400 Changcun Ancestor Worship
Wan Changgeng and his family now live in Wan Changsheng’s new house.
We have moved here for quite some time. Since I learned how to find medicinal herbs, it is convenient to live here. There is also a large space for drying them, and no one can see us.
The old house is not small, but it is very old. It is just right for Wan Qing to get married here. Although after they get married they only go back home during festivals and holidays, and live in the city most of the time.
Wan Qing's fiancée runs a snack shop with her mother in the county town. She is a very capable girl. She is the eldest child and has a younger brother who is still studying. After Wan Qing gets married, Wan Changgeng plans to use the money to buy him a house in the city.
Wan Changsheng was chatting with his brother about what had happened in the past few years. Ping'an couldn't sit still and walked into the yard.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, he curled his lips. It must be Wan Xiang. The seventeen-year-old boy was already tall and strong, and looked a lot like his stepfather Wan Changsheng. Blood relationship was really a wonderful thing.
Ping An turned around and said, "Wan Xiang, I heard that you want to follow me?"
Wan Xiang nodded: "Yes, okay?"
"But you are already seventeen years old. It's a little late to learn anything."
Wan Xiang paused and said, "Ping An, I can collect herbs and identify them. I have learned a lot from the medical books my elder brother brought back. I am also very strong, so carrying 200 kilograms is no problem. I can do many things."
"Wanxiang, you know that I usually don't accept acquaintances. Even if I do, they have to sign a long-term contract with me. Erqiang is my cousin, and he also signed a 20-year contract with me. Because things around me are confidential, such as prescriptions, it is not okay for them to come for a few years and then leave."
"Ping An, I am willing to be with you for the rest of my life, as long as we are not slaves. I want to go out and see the world, and I don't want to stay in the village forever. I have Sanxi at home, and he is willing to stay at home. My eldest brother can also come back often, so I have nothing to worry about.
And I want to follow you, follow you for the rest of my life, and I am willing to do anything for you. If it weren’t for you three years ago, my family might have been finished, and my father would never have been able to stand up again. My eldest brother was able to study medicine and have such a good life, all because of you. I know all this.”
"Okay, think it over and discuss it with your father and brother. Once you go out, you will be like Erqiang, and you may not be able to come back every year. Also, remember what you said today. If you follow me, you will not only be my cousin, but also my subordinate. You must listen to me in everything you say and do."
Wan Xiang grinned, and at this moment Ping An inexplicably felt that he was still very cute.
"Wanxiang, this matter can only be known to you and your family. You must not tell anyone. After your brother and the three strong men finish the banquet, we have to leave in three or four days at most. I don't want many people to come to my house. Apart from you and Erqiang, I don't plan to accept anyone here."
"I know, and I promise not to tell anyone." Wan Xiang's eyes sparkled.
Ping An no longer looked at him. Even though he knew he was following him, he decided to take the boy out. With such clear eyes, he would not cause any trouble for him.
His stepfather was very good to him and never made any requests of him. The only thing he wanted was for him to take his nephew away. He was able to fulfill this small wish, and soon the child became a really good child.
In the afternoon, Ping'an sent his stepfather to his grandfather's house, had dinner there, and then went to live in town.
He could see that his mother was very happy, so this trip back was worth it.
At noon on the second day, he arrived at the entrance of Changjia Village.
Erqiang delivered gifts to every household yesterday.
At this moment, the old patriarch and all the men in the village were waiting at the entrance of the village. It was a sea of people, and Ping An felt mixed emotions due to such hospitality.
Once upon a time, they, mother and son, were like poison. The women and children of these families wanted to stay away from them as far as possible, thinking that their father had died and their grandparents had passed away one after another. The reason was simply that they, mother and son, were their nemesis.
Now it is so welcome again.
What's even more ironic is that everyone, including myself and my own father, has to compromise and pretend nothing has happened, because my roots are here, my grandparents' graves are here, and going back further, my ancestors are here.
Being a human being is difficult.
Ping An got out of the car more than ten feet away from them. Lin Feng, Xiao Wu, Tong Lin and Xiao Ming were by his side. Er Qiang asked him to spend more time with his family in the next two days.
"You're back safely." The old patriarch and his son, the village chief, greeted them with smiles on their faces.
Ping An bowed and said, "Ping An greets the clan leader, greets the village chief, and greets everyone."
He caught a glimpse of Chang Chunlai, to whom he had once given a house in exchange for taking care of the ancestral grave.
This person was a bit confused and bold. He clearly knew that he was the eldest son's apprentice and that his biological father Chang Chunfeng was a Beijing official. He probably thought that they would not come back for ten or eight years, so he did not weed the ancestral grave and pile up soil on the winter solstice that year.
As a result, the village chief took back the house in anger and replaced the family to look after the ancestral grave every six months.
These were the letters that Village Chief Chang wrote and asked Daqiangzi to help send to Ping'an.
"Ping An, no need to be polite, everyone has been waiting here for a long time, let's open the ancestral hall now."
The old patriarch was extremely excited when he received the gifts brought by He Erqiang and his men yesterday. This meant that Ping An had gotten over the past events.
He is already a top three scholar at such a young age, and maybe he will become the top scholar in the future. In fact, even if Ping'an doesn't take the imperial examination, he will have a great future. People in Hejia Village say that Ping'an and Erqiang both went to the northern border, saved many people, and were commended by the emperor.
So yesterday afternoon, he gathered all the men in the village together and told them that nothing must go wrong today, otherwise they would be expelled from the village.
This father and son are the backbone of Changjia Village. The people of Changjia Village can hold their heads high in public, and even stand straight in front of yamen runners, all thanks to them.
As long as they manage the people of Changjia Village well and don't do anything illegal, they will receive many benefits in the future.
When he reached the entrance of the ancestral hall, Ping'an looked at the dilapidated house in front of him and saw that it needed to be repaired long time ago.
He looked at Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu quickly handed him the wooden box.
If you have to give it anyway, give it earlier.
"Grandpa, the clan leader, these are just a small token of your gratitude. They can be used for clan expenses. It's up to the clan leader and the village chief to decide."
He opened the lid of the wooden box just like he did in Wanjia Village. In an instant, the sun shone on the shiny silver, reflecting a charming light.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on this.
"Peace, this, this."
Ping An handed it to the village chief and said, "It's nothing. It's just a small token of our gratitude to the clan."
"Well, well, let's continue." The village chief was so excited that he stuttered.
It was for those acres of land that Ping'an changed his surname. Although he worshipped his ancestors in both places, his household registration was in Wanjia Village. Yesterday, he even worshipped his ancestors in Wanjia Village. His old father sighed all night.
It's not only about his old father, but also the knot in his heart throughout his life.
What happens next will happen naturally step by step.
After paying homage to his ancestors, he went to the ancestral grave and found that Changjia Village indeed took good care of the graves of his grandparents, and even the paths were clean.
This made Ping An feel much more comfortable. After all, his roots in this life began here.
We had lunch at the village chief's house. The village chief's youngest son, Chang Shu, was about the same age as Ping'an and was now a student. He was arranged to sit next to Ping'an.
Ping An chatted with him and found that the young man was very smart, much better than his honest older brother. Of course, the village chief's eldest son was also a good person and very honest.
"How about this, I also brought two books this time, the books are very good, you can go to my grandfather's house in Hejia Village tomorrow to pick them up. Let me tell you, those are the books given to me by the president of the Hanlin Academy."
It was indeed given by Mr. Wang, but it was a handwritten copy that he copied himself and had memorized it thoroughly, so he might as well give it to him. The village chief is in charge of the entire village, and he is so careful about the graves of his grandparents. This is enough for him to give this young man a favor.
The village chief and clan leader might not know who the president of the Hanlin Academy is, but as a scholar, how could Chang Shu not know?
He suddenly became excited: "Thank you for peace, thank you for peace."
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