The Qi Family Ancestral Temple was finally renovated and was completed before the Qingming Festival. Qingming Festival is a time to worship ancestors, so the time cannot be delayed.
Omit the sacrifice?
No one dares to do this, otherwise they will be accused of forgetting their ancestors.
Rebuilding the ancestral temple was a burdensome task, and the clan elders all gave courtesy to the three elders, saying that they were too weak to take on such an important task.
Although the patriarch Qi Zhuchang stopped the work, he couldn't do it because he was ill. So, the matter fell on Qi Qiuchuan again. Fortunately for him, he only worked for one day and said that he had slipped.
Later, due to the pressure, I had to take minor injuries and not leave the firing line.
Qi Yu: You are all born in the year of Loach!
During the entire renovation process, Liu Quan also roped in several Qi family members to jointly supervise the purchase. When the accounts were completed, less than four taels of silver were spent on each branch.
There was no way to falsify the accounts. Liu Quan was literate and had some knowledge of calculations. She remembered every detail clearly.
Qi Qiuchuan and his wife looked like they had eaten a few blow flies. They looked bitter every day, especially when they were settling accounts, they found that they had not reaped any benefits at all, and their expressions looked as if they were mourning for their heirs.
On this day, the rain of apricot blossoms fell gently, and all members of the Qi family came to the ancestral temple holding oil-paper umbrellas.
Zhou was originally not allowed to come, but she insisted on coming with her. Liu Quan had no choice but to help her mother-in-law go with her.
According to tradition, worshiping ancestors is a matter for men in the family. Women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall. Unless they are the "Mrs. of the State" named by the emperor, they can only watch the ceremony from a distance outside the hall.
Compared with the outstanding ability of the other two branches of the Qi family, the single line of the Qi Yu family seems a bit withered, especially in this situation, when it is directly compared to men.
Gossips are flying around my ears. It has been more than half a year since Liu Quan came to visit, but she has never revealed her feelings. Why is this?
Mrs. Zhou sighed quietly and said to her daughter-in-law in a deep voice: "You have also seen that if you are not prosperous, you will be looked down upon by others. You have to work harder. As a mother, I should not have to interfere with you two.
Please tell me about my personal affairs, is there something wrong with Ah Man?"
Liu Quan blushed and said, "No, he...is pretty good."
"Very good?" Mrs. Zhou nodded, lowered her voice and said, "If you put it this way, it means you are a little lazy. If you want a man to think about this more, you have to put more thought into it. Haha, look back, mother.
Let me tell you my experience..."
Qi Yu naturally doesn't know the little secret of their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and is currently following the clan leader's orders to line up.
I still have a sense of superiority. My family is the eldest branch of the Qi family. Although the number of people is not large, according to the rules, I have to be at the front.
This is the symbolism of eldest descendants.
Qi Yu had a smile on his face, as if he was taking the lead like a chicken head.
The men of the Qi family lined up in a long queue in order of seniority and age, and then filed in solemnly and solemnly under the leadership of the patriarch. The female family members watched the excitement while buzzing and talking.
Qi Zhuchang, as the clan leader, presided over various rituals for worshiping ancestors. He coughed dryly first to signal for silence, and then read a long memorial poem like a foot wrap: "Wei,... I would like to offer you a clear drink and a delicacy as a sacrifice to the common people."
The ancestors said in front of the spiritual banquet: Woohoo... Taigong Yutai came to the Weishui River, my Qi family is the descendant of the Jiang family... Fuwei is still enjoying it."
As in previous years, we will start with the story that the surname Qi originated from Jiang Taigong, to increase the family's pride, and then move on to a series of sad emotions in memory of our ancestors.
I don’t know who wrote this memorial text. I have read it over and over again every year since I was a child, and I have almost memorized it.
After burning the sacrificial inscriptions, the clan leader paid homage and said: "Blessed by our ancestors, the descendants of the Qi family will be prosperous in wealth."
Then the filial sons and grandsons made offerings one by one, burned incense, kowtowed, and said some auspicious words.
Qi Yu stood at the front. He was also a scholar, and the etiquette in every aspect was meticulous. At the end, he even made a special request: "Bless me for being named on the gold medal list!"
The female relatives began to discuss again, whose sacrifices were rich, whose men were well-dressed, and whose kowtow was the most standard.
Seemingly unintentionally, Mrs. Bao squeezed in front of Liu Quan and said to the other daughter-in-law angrily: "I heard that a certain family only feeds roosters and does not raise hens. Humph, I guess this is because they are afraid of raising chickens."
Can a hen lay eggs?"
Even the Zhou family understood this insinuation, and Liu Quan naturally understood even better. He was the supervisor when the ancestral temple was rebuilt, which did not benefit their family, and he was probably suffocating.
Although it is the public money saved, his own family will also have to share it equally. This is a matter that directly involves his own interests, so Liu Quan will naturally not let it go.
Besides, there were other reasons why she only hated this uncle's family.
"A tiger can block the road by giving birth to a son, and a mouse can feed a cat by giving birth to an empty nest. Mother, our ancestors will definitely bless our family with good sons and daughters." Liu Quan bowed towards the ancestral temple and said to her mother-in-law.
The Bao family had a total of five sons and five daughters. They had great reproductive capacity and took advantage of the large number of people. From time to time, they also bullied the old and destitute families in the village.
Compared with the hen, the insinuations of the mouse are more unpleasant.
"Who are you calling a rat?" Mr. Bao turned around and asked fiercely.
"I didn't say anything, just because I was afraid that someone would be willing to rely on this." Liu Quan put his hands on his hips, looking like he was no weaker than others.
"I've long been disgusted with you. You little bitch's claws are quite long. Isn't it just to build an ancestral temple? You actually have to block the accounts!" After spitting out the words he had been holding in his heart, Mrs. Bao said
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Quan pointed at the ancestral hall, glanced at her and said, "What do you mean by not building an ancestral temple? It's disrespectful to say this. The ancestors are watching here. If you say this, be careful not to be struck by lightning in June."
"Can you tell me clearly, who was struck by lightning?"
"I'm talking about unworthy descendants!"
"..."
The two women's curses became louder and louder.
The clan leader finally couldn't bear it any longer, blew his beard and shouted with a glare: "We are worshiping our ancestors now, please calm down."
Liu Quan, however, didn't take it seriously. She turned around and chatted with her mother-in-law with a smile, ignoring the clan leader's scolding. But Bao, who wanted to show off and show off her power, now felt like punching the cotton.
The feeling is indescribably uncomfortable.
The waves seemed to have calmed down.
Then they share the meat and fruits.
According to unwritten rules, those with more males will get more share, but those with fewer females. Qi Yu has no son now, so he only received his own share.
Qi Qiuchuan's family is different. He has many sons, and he has a lot of them. His pouting mouth can tie a donkey: "Now that I am getting older and my strength is weakening, I can hardly lift it anymore."
At this moment, Bao's little daughter suddenly ran over panting and shouted in panic: "Dad, Mom, go and have a look. All the fish in our fish pond are turning white."
"ah!"
Plop!
The sacrificial meat in Qi Qiuchuan's arms fell on the ground. He didn't bother to pick it up and ran away. The fish pond is his family's main source of income. If the fish dies, the money is gone!
"How come the fry we just planted are dead?" Mrs. Bao was no longer in the mood to argue. After muttering to herself, she also ran away with her husband.
Liu Quan smiled and looked at their retreating figures indifferently.
After the sacrifice, everyone went back to their homes.
On the way back, Mrs. Zhou chattered all the way. When she got home, she touched the meat and sighed bitterly: "Ah, Mom, I don't care about this little meat, but when I heard that others got more meat than ours,
My heart is filled with panic. You see, other people’s homes are full of hopping and crying children, but ours is peaceful and quiet. Don’t you think this makes it less popular?”
Seeing his wife's face turn red, Qi Yu hurriedly said: "Mom, I've been busy studying during this period, so I forgot about this matter. But don't worry, my son will definitely work harder."
After hearing this, Mrs. Zhou nodded with satisfaction: "Although studying is a serious matter, children are not a trivial matter, and we cannot be lazy."
Can't be lazy?
…
Qi Yu's ears felt hot when he heard this, and he hurriedly found an excuse to study, deliberately avoiding the bombardment of my mother's truth.
Although they were studying in the west room, they heard their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law muttering in the yard.
Alas! It’s probably about the children again.
While eating dinner, Qi Yu felt surprised.
"Mom, why don't you eat chicken today?" Qi Yu looked at a bowl of unknown meat and asked in confusion.
"Eating chicken every day will inevitably make you tired. You need to change the taste frequently. Hurry! Eat it while it's hot." Mrs. Zhou smiled kindly.
"All right……"
This meat is quite strange. It feels chewy and chewy without any bones. As for the taste, it feels a bit bitter due to the addition of a lot of medicinal herbs.
Seeing that none of them moved their chopsticks, Qi Yu also said, "You guys eat too!"
"eat!"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law responded, but they were just pretending, but did not pick up a piece.
It's hard to resist hospitality, and the atmosphere tonight was just that. A big bowl of unknown meat went into Qi Yu's stomach. Until he finished eating, he didn't know what he had eaten, leaving only the taste of medicinal herbs in his mouth.
That night, Qi Yu felt something was wrong.
It's okay to have a fever all over the body, but the problem is that I'm still thinking about it.
Liu Quan did not do any more needlework today. After washing up early, she lay on the bed, leaving a trace of her exquisite back.
It seems that I suddenly realized today that my lady’s figure is so attractive!
The spring rain outside the window is still there, just as the poem says: sneaking into the night with the wind, moistening things silently.
In this quiet night, Mrs. Zhou had insomnia, but when she heard the movement from the west wing, she fell asleep with satisfaction.
Qi Yu, who had worked hard all night, was still in high spirits the next day. It seemed that the recent rooster meat was not in vain. His body was indeed much stronger than before, and he felt that running another ten kilometers would be no problem.
Looking at the lady with a tired face, Qi Yu smiled: "Madam, if you are anxious, you can tell me clearly. Why do you have to use these special methods?"
Liu Quan blushed and said in a voice like a gnat: "This is all my mother's idea. She really wants to have a grandson..."
"..."
"Haha, I feel pretty good." Qi Yu stretched his muscles and felt that he was still full of energy, and asked curiously: "What did I eat last night?"
"Mom said, you can take whatever supplement you need..." Liu Quan suppressed her shyness and added, "That medicine was bought from Liu Laogen's house in East Village. People in the village said his medicine is very effective."
Liu Laogen?
In my memory, this old man was a veterinarian who treated livestock. It is said that he had a lot of research on how sows can give birth to more babies...
Could it be...it's scary to think about it!
"Madam, please don't do this again. Although the medicine of tiger and wolf can help you feel happy, if you use it too much, it will harm your body." Qi Yu wiped a handful of cold sweat and thought to himself: It seems that it is better to eat chicken!
The family had breakfast and then went about their business. Zhou went to chat with Aunt Zhang, while Liu Quan was busy doing needlework. As for Qi Yu, he continued to study hard.
During his break, he would walk around the yard and do some eye exercises.
At a glance, I saw an extra basket of mountain chestnuts in the yard.
Mrs. Zhou happened to come back and explained: "This is from the money shopkeeper of the coffin shop."
Shopkeeper Qian?
There was an unpleasant incident over the coffin before, and I even hit him with a kitchen knife. Why did he bring something now?