Jiang Erlai felt a pang of sadness as he looked at Jiang Bai, who was dressed in a bright red cotton dress. Although he had long known that there was no possibility between him and Jiang Bai, he still felt a little sad as he watched her get married. She should have been his bride.
Her gaze fell on her new husband. His tall stature, handsome features, and refined scholarly air made her lower her head in self-consciousness.
"Mother, it's fine if you decide."
After saying that, he turned and left, his back view showing a sense of loneliness and a touch of inexplicable sadness.
Aunt Qiu was heartbroken. Her lover secretly watched from this side and, seeing that she looked unwell, wished he could rush to her side. But he still had his senses and didn't do anything out of line. Otherwise, there would have been another incident at the ancestral hall today.
The wedding ceremony is over, and now it's time for today's main event.
All the Jiang clan members in the village were called over, and chairs were quickly set up in the courtyard of the ancestral hall. The head of each household sat down, while the others retreated outside the ancestral hall.
The offering table at the entrance of the ancestral hall was removed, and Jiang Anliang's memorial tablet was held up and stood on one side of the entrance.
"Open the ancestral hall."
With a shout, the ancestral hall doors opened, and in the center inside were enshrined the ancestral tablets of the Jiang family's past generations, as well as those of recently deceased members of the Jiang clan.
The person carrying Jiang Anliang's memorial tablet entered the ancestral hall and put it back in its original place. Another person, carrying a bowl and a small knife, stood in front of Jiang Bai and the others.
"There is a Jiang woman, the great-granddaughter of my uncle in Tai'an. Her father is Jiang Anliang and her mother is Song Yining. I respectfully inform our ancestors that as the eldest daughter, she should shoulder the responsibilities of her parents, find a worthy son-in-law to live with her, manage the household respectfully, and help her younger brother grow up. Therefore, I hereby grant her entry into our Jiang clan genealogy to manage the livelihood of the family."
"Gongmo" (tribute ink).
The person carrying the bowl came to Jiang Bai, handed him the knife, and said, "Cut off your left index finger and draw blood."
Jiang Bai did as instructed, making a cut on his index finger with the wound facing down, and dripping bright red blood into the bowl.
The man took the knife and handed it to Ji Yanwen, saying, "Cut your right index finger and draw blood."
Ji Yanwen pursed his lips, took a deep breath, suppressed the complex emotions in his heart, took a knife and cut his finger. The blood rolled into the bowl and mixed with the blood dripping from Jiang Bai.
Once the wound had stopped bleeding, the man took the bowl into the ancestral hall, took out an inkstone, poured the blood into the inkstone, and used the blood to grind ink.
"Jiang Bai, Ji Yanwen, kneel down."
After offering incense, the clan chief took out the family genealogy from the offering table in the ancestral hall and stood to one side.
Jiang and Bai knelt down facing the ancestral tablets, and someone brought out lit incense and handed it to them.
"Kowtowing."
"Kowtowing again."
"Three kowtows."
"Come in, offer incense."
After the two kowtowed as instructed, they got up and went into the ancestral hall.
Jiang Bai had never entered an ancestral hall in her entire life. If she hadn't married into the family, she would never have been able to enter in her lifetime.
Now, thanks to Ji Yanwen, she has finally seen the entire ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was dimly lit and filled with the scent of incense. Standing there, Jiang Bai felt as if every pore on her body was relaxing, making her feel very comfortable.
They placed the incense sticks in their hands into the incense burner, and the clan chief next to them also picked up a pen and wrote the two people's names into the clan genealogy.
Just as she finished the last stroke, Jiang Bai's mind cleared, as if some shackles on her soul had been released. She opened her eyes slightly in surprise, her eyes filled with shock.
Her strength... has increased?
It seems to be about two percent of the original value?
Jiang Bai carefully sensed it, but could only vaguely estimate it, not be certain.
I never expected that adding someone to the family genealogy would have this benefit.
What's the underlying principle?
Her eyes were filled with doubt and confusion. Was it because she had gained the approval of the Jiang clan? Or because she had truly gained some status in this world?
She wasn't sure.
"Your names have been recorded in the family genealogy. From now on, you must support each other and live a good life together."
"Scholar Ji, now that you are a son-in-law of my Jiangjia Village, I hope you will always remember to put your wife first and take care of your younger siblings together with Bai Yatou."
Looking at the scholar before him, a hint of regret flashed in the clan chief's eyes.
Life is tough for Jiang Bai and her siblings; it seems that Ji Xiucai's path to further studies is over.
"Yes, thank you, Jiang... for your guidance, Grandpa."
The clan leader nodded.
"Alright, Bai girl, take your household registration documents and go find your village head!"
"Yes, thank you, Grandpa Xie."
Jiang Bai bowed to the clan chief, and then bowed to the village elders watching the ceremony outside the ancestral hall: "Yanwen is new here. If there is anything he does wrong in the future, I hope that you elders will be tolerant."
After the ceremony, she took Jiang Lu, led Jiang Songwen, and together with Ji Yanwen, went to the village head's house.
After they left, the gate of the ancestral hall closed, and the solemn atmosphere in the courtyard vanished instantly.
"Chief, hurry up and distribute the meat!"
According to custom, the three sacrificial animals purchased by Jiang Bai and his family for their marriage and the family genealogy were divided equally among the villagers after the ancestral worship ceremony.
Although there wasn't much food, it was a rare treat for the villagers who hadn't tasted meat for months, and they had been waiting there for a long time.
If Jiang Bai and the others didn't have to observe mourning, they should have a share of the meat offered to their ancestors. However, since Jiang Anliang's mourning period is not over, his family naturally cannot eat meat, so they don't get a share of the meat.
While Jiang Bai and his group were heading to the county with the certificate issued by the village head, the villagers were taking home the meat they had been allocated.
While they were processing Ji Yanwen's transfer of household registration at the yamen (government office) where household registration documents were handled, the aroma of meat wafted from the villagers' homes.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com