Someone once said that China's history is too long and its strategy is too deep.

Under the change of dynasties and social changes for thousands of years, the emotion of "I would rather be a peaceful dog than a troubled world" is unknown. In addition, the inheritance of culture has never been severed, and the sentimentality of parting and the fear of death of the predecessors are constantly engraved in the hearts of every Chinese through literary works and word of mouth.

In ancient times, when transportation was backward and communication was inconvenient, life and separation often meant death. This has brought about two common trends of thought: one is to enjoy pleasure in time, which is especially obvious during the period of regimes in a corner of peace, such as the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty; The second is to reunite again, always trying to reunite relatives and friends together and talk about parting. This is why there are many festivals with different names, even if it is a festival under the banner of worshipping ancestors like the Qingming Festival, it is also for everyone to be able to reunite.

Among them, the Spring Festival is especially felt.

You don't see, the Spring Festival in later generations is known as the largest and periodic migration activity in human history. Over the course of 40 days, more than 2 billion people will move, about one-third of the global population (2019 figures). Even with the development of transportation in later generations, there were incidents of congestion and slowness from time to time. Although all kinds of transportation during the Spring Festival are overcrowded, there are still many people who have gone through a lot of hardships and have to think about returning home before Chinese New Year's Eve Chinese New Year's Eve.

Some people are afraid of the "hard to find" of various tickets, so they choose to spend the New Year in other places, and comfort themselves by saying "where is the New Year's Eve different". But when there is joyful laughter and cheerful firecrackers in the distance, will you burst into tears when you look around? Do you miss your parents with gray temples at home? Do you think of your long-awaited wife and children?

In his previous life, Fang Zhongyong had no parents, wives and children to think about, and the only grandmother who loved him died when he was in college. Every year during the Spring Festival, he spends his time in a culvert or under an overpass - no way, the small restaurant is not open for the New Year, and the school dormitory is not open during the holidays. Watch others reunite with their families, watch others laugh and laugh, watch others visit relatives and friends, and watch others go on blind dates and abuse dogs. Among them, the suffering is not enough for outsiders.

Chinese are very traditional, and the customs of the New Year have not changed much for thousands of years. Most of them are sticking Spring Festival couplets, eating Chinese New Year's Eve dinners, keeping the New Year, and greeting the elders, both ancient and modern. Song Wu Zimu's "Dream Lianglu" contains, "(except for the night) Shishu family, regardless of size, sprinkled to sweep the door, remove the dust, clean the court, change the door god, wall clock Kui, nail peach charms, paste spring cards, and worship ancestors. ”

Unlike ordinary boys, Fang Zhongyong, who is a little cowardly, likes the Spring Festival couplets the most.

The more elegant, the two doors are pasted with large festive couplets, and the door frames on both sides are pasted with narrow pairs, and there are horizontal batches. The picture is lively and the portrait of the door god is posted on the gate, such as the god of the god Yu Lei (pronounced shē

shū yù lǜ, I've been mispronouncing it for many years, 囧! ), Qin Qiong Jingde, etc., the flowers are very cute.

I don't know what the Spring Festival couplets of the Song Dynasty were like? If it can be stored in future generations, it will be a proper heirloom!

But when Father Fang invited the so-called "door god", Fang Zhongyong's face fell. Are you kidding me, just write two names on these two swarthy wooden boards and count them as door gods? Father Fang also boasted proudly: "This is what your grandfather's generation has, and he still invited the monks to open the light." ”

Fang Zhongyong was really powerless to complain. Let's not talk about whether the monk will cause a conflict between the two professions, but you can also draw a mighty image. How mentally retarded does it have to be to be scared away when you see two names? Although Shen Tu Yu Lei is an ancient immortal, and his image may not be easy to study, he will not be far from the style of the fierce general. Besides, isn't there still Qin Shubao and Wei Chi Jingde of the Tang Dynasty to choose from. These two have portraits handed down in the Lingyan Pavilion.

I asked my father, but I didn't know.

is also right, Qin Qiong Jingde's deeds as a part-time door god come from the Ming and Qing scripts "Journey to the West" and "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties". It was said that Tang Taizong was disturbed by evil ghosts and couldn't sleep at night. Let Qin Qiong and Wei Chigong, two peerless fierce generals, go into battle and stay outside the palace gate. Taizong Sui'an.

Later generations saw that these two still had this function, so they "followed the trend". I am afraid it is unlikely to ask the two generals to be the guards of our people. Besides, the evil ghosts of our little people's family are probably not as powerful as the emperor's family, so the portrait is fine. As a result, Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong walked to the pinnacle of the door god industry, and PK the founder Shen Tu Yu Lei, becoming the No.1 in the industry and the first in the history of performance. As for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who appeared in later generations, the time for inclusion in the compilation is too short and will not be evaluated.

But in the Song Dynasty, these two were probably still in the stage of pre-job training. Therefore, Fang Zhongyong felt that it was necessary for these two comrades with high ideological consciousness and strong professional ability to go to work as soon as possible.

According to the image in his memory, he hand-painted the images of Qin Qiong and Wei Chi Gongmen in later generations, and also found some rouge and smeared blush on the two generals. At first glance, I thought it was a Fuwa.

But Father Fang was still very satisfied: "The painting is good, and this blush is also good." Festive! These two door gods are please! At the moment, I boiled some paste, Wei Chigong on the left, Qin Shubao on the right, the two looked at each other, and took the intention of working together to ensure the safety of the family.

The Spring Festival couplets must be pasted when the whole family is there, otherwise it is to "stick people outside the door pair", and the color is not good. Fang Zhongyong's family is thin, and the reunion is very simple. Although it is not as full of children and grandchildren as others, Father Fang looks at his talented son, and he is also very relieved. Of course, it would be better if I could hold my grandson as soon as possible.

The father and son posted Spring Festival couplets outside the house, and the mother prepared the New Year's dinner in the house. Father Fang thought of his words: "Son, you see that Qilang has already decided to marry, and he will marry after the year." You have a woman you like, don't miss the opportunity! ”

Fang Zhongyong was stunned: What's the matter, this is the rhythm of urging marriage? I'm still a kid! Just as he was about to think of prevarication, Fang Yingjun Shi Ran came. Seeing that the door god of Zhongyong's family was different, he hurriedly asked, "Where is this god?" Fang Zhongyong thanked Brother Yingjun for his timely relief and patiently explained. Fang Yingjun felt that such a door god was the real door god, much stronger than the two wooden signs (peach charms) in his own house, so he asked Fang Zhongyong to draw one for him.

Where did Fang Zhongyong have time to paint another pair, so he used his hard-working pavilion style to write a Spring Festival couplet: New Year's Yuqing, Jiajie Changchun.

This Spring Festival couplet is not simple, it is a peach couplet of Meng Chang, the monarch of Shu during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and it is also the first Spring Festival couplet recorded in history in our country (later according to the Dunhuang testament). It is rumored that Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, destroyed the Shu Kingdom, so he brought this pair of peach talismans back to the palace for collection. Every Spring Festival, it will be hung out for the civil and military officials who enter the palace to pay New Year's greetings. In the past 100 years, there have been many folk circulation. This couplet takes the meaning of "the house of goodness, there must be Yuqing", and with Fang Zhongyong's pavilion style calligraphy, which is really a good Spring Festival couplet. Take it to the uncle, the uncle thought it was very beautiful, and simply replaced the peach charm that had been hung, which also had a unique flavor.

After pasting the Spring Festival couplets, my mother's New Year's dinner is almost done. This is the highlight of the Chinese New Year. There should be more dishes, the portions should be sufficient, and the more leftovers, the better, taking the meaning of "there is a lot of money left over this year". And this place in Jinxi is different from other places, there must be a whole fish in the annual New Year's dinner. This fish is not for eating, it is for seeing, or for the gods and ancestors.

Because of the inconvenience of lighting in ancient times, and there was no Spring Festival Gala to watch, the New Year's dinner was often eaten at noon. It seems that the earlier the better, is it a sign that "the early bird will have worms"?

But Fang Zhongyong really couldn't be interested in a table full of rice cakes, braised fish, fried rice noodles, eight-treasure rice, boiled paste soup, etc. Also, three people have to eat a dozen dishes at about ten o'clock, what a good appetite!

Fang Zhongyong ate a few bites, and then said to his mother: "We can't finish so many meals." It's better to choose a few that haven't moved and give them to Uncle Seven's family. His family has a large population, and I am afraid that the meals will not be prepared enough. ”

The mother smiled: "My son is still a kind-hearted man!" Where can you use these kitchen trivialities, you said, early in the morning, I found a few mothers-in-law who were in difficulty at home to help and gave them some meat and vegetables. I personally sent Niuniu's house, and I also brought some hawthorn back from her house. ”

"Isn't there a hawthorn in our house?"

"Your seventh uncle has a good face, and I am afraid that he will be embarrassed by the favor of others. Take some hawthorn, and it's a gift in return. When dealing with people, you are still tender! "The father finally seized the opportunity to show off, and he wanted to show off in front of the prodigy son who usually pressed his head. It's not easy to be a prodigy's father!

"The world is full of knowledge, and the practice of human feelings is the article." Cao Dacai is honest and does not deceive me. Fang Zhongyong bowed, indicating that he was taught, which fully satisfied his father's vanity of being a good teacher.

Written in the 17th year of Shaoxing in the Southern Song Dynasty (1147), the "Tokyo Menghualu" has a cloud: "Shishu's house, sitting around the hearth, sleepless, called 'keeping the year'". During the New Year's celebration, the whole family sat together, drank and talked happily, and never slept at night. According to this, it can be seen that the custom of keeping the New Year has existed since ancient times, and its meaning is probably that the New Year Festival is infinite.

In previous years, the family was thin, and even if the Fang couple barely got up and sat for a while, they became sleepy and often couldn't keep to the time. This year is different, a bumper harvest in the field, the woodsmith workshop is also very profitable, and a few candles are really not a thing. Second, Fang Zhongyong has worshiped Mr. Liu Mingxuan as his teacher, and he will officially participate in the imperial examination after the year. Although it is only the lowest-level county exam, it can already call itself a "reader".

After eating at noon, dinner should be simpler. I cooked some porridge and added some pickles, and it was delicious. The mother was afraid that the father and son would eat greasy, so she boiled some hawthorn water to eat. My father was not very satisfied: "It's too light, where does it look like the New Year." Heat up a big pot of wine, and then cut two catties of good vegetables, and my son and I have a good drink. ”

What is a "good dish"? Beef too.

Looking at his son's surprised expression, Fang's father was full of ambition in his heart: "This is the best beef tendon meat, although it is a pound, our family can afford to eat it." Are you worried about breaking the law? It doesn't matter, this is a recent fall to death, there are papers, but it doesn't hurt to eat. It's just that there are more cows that fall to death during the Chinese New Year. Ha ha! ”

Looking at his father and mother, who were slightly drunk, Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but drink a little too much.

Perhaps, that's what happiness tastes like, right?