The first time in history

The old man's home is on the edge of a pond at the west end of the village. The bamboo fence is covered with several kinds of thin vines and colorful flowers.

There were also various vegetables planted in the courtyard. The roofs of the two huts had just been replaced with new white grass, which looked neat and beautiful. In the corner of the courtyard there was a small bluestone house, with smoke rising slowly from the chimney on the roof.

"Brother Zhou Jun." A crisp voice came from behind Qian Mingduo. A girl of about sixteen or seventeen, wearing coarse linen clothes, was walking towards them tremblingly with two buckets of water on her shoulders. "You two, get out of my way quickly." The girl said with a sweet smile.

Her hair was casually tied behind her head, fixed with a simple wooden hairpin, with a few strands of hair falling down, swaying gently with her movements. Her face was not made up, but it could not hide her natural beauty. Her clear eyes were smart and simple, pure and untainted by the world.

"Daddy, you're such a jerk." The girl poured two buckets of water into the water tank at the door and said coquettishly, "I asked you to ask Brother Zhou Jun to come over for dinner, but why did you take so long? The food is almost cold."

"Ha, ha, ha," the old man stroked his gray beard, "It's so hot, how can the food be cold? Even if it's cold, it doesn't matter. Zhou Jun and I like to eat cold food. Zhou Jun, don't you agree?"

"Yes." Qian Mingduo glanced at the girl. "The weather is hot, so cooler food is just right for you."

"Huh!" The girl glared at them and pouted, "Well, since you two like to eat cold food, I'll eat it now. When I'm done, the food will be completely cold, so you two can eat later."

"That won't do." The old man sat down at the low table, leaned his cane against the wall, and said to Qian Mingduo, "Today's food is so delicious. If you don't let us eat, we'll drool."

The girl brought two plates of steaming food from the kitchen, neatly placed them on the low table, and placed a few pairs of chopsticks on her belt in front of Zhou Jun and the old man. She turned and walked into the kitchen, and came out with a plate of steamed buns.

"Eat it," the girl said after sitting down, picking up a steamed bun and handing it to Zhou Jun. "It's freshly steamed in the afternoon, and it smells delicious."

"I made two delicious dishes today." The old man whispered to the girl in a flattering tone, "Can Zhou Jun and I have a drink?"

"Daddy..." The girl wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Just drink a little, don't drink more."

"Just drink a little, just drink a little." The old man nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Never drink more."

Qian Mingduo looked at the coarse flour bun in his hand, which was grayish white, and then looked at the two ordinary dishes, and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion. He knew that this meal was not easy to come by, and he also understood the hardship of life for the people in this era.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, society was in turmoil, the royal power declined, warlords were in power, and wars continued. The people lived in dire straits, and they worked hard but could hardly maintain their basic livelihoods. The destruction and disasters brought by the war caused people to lose their homes, loved ones, and hope. In this context, every meal seemed particularly precious.

The girl came out of the house holding a gray earthenware jar and placed it at the old man's feet. She carefully removed the seal on the jar, then took out two earthenware bowls from the large pocket in front of her apron and filled them with wine.

"You know Zhou Jun can't drink much, so why did you fill both bowls so full?" The old man carefully moved the wine bowl in front of him, lowered his head and sniffed it hard, then closed his eyes and carefully savored the aroma of the wine.

"Daddy, have a drink." The girl handed the wine bowl to Zhou Jun. "Brother Zhou Jun and I will have a drink."

"If you two can't drink, I can drink for you, okay?" The old man took a sip of wine slowly. "You can't drink much anyway."

Qian Ming ate a few more bites of food and secretly observed the girl sitting opposite him from time to time.

The dress was made of a slightly rough fabric and was dark in color. There were a few irregular patches on the collar of her shirt, but they were also patched very carefully. The sleeves were not long, just above the elbows, which was convenient for her daily work.

Her skin is as white and soft as mutton-fat jade, and glows charmingly in the sunset. Her big watery eyes are like clear lake water, deep and smart, as if they can see through people's hearts.

Her curved willow-shaped eyebrows are delicate and slender. When they are lightly frowned, they are full of charm. Her nose is straight, and her small nose wings twitch slightly, showing her playfulness and cuteness. Her cherry-like mouth is red without any makeup. When she smiles, she is like a blooming spring flower, which makes people intoxicated.

The girl has a unique temperament. Her simplicity and innocence make her beauty like an uncut jade, emitting a unique and charming glow.

"In this small village, there is such a stunningly beautiful woman," Qian Mingduo thought to himself.

The girl felt Qian Mingduo's eyes on her. She looked up at him, pouted and said, "Why are you looking at me instead of eating well?"

"I..." Qian Mingduo smiled embarrassedly, "I never thought that in this small village, there would be such a beautiful woman like you." What he blurted out was exactly what he was thinking.

"You're making fun of me again!" The girl said angrily, "Yesterday at lunch, you said I was an ugly girl who couldn't get married, and today at lunch you said I was a beautiful woman. You just took a sip of wine, are you drunk?"

"Yesterday?" Qian Mingduo really didn't know what happened yesterday. "Oh... I was joking with you yesterday. Only a blind person would say you are ugly." He turned around and asked, "Uncle, look at how clear and bright my eyes are. Do you think I would say that?"

"You seemed to have said something ugly yesterday..." The old man took another sip of wine and said with a smirk, "It seems that you said something ugly yesterday."

"Ah?" Qian Mingduo pretended to be innocent. "Then I must have drunk too much last night, that's why I said that."

"You didn't drink at all yesterday!" the girl said angrily, "You're just talking nonsense."

"Did I really say that yesterday?" Qian Mingduo smiled and asked quietly, "Really?"

"Yeah!" The girl wrinkled her cute nose again and nodded affirmatively.

"I promise Chairman Mao that from now on I will never again say that you are ugly..." Qian Mingduo raised his right hand high and swore, "This kind of... nonsense."

"I don't care who you promise to!" The girl was amused by Qian Mingduo and said with a sweet smile: "If you say I can't get married again, I will marry you."

After the girl said this, the three of them were stunned at the same time. An awkward atmosphere instantly filled the entire courtyard.