Shanyin lantern scene, praised by the sea, from the squire family to the small household of Pengmen, every year before and after the Lantern Festival, every household is ashamed of not being able to put up the lamp, Shaoxing bamboo is more, candles are cheap, making a lamp does not cost a few cents of silver, ordinary households can afford it, and the lamp can be hung for a few years, of course, this is only for small households, such as Shanyin Xizhang such a luxury family, every year Zhang Lantern requires new, curious, and more, and the production is more excellence, and the silver cost is one hundred taels - next year, that is, the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival in the forty-first year of Wanli, Because according to the inspector Zhang Qilian will invite the Hangzhou weaving eunuchs to come to enjoy the lanterns, so in early November, the Shaoxing prefect Xu Shijin specially convened the Huiji, the magistrates of Shanyin County and the local squires, requiring next year's Lantern Festival Lantern Festival to be full of lanterns, according to the inspector Zhang Qilian also specially visited Zhang Rulin to talk about this matter - in recent years, the Wanli Emperor often delayed the approval of the courtiers' chapters or even stayed in the middle of the reply, only to the mining tax eunuchs, weaving eunuchs and the tax collection eunuchs in various places to reply very quickly, the mining tax eunuchs in various places because of the disturbance of the people too much, The people are very angry, there is a lot of turmoil, a few years ago has been dismissed, but the weaving eunuch and the banknote tariff supervisor can not stop, this is the main source of the Wanli Emperor's treasury silver, the Wanli Emperor loves money as his life, favors the eunuchs, the eunuchs sent to various places are arrogant, the local officials are flattered and fearful, Zhejiang according to the judge Zhang Qilian is a member of the three products, in charge of a provincial criminal name and supervision and assessment of the provincial officials, and the political envoy, the commander of the envoy is the head of the three divisions, the power is great, but also to the Hangzhou weaving eunuchs are flattering, Zhong eunuch to come to Shaoxing to see the lanterns, This has become the top priority of Shaoxing Mansion at the beginning of next year, Huiji, Shanyin and Shanyin counties have old servants in each household to tell each family, every household must be prepared to buy new lights, do not hang out some old lamps, so unhappy, although those poor households in the city have complaints, but after all, it is a lively New Year, and it does not cost much, so it is not enough to resist - Zhang Rulin ordered the eldest son Zhang Yaofang and the third son Zhang Bingfang Zhang Luo to be surprised and new next year's Lantern Festival, so that the eunuch Zhong will never forget it at first sight, It doesn't matter how much money you spend.

Zhang Dai and Zhang Cao are also busy behind their fathers and uncles this winter, Zhang Yuan is still reading, practicing characters, and composing, but since the county government has an order to make new lights, Zhang Yuan's family is naturally no exception, Zhang's mother Lu Shi ordered Shi Shuang to find a craftsman who is good at making lanterns to make six pairs of new lights, Shi Shuang said: "Mrs., the villain will make a lamp stand, but the lamp painting can't be done." ”

Zhang Yuan on the side said: "Yes, I'll figure out a way to paint the lamp, and Uncle Shi just needs to make the lamp shelf." ”

Zhang's mother Lu Shiqi said: "My son can't paint, why-" suddenly woke up and asked quietly: "Are you going to ask Miss Shang to help you draw?" ”

Zhang Yuan said with a smile: "The mother is powerful, and the mother can see through it at a glance if the son thinks a little." ”

Zhang's mother Lu said with a smile: "You were born to me, I can't see through you who can see through you, hehe, for my mother to know that you are taking the opportunity to see Miss Shang again, okay, go." ”

On the twentieth day of the winter month, Zhang Yuan came to the mansion of the Huiji Shang clan and explained his intention to Shang Zhoude, who smiled and said: "I can't be the master of this, you go and ask Ran." ”

It is still a curtain meeting, there is inevitably a small Jinghui busy, said to paint six lamp paintings, with pink silk to paint - to the twelfth month of the big appointment of the ceremony, Zhang Yuan by Zhang Dai's father Zhang Yaofang as a male elder to go together, the gift of the currency has hairpins, rings, gold beads, gems, Xuanqi, white sheep, gray geese, sake, liquor, japonica rice, acacia bells, nine ink ink, and all kinds of gift boxes, gift boxes are made of cypress branches and silk thread fruit as a long string, or cut the ribbon for mandarin ducks, and with evergreen, auspicious grass, as a "good omen", The woman does not need to return the gift, just wait for the dowry when the marriage is married, because Zhang Yuan is still young, Shang Zhoude and Zhang Yaofang agreed not to invite the date for nearly two years, and then discuss after Zhang Yuan is seventeen years old - since the big appointment, then the male and female couples have the name of husband and wife, Zhang Yuan can meet with Shang Ran in private, still in the third small hall, Su embroidery lady screen has been put away, two large brazier charcoal rose, when Zhang Yuan walked in, he saw Shang Xiangran was already there with a red face waiting for him, the shy and beautiful bride appearance made Zhang Yuan's heart flutter, thinking: "This will have to wait for three years to get married, which can be regarded as a kind of torture." ”

In terms of body, the sixteen-year-old Shang Ran is obviously much more mature than the fifteen-year-old Zhang Yuan, with a slender waist and a slender neck, and has the beauty of an adult woman, while Zhang Yuan, the body can't keep up with the psychology, although he has had a spring dream, but he is obviously still tender, but his eyes are scorching, showing that the young man's heart is tickling, love is in this scratching, there is no love without scratching - Shang Ran was a little flustered, I didn't know what to call Zhang Yuan, it stands to reason that he should be called husband or Xianggong, but how to call it for a while, I want to be vague when I salute Zhang Yuan, Xiao Jinghui was on the side, and asked, "What does my aunt call Brother Zhang Gongzi?" ”

Zhang Yuan laughed and said, "Well, I didn't hear it clearly, Xiao Hui helped me ask clearly." ”

Shang Ran glanced at Zhang Yuan with half shame and half disgust, his heart relaxed a little, and said to Shang Jinghui: "I also call him Brother Zhang Gongzi like you." ”

Xiao Jinghui shook his head again and again and said: "No, no, no, my aunt is sixteen years old, Zhang Gongzi's brother is fifteen years old, how can the eldest brother be called the younger brother." ”

Shang Ran was still a little embarrassed about being one year older than Zhang Yuan, and at this time, he was a little embarrassed when his niece said it to his face, and said: "Then you can't call him brother, you have to call——"

Xiao Jinghui raised his head and asked, "I'm not called Brother Zhang Gongzi, so what's it called?" ”

Shang Ran was asked again, and said helplessly: "Whatever you call, I can't control you, you grinding spirit." ”

…… This is the conversation between a shy young girl who has just been engaged and her cute little niece.

Shang Ran's six lantern paintings have been painted, a painting with a poem, Zhang Yuan brought the silk painting back, his own design lamp type, stone double cutting wood and bamboo, night after night, catch up with the day before the New Year will be six big lights to do well, hidden in the West Pavilion secret do not show people, waiting for the first month of the twelfth night of the first month of the lamp is surprising, Shaoxing lantern scene from the first month of the twelfth to the first month of the sixteenth, known as the five night lights.

Father Zhang Ruiyang and sister Zhang Ruoxi's reply letter was sent successively, Zhang Ruiyang brought back fifty taels of silver with the letter, to help his son engage the use of marriage, although Zhang Ruiyang was reserved and restrained in the letter, but the joy of the old man was overflowing in the word list, more than a year not seen, the son has grown so much, the two eight-strand essays are better than his old boy, and can be engaged to the girl of the Hui Ji Shang family, it really makes him unbelievable, but the old wife attached the letter to the words, not by him not to believe, Zhang Ruiyang said in the letter, if His Royal Highness King Zhou allows him to resign, then he will next summer, Autumn will return to Shanyin - sister Zhang Ruoxi's letter is full of surprise, in the letter said that if it is not about the New Year, she really wants to rush back to her parents' house to visit her little brother immediately, see the little brother's letter and art eight shares, as well as the engagement with the Shang girl, she is really going to die, saying that in early February next year, she will send a servant from Qingpu to Shanyin to pick up Zhang Yuan, hoping that Zhang Yuan will pass on the good news in the county test first - from the twenty-fourth day of the month to send the stove to the heavens, the taste of the New Year is suddenly strong, and the beggars among the fallen people are smeared and deformed. Dressed as a ghost and sentenced to each household to shout and jump to drive away, ask for profits, every household exchanged peach charms, door gods, spring posts, Zhong Kui, Fulu, and tiger heads were pasted in front of the door and on the wall, and the sound of the flute and drums in the neighborhood lasted all night.

Mu Jingyan and Mu Zhenzhen's father and daughter came to Zhang Yuan's house to help from the day when they sent the king of the stove to heaven, cleaning the hall, cleaning utensils, many things, busy, Chinese New Year's Eve arrived, Zhang Yuan went to the ancestral hall on the west side of Zhang to worship the ancestors with the clansmen, and when he came back, it was already night, and saw Mu Jingyan cut a pile of pine wood and racked it in the open space inside the bamboo fence gate in the front yard, lighting a fire to burn firewood, this is called burning, fireworks, warm and lively, rosin fragrance, Zhang Mu Lu's family, Yiting, Rabbit Pavilion and others all stood in front of the gate and smiled and watched—— As soon as the five drums sounded on the first day of the New Year, Zhang Yuan took Wuling to the shrine of Lishe to sacrifice the god of the stove with jelly bean rice balls, called "receiving the stove", and after coming back, the rice balls were distributed to the family to eat, called the joy group.

Zhang Yuan said that he was very busy, and he wanted to pay New Year's greetings to the uncles and uncles of the East Zhang and West Zhang, and went to the county government to congratulate Hou County on the New Year near noon.

Didn't have to rest, but also had to rush to the Huiji to Shang Zhoude and Wang Siren to pay New Year's greetings, first go to the business, have lunch in the business, and Shang Ran only met in a hurry, invited Shang Ran to go to Shanyin to see the Lantern Festival Lantern Festival - busy, happy, it was already the twelfth day of the first month, when the evening, Shi Shuang and Mu Jingyan set up a wooden shed in front of the bamboo fence door, and when it was dark, they hung the six candle-lit lanterns, and there were a few Kui Xing lanterns, burning bead lamps, and yarn lamps accumulated in previous years, which were bright and dazzling for a while.

Zhang Dai and Zhang Cao brothers came over with a few slaves, and when Zhang Dai saw the lantern painting, he praised it: "Wonderful!" Meson, who drew this? ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "Clumsy." ”

Zhang Dai and Zhang Cao looked at each other in amazement, and then laughed, Zhang Cao smiled: "Jie Zi is about to go crazy if he wants to enter the cave room, and the clumsy Jing is screaming." ”

Zhang Dai smiled while looking at the six lantern paintings, one of which was to paint a corner of the thatched house, with roses blooming, and a plate of flowers, with the inscription: "Xiaoning is extremely clear and even, and does not occupy the most spring in the garden; Suddenly, in the valley, it seems that there is a poet in the thatched hut. ”

The second is a frog under the peony flower, the flower is gorgeous, the frog is vivid, and the inscription says: "The peony is planted on the own, and the drizzle is silent; It seems that he doesn't see anyone three times, and the rotten red is like a mile of fire. ”

…… Zhang Dai praised again: "Wild and natural, good calligraphy and painting, meson, good luck, good luck." ”

Zhang Cao shouted: "Jie Zi is showing off in Zhang Deng, angry, really angry." ”

Zhang Yuan smiled and said, "I'll go to the eldest brother's side to see the lights." ”

Zhang Dai spread his hands and said, "There is no lamp." ”

"Why?"

"Wait for Eunuch Zhong to come."

(To be continued)