After the rain, the air was still filled with the fragrance of the earth. As soon as Shen Qiqi and Lu Qing returned to the Lu family ancestral hall, they became the focus of the whole audience.
The two men's backpacks contained the dragon beard grass, which is indispensable for the ancestor worship ceremony, as well as other purchased offerings.
Shen Qiqi carefully put the things down, patted the dust off her hands, and looked around. The incense table had been set up in the ancestral hall, and various offerings were neatly stacked on the table. The head of the Lu family sat upright, staring at them with a serious expression, as if he was examining some rare treasure.
"Grandpa clan leader, everything is ready. Look at this dragon beard grass, isn't it fresh?" Shen Qiqi smiled and moved forward, trying to break the overly serious atmosphere. This old man was too old-fashioned. If someone didn't know, they would think she owed him millions, which made her a little nervous.
The patriarch just nodded slightly, his eyes still sharp. Shen Qiqi curled her lips and thought: Humph, old man, I will surprise you later!
The ancestor worship ceremony officially began. Shen Qiqi took a deep breath and glanced at everyone in the Lu family. Old and young, each of them had a serious expression, as if they were attending some grand ceremony. Of course, in their eyes, ancestor worship was a huge matter.
She cleared her throat and said loudly, "Everyone, the ancestor worship ceremony officially begins!"
Instead of following the cumbersome process previously requested by the patriarch, she adopted her simplified version.
The sacrificial offerings were arranged in an orderly manner, the sacrificial texts were concise and to the point, the incense was burned and the worship was done in one go. The whole process was smooth and flowing, which not only retained the solemnity of traditional sacrifices, but also greatly shortened the time and avoided lengthy and complicated steps.
Everyone in the Lu family was stunned, especially the younger generation. They had originally thought that the ancestor worship ceremony would last until dark, but they didn't expect it to be completed so quickly. They all praised Shen Qiqi in their hearts.
Third Grandpa stroked his beard, a satisfied smile appeared on his face, and he nodded continuously.
Even the usually picky clan leader's expression softened a lot.
Shen Qiqi was overjoyed. It seemed that her "reform" plan was very successful!
It feels so good to be recognized!
"Huh~ Perfect!" Shen Qiqi gave herself a thumbs-up in her heart. Looking at everyone's satisfied expressions, a small flame of pride simmered in her heart.
She was about to announce the successful conclusion of the ancestral worship ceremony when suddenly a voice came from the crowd: "Wait..."
"Wait..." The uncle's muffled voice was like a small stone that fell into the originally calm lake with a "plop", creating ripples.
The originally relaxed atmosphere in the ancestral hall froze in an instant, and everyone looked at him in unison, their eyes full of questions.
Shen Qiqi's heart skipped a beat, and she thought: No way, it's almost over, is there going to be trouble again?
Uncle slowly stepped forward, like an old cadre inspecting work, his hands behind his back, pacing, shaking his head as he said, "Qiqi, although your ancestor worship ceremony has been simplified a lot, shouldn't this last step, the toast, still be carried out according to tradition? We can't abandon the rules of our ancestors!"
Shen Qiqi took a deep breath and tried to keep smiling: "Uncle, the traditional way of toasting is three cups per person, which takes too long, and frugality is advocated nowadays, so we can just do it for the sake of our intention..."
"No!" The uncle interrupted her firmly, "The rules of our ancestors cannot be changed! We have to drink three cups! This is to respect our ancestors!"
There was a hint of tension in the air, and the clan leader's face became a little solemn. Shen Qiqi felt her temples throbbing. Why was this old man so stubborn?
What a stubborn old man!
Her eyes rolled, a plan came to mind, and she immediately put on a smile. She moved closer to her uncle and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Uncle, look how hot it is now. We've all been standing for so long and are tired. If we toast three more glasses of wine, what if someone gets a heat stroke? Who will take responsibility for this? Can you bear to see the clan leader suffer like this at his age?"
When the uncle heard this, he hesitated. He looked at the clan leader, then at the clan members around him, and finally compromised: "Then... let's do as you say."
Shen Qiqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally dealing with this old stubborn man!
She smiled again and announced that the ancestor worship ceremony was successfully completed.
Warm applause rang out in the ancestral hall. Everyone praised Shen Qiqi for her high efficiency and flexibility. Even the clan leader showed an approving smile.
Shen Qiqi secretly glanced at the account book. The budget was 200 yuan, but only 180 yuan was actually spent. Perfect!
She winked at Lu Qing proudly, and Lu Qing responded with a gentle smile.
At this moment, Lu Qing suddenly...
Lu Qing hugged Shen Qiqi into his arms tightly, as if he was afraid that she would disappear in the next second.
There was a cry of surprise in the ancestral hall. This sudden "dog food" caught everyone off guard.
Lu Qing lowered his head, looked at Shen Qiqi tenderly, and whispered in her ear: "Qiqi, you are awesome!" His voice was not loud, but full of affection. Shen Qiqi's face instantly turned red, like a ripe apple, and she lowered her head shyly.
This wave of actions directly pushed the atmosphere in the ancestral hall to a climax. Everyone applauded, and the cheers and blessings came one after another. It was even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
Shen Qiqi shyly hid in Lu Qing's arms, but her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.
"Qiqi, you are so amazing!" Lu Qing's cousin ran over with admiration on her face, took Shen Qiqi's hand, and said excitedly, "I used to think that the ancestor worship ceremony was boring and long, but I didn't expect you to make it so interesting!"
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