Chapter 56
After Wen Shi arrived home, he put the milk in the kitchen and went to the main house.
"Father, the village head wants us to go over there. The ancestral worship ceremony is in a few days."
Old Man Wen immediately stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and strode outside. Wen Shi watched his father's back, a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes, before following him.
The village head's family had more than a dozen houses, making them a well-known wealthy household in the village. They also owned a considerable amount of land, but their population was not as large as the Wen family's; they only had two sons.
One son works in the county, another does farm work at home, and they often have to hire help during busy farming seasons. They also have five or six grandchildren, so the family is quite large.
Old Man Wen walked to the center of the village and looked at the spacious and clean courtyard not far away. Even today, there is still some envy in his eyes.
The village head's house was the largest in the village. Although his family had many members, their yard was only half the size of the village head's. In fact, the two men were about the same age.
"father."
Wen Shi walked up to Old Man Wen and called him "Father," which immediately brought Old Man Wen back to reality. He naturally knew that Old Man Wen had been a village head before, and he couldn't help but glance at his third son.
Their family will definitely be much better off than the village head's family in the future. Even if they have some connections in the government, once the third son becomes an official, he will buy a big house in the county, which will be even bigger than this.
The village head's family had a donkey cart, but the third son, who became an official, still rode in a horse-drawn carriage.
Old Man Wen took a breath, and as the cold wind blew by, he coughed a few times unconsciously. Then he straightened his head, puffed out his chest, and strode forward.
Inside the main house, the village head warmly welcomed the two.
"Wife, quickly go and make some hot tea."
After drinking a bowl of hot tea, I felt much warmer from the aroma.
"Let's go to the ancestral hall."
There is a sacrificial ceremony every year during the Spring Festival, which is not surprising to the two of them. As long as there are people in the village, they will basically participate.
The ancestral hall was not luxurious or spacious, but it was repaired every year and could not be called old. The village head led the two of them along the way and encountered many villagers.
Although everyone was curious, they didn't say anything, just greeted each other and left.
The village chief was already waiting at the entrance of the ancestral hall. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky again, scattered here and there. He couldn't help but look towards the mountains not far away. He could vaguely see a white expanse on the mountains. The snow scene was beautiful, but it was freezing cold. He had no mind to admire it at the moment.
"Open the door quickly."
The items had been prepared a few days ago. After the sacrifice, the money would be divided equally among the households. Daliu Village had a large population, and each time the money was divided among the households, it would amount to at most a dozen or so copper coins.
The village chief stood at the door, rubbing his hands together and breathing on them to warm them; it was a really cold day. After the ancestral hall door opened, the four of them hurried inside.
The sacrificial offerings are now neatly arranged, including six large fat pigs, two sheep, as well as grains and fruits. Wen Shi walked in and observed the surroundings; the changes were not significant.
“I’ve prepared everything. Third brother, you’re a scholar. You can write an article for our village. The main purpose is to express our gratitude to our ancestors and hope that they will bless us from heaven, ensuring our safety and health, and that we will have a bumper harvest next year.”
"That's not difficult," Wen Shi nodded immediately.
"It's best to write it on a large sheet of paper. There are quite a few people in our village, and we need to make sure that every household can put their handprint on it."
The village chief added a sentence.
Old Man Wen looked around with some emotion. He knew that not all villagers were entitled to have their memorial tablets placed here after they died, so that they could enjoy the incense offerings from the villagers during festivals.
Historically, village leaders and villagers were definitely allowed to enter. Others either had made contributions to the village, or ordinary villagers, after they died, could only be buried in the back mountain, and their families would burn paper money for them during festivals.
“Uncle, I see that the memorial tablets are a bit old. Why don’t we buy some new ones and I can write new inscriptions for our ancestors and put them on?”
The ancestral hall was clean and tidy, but the memorial tablets were visibly old. As soon as he said this, the village chief and the village head nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
"Is it too late?"
Old Man Wen asked with some concern.
He remained calm upon hearing this.
"Don't worry, Dad, I can write very quickly, it will take me at most two days."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Third Brother. I was originally thinking of finding a few more people to join you, as this memorial tablet should be replaced."
“I can manage on my own, Uncle. If I become successful in the future, I will also donate money to the village to make the ancestral hall more magnificent.”
"Third brother, you are so filial, your ancestors in heaven will surely bless you."
The village head's smile was like a spring breeze, and he remained unfazed when he heard it. Old Man Wen stood to the side, thinking only that it was good that his son was successful.
Naturally, some of their family members are among them, several generations back, their ancestors.
After returning home, Old Man Wen couldn't wait to tell his family. Yingxiang glanced at Wen Shi but didn't say anything. He knew there must be a reason behind what he did.
At noon, the three daughters-in-law cooked together. Yingxiang had just entered the kitchen when she was pulled out by Wen Ersao.
"Third sister-in-law, you go and see the children. The third son's studies are important. He also needs to help the ancestors rewrite their memorial tablets. Fourth sister-in-law and I will take care of it."
Yingxiang nodded and did not refuse.
After returning to the room, she saw Wen Shi standing at his desk, holding his son in one arm and writing an article with the other. She immediately went over and took the child from his arms.
"On the day of the sacrifice, I will take care of him."
Wen Shi glanced at his son sucking his thumb and couldn't help but pat his round head. The little guy rested his head on Ying Xiang's shoulder, smiled at him, and looked very cute.
Yingxiang had participated in the sacrificial ceremony before, so she naturally knew that it had nothing to do with the women. They couldn't even enter the ancestral hall; at most, they could kowtow outside.
Wen Shi wrote quickly, and Ying Xiang glanced at it a few times. It was a letter of gratitude to their ancestors, which was not surprising.
In the evening, the village chief's son came to the Wen family and told Wen Shi that the new memorial tablets had been bought and would be placed in the ancestral hall. He would go there tomorrow to write the replacement tablets and also gave Wen Shi the key.
Watching him leave, Old Man Wen coughed, and Wen Shi couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Dad's alright, Third Brother, you'd better do a good job."
Wen Shijun's face was full of determination. He was doing his part for the village, and it wasn't something that would be thankless. He was willing to do it.
"Father, if it doesn't work, let's see a doctor."
"There's medicine. I'll have your second brother brew some more for Dad later. He'll feel much better after drinking it. He's much better than before."
Wen Shi looked somewhat worried, but Old Man Wen waved his hand.
The following afternoon, Wen Xiaowu returned home, greeted his family, and went to the ancestral hall with great enthusiasm. When he saw his third brother, he was very excited.
Wen Shi hadn't seen him for a while. Wen Xiaowu had become much stronger and more stable than before.
"Third Brother."
Wen Shi was writing new memorial tablets for his ancestors, his expression focused.
"You're back. How's your reading going these days?"
“It’s great, my husband often praises me.”
Wen Xiaowu looked at Wen Shi with a hint of nervousness. In fact, he now had a name, but his family was used to calling him Lao Wu or Xiao Wu.
"That's good. You must guard against arrogance and impatience, and calm down."
"Don't worry, Third Brother."
"How about I help you?"
"I'll write it, you put it on."
"good."
Wen Shi's calligraphy is bold and neat, much better than that of the old scholar from a few years ago.
"Once this year is over, I will register for the entrance examination for the first generation of scholars next year."
Wen Shi glanced at his younger brother, his expression full of encouragement, reminding him that it's better to rely on yourself than on others.
"If I can find a renowned teacher like you, Third Brother, in the future, that would be even better."
"If you work hard, you will definitely succeed. The master doesn't care too much about family background when accepting students; he values scholarship and attitude more."
Wen Shi wrote with vigor and strength. He estimated it would take two days, but he actually finished it in just over a day. He breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the last memorial tablet.
Wen Shi took a few steps back, stood at the door, looked at the neatly arranged and brand-new memorial tablets inside, and smiled knowingly.
"Third Brother, you write so well."
"Let's go home."
The night before the sacrificial ceremony, Wen Chuanzong returned. This time he was dressed more respectably, but he was followed by A Mian. As they passed by, the villagers couldn't help but stare at him curiously, and some even went up to inquire.
Wen Chuanzong openly stated that this was his concubine, and that he and A Mian had a period of shared joys and sorrows. A Mian lowered her head and followed behind him, not saying much.
Some busybodies, though smiling to the surface, inevitably gossip behind people's backs.
It's not wrong for him to take a concubine; wealthy families all do the same. The two walked home and saw Wen Chuanzong brazenly bringing A-Mian back. Xiu-Yu was so angry that she almost fainted.
She wanted to go back to her parents' home, but the ancestral worship ceremony was coming up soon, and her family was currently in the eye of the storm, so she couldn't leave.
“This year, your third brother put in a lot of effort for the ancestral worship. He not only wrote new memorial tablets for the ancestors, but also led the villagers to burn incense for the ancestors together with the village chief and the village head. He also wrote an article for the villagers to express their gratitude to the ancestors. The village chief said that every household should put their handprints on the paper and burn it for the ancestors.”
As soon as Old Man Wen uttered those casual words, Wen Chuanzong, who was sitting to the side, had a very complicated expression. His eyes went from disbelief to gradual acceptance.
He lowered his eyes, and after a long while, said, "Congratulations, Third Brother."
Wen Shi sat to the side, teasing the child in his arms. He looked up at his older brother and naturally did not miss the fleeting resentment in his eyes.
"Thank you, brother."
Wen Chuanzong bought a decent set of clothes to wear when he went home for the Chinese New Year, but the difference between him and Wen Shi was obvious. His dejection and loss were impossible to hide, no matter how hard he tried to cheer himself up.
On the day of the sacrifice, Xiuyu stood with Yingxiang, her heart pounding. She wasn't deaf, and although the whispers around her weren't loud, she could still hear some of them. Her face turned pale. Most of the villagers were just looking for a good show and gossiping behind her back.
Yingxiang, holding her child, stood outside the ancestral hall with a group of women. She was not short, and Wen Shi, who was standing in the first row with the village chief and village head, could be vaguely seen inside. Among the group, he stood out because of his tall stature. Old Man Wen also benefited from this and stood at the front to offer incense to the ancestors.
Having lived this long, this was the first time Old Man Wen had ever cried tears of joy. In previous years, he could only stand at the back and kowtow.
"Stack".
The little guy's pronunciation wasn't clear, but he could call out "Dad" and "Mom." He pointed his little finger in the direction of "inside" and looked at Yingxiang. Yingxiang smiled, kissed his cheek, and then helped him adjust his hat.
Wen Shi was very respectful inside. He was dressed well, and the villagers had no objections; they all praised him.
After a series of procedures were completed, it was already past noon. The sacrificial food would be distributed to the villagers in a few days, and for now, everyone was at home eating.
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