Ding Tian's Ancient Life

Wang Zuo was busy, but what about Ding Tian?

He had gotten up before dawn, and they were on their way.

Fortunately, they traveled in a large carriage, which was much faster than when he came to Fucheng to escort the prisoners.Breakfast is big meat buns stuffed with pork and sauerkraut.

Served with fragrant millet porridge, shredded pickles mixed with sesame oil, and sugared garlic, everyone was full, and then started on the road.It is really cold to travel in winter, especially in the twelfth lunar month, three to nine days.

A group of people ran for a day, arrived at another big car shop, stayed overnight, and continued to run.

When I arrived at the closest one to the county seat and on the way home, the last stop at the big car shop was still old man Guan. The old man was cleaned up very clean and tidy now. Sure enough, marrying a wife is the same as not marrying a wife. two concepts.

Not only old man Guan was cleaned up, but even the whole big car shop was cleaned up.

There is not even a single piece of snow in the big yard, the bedding is neatly folded, and the people who eat are also very tidy.

It looked like it had been carefully washed, which made Ding Tian feel much more comfortable.

Walking this way, he was almost frozen like a dog, and he really couldn't bear it if he didn't have a clean place to stay.

Fortunately, this was the last stop. Tomorrow night, he could lie on the pit at home and sleep under a warm blanket.

That guy must have found the watermelon, huh!

When he said it was a dessert, he saw that the person didn't respond, so he resolutely didn't tell him what it was. He deserved it for not tasting it that day.I fell asleep again with a sore heart.

The next day, they went straight to the road, because the carriage was faster than walking, but the day was too short, and when they arrived at the county town, it was also dark. Although it was still early, it was also early in winter, so Ding Tian did not go back directly. Instead of home, he lodged in a post station.

Of course, there are post stations and inns in the county town, but he is an official, so he can stay in the post station, besides paying for food, he can also have some small privileges.

The post station here is also newly built. Of course, it is not as big as Fucheng, and there are not many people who come here on weekdays. Now that there are so many people here, the postmen are too happy, and they can get a little oil and water in this board and lodging.

When it was Chinese New Year, Ding Tian generously gave a red envelope of two taels of silver, because there were only five postmen in total.

The five people immediately became more enthusiastic about them. The food prepared for them was braised mutton, served with scallion pancakes, and boiled radish and cabbage soup, which was just right to relieve the greasy.

And after eating, the post station prepared bath water for them again!

It's not a big basin of hot water for washing your face, and then hot water for soaking your feet, but a big bucket of hot bath water.

Ding Tian, ​​as the "financial owner", received the high-level treatment of two buckets of hot water.

After taking a good bath and letting the postmen clean up, Ding Tian lay on the pit thinking about things, and he will be back home tomorrow, just right, the day after tomorrow is still a young year...

But before going home, he had to go to the county government office to give the magistrate Xu a new year gift.

County magistrate Xu often takes care of the Ding family and the business of the Ding family here.

There are also some old colleagues who have to take care of it. The Ding family can't do business here without their care.Ding Tian summed up a lot of experience when he watched the Lin family's business with cold eyes, one of which is,

Then we have to go back to Dingjia Village in a good mood, unload the car at home, and go to the grave of our parents... The ancient people attached great importance to sacrifices, because "the important affairs of the country are the sacrifices and the soldiers", that is to say, the country's largest The thing is the sacrifice and the army.

With an army, you will not be bullied; offering sacrifices to your ancestors, and not forgetting your ancestors, also means not forgetting your roots.

Therefore, the common people attach great importance to the sacrifices, especially the sacrifices of the young year. The Stove Lord said good things to the heavens.

The next day, early in the morning, Ding Tian was fully dressed, and when he arrived at the county yamen, the people at the gate still knew him, so they rushed to report.Ding Tian pulled two carts over.

After entering the yamen, magistrate Xu came over with people he knew well.

"Tian'er!" Seeing him wearing a brand-new eighth-rank official uniform, everyone was overjoyed.

According to the regulations of the imperial court, Ding Tian's official eighth grade is a civil official, so his official hat is black gauze with flowers and gold thread on top, python gown with five pythons and four claws, and the patch is embroidered with Lianque, a small bird the size of a palm. .

The military officer's is an embroidered rhinoceros.

"Master Xu." Ding Tian cupped his fists and said, "I wish you an early year."

"You're welcome, you're welcome!" County Magistrate Xu laughed so hard that he couldn't see his teeth, "I heard that you've been promoted, that's good."

The news of Ding Tian's promotion came back, and the whole county was overjoyed.

Everyone was very happy that he was able to come to the county government office today, Ding Tian was also happy, and greeted them one by one. For everyone, I will share it!"

Giving gifts to people is as lively as going to a market, only Ding Tian can do this.

But the things he gave away were very suitable, and the ones from County Magistrate Xu were naturally the best, followed by Cheng Da and the others, those who knew each other got a share, and those who didn't... Ding Tian was not left behind either.

After distributing the things, Ding Tian was invited back to the study by Xu County Magistrate to have tea: "How many days will you stay this time?"

"I'll go back after fifteen years." Ding Tian said, "It's been a year since I've been out, and my two uncles are in charge of the house, and I'm also... unfilial. And my uncle's house, I didn't even go to see my cousin after I gave birth...,,

There were many things about Ding Tian, ​​and County Magistrate Xu knew about it, so he didn't keep him for long, and then let him go back.

After unloading two carts, there were still four carts left. Ding Tian bought four beef cattle, twenty meat sheep, and four big fat pigs in the county.

Sure enough, it is very convenient to come back to buy these meats, because the business of the butcher shops here is also booming as the Chinese New Year is approaching.

With these things, still six carts, and his carriage, he wobbled back to Dingjia Village.

Dingjia Village is a sensation!

"Tian'er?" The second uncle and the third uncle looked at the carriage parked in front of Ding Tian's house, as well as the twenty healthy servants with swords, each of them was a little dumbfounded.

Looking at Ding Tian again, he came back wearing an official uniform, like his own nephew, who has become unrecognizable.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle!" Ding Tian got down from the carriage, and turned around in a circle in particular: "How does this official uniform look? Doesn't it look good?"

"That's pretty good." The second uncle laughed: "Why did you come back so early? I thought you would come back after the new year."

"I asked for leave on purpose, hoping to come back to worship the stove." Ding Tian said: "My lord has allowed it, so I'm coming back!"

Seeing that Ding Tian was wearing an official uniform, but he was still the familiar Ding Tian, ​​everyone in the village was very happy. Ding Tian also politely asked people to take out sugar balls. These sugar balls were all colorful sugar balls wrapped in glutinous rice paper If you have children, you will give two to each person. If you are an adult, you can grab a handful of melon seeds and peanuts and stuff them in your pockets.

It was lively until the village chief came: "Tian'er is back?"

"Hey, you're back, Uncle Xing." Ding Tian cupped his fists: "How is Lao Lichang?"

"Okay, I'm happy to hear that you're back." The village head said, "But it's too cold, so I didn't let him out."

"Don't let the old man bother you, I'll go see him." In such a cold day, Ding Tian was afraid that his life would be ruined if an old man came to visit him.

"Okay, let's go home for dinner that night." The village head greeted the people: "Okay, okay, let's go, let's go!"

After the villagers dispersed, Ding Tian let the car into his yard.

He found that the yard was very clean, and his cattle were also in the backyard. When he entered the house, he found that the house was also spotless. On the kang table at home, there were still some red window grilles, which had not been pasted on the window.

"Every month, I have to clean up three or five times. In summer, I open the windows to ventilate. In winter, I have to burn the kang every day to keep the house a little smokey. After the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, the shop is closed and the shopkeeper and the staff are paid. And the red envelopes, I went back to the village to celebrate the New Year, and since then, I have cleaned up the place again, at least it is the New Year..." The second aunt pointed to the place where the spirit tablet was placed: "Put incense sticks on your parents and grandma. , you haven't come back for a year."

"Hey!" Ding Tian knelt down obediently, kowtowed, and offered incense, but felt a little guilty in his heart, after all, he was not the original owner.

After burning the incense, he got up, and the third aunt gently swept the official uniform for him with a feather duster: "This dress is so beautiful.

"

"This is an eighth-rank civil official's costume. The military officer should embroider a rhinoceros." Ding Tian pointed to the little bird and said, "I heard that a first-rank official has the boss's crane embroidered on it!"

"Really?" Everyone looked at Ding Tian curiously.

Ding Tian looked at his youngest cousin, Ding Cheng, and hugged the little guy up: "Do you still know the big brother?"

"I don't know..." In the end, Ding Cheng answered him in a very honest little voice, and went straight to his mother.

Ding Tian happily kissed him: "You are a little heartless, I don't know you yet, you forgot that the big brother took you to play."

He took out a piece of peanut candy from his cuff and gave him a small piece, and the little guy became honest immediately.

"Some of the things I brought back were given to my second and third uncles, let them be delivered to your homes!" Ding Tian said: ""

Ding Tian's annual gift to the second uncle and third uncle's family is naturally more generous than anyone else.

Not only did each have a set of pens, inks, papers and inkstones for daily use, but also a beef cattle, four mutton sheep, a big fat pig, one silk and satin each, four fine cotton cloths, four cotton cloths, and a family of white jade springs. Wine, and some dried fruit, snack boxes... a family

Two big cars.

Seeing the envy of the neighbors.

"Tomorrow will sacrifice the stove, and come with me to visit your parents' grave." The second uncle said, "Before noon."

The rule of going to the grave is to go to the grave in the morning, not noon.

"I've bought the sacrificial supplies, let's go!" Ding Tian handed his little cousin to his third aunt: "I also let my parents and grandparents look at Tian'er, Tian'er has become an official."

"Okay, let's go!"

A group of people went to the cemetery.

Fortunately, Ding Tian went to the government office early in the morning, and he ran back non-stop, and now he carried the offerings, and followed his second and third uncles to pay homage to the ancestors.

Dingjia Village is a village of one surname, and the cemetery here is the ancestral tomb of the Ding family. It is on a slope facing the sun, and there is a small poplar forest planted behind it. The vegetation here is lush and it is a geomantic treasure.

The tomb of Ding Tian's "parents" is a joint burial, next to it is the tomb of Ding Tian's "grandparents", and above it are Ding Tian's "great-grandparents" and "great-grandparents"....

Anyway, it can be traced back more than ten generations, and the tallest and oldest tomb is the tomb of the ancestors in Dingjia Village.

Sacrificial offerings were placed on the tombs of the parents and grandparents, because the tombs of the great-grandfather and the great-grandfather had been paid homage to, so they just burned some paper money, put two plates of dim sum, and burnt incense.

After tossing for a while, because Ding Tian became an official, the second uncle insisted that he put a piece of paper money on every grave.

Ding Tian had no choice but to press paper money for thousands of tombs, and by the end of noon, he was considered finished.

I followed my second uncle and third uncle back home. At this time, the cart had finished unloading, leaving him a carriage, and the other carts and guards were all gone.

The second aunt explained nervously: "They said they were going back, so they all drove away in a carriage... this..."

I don't know if the carriage belongs to Tian'er, or...theirs?

"It's okay, Second Aunt, let them go." Ding Tian knew that they were going back to Wang Zuo's place, so he didn't think too much about it: "I'm going to visit the old village chief with the New Year gift."

You don't have to go to other people's homes, but you must go to the elders' homes.