When Xie Baoshu pushed the door open, he found a young man similar to himself standing outside the door.

The door of the small courtyard was actually not tight at all, but this young man did not choose to knock on the door, but stayed at the door all the time. He looked nervous and looked at everything in the room. When Xie Baoshu saw him, the snow had already piled him into a snowman.

When the young man saw Xie Baoshu come out, he asked politely, "Does Mr. Mu live here?"

These days, when Murong Yingcai went out for tea, he never identified himself, but only said that his surname was Mu and he came to Chang'an City to do business. This young man was Ji Yushan, and he found out Murong Yingcai's address from the teahouse near the blacksmith shop, so he came over.

Xie Baoshu hurriedly brought this young man in, the snow outside was so deep, he should have frozen.

Inside the house, Su Cha was cooking noodles, and when he saw the guests, he silently cooked an extra bowl. Murong Ying got up, and when he saw Ji Yushan, he was very surprised, he didn't expect that this apprentice from the blacksmith shop would actually find this place.

As soon as Ji Yushan saw Murong, he knelt down and said, "Please take Mr. Mu as an apprentice." ”

Murong Yingcai smiled slightly and said, "Didn't I give you a note and let you go to the Sword Casting Villa? If you really want to learn the casting technique, go there, it's not a problem to eat." I don't have long to live now, and I can't accept disciples. ”

Ji Yushan was stunned for a moment and said, "I not only want to eat, but also want to get ahead." ”

Murong Yingcai's face sank, and he said: "Do you know that striking iron and forging swords are the most taboo and impetuous. Isn't it just for fame and fortune that you want to get ahead? I used to see you striking iron, and I thought you were quite wise, but I didn't expect that you were also a layman. ”

Ji Yushan smiled: "Yes, I am a layman, but I was not like this at the beginning. In the beginning, I just wanted to find a good place to strike iron, and then earn some money for tuition, so that my sister could study at the college. But now I can't pay the tuition fees, and I can't study. ”

Murong Yingcai frowned and asked, "You're not working in the blacksmith shop anymore?"

Ji Yushan nodded, he was uninhibited when he was a child. Under the urging of his parents, he came to the blacksmith shop as an apprentice for his sister to study. Now that he suddenly lost this job, to be honest, he still feels a little uncomfortable, but he doesn't regret it.

If he did it again, he would still beat his beard hard.

Master Li next door actually wanted to take his sister as a concubine. This kind of thing is absolutely not allowed to happen in Ji Yushan. Her sister is going to study in the academy, and she will be a talented girl in the future. How can a young man marry a concubine?

Murong Yingcai looked at him, his face was cold, and said, "I've given you a note, you can go to the Sword Casting Villa by yourself and eat together, it's still not a problem." ”

Ji Yushan shook his head and said, "I just want to worship you as a teacher." ”

It just so happened that Su Cha had already boiled the noodles and brought them to Murong Yingcai. The face in front of Murong softened slightly. He sat down, took a sip of the noodle soup, and said as he ate the noodles, "I'm just an ordinary old man, what can I teach you?"

Ji Yushan saw that Su Cha also brought him a bowl of noodles, and took it very gratefully, but did not eat it, but replied: "Mr. Mu, he is not an ordinary person. ”

Murong Yingcai didn't raise his head and asked, "How do you know that I'm not an ordinary person?"

Ji Yushan said with a smile: "I'm not sure about anything else, but a blacksmith, looking at people striking iron, is definitely different from ordinary people." The eyes of the seniors, so obsessed, are certainly not ordinary blacksmiths. Instead of going to Sword Forge Villa, it is better to worship you as a teacher. ”

Xie Baoshu looked at the two of them with interest and began to eat noodles. He knew that Murong Ying was indifferent on the surface and enthusiastic on the inside. Since he likes this young man very much, it is also appropriate to have some tests for him.

Murong Yingcai frowned and said, "Isn't the Sword Casting Villa bad?"

Ji Yushan scratched his head and said, "I haven't been to Sword Casting Villa, how do I know if it's okay." ”

When Su Cha heard this, he laughed softly, this Ji Yushan in front of him was very honest, not like a bad person.

Murong Yingcai stretched out his hand and said, "I've been waiting outside for so long, let's eat first." ”

In this way, the four of them began to eat noodles at the same time, and the sound of stinging was endless. Ji Yushan waited all morning, his body was extremely cold, and he was naturally very comfortable eating this bowl of hot green onion noodles. In the bowl, there is actually an egg.

Ji Yushan looked at the egg, and tears gradually fell.

Su Cha saw his appearance and asked, "Why are you eating and eating, and you start crying." ”

Ji Yushan just remembered the days in the blacksmith shop, although the bearded man ate his food. But every time the beard finished eating, it was his turn. Not to mention eggs, they are all clear soup and pickles.

Xie Baoshu ate noodles silently and didn't say anything, Kyushu is so big, who doesn't have a story on it?

Murong Yingcai waited for Ji Yushan to finish eating, and then said slowly: "After eating noodles, you can go, go to Sword Casting Villa, there will be a great achievement." ”

Ji Yushan still shook his head and said, "I want to worship you as a teacher." “

Murong Yingcai had no choice, so he left everyone behind and went out for a walk by himself. As for Ji Yushan, he really didn't want to accept it. What can he do if he collects it, he doesn't have a few months to live. Even if he accepted it, he wouldn't be able to teach him anything.

Ji Yushan was in the room, silently tidying up his own dishes and chopsticks, as well as Murong Yingcai's dishes and chopsticks, although he said goodbye to the two and left the small courtyard. After he left, Su Cha looked at the cleaned dishes and chopsticks and said, "This big brother, he is not bad." ”

Xie Baoshu also nodded, this Ji Yushan, he didn't hate it.

The two glanced at each other, and Xie Baoshu said, "It's time to pack up your things, and after we finish the New Year, it's time to leave." ”

Su Cha nodded, she knew that she was going to follow Brother Bao out for a wandering. In this place, she will never grow up. Although I am reluctant, I still have to go. She packed up her things, and there were about ten days left before the New Year, cherishing these last days.

Every day in the future, Ji Yushan would wait in front of the small courtyard early in the morning, and then ask Murong Yingcai to accept him as a disciple. However, every time they met, Murong Yingcai would drive him away. Or go on your own, ignoring him.

Xie Baoshu looked at him pitifully, and would get up early every morning to open the door for Ji Yushan, but Ji Yushan himself was unwilling to come in.

Ji Yushan stood at the door, his clothes thin. It was the middle of winter, the weather was cold, and the clouds were thick. The wind was blowing, the snow was shining, and the cold wind poured into his neckline unscrupulously. But he didn't know it, and he came every day.

In the end, Su Cha couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Grandpa Murong, why can't you accept him as a disciple?" And don't you also praise the skill of striking iron?"

Murong Yingcai smiled slightly and said, "The child doesn't understand, don't ask more." ”

With that, he pushed open the door and walked out. When passing by Ji Yushan's side, he didn't look at it. It is approaching the end of the year, and Chang'an City is gradually festive, and a lot of red has been added to the snow.

Since it is a prosperous Tang Dynasty, of course, the festival must also have the courage of being the first in the world.

The Tang Emperor not only had a seven-day holiday during the Spring Festival, but also canceled martial law at night, made a "fire tree" with a height of 20 zhang and 50,000 lamps, so that the public could visit the lantern festival for three whole nights, during which everyone could make a New Year's card with the inscription of plum blossom paper, experience the greeting card of the Tang Dynasty people, and also observe the activities of the people to send the poor gods.

People who visit Chang'an City will see lantern craftsmen and businessmen from all over the world, and on the lamp market on the North Street outside Dong'an Gate, there are all kinds of lanterns, and the people who come to watch them are shoulder to shoulder, so lively.

During the Spring Festival, there are many stalls in the temple fair, jewelry, calligraphy and painting, antiques, inscriptions, jewelry, flowers and food stalls, and there are many kinds of acrobatic and juggling opera performances.

To drink wine during the New Year, the earliest is to drink pepper and cypress wine. Chang'an people want to drink two kinds of wine: one is "Tusu wine" and the other is "pepper and cypress wine". Tu Su is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, which is made by mixing seven kinds of medicinal materials such as rhubarb, bellflower, and aconitum.

Because of the use of eight products, it is also known as eight gods. Therefore, the purpose of drinking this wine is to "drive away evil spirits, detoxify and prolong life".

In addition to these, the most important thing in Datang is sacrifice. Not only folk sacrifices, but even emperors had to sacrifice.

The most ridiculous thing is that the gods sacrificed in the southeast, northwest, and Kyushu are all different.

In the palace, one hundred and twenty boys over ten years old and under twelve years old were to be chosen, with red turbans on their heads and drums with long handles in their hands. Fang Xiang's clan was dressed like the Zhou Dynasty, with golden eyes, holding a round shield, etc., and there were twelve divine beasts wearing fur and horns on their heads, ready to expel evil spirits in the palace forbidden. At the moment of the night leakage, the courtiers all wrapped red scarves on their heads and guarded the palace steps. The emperor drove the front hall, and the Yellow Gate Order said, "The nephew prepares the boy, please chase the epidemic." ”

Xie Baoshu was here, and finally saw two familiar things.

Shen Tu and Yu Lei are the two door gods that their ancestors conjured up with their divine sense. These two door gods are very old, and only some remote stalls sell them. Legend has it that there is a big peach tree on Dushuo Mountain, and there are two gods under the peach tree, named Shen Tu Yu Lei.

These two men held ropes made of reeds in their hands, tied up evil spirits, tied them and threw them to tigers to eat, so on Chinese New Year's Eve, the county officials before the Tang Dynasty would decorate the small figures carved in peach wood on the portal, hang reed ropes, and then draw tigers, which is an imitation of this account

Now the door gods of the Tang Dynasty have been replaced by Wei Chigong and Qin Shubao, the two founding generals.

Su Cha also bought two door gods and asked Xie Baoshu to paste them. Both of them were already lonely, and in this small courtyard, they finally found a little warmth and a sense of family.

In the early morning of the first day, people keep watch all night, and once the rooster announces the dawn, the first thing is to get up and set off firecrackers. Su Cha himself never dared to put it, he used to let Pei tears come to put it, but this year with Xie Baoshu, it is much better.

The earliest Yuan Ri set off firecrackers in order to drive away evil spirits and ghosts. Later, people hoped that the sound of firecrackers would increase the festive atmosphere of the festival.

In addition, Su Cha also insists on one thing, and that is to insert peach branches.

Xie Baoshu grew up in Taoyuan Village, and he had never heard of any peach branches, so he didn't understand it. The so-called peach branch is to really pluck fresh peach branches from the peach tree and insert them on the door of the home. In the concept of the people of Datang, the peach is a plant that contains the cultural significance of auspiciousness, praying for good fortune and longevity, and warding off evil spirits and ghosts.

Regarding this matter, Xie Baoshu was a little resistant.

Because when he sees the peach branch, he thinks of the peach tree in his hometown.

However, he didn't tell Su Cha about this matter, but still followed her command and inserted a peach branch.

As the most solemn Spring Festival of the year, the court is a solemn and busy scene. The Yuan Day is believed to be the "Yuan of the Year, the Yuan of the Time, and the Yuan of the Month", which has a strong symbolic meaning in the time sequence of the ancients.

Xie Baoshu has not been to the palace yet, but on this day, the whole world celebrates, and there are many lively places in Chang'an City.

"A colorful glow welcomes the dawn, and ten thousand red candles move the spring." It is described that when the officials were at dawn, they were already waiting in line according to their ranks, and the candles were lit. The Ministry of Rites of the Tang Dynasty stipulated that the Yuan Dynasty would be held in the Taiji Hall in the Daming Palace. The emperor was crowned in Linxuan, and the queen, hundreds of officials, envoys and relatives of the emperor all wore court clothes to participate.

After these sacrificial ceremonies, the emperor would sometimes come out of the palace and watch the fireworks with the people in Chang'an City.

On this day, the security work was extremely in place, and groups of Xuanwu guards, wearing festive clothes on the streets, looked like they were having fun with the civilians, but in fact they were to protect security. On Chinese New Year's Eve, there were actually many fires.

On the first morning of the new year, the Tang people like to erect long bamboo and wooden poles in the courtyard, and long flags made of paper or cloth are hanging on the top of the poles. The wind shakes and is called a "flag". This custom spread to a certain overseas country and evolved into "carp floating".

As soon as the time comes, the bells and drums on the street are ringing in unison, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. At home, people got up one after another, and the younger generations saluted the elders. The servant prostrates to his master, and everyone has to say some auspicious words. Roughly: "Blessing the new day, celebrating the life without borders" and other auspicious words.

Xie Baoshu saw this prosperous Chang'an for the first time, holding Su Cha, and the whole person was drunk. His long-standing wish has come true, and he is very happy.

Chang'an City likes big families to live together, if the elderly are in high seniority, in addition to their direct children and grandchildren, they may even have a younger brother, nephew, married sister, and nephew who have been reunited. Bai Juyi once wrote: "My younger brothers, sisters, wives and nephews, are coquettish and foolish to help me with joy." ”

The Pei family, as well as the Lu family, would invite Su Cha to celebrate the New Year with them every year, but Su Cha never agreed. Because she thinks that no matter how good the relationship is, it is always someone else's home. This small yard is the real home.

This year is different from previous years, there is one more person, and this person can be regarded as his own family.

Su Cha looked at Xie Baoshu who was smiling, and thought silently in his heart.

In the evening, the two made dumplings together, and until late at night, they didn't come back until Murong Ying. This old man doesn't know where he has gone. Seeing that the dumplings were almost cold, Xie Baoshu and Su Cha decided not to wait any longer and finished eating the dumplings.

The two were in the room and whispered.

Xie Baoshu also learned about an interesting thing called "Mirror Listening". "Mirror listening", also known as "listening to the mirror", is to hold the mirror on the night of Chinese New Year's Eve or the beginning of the year to eavesdrop on the unintentional words of passers-by, in order to divinate good fortune. The specific steps of mirror listening are similar everywhere.

On the night of New Year's Day, you put a spoon in a pot full of water, pray, turn the spoon, and then go out in the mirror in the direction of the handle of the spoon to eavesdrop, and you can find the answer to your prayer from the first words you hear.

During the Spring Festival in Chang'an, when thousands of families are reunited, some husbands have not returned from a long journey, so wives at home use the method of "mirror listening" on Chinese New Year's Eve or New Year's Day to predict whether their relatives outside are safe and when they will return.

Xie Baoshu naturally wouldn't believe this matter. But some people believe that it is on the edge of a street in Chang'an City. There was a little girl who put a spoon in the pot, spun it, and secretly came to the street while the family was not looking.

She hid in the darkness and said silently: "Tomorrow brother, can you really worship that old gentleman as a teacher? ”

Beside her, Murong Yingcai just looked at her like this, not revealing his figure. In the evening, Murong Yingcai didn't go home to eat dumplings, but he saw this little girl and knew that she was Ji Yushan's sister. I was a little curious, so I followed.

Ji Yushan's family lives in a very poor place, which is even more dilapidated than Su Cha's courtyard, but the family is very happy. Gathered together and had a reunion dinner, although the dishes were average, everyone had a smile on their faces.

Murong Yingcai, who has not experienced the taste of the world for a long time, can't forget it for a long time when he sees this scene. My daughter, I don't know where she is now, has become a piece of loess.

After the little girl had finished eating, she walked out the door to listen to the mirror.

The pedestrians were in a hurry on the street, and the little girl was a little annoyed, the firecrackers were so loud that she couldn't hear the voices of passers-by clearly. At this time, an old man who seemed to be drunk walked slowly from his side. The old man stumbled, almost fell, and muttered, "Can you have a good meal tomorrow?"

After saying that, he staggered away.

When the little girl heard the drunken old man's words, her heart blossomed, and she said silently, "Yes, I can, tomorrow my brother will definitely be able to worship that old master as a teacher." After saying this, the little girl returned to the house and silently put the mirror away.

And Murong Yingcai, who pretended to be drunk, also left here and went to a place in Chang'an City that he was familiar with. He has very important things to do, and tonight, he won't accompany Xie Baoshu and Su Cha to eat dumplings.

In the small courtyard, Xie Baoshu and Su Cha surrounded the stove, flipping through the books and facing the poems. Since ancient times, the Tang Dynasty has lacked everything, that is, there is no shortage of poets. Xie Baoshu said, "Nine winters and thirty nights, cold and warm are separated." ”

Su Cha immediately said, "After sitting until the fourth watch, the body will be one year old." ”

Xie Baoshu said again, "The old festival should be a song, and the New Year will be a candle." ”

Su Cha continued: "The winter atmosphere is in love with the arrows, and the spring is waiting for the roosters to crow." ”

They looked at each other and smiled, although there were only two people, they were full of New Year's flavor.