Chapter 249 Writing Couplets
On New Year's Eve, the Shen family got up early. It was bustling outside, and the sound of firecrackers set off by children could be heard from time to time.
The New Year atmosphere is very strong now, unlike the cold and deserted period in the 21st century when you have to go to designated places to light firecrackers.
Old man Shen took out red paper and spread it on the eight-immortal table. "My dear, come and write the couplets."
Shen Shuyu didn't know that she could write calligraphy. It was only after searching her memory that she realized that the original owner could write calligraphy, and that she had written the couplets in previous years.
"coming."
Nowadays, couplets have to contain positive quotations. Shen Shuyu lowered his head and pondered for a while, then took a brush, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote the upper and lower couplets and the horizontal scroll.
Her calligraphy is both strong and soft, flowing smoothly, which is very pleasing to the eye.
The whole family gathered around to look at the couplet she wrote and praised it.
Liu Pan, who could not read, picked up the couplet and nodded in a serious manner, "This couplet is well written and has a good meaning."
Uncle Shen: "Then read what's written on it."
Liu Pandi: “…”
Shen Shuyu was very satisfied with the couplet she wrote. Her calligraphy was taught by her grandfather.
Her grandmother also said that although they were both in high school, Shen Xue and Shen Qiu couldn't write, and she kept exaggerating her granddaughter's intelligence.
After writing his own couplets, Old Man Shen called his eldest and second grandsons to take them out and paste them up.
Gu Jiandong is taller, so Old Man Shen assigned the task of pasting Spring Festival couplets to Gu Jiandong. Old Man Shen and others stood in the middle to see whether the couplets were pasted straight.
Shen Jiabao: "Jiandong, it's crooked, move it a little to the right."
Shen Jiawei: "No, no, it should be a little to the right."
Gu Jiandong followed their instructions and kept adjusting the Spring Festival couplets. Old Man Shen tapped his two grandsons with his pipe.
"You two idiots, you are standing crookedly, don't you know that? How can the couplet be straight if you look at it with squinting eyes? Go away and stop making trouble."
The two brothers laughed and scratched their heads, "We won't talk anymore, we won't talk anymore."
Old man Shen narrowed his eyes and said, "Jiandong, move the couplet a little to the right. Yes, that's it."
Under the correct command of Old Man Shen, Gu Jiandong pasted the couplet.
Not long after, Second Madam Shen also came over with red paper, "Shu Yu, help Second Madam's family write a couplet."
Writing one pair is writing, writing two pairs is also writing. Shen Shuyu wrote on the red paper according to what Second Lady Shen wanted to write.
Two minutes later, Grandma Shen finished writing the couplet. After the ink dried, she folded the couplet and took it home to paste it.
As soon as Second Grandma Shen returned home, two more aunts came over with red paper and asked Shen Shuyu to help write couplets. It was a convenient thing, and they were from the same village, so Shen Shuyu naturally helped.
Shen Shuyu thought that there were only four or five people asking her to help write couplets, but then more than a dozen aunts came one after another, and Shen Shuyu realized the seriousness of the matter.
Shen Qiu saw that her elder sister seemed to have lost the joy of writing calligraphy, so she poured her a glass of water and said, "Elder sister, are you tired? Take a rest."
Everyone came to her house to ask her to write couplets, and the yard was so lively that Shen Shuyu asked Shen Qiu to count how many couplets she had to write.
"Big sister, there's no need to count. You finished writing by about six in the afternoon. It's always been like this in previous years."
"Writing until after 6pm? Am I going to write couplets for the whole village?"
"Yes, sister, you forgot. It was like this in previous years. Who made me an excellent sister? I can write beautiful calligraphy. The villagers brought red paper to you to write for you."
Shen Qiu really envied her elder sister. Her elder sister could do everything, even calligraphy. But she couldn't do that. She asked her elder sister to teach her for more than a month, but the words she wrote were as bad as shit. She couldn't even tell what she wrote.
Shen Shuyu recalled her memories again, and it was true. In previous years, everyone asked her to write the couplets, and this year was no exception.
In fact, she is not the only one in the village who can write couplets. There are also two educated youths in the educated youth courtyard who can write them.
At the beginning, many villagers took red paper to ask the educated youth to write couplets. However, the educated youth was a little arrogant and felt that he was educated. His tone of voice was a bit superior.
The couplets he wrote were not very good and the fee was quite expensive. He demanded an egg before he would help me write them.
Knowing that the eldest girl of the Shen family could write couplets, and wrote well, over time, no one looked for the educated youth anymore.
It is better to let our own people earn the eggs than to let the educated youth earn them.
The Shen family is very friendly. It doesn’t matter whether there are eggs or not. Just bring some homemade pickles and soybean paste and the Shen family will be happy.
In fact, if one or two people came to ask their eldest granddaughter to write couplets, Mr. and Mrs. Shen would not accept them.
But if everyone in the village comes to ask the eldest granddaughter to write couplets, then I have to accept them. It would be very tiring for their good girl to write so many couplets.
With so many couplets to write, Shen Shuyu kept writing like a robot.
When she felt her wrist tired, the couplet was finally finished.
The last aunt thanked with a smile and took the couplet home to put up.
Shen Qiu came over and said, "Big sister, let me rub your arms and hands for you."
This girl was very considerate. When she pinched her, Shen Shuyu felt her hands were less tired.
Shen Shuyu was so tired from writing couplets, and Gu Jiandong was also very busy, pasting red paper, killing geese, plucking feathers, kneading dough, and fetching water...
In order to have a good New Year and eat a sumptuous meal, there is a lot of work to be done. Everyone in the Shen family has work to do, and even Bai Luobu has to watch the fire by the stove.
The furry kid is really smart. When the firewood in the stove is about to fall out, it will use its claws to push the firewood back in.
If the firewood is almost burned out, it will use its mouth to pick up the firewood and put it into the stove. If Shen Chunling says to use a low fire, it will use its mouth to take out a piece of firewood. If she says to use a high fire, it will put a piece of firewood in.
The whole family admires his cleverness.
The Shen family was busy and bustling, but Shen Xue and Zhou Jingchen's side was unusually quiet.
Shen Xue nudged Zhou Jingchen who was sleeping soundly beside her, "Jingchen, our couplets haven't been written yet, can you get up and write one?"
Zhou Jingchen didn't know how to write couplets, but he was an educated youth who went to the countryside, so he said he couldn't write couplets.
It will make you look like a country bumpkin who knows nothing.
He said, "My hand is injured now. I can't even hold a pen. I can't write for the time being. See who can write and ask them to write."
Who can write it? That loser Shen Shuyu can write it. Asking her to ask Shen Shuyu to write it would be more painful than beating her.
"Jingchen, your hand looks like it's healed. Get up and try writing. There aren't many words in the couplet. You can finish it in two strokes."
Jing Chen's calligraphy is definitely better than Shen Shuyu's. She can show it to everyone.
Everyone must have brought eggs to Jing Chen for help with writing, so she and Jing Chen would have no shortage of eggs to eat.
Listen, what is she saying? What does it mean to look fine? Zhou Jingchen let out a long sigh, "Xiaoxue, look at my hands. I can't even lift them up, let alone write.
Be good, let others write the couplets for this year, and I will write the couplets for our family myself next year."
"Well... all right then."