The thank-you ceremony for teachers at Qiushe Academy was grand yet simple.
Since most students came from poor families and could not afford expensive gifts such as the four treasures of the study, books, calligraphy and paintings, they would instead give them some homemade bacon, vegetables and fruits, or poultry such as chickens and ducks.
The teachers in the academy all accepted it with smiles on their faces.
Du Hui sat among a pile of gifts and was worshipped by the students, looking like a real god.
After receiving the ceremony, he began to give a lecture. After Du Hui finished his lecture, the teachers and school officials encouraged the students.
Xu Jiang was outside the courtyard, looking at these students who were simply dressed but full of hope. She was moved by their clear and loud voices when they recited the school motto.
That is the sound of the bluebird flapping its wings.
After receiving the thank-you ceremony, it was almost noon. Du came back and before he could even catch his breath, he was surrounded by teachers and students and taken to the altar at the foot of the mountain.
He sent a school official to tell Xu Jiang to follow. Xu Jiang quickly took Liu Mei and followed the others down the mountain, and picked up Shan Bo from under the cliff.
Poor Shan Bo had just caught his breath when he was carried down the mountain by the guards. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, his legs were as soft as noodles.
Many people have gathered on both sides of the mountain. The altar is set up on the islet in the river. The fishermen have linked their boats and built a wooden bridge for people to pass through. There are also many covered boats, wooden boats and bamboo rafts parked on the river, all loaded with people and offerings.
Those were the people who came to offer sacrifices.
Du Hui had changed into sacrificial robes and was accompanied by twelve ceremonial officials as he stepped steadily onto the wooden bridge.
The school officials, teachers, and students lined up behind them, followed by the village head, the head of the village, the chiefs of each tribe, and the people carrying the offerings, all walking towards the river in an orderly manner.
After the entire sacrificial team had reached the riverbank, the rest of the people followed.
Xu Jiang and others were mixed in the crowd. She held onto her eyebrows tightly, fearing that they would be squeezed away.
Shan Bo didn't want to go up, but was shouted at by the guards and carried onto the wooden bridge. He shouted and cursed at first, but finally started laughing too.
The riverbanks are connected by paths and the fertile fields are divided into plots. Now that the crops have been harvested, an altar is built in the center for sacrifices.
People on boats and rafts also moved towards the river bank. After landing, they flocked to the altar from all directions.
Xu Jiang asked the peasant woman beside her, "Why set up the altar in the middle of the river?"
The peasant woman said, "Because of the floods that burned many places during previous sacrifices, the government ordered that all major solar term sacrifices from now on be held in this river."
Xu Jiang looked at the river flowing in all directions and thought that this was a good idea.
As more and more people came, the officials from the yamen scattered around and prohibited anyone from going up. The people who did not go up to the river bank set up platforms on the boats or on the river bank to offer sacrifices.
Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums came from the altar, and the copper furnace in the center of the altar was lit, with wisps of green smoke rising.
"Please, Five Gods—"
With a shout from the local witch, the statues of the five gods, including the God of Land, the God of Wind, the God of Rain, the God of Water, and Shennong, were carried onto the altar and enshrined on the shrine.
After the statue is placed, the local witch chants the prayer to invite the god, and then signals the gong officer to strike the gong.
After the gong sounded three times, the earthen witch shouted: "One bow, respectfully inviting the five gods."
Everyone immediately knelt down.
"Second bow, good weather and good harvest."
Everyone bowed again.
"Bow three times for a good harvest."
After the three bows, the local witch said to Du Hui: "Please, sir, read the sacrificial text to inform the gods."
Everyone waited in silence.
Du Hui bowed to the gods again, then turned to face the people, clasped his hands together and bowed once more to the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the rivers, and chanted "The Good Plow" to the rhythm of the drum:
"Use a good plow to carry the crops to the southern fields.
Sow the hundred grains, and the people will live.
…
…
When killing male and female cattle, some people pluck their horns.
To continue the ancients by resembling them."
All the school officials and students could not help but recite along, and Xu Jiang also followed devoutly.
After the sacrificial text was read, sacrificial music gradually began to play. A group of Ruofu people dressed as ancient farmers danced a sacrificial dance around the statue to the music. The local witch also shook his witch staff to the rhythm and sang the barbarian sacrificial words in the barbarian language.
The Ruofu danced and shouted in rhythm, and the people under the altar, on the river, and on both sides of the river all responded in unison, which made people's blood boil.
Xu Jiang and others couldn't help but shout along.
The sound shook all around, and Lou Yunchun came to the river bank without asking for directions.
He looked towards the river and spotted Du Hui on the altar. He then looked around but could not find any trace of Xu Jiang.
There are too many people.
Lou Yunchun walked along the river bank, through the crowd, and finally squeezed to the ferry, but the ferry was docked on the other side and he could not cross the river.
"Old man, how can I cross the river?" he asked, pulling an old man.
The old man didn't speak Mandarin and spoke very fast, chattering away, leaving Lou Yunchun completely confused.
A tourist nearby saw this and explained, "The ferry won't be back until after the ceremony, so it can't cross the river right now."
Lou Yunchun pointed at Jiang Zhu and asked, "Is there any way to get there?" Du Hui was up there, and considering Xu Jiang's love of joining in the fun, she was most likely up there too.
"We can't go there right now. There are too many people and they're afraid they'll fall into the water. The officials are stopping us." The tourist shook his head and then advised, "Since you're not from here, we can just watch the excitement from the shore."
Seeing that he was not willing to give up, he continued, "Not to mention that you can't squeeze in right now, even if you squeeze in, it will be painful. Why bother to push forward?"
Lou Yunchun stared at the crowd of people in the river and said, "I'm going to go up and look for someone."
The tourist frowned, "That's even harder. How can we find the one with so many people? Why not wait here? Once the ceremony is over, the one you're waiting for will come back."
Lou Yunchun shook his head, his heart had already followed the waves and rushed to the river bank.
Seeing his distracted look, the tourist asked curiously, "Young man, why are you so anxious and can't wait even for a moment? Is that person very important to you?"
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