Chapter 5 2. Nishan Christmas

On a morning when the red sun was just rising and the sky was filled with colorful clouds, a baby boy was born in the Kunling Cave of Nishan... Like the sunrise on Mount Tai, Confucius, the century sage who influenced China for 2,500 years, was born on September 22, 551 BC. Kong He helped Zheng'er out of the carriage, and the servant hurriedly opened the door.Many people surrounded the street, discussing quietly. His wife, Shi Shi, came out with six daughters, and the three eldest daughters were already married.The daughters looked at Zheng Zai, who was about the same age as them, and they just stared at him without speaking.

Concubine Wang is only in the wing room, looking out from the window.Ah, so young and good-looking, I want to see if she can have a son. Her six-year-old lame son, Meng Pi, clamored to go out to watch, but she held him down. Mrs. Shi was already in her sixties, and she greeted Yan Zhengzai as her main wife, and helped her carry her luggage. Zheng Zai saw that Mrs. Wang hadn't come out, so she knew that family troubles would be inevitable in the future, but she didn't care, and instead called "big sister" to the slightly plump Mrs. Shi.Smiling at her six daughters, Mrs. Shi responded politely: "Hey, here we come!" But the six daughters looked at her expressionlessly.

It was not until dinner that Zhengzai saw Kong He's concubine Wang Shi and her crippled son Meng Pi.Mrs. Wang was in her thirties, and her appearance was not bad. Zheng Zai greeted Mrs. Wang politely, but she pretended not to hear.Although Zheng Zai was a little embarrassed, he didn't care too much, and gave Meng Pi some more vegetables. At night, Kong He and Zheng were lying on the bed. Kong He held Zheng in his arms and said, "You see, my family is like a daughter's country. Will you give me a son?" "It depends on whether the heavens have given you a gift or not."

After marriage, Kong He and Yan Zheng were extremely affectionate.One night, Kong He was reading a military book under the lamp, and Zheng Zai sat aside to read a book of poetry. Kong He put down the book and said: "It would be great if I had a son, then I will teach him the art of war and make him a general....Zhengzai, give me a son!" Zheng nodded shyly. "Hey, Zhengzai, who gave you such a manly name?" "Mother." "Oh, why?" "Because I was born with signs." "What's the sign?" "Before my mother gave birth to me, she dreamed of a small loach going upstream along a stream."

"loach?" "Well, later, a fortune-teller said that in my life 'it will be auspicious if there is mud'." "Loach...it will be auspicious when it meets mud." Kong He thought thoughtfully, and suddenly, he called out: "Ah, yes, Nishan, let's go to Nishan to pray, maybe the mountain god will bless us to have a precious son." Zheng Zai had an epiphany after listening: "Ah, Ni...Ni phase harmony, why didn't I remember it, okay, let's go to Nishan to pray." So Kong He and Yan Zhengzai got into a car one morning and headed for Nishan.

Nishan Mountain is a mountain range at the southern foot of Mount Tai. Nishan Mountain is a spiritual mountain with good geomantic omen. It is surrounded by mountains in the north and flows out of Xishui in the south. .In spring, the mountains are full of peaches and apricots, attracting birds to sing, bees and butterflies to dance... people feel auspicious... In midsummer, during the flood season, when you climb to the Guanchuan Terrace, you can see the confluence of five rivers and the rushing river, and you can't help but sigh... In autumn, the mountains are red, the autumn leaves are raining, and the wild chrysanthemums are everywhere, like being in a paradise... In the middle of winter, the snow is crushing the pine branches, and the sky is full of snowflakes, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.Therefore, Nishan has always been a tourist attraction for Qufu people.

When Yan Zheng came with Kong He, it was midsummer. When they arrived at the mountain pass, Kong He Fuzheng got off the car and walked along the stone path to the mountain temple.After a rain in the morning, the mountain road was slightly slippery, Kong He took Zheng Zai's arm and walked up the mountain path... Along the way, the air was fresh, the trees were verdant, and the mountain temple on the mountainside was filled with smoke and incense. When we arrived at the temple, several people were kneeling and praying. Kong He and Zheng sat aside, and when they left, they put the barbecue away, lit the incense, and bowed their heads respectfully to the Bodhisattva in prayer.

Zheng Zai said silently: "I beg the Bodhisattva to bless me, and give me my precious son." Kong He prayed: "Bodhisattva, you have given birth to my nine daughters, but I hope a healthy man will continue the incense of Confucius." They returned home in the evening. One day when eating dinner, Zheng Zai suddenly felt nauseous. She hurriedly got up and covered her mouth with her hands and ran outside, but she didn’t vomit. After returning to the table and sitting down, Kong He asked her: "Zhengzai, what's wrong?" "No...it's nothing, it's just a little disgusting, and there's a lot of saliva."

After all, Mrs. Shi was pregnant with nine children, she hurriedly said: "Sister Zheng is probably happy?" what!Like a thunderclap, Kong He stood up happily, opened the window and shouted: "God! Thank you for giving me my son, thank you, thank you so much." Mrs. Wang curled her lips and said, "I don't know if it's a man or a woman. Your family seems to be a woman's breed." Kong He glared at her. At night, a bright moon rose into the night sky, the moonlight was like water, and the tenderness was like honey. Kong He took a walk in the back garden with Zhengzai, who was pregnant with Liujia, in his arms.

"Zheng'er, it's good to be a son." "I think it will be a son. He kicked my stomach with great force. A daughter will not have such force." "Ah! The sky really has eyes!" "Husband, touch it quickly, the calf is kicking again." Kong He hurriedly squatted down, touched Zhengzai's stomach with his hands, and said excitedly: "Ah, he is very strong, he is a man, I am so blessed." Then he stood up, hugged Zhengzai in his arms and kissed desperately. she. "Zheng'er, thank you so much." "This is the blessing you deserve. Good people deserve good rewards!"

As the delivery date approached, Mrs. Wang went to tell Mrs. Shi: "Sister, you can't let her be born at home!" "That's right, tell her to ask for a lottery." So the two went to Kong He and said, "Let her ask for a lottery! The divination book says where she was born, so she must be born there." On this day, Kong He and Yan Zhengzai went to the market to ask for a lottery. Zhengzai got a lottery and wrote: "Choose the empty mulberry as the place of origin." "What does this mean?" Kong He thought. "Empty mulberry... That's where there are no mulberry trees." Zhengzai suddenly remembered a strange dream she had two days ago, so she said to Kong He: "A few days ago, I had a dream, and saw an old man with white hair floating down from the sky, saying: 'Congratulations, you will have a precious son. , this is the descendant of Shang Tang, you have to raise him well...'" Kong He suddenly realized.Said: "Sang and Shang are homophonic. Therefore, the birth of empty mulberry is because my ancestors are descendants of Shang Tang, and we must avoid the meaning of Shang Tang." "Yes," Zheng Zai said, "we will go to Nishan to find a place where there is no mulberry planting, so that we can not only fulfill the dream of 'every mud brings good luck', but also avoid the taboo of colliding with Shang Tang." "You're so smart, let's go to Nishan to find a place to live." On this day, Kong He helped Zhengzai into the carriage and headed for Nishan. When the carriage drove to a hillside in Nishan, I saw the golden yellow leaves and the red willow leaves complement each other under the bright sunlight, making the hillside colorful... The mountain breeze blows, and the chrysanthemums all over the mountains exude a burst of fragrance. The sika deer and the little rabbits walk up and down the hillside. What is even more charming is that several beautiful mountain birds are singing on the branches, as if they are welcoming them. Zheng Zai was attracted by those handsome birds, and she remembered the scene after she and Kong He saw the two beautiful handsome birds in the deep mountains... her heart became excited. "Ah, handsome bird, husband, stop the car, I'm going down to watch the bird." "Okay, stop." Kong He helped Zhengzai out of the carriage, stepped on the wild chrysanthemums, walked to the tree where Junniao stepped on the branches, watched the beautiful birds, and listened to their chirping singing. Zhengzai looked at the hill again and said, "There are no mulberry trees, only maple trees." Kong He said: "Okay, I have accepted the test of the lottery, and I will give birth in Nishan." "Husband, look, these birds seem to be welcoming us." "Yes, yes, they welcome us." So she sprinkled a few handfuls of millet to the birds, and the birds flew down happily to eat. And so more birds flew... Suddenly, Zheng Zai's stomach hurts, and it becomes tighter and tighter. "Husband, what should I do, I'm afraid I'm about to give birth." "But, it's not here yet, the friend's house is over the mountain." "Ah, no, it's too late." "Alas! How can this be done?" "Ah, my husband, it seems to be a stone cave in front of you." "I gonna go see." Mrs. Man, the neighbor who came to help, supported Zhengzai. "It's a stone cave, just big enough for a person to lie down on. Hurry... come here." So the two maids and Mrs. Man were busy spreading straw and mattresses on the floor of the cave, and then helped Zheng to lie down.Zhengzai began to toss and turn, moaning, and when it got dark, the family sent someone to deliver food, Zhengzai only ate a few mouthfuls and didn't want to eat anymore. Mrs. Man persuaded: "Eat more, you will have strength when you are full." After taking a few more mouthfuls, Zheng shook his head and said his stomach hurts.The two aunts also finished their meal in a hurry, and were busy preparing for the delivery again. It was late at night, the moonlight was shining like a wash, and the candles in the cave flickered, shining on Zheng Zai's sweaty face, she asked the two aunts: "Auntie, why can't you give birth?" The older aunt comforted her: "Oh, come on, don't worry, it will come out naturally when the time comes, it's called ripe fruit." Mrs. Mann said: "When the pain is gone now, close your eyes and rest your mind, and you will be energetic later." "Okay, thank you aunt." Kong He and his two family members lit a fire outside the cave and roasted. Kong He put the knife aside and prepared to deal with the beast. Zhengzai closed his eyes... In the howling, it seemed that a golden phoenix bird flew into the cave, ah, phoenix bird... Zhengzai's abdomen began to hurt again... It's almost dawn, Kong He Standing up from the bonfire, he stretched his waist and took a few breaths of the mountain breeze. He habitually raised his sword and started the morning dance. His beloved wife's groans came from the cave, and his thick eyebrows were furrowed again. He felt nervous and happy at the same time, hoping that his precious son would be born soon.He was also a little worried, afraid that he would have a daughter... Ah, no, no, the little guy's legs are very strong, he doesn't look like a daughter... Oh, God, please help me! Suddenly, he saw from Mount Ni that the east side began to turn red. Immediately, a golden red sun rose slowly, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds... At the same time, there was a loud cry of a baby boy in the cave. Sound... oh my god!Son, son is born.He was so high that he danced with his hands and feet. The two aunts wrapped up the baby and walked out of the cave happily holding the baby. "General, look quickly, it's a little general." "Ah! Thank God so much." "Look at the thick eyebrows and big eyes, and his physique is so burly, he really looks exactly like the general." "Seeing how full his heaven is, he must be a very smart child just like his mother." Kong He took the child, kissed his plump forehead, raised the child high above his head, and shouted: "The Kong family has another son!" The child was sent back to the cave and placed next to Zheng's pillow. Zheng Zai kissed his little face and smiled sweetly.She thought of the golden phoenix bird that flew into the cave last night, so she sat up, picked up the piano and stroked it, the melodious sound of the piano came out of the cave, and flew down the mountain... Attracted countless birds, Man The wife threw some millet to the birds. At this time, more and more birds came, and several beautiful handsome birds danced towards the entrance of the cave along with the music... what!Isn't this the pilgrimage of the birds? The sage is about to come out. The passers-by are amazed when they see this scene, and stop to inquire about the cave. So Kong He's family gave birth to a son, and the news of the pilgrimage of the birds spread like wildfire.It spread all over Zouyi and shocked Qufu... "Husband, give the child a name!" Zheng Zai said. Kong He picked up the child again and kissed him, suddenly his face sank, why was the top of his head a little sunken. "Zhengzai, look at this kid, why is there a little dimple on the top of his head?" Zheng Zai touched it with his hand and said, "It's nothing, just look at how sharp his eyes are." Only then did Kong He feel relieved, thought for a while and said: "He was born in Nishan, the second child, Zhong is the second... let's call him Zhong Ni." "Zhongni, okay, the second child born in Nishan is called Zhongni, okay. What about... the nickname?" "There is a small dimple on the head, and the surrounding area is raised... like a small hill, and it was born on the hill, so let's call it Confucius!" "Okay, my little Qiuer, let's get some milk." Zheng Zai unbuttoned her underwear, exposing her swollen breasts, and stuffed the nipples to the child, and Xiao Qiu'er opened her small mouth to suck. Kong He sat in the carriage with his wife and children, Zheng Zai held the baby in his arms, and drove towards the mansion. People in Zouyi were all crowded in the street, vying to see this bird pilgrimage, the birth of Qiu'er in Nishan. Ah, Hundred Birds Pilgrimage, a saint is about to emerge... This happened on September 22, 551 BC. During the Spring and Autumn Period, in the State of Lu, in the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu, in the 21st year of King Ling of Zhou, Kunling Cave in Nishan, Zouyi, State of Lu (now Qufu City, Shandong Province) Nanni Mountain) gave birth to a great man——Confucius.