The Story of I Hiding from the Light

My hometown is Zoucheng, the hometown of Mencius, and my hometown is Shuangcun Town (now Tangcun Town). Because I was weak and sick since childhood, my parents hired a fortune teller again, and I got the solutions: First, I should not see my own Lantern Festival lanterns until I was nine years old. The second is to avoid god, and you must not see the idol before you are nine years old. If you fail to do any of them, you must recognize Shi Popo as a foster mother before you can crack them, otherwise your life will be hard to protect. Therefore, when I was a child, I spent the Lantern Festival, either at my relatives' home or in a hotel. Although I like lanterns very much, I have never seen my own Lantern Festival lanterns.

in 1956, when I was seven years old, I was able to secretly play in a school in Lincun behind my parents' backs. My father goes to the market to do crafts every day, and I can also sneak to the collection to find my father. On the Lantern Festival that year, my parents were afraid that I would sneak home and make a mistake when I saw my own lanterns, so my brother sent me to my relatives' house in the county to hide from them.

on that day, before dawn, my mother cooked a ginger soup meal for our trip. It was getting light the day after dinner, so we got up and walked into town. It was still very cold, so we hurried all the way without playing and entered the west gate at 9 o'clock. In the past, it was said that the county government is very close to the west gate, and the downtown area is when you enter the gate. The Dragon Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month in the city is extremely lively, and it is often fortunate to see several fire dragons dancing on the same stage, which is much better than the dragon lanterns in the country. I have long dreamed of going to the city to see how the dragon can compete with the dance. Today, the opportunity has finally come, and my dream will definitely come true. Therefore, I have been in high spirits and have been tireless in my eighteen miles. In fact, the road we take has inherited the ancient post road and has become a highway. After five miles, the road gradually became lively. When we arrived at Sanliying, the roadside was already full of shops, and people were coming and going. Entering the city gate, the street is wider, with more pavements, larger businesses, denser pedestrians, prosperous and lively. Coming from the south, going north, going east, and returning west are one after another. The style of carrying a load, carrying a basket, pushing a cart and riding a donkey is not bad. Everywhere is crowded with people, and everywhere is bustling. My brother was afraid that I would get lost and kept holding my hand through the crowd. Soon, we squeezed into a shop through the cracks, which turned out to be the pavement rented by menstruation's family in Ximenli. Menstruation saw us and took us to the backyard. We were introduced to the old shopkeeper, uncle, uncle, aunt and cousin. Later, my brother talked with menstruation back to the pavement, and I ran back to the yard.

I looked around curiously in the courtyard. Oh! People in the city are really rich! All the houses are shiny and luxurious. Every family's Spring Festival couplets are still fresh and beautiful. Lanterns are hung high in front of every household, with different styles, varieties and colors. There are gauze lanterns, skirt lanterns, palace lanterns, fish lanterns, eight immortals lanterns, lotus lanterns, lantern lanterns, three sheep lanterns, golden rooster lanterns to announce the dawn ... The festive atmosphere is extraordinary. There are two small ironmaking furnaces on the left, one of which is burning brightly, and my cousin is pulling the bellows sadly. Uncle is telling his cousin what to do. From time to time, he carefully inserts a big iron hook into the furnace, as if he is hooking something carefully, which is probably the legendary "watching the fire". At this time, the flame spewed out along the furnace hook, and bright sparks flew all over the sky with a crackling sound. Fortunately, the iron hook was particularly long, and only a small amount of sparks splashed on the uncle. Soon my cousin stopped blowing and poured the dazzling molten iron into the mold. Suddenly, the steel flowers gushed out, and the fire was shining, dazzling and popping, which was more exciting and exciting than the scene when fireworks were set off ... In a banquet greenhouse on the right, ten square tables were neatly arranged, polite and generous. The waiter is putting tea sets, wine sets and tableware on the table, as if preparing to open a banquet. In the kitchen next to it, the chefs cut, sliced, cooked and cooked, all of them were arrogant and agile. There is a living room behind, and the old shopkeeper is busy receiving guests. The hall is full of guests, coming and going. There were four guests in the yard with strange accents, like the legendary "Nan Barbarian" looking for treasure in the mountains. I listened hard and couldn't understand what they were talking about. The more I didn't understand, the more curious I became, and I froze there.

Every year, the Dragon Lantern Festival in Zoucheng is held on the 15th day of the first month, and the Gangshan Temple Fair in Zoucheng is held on the 16th to 18th day of the first month. It is called "Walking North Ridge" for local people to watch the dragon lanterns and catch up with the temple fair. Beiling refers to the "Steel Mountain" and "Iron Mountain" in Chengbei District, where local Buddhist and Taoist temples are located respectively. It's often said by elders: Pilgrimage in Gangshan eliminates all diseases, pilgrimages in Tieshan avoid disasters, farmers burn incense and crops flourish, and merchants make a fortune when they burn incense ..... Therefore, there are many pilgrims walking in Beiling. One day, many relatives came to menstruation's house in Beiling. menstruation was hospitable and prepared a family banquet for everyone. But the big seats in the yard have nothing to do with family banquets.

It turns out that the old shopkeeper (my cousin's grandfather) is the head of the tinker line in Zou, Teng and Yi counties. During the annual temple fair, businessmen from Jin Gangzuan, tinkers, jewelers and glassmakers from all over the country gather in the temple to hold a three-day Jin Gangzuan trade. Those big seats are prepared for merchants in the industry. As these merchants gathered in the bank from the 15th day of the first month, the banquet in the bank needed to last for four days. It is said that it has become a century-old practice. Guests inside and outside the industry have always taken this opportunity to do business, make friends and talk business.

at about 9: 3, uncle has given his cousin a holiday. I followed my two brothers to the most prosperous county street to watch the dragon lantern. My cousin told us that the next day was the Gangshan Temple Fair, and grandpa and uncle allowed him to accompany us to watch the dragon lanterns, climb the leaning tower and go to the North Ridge for pilgrimages. He also said that the copper coins ground on the stone wall of Tieshan's "Taoist place" are called "Beiling Money", and whoever owns Beiling Money will be prosperous. So we have to climb to the top, look at the "road" and grind some "Northridge money". Although the next day is the temple fair, today's Lantern Festival is also unusual, and dragon lantern performances can be seen intermittently from morning till night. I followed them closely, walking, listening and watching, and soon entered the street outside the mansion. The closer we get to Fumen Square, the more lively it becomes. Look, three dragon lanterns in the small square each occupy a crossing, as if preparing to enter. The spectators at the edge of the square are already dense, and the streets are packed. The children's difficulty in watching the play made them push forward. We were lucky enough to find a slightly higher platform, not far from it, so that we could look at the whole audience.

Dragon dances, salutes clear the way, and drum music announces the sky. Stilts, dry boats, yangko, puppets and black donkeys followed. The huge dragon lamp either swings in the air or rolls over. For a while, I went out to play with pearls, and for a while I went to the mountains. Sure enough, as the storytelling said: "The horn in the east is on the west, and the pipe on the left is on the right." The scene is like a storm, and the gongs and drums are ringing. The drum music was thrilling and the string of salutes was deafening. The dance floor was flooded and the audience was full of blood. Longteng tide after tide, cheers wave after wave, is so harmonious, so auspicious. Dancers are worthy of being Shandong's great men, and people are called heroes like warriors. Although the spring breeze is like scissors, the dancers are sweating. Dance out of the level of Zoucheng people, dance out of the spirit of Zoucheng people, dance out of the happiness of Zoucheng people, dance out of the hope of Zoucheng people. Look: no matter dancers, spectators, actors, performers, singers, listeners, or people who join in the fun, those who argue doorways and learn skills are all full of feelings, and * * * gathers into a vast ocean of joy. * * * Celebrate the eighth Lantern Festival in New China, * * * praise the harmony of Zoucheng people and * * * praise the happiness of Zoucheng people. It is said that the dragon lantern show in the evening was carried out under the candle in the dragon lantern, and the scene and effect at that time were more exciting and charming.

With the end of the Dragon Lantern Festival, the crowd gradually evacuated and the streets were cleared. We followed the flood of people and continued to visit the scenery along Fuqian Street. Besides enjoying various pavilions, archways, mansions, shops, shop names and various commodities along the way, the endless stream of new gadgets opened my eyes. Such as: pulling foreign films, blowing sugar people, hoop rings, shaking diabolo, selling dog skin cream, blowing glass boom boom. There are countless boxers, entertainers, storytellers, singers, monkeys and jugglers. There are toy stalls, fruit shops, grocery stores, flower arranging sheds and silversmith buildings all over the street. I don't know which is better. There are also clay figurines, handlebars, lottery winners, monkey carvers, and people who dip in sugar syrup. Even the steamed bun car, sesame seed cake basket, sweet-scented melon seeds, sachet pickpockets, sugar clubs, cigarette plates, peddlers' burdens, dog meat boxes and shadow play boxes also went to the gun site to join in the fun. What's more interesting is that the way they attract business is very funny and very attractive. Bangers, gongs, drums, bells, blowing, pulling, playing and singing are all colorful. However, those who sell rock candy, hemp board, sugar balls and cigarettes are obviously much inferior. They don't have to call their heads. They just peddle at their throats, and they talk in different ways ... We are enjoying it with great interest, and our cousin prompts us for lunch, so we hurried back. Looking up in a hurry, it is really a prosperous scene in the city, and it is rich and splendid everywhere. No wonder my parents encouraged my brother and sister to study hard again and again. Perhaps my parents never gave up the hope of going back to the city to do business.

Back at menstruation's home, menstruation is arranging relatives to sit at the table. This banquet is quite distinctive. The large-scale meals are made by menstruation himself, and many local specialties brought by relatives from the countryside are also put on the table in small plates. The variety and quantity of meals are extremely rich. The guests seated are old and young, expensive and poor, working and business, elegant and vulgar. I am a stranger to these relatives. menstruation showed me how to get to know each other one by one, and said hello to them. It really deserves to be called the hometown of etiquette, and the host and guests at the table are in harmony. Whether you use wine, tea, meals or words, you always have more etiquette, mutual respect and mutual respect, and love your friends and relatives. Speak freely before and after the table, and enjoy elegance and vulgarity. The guests thanked menstruation for his warm kindness. menstruation said modestly, all relatives are welcome.

Later, I learned that the compound where menstruation's family lived was the location of Zoucheng's "cobbler's shop" and also the local Hui area. The owners of those workshops and shops are mostly Hui people. It is reported that the Hui and Han nationalities have lived in the compound for a long time, and Tongji and * * * have always lived in harmony, which has long been a good news. At the head of the courtyard is the ancestral temple of the Hui people. Every year, more people come to this courtyard for the Muslim Lent Festival, which is more lively and busy than the Lantern Festival. There are more than 6 houses in the courtyard owned by the cobbler's firm, of which nearly 4 belong to the workshops and pavements of the cobbler's traders. The tinker's shop is a poor business, with only 16 houses, most of which are paved workshops. Its main business is casting and operating open plows, plowshares, plowshares and plowshares. The secondary business is to repair plowshares, iron pots, waterwheels and farm tools. Business is small, and the house is tight. Therefore, only the old shopkeeper, uncle, uncle and cousin live in the workshop.

After dinner, my brothers left me with menstruation, and they went to watch the dragon lantern show in the distance. Menstruation took a short time to take me to the West Gate to see the lanterns. In our compound, the red lanterns in front of each house have been lit, reflecting the brilliance of the whole courtyard. Out of the compound, the streets are full of children carrying lanterns and setting off fireworks. There are a group here and a group there. There are many children my age, and the older children are in groups by themselves. Younger children are often accompanied by their families. Big brother, big sister, little brother and little sister, neatly dressed, beautiful and healthy, with round face bags, are particularly beautiful under the illumination of lanterns. Rich children play luxurious lanterns, and the luxurious new clothes are splendid and shiny. Children from poor families are born beautiful, and their purplish face bags are like the rising sun, lively and lovely, and cheerful. There are many paper lanterns, which are colorful, exquisite and bright, and the flowers are beautiful. Overlooking both sides of Ximenli Road, red lanterns are densely hung high, row by row, connected in series. With the ups and downs of the terrain, ups and downs, layers of overlapping, forming two golden fire dragons, far and near magnificent, magnificent. Fireworks rose in Ran Ran, and the sky was covered with glory, and the dazzling street scene was golden. The firecrackers rumbled, and the sound was heard, and the sound echoed back and forth,

one rose and the other fell. The dragon lanterns marched while performing, one team after another, one after another, colorful and magnificent. Showing the spirit of the dragon and rendering the spirit of the dragon. The arrival of the dragon lantern is full of cheers and thunder, and the dragon dance is always lingering. The children are like flowers, all in high spirits. Hold high lanterns to praise the great motherland, light flaming flowers to praise the hometown of etiquette. What a precious time, what a fascinating sight, but because menstruation is very busy, we can't watch more.

I heard the legend that people in the city "have lights and telephones upstairs and downstairs", so how can a country baby not yearn for it? However, when I came into town, I only saw street lamps on both sides of the road. I didn't know what the family lights were like, let alone the telephone. There is a phonograph in menstruation's family, which is usually put on the counter of the pavement to "sing foreign operas" to attract business, except that there is no foreign stuff anymore. As soon as I came back from watching the lights and entered the courtyard, the living room immediately took my eye. A series of intense incandescent light beams are emitted through doors and windows, and the light is as bright as day. I asked menstruation if this was an electric light, and menstruation told me humorously: Ha! I haven't seen you before, grandma Xiang! This is not an electric light, this is a gas light! Our family just installed electric lights in the pavement, and we will see them soon. I'm more curious about gas lamps. Why are gas lamps brighter than street lamps? Father's way is to often use karstic (calcium carbide) lamps. It seems that gas lamps are brighter than karstic lamps, and karstic lamps are brighter than street lamps. Want to go over and look through the crack of the door, just take two steps, menstruation single-handedly back. Menstruation told me that grandpa had a guest there, so he must not be disturbed. I obeyed menstruation and went home.

At that time, uncles, uncles and aunts were leisurely listening to the phonograph singing, drinking tea and chatting. After entering the room, before I opened my mouth to greet them, my aunt took me in one hand and made me snuggle in his arms, asking questions. Let me drink tea for a while, let me eat sugar for a while, and occasionally give me snacks and fruits. Because my parents always pay attention to the etiquette education of our brothers and sisters, I feel it is not elegant to snuggle up in the arms of my elders. So, I told my aunt to make tea and left her skillfully. No wonder, it is said that the aunt is nearly 5 years old and has not yet given birth to a child. Therefore, no matter whose children she meets, she is extremely kind and especially caring. Then, according to the rules, I held the teapot with my right hand and touched the lid with my left hand, giving tea to Dabao, Aunt, Uncle and menstruation one by one, and finally, I made my own tea. Turn the teapot so that the spout is inclined to the "seat", put it down slowly, suggest that the elders use tea, and stand back and sit down by themselves. Maybe my behavior is too disciplined and respectful. I noticed that everyone stopped talking and stared at me. With the exception of menstruation, she was whispering to her aunt, not knowing what she was saying. The atmosphere changed for a moment, and everyone happily used tea. Of course, I am also very gratified and happy. My uncle spoke to menstruation: See, the descendants of everyone who is a master are different. It seems that this guy must have a bright future. Somehow, the conversation turned to cousins. What a coincidence! Speaking of the devil, my cousins and brothers arrived in triumph with great interest.

As soon as they entered the room, some toys they bought for me were all shaken out and put on the table. Everyone began to play with those toys: the "tortoise drumming" with hands; There are walking "skin mice"; There are diabolos, flowers, and colored glasses. have