Song Xingzhi lived during the reign of Emperor Huizong

Chapter 10

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! The Spring Festival, commonly known as "New Year", is the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar. In the early years of Emperor Wu of Han's reign, the first day of the first month of the Xia calendar (lunar calendar) was designated as the "beginning of the year". This day has been called the New Year ever since.

In Suzhou and Hangzhou, the New Year's festival begins with the Kitchen God Festival on the eighth or twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month and continues until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. However, since it is not in the north, the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is not given much importance.

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye. Su Chen had been waiting for this day for a long time, and his mouth watered at the sight of the delicious-looking dishes on the table. The head chef was originally from Suzhou. In his youth, he had apprenticed with his master in Ningbo and Shaoxing. His West Lake Vinegar Fish, Longjing Shrimp, and Ning Family Eel were incredibly authentic. The dishes were accompanied by braised spring bamboo shoots, clear soup chicken, rock sugar turtle, honey-glazed ham, and more, making for a table full of food.

After Su Chen's eldest and third uncles and male descendants finished their ancestral rites, they took their seats and began the meal. The children sat at a separate table, each served by a maid. Su Chen was eating heartily when suddenly firecrackers went off. His eldest uncle, He Zi'an, hurriedly ordered his servants to put up couplets. Several servants quickly grabbed the couplets and ran out.

He Suchen noticed that the couplet was completely blank, without a single word. He whispered to Yongjiao, who replied with a smile, "Father once said that in our Suzhou and Hangzhou custom, we paste blank couplets on New Year's Eve to wish for a peaceful year. Pasting blank couplets means a year without trouble, with peace and prosperity for everyone."

Is that even possible?! I'm truly amazed...

After the meal, Su Chen's eyes were still fixed on the plate of Longjing shrimp, still wanting more. But Granny Sun wouldn't let her eat anymore, saying that one should only eat until they were seven-tenths full, as more would be bad for their health. Seeing that the children couldn't sit still, Tang's mother allowed her son to take them out to see the excitement. The remaining girls pouted and wanted to go too, but were kept behind. Zhang said, "You're just girls, how old are you? Go in a couple of years, be good."

For more than ten days in a row, Suzhou was bustling and lively, incredibly fun. He Su Shi returned and told his sister about the situation on the streets, wishing he could go again.

Before we knew it, it was the Lantern Festival. After dinner, the servants brought out desserts. Madam Zhang said, "These are the 'floating dumplings' that have become popular these days. I was worried that the family wouldn't be used to them, so I only asked them to make sesame, red bean paste, walnut, and jujube paste fillings. Mother, would you like to try them?"

Tang's mother tried it and said, "It tastes alright, soft and chewy. We old folks like it, but you might not."

Su Chen tried it too, and thought, "Hey, isn't this just glutinous rice balls? What a weird name."

"Grandma, we want to go play in the yard," Yongjiao said, her mouth full of glutinous rice balls, her words muffled.

"Life is so cold and dreary. What's so fun about the courtyard?" Tang's mother asked, puzzled. Yuan Rou replied timidly, "The family across the street is setting off the most exquisite fireworks tonight. I heard they were specially made by a master craftsman from Sichuan. You don't usually see that."

It's not unusual to have the custom of setting off fireworks during the Lantern Festival. Especially in Suzhou, families with extra money will set off fireworks and firecrackers on the night of the Lantern Festival.

He Sucheng had overheard the maids talking about how the Cui family mansion across the street was the residence of a retired Vice Minister of War. This Vice Minister Cui had only two sons. The eldest son was named Cui Wenqi, courtesy name Liuchang, who, along with Liu Zhenxi from the east of the city, Jing Zhiyue from Hangzhou, and Zhang Jingjing from Xiliu Lane, were known as the Four Great Talents of Wuzhong. All of them were successful in the imperial examinations at a young age, came from good families, and had bright futures.

Cui Wenqi was skilled in painting, especially landscapes and depictions of women, and called himself the "Six Likenesses Hermit." The "Six Likenesses" refer to six fleeting things: "like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow; like dew, like lightning." He believed that wealth and fame were all like these six things—fleeting, ephemeral, and ultimately empty. He felt it was better to stay away from officialdom and live a life of wealth and freedom. Born into a wealthy family, he lost his parents early, leaving only his grandmother and younger brother. With no one to care for him, he was forced to pursue his own interests. Thus, he lived a carefree life of wealth and leisure. Because his painting and calligraphy were exceptionally good, yet very few survived, his paintings were worth a fortune, often with no market for them.

Cui Wenqi was most filial to his grandmother, who loved excitement. To please her, he specially sent someone from Sichuan to hire a craftsman who had been making fireworks for generations. On the Lantern Festival, fireworks were set off in the square in the backyard of his house. When the news spread, it caused a sensation in Suzhou, and everyone crowded into the square to watch the fireworks.

Although the He family had also bought many fireworks, they were all ordinary items, far inferior to those specially made by top craftsmen. Although the children stayed in the mansion and didn't go out, they were well-informed thanks to the maids and servants around, and they eagerly wanted to see the fireworks that day. When Madam Tang heard this, she also became interested and ordered tables and chairs to be arranged, and a group of people went to the garden.

The fireworks had already started going off. The maids who had been watching in the garden for a long time said that first came the moon fireworks, then the shooting star moon-chasing cannons, and now they were setting off the third kind.

He Su Shi held his sister's hand tightly, afraid of losing her, and shouted loudly. All around him cheered and made a lot of noise.

I've never seen such beautiful fireworks before!

Su Chen looked up, his eyes wide. He heard several crackling sounds as several dragon tails snaked out from the horizon, instantly revealing the entire dragon's body and head. There were exactly nine dragons, filling the entire sky and forming a circle. The nine dragons were incredibly lifelike, with their scales and whiskers clearly visible, as if they were moving. They chased after each other towards the center of the sky. Just then, a pearl bloomed at the center, shining brightly—this was the Nine Dragons Chasing the Pearl.

Chapter 18, Fireworks

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join now!!! The fireworks lingered in the air for several seconds before slowly dissipating. Everyone held their breath; Suzhou City seemed like a dead city. With a loud "bang," the central bead boomed again, transforming into the shapes of golden chrysanthemums, hibiscus, and plum blossoms—a dazzling display of fire and color. Just as everyone relaxed and wanted to appreciate the flowers, several more loud booms echoed, and several giant lines flashed across the sky, suddenly appearing as pavilions and towers! On one of the platforms, there were even figures in theatrical costumes created by the fireworks, standing in the center. A few seconds later, the sky went dark again, as if what had just been seen had never happened.

Just then, thunderous cheers erupted, and the garden was bustling with excitement. Everyone exclaimed in amazement—it turned out that everyone from the He family was here. Outside the garden, the square where the Cui family had set off fireworks was like a gathering of 50,000 hungry ducks, quacking loudly. The Suzhou people gathered there praised the event, and adults and children alike shouted and cheered as if they had just woken up.

After a while, other households in Suzhou also started setting off fireworks, but no one was interested anymore; they simply strolled through the streets to look at the lanterns.

Su Chen was both excited and bewildered. The fireworks she had just seen were hundreds of times more sophisticated and beautiful than anything she had ever seen in modern times. The fireworks at the Beijing Olympics were only a thousandth as dazzling. If Su Shi hadn't been gripping her hand so tightly it hurt, she would have thought she was watching a modern animation!

After the fireworks display, the servants and maids in the mansion dispersed to do their own things, but they were still very excited and discussing the fireworks. Madam Liu had already taken Yuanfang to apologize and return home early, while Yuanrou stayed behind. Madam Tang carried her, and ordered Granny Tian to carry He Sucheng. She also had Qiushui find several cloaks to wrap He Sushi and the other children, fearing they might catch a chill in the garden. She briefly praised the fireworks, then said, "These fireworks, though exquisite, are not the best. When I was a child, I was summoned to the palace by the Empress Dowager to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. I still remember the fireworks that night."

The children eagerly asked her to explain in detail, and she smiled and said, "The most complex and intricate scene is 'Waiting for the Moon in the West Chamber,' where the poet Li Bai's drinking and composing poetry is transformed into fireworks, one scene after another, just like real people drinking and composing poetry in the sky. It took a full sixty-one fireworks to complete this scene. Then, extremely neat regular script characters are released into the air, writing 'A pot of wine among the flowers, I drink alone without a companion. I raise my cup to invite the bright moon, and with my shadow, we become three.' There are also Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and even the Three Pure Ones. It's truly a masterpiece of nature."

...Is it real or fake?! Why can't we see any of these in modern times?! Su Chen could imagine the frenzy that modern fireworks manufacturers would feel if they saw these fireworks.

Zhang held Yongjiao in her arms and asked her if she was thirsty and wanted some water. She then looked up and said, "When I was a daughter at home, I heard my mother talk about the grand moon-viewing spectacle of that year. Unfortunately, I don't know why, these fireworks have become increasingly rare to see since then."

Mother Tang sighed, "It's a pity, really. Fireworks craftsmen are usually from one family. The skills passed down from their ancestors are never passed on to others. They are all passed down to a single lineage, only to the eldest son, for fear that the skills will be spread outside. This goes on for several or even dozens of generations. It's common for the successor to be stupid and unable to learn all the skills. If the family is small, the craft may even die out."

Madam Zhang sighed, “Mother is indeed very knowledgeable. It’s not just fireworks that are lost. So many things left by our ancestors have disappeared like this. Not to mention other things like ceramics and embroidery, my second sister-in-law once said that her brother couldn’t learn many of the family’s methods of severing the meridians. If Father is not around one day, this technique will also be lost.”

Yongjiao grabbed her grandmother's hand and asked, "Why can't we let capable people learn it? Wouldn't it be a waste to let such a good thing disappear?"

Tang's mother tapped her nose: "Child, you're still young and don't understand. How can we let outsiders learn our own things? It's better if they disappear than if outsiders take away our descendants' livelihoods and they have nothing to eat."

Is this one of the reasons why countless traditional crafts and cultural traditions have been lost?! Su Chen listened, stunned and speechless.

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I've long felt heartbroken about the loss of traditional culture and crafts, but I'm completely powerless to help. It's painful and distressing, yet all I can do is voice my concerns; I can't do anything practical. Or perhaps I'm just all talk; if I were to actually do it myself, I'd be too lazy to even lift a finger…

In short, I'm very sad. Even if it's just a couple of shouts, I want to shout it out.

The fireworks designs in this chapter are based on historical records from the Ming Dynasty. Although I've embellished them considerably, and most of these so-called historical records are actually fictional, they still have some credibility...

Well, I completely copied the prototype of Cui Wenqi from Tang Ziwei, and even used Liuru Jushi verbatim~ But it seems that Tang Yin didn't have any brothers or sisters.

Chapter Nineteen, Military Craftsman

The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now! The hustle and bustle of the Spring Festival seems to have faded away in no time. After more than ten days of being constantly called to the main house to meet relatives who came to pay New Year's visits, we quickly returned to a more peaceful life.

He Suchen was struggling with her socks. The socks she was wearing were about knee-length, made of two layers of silk sewn together and stuffed with cotton. They were soft and fun to walk on. Strangely, there was a small opening at the top of the socks with a garter belt attached to it for securing them.

Strange, aren't there any tendon straps here? Using straps to tie your feet together is uncomfortable and troublesome; it feels like your feet are frozen in place.

She shifted her feet uncomfortably, and Qiu Sang pressed her feet down, saying, "Are you feeling unwell, young lady? Wait a while. If you don't tie the straps properly now, they'll come loose later, and your feet won't stay warm."

But it's so uncomfortable to tie them up. He Suchen innocently looked up: "Sister Qiusang, are all people's socks like this? It's so inconvenient."

Qiu Sang laughed and replied, "You really are a girl who stays at home all day. We don't have such fabric for our socks, and the ones outside are even worse. Some women are too lazy to make socks, so they use long strips of cloth instead. In winter, they wrap their feet in layers to keep warm. But poor families don't even have a few extra clothes, so they don't care about their feet. Many can't even wear socks, so they just pull up the hem of their clothes to cover their heels." She seemed to think of something funny and added, "Some women are too lazy to wash their cloth strips, so they wrap the same strip for ten or twenty days. If they also bind their feet and use alum to press down on them, the strips of cloth are even more disgusting to look at. People outside say, 'A lazy woman's foot binding cloth—smelly and long.'"

Speaking of foot binding, it's a strange thing. He Suchen couldn't help but ask, "What's the deal with bound feet? Why haven't we seen anyone in the manor with bound feet?" Qiu Sang used a cloth to wrap her calves and secure the socks before saying, "How could a manor like ours bind feet? Miss, don't go out and spread such nonsense. Only courtesans or nouveau riche families in the countryside follow such a fashion."

Really? Wasn't foot binding extremely prevalent in the Song Dynasty, with small feet considered beautiful? I've even heard of perverts who liked to use prostitutes' tiny shoes as wine cups—it's disgusting! Has history changed again? Or am I remembering wrong? Whatever, not having to bind feet is a good thing!