“Grandpa Xue, it’s a big deal for a ginseng to become a spirit. It has to meet certain conditions. The first is that it has to be intelligent. This ginseng is just an ordinary thousand-year-old ginseng. It won’t become a spirit,” Yan Xiaonan explained.
Xue Honggen let out a breath, considered for a moment, and said, "Girl, your Grandpa Xue has spent his life on the battlefield and is used to the revolutionary spirit of sharing both good times and bad. It's impossible for me to keep this thousand-year-old ginseng all to myself, but I promise you it's okay to leave half of it."
Yan Xiaonan certainly knew Xue Honggen's personality and temperament, and that half of it would definitely fall on those people, which would benefit both the Yan family and the Ye family.
He took out a sharp knife from his pocket and, without hesitation, split the thousand-year-old ginseng in two, giving one half to Xue Ying and the other half to Xue Honggen.
"Aunt, I feel at ease leaving the child in your care."
Xue Honggen: "... ... The little girl was prepared all along, she's too cunning."
Xue Ying: "... ... The little girl is too smart."
Xue Ying took two bed sheets from the cabinet, wrapped the two ginseng roots tightly, and put them back in the cabinet: "Dad, I'm going to pay respects to our ancestors. You should rest for a while. We'll have a family reunion dinner after the ceremony."
Xue Honggen was thinking about the ginseng; this half-ginseng root was never enough to go around.
The living room in the side room was ready. This year's ancestral worship ceremony included Tang Xiaoling, Yan Erqiang, and a few others; most of the people were present.
Grandma Yan still held Yan Xiaonan's hand as she prepared to insert the first stick of sandalwood.
Yan Xiaonan was worried that Yan Daqiang and his aunt would be unhappy, so she wanted to refuse, since this was the first time her uncle and aunt had kowtowed and offered incense to their ancestors this year.
Before she could speak, Yan Daqiang said, "Nannan, you are the treasure of our Yan family. You and your mother will kowtow and offer incense together, and your uncle will follow behind you."
Xue Ying nodded repeatedly. Dongnan and the others were already used to it; they wouldn't have been happy if Nannan hadn't been the first to offer incense.
So, Yan Xiaonan helped her grandmother kneel down, and Grandma Yan kowtowed three times to the offering table, thanking the ancestors and heaven for bringing blessings to the Yan family.
Yan Xiaonan also sincerely kowtowed, thanking God and the Yan family ancestors for allowing her to be born into this family.
Yan Daqiang and Xue Ying had changed into their casual clothes and knelt devoutly on the cotton mat, thanking their ancestors for making the Yan family prosperous and for bringing Yan Xiaonan into the family.
Holding Cuihua's hand, Yan Xiaoqiang proudly straightened his chest, held three incense sticks in his hand, and shouted loudly at the offering table: "Yan Xiaoqiang, the third son of the Yan family, has not disgraced our ancestors. Thank you, ancestors. May our ancestors bless my mother, my wife, and my daughter to live to be a hundred years old."
Grandma Yan, Cuihua, and Yan Xiaonan were deeply moved, tears welling up in their eyes. What a wonderful son, man, and father he was! How could he have forgotten about them?
Yan Aidang, along with Ye Chen'er, Dongnan, Xuemei, Yan Ge, Xinan, and Beinan, knelt down. Then the four children also knelt down.
Looking at the group of younger people gathered together, Xue Ying suddenly said, "Old Yan, call Aiguo later. It's New Year's Eve today. I wonder how he's doing."
Yan Daqiang nodded without changing his expression. His father-in-law said that everything had been arranged on the other side, just to guard against Xue Ying's request.
Sure enough, after the ancestral worship ceremony was over, Xue Ying picked up the phone and dialed her eldest son Aiguo's number directly, without even looking at the phone book.
As the dial tone faded, the other party answered the phone: "Hello, who are you looking for?"
"I am Xue Ying, Yan Aiguo's mother. I am looking for Yan Aiguo. Would it be convenient for you to transfer me?"
"Please provide Yan Aiguo's military rank and his unit number so I can transfer the call."
"My rank is ***, my number is ***, my rank is ****, and my number is ****."
"Correct rank, correct serial number, please wait."
After a while, a baritone voice came through the microphone:
"Hello Aunt Xue, you're looking for our battalion commander? Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and he's on duty at the border so everyone can have a good holiday. I'll have him call you when he gets back."
"No need, no need. I just need to know that he's safe and sound. When he comes back, I'll tell him to eat and sleep well and not to worry about home. I'll tell him that everything is fine at home and that we all miss him very much," Xue Ying quickly said.
"Okay, Aunt Xue, I will definitely pass on the message. I wish you a happy Lunar New Year's Eve."
"Sigh, I hope you're all happy too. Goodbye." Xue Ying hung up the phone, looking regretful.
Yan Daqiang turned around, clutched his chest, but immediately lowered his hand, turning back with a smile and saying, "That kid, he didn't even call home for the New Year. I'll definitely give him a beating when I see him again."
“That won’t do. Aiguo can’t come back because he’s serving the country and its people. By the way, Lao Yan, judging by the time, Aiguo should be able to be transferred back this year, so why hasn’t there been any news? Maybe I should go ask my dad.” Xue Ying said with a puzzled look.
"Today is New Year's Eve, let's ask again in a few days. I'll go call Dad to come out for dinner, and Chenming too. Why aren't your grandpa and your dad here yet?" Yan Daqiang asked.
"Coming, coming!" Ye Huili's voice came from the doorway. Grandma Yan and Yan Xiaonan quickly stood up, and Ye Huixian helped Fu Qingping run out from the north room.
Sheng Lijuan followed behind, also missing her husband. Sure enough, Ye Huiguo smiled at her.
Xue Honggen carefully locked the door. There were thousand-year-old ginseng inside, and he didn't want anyone to steal it. Of course, it was impossible for the Yan family to steal it, but Xue Ying didn't know that.
The arrival of so many people at the courtyard house terrified the little deer. Yan Xiaonan quickly communicated with the deer using his mind to tell it that they were all his own people. Only then did the little deer calm down, but it hid in the wooden house that Yan Xiaoqiang had built for it.
Yan Xiaoqiang felt sorry for Xiaolu, so he prepared some corn and wheat bran, which were Xiaolu's favorite foods. Sure enough, with food, Xiaolu visibly relaxed.
Several people from the North, South, and Southwest were setting up a round table. Grandma Yan's room was large enough to fit two round tables, and a large round table had already been placed in the adjacent side room.
The pot was served, with a rich bone broth as the base, and plates of sliced mutton and pork were also laid out. Yan Xiaonan also prepared a lot of vegetables that she had grown herself.
Cuihua even prepared several kinds of hot pot seasonings: numbing, spicy, sweet, and peanut sauce, which is Nannan's favorite.
Grandma Yan, Ye Renhe, Fu Qingping, Xue Honggen, Ye Huili, Ye Huiguo, Sheng Lijuan, Daqiang, Xue Ying, and Ye Huixian sat at a table.
Yan Xiaoqiang, Cuihua, Aidang, Chen'er, Dongnan, Beinan, Yan Ge, Yan Xiaonan, Ye Chenming, and Tie Ge sat at a table. These guys not only ate a lot, but they were also very talkative.
Xuemei brought Fubao, Xinan brought Duoduo, Baoguo and Baomin, and Liujin and Wujinban sat at a table, but they were sitting at the round table in the side room of the living room.
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