As the walnut day approaches, the New Year atmosphere in Chang'an City is getting stronger and stronger.

New Year's Eve and New Year were connected in later generations, but in ancient times it was not. If it were before the Taichu year of Emperor Wu of Han, October would be the beginning of the year, and the first day of the Lunar New Year would be on the New Year's Eve, which took more than two months.

After the restructuring of the Taichu period, the first year of the year was moved to the first day of January, and the La Day was set on the third Wu day after the winter solstice. The changed main dan was mainly presided over the grand ceremony by the government. The La Day became the most important festival for the people. The annual festival was held at the end of the year, and officials and people were allowed to have banquets.

This festival is important. Even prisoners detained in prisons in counties and counties can apply for parole and go home for the New Year. The officials naturally have to have a long holiday. They start to rest from the two days before the Wai La, and only need to go back to work on the fourth day after the Wai La, which is not much or no, just seven days!

Ren Hong's family had already prepared for the La Festival under the arrangement of Xia Dingmao: five days before La, kill pigs; three days before La, kill sheep; two days before La, fast, make food for sacrificial rituals, clean and wash; on the day of La, the first day of La, the epidemic ritual will be carried out, and every household in the monk Guanli changed the peach talisman in front of the door, and painted the images of the two gods "Shen Tu" and "Yulei" to exorcise ghosts and avoid harshness.

At this time, if anyone doesn’t say “There are no ghosts and gods in the world”, it will be rolled down by everyone. In the future, it will be kicked out of the family group.

So Ren Hong did not say a word, but only followed Mr. Xia’s nagging instructions, first hung a reed rope for catching ghosts at the door, and buried rocks and 7 peach arcs at the four corners of his house, so that there would be no ghost epidemic.

When burying the Tao Arc, he also met the ugly Erlang of the Yang family. Yang Yun was probably sent out by his parents to do this.

When Ren Hong returned home, Xia Dingmao was still busy preparing the jerky for tomorrow's sacrifice.

The protagonist of the Han people's wax festival is not pork, but mutton. As the saying goes, "When the year is filled with wax, cook the lamb," sheep, auspiciousness, sheep represents the yang of yin and yang, and is also auspicious, and is the protagonist of the wax festival tomorrow.

But Ren Hong just started winter this year, so he bought a lot of pork legs, marinated them with fine salt, sprinkled some spices like pepper, and then pressed them with a stone mill. Now he has been hung outdoors and air-dried, and has been hung in the yard.

Xia Dingmao looked up at the meat that the gentleman called "ham" and felt that there was too much.

The gentleman's words are a bit inexplicable: "When you see them, you feel comfortable and feel that you are rich enough to rival a country."

In the Western Regions and Hexi, eating too much mutton will make you feel greasy. Chang'an pork is very cheap. When 1 pound of meat is the cheapest, it is only 3 yuan, and when it is the most expensive, it is only 6 yuan. Ren Hong can already imagine the rosy meat of these hams after they are cut. He smells the aroma of steaming, stir-frying, or simmering.

"Mr. Xia, the peach talisman has been hung and the round stone has been buried, but what else is missing?"

Xia Dingmao was wiping the greasy on his hands. He heard this and said meaningfully:

"A gentleman, the house is full of food, and even the slaves each gave me a warm new winter clothes. The cured flavour used for sacrifices is also prepared. There is nothing missing, but there is only a mistress... These things about the priest were originally taken care of by the heroine."

He said angrily: "But look at this yard, except for the carrots in the stable, there is no female at all?"

Yes, ewes, sows, bitches, hens...

Ren Hong could only beg for mercy: "Mr. Xia, there will definitely be next year, next year."

He was actually quite happy. The urge from his elders to get married is that it tastes like the New Year!

Xia Dingmao sighed and was knocked at the door. Liu Yaoguang and Liu Wannian all disappeared when they came to pay New Year's greetings. Instead, they smiled and went to greet Ren Hong.

Liu Wannian's red hair looked particularly festive on the eve of this festival. He was carrying two fat geese in his hand, and the servants behind him were carrying a cart of gifts.

Liu Yaoguang wore a festive outfit today, and also put on yellow flowers, and saluted Ren Hong seriously: "Mother and brother, I came to the letter from the Protector of the Western Regions, asking me to ask them to ask the good things of the Marquis of Xi'an on their behalf. There is no other gift in the remote areas. Knowing that Marquis of Xi'an is good for foreign products, he ordered Mrs. Feng to buy local fruits, fruits, spices and seeds from Dayuan and Kangju. Yaoguang personally recommended rice geese and hoped that Marquis of Xi'an would accept them."

La is hunting, hunting animals in fields to worship ancestors, which is the most primitive custom of La Day. Ren Hong asked someone to take over the geese and smiled and said, "It should be that I thank Lord Chu and the prince for their help. If Wusun had sent troops to help me, how could Ren Hong have today? But this geese... could not be the princess secretly fought in Shanglinyuan, right? If so, I would not dare to accept it."

Liu Yaoguang couldn't hold back and cursed with a smile: "Poaching in Shanglinyuan is a serious crime. Please don't want to harm me. I was killed on Leyouyuan."

Liu Wannian said in the back: "Sister insisted on going to Leyouyuan Shooting Geese. Two of them were dropped with one bow, but the pavilion leader who came to check was stunned."

After entering the yard, I saw the gifts sent from Wusun from thousands of miles away. In addition to the use of Anxiqin from the Ren Hong family, there were also a lot of wine, pomegranate peel and other items, which were expensive in Chang'an. Princess Jieyou was indeed careful.

But the two of them didn't stay for long. The smell of steamed ham in the kitchen had already emanated. Liu Wannian was reluctant to leave when he smelled the smell, but Liu Yaoguang glared at him and said goodbye to Ren Hong.

"We have to go to Liu Zongzheng's house."

The purpose of worshiping ancestors was to reunite the clan. Liu De was regarded as the "parent" of the Chu family in Jingzhao. Yaoguang and his sister were included in the royal family and had to go to a banquet to gather with relatives. He only made an appointment with Ren Hong to see the Da Nuo in Chang'an City in the evening.

As soon as the sister and brother left, the Xi'an Marquis' Mansion suddenly became quiet. Many servants in the family also asked for leave to go home for the New Year, leaving only Ren Hong, Xia Dingmao, Han Gandang and a few unfamiliar servants stared at each other. Listening to the lively situation of the families next door, their family always felt deserted and deserted.

Although the ham is indeed delicious, it tasted a little bitter when chewed in Xia Weng's mouth.

"A gentleman, the matter of marrying a wife and inheriting him is really delayed..."

Seeing that he put down his chopsticks and was about to speak again, Ren Hong quickly bent on the excuse of making an appointment with Princess Yaoguang to go out to watch Nuo first.

The day before La, beating the drum to drive out the epidemic, which is called eliminating. The Danuo on the eve of La Day was a fixed program for more than a hundred years of Han Dynasty. Starting from the Weiyang Palace, it crossed the entire five-kilometer-long Anmen Street until Hengmen. It was a rare day in Chang'an City without a curfew, and a carnival of hundreds of thousands of people across the city.

The streets must be crowded today. Ren Hong did not lead a horse or a follower. He walked out in a thick fur and wandered around the alley not far from Zong Zheng Liu De's house for two times, and Liu Yaoguang also came out.

"Where is ten thousand years?" Ren Hong asked deliberately, but he was reluctant to come.

Liu Yaoguang sighed, "Liu Gengsheng, the second son of Liu Zongzheng's family, is only three years old. He likes Wannian's red hair, and he always tangles him and can't move away."

That's it, but it may also be because the sister is scared with her fists and dare not follow her.

The two of them walked together, but they only kept a little distance, but at the door of Shangguanli, they met a couple who also went out to watch the fun because their home was deserted.

...

On the day before this year's La La, Liu Bingyi's family was not very hot. His father-in-law and mother-in-law were both servants, and he was busy with the Great Nuo ceremony in the palace in the palace and could not escape.

As for the sacrifices to the deceased grandfather, grandmother, and parents, they will not go tomorrow - he alone wants to sacrifice to the whole family, and the taste is really hard to describe. In the past, on La Li Day, Liu Bingyi was always lonely and sad.

But this year is different. He forced himself to smile and helped his wife arrange the wax jelly that needed to be prepared for sacrifices. After finishing his work, Xu Pingjun said that since he entered the Yeting, he had not seen the excitement of the Danuo in Chang'an City for many years, so Liu Bingyi pulled her out.

Hitting into the bustle and prosperity outside may help him drive away the sadness in his heart.

"My dear, let go, let it go, and let people see how amazing it is." Xu Pingjun blushed and looked left and right, trying to break free from her husband's hand.

Liu Bingyi didn't care at all and said with a smile: "Shi says, holding your hand and holding your old age with you, we are a folk couple. Isn't it common for you to walk hand in hand?"

Xu Pingjun's physique is prone to cold, especially in winter, when his hands are cold, Liu Bingyi holds it tightly, allowing Xu Pingjun to feel the incomparable warmth from her husband's palm, and only sneaks into his side face.

His heroic eyebrows and firm eyes were like the smile of the summer sun, and he could not see at all. This orphan who was imprisoned in a prison until he was five years old and his clan was destroyed.

The ice in the twelfth lunar month seemed to be melted by him.

It was not until the Marquis of Xi'an came to call Liu Bingyi that she quickly shook her husband's hand and turned around to salute her, and the color was just about to be happy.

"Liu Xu has met the Marquis of Xi'an."

Ren Hong had never officially met Xu Pingjun, but only occasionally met in Shangguanli. This thin and childish girl had already plated the hairstyle of a married woman. She always brought her servants to buy firewood, charcoal and meat and vegetables. She was polite to anyone she met.

It was like a small animal walking through the alley, close to the wall, carefully avoiding the swagger of giants such as Huo in the inner city, for fear of being stepped on by him.

But as a lord, Ren Hong revered to the white woman: "I have always heard that the emperor's great-grandson has a virtuous wife, which can make him calm down. There are fewer cockfights and dogs, and I will only see you today."

He looked at Liu Bingyi. After two months of dating, he could already make some jokes: "The great-grandson of the emperor, if you take on a wife like this, Qi Jiang is not as good as you!"

This made Liu Bingye a little proud, and Xu Pingjun blushed when he got the praise, but his eyes couldn't help but look at the beautiful girl dressed up behind Ren Hong. The other party was also looking at the couple with his eyes wide open.

Seeing that his appearance was quite exotic, Xu Pingjun guessed: "Is this a maid raised by the family of the Marquis of Xi'an?"

But when he heard Ren Hong's introduction that this was the eldest princess of Wusun, he was inevitably surprised.
Chapter completed!