This year's Chinese New Year's Eve ancestor sacrifice meal is much more sumptuous than last year, Jinhua ham with three dollars and nine cents of silver and one pound was cut into ten pounds, and three geese with four dollars of silver were bought.

The one-foot-long Wenzhou prawns are one for each person, and the wine is finally replaced by the Jiannan Roasted Spring of the Green Ant Building, as well as the indispensable white-flour steamed buns.

The three elders sat at the top to toast each other, and Zhu Shun took several younger brothers to sit at the bottom, and after serving the wine, they also began to toast each other.

Zhu Shun had six tall younger brothers, and only four of them had eaten here this year, the second went to Songjiang Mansion to become a shipbuilder, and the sixth went to the Liaodong Frontier.

The remaining younger brothers, the third kid Zhu Jin, because of a little money in the family, was contaminated with the habits of some rich young masters, and fell in love with listening to music and fighting grasshoppers.

Zhu Jin sat next to his eldest brother, his eyes were evasive, and he didn't dare to look at Zhu Shun directly, he had been spoiled since he was a child, and he was only afraid of Zhu Shun's eldest brother.

Zhu Shun patted Zhu Jin's shoulder in fear, almost scared this kid to death, and hurriedly toasted Zhu Shun.

Zhu Shun touched Zhu Jin's wine bowl and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, third brother, the eldest brother won't talk about you." ”

"I just want to say to you, if you want to play, you can play to the extreme, and becoming the first player of Daming is also a way out."

Explaining the third sentence, Zhu Shun looked at the fourth Zhu Yin and the fifth Zhu Tong, these two boys have read a few books this year, and they are much more confident than before.

But they have passed the golden age of studying, and if they are still focused on studying, it is difficult to achieve great achievements in this life.

Zhu Shun still couldn't help but persuade: "The fourth and fifth, it's still the same sentence, if you two go to Songjiang Mansion with the second child, you will definitely be able to become an industrialist on the rich side in the future." ”

The industrialist said it well, but when it comes to the roots, he is still a businessman, where can the fourth Zhu Yin and the fifth Zhu Tong look up to the businessman, and he didn't dare to refute Zhu Shun, but he just said vaguely that he knew the eldest brother.

The seventh Zhu Yu is the youngest, and after the experience in Wang Gongju this year, he has seen many official officials of the imperial court, and he is much more mature than the other brothers.

Zhu Yu took the initiative to toast the eldest brother with a glass of wine, and said with a smile: "Brother, don't worry, my father is going to hire a Mr. "Book of Songs" from Changshu to come over as the private school of the fourth and fifth brothers. ”

Mr. private school in some places in the Ming Dynasty, because he is proficient in a certain Confucian classic, often becomes a hot private school Mr. in the bureaucratic squire's family.

Mr. "Shangshu" from Putian, Fujian, Mr. "Book of Songs" from Changshu, Jiangsu, Mr. "Spring and Autumn" from Anfu, Jiangxi and so on.

It's hot, and the money used to hire these gentlemen is a lot, not to mention the food and housing, and it costs fifty or sixty taels of silver a year, which is still not a well-known private school gentleman, if there are some famous, the price is higher.

The fourth Zhu Yin and the fifth Zhu Tong immediately had excited expressions, and a little dissatisfaction with their father, that is, the opportunity to follow Zhu Shun to the old Zhu Yu, disappeared.

During the Chinese New Year, Zhu Shun didn't want to hit the happy mood of the fourth and fifth children, so he didn't say anything more, and looked at Zhu Yu, who was already a bit of an official: "Boss, you have performed well this year." ”

"The eldest brother is going to recommend you to be the head of Wang Gong Bureau, but after the eldest brother stepped down as the head of the factory, the rank of this special approval is gone, but it is equivalent to a head of the officials."

Although he is only a leader of the officials, for Zhu Yu, who was still the son of a farmer the year before last, it is no less than one step to the sky.

Zhu Yu hurriedly toasted the eldest brother with a glass of wine: "Don't worry, eldest brother, I will never embarrass you." ”

When Zhu Shou, the owner of the factory, heard that his youngest son would be in charge of the factory next year, he trembled with his palm holding the wine bowl, and almost didn't spill the golden Jiannan Burning Spring.

In the past, it was not uncommon for the county officials to lead a group of tigers to be powerful, but now his son is the leader of the officials.

Zhu Shou, the owner of the factory, poured two bowls of wine in succession, patted Zhu Yu's shoulder with a red face and said, "As the saying goes, the eldest brother is... What's... It's Dad, you have to listen to your eldest brother in the future. ”

Zhu Yu pursed his lips and said impatiently: "I know Dad." ”

Zhu Shun looked at the harmonious family, smiled, and continued: "Third uncle, our spinning mill has expanded to fifty units, and the pace of expansion may be slower next year. ”

Slow? Now the yarn of Zhu's spinning mill is in short supply, and every more water-powered spinning machine will earn an extra twenty taels of silver every month.

Zhu Shun didn't explain, and looked at the drunken father: "Dad, next year I plan to open a round kiln near the Chaohe River in the east of the capital." ”

Daddy Zhu Zhongren shook his head and burped: "Build a round kiln near the Chaohe River?" Son, do you want to burn porcelain? ”

Zhu Shun shook his head and poured a bowl of wine for his father's empty bowl: "No, Dad, burn something called cement......

Daddy Zhu Zhongren killed it in one bite, put down the wine bowl and said happily: "No matter what you do, Dad... In the tank... You..."

As soon as he finished saying this, his father Zhu Zhongren's head tilted and snored, but fortunately, Zhu Zhongyi of Baihu supported him in time, otherwise he would definitely fall on the wine and food.

Zhu Zhongyi put down the wine bowl and carried Zhu Zhongren to the room in silence.

Dad Zhu Zhongren has a sentence that he has always wanted to say, and it is also his greatest wish in life, which is to tear down the family's house and rebuild it and build a house with blue bricks and green tiles.

The son said that he wanted to build a round kiln, which would cost more than 100 taels of silver, and he would have to hire a potter, so Zhu Zhongren could only give up this wish that could be completed by just moving his mouth.

This Chinese New Year's Eve ancestor sacrifice meal, after eating for more than an hour, they each went home to observe the New Year.

New Year's Day.

Early in the morning, he heard the sound of various families setting off cannons, and Zhu Zhongren got up especially early today, sitting happily in the middle of the main hall, waiting for others to come over to pay New Year's greetings.

In previous years, he took his brothers, sons and nephews to visit other people's homes, but this year is different, he is the father of the official master, and people keep coming to visit the New Year early in the morning.

The number of people is accumulating more and more, and the empty courtyard is crowded to the point where people can't stand, so they can only take turns to kowtow one by one.

The peers came over to say hello, and then asked his son and grandson to kowtow to Zhu Zhongren, and when the children finished kowtowing, Zhu Zhongren grabbed a handful of walnuts and dates and put them in the children's hands.

The children immediately jumped into cheer, thinking that they would come here next year to pay their respects.

Just sent away the sixteenth wave of villagers who came to pay New Year's greetings, there were suddenly bursts of exclamations outside the door, and the villagers piled up in the courtyard also exclaimed.

"Obediently, Lao Zhu is really developed now."

"But no, if you look at the sedan chair outside, there are seven or eight of them."

"My God, we have never seen so many sedan chairs in our lives, let alone come to the house to pay New Year's greetings."

"Hey, if I have seven or eight in my house... Well... Not to mention seven or eight, even a sedan chair came to pay New Year's greetings, and it was worth it when it died. ”