Seeing that the gifts had been collected, Yuan Huiniang took the gift list and came to Yan Qingqing.
Yan Qingqing looked at the gift list; there were quite a few.
Yuan Huiniang said, "Mother, these things are all gifts for my fourth brother."
I figured my fourth brother doesn't have any income right now, so why don't we set up a storeroom for him and use these things as his private treasury?
It will be convenient for my fourth brother to use in the future.
Yan Qingqing shook her head and smiled, "No need, he is still young, and his family pays for his food, clothing and other necessities."
He not only didn't receive any gifts, but he also treated them as his private property.
Besides, even though we've already received these gifts, other families will still have to reciprocate later, which will require money from the public funds.
Besides, he's a boy; he'll have to earn the family fortune himself in the future.
Yan Qingqing was always lenient with the girls in her family, but she wasn't so doting on the boys.
Before Li Xiangyang came along, Li Xiangkang was the youngest child in the family, so Yan Qingqing was considered to be quite good to him.
But even if she dotes on Li Xiangkang, she still has to treat him equally.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was determined not to agree, Yuan Huiniang had no choice but to give up.
On this day, the Ding family, including the Ding family, brought Ding Xiu to their door to request an audience.
Yan Qingqing quickly sent someone to invite Li Xiangkang.
He then received them in the flower hall.
Upon seeing Yan Qingqing, Master Ding and his wife immediately performed a grand ceremony.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing quickly had someone help them up, and then teased, "We're so familiar with each other, this isn't the kind of politeness you two usually show me."
After Old Madam Ding passed away, Master Ding and Madam Ding frequently visited. Knowing that Yan Qingqing disliked those elaborate kneeling and bowing rituals, they would simply exchange a few simple greetings each time.
Such a formal greeting as today is rare.
Master Ding replied with a smile, "Ming Zhaoshuo is a great benefactor of our Ding family, and now the Fourth Young Master is also a great benefactor of this boy Ding Xiu."
"I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't come and kowtow to you."
Yan Qingqing did indeed help the Ding family a lot, but she wasn't really sure if Li Xiangkang had done Ding Xiu a favor.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was somewhat puzzled, Madam Ding explained the story of Ding Xiu's refusal to go to the prefectural city to take the exam.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I know about this, but it doesn't deserve the word 'gratitude'."
It can only be said that the friendship between them as classmates motivated Ding Xiu to improve himself.
Ding Xiu, who was standing to the side, chuckled twice and said, "Auntie, there's actually more than that."
I was an average student, and with my level of ability, I wouldn't have been able to pass the preliminary examination.
But after we arrived in the prefectural city, Brother Kang gave me a crash course in education.
He even showed me some of the outstanding essays from previous years' preliminary examinations.
This is something money can't buy.
The exam questions happened to be somewhat similar to those of previous years.
I pieced together an article from those test questions based on my memory, and to my surprise, I passed the exam.
My dad even said it was because our Ding family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke, but actually I only got into the exam by clinging to Brother Kang's coattails.
Today I came with my parents to thank my aunt and Brother Kang.
Just as Ding Xiu finished speaking, Li Xiangkang's voice came: "Don't you always say that we are good brothers and should share happiness and hardship?"
Since that's the case, I'll naturally share any good things I have with my brothers.
Li Xiangkang's words brought tears to Ding Xiu's eyes, and it was from this moment that Ding Xiu made up his mind to be Li Xiangkang's brother for life, no matter what.
Li Xiangkang couldn't stand Ding Xiu's expression the most, so he quickly said, "Besides, these things aren't mine. They were specially sent by the Han family to thank my mother for saving my brother Han Yu's life."
So we all benefited from my mother's influence.
Ding Xiu quickly wiped away his tears and said to Yan Qingqing, "Thank you, Auntie."
Seeing that Li Xiangkang was determined to take credit for her, Yan Qingqing stopped refusing and simply asked Ding Xiu and Li Xiangkang to go out and play together.
Yan Qingqing then chatted casually with Master Ding and his wife, and invited them to stay for lunch.
The family of three didn't return to the county town until dark.
Before we knew it, it was August 28th, the day for ancestor worship.
Even though it's not a festival, ancestor worship is still a very important event, so Li Kaishan made an exceptionally grand arrangement for it.
The offerings were also plentiful, including fruits and flowers, as well as chickens, ducks, geese, and a whole sheep.
In any case, no one in Canghe Village is lacking in these things.
The area in front of the Li family's ancestral hall was filled with offerings.
There were also villagers watching the commotion.
The Li family is the most prominent surname in Canghe Village, with more than half of the villagers sharing the surname Li.
While watching the spectacle, some villagers felt a pang of envy, with some even wondering why they weren't surnamed Li. Otherwise, they too could have participated in such a grand ancestral worship ceremony.
It's a source of pride for the clan to have such an outstanding descendant, even if he/she isn't one of our own.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Kaishan announced the official start of the ancestral worship ceremony.
He then took out a piece of paper with a written title and read it aloud: "In the nineteenth year of the Great Yan Dynasty, after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
The Li clan members of Canghe Village, Chengyang County, offered only fruits, delicacies, incense, silk, and paper money as sacrifices to their ancestors.
Paying tribute to our ancestors and comforting our forefathers, our clan has been established in Canghe Village for seven generations.
In this prosperous era, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, the nation is thriving and prosperous, our families are thriving and our descendants are numerous.
There was once a descendant of the Li family named Erniu, who has passed away, but his wife, Yan, gave birth to four sons and three daughters.
Lady Yan is diligent, virtuous, intelligent, and capable, and has made great contributions to the country. She has now been granted the title of a third-rank imperial consort by divine mandate.
His eldest son, Li Xiangping, was diligent and skilled in farming, and was appointed by the emperor as an eighth-rank agricultural official.
The fourth son, Xiang Kang, passed the imperial examination at the age of nine and became a scholar. This was due to the blessings of their ancestors. He inherited their virtues and never forgot their good fortune and protection.
We remember the eternal kindness and virtue of our ancestors. Today, the entire clan gathers to pay homage to them and express our filial piety.
May our ancestors bless our Li clan, so that we may be of one heart and one mind, and share weal and woe.
Vines spread for miles, but all originate from one source; the prosperity of a family is the responsibility of every citizen.
We should strive to bring glory to our families and cultivate pillars of the nation.
We proclaim this to the spirits, light candles and burn incense, bow three times, and pray for peace in all directions.
Li Kaishan recited a long and eloquent eulogy, revealing that these ancestral worship inscriptions had been specially written by someone.
There are quite a few scholars in the village now, each one exceptionally talented, so it wouldn't be difficult to find someone to write a eulogy for our ancestors.
As for Yan Qingqing, she was added at the strong insistence of Li Kaishan and Old Master Li.
They all knew that without Yan Qingqing, there would be no Li family as we know it today, let alone Canghe Village.
Li Kaishan wanted Yan Qingqing to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony, but Yan Qingqing refused, citing the rule that women should not enter the ancestral hall.
Firstly, she genuinely didn't want to kneel and kowtow. Ultimately, she had little to do with the Li family's ancestors.
Secondly, she didn't want to cause trouble. In ancient times, women were generally not allowed to perform ancestral rites, and she didn't want to go against the world's opinion and give others a handle to use against her.
Therefore, her not participating is the best option.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com