Yonghui four years, Chinese New Year's Eve thirty.

The afternoon sun is slightly hot.

Li Xiao wore his hair loose and had some moisture on it, and he celebrated the New Year on Chinese New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, Li Xiao asked the guys at home to set up a pot to boil water, and the fire in the stove has not stopped since morning. The girl lit the fire, the guy carried water, and boiled pot after pot.

The Chinese New Year is over, Li Xiao gives everyone a welfare, the whole village has a share of men and women, and everyone can take a hot bath to their heart's content. In the evening, there will be a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with wine and meat, and you can change into a new set of clothes in the evening.

It is cold in Guanzhong, especially in the belly of the Qinling Mountains. The people here rarely take a bath in winter, and some people don't even take a bath throughout the winter, and even those who love cleanliness are scrubbed for ten days and a half at most.

Taking a bath in winter is not only about whether you love to be clean or not, but also requires certain conditions.

Take a bath in winter, boiling water is very troublesome and laborious, boiling water is not pleasant, boiling too much to carry water to burn fire is tired and waste firewood, if a family of five or six people takes a bath every day, then there is nothing to do, all day long to carry water to burn the fire and chop firewood there is no other empty.

Besides, in winter, the body is covered with dust, and it can also protect against cold and frost, and if this bath washes out a fever that hurts, it will be over.

But Li Xiao said a long time ago, everyone has to wash.

Li Xiao is very hygienic, and usually asks the servants at home to wash their hands frequently.

He also built an airtight bathroom with a flushing shower and a bathhouse for the family's servants, and he also had a separate bathroom built in his upper room.

With a separate toilet and bathroom, Li Xiao will basically take a shower in two or three days. Today's Chinese New Year's Eve, he took a bath at noon, and after washing, he was comfortable, but there was no hair dryer, and his long hair could not be dried for a while, so he could only wipe it with a towel and spread out in the sun.

"The handwriting is good, and there is progress."

Li Xiao looked at his sister Li Zhen who was writing the word Fu on the side of the long table in the courtyard, looked at the word Fu on the red paper, and nodded with satisfaction, this girl had read books before, and she could write and draw, but now under the teaching of Yang Dayan, her homework has been improved, especially the hand-written calligraphy, which is very delicate.

"Brother, you can write some too." Li Zhen was very happy to be praised and handed the brush to Li Xiao.

"I'll be fine, then write a few."

Li Zhen looked at the red paper planted on the table, all of them were squares, these were written with blessing characters and doors, but there were no Spring Festival couplets.

He suddenly remembered that there were no Spring Festival couplets at this time.

Spring couplets originated from peach charms.

The peach talisman is six inches long and three inches wide, and the names of the great gods and goddesses and Yu Lei are written on the peach board. According to the convention, it is the first day of the first month, and the peach charm is in the household, the name is immortal, and the ghosts are afraid.

The ghost is afraid of peachwood, and it is estimated that this is also the origin of the Taoist peachwood sword later.

The tradition of hanging peach charms was not until the time of the five dynasties and ten kingdoms after the Tang Dynasty that someone inscribed couplets on the peach charms in the court, which was also the beginning of the Spring Festival couplets.

At this time in the early Tang Dynasty, there had not been Spring Festival couplets.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao felt that he could invent the Spring Festival couplets.

"Wan Niang, have we bought a peach charm?" Li Xiao asked Zhao Wan on the side.

"San Lang, I've already bought it."

On the first day of the first month of each year, the new peach is replaced by the old charm, which is a tradition, no matter whether the family has money or not, every family will never be less.

"Fetch the peach talisman."

Wan Niang thought that Li Xiao wanted to see the quality of the peach talisman she bought this year, so she hurriedly asked someone to move over.

This year, the Li family turned over, so Taofu bought a lot of pairs, courtyard gates, school gates, etc., which are indispensable. The peach talismans I bought were all of the best peachwood, and they were very large.

"It cost a lot of money."

"It's a good luck, it's the New Year." Wan Niang smiled.

"Well, that's right, it's the New Year." Li Xiao nodded, and after speaking, he put a pair of peach talismans on the long table, then dipped the pen in ink, and wrote the first Spring Festival couplets of the Tang Dynasty with a pen on the new peach talisman.

"New Year's celebration, Jiajie Changchun."

Li Xiao's calligraphy is quite neat, but it is not a big deal, it can only be regarded as an average level. However, everyone was staring at the peach charm at this time, not because they were amazed at Li Xiao's calligraphy, but because it was the first time they saw someone actually writing on the peach charm.

Peach talisman, that's the peach wood board engraved with the names of the two ghost gods, why are you still writing on it, isn't this disrespectful to the gods?

Yang Dayan just came over, and swept the peach talisman at a glance.

"New Year's Day, Jiajie Changchun, good, this couplet is good."

Spring couplets appeared in the Five Dynasties, but couplets appeared earlier, and it is said that the earliest couplets appeared in the Three Kingdoms. Couplets, also known as duality and pairs, pay attention to the neatness of the battle, the coordination of the level, the same number of words, and the same structure.

This is also a unique art form of Chinese culture, which is essentially the same as poetry and poetry.

After all, Yang Dayan has read many books, and suddenly felt that Li Xiao's sentence was very well written, especially on the peach charm, which was very timely and timely.

"Then I'll write a few more."

Li Xiao smiled and took the red paper that had not been cut yet, and after skillfully folding it a few times, he cut off a few pairs of couplets.

Swiped the ink again, this time everyone has changed from surprise to expectation, especially Yang Dayan, he is looking forward to seeing what good pair Li Xiao can write.

"The heavens say good things, and the nether world descends auspicious."

A couplet in one go.

Yang stroked his beard with big eyes, "This is the Lord of the Stove that was written?" ”

"That's right, let the Lord of the Stove help say a few more good words for us in the sky, and bring more auspiciousness when we come back." Li Xiao replied.

"Hahaha, this is good, auspicious." Dr. Zhao didn't know when he had already squeezed in.

Li Xiao wrote again, "White jade grows in the soil, and gold grows in the ground." ”

Although popular, it is easy to understand and the color is good.

Doctor Zhao preemptively said, "This is written to the father-in-law of the land." ”

"Yes."

"The sky is high and all things are loaded, and the earth is thick and the earth is full of all things."

"Lord of Heaven and Earth!" Yang Dayan pulled one back.

"The sound of firecrackers removes the old year, and the red plums welcome the new year." It's another couplet.

"Okay, in response to the occasion, our red plum is beautiful, and the sound of firecrackers is excellent." Yang Dayan read as if he had drunk old wine, his face was red, he couldn't imagine that Li Xiao still had such talent.

I know that Li Xiao is not simple and powerful, but I never knew that Li Xiao is so talented.

"One more pair!" Dr. Zhao was also fascinated.

"The east wind blows out the green of a thousand mountains, and the spring rain sprinkles everything new."

"Good!"

"Each family is harmonious and one is happy, and the four seasons are safe and the four seasons are spring!"

"People open the way to get rich, and pigs arch the door to get rich."

"Righteous dogs guard the door, and good pigs report the year."

"The country is prosperous, the family is prosperous, the country is prosperous, the old and the young are safe, and the old and young are safe."

"Spring is full of beauty, the mountains and rivers of China are beautiful for thousands of years, and the east wind is mighty and the land of China is new for thousands of years."

·······

At the gate of the compound, Li Zhi, who was dressed in civilian clothes, turned his head to Gao Yang and asked in disbelief, "This kid who has an exit and a pen to walk the dragon god is really the countryman Li Xiao you said?" ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Gao Yang's eyes lit up, and he replied with a smile on the corner of his mouth.