Qi Xiaoting said: "Birthday is to hold a celebration event on your birthday. Older people generally act as their children to show their filial piety to their parents.

"When I do my birthday, my relatives and friends don't send it or invite it. But when you come, you will bring a gift. Most of the gifts are clothing, shoes and socks, chickens, wine, longevity peaches, longevity noodles, and individual plaques. The host's family organizes the birthday banquet, and the more prosperous it is, the better. ”

Jiaona: "Now it's icy and snowy, where is there a peach in the mortal world, how to send it?" ”

Qi Xiaoting: "Shou peach is generally steamed into a peach shape with flour, and Shou noodles are noodles. It's all symbolic. ”

Jiaona: "Where's the birthday party?" What are they? ”

"Have you ever had a wedding feast?"

Qi Xiaoting asked rhetorically. She knew that dragons were long-lived beasts, and as long as there were no accidents, there was generally no such thing as dying of old age. And I can't even remember the age, so there is no such thing as "celebrating birthday" in the Dragon Palace.

Jiaona: "Yes." Whenever there is a big event, a banquet is also held. ”

Qi Xiaoting: "The birthday banquet is similar to the general wedding banquet, that is, there are many dishes. Exactly how much depends on the family's conditions. But no matter how much, the first dish must be longevity noodles, which means longevity, and when eating noodles, the chef has to add noodles before the table, which is called 'Tian Shou'. ”

Jiaona: "Do you have to live to be 80 years old?" ”

Qi Xiaoting: "No. In terms of customs, if you don't have a birthday before the age of 50, it is called 'birthday', also called 'inner blessing', and generally does not move relatives and friends, and the family celebrates in their own homes.

"When you are 50 years old, you have to celebrate your birthday as 'do you', and your family and friends have to send congratulatory gifts to celebrate your birthday. After that, it is done every ten years and is called the Big Birthday. There are different names for birthdays of different ages: 50 years old is called warm life, half a hundred longevity; Sixty years old is called Xiaoshou; Seventy years old is called middle life; Eighty years old is called longevity and longevity; Ninety-year-old is called Jiang Lao Tianshou; 100 years old is called expectation.

"There is a saying in the mortal world that 'it is rare for a person to live for 70 years', and it is rare to live to be 80 years old, so children and grandchildren attach great importance to it, and most people have to celebrate. It can be complicated or simple, depending on the living conditions and the social status of the person. The poorest also have to eat longevity noodles.

"Rich families celebrate their birthdays, especially in the whole decade, such as 60, 70, and 80 birthdays, they will have a big feast, and relatives and friends should prepare birthday gifts, such as birthday flags, birthday candles, longevity peaches, and longevity noodles, and the host family will entertain guests.

"The grand will also set up a longevity hall and light candles. Those who live long are called 'birthday stars', and in the middle hall, they are congratulated by relatives and friends and bowed by younger generations. After the birthday gift, enter the table to drink longevity wine and eat longevity noodles.

"Many wealthy families invite theater troupes to come to their homes to act and entertain guests. The big troupe invited by the big family set up the stage in an open place, so that more people can enjoy the joyful atmosphere and bless the birthday star. ”

"You know so much." A look of envy finally appeared on Jiaona's face.

"And whatever!" Qi Xiaoting is determined to express herself, and continued: "Married daughters pay special attention to celebrating their parents' birthdays. There is a local proverb: 'Sixty-six, the girl gives a knife of meat; Seventy-seven, the girl sent an old hen; Eighty-eight, the girl sent a duck; Ninety-nine, the girl sent a dog. There is also a sentence that says, 'Seventy-three, send a carp to jump.' ”

Jiaona: "Seventy-three, do you have anything to say?" ”

Qi Xiaoting: "Yes." There is a saying among the people that 'seventy-three, eighty-four, the king of Hades does not invite himself to go'. That is to say, seventy-three and eighty-four are the hurdles of the elderly, and it is easy to pass away at the age of seventy-three or eighty-four. The girl sent a carp and jumped violently, and she passed this hurdle, and she could live a long and healthy life in the future. ”

Jiaona: "Why do you only talk about daughters, can't sons?" ”

Qi Xiaoting: "In fact, this is to teach people not to forget their roots. Married daughters are not often around their parents, remember their parents' birthdays, bring their husbands, children and specific gifts, that is, enjoy the joy of family, and coax the old man to like it. ”

Jiaona: "When you go back to your parents' house with Uncle Nine, do you also want to bring these things?" ”

Qi Xiaoting's heart was hot, and she murmured, "If I can go back, what I bring will be more valuable than this." ”

Jiaona seems to understand. However, the most attractive thing for her was the banquet, imagining the table full of delicacies from the mountains and seas in the Dragon Palace, swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva, and couldn't help asking: "Is it possible for all the people who watch the excitement to eat the birthday banquet?" ”

Qi Xiaoting: "The people who can sit at the birthday banquet are all their own families and relatives and friends who have given gifts. Outsiders just watch the excitement. ”

Jiao Na pouted: "We can't eat the banquet in the past?!" ”

Qi Xiaoting said in her heart: I still want to eat! said: "We don't have anything to do with other people's money, which banquet do we eat?" ”

Although Jiaona is disappointed in her heart, it is in her nature to love to be lively. I couldn't help but walk west with the flow of people.

Seeing this, Qi Xiaoting thought: Since you have caught up, why don't you also go and join in the fun, in case you have a little luck and meet a fortune teller, your life will be opened. I also walked with Jiaona.

The rich man is really a big family. There are three houses in the north of the road, all of which are his. The south of the road is a large courtyard, which is about the same size as the three houses in the north of the road.

The theater was set up in the courtyard.

In the most prominent position on the north side of the theater, there is also a viewing tent. Whether it's watching a play or juggling in the studio, it's the best angle. The mother of the rich man Wu and her family all sat in the tent and watched.

Some small vendors have set up stalls outside the yard, almost occupying a street. In the courtyard and outside the courtyard, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as impassable.

The courtyard was noisy, and the sound of drums and blows was deafening.

Qi Xiaoting walked around the courtyard and got a general understanding of the situation.

The theater is actually very simple, that is, a high platform is built with wooden planks, which is surrounded on three sides by straw foil, and the top is built with tarpaulin. Most of the people who watched the play were elderly people and women with children. The young people went to see juggling.

Juggling includes those who practice fists and feet, those who practice qigong, those who play monkeys, those who play snakes, and those who do tricks. They are all far away from the theater and each occupy a space. Every time he practiced, a person held a small basket or a small basin and asked the onlookers for a reward. Some give a few words, some give more than a dozen words, but they can't be empty.

It turned out that the troupe was invited by the rich man Wu, and this is for nothing, no money. The jugglers are those who come to the scene to perform by themselves after hearing the rumors, and it is natural to receive money for watching.

There are also divination tellers in the courtyard, all of whom walk around the crowd with hexagram curtains. It seems that he is the same as Qi Xiaoting, while watching the excitement, he is soliciting business. Some of them shouted to stop, some went to secluded places and counted on the spot, and some reported to the street and asked the fortune tellers to go there to find them.

However, most of the hexagram curtains are written on "so-and-so gods", "so-and-so immortal hexagrams" or something, which makes Qi Xiaoting feel a little ashamed, and subconsciously drops the bamboo pole down to make her hexagram curtain lower.

When Qi Xiaoting and Jiao Na walked to the tent, they suddenly saw an artist with a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy walking forward with a deputy burden, and made a gesture to a person who looked like a housekeeper, and said: "Today I happened to pass by here with my apprentice, and I met an old lady and an old birthday star doing 80 birthdays. It's also fate, my master and apprentice will perform a set of tricks to cheer up the old birthday star. ”

The man who looked like a housekeeper said: "There is already a stall trick over there, you ran to the tent to see it, I don't know if you have any special tricks?" The old birthday boy is sitting here and watching? ”

The artist said: "The boy is not talented, he once learned a strange art, and he wants to be happy to become a longevity peach Bo old birthday star on the birthday of the old birthday star, amuse everyone, and have an auspicious picture." ”

As soon as people heard about the longevity peach, they immediately shouted, saying: "Let him change one, ice and snow, see what kind of longevity peach can be conjured?" ”

I saw the rich man Wu leave his seat and come over, and said to the trickster: "You change, you have become better, and there is a heavy reward." But you'll have to conjure me a decent peach to make the old lady happy. ”

The artist smiled and said, "That's certain, you just do it." ”

The housekeeper called a servant to play in the crowd and invited the master and apprentice to perform.

Everyone dispersed, giving up a large open space, and watching with a smile on their faces how the artist became a longevity peach, whether it could be an eye-opener and a feast for the eyes.

The news spread again like a long leg, spreading ten, ten and hundred, and soon spread in the courtyard. In the end, hundreds of spectators flocked to the tent, surrounding the front of the tent, blocking the water.

Seeing that the crowd was almost surrounded, the artist clasped his fists with both hands, smiled and made a gesture to each side, and said loudly: "With the help of the old birthday star's Hongfu, the small one performs a trick of turning into a longevity peach." Those who have money help a money field, and those who don't have money help a personal field. The little one wanders around with his apprentices, eating, drinking, and living, and he has to use money everywhere. Okay, without further ado, now the show begins. ”

The artist turned around and said to the apprentice next to him: "Apprentice, the teacher just talked too much, Kuahaikou is going to turn into a peach in the winter, what do you think?" ”

The apprentice was also a wonderful person, and he puffed out his eyes and said, "Master, since you have spoken out, you should keep your promises." You have to change this longevity peach, take out your housekeeping skills, and show everyone a hand. ”

The artist pretended to groan, and after a long time, he said slowly: "I was confused for a while and forgot the season." This day is cold, there will never be peaches in the world, but above the heavenly court, the peaches in the peach orchard of the Queen Mother are not divided into four seasons, so we need to go to heaven to steal. As a teacher, he is old and weak, so he can only go to work. ”

The apprentice's eyes widened, he looked at the sky, and said in horror: "The sky is so high, how can the apprentice climb up?" ”

The artist said: "Don't get in the way, there are spells to help you for the teacher." Let's erect a rope, how about you climb the rope to steal peaches from heaven? ”

The apprentice complained, "Master, aren't you embarrassed by the apprentice? How can a rope climb to heaven? If there is an accident in the middle of the way, I will fall to pieces, and then there will be no one to support the master.

"I don't think it's as good as this, let's tie one end of the rope to a hook, stretch the rope directly to the peach tree in the peach orchard, and then the master will open your clairvoyance and use the hook to pick one down."

Artist: "The apprentice said it so lightly, in this heaven and earth, there are more than 10,000 feet." The peach doesn't fall to a. Today is a birthday celebration for the old birthday star, can't we turn a rotten peach into someone else? ”