Zhou Jin in Scholars and Foreign History

Zhou Jin 1

The Xue family is located in Wen County, Yanzhou, Shandong. The village is not big. There are about a hundred families living there, most of them are farmers. There is a Taoist nunnery at the entrance of the village. I don’t know when it was built. There are more than a dozen private houses built outside the nunnery, next to the water. It is estimated that many people lived in this nunnery before, but now it is in decline and there is no incense. There is only one monk living in the nunnery, and the monk usually cleans the nunnery. The rich people in the village donate some sesame oil, and the money ensures the monk's food and clothing. Now the nunnery has become like an ancestral hall in the village. Regarding the matter, I called everyone to this nunnery to discuss it together.

In the last years of Chenghua, the people in this village were doing well and becoming rich, and they began to engage in entertainment activities! This year, several stewards in the village called for a Lantern Festival dragon lantern festival this year, and asked everyone to come to the nunnery to discuss it. Halfway through, the time was set for the eighth day of the first lunar month. The date has been decided and everyone celebrates the New Year happily! After the New Year, the eighth day of the Lunar New Year arrives in a blink of an eye. Although the weather in the first month of the year was sunny, it was still unable to withstand the biting cold. The village representatives of Xuejiaji rubbed their hands and breathed out one by one, and came to the nunnery one after another. Shen Xiangpu followed several villagers to the nunnery. As soon as he entered the door and saw the Buddha statue, he knelt down and worshiped the Buddha. He kept kowtowing. When the monk saw it, he said: You must be sincere in worshiping the Buddha! Shen Xiangpu looked back and saw that it was a monk. He smiled and said: I am sincere, but you, the monk, are not sincere. Look, this Buddha statue is full of dust. You should be more diligent and not be too lazy. With that said, he continued to bow, stood up and said, you see that there is only half a cup of oil in the glass cup. On New Year's Eve, Father Xun donated fifty kilograms of sesame oil to the nunnery. Did you take it yourself? As he spoke, he called Mr. Xun, who was sitting next to him, over. The monk was speechless and said hesitantly: I forgot to add lamp oil, I will definitely make up for it later. The monk realized that he had lost his mind, so he took a lead pot and poured tea for everyone.

Father Xun is a wealthy family in Xuejiaji. His family has dozens of acres of land and some shop business. It was done, so he stood up and saw that everyone was almost here, so he said to everyone: "We are almost here. Let's see how much money each household has to raise for the dragon lantern this year." Everyone talked about it, everyone Hearing Father Xun speak, they started discussing among themselves. Shen Xiangpu stood up at this time and shouted: "Wait a minute, what's the rush? My in-laws haven't come yet. Let's discuss it together when he comes. Just as he was saying that, there were rapid footsteps coming from outside. After a few steps, the sound came to the front together with the sound. . This man has red edges on both eyes, a face like an iron pot, a few sparse yellow beards, a corrugated hat on his head, a long green coat, and a thick driver in his hand. Donkey's whip. He said as he walked in the door and saw everyone. Everyone, I'm late. I'm sorry, the road is really difficult, so I rushed to the table. This man's original surname was Xia, and he was the general manager of the Xue Family Collection.

As soon as Xia Zongjia sat down at the table, he ordered: Monk, my donkey is still outside. Let me take the donkey behind and feed it with some water and grass. When it is full, After the discussion here is over, I have to go to Huang’s house at the gate of the county to have New Year’s wine. Don’t miss my business. Go now. After hearing General A’s instructions, the monk quickly put down the teapot and said: I Go now!

After Mr. Xia finished speaking, he raised his legs, hammered his waist with his hand, and sighed: "I am not as comfortable as you are living on the farm as I am eating official food." ah! Those who are celebrating the New Year, you can have a good New Year comfortably. For the servants in the yamen outside, as well as those in the third shift and the sixth room, whoever asks people to send invitations during the New Year, you have to go, or else I'm offended, look at these days, I'm riding my donkey, running up the mountains and going to the countryside, and my head is spinning. When I don't come, my eyesight is dazzled, and I fall off the donkey, and my waist is almost broken. It's broken. It's a big blow to say that.

Shen Xiangpu quickly stood up and rubbed the waist of General A, and said: My dear, in the third grade of junior high school, my family invited guests to dinner. I asked someone to call you. You didn't come. Is there something wrong? Mr. Xia looked at everyone and said, "After the seven or eight days of the New Year, I haven't been idle even a day!" I socialize outside every day. Even if I have two mouths, I can't finish the banquet. I've pushed away everything I can, and some I really can't push away. Isn't this like the porn girl who invited me today? Dad, although he is said to be a class leader, he still knows how to speak in front of the county boss. He praised me and invited me to a banquet. If I didn't go, he thought I looked down on him. Don't you think so?

? Shen Xiangpu nodded quickly and said: It's this place, but I heard that Spanish father Huang was taken away from work after the Chinese New Year. He has not come back yet, and he has no son, brother. If he invites him to drink, who will serve as his host? Mr. Xia said quickly: "You don't know this?" In fact, today's banquet was invited by Mr. Li who works fast. It's just that Mr. Li's house should be underestimated. There are many people invited today, so the decorations at home are It didn't work, so it was placed in Dad Huang's living room.

After talking for a long time, everyone listened to Mr. Xia’s words and then asked: How much money should each family donate for the dragon lantern thing. Mr. Xia said: "Actually, I don't want to take care of this matter. I used to do the first thing every year." In the past few years, when you have done meritorious deeds, you only want to count the numbers and write your names on the merit list. But some people, when the time comes to collect the money, they say that they don’t have any money, and I don’t know what to do with it. How much! So, I won’t care about this from now on. No matter which of you is the leader in the future, just tell me and I will contribute a share! I won't worry about anything else. This year I have the final say. Let me tell you, can you see if it works? Father Xun has a lot of land and shops, so he can be considered a wealthy family in Xuejiaji. He will pay thirty taels of silver for the rest. If you share thirty taels, you won’t have much left. Do you think this is okay?

? Everyone did not dare to disobey Mr. The monk came out after feeding the donkey and brought some fruits for everyone to eat. After everyone sat at several tables, the monk poured tea for them one by one.

? Shen Xiangpu drank tea and ate the fruits brought out by the monk. While eating, he said to everyone: Now that the children in the village are old and have reached the age of reading and literacy, do they need to hire a teacher? Sir, teach them? This school is located in the nunnery, and there are many houses here. Everyone said, "Yes, we have several children who are old enough to study. If we don't set up a library in the nunnery, we have to hire a husband ourselves. How can we afford it?" We can't go to the county library to study. Mr. Xia said: "It is a big deal to invite this gentleman to teach and set up a library. Where do you think you can hire this gentleman?" Shen Xiangpu said: "Of course I have to go to the county to invite him. There is no good gentleman in the countryside." Mr. Xia thought for a moment and said, "There is such an old gentleman in this county." It's Mr. Gu from our Yamen. The family invited a gentleman who was very knowledgeable. His surname was Zhou and his official name was Zhou Jin. He was about sixty years old. He was learned but had no fame. He has been teaching at Mr. Gu's house for more than three years. Last year, Mr. Gu's youngest son passed the exam and passed the exam together with Mei Sanxiang from our town. Mr. Gu was so happy that he invited a big banquet later. His youngest son, wearing a big red flower and riding a big horse, paraded through the streets playing and playing, not to mention how lively it was.

Mr. Gu also invited Mr. Zhou and sat at the table. Mr. Gu and his youngest son toasted Mr. Zhou with three glasses of wine, invited a famous opera troupe in the province, and sang in succession. During the three-day show, some famous people from the county came, so I naturally went there that day. It was really an eye-opener. Everyone listened to him with great interest.

Mr. Xia seemed to be a little thirsty. He took a bowl to drink tea. When he saw that the bowl was empty and the tea was gone, he shouted: Monk, where are you? Pour me some tea. , the monk exclaimed, emerged from nowhere, and came over with his big lead-colored teapot. After serving tea to Mr. Xia, he served it to everyone again.

Xia Zongjia drank the tea in one breath and said: "If you really want to invite Mr. Zhou, I will invite him. You can give me whatever the museum fee is, but Mr. Zhou will not ask for more from you." After saying that, he stood up and prepared to go back. Everyone said: Thank you, Mr. Xia. Mr. Xia said goodbye to everyone one by one, and asked the monk to go to the back and lead his donkey out. Mr. Xia rode his donkey and went to the county to have a drink at Father Huang's house. Everyone also went back.

A few days later, Mr. Xia returned to Xuejiaji and found his in-law, Shen Xiangpu, and asked her to tell everyone that Mr. Zhou promised to come to Xuejiaji to open a restaurant, and the library fee was twenty taels a year. It's two cents of silver a day. After the Lantern Festival, classes can start on the 29th of the year. Anyone who wants all the books will pay for it, and everyone will share it equally. After Mr. Xia passed the message, he immediately returned to the county.

Time flies, and it is the sixteenth day of the first lunar month in the blink of an eye. Those who originally discussed inviting Zhou Jin to give lectures all made an appointment to send the money to Shen Xiangpu’s house. Shen Xiangpu also prepared wine and food. With Zhou Jin, this was considered an opening dinner, so he invited Mei Sanxiang, who had just passed the scholar examination, to accompany his guests. Mei Sanxiang arrived early because he had just won the scholar examination and wore a new square scarf on his head. It is a special spirit.

Shen Xiangpu had already prepared the wine and food, and was waiting for Zhou Jin with everyone. After waiting for a long time, Zhou Jin did not arrive. , said with a smile: "I think Zhou Jin has finally arrived. Before anyone could say anything, Zhou Jin walked in. Everyone looked at him. He was wearing a shabby felt hat on his head and a shabby and somewhat black jacket." He was wearing a long silk gown with holes in the cuffs and buttocks. He was wearing a pair of bright red silk shoes. His face was dark and thin, and he had a gray beard.

When Shen Xiangpu saw Zhou Jin coming in, he hurried forward to greet him. Mei Sanxiang and everyone else stood up and bowed when they saw Zhou Jin coming in. Zhou Jin saw Mei Sanxiang and asked: Who is this Xianggong? Shen Xiangpu introduced: This is Mei Sanxiang, the scholar who just passed the entrance examination in our town, and his scientific name is Mei Jiu. Zhou Jin couldn't stand hearing this and quickly stopped asking Mei Jiu to bow to him. Everyone persuaded him, "You are older and you can bear it." Zhou Jin refused again and again. Everyone and Mei Jiu were confused and said, "Why is this?" Zhou Jin said: "You don't understand the rules of our scholar's school. Those who have honors meet those who have no honors." No matter how old you are, you don’t have to bow. Mr. Mei is a scholar with a great reputation. How can I accept his great gift? Everyone said: Today is different from the past. You are the teacher who opened the school for enlightenment, so you still have to accept this salute.

Seeing that everyone had said this, Zhou Jin was too embarrassed to refuse anymore. Mr. Mei and everyone bowed to Zhou and sat down one by one. Shen Xiangpu smiled and said, come and drink tea first: This tea is also very particular. Except for Zhou Jin and Mei Xianggong, who had two red dates in their cups, everyone else's bowls were filled with clear tea. This shows respect for the scholars. After drinking tea, Shen Xiangpu set up two tables and prepared the banquet, with Mr. Zhou sitting at the head of the table. Needless to say, today was the opening banquet! Mr. Mei sat at the second table, so everyone sat down to eat in order.

Shen Xiangpu asked his family to bring all the prepared dishes to the table, and all the dishes served were good. There was a table full of chicken, duck, crucian carp, tripe, intestines and other dishes. Shen Xiangpu poured wine for Zhou Jin and joined the others in honoring Zhou Jin. Shen Xiangpu said: Mr. Zhou please? They raised their glasses together, and Zhou Jin drank it all in one gulp. Everyone finished their wine and ate voraciously. Most of the delicious food on the table was lost, but Zhou Zhou sat there without moving his chopsticks. Shen Xiangpu watched. Strange, he smiled and asked why Mr. Zhou didn't eat it. Maybe he thought the dish was not good. If so, I would ask someone to go outside and order some. Zhou Jin quickly said: Misunderstanding, no! This dish is very delicious, but I am a long faster and it is my fault that I did not tell you in advance. Everyone was surprised and said: Sir, you are not a monk, why are you fasting? Zhou Jindao: Many years ago, because my mother was ill, I made a wish in front of the Bodhisattva. It has been more than ten years now. After hearing this, everyone said: Today is an exception, it’s almost enough after eating for so long! Why worry so much. Mr. Mei smiled and said: "When it comes to eating fast, I remember a joke!" Shen Xiangpu laughed and said: What a joke.

Xianggong Mei said: A few days ago, I went to have dinner at Mr. Gu’s house in the county, and I heard what he said. He said it was a poem with one to seven words written by the gentleman next door. I will read it to you. Listen! Everyone stopped holding their chopsticks and listened attentively to Mr. Mei's jokes. Mr. Mei pretended to be a good person and preached: Be a scholar, eat a long fast, have a beard all over your cheeks, do not open the scriptures, and arrange your own paper and pen next year. I came uninvited. After reading it, he said: Look at a great talent like Brother Zhou, do you think he is staying still? Also, the scholar is going to eat a long fast tomorrow and has a beard full of cheeks. Needless to say, just take a look and laugh out loud after saying it. Everyone also laughed together, and Zhou Jin felt a little embarrassed. Shen Xiangpu looked at him and quickly poured a glass of wine for Zhou Jin and said: I'll give you a drink, Mr. Zhou. The two drank it in one gulp. He looked at Mr. Mei next to him and said: Mr. Gu's house is to the west. Mei Jiu said in surprise: I don't know, it deserves a penalty. You deserve to be punished. I'm really not talking about you. Don't be offended, Mr. Zhou! Mei Jiu went on to say that fasting is not a bad thing. A few years ago, one of my uncles also fasted. Later, after he passed the examination for meritorious service, the teacher sent him some diced sacrificial meat. My grandmother said, you can use these diced sacrificial meat. If you don't eat, the saint will blame you. At worst, it will bring disaster, but at worst, you may get sick. So there is no other way, so my uncle had to break the fast.

? Mr. Zhou, if you open the library this year, during the autumn festival, your students will inevitably bring you some sacrificial meat. Will you eat it or not? You have to break your fast sooner or later. You might as well break your fast now. You have to break your fast sooner or later. Everyone thought that Mr. Mei was right. He raised his glass and said: "Let's raise our glasses and have a drink together. Let's pay tribute to Mr. Zhou." Everyone picked up their glasses and drank them all. Mr. Zhou picked up the glasses and toasted them one by one. After drinking the wine, he felt embarrassed and sat down. At this time, egg soup, a plate of steamed bun snacks and a plate of fried food were brought out from the kitchen. When the fire was burning, everyone said: These snacks are vegetarian, sir, you can eat a few. Zhou Jin embarrassedly took a few snacks and ate the tea.

? Everyone was chatting while eating, and one person asked Shen Xiangpu, why are your relatives not here today? Shen Xiangpu said: He is very busy, and he went to Mr. Li’s house to eat well today. The banquet is gone, how can you have time to come to our place to eat these?" Another person said: This old class leader Li is a celebrity in front of the county master. I am afraid he will make a thousand taels of silver this year! It's just that his family is fond of gambling. , Not as good as Dad Huang from Spain. Dad Huang used to be a gambler, but in the past few years, his family has become rich. I heard that the house he built is as big as a palace, and many people are envious of it!

? Mr. Xun came over and said: Your in-laws have been on the decline in the past two years. It is estimated that they will catch up with Mr. Huang in a few years! Shen Xiangpu said with a smile: He is still far from it! Well, if you want to catch up with Mr. Huang, you probably have to dream for a few years." Mr. Mei said while eating the fire: "Is it true that dreams are sometimes accurate?" Mr. Zhou, have you had any good dreams during exams in recent years? Zhou Jin laughed and said, "No." Mei Xianggong said: "The one thing I did was the year I passed the exam. On the night of the first day of the first lunar month, I dreamed that a big sun hit my head," which shocked me. I was sweating all over. After I woke up, I touched my head. It was still hot. I didn’t know why at that time. But now that I think about it, it turns out that I had a warning about my passing the exam, and sometimes my dreams are accurate. . After talking, we had some snacks.

After three rounds of drinking and eating, everyone had almost eaten. It was almost getting dark, so everyone left one after another, and Mr. Mei also left with everyone. Shen Xiangpu brought a blue quilt to Zhou Jin and sent him to the nunnery. Seeing the monk, he asked the monk Haosheng to take good care of Mr. Zhou, and told the monk that the children's restaurant was in the two rooms at the back door of the nunnery. He asked her to clean it up and the restaurant would be opened in a few days. After giving instructions to the monks, it was already dark. Shen Xiangpu took a lantern from the nunnery and went back.