Di Ming

Chapter 106 Autumn Society Festival

Zhao Chan'er was already familiar with the two children. She didn't stand on ceremony, said a few words after coming in, and then walked with her golden lotus feet to the grape trellis and picked a few grapes.

Then he sat down on the stone bench under the grape trellis and said with a smile:

"Tomorrow morning, at 3:45 AM, we'll go to the Dongli Earth God Temple for a grand ceremony and a theatrical performance to thank the gods. Our village opera in Qingqiao is always the most outstanding every year. The opera fair is a bustling market with all kinds of goods, even more lively than the town market, where you can buy many things that you can't usually buy."

"Several wild boars are already locked in cages next to the Earth God Temple. Tomorrow at dawn, the wild boars will be slaughtered and roasted until Chenshi (7-9 AM), then the sacrificial meat can be distributed and eaten. So, don't eat breakfast tomorrow morning; save your stomachs for the wild boar meat."

Ning Caiwei asked, "Does the cost of hiring a theatrical troupe have to be shared by each household?"

Zhao Chan'er ate a grape and laughed, "How could that be? There are so many wealthy and powerful families in Qingqiao, they take care of everything every year."

Zhu Yin was not surprised at all upon hearing this. Ancient gentry were two-faced, rarely seeing things in black and white terms.

On the one hand, they ruled the countryside, acting arrogantly and even running rampant in the villages.

On the other hand, it also involves building roads and bridges, and maintaining public facilities and grassroots order.

Spending money to organize village operas every year is just a small amount of money for them.

Zhao Chan'er said, "Tomorrow is the Autumn Festival, and we were supposed to return to our parents' home today. But Qingchen is still breastfeeding, so we won't be going back. Let's go see a play together tomorrow."

According to the custom passed down from the Han Dynasty, people go back to their maternal home for the Autumn Festival.

She was Qingchen's wet nurse and couldn't be separated from her for even a day, so she didn't care about the custom of returning home for the autumn festival.

That afternoon, Zhu Yin sent someone to find the village elder and bought him a seat near the front of the theater.

At night, the already dilapidated and in need of repair wooden bridge in Dongshan suddenly collapsed, temporarily preventing villagers from entering the mountain.

……

Early the next morning, Zhu Yin and the others arrived near the Dongli Earth God Temple.

In ancient Chinese rituals, prayers were offered in spring and thanks were given in autumn. These were known as the Spring Festival and Autumn Festival.

The fifth day after the Beginning of Autumn (戊日) is the Autumn Festival, when a grand autumn sacrifice is performed.

On the day of the community festival, a pig is taken from the community, and the meat is distributed on a shrine.

According to the sacrificial rites of the ancient Chinese, on the Autumn Equinox Day, the imperial court and local prefectures and counties set up altars to worship the gods of the land and grain. Ordinary people would perform folk operas to express their gratitude to the gods.

In ancient China, Taoism was the primary religion among the common people. Temples dedicated to various deities, such as the Earth God, Mountain God, Dragon God, City God, Guan Yu, Mazu, Plague God, and Houtu, were found throughout urban and rural areas.

Although the Autumn Festival is held at the Earth God Temple, it is not just the Earth God who is worshipped, but "all the gods".

We worship ghosts and gods together, and watch the play together. We offend none of the gods and Buddhas.

But Zhu Yin knew that although the Autumn Festival ceremony was still common in the Ming Dynasty, it had actually declined.

This decline was caused by the Mongol invasion.

After the Yuan Dynasty, although the Autumn Festival was not interrupted, the imperial court stopped holding the ceremony. Only the common people continued to perform the rituals.

With the official Autumn Festival no longer held, its decline was inevitable.

The Mongol Yuan dynasty led to the overall decline of ancient Chinese customs. Fortunately, the Hongwu Emperor restored Han customs and swept away the influence of non-Han cultures, so that ancient traditions were preserved in the Ming dynasty and were not completely lost.

During the Qing Dynasty, Chinese customs suffered another major blow, and the Autumn Festival began to disappear among the people. In the end, only a few regions preserved the tradition.

As soon as Zhu Yin and his group arrived, they saw that many children had already arrived.

Lu You wrote in his poem "She Ri" (社日): "Everywhere is a peaceful place, and children are overjoyed on She Ri."

Zhu Yin saw people playing with spinning tops and striking empty clocks.

There were also boys playing "Da Tai'er," which is derived from the ancient game "Ji Rang," similar to baseball, but different from baseball.

The ball that was hit was an oval-shaped "date pit ball" about two inches in size.

Several boys in short clothes and with their hair in topknots, upon seeing Zhu Yin, who was about the same age, immediately waved their baseball bats and shouted:
"Come on, come on! Are you coming or not? The loser gets to eat cake!"

"Hey! Want to hit me a few times?"

"I'm not coming!" Zhu Yin shook his head. "I'm just here to watch the fun!"

"Coward!" a boy sneered. "Afraid to lose!"

Just then, a little girl suddenly appeared, tapping a wooden fish and laughing, hiding behind Zhu Yin.

As Zhu Yin was puzzled, a clear, childlike voice said, "We've got you!"

But it was a blindfolded child. It turned out he was groping in the dark.

On the haystack field not far away, a large group of boys were playing war games with great enthusiasm.

One group was dressed in black, and the other in white. Each group had its own leader, and they used bamboo shoots as weapons. The battle was fierce and exciting.

"I am General Xu Da—"

"I am General Chang Yuchun—"

"kill!"

Zhu Yin chuckled to himself. Well, it's the Ming army fighting the Ming army now.

Two groups of people clashed, chasing each other through the maze-like haystacks. Some fled to the tops of the haystacks, some chased after them, and some jumped down from high places.

Ning Caiwei frowned and said, "What a bunch of naughty kids! They're so mischievous."

Then he couldn't help but laugh, "It's good this way, tough and resilient."

In her view, these children were far superior to the pampered darlings of later generations.

Unlike the noisy and mischievous boys, the girls mostly played shuttlecock and jumped rope.

There are also claw machines.

Several girls gathered together, playing with a pile of pebbles on the ground, tossing and catching them with nimble movements, making a clattering sound.

Ning Caiwei quickly noticed a problem. These girls, ranging in age from five or six to twelve or thirteen, mostly had bound feet.

Even those with bound feet could still play shuttlecock.

However, almost none of the girls who jump rope have bound feet.

Those with bound feet played together, and those with unbound feet played together.

They are clearly distinct.

A group of girls skipping rope greeted Ning Caiwei immediately upon seeing her.

Let's jump together!

Ning Caiwei smiled and said, "Okay, I'll give it a try!"

Zhu Yin was surprised to find that Ning Caiwei still had a childlike heart. After watching for a while, she grasped the technique and then joined the group of girls in dancing.

The girls all had natural feet, dressed in red and green, their skirts fluttering and hair ribbons dancing as they went up and down the ropes, giggling and laughing, very cheerful and lively.

When Zhu Yin saw this group of graceful girls with bound feet, he suddenly recalled the words of a scholar: "The demise of traditional Chinese dance may be due to foot binding."

Ning Caiwei's graceful movements and quick reflexes quickly won the favor of several girls with unbound feet.

"what's your name?"

"Ning Caiwei. And you?"

"Xue Susu! My home is in Xili. Come visit me sometime, and I'll teach you how to ride a horse and shoot a slingshot!"

"Haha, I can ride horses too, and I can shoot arrows!"

"Really? Where do you live? I'll come visit you sometime."

“I live in the north courtyard of the Zhou family.”

"Oh, it's you! You're new here. Some people in the village call you Ning Big Feet."

"Haha! You also have big feet, do people call you Xue Big Feet too?"

"I'm different! My family are horse breeders, and because we need to raise and herd horses, it's not appropriate for our feet to be bound!"

So her family were horse breeders; no wonder she knew how to ride a horse. There weren't many girls in the Ming Dynasty who could ride horses.

Ning Caiwei and Xue Susu exchanged a few words and quickly became acquainted.

Upon hearing the words "horse herder," Zhu Yin couldn't help but shake his head.

The horse administration system of the Ming Dynasty had numerous drawbacks. To put it bluntly, it was an utterly stupid and wicked policy.

The Ming Dynasty inherited the various household registration systems of the Yuan Dynasty and created a "horse household" to allow ordinary people to raise warhorses.

Even in the Jiangnan water towns, which are not suitable for raising horses, there are horse breeders who have been responsible for raising warhorses for generations.

Putting aside whether raising warhorses is suitable for civilians, the first issue is that it involves a heavy tax and labor service, and the state should have offered preferential treatment and subsidies.

However, not only were there no preferential treatment or subsidies, but the officials in charge of collecting horses also created various pretexts to exploit them, making life extremely difficult for the horse farmers who raised warhorses for the country. They were not of low social status, but were treated as such.

Just look at Xue Susu's clothes. Her clothes are old and obviously too big; they clearly aren't her own.

This indicates that her family, as a horse-riding household, had living conditions below the village average, placing them at the bottom of the village economically, similar to craftsmen like Fang Jian.

Zhang Juzheng once reformed the horse administration, but after his death, the reforms ceased, and the horse administration reverted to its old ways until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

The disastrous consequences of the Ming Dynasty's horse administration not only caused hardship for hundreds of thousands of horse owners, but also resulted in a severe shortage of warhorses for the Ming Dynasty.

Instead, it enriched a group of officials who made their fortunes by exploiting the horse administration.

Ning Caiwei stopped dancing after a while, made an appointment with Xue Susu to meet again, and then continued to stroll around with Zhu Yin.

After walking a few steps, they came across two young girls, barely out of their teens, playing a game of grass fighting. A group of village girls of similar age sat around them, watching with great interest.

Ning Caiwei was drawn in and stopped to watch with great interest. Ning Qingchen, nestled in Zhao Chan'er's arms, also craned her neck out.

Zhao Chan'er looked at the girl in red participating in the grass-fighting game and couldn't help but smile slightly, as if she knew her.

Grass-fighting was also a game that women in the Ming Dynasty loved to play. However, little girls couldn't play it; it was mostly played by teenage girls.

They sat cross-legged on lotus leaves, facing each other, taking turns reciting elegant poems about grass fighting.

"You have hemp and flax. I have kudzu and thorny bushes. You have artemisia and wormwood. I have orchids and sesame. You have branches of joy. I have seeds of longing. You have plucked hearts to grow. I have hearts to break and die..."

This is Wu Zhaoxin's widely circulated poem "Qinhuai Grass Fighting Chapter," but it only serves as the beginning of the grass fighting game.

The next round of poetry competition was a test of individual skill, seeing who had read more books or had a richer vocabulary.

Those who play the grass-fighting game are mostly educated women who can read and write.

This game of "fighting grass" is actually similar to a couplet. Both sides must recite the names of flowers and grasses, and the names must be perfectly matched and cannot be repeated.

After the two girls finished reciting "The Qinhuai Grass Fighting Game," they each displayed their skills.

The girl in red shook the foxtail grass and said, "I have a few red plum blossoms."

The girl in green shook the foxtail grass and said, "I have a patch of green willow in summer."

After several rounds, the girl in red suddenly increased the difficulty, tossed a foxtail grass, and laughed, "Moss grows by the pine tree beside the orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum."

This is a sentence about six kinds of flowers and plants.

The green-clad girl thought for a moment, her round face turning bright red, and she said with an adorable, unconvinced expression, "You study at the community school for another year!"

"Hehe! You lost!" the girl in red laughed, taking the foxtail grass from the girl in green's hand. "Who else!"

His bright eyes held a hint of disdain.

“I’ve come to meet you!” Another woman in a red dress stood up and greeted him with her hands clasped.

"I couldn't ask for more." The victorious woman in red also stood up gracefully and returned the greeting with her hands clasped.

After the ceremony, they sat cross-legged on lotus leaves together and began a new round of grass-fighting.

In this round, the woman in red won again, taking another blade of grass.

She won again in the third round. Having won against three opponents in a row, this woman became increasingly arrogant.

A young girl immediately exclaimed, "Gu Hongxiu from Beili is truly unmatched!"

Gu Hongxiu smiled without hesitation and said, "My brother is a man of great talent. Although I am far inferior to him, if I were a man, passing the imperial examination would be as easy as taking candy from a bag."

"Among the four great villages of Qingqiao, which of these young ladies and talented women can rival me? Grass-fighting is nothing, just a trivial game for girls. But what about astronomy, geography, arithmetic, calligraphy, economics, and practical skills? Is there anything I don't know?" "Alas, I regret not being a man to serve my wise ruler."

Hearing this, the girls around her giggled.

Holding Ning Qingchen, Zhao Chan'er stepped forward and scolded with a laugh, "Alright! A young lady like you, shameless and full of boasting!"

"Sister-in-law!" Gu Hongxiu said somewhat awkwardly, "Why do you have to belittle me, sister-in-law? Tell me, if we're talking about real talent and learning, shouldn't I have passed the imperial examination at the county level?"

"Okay, okay!" Zhao Chan'er was both amused and exasperated, too lazy to argue with her sister-in-law.

This young woman was rebellious by nature. Not only did she love reading all sorts of books, but she also always regretted not being born a man. She was also a bit eccentric and even idolized Xu Wei. She secretly unbound her feet, resulting in her feet being neither big nor small.

What kind of decent person could Xu Wei be?

It will be difficult for this sister-in-law to marry into a respectable family.

Seeing that Ning Qingchen in her sister-in-law's arms was so cute and chubby, Gu Hongxiu couldn't help but brush a blade of grass across her face and giggle:
"Little sister, you must be Qingchen? Oh my, you're so beautiful, it's melting my heart. Why don't you come with me? I'll sell you for rouge, are you scared?"

Ning Qingchen: "..."

The baby's black, gem-like eyes looked at Gu Hongxiu with a somewhat innocent and adorable expression.

Are you kidding me?
If I go with you, will you get any milk?

If my sister suddenly starts talking, are you scared?
"Giggle!" Gu Hongxiu was amused by the adorable baby. "Sister-in-law, this child is so lovable, like a little treasure."

Ning Caiwei, standing nearby, was also speechless.

This is my sister, okay?

Zhao Chan'er was too lazy to talk to this somewhat crazy sister-in-law, and rolled her eyes at her, saying:

"Young lady, be careful out there. Even though it's an auspicious day for the village opera, don't go home too late. Otherwise, you'll anger your brother and get a beating."

After saying that, Zhao Chan'er ignored her arrogant sister-in-law and quickly walked away.

Zhu Yin and the others then followed Zhao Chan forward.

But outside the Earth God Temple Square, the grid-like road was packed with small vendors and hawkers attending the market.

Besides those from the local village, many peddlers from other places also came.

The entire market was as bustling as a town, filled with noise.

The vendors lined up their stalls along the roadside, sitting on small stools and calling out to sell their wares.

Shops and stalls in this town all have to pay taxes, and which tax collector is easy to talk to?

However, during the autumn festival, tax collectors dared not come to the shrine grounds to avoid bad luck.

Why?
They were afraid of offending Guan Yu, who hated evil as if it were his enemy, and Bao Zheng, who was incorruptible and impartial!

Therefore, many people bring their unused or surplus items to the market to sell.

It doesn't necessarily have to be selling for money; bartering is also a good option.

Chicken, duck, fish, meat, pots and pans, needles and thread, seasonal fruits, pastries and candied fruits, candied hawthorns, books and paintings, the Four Treasures of the Study, dog skin plasters... all sorts of things, nothing is missing.

Zhu Yin also saw the relatively rare Ai Dai at that time, which had crystal lenses and brass frames.

It is not much different from glasses in later generations.

Aidai had been introduced to the Ming Dynasty for at least several decades. However, it was still not an ordinary item among the common people.

"Hey bro, do you like it? Aida! Have you ever seen one before?"

Not only were there vendors selling things, but there were also fortune tellers sitting in their divination boxes, carrying a banner and with bamboo tubes full of bamboo sticks on their tables.

"Young man, would you like to draw a fortune stick and have your fortune told?" the fortune teller invited. "You might just draw the best one."

Besides fortune tellers, there were also itinerant doctors selling medicine, claiming to have "ancestral secret recipes and miraculous cures," while their medicine boxes contained packets of dubious drugs.

"Fellow villagers, I shouldn't be hawking my wares, right? Everyone's healthy and doesn't need medicine. But you can buy some to keep on hand, just in case..."

Ning Qingchen, held in Zhao Chan'er's arms, stared intently at the itinerant doctor's medicine box with wide, dark eyes, not blinking.

The itinerant doctor chuckled, "Have you had your first birthday celebration yet? Do you perhaps have a fondness for traditional Chinese medicine? When you grow up, you can become my apprentice."

Ning Qingchen: "..."

She glanced at the name of the itinerant doctor; it was "Ye the Miraculous Doctor."

The baby couldn't help but giggle, which was very cute.

Ye Miaoshou chuckled, "Oh, young lady, I think we're destined to meet. When you grow up, I'll teach you a few medical skills, which will benefit you for life."

Zhao Chan'er rolled her eyes inwardly, then picked up Ning Qingchen and left.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei exchanged a smile.

But Ning Qingchen turned her little head and kept looking at the itinerant doctor's medicine box.

Because she clearly saw that the medicine box seemed to contain surgical instruments.

The surgical instruments were very old-fashioned, different from those of later generations, but they were definitely used for surgery.

Is it possible that traditional Chinese medicine is not as simple as she thinks?
Seeing the baby turn to look at him, Ye Miaoshou couldn't help but wave his hand, his smile somewhat desolate.

Soon, the group passed through the market and arrived at the plaza in front of the shrine.

Besides the Earth God Temple, there are also the Agricultural God Temple and the Mountain God Temple here. The three temples are built in a triangular shape, creating a very solemn atmosphere.

In front of each of the three shrines hangs a shrine drum. There is a large square in front of the gate.

This is the shrine square in Qingqiao. This large square is usually used as a threshing ground.

In front of the earth god temple in the middle, there is a large stage, about three zhang in size.

This is the shrine's main stage.

However, it was still morning, and there were no performances on the main stage yet.

The performance on stage wouldn't begin until the meat was distributed in the morning.

Meanwhile, around the shrine, where there were still plenty of empty spaces and seats, various games for adults were being held.

Gambling was taking place in the mill and waterwheel workshop next to the Temple of Saturn. In addition to the gamblers, onlookers crowded outside the door.

Beneath the grand stage, seven or eight pairs of shirtless men were wrestling.

The audience gathered around, cheering and applauding.

Zhu Yin watched the sumo matches with some surprise. These sumo wrestlers wore only a pair of nasal trousers, a net on their heads, and their bodies were embroidered with ferocious beasts.

Moreover, each of them was strong, tall, and robust, exuding a fierce aura; they were all powerful and vigorous warriors.

"Hi!"

"Ouch!"

Pairs of tall, strong wrestlers let out low roars, their muscles as strong as iron, wrestling with each other, their heads covered in sweat.

Even from several meters away, one could feel the vigorous aura emanating from the wrestler.

Even in the late Ming Dynasty, a time of literary fascination and especially in the gentle, misty Jiangnan region, one could still find this kind of masculine folk entertainment.

Sumo wrestling is a traditional Chinese activity that remained popular during the Ming Dynasty. It was introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty and later became one of Japan's national martial arts.

It seems that even in the late Ming Dynasty, there were still brave warriors among the Han people.

However, it disappeared during the Qing Dynasty.

"Are these bandits also from Qingqiao?" Zhu Yin asked Zhao Chan'er.

Zhao Chan'er replied, "They are all locals from Qingqiao Village, they just like wrestling. Every year, the winner represents Qingqiao Village and goes to the wrestling arena in the city to compete."

Zhu Yin and Lan Cha were watching the wrestling match, while Ning Caiwei and Ding Hongying were watching the football match.

Ning Caiwei never imagined that Cuju (ancient Chinese football) existed in the Ming Dynasty, and that it was so popular.

However, by the Qing Dynasty, Cuju, a Chinese football game originating from the Spring and Autumn Period and with a history of over two thousand years, had almost disappeared.

A group of people were divided into two teams, fiercely competing for a fluffy ball.

The ball is slightly smaller than a football, and its elasticity and rolling properties are not as good, so the football field is not as large as a football field. However, the goal is also smaller than the football goal.

Moreover, the door, like a basketball net, is suspended in the air, about ten feet off the ground.

But there is only one goal.

But actually, it's still considered two goals. Because the goal is high up in the middle of the field, one team has to shoot from the east and the other team has to shoot from the west.

There are twelve people on each side.

Ning Caiwei observed that all twenty-four players had their hands behind their backs, or even tucked into their sleeves. Clearly, just like in football, hands were not allowed.

But it can be used on the head, chest, abdomen, knees, and buttocks.

Their ball-handling skills, in particular, are dazzling.

Ning Caiwei couldn't see any fundamental difference between this kind of Cuju (ancient Chinese football) and modern football. Perhaps the biggest difference was just the goal?
As for whether Western football originated from Chinese Cuju, Ning Caiwei didn't know, but the more she looked, the more doubtful she became.

It's so similar.

"蹴" means to kick. "鞠" means ball. They have the exact same meaning as "football".

Zhu Yin also came over at this time and watched the football game together.

He knew that there were many ways to play Cuju, but they were mainly divided into those with goals and those without.

The way we play now is the most authentic way, and it's a style that originated from the Tang and Song dynasties.

The players also have different titles, and according to their respective tasks, they are divided into ball leader (captain), valiant ball, front-handler, head-handler, left and right pole net, etc.

The balls used in Cuju (ancient Chinese football) were already an industry in the Ming Dynasty, and even branded. There were twenty-four brands on the market.

By the Qing Dynasty, Cuju (ancient Chinese football) was likely deliberately abandoned.

Zhu Yin watched for a while, then thought about some things about football in later generations, and couldn't help but sigh.

He shook his head and walked away with mixed feelings.

On the left side of the field, bursts of women's laughter rang out, ringing out like silver bells.

It turned out to be two pairs of women, one in red and one in green, playing a game of Chuiwan (a type of Chinese ball game).

Chuiwan, also with a long history, is said to have originated in the Warring States period according to the "Wan Jing" (丸经). However, it should have originated in the Sui and Tang dynasties and is a variant of polo.

Chuiwan was an activity primarily played by women. It was especially popular among women during the Tang Dynasty, continued into the Ming Dynasty, and disappeared by the Qing Dynasty.

The participating women, dressed in fitted outfits with slender sleeves and headscarves, looked dashing and spirited. They held bent golf clubs and used them to hit the ball towards the hole not far away.

“This looks a lot like a golf ball,” Ning Caiwei said softly, only Zhu Yin could hear her.

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Huaxia Chuiwan should be the origin of golf. Later, the Mongols spread Chuiwan to Europe, where it became the early form of golf. There is little controversy about this point."

Ning Caiwei said in a low voice, "I feel something's a bit strange. Why did these activities, which were popular for a thousand years, eventually disappear, but instead flourish in the West?"

Zhu Yin was taken aback and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he could only shake his head and say inexplicably, "Perhaps... it's fate."

After a while, half an hour later, the group smelled the aroma of roasted meat.

The crowd quickly became excited.

The roasted pig is ready, and it's time to distribute the meat; everyone gets a share.

However, the chief priest has not yet arrived.

The order to share the sacrificial meat must be given only after the chief priest arrives and the grand sacrifice is completed.

Today's chief officiant at the Autumn Festival is none other than the wealthy Master Zhang from the Zhang family!

Just as the aroma of meat wafted through the air, a voice shouted, "Chief Priest, Master Zhang has arrived!"

P.S.: The Autumn Festival is too long to finish writing in one day; I'll have to write all day tomorrow. I know many readers don't like this kind of writing, but please be patient. The festival is almost here, goodnight! My subscription numbers are too low today.

(End of this chapter)