In fact, Mr. Song didn't sleep for long before Tao Mu carefully woke him up.
"Grandpa, we have to go to the grave."
According to the rules of the Song family, they welcome their ancestors on New Year’s Eve and send them off on New Year’s Day. Sending off the ancestors must be done at an auspicious time, and before doing so, thirty-six Songjiacun dishes must be made to commemorate the ancestors. To prove that the Song family's heritage continues uninterrupted, so that the ancestors can return with peace of mind.
It naturally takes time to prepare thirty-six dishes. Although before this, the basic preparations have been completed. But just cooking on the stove takes at least one or two hours. If it were in the past, when there were many children in the Song family, it might be faster if each person had one or two dishes. But now there are only the old man and Tao Mu, and the old man still has to cook twenty-eight dishes. This is a big project.
When Song Daozhen was woken up, he actually felt as if he was in another world. I was stunned for a long time before I came to my senses.
Tao Mu turned on the air conditioner, put the cotton-padded jacket hanging on the radiator on the old man, and pulled out the cotton-padded pants covered in the quilt. When he put shoes on the old man, he frowned and said, "Why is this room still so cold? How about we hire someone to install floor heating?"
"Don't waste time on such an old house." Song Daozhen waved his hand. The Song family's ancestral home was passed down from the Qing Dynasty. They say it's an antique and it looks very prestigious. But only those who live there know. It is cool in winter and warm in summer, and the lighting is not very good. A few years ago, we finally got water, electricity and heating, but the official road has aged over the years and problems always occur.
Last year, Tao Mu made some money in H Town, and when he came back, he overhauled the wiring and pipelines in the orphanage and the Song family mansion. Especially the east and west wing rooms of the Song family, they even went to Liulichang to invite a construction team that was specialized in repairing cultural relics and historical sites to come and renovate them. From the windows and walls to the various furnishings inside the house. At that time, the yard was in a mess due to the renovation and construction. Mr. Song is very annoyed.
He managed to get through it with great difficulty, so he didn't have to suffer twice.
"Then you don't like air conditioning." Tao Mu squatted on the ground to help the old man put on his shoes: "Electric heaters are open flames, which is too unsafe. And after a long time, I feel dry mouth and tongue, and it's easy to get angry. We have to find a way to make the house warmer."
"I feel sick when using air conditioning." Mr. Song waved his hand. He is old and can't really enjoy the blessing of air conditioning: "Besides, it's quite warm in this room. I've been here for so many years, I'm used to it. You young people are all so hot-tempered and can't resist the cold at all."
As Mr. Song spoke, his eyes fell on Tao Mu's long, straight legs. A thin pair of jeans wrapped around Tao Mu's legs, making them look shockingly thin and inappropriate. Mr. Song frowned, realizing that things were not that simple: "Are you not wearing cotton pants again?"
"Just take the car when you go out, there is heating in the house." Tao Mu blinked, pointed to the basin of warm water on the washbasin rack and said, "I've prepared the water for you to wash your face. I'm going out--"
"You little brat, you don't wear cotton pants in the middle of winter, and it's fifteen or sixteen degrees below zero outside... You're going to freeze to death!"
Tao Mu hurried over but couldn't avoid the scolding. Old Master Song stood at the doorstep and his loud scolding directly woke up the other people in the courtyard. Everyone was standing on the veranda, wrapped in down jackets and cotton coats, watching the show with a smile on their faces.
Until the old man finished washing and went into the kitchen, Tao Mu was still squatting in front of the stove, silently guarding his dignity as an idol - he resolutely refused to wear cotton pants.
"It's minus fifteen degrees outside, and the northwest wind is blowing hard. If you don't wear cotton pants today, we won't send our ancestors off." Old Master Song stood on the other side of the stove angrily, "I guess the ancestors of the Song family don't want to see the Song family's best disciple freezing to death outside just to show off."
"Just take a car when you go out, there is heating in the house..." Tao Mu said the same thing: "Besides, I don't feel cold."
Besides, how can celebrities wear cotton pants just to keep warm? Do you still have any dignity as an idol? Especially when walking on the red carpet or watching a show, can you just put on a layer of cotton pants because you are shivering from the cold? Other female celebrities even show their bare thighs and shoulders. They men are much better now, okay?
"And I have a warm baby inside." Tao Mu said very cleverly: "It's really not cold."
"Do you know Liu Laosan at the entrance of the alley? He was the drunkard who got drunk outside on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month and slept beside the street lamp in a daze?" Old Master Song gave Tao Mu an example of the consequences of not wearing cotton pants in the north: "When the street sweeper found him the next morning, he was frozen to death. His whole body was purple and blue. It was hard and not good-looking at all."
"And Dean Yun came to Songji for dinner a few days ago and told me that some young girls now dress like the Korean opera, wearing a cotton coat on top and no cotton pants on the bottom, wearing a skirt with bare legs, strolling outside all day, and freezing to the point of peeing blood..."
Tao Mu was about to explain "I'm different from them" when he looked up and saw Mr. Song's determined eyes. Okay. There's nothing more to say.
"I'll go put on my cotton pants." Tao Mu turned back to the house sullenly and pulled out a pair of thin cotton pants. Mr. Song followed closely behind him and said, "Wear something thick."
Tao Mu was even more unhappy. He put on thick cotton pants and then jeans, and he felt particularly bloated. Mr. Song was satisfied this time: "That's right. You have to wear thick clothes in winter. It makes people feel warm just by looking at them."
Even though he tried his best, he still couldn't keep his dignity as an idol who never wears cotton pants. Tao Musheng pulled out his phone helplessly. He has always been a person who would not let others have an easy life even if he himself had a hard time. During this New Year, I originally wanted to be kind and turn a blind eye to the secretive actions of some old people. But now... the baby is not happy, so why would he care whether you, an old bastard, are happy or not?
Tao Mu snorted twice, signaling Feixun Entertainment to send two reporters to stake out outside the Song family's ancestral tomb. By the way, let Brother Dahui go there in advance to make some preparations. Although it is the New Year's Day, the entertainment industry has always been celebrating the New Year with gossip, and it's over without gossip. Therefore, entertainment reporters, gossip paparazzi and others are just like the special workers in the country, they have to work in shifts and have no holidays. Of course, as a boss who is keen on going home for the New Year, Tao Mu is concerned about those who cannot go home for the New Year, or cannot have a peaceful New Year. The employees of Feixun Entertainment Department who always need to be remembered for their dedication to the gossip business are also very good. The New Year's Day overtime pay was as high as ten times the daily salary, and the luxurious New Year's Eve dinner was delivered from a five-star hotel. The reporters from Feixun Entertainment Department almost fought to get the qualification for the New Year's Day shift.
As long as my family is around me, every day can be Chinese New Year. But ten times the overtime pay is only available for these few days!
Not knowing that his grandson would find someone to vent his anger on whenever things didn't go his way, Old Man Song watched Tao Mu change into his thick cotton pants before dragging him back to the kitchen to calmly prepare dishes for the ancestor worship.
When all the dishes were ready, the old and the young solemnly placed the thirty-six Song family dishes one by one in front of the ancestral tablet, kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, respectfully inviting the ancestors to taste them. After that, it is the journey to send the ancestors back to the ancestral tombs.
Tao Mu noticed that after Mr. Song invited the ancestral tablets, he also held up the rosewood box containing the Song Family Cookbook. I can't help but feel a little suspicious.
Facing Tao Mu's doubts, Mr. Song said nothing. He sat in the back seat with a gloomy face. The shadows of the buildings on both sides of the driveway flew past, and Mr. Song was almost blended into the darkness.
By the time Liu Yaomengqi brought the old and the child to the Song family's ancestral tomb, it was already past six o'clock. A hint of paleness appeared on the horizon.
Yao Shengan arrived at the Song family ancestral tomb on time at four o'clock and waited in the car for more than two hours before he saw the vehicle that the Song family sent to send off their ancestors. He immediately got out of the car with a gloomy face: "Didn't you say four o'clock?"
Old Master Song held the ancestral tablet and glanced expressionlessly at Yao Shengan, who looked unhappy. "Didn't you say you wanted to kneel in front of my father's grave for a day and a night? I was worried that your body couldn't stand it, so I prepared to let you kneel for two more hours. In the end, you didn't kneel."
"Then why did you come so early?" Song Daozhen looked at Yao Shengan with a puzzled look.
Yao Shengan was almost mad at Song Daozhen's words. He almost forgot that Song Daozhen has been a person who likes to put the blame on others since he was young.
At that time, the Song family had not yet fallen. The old man of the Song family accepted two apprentices in total, one was him and the other was Wang Yipan. Song Daozhen is the only son of the old man of the Song family and the only child of that generation of the Song family. Being young, he was naturally loved. Therefore, Song Daozhen has been a devil since he was young. He has a lively personality and cannot calm down at all. He is full of evil ideas and often makes the old man of the Song family angry and punishes him by calling the family law to make him kneel in the ancestral hall.
Later, after experiencing that special era, all the members of the Song family died or dispersed. Song Daozhen was hit hard and never recovered.
Thinking of these past events, Yao Shengan couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect you to think this way. If you explain it to me clearly, I will naturally kneel here willingly and ask for forgiveness, my teacher."
Song Daozhen sneered: "What I think is my business. It has nothing to do with what you do. If you have the intention, since you have come to the Song family tomb, you should kneel down and cry. The ancestors of the Song family cannot jump out of the coffin to stop you. Do you still need to ask for others' consent?"
Song Daozhen is a person who never gives face to others when he speaks or does things. No matter how much you want to stay, you can still say: "You have to kneel down and apologize in front of others, and let people see you kowtow and burn incense. Whether you are really apologizing or just pretending, you know it yourself."
Song Daozhen said, looking coldly at the two reporters carrying cameras who got out of the Yao family car: "I was just being sentimental. It seems you don't want to put on a show in front of me."
Song Daozhen placed the tablets of the Song family's ancestors in front of the tomb. In front of all the ancestors, he returned the sandalwood box that Yao Shengan had sent back earlier: "When I sorted out the Song Family Cookbook, I found that there were more than ten dishes at the end, which should not belong to the Song family. Now it is returned intact."
At that time, Old Master Song was still alive and Song Daozhen had not yet inherited Song's business, so he had no right to see the ancestral recipes. Song Daozhen based his guess on the time - the day when Yao Shengan and his men raided the Song family's home and stole the ancestral recipes. From that day on, Old Master Song tore down all the dishes recorded in the "Song Family Cookbook". Return it to Yao Shengan along with the sandalwood box.
"The Song family motto is not ours, so we should not take it without asking, nor be greedy. If there are descendants of the family who are learning skills outside, they must obtain the consent of the other party before recording the dishes they learned in the "Song Family Recipe". They can either exchange the recipes or buy them with silver. If necessary, they can provide for the other party's old age and see them to the end of their lives. If in the future, the descendants of the family who gave the recipes lose the ancestral secret and ask the Song family for it, the Song family should not shirk or prevaricate. They should not cherish what they have. They should be grateful for the kindness of passing on the skills in the past..."
Song Daozhen stood in front of the Song family's ancestral tomb and recited a passage from the Song family's family motto. Then he looked at Yao Sheng'an expressionlessly and said, "Mr. Yao had already betrayed his master and established his own school. Since then, he is no longer a member of the Song family. My Song family does not want to have any friendship with Mr. Yao, and we do not want to be grateful for your kindness in teaching us art. So I will return your things, Yao Sheng'an, intact. You can choose them yourself."
Yao Shengan looked at Song Daozhen with a complicated expression. This is the spirit of the Song family. Even after going through hardships and sufferings, they remain true to their original aspirations.
"This is my gift. It's also my compensation to the Song family. I hope you can accept it." Yao Shengan said this and laughed at himself again: "After all, I learned this skill from the Song family."
"I said, I just want the Song family's recipes to be returned intact. If it's intact, then it doesn't matter if there's one dish missing or more than a dozen dishes." Song Daozhen's thoughts were particularly clear: "Although you learned cooking from the Song family, you betrayed your master and ancestors. So you and the Song family have no more gratitude. If you force the word relationship, we are still enemies."
"If you still have a face and conscience, don't use Song family dishes to benefit your Yao family in the future. After all, you have set up your own business. Instead of continuing to use Song family recipes secretly, you might as well find a way to promote Yao family dishes and restore your Yao family's reputation."
Song Daozhen lit three incense sticks while speaking: "Now, kowtow and apologize. After you kowtow, you can leave."
Yao Shengan didn't expect that Song Daozhen would respond like this before he found a chance to attack. Just a few words shattered all his previous plans.
That's why he hated people like the Song family the most. No matter what the temperament of the family members was, they all had a conservative, pedantic and bad temper in their bones. Everything must be based on family rules and clan laws. Don’t even think about what era it is now. Everyone puts profit first. What future can Song Daozhen have if he just holds on to the "Song Family Cookbook" and guards the already declining Song's?
After another ten or eight years, Song Daozhen also died. The Song family is facing the danger of having their skills lost and their descendants extinct. Rather than watching these things get lost, it would be better to let him use them. It can not only solve the crisis of the Saint Ann Group, but also promote the Songji brand.
What's more, Song Daozhen is now a major shareholder of Sheng'an Group. There was no point for him to look after an empty Song Ji, so it would be better for him to hand it over to the Saint Ann Group. It also prevents the Song family's reputation from completely declining as the family faces the crisis of extinction.
Song Daozhen didn't expect Yao Shengan to want to take over Song Ji, and he was immediately furious: "Get out of here!"
Song Daozhen picked up a fire stick and beat Yao Shengan and the bodyguards and reporters he brought with him out of the Song family's ancestral tomb. Watching Yao Shengan hiding behind his bodyguard in embarrassment.
"Think about it carefully. Don't act on impulse at your age. Although you hate me, you don't want Song's business to fall into desolation in your hands! How will you face the ancestors of the Song family then? How will you explain to them?" Yao Shengan knew Song Daozhen's weakness, and every word he said hit Song Daozhen's heart hard.
Yao Shengan saw that Tao Mu didn't bring any reporters with him, and only the two cameramen he brought were naturally facing him. His speech and behavior suddenly became much more relaxed. In front of Song Daozhen, Tao Mu and others, he shamelessly said some harsh words, then got in the car and drove away surrounded by bodyguards.
Song Daozhen was so angry that he covered his chest and cursed. He had never seen such a shameless person. He has harmed the entire Song family, and now he has the nerve to target Song’s business. Even if he took the Songji plaque into his coffin, he would never let Yao Shengan succeed.
"Grandpa, don't be angry. This old bastard won't succeed." Tao Mu comforted his old man while looking at the two Feixun Entertainment reporters who came out of nowhere, and Brother Dahui who came to make arrangements in advance.
“Did you take pictures of everything?”
The two reporters nodded viciously. Yao Shengan is indeed shameless and has no dignity. Even the two bystanders couldn't bear to watch it anymore.
Dahui walked behind the Song family's ancestral tomb and took out several hidden cameras used for secret filming that were hidden in the corner. It was still daybreak and pitch black everywhere. Yao Shengan and his men didn't notice these "traps" at all.
Tao Mu sneered. His life was comfortable and he was so kind for just two days. Some people really regarded him as a saint.
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