According to Pu Songling, there is a kind of grass called "laughing", and when you sniff this grass, you will laugh and not stop. And if there is a "smile" planted in the house, flowers and plants such as acacia and forget worries will also be inferior and become worthless.
If you use flowers as a metaphor for beauty, in "Chatting with Zai Zhiyi", there happens to be such a woman who laughs and even looks twisted like Yang Guifei's "interpretation flower", her name is Baby Ning.
According to the novel, Bao Ning was born to a human and a fox girl, and was entrusted to the "ghost mother" to raise her in her childhood, and grew up in a deserted village and mountain.
When she grows up, Baby Ning has a delicate and innocent personality and loves to laugh very much. And for her laughter, there is a saying:
In classical literature, the most beautiful cry is Lin Daiyu, and the one who laughs the most is Baby Ning.
But it is such a woman who laughs and is born of god, but after marrying the prince, she swore never to laugh again, why is this? And let me take my time.
On the yuan festival, the prince went out on a trip and fell in love with Baby Ning at first sight
It is said that the prince of Juxian Luodian was born with great intelligence, and at the age of fourteen, he was admitted to the Xiucai Meritorious Name and entered the county school to study. Because he lost his father at an early age and was raised by his widowed mother, he was loved by his mother, but he also had little freedom and rarely went on outings.
One year, during the Shangyuan Festival, his cousin Wu Sheng invited him to go out to play together, but as soon as the two of them walked outside the village, Wu Sheng was told by the servants that there was something wrong and had to leave.
However, the prince dressed but saw that among the tourists who came and went on the road, the women were like clouds in the sky, and they were playing around alone with interest. It just so happened that a young girl came with a maid, and the person who came was Bao Ning, who saw her:
Pick a plum blossom, Rong Hua is unique, and the smile is lovely.
The beautiful baby Ning made the prince look straight in the eyes, and even forgot to think about whether it was rude to do so. After walking a few steps, Baby Ning smiled and said to the maid, "Erlang's eyes are burning like a thief!" ”
Say goodbye to the plum blossom in your hand and laugh with the son-in-law.
The prince was in his youth and had no marriage contract, and it was normal for him to think of "young Mu Shaoai".
It's just that the ancients paid attention to "sending affection, stopping at etiquette", the prince served a scholar who was not good at talking to him, but after bending down to pick up the plum blossoms that Bao Ning had thrown on the ground, his expression was very sad, like losing his soul. He walked home unhappily, hid the flowers he had picked up under his pillow, and fell asleep on his head, refusing to eat or speak.
When The prince's mother saw him in such a situation, she was very worried in her heart. Not only did he invite the monks to dispel the evil for him, but also invited a doctor to diagnose and treat him, but the prince's clothes never improved, and his body became more and more emaciated, and he had the heart to ask what was the reason, but the prince clothes did not answer.
Until Wu Sheng came to the Wang family.
As soon as Wu Sheng arrived at the bed, he saw the prince's clothes in tears raining down, and he rushed forward to comfort him and slowly asked the reason.
Maybe it was between his peers that he could talk about everything, or maybe the cause of the matter was from Wu Sheng's invitation to play, and Wang Zifu not only said the "little secret" in his heart, but also asked him to help plan this matter.
Wu Sheng thought to himself that my cousin was in love with each other, and the medicine stone was difficult to heal, so he had to smile and comfort him:
"Junyi is also foolish! What's so hard about this wish? Contemporary visits. Hiking in the wild, it will not be a family, if it is not worded, things are solid and harmonious, otherwise, fight with heavy bribes, and the plan will be allowed. ”
Seeing that his cousin was willing to accept this matter, the prince was convinced that the knot was initially resolved, and the sadness on his face was slightly reduced, and he resumed eating.
A few days later, Wu Sheng came back and told the prince that the matter had already raised an eyebrow, saying that the woman (Baby Ning) turned out to be my aunt's daughter, that is, your aunt and cousin. Now that she is in the middle of the word, although there are some obstacles in the matter of marriage, she is told by the truth that there is nothing wrong with the matter.
When the prince heard this, he immediately raised an eyebrow in joy and quickly asked him, "Where is juri?" ”
Wu Sheng coaxed him: "In the southwest mountains, go here for more than thirty miles." ”
After receiving the news, the prince was in a good mood and his body gradually returned to normal. However, he would sometimes look at the dry but not withered flowers under the pillow, contemplating and playing, as if he saw his people.
Visiting the beautiful scholar to the deserted village, he saw the infant Ning Prince serving and confessing his relatives
After a long time, the prince was very strange why Wu Sheng did not arrive for a long time, and wrote a letter to inquire, and Wu Sheng always shirked that something did not come. At this point, he became depressed with resentment in his heart, and his mother, fearing that he was sick again, hurried to discuss the marriage for him.
However, he had a heart to belong to, and always shook his head and refused to accept it.
Just as the so-called "the mountain does not come to me, I will go to the mountain", Prince Fujiu waited for Wu Sheng but did not see any news, and in his heart, he was annoyed, and he wondered that thirty miles was not out of reach, so why should I rely on others?
So he put the plum blossom in his sleeve and gambled to go to the southwest mountain alone to find it.
After walking for about thirty miles, the prince saw that the mountains overlapped and were full of green trees. In the distance, you can see the valley floor, and the shadows of the trees and flowers are hidden, as if there is a village.
Entering the village, there are not many houses on the side of the road, although it is a hut, but the environment is very elegant. To the north, there is a family with willow trees in front of the door and a garden full of peach blossoms inside the walls.
The prince did not dare to bother, so he had to sit on the stone facing the door for a short rest. I didn't think that there was a woman shouting "Xiao Rong" in the wall, the voice was delicate, and the prince was trying to listen carefully, but he saw a woman coming, holding an apricot blossom, and was planning to bow down to the flower.
The two looked at each other, and the woman smiled and picked up flowers. The prince dress is full of joy, only because the woman in front of him is the beautiful person who makes him think about it.
But remembering that there was no reason to come forward to talk, the prince had the heart to recognize his relatives, but he was worried that there was no contact for fear of making a mistake. I had to pace back and forth outside the door, from the sunrise to the sunrise, and I didn't know hunger and thirst.
Just when a woman inside the door peeked at the prince's clothes from time to time and was surprised that he would not leave for a long time, an old woman inside the door came out with a cane. The old woman looked at the prince and asked,
"Where Lang Jun, smell from the chen, even now." What does it mean? Don't be hungry? ”
The prince got up and replied that he was waiting for his relatives here. The old woman asked again, "What is the surname of your noble relative?" ”
The prince was unable to answer, but fortunately, although the old woman laughed at him as a bookworm, she kindly invited him to stay overnight. Not only can you eat food, but you can also have the opportunity to get along with beautiful people, and the prince naturally agrees.
After entering the door wall, the prince dressed himself as a family lineage. When the old woman learned that his grandfather's surname was Wu, she was surprised and said, "You are my nephew, and your mother is my sister." Only because of the poor family in recent years and the lack of men, so that there was no contact, the nephew grew up to be so big, but he did not know. ”
The prince did not do what he thought, and called out to the elders in passing, and heard the old woman say that there was nothing under her knees, and that only one daughter was a concubine, and left it for her to raise.
The original heart of the burning eyes has not changed, and the students in the garden express their heartfelt feelings
When the old woman was talking to the prince, someone seemed to be peeping outside the window. And when the old woman asked the maid to call Baby Ning to come to recognize her after dinner, Baby Ning did not arrive, and the "scorn" laughter arrived first, which made the old woman blind and bluntly say that there was a lack of discipline.
After a long time, the maid nudged Baby Ning to the hall, but saw that she was still hiding her mouth and laughing uncontrollably. Seeing the old woman's reproach, Baby Ning stood up with a smile, and the prince's clothes rushed forward to make a salute.
After a few greetings, Baby Ning looked down and laughed.
Seeing this, the old woman had no choice but to say:
"I say less and teach less, and this is evident. Sixteen years old, as demented as a baby. ”
After learning that the prince was seventeen years old but had not yet married a wife, the old woman said that The baby Ning did not have an aunt and was very matched, but it was a pity that there was a suspicion of in-laws. The prince was silent, but just looked at Baby Ning and did not take care of him.
The maid next to her whispered to Baby Ning, "Her eyes are burning, and her nature has not changed!" ”
Baby Ning laughed again, under the pretext of seeing if the peach blossoms were in full bloom, got up to cover her mouth with her sleeves, and walked out of the door in broken steps. When I got to the door, I laughed loudly.
The old woman got up and summoned the maid to prepare a futon for the prince's clothes, and said to him that since you have rarely come once, and stay for a few days, if you are bored, there is a garden behind the house for recreation.
Stills of Baby Ning in "Liaozhai"
The next day, the prince came to the garden, but saw the fine grass paved with felt, and the path was dotted with flowers. After a few steps through the flowers, I heard a noise in the tree, and I quickly looked up to see that it was Baby Ning sitting on the trunk.
When Baby Ning saw the prince's clothes, he immediately laughed wildly and couldn't help himself, and his body was about to fall. While reminding her to be careful, the prince went up to help her, and after landing on the ground, baby Ning laughed again, leaning on the trunk of the tree for a long time.
The prince waited for her not to smile and then took out the plum blossom in her sleeve and signaled to Baby Ning. And After taking the flowers, Baby Ning said, "The flowers have withered, why are they left?" The prince said:
"To show love and not to forget."
And frankly said that since the encounter of the last Yuanjie, he was obsessed with Baby Ning at first sight, so that he fell ill with lovesickness, and did not want to meet again, fortunately pitying.
Baby Ning has a delicate personality, innocent and romantic, and seems not to understand what The Prince Fu said is a metaphor for flowers, only saying that he wanted to send him a large bundle of flowers. The prince had no choice but to say that he liked the person who picked flowers, and said bluntly:
"What I love is not the love of the relationship, but the love of husband and wife."
Baby Ning still didn't seem to understand, so she asked if there was any difference between Aihua and her lover?
The prince simply opened his words and said, "Sleep in the ear at night." ”
Baby Ning thought for a while, replied that he was not used to sleeping with the living person, the words were not finished, the maid came to look for Baby Ning, the prince was ashamed and afraid, and left in a hurry.
It is reasonable to say that this kind of "whispering" that cannot be spoken with others is too late for ordinary people to cover up, but Bao Ning is not like this. She not only told the old woman what the prince had said, but when the prince was embarrassed, she said:
"If you carry others, how can you carry your old mother?" And the sleeping place is also a common thing, why hide it? ”
These words made Wang Zifu only feel that Baby Ning was a fool, and he was speechless for a while.
The prince returned home with Baby Ning, and vowed not to smile again
But he said that the prince had not returned after going out for a long time, which was a great annoyance to his mother at home. Fortunately, Wu Sheng told her that she could go to the southwest mountains to find it, so the Wang family sent people to search for it along the way.
When the prince saw the people coming from the house, he planned to say goodbye to the old woman.
On the occasion of parting, the old woman said that she was old and could not travel far, and you might as well take your sister back to meet your aunt.
He also summoned Baby Ning and told her that your aunt's family had abundant land and could raise many people, and when they arrived, they should not come back for the time being, and learn some poetry and etiquette, and they would serve their in-laws in the future. Just bother your aunt and choose a good match for you.
When the group walked to the mountain pass and looked back, the old woman was still leaning on the door to look north, and it was visible that she was unwilling.
But it is said that when the prince returned home, Wang Shi saw the baby Ning Rong Shuli and asked who this was? Wang Zifu said that this was an aunt, and just when Wang Shi confessed that Wu Sheng had deceived Wang Fu with words earlier, he suddenly asked: "This girl's name baby Ning Hu?" ”
When he got a reply saying yes, Wang recalled the past, while Wu Sheng, who was beside him, revealed Bao Ning's life.
It turned out that after Wu Sheng's aunt died very early, his uncle was fascinated by the fox, and the daughter born was named Baby Ning. In the early years, the fox and the woman disappeared and did not want to see it today.
Just as everyone was marveling at this past, the laughter of Baby Ning came from the room, and Wang Shi shook her head and said that she was also too delicate. Wu Sheng proposed to let her come out to meet, but Baby Ning always laughed, and after Wang Urged her to come out, she just leaned over to meet her, but she hurriedly hid in the room and laughed loudly.
Everyone in the room looked at each other in amazement.
Wu Sheng felt that something was wrong, so he returned to Bao Ning's old residence, but he found that there were no houses, but there were several deserted mounds scattered in the mountains and flowers, and the elders could not be recognized.
After Wang Shi knew the situation, he went into the house and told Baby Ning about what Wu Sheng saw and her origins, and Baby Ning was not happy or sad after hearing about it, but just smiled.
In this way, Baby Ning stayed in the Wang family, and on weekdays, Wang Shi saw that Baby Ning was good at knitting female red, although she was good at laughing, but she:
However, the smile is beautiful, crazy without damaging its charm, and everyone is happy.
Since the prince belonged to Bao Ning in his heart, the Wang clan chose an auspicious day to complete the marriage for the two of them. It's just that when Baby Ning performs the newcomer ceremony, she can't smile straight, so she has to dispense with the etiquette.
On the night of the wedding, The prince was worried that Baby Ning would leak something hidden in the room, but Baby Ning seemed to know the weight and refused to tell the outside world about it.
As for the days after marriage, whenever wang was angry, baby Ning used her laughter to dissolve Wang's anger, and the people made small mistakes, and it was also baby Ning who interceded on her behalf.
It's just that babies love flowers, often buy good seeds with heavy money, and after a few months, the flowers fill the courtyard and the room is full of incense.
But Baby Ning went to the wall to pick flowers and play with them, which caused the neighbor's heart to flutter, and after Baby Ning punished the neighbor with "magic", he was sued by the neighbor's family.
Fortunately, the county order knew that the prince was a man, and did not think so, and the Wang clan took the opportunity to say to Baby Ning: "Crazy into this, you should understand that being too happy will lurk with worry, this time fortunately, the county order is wise, it has not involved us, but if you encounter a confused county order?" ”
As a result, Baby Ning's face became serious and she swore not to smile again.
Wang Shi saw that she was serious, and couldn't help but persuade her, people can't laugh, but there must be a certain time, but later no matter how to tease Baby Ning, she will never smile again.
Tell the voice of the heart baby Ning has feelings, and the past is hidden in the laughter
After listening to Wang's words, Baby Ning vowed not to laugh again, but she did not think that she would one day show a sad face. This woman, whose heart was pure and natural, said to the prince one day in a choked voice:
"Once upon a time, we had known each other for a short time, and I was afraid that some things would surprise you when we said them. Now that I find that my mother-in-law and you have both loved me and have no different intentions, it may not be a hindrance to tell the truth. ”
In this way, Baby Ning recounted her past:
Concubines gave birth to foxes, the mother came to go, and the concubines entrusted the ghost mother, relying on each other for more than ten years, and there is today. Concubines have no brothers, and the only one who is bullied is the king...
After some true feelings, it turned out that the smiling baby Ning may be using laughter to hide her past misfortunes and hearts. Although her character is delicate and innocent, it does not mean that she cannot think and does not have wisdom.
Wang Fu and Wang Shi treated her sincerely, so she changed the laughter that melted into her bones, and was bent on thinking about them, unwilling to cause trouble for them.
And for the old woman who raised her, Baby Ning also fulfilled her wish, and every year she visited every year.
epilogue:
In "Liaozhai Zhiyi", Pu Songling has created hundreds of women with different personalities, but only Bao Ning has impressed me the most. Baby Ning is actually not a fool, her attitude is not inferior, she just uses her laughter to hide herself.
When Baby Ning found that her unscrupulous laughter would bring misfortune to her mother-in-law and husband who treated her sincerely, she vowed never to laugh again, which was both her understanding of the trade-off and her submission to the social norms at that time.
It's just that the innocent and delicate baby who smiled and was born of God ning we would never see again.