I helped Zhu Chuanwen and Xian'er hold a wedding and prepared some New Year's goods. New Year's Eve soon came.
The experience of Lao Zhu's family this year was even more difficult than in previous years when his hometown was hit by disasters.
But fortunately, we successfully migrated from Shandong to Guandong.
When we get here, at least we don’t have to worry about being hit by disasters every year, or running out of food, or starving to death.
"After four years, our family can finally celebrate a reunion year together. Let's go and say goodbye to our ancestors."
On this occasion, Zhu Kaishan was undoubtedly in charge at home.
Not to mention that this was still the feudal era, and the rules were relatively strict.
As long as the father is better than the son in all aspects, the son cannot usurp the position of the head of the family.
"It's New Year's Eve, and we really should say something to our ancestors." Mrs. Zhu Wei responded.
A very important thing that Lao Zhu's family brought from their hometown in Shandong is the genealogy of Lao Zhu's family.
After the genealogy was brought to the Northeast, it was enshrined in Lao Zhu's hall.
The incense table was set up and various tributes were placed.
"Mom and dad, I kowtow to you in Kaishan. Mother Wen invited you from Hainan to Haibei..."
"Mom and dad, keep our family safe..."
After the sacrifice started, I felt a little sad.
After all, no matter what the reason is, living in a foreign country is not something to be happy about.
Zhu Chuanwen's grandfather didn't exist a few years ago.
It was the time when Zhu Kaishan left home. Because the Manchus stabbed Zhu Kaishan in the back, the government could not catch Zhu Kaishan.
So he arrested the old man and imprisoned him for a while. The result was that the old man died immediately.
"You guys, come here and kowtow to your ancestors."
Zhu Chuanwen, along with Xian'er, Chuanwu and Chuanjie, also kowtowed. After everyone said a few words, the ceremony was completed.
Although Lao Zhu's family came to Northeast China, they still retained many Shandong customs.
Because the Qing Dynasty was a feudal dynasty where Confucianism was in power, and there was a Confucian family in Shandong, they always regarded themselves as a land of etiquette, and Shandong was considered to be the area with the most etiquette.
"Alright, Mother Wen, let's lay down the dumplings. Let's have the New Year's Eve dinner and eat the dumplings."
After the ancestors have been arranged, it will be the turn of the living people.
The next activity is to eat New Year’s Eve dinner and dumplings.
The New Year's Eve dinner at Lao Zhu's house was quite sumptuous, with chicken, duck, and fish, which was considered a complete meal.
Four years ago, I went to the mountains a lot. Although I didn't hunt any valuable prey, such as bears and martens, which are of high economic value.
But roe deer, wild boars, pheasants and rabbits are everywhere, saving a lot of meat.
In this place with a natural refrigerator, it is not a problem to bury yourself in the snow and eat until the flowers bloom in spring.
It’s not on the same level as the New Year’s Eve banquet in previous years.
If you stay in Shandong, even if it’s Chinese New Year, the most you can eat is pancakes, rolls, cabbage and radish.
"Okay, you can eat dumplings."
The most positive thing when eating is always Chuanwu. Looking at the attitude towards eating, Chuanwu cannot be stupid.
As soon as the dumplings stuffed with roe deer and green onions were served, Chuanwu stretched out his hand and wanted to eat the dumplings with his bare hands.
"This New Year's Eve, my dear, can you behave yourself and wait until everyone is here before eating?"
Zhu Chuanwen slapped Chuanwu's outstretched hand hard, and then said.
Chuanwu is somewhat afraid of hunger. There are no rules in normal times, but during festivals, he must pay attention to it.
This person is the most protective of food now, which has to do with the fact that in Shandong he didn't have enough to eat, he also liked to be active, and he was the most hungry.
But this is self-inflicted and cannot be blamed on others.
"I just want to have a taste first." Chuanwu argued.
At this stage, Chuanwu's remaining brainpower is all devoted to eating.
"Eat, it's not easy to have a hearty meal."
Zhu Weishi and Xian'er brought over the last two plates of dumplings in the pot and saw Zhu Chuanwen saying to Chuanwu.
Mrs. Zhu Wei was somewhat doting on Chuanwu, so she developed the character of Chuanwu without awe.
Lao Zhu's food is usually not very rich.
It has nothing to do with whether there is food or meat at home.
Because there are a lot of housework at home, there is a lot of sewing, mending, washing and washing, and there are three meals a day. There is not that much time to prepare several dishes for each meal.
Because Zhu Chuanwen and Xian'er got married and celebrated the Spring Festival.
This is also the first year that Lao Zhu's family has spent the winter in the Northeast. They have not experienced such cold weather and do not have so many reserves of clothes and bedding.
The needlework in the hands of the two women basically never stopped.
"Mom, the dumplings are so delicious."
With Zhu Wei's indulgence, Chuanwu and Chuanjie could no longer bear it.
At this stage, it is really difficult to compete with these two.
"Slow down. There are copper coins in the dumplings. Don't swallow them all."
"If you eat it, eat it. Eating copper coins means that I am very lucky." The two people replied nonchalantly.
Xian'er is a girl after all, so her eating looks are slightly better, but her speed is not too slow.
It was all three or four years ago, and it was my fault that I was relatively short-tongued.
"Dad, Mom, I'll drink some with you."
The ones who are more able to resist the temptation of a big meal are Zhu Chuanwen and Zhu Kaishan and Zhu Wei.
Zhu Chuanwen has signed in for drinks many times, but has never had a drink.
After settling in the Northeast, Zhu Chuanwen also looked for various opportunities to bring out wine.
So there is no shortage of drinks at home.
There is no shortage of food in the Northeast, and at least every town has a winery.
The prices of drinks are also relatively affordable, and ordinary drinks are not considered precious.
"Then let's have a drink. It's rare for us to be so happy."
Zhu Kaishan and Zhu Weishi responded at the same time.
You can eat what you like, drink what you like, and the atmosphere is still very cheerful.
It has been four or five years since the family was reunited at home to celebrate the Spring Festival. The atmosphere could not be worse.
"Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu."
When the meal was at its busiest, there was a burst of shouting from outside.
In this era, ordinary people do not have access to glass in their homes, and ordinary owners do not have access to glass in their homes.
The main ones are traditional paper windows, which are opaque and light-transmitting, so there is no possibility of seeing people through the windows.
Therefore, Zhu Chuanwen couldn't see the person coming clearly, so he could only remind him:
"Dad, someone is calling you outside."
"Someone is coming, let me go take a look."
After hearing this, Zhu Kaishan got off the kang and went to greet the guests.
Only Zhu Kaishan can still talk to people here.
The other members of Lao Zhu's family have not established any social relationships with anyone in the village.
Zhu Kaishan can only do this by himself when welcoming guests.
"Dad, it's so cold outside, why do you still talk when you come inside?"
After waiting for a while, Zhu Kaishan was nowhere to be seen taking the guests into the house.
Mrs. Zhu Wei walked to the door and couldn't help but remind her.
"No, let's just say a few words."
Zhu Kaishan's voice came from outside.
After waiting for about five minutes, Zhu Kaishan returned to the room with a solemn expression.
"Dad, what happened?"
Seeing that Zhu Kaishan's face looked wrong, Zhu Chuanwen couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing to do, let's eat."
Zhu Kaishan smiled reluctantly and waved back.
It was obvious that he was forcing a smile and did not want to ruin the atmosphere today.
Zhu Chuanwen roughly knew what it was about. If it wasn't a life-threatening matter, Zhu Kaishan wouldn't be so solemn.
After eating and drinking, there was no tradition of keeping a vigil in Lao Zhu’s family on New Year’s Eve.
Zhu Chuanwen took Xian'er back to the east chamber. After all the ups and downs, Zhu Chuanwen said to Xian'er:
"Xian'er, after the New Year, I might have to go on a long trip?"
After all, this is his daughter-in-law, and Zhu Chuanwen must show respect no matter what.
"It took a lot of effort to come to Kanto. We have just settled down. Why do you want to travel far away again?"
This period of time belongs to Zhu Chuanwen and Xian'er's honeymoon period.
I just play every day, either riding horses and hunting in the mountains or selling goods and shopping in the town.
I am happy and have no worries about food and clothing. I am much happier than back home in Zhangqiu.
Xian'er was obviously reluctant to separate from Zhu Chuanwen.
"Something happened to our father, didn't you see?"
The change in Zhu Kaishan's face is quite obvious and seems to be brainless and not normal to a child, but it shouldn't be invisible to a normal adult like Xian'er.
"You said the guests came during dinner?"
"Yes, if nothing happened, how could we come here on New Year's Eve and be so mysterious?"
"It seems like there's something going on." Xian'er nodded: "But how did you know you were going out?"
"Today's guests are obviously not from the countryside. How could they not go out?"
"Then where are you going and how long will you go?"
"I don't know, I don't even know what happened now."
At this time, Zhu Chuanwen could only pretend to be confused.
In the next few days, although it was the New Year, Lao Zhu's family had no relatives or friends in Fangniugou.
I can’t feel much of the New Year atmosphere at all.
For Lao Zhu's family, celebrating New Year's Eve is basically celebrating the New Year.
In addition, Zhu Kaishan didn't speak and looked gloomy all day long, so the family was always in a low-pressure state.
"Dad, what happened, can you tell me?"
Zhu Chuanwen rolled a tobacco leaf in paper and handed it to Zhu Kaishan and asked.
This tobacco leaf belongs to sun-cured tobacco, and to be honest, it is quite harmful to human health.
But ordinary people in this era only smoked dry cigarettes, and rolled and baked cigarettes had nothing to do with ordinary people.
In this era, cigarettes are all imported, and a cigarette costs three cents.
A box costs fifty or sixty cents. For an ordinary working-class person, a monthly salary of one silver dollar is considered a good job.
The common people cannot afford cigarettes on a daily basis.
In the 31st year of Guangxu, that is, this year, the Qing Dynasty could open its first cigarette factory and produce its own brand of cigarettes.
For factories operating in the South, it will take time for the products to spread to the Northeast.
The Northeast is under the control of Maozi and Zizi, and it is difficult for local brands to compete with these gangsters.
"He Laosi may be dead." After lighting the cigarette in his hand, Zhu Kaishan said slowly.
In fact, Zhu Kaishan basically doesn't smoke. The main reason is that Zhu Chuanwen feels that lighting up a small cigarette creates a more confiding atmosphere.
"Who is He Laosi?" Zhu Chuanwen asked with a blank expression.
Although Zhu Chuanwen showed a lot of things during his journey to Guandong, Zhu Kaishan did not see it with his own eyes.
Therefore, he didn't trust Zhu Chuanwen very much and regarded Zhu Chuanwen as a child.
The proof is that Zhu Kaishan made a fortune by panning for gold in Laojingou. He only told Zhu Wei that there was gold sand at home, but not Zhu Chuanwen.
"He Laosi is the brother who fought with me in the Boxer Rebellion. A true life-and-death friend, he took Mao Zi's bullet for me. When I first fled to the Northeast, He Laosi also took me in. Our family only has this little family fortune.
, it was also established with the help of He Laosi."
Perhaps it was because he participated in the Boxer Rebellion that Zhu Kaishan realized how dangerous it was to participate in such activities.
So apart from telling Mr. Zhu Wei something about his disappearance in the past few years.
He never mentioned to the three brothers his experience of being away from home for several years.
"Dad, then Uncle He is the benefactor of our family. Did he survive the accident?" Zhu Chuanwen asked following Zhu Kaishan's words.
"I don't know either." Zhu Kaishan shook his head: "But there is a high probability that there was an accident."
The reason why Zhu Kaishan is so sure is that He Laosi has a golden vein.
Rich but not powerful, he is a typical Huai Bi guilty and has too many people watching.
"Dad, do you want to avenge this Uncle He?"
"He has done so much for us. If I don't want to avenge him, then am I still a human being?"
"Then take revenge, dad, and I will join you."
Revenge must be taken.
Not only could Zhu Kaishan not be persuaded, but even if he could be persuaded, Zhu Chuanwen didn't want to persuade him.
In this feudal era, there are conditions for gratification and grudges.
But letting Zhu Kaishan handle this matter by himself would take too long.
This matter itself is too dangerous. If he is sure, Zhu Kaishan will not be so embarrassed.
It would be better for Zhu Chuanwen to follow him and avenge him as soon as possible.
Come back early. With Zhu Kaishan guarding the house, Zhu Chuanwen can go about his own affairs with peace of mind.
"Chuanwen, things are not as simple as you think. I know you have done a lot of things. You have killed bandits, and you have also killed Shou and Maozi. But revenge is not something that can be solved by good skills and marksmanship. Now
You don’t even know who your enemy is?”
Zhu Kaishan obviously did not want Zhu Chuanwen to be involved in danger.
The main reason is that I feel Zhu Chuanwen is not capable enough.
"Dad, are you doubting my ability? I'm not a martial artist, so you still doubt that I can't help you?"
If Zhu Kaishan wants to question Zhu Chuanwen's force.
Zhu Chuanwen can choose to practice with Zhu Kaishan, which will directly dispel his doubts.
If you doubt your brain and experience, it will be difficult to prove it. You can only use words to block people.
"I'm not doubting your ability. After I leave, there must be someone watching over the house. Otherwise, there will only be a few women and children left at home. What do you want them to do if something happens?"
Zhu Kaishan immediately thought of an excuse.
Lao Zhu's family is a family of women and children, and it really doesn't look like they are separated from their husbands.
"Dad, it's useless for you to tell me this. If you want to leave home again, I have to follow you. The last time you left alone, it was so difficult for our family to reunite. I can't let you leave alone again. You
If you don't take me with you, I will follow you myself."
Zhu Chuanwen was informing Zhu Kaishan, not discussing with Zhu Kaishan.
Zhu Kaishan was about to run away these days and didn't have much time, so he slowly negotiated.
"Sigh... Why didn't I notice when you were a kid that your temper was so much like mine?" Although Zhu Kaishan was sighing on the surface, he still felt somewhat comforted in his heart. After all, this is what a capable man wants from his son.
Me: "Then I'll tell you about the situation and see if you still dare to go?"