Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 26 Joy
"Why are you so fat?"

"How can you be so fat?"

In Pingyang City, He Bo found his target.

It's not a fox anymore.

It's a fox-pig!
In addition, when He Bo found him, this fox-pig had already opened up his Ren and Du meridians, and was eating and drinking for free in the city with his new little brother.

The little brother also ate with a smile, wagging his tail and chirping to the human who fed him.

It somehow resembles its relative who is already guarding the house.

"But this kind of association is pretty good, right?"

He Bo took a tour around Pingyang City, and after using the power of ghosts and gods to take in all the people and things, he gradually understood everything.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry about it.

Some strange coincidences led to the spread of rumors in Pingyang City, such as "foxes are messengers of ghosts and gods" and "after death, one has to rely on foxes to lead the way so one should be respectful to fox fairies", which promoted He Bo's progress.

People in this era are always so simple.

Even though no outsiders witnessed the return of Old Man Xi's ghost, people still believed in the words of the fisherman and his wife.

In winter, people are always prone to illness, and once they are sick, they tend to have more wild thoughts, which causes this trend to spread quickly.

"Row!"

"Happy New Year everyone!"

He Bo found the source of the problem, reached out and touched the heavy bodies of the foxes and pigs, and stopped worrying about it.

Legends like this one that are related to ghosts and gods, with small animals wandering around in them, always seem closer to life and more gentle.

When faced with the touch of the ghost, the fox-pig, like before, still had its ears resting on its head and its round body huddled, looking very scared but alert.

But it was still chewing the bones that had been fed to it before.

He Bo laughed twice and then left Pingyang City.

……

"Would you like to go to Yecheng together?"

During the Chinese New Year, He Bo asked the old man happily.

Xi put down the clay tablet he was using to learn calligraphy and nodded eagerly, "Okay, okay!"

He didn't want to study anymore!

Can anyone think of,

I'm fifty years old.
There is also such an adventure of "no limit to learning"!

"Are we going to Pingyang City later?"

He Bo asked him again.

Xi thought about it and said, "Forget it. The dead and the living are still different."

"Thanks to the mercy of Habaek, I am honored to see my family again after my death. How can I ask for more?"

So He Bo didn't ask any more questions and went out with Xi.

In Ye County, the La Festival was being held.

The Book of Rites records: "In the twelfth month of the year, all things are gathered together and offered sacrifices. It is the wax sacrifice: the host is the first to offer sacrifices, and the priests are the second to offer sacrifices."

In other words, at the end of the farming season in the twelfth month of the Zhou calendar, all the gods related to crops would be summoned for worship.

The Zhangshui River God was naturally among them.

After all, you live by the mountain and eat by the mountain, and you live by the water. After worshiping the gods of the community and the grain, it is impossible not to worship the local snakes.

As for the other minor gods,
If you can worship, then worship.

It highlights a style of "I'm good, you're good, everyone is good", strives not to offend anyone, and then all kinds of ghosts and gods come to bless Ye County with stability and prosperity.

When the La Festival comes to an end, it is time for people to have a carnival.

The old year ends,

They would celebrate greatly, saying that they had lived another year.

Usually at this time, no matter how frugal the rulers are, they have to indulge themselves and allow people to drink and celebrate.

Even though Ye County was poor, some wine and drinks were still squeezed out in order to prepare for the joy after the La Festival. Ximen Bao also paid out of his own pocket to buy some wine and drinks in nearby cities so that everyone could relax and vent.

In the Book of Rites, Confucius once said: "A hundred days of wax and a day of shine are not what you know. If you stretch without relaxing, you cannot be a civil or military officer; if you relax without stretching, you cannot be a civil or military officer. Alternating between tension and relaxation is the way of civil and military affairs."

This is a comment on the joyful scene during the La Festival.

When He Bo arrived,
The La Festival is coming to an end.

Ximen Bao, the chief priest, was reciting the "Book of Songs·July" "… In September, the frost is severe; in October, the fields are cleaned. Friends drink wine and feast, lambs are slaughtered, and we enter the public hall. We toast to the wine cup: May you live forever!"

And when he finished reciting, the La Festival was declared over.

Those who have wine to drink, drink it.
Those who have food to eat, eat.
Sing or dance,

Either sing or dance.

There were also a few people who "drunk themselves even if the wine doesn't make them drunk", singing "Cricket" from "Tang Feng" with their arms around each other:
"The cricket is in the hall, the year is coming to an end. Now I am not happy, the sun and the moon are about to pass. There is no end to the great prosperity, and the job is to think about the home. Good people are happy and never waste time, and good people are eager to learn."

"When the cricket is in the hall, the year is passing. Now I am not happy, the days and months are advancing. There is no end to prosperity, and the job is to think about the outside. There is no waste of joy, and good people are stumbling."

"The crickets are in the hall, the work of the carriage should rest. Now I am not happy, the sun and the moon are gloomy. There is no end to the great prosperity, the work is worried. Good people should rest when they enjoy themselves. "

Year after year,
You are almost finished this year.

If I don't seize the time to be happy now, I will only be exhausted this year!

But we can’t be too happy, we have to keep working hard next year!

Be vigilant about next year's disasters, work hard for next year's career, and be kind to everyone you meet next year!
Their singing was out of tune and their voices were rough, but they lingered and wouldn't dissipate in this quaint county town.

"The scene here is not as big as Pingyang, but it's just as lively," the old man said happily.

He followed He Bo, unable to be seen, but also blended into the happy crowd. Relying on the fact that he was an invisible and intangible old ghost, he waved his hands and feet at will, not afraid of hitting others.

He Bo just watched from the side, listening to them singing and watching them dancing.

Although he did not appear to be involved,
But the layer upon layer of jubilant waves on the surface of the Zhang River and the clear water in the canal that leaps out of the river and rushes to the fields without the guidance of a waterwheel all prove that the gods and ghosts are quietly enjoying themselves with the people of the world.

When the joy gradually subsided, He Bo brought Xi to Ximen Bao's mansion.

Ximen Bao had just returned from presiding over a ceremony. When he saw the ghost appear again, he stood at the door to greet him.

"I am so happy to have a distinguished guest here!"

He Bo returned the greeting, pointed at Xi behind him and introduced him, "This is the disciple I want you to teach."

"His name is Xi."

The old man was delighted to hear this, and he also imitated Ximen Bao's actions, bending down stiffly.

It was the first time for him to imitate the etiquette of gentlemen, and at such an old age, one can only say that his movements were full of emotion.

"It's just learning characters, it can't be called teaching."

Ximen Bao knew just by hearing Xi's name that he was of commoner origin.

Before this, He Bo had also made it clear that the person he was asked to teach was a ghost.

But now the ghosts and gods have come in person,

Ximen Bao was not surprised at all to see a civilian turned into a ghost.

"Please come in."

Ximen Bao welcomed the person into the house.

He took off his shoes, stepped on the floor, and then knelt upright.

He Bo laughed at him, "I see you have sores on your feet, and you actually took off your shoes to enter the house?"

"Although this is my own home, how can a gentleman indulge himself and not observe etiquette just because he is at home?" Ximen Bao said seriously, resting his hands on his knees.

When he went to inspect the conditions of the fields before, Ximen Bao accidentally slipped and stepped into a puddle nearby, and his shoes and socks were immediately soaked.

But he still insisted on returning to change after finishing the look, which unfortunately resulted in sores on the soles of his feet.

Fortunately, it was not serious, and Ximen Bao was strong-willed and never showed any discomfort.

Even with such a cover-up, it still cannot escape the eyes of ghosts and gods.

He Bo continued, "You are not the kind of Confucian scholar who only knows how to observe etiquette."

"But today, He Bo came in person and asked me to teach others. How can I not set an example?"

After hearing this,

He Bo turned to Xi and said, "Look, Doctor Ximen is indeed a good teacher!"

"You should learn more from him!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

Xi nodded quickly.

So He Bo and Lao Gui pretended to take off their shoes and walked into the house barefoot.

But when the ghosts entered, Ximen Bao suddenly felt a warm breeze on his face and bursts of heat under his feet.

He moved secretly and found that the sore had healed.

(End of this chapter)