There are five festivals in the country, one is the spring of the sun, the day of the beginning of spring, praying for a year's harvest; The second is the moon's night, the night of the full moon on August 15, reunion and moon appreciation; The third is Hefeng, after the autumn harvest, bless the harvest of the coming year; The fourth and fifth are Chinese New Year's Eve and New Year, collectively known as the New Year, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.

The autumn harvest is nearing the end, and this year's Hefeng Festival is set in the cold dew.

The people in the western part of the country are poor, and Chinese New Year's Eve and New Year are not lively, at most they are willing to eat meat at the dinner table; As for the moonset, it is busy with farming, and there is no time to enjoy the moon; There are only two festivals of Yangchun and Hefeng, which attach the most importance to it.

There is no way to be exquisite, from when and who started, the country of Fang rose to sacrifice to the river god, and the only thing known is in the west of the country.

"Dr. Bayang has arrived." Li Zheng Zhao Botao had already led people to wait in Qingfengpu, and the servant's eyes were sharp, and when he saw the boat downstream, he shouted loudly. The boat docked, and there were only four people, including the boatmen. The first person is Qin Huai, a doctor from Bayang, wearing a crown and hat, wearing a warm jade waist, with a graceful demeanor, a handsome face, and an extraordinary appearance, about twenty. There was a small boy standing beside Qin Huai, who had not yet reached the horns, and could not distinguish between men and women, with a pair of clear eyes looking around, seeing the living, hiding behind Qin Huai. Qin Huai was followed by a sturdy man, holding a pot in his left hand and an elbow in his right hand, his mouth full of oil, and he was sadly tied to two long swords.

In the middle of greetings and greetings, I heard the servant report: "The Marquis of Tongjiang has arrived."

Zhao Botao and the doctor Qin Huai bowed together, the big boat docked, a group of five people went ashore, one of the five people went to the west, and the remaining three people were Hou Jiang Wangshu and two entourage.

Jiang Wangshu, from the end of the micro-month, has been in politics for 23 years, at first he was a member of Bayang, and later served as a doctor in Bayang. A few years ago, Hou Bachang of the Tongjiang River took bribes and fell off the horse, totaling three gold, fifteen boxes of citrus knives, two jade bibs, and more than 50 feet of cloth brocade. Recommended by Taifu Ritan Boxian, Jiang Wangshu, who had great military achievements, was appointed as the Marquis of Tongjiang, and he was inspected by Qizi for three years, and went to the pronoun, and was the first foreign surname Hou in the officialdom of the Tongguo State in a hundred years.

Jiang Wangshu and Qingfengpu have a deep relationship, 23 years ago he was just a reckless in the remote place of Bayang, not yet crowned, because of the merit of removing the Bashan tiger, recommended by the doctor of Bayang, passing through the west of the city, coinciding with the heavy rain pouring, there is a dragon for the disaster. Jiang Wangshu tied the boat to the maple tree and killed the dragon with his bare hands. The dragon died, and the heavy rain stopped. Ten years ago, Jiang Wangshu served as a doctor in Bayang to inspect water conservancy, and then crossed Tongxi, and there was heavy rain again, so he had to tie a boat to avoid the rain. At this time, Jiang Wangshu was no longer an illiterate reckless, and left a poem "Why should Qingfeng stay in people, let me swim in the clouds and rain." ”

"Why should Qingfeng stay in people, let me swim in the clouds and rain." Qin Huai stretched out his hand to support the maple tree, chanted this poem, and after a while, shook his head and said, "It's not good." ”

"How bad?" Jiang Wangshu asked. He stood near the river, rubbed his chin, and passed through the west three times in 23 years, and the mountains and grasses had become a pillar of a country.

"Why should Qingfeng stay in people, the clouds will sell the rain and turn into a dragon." Qin Huai was obviously in his chest, and replied with a smile.

"Carp Dragon?" Jiang Wangshu frowned at first, then his eyes were clear, and he said happily, "That's very good." ”

"Doctor Qin, go together?" Jiang Wangshu beckoned to invite Qin Huai to accompany him, looked at Qin Huai's face with a sad face, and smiled, "It's not for official business, and there is no distinction between dignity and inferiority; The friends of poetry and writing, regardless of the old and the young. ”

There was a group of children not far away, Jiang Wangshu couldn't help but sigh, maybe there will be a Jiang Hou in this group of children in the future?

Li Zheng took the lead, all households in the west of the city prepared three sacrifices and five grains, the old man read the sacrificial text, the old man is generally Zhao Botao's father, but the old man did not get through this cold dew, and the old man in the west was illiterate, Zhao Botao had to be replaced, he laughed at himself as the first middle-aged old man in the west, and he was ashamed.

Jue pestered Yanzhou and asked, "There are only two boats here, why did you prepare five chairs?" Yanzhou shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

"Chang'an, don't run around, beware of the river god being caught." A woman saw this handful of children crowded in Qingfengpu to watch the excitement, and beckoned.

Liu Changan let out an "oh" and obediently ran to the woman's side.

"You should also go and follow the adults at home, and you are not allowed to run around today." The woman put down this sentence and led Liu Changan away.

The children immediately dispersed, and the orange Jue walked with the wild goose boat, and asked, "Is there really a river god?" Yanzhou nodded. Jue asked again: "Is the river god good or bad?" Yan Zhou was silent, maybe this question also stumped him.

"The god of the Great Mercy River, the Guardian of the Blessed Country. The wind and rain are smooth, and the grains are abundant. Three animals are sacrificed, and five grains are sacrificed. Zhao Botao put a high crown on his head, and took pigs, cows, sheep and rice, millet, millet, wheat, and mushrooms in turn, and knelt down three times. The same was true of the crowd, along with the five people seated on the viewing platform.

"Great compassion river god, mercy on Wu Debang. Heqing Haiyan, Guotai Min'an. The virgin is the servant, and the virgin is the maidservant. Zhao Botao looked solemn, bowed nine times, and everyone bowed. After nine worships, everyone got up, but Zhao Botao didn't dare to get up, his hands that don't touch the spring water on weekdays held a bamboo tube, which contained twenty-eight bamboo sticks, the height was the same, and the width was also the same. There are 351 households in the village, and 862 people are staring at Zhao Botao, watching him chant words in his mouth, kneeling on the ground, holding his hands high, and every bamboo stick shining under the scorching sun.

"Smack." Finally, a bamboo stick fell to the ground, and the boy picked it up and handed it to Zhao Botao.

"Liu Chang'an." Zhao Botao held the bamboo stick high, his lips were a little chapped, and his voice trembled a little.

Liu Chang'an, Jue is acquainted, and at his same age, his mother can't even take out two sides of bacon, and she is not studying in the school, and she has followed his mother to eat in the field last year. Liu Changan's mother is a cowardly and thin woman who killed her two husbands, and now she can't even keep her only son. She looked sluggish and collapsed to the ground, just crying as she watched her only son being brought to the high platform. The river god has a spirit, and the word becomes a prophecy.

"It's a blessing." Someone comforted. The woman's cry gradually became quieter, and Liu Changan stood on the altar, watching his mother laugh.

Zhao Botao took another bamboo tube, and there were twenty-three sticks in it. He was still on the ground, muttering, and another stick fell to the ground.

Zhao Botao took the stick, stood up with the support of the boy, his hands trembled uncontrollably, his waist was bent, his face was ruddy, facing everyone, he read: "Shao Ruyi."

The Shao family is a large family in the west of the country, with dozens of acres of land, and the middle-aged Shao Zhonggui of the Shao family has the female name Ruyi, and is regarded as the pearl of the palm by the old lady Shao.

"Crying, crying, making people laugh," Old Lady Shao glared at a dry woman and beckoned Ruyi to pass. Shao Ruyi was precocious, her face was pale, her body trembled, and she looked at her grandfather with tears in her eyes.

"Ruyi, this is the rule," Mrs. Shao lovingly dressed her granddaughter, and bowed to the river god three times, "The river god blesses." ”