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The Spring Festival of the Han Dynasty had arrived, and this was Fei Qian's second Spring Festival in this era.
During the first Spring Festival, it had just been him and Uncle Fu, a quiet and lonely affair. They had simply prepared some meat dishes and called it a day, leaving little impression.
But this time, in Jingxiang's Lushan, it was completely different.
Although the Pang family didn't have many members serving in official positions, their reputation was far-reaching. Many who usually stayed out of sight emerged during the Spring Festival, and almost every day, people either came in person or sent representatives to deliver gifts to Pang Degong.
Most of the gifts weren't particularly valuable—mostly agricultural products like wheat, rice, and some fruits. Of course, if the gifts had been too extravagant, Pang Degong might not have accepted them. But the sheer number of gifts quickly filled the rooms on the mountain. At some point, the overflow started being stored in Fei Qian's house, and now, except for Uncle Fu's room, the backyard was almost full...
Pang Degong's reputation in Jingxiang was truly well-deserved.
Pang Tong had gone back home for a short while but returned after a couple of days, deciding to spend the Spring Festival in Lushan.
Zao Zhi had originally planned to go home, but after seeing the agricultural books at Fei Qian's place, he couldn't bring himself to leave. He wrote a letter home explaining the situation and stayed. Whether he'd get another beating when he returned was a problem for later...
This year, Fei Qian wouldn't have to spend the Spring Festival alone with Uncle Fu. He now had two companions.
In the Han Dynasty, the Spring Festival wasn't originally celebrated in the first month of the lunar calendar but in the tenth month. It wasn't until Emperor Wu of Han's reign that the government officially designated the first day of the first lunar month as the start of the year, fixing the date of the Spring Festival.
Firecrackers? Yes, they existed.
But you couldn't set them off freely, or the authorities would come—that, of course, was a modern concern...
In the Han Dynasty, firecrackers also couldn't be set off at will. The capital, Luoyang, had to set them off first, and only after that could other regions follow suit. In other words, the first hour of the first day of the new year was a privilege reserved for the capital...
The firecrackers were, of course, the most traditional kind—bamboo. These days, many people were selling them in the markets, section by section. Uncle Fu had bought quite a few and stored them in the backyard. When the time came, they'd just toss them into the fire pit—safe, non-toxic, eco-friendly, and pollution-free.
The most important activities during the Han Dynasty's Spring Festival were sacrifices and the Nuo dance. The sacrifices were what they were, but the Nuo dance was similar to a kind of shamanistic ritual in later times. In the Han Dynasty, it was a crucial custom. The government organized the Nuo sacrifice, called the "State Nuo"; the military held Nuo sacrifices before the new year or before going to war, known as the "Military Nuo"; and ordinary villagers held smaller-scale Nuo sacrifices, referred to as the "Village Nuo"...
The *Rites of Zhou* records: "The Fangxiang shaman wears a bear skin, with golden eyes on four sides, dressed in black and red, holding a spear and shield, leading a hundred subordinates in the Nuo dance to drive out pestilence from the houses." This describes the custom.
In addition, there was another crucial activity: mutual visits, known as "greeting rituals" in the Han Dynasty.
As the highest spiritual leader of the Jingxiang scholar-gentry, Pang Degong naturally received visits from members of other families.
When these high-ranking figures from prominent families arrived, it would be disrespectful to have mere servants receive them. Thus, it was customary for a member of the Pang family to personally handle the greetings.
In previous years, this duty had fallen to Pang Degong's son, Pang Shanmin. But now that Pang Shanmin had started his own family and career, with his own social circle and responsibilities, the task fell to Pang Tong. This was one of the main reasons Pang Tong had decided to spend the Spring Festival in Lushan this year...
By the way, Pang Shanmin's wife was the second sister of the famous Zhuge Liang...
However, to Fei Qian's surprise, this year, besides Pang Tong, he was also assigned to be a greeting attendant. When Pang Tong informed him, Fei Qian could hardly believe it. After all, this was a significant event for the Pang family. How could an outsider be involved?
According to Pang Tong's explanation—"You've read so many of the Pang family's books; it's only fair you do some work..."
But Fei Qian knew this had to be Pang Degong's deliberate arrangement. Otherwise, no one would dare make such a decision. It was truly a thoughtful gesture...
Thus, as the New Year approached, Fei Qian and Pang Tong took on the role of Pang Degong's greeting attendants.
Early in the morning, many visitors arrived, but most didn't get to sit and talk with Pang Degong for long. Some didn't even exchange more than a few words before hurrying off...
Fei Qian and Pang Tong took turns leading people up and down the mountain, their legs nearly giving out. Fei Qian could only console himself by thinking that at least Pang Degong lived on Lushan and not Mount Everest. Otherwise.
As the day wore on, the number of visitors to Pang Degong gradually decreased. Fei Qian thought the day was almost over, but Pang Tong said the most important guests were yet to come.
Soon, Fei Qian understood what Pang Tong meant. In the distance, a large procession of carriages and horses approached, carrying lanterns. As they drew closer, Fei Qian could see the large "Cai" character written on the lanterns.
When Fei Qian and Pang Tong went forward to greet them, Fei Qian realized it was none other than the head of the Cai family, Cai Feng.
Cai Feng clearly knew Pang Tong and joked upon seeing him, "So it's you this year? Must be tiring, huh?" He then casually glanced at Fei Qian.
Pang Tong kept a straight face and replied solemnly, "Serving the elders is no hardship." He then stood to the side and led Cai Feng up the mountain, while Fei Qian guided the Cai family's entourage to his own house, which had essentially become a temporary lodging station during this period.
However, when Fei Qian brought the Cai family's group to his house, the leader of the group didn't enter. Instead, after thanking Fei Qian, they found an open space, unloaded some items from the carriage, and set up tents...
It seemed they planned to spend the night here.
By the time Fei Qian returned to the foot of Lushan, Pang Tong had just come down as well.
Pang Tong was also exhausted. Although Fei Qian was older, Pang Tong was only in his early teens, and his stamina was nearly spent. He was just holding on by sheer willpower.
Pang Tong said to Fei Qian, seemingly also speaking to himself, "There's still one more family."
Fei Qian was also worn out. He had been climbing up and down the mountain since early morning, and now it was dark. He had only eaten one meal in the morning, with just two rice balls and a bowl of soup brought by the Pang family servants in between. He was both tired and hungry. Hearing Pang Tong, he replied, "The last one?"
"Yes, according to tradition, it's just the Huang family left... Oh, here they come!" Pang Tong perked up as he saw lights approaching in the distance.
It was indeed the Huang family. Before they even came into view, a hearty laugh could be heard.
Pang Tong was clearly more familiar with the Huang family and didn't keep up his formal demeanor. He greeted them more casually, saying, "Master Huang, you've finally arrived!"
"Hahaha, so you've learned how tough it is to be a greeting attendant, huh?" Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, didn't mind Pang Tong's informality. He laughed heartily and patted Pang Tong on the shoulder, saying, "Alright, take me up, and then you can rest!"
When Huang Chengyan reached Fei Qian, he suddenly paused, looked at him, nodded, and then followed Pang Tong up the mountain.