The knight in the big world of American TV series

Chapter 2356

The woman before him was so unfamiliar... but he could tell that this was his wife, Nina!
But why do we say it's unfamiliar?
Because this woman was so healthy, her gray skin had a glossy sheen, her body wasn't thin, but rather quite plump, you could even see flesh on her face!

Is this fat?!
To put it simply, Ger has never seen a fat man in his life, at least not in his hometown!
Even the chiefs and elders of the best-off tribes were all emaciated! He'd never seen anyone with any flesh on their skin! Fat people were extremely rare among them, just like in ancient times on Earth. In ancient societies, obesity was directly related to living standards. Due to food scarcity and the agricultural economy, ordinary people faced long-term food shortages, and most were thin. For example, historical records show that Yue Fei was thin in his youth due to family poverty, and only became fat after his diet improved after becoming a general. Similarly, the ancients generally believed that obesity was a symbol of "good fortune," and only wealthy classes such as landlords or nobles could afford to be fat; the common people called it "prosperity." The portrait of Chang Yuchun, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, also shows his "big belly," confirming the phenomenon of obesity among the general class due to their superior diet.

The woman before me is so beautiful!
Because in the aesthetic view of the Ger people, plumpness is a symbol of beauty, and the principle is the same as the ancient reason for the beauty of fatness!

Modern women value thinness as beauty; a curvaceous figure, coupled with a beautiful face and fair skin, is considered absolutely beautiful. However, women in the Tang Dynasty were considered beautiful when they were plump. Aesthetic standards should be largely similar across eras, especially when it comes to women. Logically, the standards for beauty in ancient times should be similar to those of modern times. So why did the Tang Dynasty consider plump women beautiful?

I. Fatness as a Pursuit of Human Aesthetics in Times of Famine. We know that for a long period, human society was plagued by hunger. Even in ancient China, a predominantly agricultural society with abundant resources, fertile land, and a suitable climate, ensuring the people had enough to eat and wear was still difficult. This required peacetime, free from war or disasters. Living in impoverished and harsh areas made it even harder to guarantee a full stomach. Therefore, having enough to eat was crucial for humanity. Under this value system, a body aesthetic that valued fatness as beauty developed. Fat people were necessarily well-fed. In times of famine, there was no such thing as junk food. As long as it filled the stomach and made people fat, it was considered good food. Those of us who are older and have lived in rural areas for a long time have a deep understanding of this. If you want to praise someone, you might say they are "fair-skinned and plump." Praising someone for being fair-skinned implies that their work is not arduous, that their job is relatively leisurely, and that it's a job that doesn't involve being exposed to the sun. Praising someone for being plump implies that they are well-fed. Not only are they well-fed, but they eat a lot at each meal, indicating that their family has sufficient food. This is a kind of physical aesthetic that humanity has developed over a long period of time. The Tang Dynasty was a unified dynasty established in China after 400 years of turmoil. Although the Tang Dynasty also had many upheavals, it was much better than the fragmentation and conflict of the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. Most people in the Tang Dynasty could settle down and engage in productive labor. Du Fu wrote in his poem, "Rice flows like oil, millet is white as snow," which already shows that the Tang Dynasty was relatively wealthy at that time. Since they were relatively wealthy, people at that time certainly had plenty of food, and their bodies became plump. And this fair and plump body was obviously a very beautiful body.

When we look at many paintings, porcelains, terracotta figurines, sculptures, and so on from the Tang Dynasty, we find that the figures in them are all plump and fair-skinned. Therefore, we believe that the Tang Dynasty people considered plumpness to be beautiful.

However, I would argue that it's quite possible the Tang Dynasty people didn't intend to depict the beauty of the human body, but rather it was simply a reflection of their actual lives. The concept of "aesthetics" is inherently Western. This Western concept differs from the ancient Chinese expression. Westerners primarily focused on expressing beauty, but the ancient Chinese may not have been aiming to express beauty. What did they primarily express? First, reality. That is, art was a true reflection of real life. Second, morality. No other country was as concerned with and enthusiastic about morality as the ancient Chinese. Therefore, the most important expression in ancient artworks was reality and morality, not necessarily "beauty." As we mentioned earlier, Tang Dynasty grain production greatly increased, and people were able to eat their fill and became plump. Therefore, Tang Dynasty artists expressed the living conditions of ordinary people as they observed them, resulting in many plump figures. This might lead us to mistakenly believe that the Tang Dynasty valued plumpness as beauty.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's infatuation with Yang Guifei was renowned throughout the land. This infatuation was famous not only because he enjoyed unparalleled favor, but also because it triggered the An Lushan Rebellion. The An Lushan Rebellion was a massive upheaval that swept across the entire Tang Dynasty, causing immense suffering to the people. Many families were torn apart, separated, and forced to leave their homes. This rebellion left a deep and lasting impression on the people, not just one generation, but several.

Prejudice against women in ancient times led to national turmoil, with the notion that "women are the cause of disaster." Therefore, Yang Guifei is considered a major reason for the An Lushan Rebellion. However, history is often fascinating. Although people believed that Emperor Xuanzong's favoritism towards Yang Guifei caused the national turmoil, they also unconsciously admired her beauty. Yang Guifei was plump, so women across the land believed that Emperor Xuanzong's taste might have been a factor. Over time, this formed an aesthetic standard where plumpness was considered beautiful in women. In short, the formation of a cultural phenomenon is very complex, not caused by a single explicit reason, but rather by a shared collective unconscious that develops over a long period of time.

And Ge's hometown is similar, but of course, it's more about scarcity making things valuable!

In their area, fat people are a rare breed!

Like Ger, Nina, Ger's wife, was not from a wealthy family, but just an ordinary tribeswoman who had never had enough to eat in her entire life!

So when he saw his wife in such a healthy and full-figured state, Ger could hardly believe it.

But that wasn't all. He turned his head and saw that he was holding a Gru beast in his hand... This was a wild animal unique to their planet, whose ecological niche was equivalent to that of a pig.

Did you catch your prey?
Gel was a little dazed. Was he a hunter?

In Geer's homeland, the harsh environment leads to fierce competition among creatures, making even seemingly harmless beings extremely dangerous. After all, in this world, weak creatures have long been eliminated.

In this situation, the status of hunters is elevated to an extreme degree.

Only the strongest and bravest man in the tribe can serve as a hunter!
The status of hunters in ancient times can still be referenced here.

In ancient times, hunting was a profession fraught with risk and challenge. Relying on their exceptional skills and courage, hunters ventured deep into the mountains and forests, battling wild beasts in order to capture precious prey and earn a living. This profession, seemingly simple, actually concealed immense risks and challenges; however, successful hunters could reap substantial rewards.

During the Song Dynasty, with the continuous development of society, the profession of hunter gradually formed some distribution patterns. The northern regions, especially Shaanxi, Hebei, and the area west of Beijing, had the highest concentration of hunters. These areas not only had abundant wild animal resources, but also, due to their frontier location, the government's need for hunters was more urgent.

At that time, the north still retained much of its pristine natural environment, with lush forests, babbling streams, and wild animals roaming freely. Hunters lived in this secluded, green world, intimately familiar with the land and the habits and tracks of its animals. Some experienced hunters could even determine the species, number, and movements of animals based on the slightest traces. In contrast, hunters in the south were more dispersed. The Huai River region and the Jiangnan region were their main settlements, but hunters could also be found in Sichuan, Jinghu, Guangnan, and Fujian. These areas had relatively underdeveloped economies and sparse populations, making hunting a vital part of their economic structure. Some hunters would even roam aimlessly through the deep forests in groups, simply to catch prey to satisfy their hunger. As a unique profession, hunters had a distinctive source of income. Their main sources of income were twofold: first, the sale of their prey. Hunters would process their hunted wild animals and birds and then transport them to nearby markets or large cities for sale. Prices varied depending on the game, with meat being the least valuable and fur, antlers, and other special parts being relatively more expensive. Some hunters would sell their prey whole; for example, an injured deer could fetch several thousand coins. The value of the fur of rare and powerful animals, such as tigers and leopards, was astonishing. Records indicate that a large tiger skin without arrow holes could sell for a staggering 10 strings of cash in the market of Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou). Furthermore, hunters could also use their martial skills to be hired by the government or private individuals to hunt harmful wild animals for a considerable reward. For instance, during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of Song, the court issued an edict rewarding hunters who killed tigers with 5,000 coins and those who killed leopards with 2,000 coins. Besides the government, wealthy households often hired hunters to drive away or hunt wild boars, monkeys, and other harmful animals that threatened farmland. After all, for an ordinary farmer, dealing with these ferocious wild beasts personally was far too risky. Hunters, however, with their exceptional martial arts skills, could accomplish this task admirably and earn a considerable reward. Despite the seemingly substantial income, the hunters' living conditions were far from optimistic. Most lived far from human habitation, residing in villages or suburbs near the mountains, leading rather solitary lives. Some hunters even lived long-term, solitary lives deep in the forests, isolated from the world. More importantly, the work of hunters was extremely dangerous. Hunting in the mountains meant the constant threat of wild animals. If a hunter was accidentally gored by a wild boar, he could be paralyzed; if an arrow missed a tiger's vital spot, he himself would be injured and his life would be in danger. Even if he miraculously escaped, he would inevitably suffer some minor injuries. Records show that some hunters at the time bore scars from wild animal claws and bites; these scars were like medals, bearing witness to the hardships they endured in the mountains. Furthermore, hunters also bore heavy expenses. They not only needed to purchase superior weapons and equipment, but their income was also quite unstable due to the seasonal limitations of hunting. During holidays or large celebrations, hunters near the capital could not even hunt and had to rely on their savings. Some experienced hunters even crafted their own weapons to reduce expenses. They would carefully forge sturdy and powerful bows and arrows from high-quality wood or bone. These bows and arrows were not only incredibly accurate but also had a long lifespan, making them their most important hunting tools. The Song Dynasty government's attitude towards this special group of hunters was contradictory. On the one hand, to protect wildlife resources, the Song Dynasty issued numerous decrees restricting hunting activities. It is estimated that there were more than twenty decrees concerning wildlife protection. For example, every spring and summer, the government would issue orders prohibiting any hunting activities by civilians to avoid impacting the reproduction of wild animals. Hunters who violated the regulations were severely punished, and their hunted animals would be confiscated. On the other hand, the government also needed the help of hunters to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. For example, in Fujian Road, the local government recruited hunters to hunt and kill rampant wild elephants to reduce their damage to farmland and villages. Some local officials also hire hunters to drive away or hunt harmful wild animals such as wild boars and monkeys that threaten farmland. After all, it is too risky for ordinary people to deal with these ferocious beasts, while hunters, with their excellent martial arts skills, can accomplish this task very well.

By analogy, one can understand the status of hunters in the Geer tribe.

Gel dreamed of becoming a hunter... because they were not only the most prestigious group, but also the one that was well-fed, as their hunting was an important source of food, and they were also the tribe's military strength.

But unfortunately... he wasn't.

But now.

"What are you standing there for? Come here right now, the food is ready!"