"Hey, what's the good news? Why are they setting off firecrackers at the ancestral hall?"
"That's right, it's not even the New Year yet, and today isn't the first or fifteenth of the lunar month. Why is there such a commotion at the ancestral hall? Let's go take a look!"
No matter how cold the weather was, it couldn't stop everyone from wanting to watch the excitement. As soon as the firecrackers went off, people at home and outside dropped what they were doing and rushed to the ancestral hall.
Fu Wan was unaware that this commotion was orchestrated by the old village chief Fu to celebrate the calligraphy she had acquired, and immediately pulled Qin Anning toward the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall is located in the village, facing the mountain, about 200 meters from the village entrance, but very close to Fu Wan and her family's new house.
Fu Wan and Qin Anning had only walked for a few minutes when they spotted Fu Ming standing to the side holding matches.
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
Fu Wan nudged Fu Ming with her elbow. Fu Ming thought it was someone else, but when he turned around, he realized it was his younger sister and wife.
He immediately grinned broadly, showing his big teeth: "Hehe, the village chief asked me to help him set off firecrackers!"
After saying that, he waved the match in his hand.
Why is the village chief setting off firecrackers?
Seeing the confusion on Fu Wan's face, Fu Ming winked at her.
"It's just to celebrate our little one..."
"So that's how it is," Fu Wan suddenly realized. By this time, many villagers had arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall. Seeing Elder Fu calmly offering incense to their ancestors, they all curiously inquired about the reason.
Village Chief Fu naturally couldn't say much, because if these people knew, they would rush to Master Fu's house to see what his calligraphy looked like.
If one or two of them are careless and something goes wrong with the calligraphy, then they will be the ones to blame.
So Fu Wan heard the old village chief Fu constantly giving perfunctory replies to the uncles and aunts in the village.
"Stop making a fuss! Just know that there's good news in the village! If you really want to know what it is, you'll find out when you come to the ancestral hall after the New Year!"
He had already made plans. He would ask Fu Wan if she could take a picture of the calligraphy, develop it, and hang it on the wall of the ancestral hall so that it could inspire the younger generation to work hard in the future.
Seeing how mysterious the village chief was, everyone's curiosity was piqued. However, since none of them were as old or senior as the village chief in the ancestral hall, they were used to following his instructions.
The village chief said that we would come back after the New Year.
Everyone in Fujia Village shares the same surname. It was because everyone was so united back then that the ancestral hall wasn't destroyed during the "Destroy the Four Olds" campaign.
This year, shipping has been good in Fujia Village, and since they don't care about ancestral halls anymore, the old village chief Fu brought back the incense burner from the ancestral hall a few days ago.
As everyone was discussing this, a woman's voice suddenly rang out.
"Hey, everyone's really in the ancestral hall. Come quick, Fu Dazhi's back!"
The speaker was Wang Xiuer, who had just run back with a basket. After finishing her chores at home, she went to the beach to find Fu Qing and Fang Min.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I reached the main road, I saw a strange man in tattered clothes.
She was thinking to herself, "Hey, this beggar really doesn't know when to come. It's past lunchtime, why is he begging in the village at this time?"
Then she thought again, since this beggar doesn't have a watch, how would he know what time it is? So he just goes around begging wherever he can.
Since Fang Min arrived, Fu Qing's spirits have improved a lot, and the house is filled with laughter all day long. Even Wang Xiuer's mood has been very good.
They steamed some sweet potatoes and had some porridge for lunch. There were still some sweet potatoes left at home, so Wang Xiuer thought she would go back and get some to give to the beggars.
They've all experienced hunger and know how unpleasant it is.
She was a female beggar, and her heart softened a little.
Just then, the beggar looked up, and Wang Xiuer saw his face clearly, which startled her so much that she screamed.
Good heavens, this person's hair was so long it covered his face, I never expected it to be a man!
The worst part is that she seems to recognize who this person is.
That's Fu Dazhi, who goes out to make a fortune!
Fu Dazhi saw Wang Xiuer but didn't greet her. Instead, he screamed a few times in fright and then fell to the ground with a thud.
Seeing this, Wang Xiuer didn't dare to step forward. She may not have been well-educated, but she was smart!
Fu Dazhi looks nothing like a normal person!
So Wang Xiuer ran towards the village. She had just heard the sound of firecrackers and guessed that there must be someone at the ancestral hall.
Upon hearing that Fu Dazhi had returned, the first person to react was Fu Dazhi's mother, Yu Guixiang.
When Yu Guixiang first saw Wang Xiuer running over, she was thinking to herself: Did this widow Wang find some money and run so fast?
When Wang Xiuer mentioned Fu Dazhi, her eyes widened involuntarily, and she wondered if she had misheard.
"Widow Wang, what did you say? My Dazhi is back?"
"Are you sure you didn't see wrong? My Dazhi has been gone for less than a month and he's already back?"
"You read that right, it's your Dazhi."
When Wang Xiuer heard this person call her a widow, she rolled her eyes.
The matter was urgent, so she didn't argue with Yu Guixiang.
Yu Guixiang was immediately pleased to see that Wang Xiuer did not seem to be lying.
"Oh my, my Dazhi must have made a fortune and is coming home for the New Year! Haha, I told you Dazhi is a successful man!"
"Really? Dazhi really made a fortune and came home? He's only been gone for half a month and he's already rich?"
"Of course! Otherwise, why would we go home?"
The villagers were gossiping, and Wang Xiuer's face was filled with mixed emotions. Someone like Fu Dazhi, how could he have made so much money?
It's more like they suffered a great deal.
After her initial joy subsided, Yu Guixiang felt something was amiss. Why hadn't Dazhi come to the ancestral hall since he was back? Wang Xiuer had even come over. Could it be that he had taken something good and gone home?
Thinking of this, Yu Guixiang couldn't stay still any longer and turned to run home.
"Oh dear, I'm not talking to you guys anymore, I have to go back and check on my Dazhi!"
"Auntie, go to the main road at the village entrance, Dazhi is there!"
Wang Xiuer called out to her from afar, and upon hearing this, Yu Guixiang immediately ran towards the village entrance.
Oh dear, Dazhi must have too much luggage. And that widow Wang, she really doesn't know how to help!
Fu Wan noticed the complicated expression on Wang Xiuer's face and instantly sensed the stench of gossip.
She leaned over and grabbed Wang Xiuer's arm. "Auntie, is Brother Dazhi really back?"
"Really, I saw it clearly. But he doesn't look like he's made a lot of money."
Just as the group was about to leave, several older women stopped Wang Xiuer to ask about Fu Dazhi's situation.
"Ah Qing's mother, did Da Zhi really make a lot of money?"
"Hey, is he like the one in the newspaper, wearing small leather shoes and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle?"
Wang Xiuer: ……
"It's not something that can be explained in a few words. Why don't you go to the village entrance and see for yourselves!"
That makes sense, and everyone immediately ran towards the village entrance.
Fu Wan and Qin Anning followed behind, and before they even reached the village entrance, they could hear Yu Guixiang's wailing and howling from afar.
"Dazhi, my son, you have suffered so much!"
"What have you been doing? What happened to you? You look like a mess!"
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