The moment Liu saw her eldest daughter, she knew that she knew about her son's enlistment in the army! The letter she left behind was handed to the clan elder, who had his youngest son read it to her. The clan elder exclaimed, "Fifth son is a fine man! Liu, you have raised a fine son!"
But Liu herself wanted to wail and cry. She didn't want a good son, she just wanted a second son who could be by her side!
Liu didn't blame her eldest daughter for not stopping her younger brother, because no one knew better than a mother that even she couldn't stop that mischievous boy! She could only ask him carefully what he had said before leaving, what he had told her, what he was going to do, and when he would be back.
The original owner answered all the questions, though she herself knew very little. Only then did she regret not asking her younger brother what he was going to do and when he would return home. Why was she always being led by the nose by this younger brother who was so much younger than her?
To be honest, this memory was something Qin San Niang glimpsed a few days ago while she was having trouble sleeping at night, in a half-dream, half-awake state. She believes it represents the original owner's deepest obsession. Qin Siyuan's departure not only took away Liu Shi's longing but also planted a deep chasm in the original owner's heart!
However, Qin San Niang sensed something different in this memory.
First, Qin Siyuan's enlistment wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was likely to fulfill a mission and a duty. Second, something must have happened during this long journey; otherwise, given his intentions, he wouldn't have taken so long, or he should have brought back news much sooner. Perhaps Qin Siyuan already knew the border was insecure, the north would be in turmoil, and his family might have to flee. But why didn't he return promptly? Was something holding him back? This is probably the most likely explanation; otherwise, given his character, he certainly wouldn't have abandoned his family.
Regardless, the original owner's younger brother didn't seem like a scoundrel and certainly wouldn't rashly join the army on the border. Now that he had inherited his older sister's body, if there were any connections in the future, Qin San Niang would still try to find him. She hoped that until then, he could live a good life.
For some reason, Qin San Niang felt that the boy in her memory was definitely reliable!
Returning to the matter of the sacrificial ceremony, Liu felt uneasy. If she had insisted on staying with the Qin clan, her old man might not be so lonely now.
However, since her grandsons all bore the surname Wang and her daughters were married and followed their husbands, Liu considered the matter briefly and decided that it was better for her to suffer alone than for her eldest daughter and children to suffer. So she agreed to travel with the Wang family.
Besides, some members of the Qin clan are cunning and deceitful, and the journey of fleeing is extremely arduous, not much better than following the people of Wangjia Village. Those wicked women, even before their eldest daughter had said she wanted to go with them, started making sarcastic remarks, saying they wouldn't care about the life or death of a married woman!
Liu was worried that she couldn't protect her eldest daughter or her grandson! She originally thought that no matter how bad Qin was, the Wang family still had Old Man Wang, and those children were all his own grandchildren. How could he not love them?! Later, it was proven that in the face of disaster, even the most monstrous demons and monsters could be exposed!
Old Wang, influenced by his wife's words, abandoned his eldest daughter and several grandchildren. Liu was also distressed, wondering if the reason for this outcome was that her eldest daughter insisted on taking her with her. But then she thought that wasn't entirely true. Old Wang and Qin were a pair of malicious people who genuinely didn't want to take them with them and wanted to kill them.
“Logically speaking, all the children should worship the ancestors of the Wang family, but their grandfather’s fate is currently unknown, and their father is just a cenotaph. I’m thinking of setting up a memorial tablet for the eldest son at home, so that the younger ones can worship him during festivals and burn some paper money, which will save their father from being short of money over there!” Liu said carefully, glancing at Qin San Niang’s expression from time to time.
Although Wang Dalang had been dead for over a year, he had treated his eldest daughter quite well while he was alive, and the two had some affection for each other. Therefore, although Liu was heartbroken over her youngest son's disappearance, she had to consider her eldest daughter's feelings and did not want to show her grief, lest she upset her.
Would Qin San Niang be sad? Of course not! What was Wang Da Lang's name again? And when was his birthday? She claimed to know nothing. Fortunately, Liu Shi later said that none of that mattered; they could just set up a memorial tablet for Da Lang.
Fatty and her son were even simpler. Wu Chunhua's parents and brothers had all fled, and she didn't know where they had gone. She and her ex-husband had parted ways on the road, and now that she had established a female household, she no longer thought about the ancestral rites. She believed that her father and mother were still alive and that they would meet again sooner or later.
Both the Gu and He families brought ancestral tablets with them, which had been set up long ago and were just waiting to be offered on New Year's Eve.
The offerings are made together by each family: rice cakes, oranges, pastries, and cooked rice, symbolizing rising to new heights and great fortune in the coming year!
On New Year's Eve, sacrifices are offered.
Before the altar with the incense burner, Liu lit three incense sticks and chanted, inviting the ancestors to come and receive the incense. Then, she muttered some words, which her eldest son said were the Rebirth Mantra, which had to be recited forty-nine times.
After finally finishing the incantation, they started burning paper money for the memorial tablets, reciting "Amitabha" for each tablet burned. Only then was the process complete.
On New Year's Eve, everyone sat together.
On the dinner table, a large spread of dishes was laid out: braised carp, braised pork, poached chicken, braised pig's trotters, sweet and sour pork ribs, cold cabbage heart and pig's ear salad, peanuts in aged vinegar, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, and sliced cured pork. In addition, there were dumplings prepared by the women. The big, white dumplings had thin skins and generous fillings, and they were the highlight of the New Year's Eve dinner.
"Grandma, what kind of filling are the dumplings today?" Ever since she ate dumplings last time, Anan has had a hard time finding them. She thinks that dumplings are her favorite food!
Liu dotes on her adorable granddaughter from the bottom of her heart, just like her own eldest daughter did when she was little, and she especially loves eating dumplings.
"Grandma made cabbage and pork filling! The cabbage is all from the heart, so it tastes very fresh and tender. Everyone should try some!"
When everyone eats together, although there aren't many rules, everyone knows that Liu is an elder who usually takes good care of everyone. So, Liu usually starts eating first, and then the others follow suit.
"Why is it cabbage filling? Why doesn't Grandma make celery filling?" He Mingzhe tilted his head and asked, looking just like a curious child who loves to ask a million questions!
Liu said that this is how the older generation did it. Firstly, there weren't many fresh vegetables in winter, and secondly, there probably wasn't much meat available, so adding a little bit would be enough to add some meat flavor!
Scholar He was helpless about his son's constant questioning of "why," but seeing his big, bright eyes, he knew he was genuinely curious, so he patiently explained, "Cabbage symbolizes a hundred fortunes, meaning we will have a hundred fortunes next year!"
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