Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Grandma Yan carried a basket of mulberry leaves on her back and walked at the front to open the courtyard door.

Zhu Guoxiang, Shen Yourong and Bai Qi all carried firewood and walked to the yard one after another.

Seeing that the host had returned, the villagers greeted Zhu Guoxiang one after another, but at the same time they couldn't help but peek at Zhu Guoxiang. They are still paying attention to the popular gossip about the widow's scandal, and it is impossible to ignore it after listening to a few stories.

But the core focus has gone awry.

Before Ju Ming told the story, to the villagers, Zhu Guoxiang was just a wild man who hooked up with the widow.

But in Zhu Ming's stories, Zhu Guoxiang appears frequently. Sometimes he goes to sea to do business, sometimes he fights pirates, sometimes he breaks into the savage country, and sometimes he meets gods in Penglai.

A series of messy adventures left Zhu Guoxiang shrouded in mystery.

What's the point of hooking up with a village widow?

Mr. Zhu Da was once married to the king of his daughter’s country!

I just don’t know if Dean Zhu and Tang Seng will have a scene when "Journey to the West" talks about the Kingdom of Women.

It’s also possible that if Ju Ming digs a hole but doesn’t fill it, he won’t get there at all.

The villagers quickly gathered around, their eyes gleaming, and they all started asking questions:

"Ms. Zhu, is it true that the Daughter Kingdom only has women?"

"Ms. Zhu, is the King of the Daughter Kingdom as beautiful as a fairy?"

"Ms. Zhu, have the gods taught you magic?"

"Xiangong Zhu, can the savage country eat living people every day?"

"..."

Zhu Guoxiang was immediately confused by the question. His mind was confused. What was all this mess?

He forced his way out of the crowd and prepared to put down the firewood and return to the house.

Immediately, several farmers came to help Zhu Guoxiang unload the firewood. There were a few more village women, blocking the front. Some people even reached out and touched randomly, trying to get a taste of Zhu Guoxiang's immortal energy.

Because the story was so bizarre, the villagers didn't really believe it.

But what if it's true?

Just like going to a temple to worship a Bodhisattva, you would rather believe that it exists than believe that it does not exist.

Zhu Guoxiang was very tall. He looked over the heads of the villagers and looked directly at his son. Seeing that his son was suppressing laughter, Zhu Guoxiang understood immediately and shouted: "Don't ask any more questions. The secret must not be leaked. If you talk nonsense, you will be struck by thunder from the sky!"

After saying that, Zhu Guoxiang pushed away the people who were blocking his way.

His physical condition improved after traveling through time, and he was able to push away farmers easily.

"Poof!"

Zhu Guoxiang rushed back to the house and quickly closed the door, unwilling to wipe his son's butt.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hurried to the kitchen to cook. It was getting dark and they had already delayed the cooking time. As for the little kid Bai Qi, he was also taken to the kitchen. People outside were too talkative and they were afraid that the child would learn bad things.

A village woman shouted: "Little scholar, Grandma Yan is just lighting the fire now. You have to wait for a long time to eat. Then you can talk about the Monkey King!"

"Yes, talk about the Monkey King!" Everyone agreed.

Not to mention the Song Dynasty, even in the rural areas of New China, if someone came to tell a book or tell a story, the whole village would be busy.

There was a period when many county cultural bureaus in New China had full-time storytellers. They collect various stories, adapt them themselves, delete unhealthy content, and then go to the countryside through the streets. At night, the whole village was in a commotion, and the threshing floor was packed tightly.

Because there are no other entertainment activities, after dark, even lighting a lamp is afraid of wasting gas, and listening to stories is the ultimate enjoyment.

"Then let me tell you more?" Zhu Ming grinned.

"Speak, speak quickly!"

The villagers shouted in unison, and some people left quickly, calling for more listeners.

Ju Ming coughed twice, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth: "But the Monkey King, with a single somersault, traveled thousands of miles, learned magic and returned to Huaguo Mountain..."

As he talked, the sky turned dark, but more and more people gathered. There were at least sixty or seventy villagers.

In the darkness, a figure turned around silently, pulled the person next to him and said, "Let's go back."

"Brother, you go home first, and I'll leave after listening to the story." The man next to him said.

The man scolded: "You're still listening to nonsense, let's go!"

These are the Byford brothers, who came to watch the fun after hearing the news. His younger brother was quickly attracted by the story, but Byford was depressed because things turned out completely different from what he imagined.

There are five brothers, each named Fu Lu Shou Xi Cai.

In rural areas, the more men there are, the less likely they are to be bullied. If you can find a backer, you can bully others even if you are fierce and brave.

Their sister, who was working as a maid in Lao Bai's family, was attracted by a distinguished guest who visited the Bai family. My younger sister married a nobleman and became a concubine. Although she was no longer favored, she still had a huge backing.

The third child, Bai Shoude, also got an errand in Changming Yamen, and the five brothers gradually grew up in the village together.

Back home, the fourth child, Bai Xide, asked, "It's very lively over there. What happened?"

The second eldest brother, Bai Lude, said: "It's a good story to tell. I don't want to leave, but the eldest brother insists on pulling me back."

The boss Baiford said angrily: "Stories, stories, just listen to stories! Have you forgotten what we are here to do?"

Bai Lude said: "Brother, don't keep thinking about Mrs. Shen who refuses to remarry. Her head of the house was a classmate of Mr. Sanlang before his death, and her father was also a teacher in the village school. How can we brothers get it? "

Bai Caide, the fifth eldest brother, said: "Grandma Yan is old and can't live for more than a few years. If the eldest brother marries Mrs. Shen, won't the twenty acres of land belong to our family? I think, eldest brother and Mrs. Shen It’s a perfect match!”

Baiford thought carefully and quickly made a calculation: "These two strangers are already famous in the village. We can't use force. Whether they are beaten to death or thrown into the river, they will definitely know that it is us." You did it. If Mrs. Shen makes a fuss, she might get involved in a lawsuit. We can’t take action, so please ask the old man to go out and take action!"

"Old member Bai doesn't even go out the door, he will take care of this?" Bai Caide felt unreliable.

Baiford sneered and said: "Li Er's sister works as a maid in Bai Yuan's family. Let her spread the word in the Bai family. She will say that Mrs. Shen does not follow the rules of women and raises wild men from other places at home. Sooner or later, the news will spread to Bai Yuan's family. In the ears of the old lady. At that time, it will not be Mrs. Shen’s problem alone, it will be related to the reputation of our entire Bai family!"

"What a great idea, big brother has such a bright mind!" Bai Caide admired sincerely.

Baiford felt itchy all over when he thought of Mrs. Shen's handsome appearance. He walked around the room, his mind racing to complete the plan.

…

Bai Qi, a little kid, carried an oil lamp and carefully came to the courtyard. He weakly shouted: "Brother Zhu, my mother has called you to eat."

Zhu Ming immediately sped up the progress, talked randomly for a while, and then concluded: "If you want to know what happened next time, let's listen to the explanation next time. My fellow villagers, this is the end of the story for today. Come back tomorrow after dark, and it won't delay everyone's work during the day. .”

It was indeed quite late. Although the villagers were not completely happy, they no longer bothered.

The main thing is that I can come over tomorrow night and listen to stories, and there is hope for the long flow of water.

Just when the villagers were about to leave, Zhu Ming said again: "I know there are people who are talking nonsense, so I will make it clear to everyone today. My father, Mrs. Shen's husband, and Mr. Sanlang of Bai Yuan's wife, once studied abroad together. I passed through your village recently and stopped by to visit an old friend. Unfortunately, Mr. Sanlang was not at home, and Mrs. Shen's husband died of illness. My father and son ran out of money, so they stayed at Ms. Shen's house, waiting for Mr. Bai Sanlang to return to the village to reminisce. III On the second day of the lunar month, I will also wish the old lady a birthday."

After everyone heard this statement, they already believed most of it.

It mainly involves Third Young Master Bai. Tell the truth or lie. When Third Young Master comes back next month, everything will be clear.

Zhu Mingming openly took advantage of the Bai family's authority in the village and used the information gap to issue a "rumor refutation announcement." Combined with the various stories told before, it creates a mysterious aura for Zhu Guoxiang, and at the same time, he uses storytelling to get closer to the villagers.

Take a multi-pronged approach to curb the spread of rumors as much as possible.

Even if there are still people who talk nonsense, they will be diluted by the huge amount of information. Because after today, everyone prefers to discuss the Monkey King and talk about those bizarre overseas experiences.

When they really talk about the widow's scandal, since they still have to listen to Xiao Zhu Xiucai's story, most of the villagers will restrain themselves.

Moreover, Mr. Zhu is so awesome that he even refused his daughter, the king, to marry him. If he hooks up with Mrs. Shen, it will be a blessing for Mrs. Shen to climb a high tree.

Everyone is on the same footing, and rumors spread as dirty scandals.

If you jump up the level and jump out of the level of ordinary people, spreading rumors will become good talk.

For example, what would be the attitude of the villagers if Shen Yourong's scandal partner was a government official? Of course I am envious! Where is the contempt and ridicule?

The better Zhu Guoxiang performs in the future, the less impact the rumors will have on Shen Yourong.

The villagers dispersed one after another, and as expected they no longer talked about the scandal, but happily talked about "Journey to the West".

The children who had heard the story were clamoring to pick up the stick, holding it in their hands and calling themselves Sun Wukong. They jumped up and down and shouted: "That devil, take a stick from me!"

When it comes to learning from the scriptures in the future, the devil incarnate will have to be eliminated, and the little brats will definitely shout: "Fairy, take a stick from me!"

The courtyard finally became quiet, and Zhu Ming walked back to the main room to eat.

The lights flickered and the food was served.

Bai Qi was the first to speak: "Brother Zhu, is there really that Sun Wukong in the world?"

"I made it up." Ju Ming said.

The child was extremely disappointed. He had been eavesdropping in the house, and his mind had already gone to Huaguo Mountain.

Grandma Yan smiled and served Ju Ming some food: "Da Lang is really good at it, but scholars are different."

Although the old woman didn't understand the rules, she could feel that the attitude of the villagers had changed and they no longer talked about the widow's scandal.

It only took Ju Ming less than one day to do all this.

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "You said that I went to school with Third Young Master Bai, what should I do if someone else comes back and exposes the secret?"

Zhu Ming smiled and said, "Didn't Grandma Yan say that? Every time Mr. Bai goes home, he always comes to visit his classmates' mothers, wives and children, and he also brings some gifts. He bought Brother Qi's pen and paper. Such a person values ​​love and justice, and if it concerns the reputation of our classmate’s widow, he will take the initiative to help us hide it.”

"You have a good plan." Zhu Guoxiang agreed.

Ju Ming sighed: "Oh, I will suffer the consequences in the future. Today's lecture made my throat dry, and I am more tired than having a live broadcast for ten hours in a row."

Shen Yourong didn't know what a live broadcast meant. The father and son always said some strange words. She was used to it, so she just said enthusiastically: "Let's tell the story tomorrow night. I'll make tea for Da Lang."

(Thanks to Rookie Nemesis, Autistic Cat, Wangyun Mountain Man, Pepper Cumin Pickled Fish and other brothers for their rewards and support.)