain, these animals would starve to death? The old lady did some calculations and decided to kill thirty more geese for the banquet. There was plenty of leftover eggs at home, including cabbage, potatoes, and other vegetables, as well as mushrooms made by Jinghan. Jinghan also taught Xue how to soak two jars of mung bean sprouts. That's not much different, just buy some fish or something.

On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Xu family killed the pig, and Mrs. Chen froze all the meat to save it for weddings. The weather is very cold at this time, and if you put things outside, they will freeze to a solid state overnight.

Zhixin returned to the village and told people that Zhixiang was getting married. Everyone said they were going to have a wedding banquet then. In addition, Manager Sun in the town, the Yue family, and Ye Er also went to tell them. The custom here is that if there is a happy event, friends who get along with each other should say hello. If there is no notice, people will be unhappy when they find out.

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, a shed was built in the Xu family's yard. Inside the shed was, of course, a simple kitchen. There are four large pots inside, as well as chopping boards and other things, all ready. The cooks who handle weddings are all specialized in this field. Generally, any house that has a wedding or wedding will invite them. Especially during this period of time before the new year, it was very busy. If you don't book in advance, you won't be able to get in.

On the 17th day, more than ten wives from the village came to help, and everyone was packing various things in the front yard. Tables, chairs, dishes, etc. were all rented from a special place, along with the carriages, horses, drivers, etc., and even the players were all found together.

The wives who helped were busy cleaning the dishes, and some were busy in the kitchen. Today, many oily vegetables had to be fried in advance, and some that needed to be cooked were also put into the pot. It's up. For a time, the entire Xu family was very lively.

Jinghan and the others are also helping. Jinghan's mushrooms are always growing. The new house is well-insulated, so the output is okay. However, Jinghan told the restaurant that the mushrooms would not be given during banquets held at home these days. The newly picked mushrooms are just in time to be used at the banquet. In addition, the mung bean sprouts that Jinghan had grown in advance were growing just right, white and tender, and looked very appetizing.

At noon, all the helpers and those who were welcoming the bride had dinner at Xu's house, and the people who were welcoming the bride set off from the Xu's house to go to the county town to welcome the bride. I just happen to stay there tonight and then pick up the bride back tomorrow morning. Zhixiang was wearing new clothes, with a red cross on his chest, and riding a red horse, which made him look even more heroic and handsome.

In the front are the trumpeters, then the groom, followed by the carriages and sedans for the bride, and of course there are several carriages for the bride at the end. A group of people walked northward to meet the bride. After leaving the town, the trumpeter stopped playing, got into the carriage behind, and rode the carriage all the way to the county seat.

It took the group two hours to arrive at the county seat. The trumpeter got out of the car and continued playing until they reached the Lu family. Today, the Lu family is full of lights and colorful decorations, and is full of joy. The door of the Lu family was open. Some people saw the bride coming and hurriedly reported inside. Some people just lit the firecrackers hanging on the door, making a crackling sound.

The Lu family came to the door to greet the groom. The bride's father stepped forward and stuffed a red treasure into Zhixiang's waist. Then the bride's brother led the horse. Zhixiang got off the horse and everyone led them in. courtyard.

The courtyard was of course packed with people, and all the congratulatory guests were looking at the groom. As soon as the groom arrived, the woman's banquet started. Someone had already come to lead the groom and the others into the hall in the front yard, where the banquet was placed. Those who are welcoming the bride should set several tables separately. Today, the Xu family came to welcome the bride, including Zhixiang, matchmaker, Zhixin, and two bride-to-be brides from the village. Of course, there were also Wenxuan and Jingxian. The two of them were sedan boys. There was a table for these people, and then there was a table for the coachman and the others. They were all the best seats, and the bride’s family sent a reliable person to accompany them.

Well, it's the end of the month, and there will probably be three updates in the past two days. Hahaha, if you enjoy watching it, you can encourage me.