As the Spring Festival approached, the flavor of the New Year in Sanjia Village became stronger and stronger, and the unique flavor of Sanjia Village began to gradually appear. The 28th of the twelfth lunar month was the traditional day of slaughtering pigs in Sanjia Village. The 80 fat pigs were slaughtered together. The Four Seas Trading Company would purchase them from the villagers and slaughter them in the village. Then, they would distribute the pork to the villagers. This tradition had been around for many years. The Four Seas Trading Company would pay for it, and the villagers would enjoy it.
Pigs raised locally in Wannan are black all over. These pigs were raised in the villagers 'homes. In the morning, when the owner put down the fence, the pigs would automatically go out to feed. Early in the morning, he would often see a large group of black pigs rushing out of the village entrance and running in the direction of the Blazing Mountain. These pigs dug into the grass roots, peeled off the tree bark, and ate wild vegetables. They were very wild. They would find food by themselves and would even gnaw on the corners of the walls to make up for some of their shortcomings. In the evening, the pigs returned to their owners 'homes in groups. At night, the owner would give him a good meal to make up for the fact that he might not have eaten enough during the day. Pig feed was sweet potatoes. The owner would mash the cooked sweet potatoes, mix them with rice milk water, pig grass, and leftovers for the pigs to eat. The living habits of this kind of pig were that even wild domestic pigs would fight fiercely when provoked. This kind of pig was even more primitive than the primitive pigs of the later generations. The meat was delicate, and a pot of meat stewed would fill the room with fragrance.
While distributing the pork, the Four Seas Trading Company would also distribute the rice and cured meat that they had prepared to the villagers. This was the annual New Year gift that the Four Seas Trading Company gave to every villager!
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the ponds in the village began to open. All the fish that had been raised in the ponds for a year were opened on this day. There were grass carp, carp, flat fish, and other miscellaneous fish in the ponds. There were not many rivers and lakes in Qingyang, so people rarely ate fish. There were also very few fish sold in the market. This fish pond had tens of thousands of catties of fish, which could ensure that every family in the village had more than enough to spend the new year. Sanjia Village did not use nets to fish up the pond, but to directly drain the water. More than a dozen pedal-powered waterwheels had been draining water since the afternoon of the 28th. It was not until noon on the 29th that the bottom of the pond was gradually revealed. When the village had almost caught all the big fish, they would very humanely leave the small and medium-sized fish in the pond. At this moment, the village chief gave an order. The villagers who were watching from the side turned from spectators to participants. They took out all kinds of fishing tools from their homes. They were not afraid of the cold weather. Some wore rubber shoes, while others went into the pond barefooted to fish. This was a tradition in the village. Many people had mud on their faces and were having a good time. In fact, most of them were small fish. Everyone wanted to be happy and add some fun to the new year!
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the fishing activity ended. Next, the young adults in the village went down to dig the pond mud. They had to dig all the pond mud out and transport it to the fields to be used as fertilizer. This work would not end until tomorrow morning. Although this was a public job in the village, no one was lazy. All the people who could work in the village came and did it happily. The fish fry that came to the pond at the beginning of the year were not specially cultivated. They were directly caught from Chaohu Lake, so the species were more diverse. When digging the pond mud, they would also dig out the hibernating loaches, snakeheads, and turtles in the mud.
After the mud in the fish pond was cleaned, it had to be exposed to the sun. After the 15th day of the first lunar month, it would be released to raise fish. This process was known as a disinfection process in later generations. At this moment, people knew that this was a method passed down from their ancestors. This way, the fish raised next year would not get sick.
By the time they finished distributing the fish, it was already evening. Although they were tired, everyone was very happy. This was also a kind of new year.
When the sky turned dark, Zhao Mingyuan and his butler arrived at Three Family Village. He had come to spend the New Year with his daughter in Sanjia Village. Zhao Mingyuan had brought many New Year gifts. The Niu, Murong, and Wei families all had one, a whole carriage. Wan 'er and Tong' er saw that their father had come to spend the new year with them and were so happy that they stuck to their father's side.
Tomorrow was the eve of the Lunar New Year. For many people, the real New Year had just begun. There were many entertainment activities in the countryside during the New Year in Wannan. The most typical example was Huangmei opera. The origin of Huangmei opera was in Huangmei County, Hubei Province. However, trees were planted inside the wall and flowers bloomed outside the wall. Huangmei opera did not spread in Huangmei. The place where Huangmei opera really flourished was Wannan. Later generations thought that the place where Huangmei opera flourished was Anqing. In fact, Anqing City was just the station of the provincial Huangmei opera troupe. The place that was really widely spread among the people was the current small county town, Qingyang. There was a Huangmei opera called "Seven Fairies Descending to the World"(After the Liberation, this play was adapted and renamed "The Heaven Fairy Match"). In fact, this play was produced in Qingyang and used the singing style created by the people of Qingyang."Seven Fairies Descending to the World" was very popular in Qingyang. Everyone, male and female, old and young, could hum a few lines. However, this did not include Murong Yao. After he transmigrated, he had been studying outside. These things were not fated with him. The village was going to be lively during the new year. Of course, they had to sing Huangmei opera. Moreover, there was no need to hire an opera troupe from outside. The village could produce it. It was impossible that they could not find a role. It was only possible that they would not be able to get a role if they signed up. Niu Zheng might not be a talkative person, but he was still a little dull. However, he was a complete opera fan. When the village wanted to rehearse a play, he went to sign up. This depended on the director's arrangements and his own ability.
On the afternoon of 30th, Murong Yao and his sister, Wan 'er, Tong' er, and Wei Wuji were all in Murong Yao's room, eating snacks and chatting. Niu Zheng came in from outside. When they saw Niu Zheng, everyone asked him if he had signed up for the opera. What role?
Niu Zheng's face was pale as he said,"Yes." No one heard the rest of the sentence clearly.
Murong Chi didn't let him go. What kind of role is she going to play?"
Niu Zheng mumbled again.
"Speak louder, we didn't hear you clearly!" Murong Wan said bluntly.”
"It's the old locust tree!" Niu Zheng said.”
Everyone was stunned for a moment before they burst into laughter.
Murong Chi laughed so hard that he pressed his stomach and said,""Do you think you practice martial arts well? I told you to go up and stand!"
Niu Zheng's face darkened.
In fact, this was really not surprising. Although Niu Zheng liked Huangmei opera, he was always out of tune. Letting him go on stage was already very considerate. Moreover, in the part where the old locust tree was acting as a matchmaker, the old locust tree had some lines, but it was just that the scene was not big.
Wan 'er and Tong' er did not know! She thought that it was not a big deal and encouraged Murong Yao,"Brother Murong, why don't you sing?”
Murong Yao looked at the roof. This question was too difficult to answer. He was a Qingyang person, yet he did not know how to sing Huangmei opera!
It was Murong Chi who came out to rescue them and said to the two girls,""Don't make things difficult for him. He only knows one sentence for the entire 'Seven Fairies Descend'.”
Unexpectedly, the two girls broke the ice and asked,"Which sentence is it?"
Murong Chi looked at Murong Yao and decided not to help him hide the truth, so he sang,"" Strange, strange, really strange. How can an old locust tree speak…"
After waiting for a while, she asked,"Nothing else?”
"That's all." Murong Wan spread out her hands.”
"Then let Brother Niu Zheng perform on stage!”
Everyone laughed again.
The two girls were puzzled?
"Then all the people who were listening to the performance below the stage ran away!”
Amid the laughter, the afternoon passed quickly.
On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve. Apart from firecrackers, there were also two other forms of entertainment. One of them was lanterns. The most practical use of lanterns was to illuminate the road at night. The lantern was hung on the head of a small bamboo pole. At night, one could see the road five or six feet ahead. Some people might not understand that five or six feet was too close. At night, in a ravine without stars or the moon, it was really pitch black. Most people did not turn on their lights at night, so there was no reference to walk in the dark. It was even possible to fall into the ravine and hit a rock. Without a small lantern, if you went out to pee at night and the surroundings were dark, you wouldn't know how to go back. Therefore, every household would have lanterns. When they went out to visit at night, they all carried a small lantern. When they reached the door of the house, they put out the candle and hung the lantern at the door. When they left, they could take it down and light it. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, many people would go out on the streets with lanterns hanging in their hands. Whether it was beautiful or ugly, big or small, square or round, the streets were lit up by lanterns all along the way. The lights were sparkling everywhere. This kind of fun could not be compared to the brightly lit streets in the later generations!
There was another form of entertainment, which was walking on stilettos. The walking on stilettos here was not the kind of performance that was performed on the top of a pole. Instead, a footboard was tied to a bamboo pole about a foot from the ground. The person who stepped on the footboard could walk freely. Of course, the person who played with the stills was a teenager. On the streets of New Year's Eve, he entertained himself. His steps were much larger than a person's walking steps, so he rushed like the wind. In this era, it was also a kind of fun to be in the ravine. Of course, it was also very practical. On rainy days, the road was muddy, so he could cross it with a few steps on his stilettos. His shoes were not stained with mud at all.
On New Year's Eve, adults and children had to keep watch. Before midnight, Wan 'er and Tong' er couldn't take it anymore. They groggily shouted that they wanted to go to bed. Yang Yunyue was accompanying her grandmother in the back hall. Seeing that there was only one woman left, Murong Feng also went back to his room to sleep. Only Murong Qingshan, Zhao Ming Yuan, and Murong Yao were left in the guest hall. At this moment, Murong Yao finally had the chance to understand the situation in Wuhu with Zhao Ming Yuan alone.
Zhao Ming Yuan said," After the Japanese occupied Wuhu, they started off with burning, killing, and looting. Later on, they started to establish a regime to maintain power. In just one night, many traitors of all sizes appeared in Wuhu City. These Chinese people did not show any mercy when oppressing their own compatriots. They were willing to be the accomplices of the Japanese, and their extortion was even more brutal than the Japanese. There were also many scums in the industry, but their personal safety was still guaranteed. The rice business has temporarily stopped. I think after the new year, if the situation stabilizes, Wan 'er and Tong' er can return to Wuhu.”
Just as they were talking, the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside the house. Immediately after, the entire village was in an uproar. It was the new year!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。