PNB Chapter 116 Ancestor Worship Part 2
Chapter 116 Ancestor Worship Part 2
"Shuanzi, come up. I'll take you home. Your uncle brought back a lot of delicious food," Zhang Ping'an greeted with a smile.
Rural children are all tough. Shuanzi jumped directly onto the car board and sat down, staring at the bags on the car. However, he was well taught by his family and did not rummage through anything.
Zhang Ping'an untied one of the bundles, took out a handful of crispy candies and put them in Shuanzi's pocket. Shuanzi laughed happily and said, "Thank you, little cousin!"
When he arrived at the door, Zhang Ping'an saw two red lanterns hanging on both sides of his door, and couldn't help wondering: "When did our family develop the habit of hanging red lanterns at the door?"
As soon as the family entered the house, they were warmly welcomed by the whole family, especially Zhang Pingan. He was a little uncomfortable seeing his uncle, aunt, third uncle and third aunt coming up to him to ask about his well-being.
Even Mr. Zhang, who didn't care about anything, came forward and took Zhang Ping'an's hand, saying tremblingly: "My grandson has made great progress!"
The family had already finished dinner, so Mrs. Li hurriedly said, "Please sit down first. I'll make you some noodles. It'll be ready soon."
Before Zhang Laoer and his friends had finished their noodles, a group of people came to Wu Yangyang's house. They all came to see the newly-minted Tongsheng Master.
They had clearly watched the child grow up before their eyes, but now they could see something different about him again. Everyone said at once, "I've known Ping'an was special since he was little. He's always been different from the other children in the village. He's fair, tender, and clean. He looks like a city kid, born to live in the city and eat a decent meal."
Daqiang came up a step later and couldn't squeeze in. He shouted anxiously, "All of you women, make way and let me in."
Seeing the village chief coming, everyone made way for him and said, "The village chief is here."
Daqiang squeezed to the front and said, "Second brother, Ping'an, the village has been looking forward to your return. If you don't come back, I'm going to go to the county town to find you. Ping'an is the first Tongsheng master in our village, and we must give him a good reception."
Zhang Laoer replied, "I only have two days off this time. Ping An still has to prepare for the college entrance examination, so time is very tight. I've already bought the meat and will prepare two tables for tomorrow's feast. It will be enough for our relatives to have a good time. It won't be too late to hold a big feast after Ping An passes the imperial examination."
Daqiang said anxiously, "This is a big wedding. There's nothing wrong with having one for each student and one for each scholar. Second brother, are you worried about not having enough food and manpower? That's not a problem. Every family in the village can chip in and it will be enough. For such a big wedding, the village must contribute money."
Zhang Laoer listened to his son's analysis of the difference between a Tongsheng and a Xiucai, and since time was really tight, he felt that it would be inappropriate to hold a grand banquet. It would not be too late to hold it after he passed the Xiucai exam. Otherwise, it would be too exaggerated and shock the ancestors. He refused to agree no matter what.
The two grown men argued back and forth until their faces turned red. Finally, Zhang made the decision, "Let's not hold it this time. After Ping'an finishes the college entrance examination, my family will hold one no matter what the result is, and everyone can come then."
Seeing that Zhang had spoken, Daqiang had no choice but to say, "Then we must do it when the time comes. Everyone in the village should come to help."
Zhang nodded and started to drive them away: "Go back, go back, our family needs to rest."
It took a long time before the place finally quieted down and Zhang Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief. But it was his grandmother who had to step in to help. So many people chattering made his head hurt.
After Zhang drove the people away, she didn't say anything else, "Everyone should rest for now. We can talk tomorrow if we have anything to say. Tomorrow morning, the eldest and third wives should get up early to help with the cooking."
After saying that, he went back to his room.
Xu was flattered that her name wasn't mentioned this time. After being married to the Zhang family for over twenty years, this was the first time she had felt so proud in front of her mother-in-law. She was still dazed when she returned to her room. "Oh my God, I never thought I'd be able to live like this in the Zhang family one day."
Zhang Laoer said, "Go to sleep quickly. Aren't you tired? Stop complaining!"
The family then went to bed.
After years of forming a habit, the family no longer had the habit of sleeping in. Early the next morning, Zhang Laoer, Xu Shi, Zhang Ping'an, and Si Ya all got up.
After getting dressed, Si Ya said with disgust, "Mom, the room is so dusty. My body feels itchy when I sleep at night. I really want to go back to the county quickly."
Xu scolded, "You're spoiled, you have all these bad habits. Come out and help me."
Today, only relatives were having dinner together, so the food was cooked well and had plenty of oil and water. Mrs. Li was not stingy and started frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying. Soon, the aroma came from the kitchen.
The first to arrive were Erya's family. The two families lived close together, making it convenient for them to come over. Erya was now a mother of two children. Luckily, she had two sons in a row after getting married, and her life was relatively well-off, so she lived happily in her husband's family. She had gained a lot of weight in the past few years and no longer looked as slim as before.
"Little brother, I knew you could do it. From now on, I will send these two boys of mine to school. Even if they are half as smart as you, it will be enough," Erya said with a hearty laugh.
The couple was carrying a lot of things, and Zhang Pingan quickly stepped forward to take them. "Second sister, you just came, why are you carrying so many things? Oh, right, go into the room and find mother. I bought some fine cotton cloth and brought it back. Pick out a color you like and cut a few yards to make some new clothes for my two nephews."
"That's great. These two mud monkeys at home roll around in the village every day, which makes their clothes very worn out," Erya said with a smile. She went into the room to find Xu without any hesitation.
Brother Liu smiled shyly, looked around and helped chop firewood in the yard. He was a man of hard work.
After a while, Old Man Xu, Old Lady Xu, Daya and Sanya's families all arrived, and the village symbolically invited Daqiang's family to come over.
When dinner was almost served, Daqiang led the men in the family to the ancestral hall with several plates of meat, several plates of steamed buns and a jar of wine to worship their ancestors. One was to tell the ancestors that a descendant of the family had made great progress, passed the imperial examination, and that the family was expected to prosper. The other was to pray for the ancestors' blessings so that the next college entrance examination would go smoothly.
After burning incense and kowtowing, everyone came out. Old Man Zhang led them to Cypress Hill, where the Zhang family's great-grandfather was buried. They burned incense and kowtowing again, and Old Man Zhang also burned a basin of paper money. After everything was done, everyone returned to the Zhang family courtyard to start the feast.
On such a happy day, even the most ignorant person would not say anything offensive.
Everyone was happy during the meal. Xu prepared generous return gifts for each family as her husband and son had asked. Although she still felt distressed, she felt a little better after hearing everyone's compliments.
After the banquet, Erya did not leave immediately. After everyone had finished cleaning up and sat down to rest, she said to Zhang Laoer, "Dad, Mom, my son Husheng is going to the county to do business this year. I plan to take the children with him. My parents-in-law also agree. I will need your help in the county when the time comes."
"What? Second sister, you are going to the county?" San Ya asked in surprise.