Many details of "Dream of the Red Chamber" reflect the knowledge of all aspects of society at that time. For example, the first time Grandma Liu saw the Western self-chiming bell, in addition to eliciting the Western luxury goods used by the noble families at that time, she could also understand the Work and Rest Time of the Jia Family and understand some of the common sense of life of the ancients. This article will talk about this small detail.
(The sixth time) Grandma Liu only heard the sounds of "clucking" and "clucking," which seemed to be like a sieve in a cabinet, and she couldn't help but look east and west. Suddenly, there was a box hanging on the pillar of the hall, and a weighing scale-like object fell underneath, but it kept messing around. Grandma Liu thought in her heart, "What kind of love is this?" What's the use? When he was staying, he only heard the sound of "dang", and like a golden bell brass chime, he did not prevent the opening of his eyes. Then there were eight or nine in a row. When Fang wanted to ask, he saw the little girls running around in unison and said, "Grandma has come down." Zhou Rui's family and Ping'er got up and ordered Grandma Liu: "Just wait, it's time for us to invite you." With that, they all went out.
The Western self-chiming bell that Grandma Liu saw in the room of Sister Feng's daughter's eldest sister belonged to the wall clock that was common in the early years.
When Western clocks and watches came over, there were three forms, one was a wall clock, the second was a grandfather clock, and the third was a pocket watch. It has appeared in "Dream of the Red Chamber". Grandma Liu saw that this one was a wall clock, which needed to be hung on the wall or on a pillar.
Later, there are two lock string holes on the wall clock, the timing is a lock string, and the bell chimes another lock string, both sides are wound, and the hour will be announced at the hour. It is very loud, and it is not good to sleep at night, and it is generally not on the chimes of the bell.
The Jia family has popularized the chiming bell in that year, which is the embodiment of their wealth. The chiming clock at that time, like today's high-end watches, was an extremely expensive luxury.
The Western self-chiming bell also framed the background of the era of "Dream of the Red Chamber". Cao Xueqin did not deliberately avoid the brand of the times.
Western clocks and watches were successively transmitted to China from the Ming Dynasty to China, and began to be used by the court, and by the early Qing Dynasty, they were already a necessary "luxury" for the families of dignitaries and dignitaries. It was the exclusive "big piece" of that era, many people were luxurious, but the Jia family had several in almost every room.
And Jia Baoyu even had a pocket watch on his daily life, which was even rarer at that time.
The wall clock in the eldest sister's room is hung on the pillar, and in general, the wall clock style is more chic and more convenient to see. I just don't know if the clock at that time can control the chiming of the bell. If you can only passively listen to the bell, you can be noisy at night.
Grandma Liu didn't know the chiming bell, don't talk about her, even in the past two or three hundred years, some people in some places in the early years had not seen it. Of course, in a few years, most young people probably won't see these "antiques" again, but just know what they are.
The "Clock And Watch Hall" of the Palace Museum will have a variety of clocks and watches, which can restore the original appearance of clocks and watches in the era of "Dream of the Red Chamber", you may wish to go to see.
Gossiping less, Grandma Liu only saw the pendulum of the bell swinging wildly, and also made a sound of "clucking, clucking", and when she didn't know what it was for, she suddenly sounded a "dang" when she suddenly sounded the bell.
Grandma Liu might as well have been startled. Highlighting the funny appearance that she had never seen in the world, she came to Jia Fu to smoke Feng, and she was already worried. How can you not be helpless in a land of wealth?
When the bell rang ten times, Wang Xifeng led a group of people to come down from Jia Mu's side, which was her work and rest time.
The Jia family basically implements a two-meal system, with Jia Mu as the time standard. The old lady ate breakfast and dinner at nine o'clock in the morning and three o'clock in the afternoon, respectively.
Wang Xifeng, as the housekeeper's grandson and daughter-in-law, had to go ahead to serve the old grandmother to eat, and Madame Wang also had to go over. Because Lady Xing did not live here, her breakfast was generally not used, and her daughter-in-law Wang Xifeng did the work.
After serving Jia Mu to eat, Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng did not eat at Jia Mu's side. They have families and need to come back to eat with their husbands.
Therefore, their schedule is also fixed. Jia Mu ate at nine o'clock in the morning, and at the latest at ten o'clock Wang Xifeng would come down and return to his home, eat first and then deal with housework, after the noon break, then deal with housework for a while, go to Jia Mu's place to serve the old lady for dinner at dinner, and come back to eat by herself. After eating, there is nothing to go to Jia Mu's place to talk and chat, and the time of day is generally arranged like this.
Grandma Liu arrived early in the morning, delayed on the road, delayed in the concierge, and then went to Zhou Rui's house to delay, and when she came to Wang Xifeng's room for a while, it was also ten o'clock. Just in time for Sister Feng to come down to eat.
On this day, Jia Lian should not have returned, and completed Liu Grandma's fight against Feng. Otherwise, the poor relatives of the Wang family will come to the door and have no face in the end.
These small details abound in "Dream of the Red Chamber". It was routine at the time. But modern people need to understand the work and living habits of ancient people through these details. It's also very interesting.
Wen | Junji Yakan Red Chamber
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