Chapter 248 Ancestor Worship
Two round tables were set up in the main room, and Li Xiuying and several aunts who helped in the kitchen brought the dishes to the table one by one.
When it was time to eat, the women and those of younger generations went to the table near the door.
However, an uncle in the clan called Lin Qiu and Wang Shan to the table near the altar. Now, they, mother and daughter, were qualified to sit at the same table with the elders of the Wang family.
Wang Xiuren was also pulled to sit at this table early, and next to him was his father Wang Zongsheng.
At the banquet, the elders of the clan kept praising Wang Xiuren and Lin Qiu, praising them for having a daughter who would bring honor to the family, and praising them for having this daughter who was worth ten sons.
Even Wang Zongsheng, who had always disliked Wang Shan for being a granddaughter and Lin Qiu for not wanting to have more children, said in front of a group of elders that Lin Qiu was a virtuous and capable daughter-in-law and personally chose Wang Shan as his most precious granddaughter.
Lin Qiu just listened quietly and added some dishes to his daughter from time to time.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and after Li Xiuying and a few aunts had cleared the table and brought up some brewed tea, everyone finally brought up the matter of opening the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors.
The oldest uncle stood up with a flushed face and said, "Today, we all came to Zongsheng's house to discuss the ancestor worship of our Wang family. Xiuren's Shanshan was admitted to Tsinghua University, the best university in the country, and we must tell our ancestors. There is also the matter of compiling the genealogy. The last time our Wang family compiled the genealogy was in 1981, which is 37 years ago."
After he finished speaking, another uncle also stood up and talked a lot, also about ancestor worship and genealogy compilation.
Then just wait for everyone to express their opinions.
Wang Xiuren's family were juniors, so it was not their turn to interrupt. They just had to sit by and listen.
However, these uncles in the clan were too talkative. They gave long speeches one after another, which made Wang Xiuren lose interest, and Lin Qiu and her daughter also felt a little sleepy.
I don't know how long it took, but I heard an uncle ask, "Xiu Ren, what do you think?"
Wang Xiuren cheered up, "I have no objection. I will listen to you uncles and aunts. But it has to be done as soon as possible. Shanshan still has to go out with her teacher to collect folk songs. Also, there is no need to make it too ostentatious. She is a child and I am afraid she will not be able to control herself."
Lin Qiu smiled and nodded, and kept praising Wang Xiuren in his heart.
When Wang Zongsheng heard his son say this, he was also worried about what might happen to the golden phoenix in his family. He looked at his brother hurriedly and said, "Brother Shuisheng, what Xiuren said makes sense. What do you think?"
"Then we won't have a buffet! However, our Wang family has finally opened the ancestral hall to worship our ancestors through the event of Wenquxing. The scene can't be too shabby. Fireworks, incense, candles, and paper money are indispensable. The banquet must also be good." The oldest man thought for a moment before speaking.
"That's for sure!" Everyone below nodded.
Lin Qiu also interjected, "Why don't we call all those who have been admitted to university this time to report the good news to our ancestors? I heard that there are four or five people who have been admitted to university this time. Since we have opened the ancestral hall, we might as well let our ancestors see that our Wang family has produced many talented people."
"This is a good idea of the Xiu Ren family!" The more the old people thought about it, the more they felt it was right.
That’s right. This year, in addition to those who were admitted to Tsinghua University, there were also two admitted to first-tier universities and three admitted to second-tier universities. No matter what the school is like, it is still a university.
The Wang family can produce five or six college students every year, which is quite impressive.
"Okay, let's do as Xiu Ren's family said!" Everyone finally agreed. "We'll go back and inform every household, especially those who got admitted to university this year, and tell them to come back to worship their ancestors."
"knew!"
"Call me when I get back!"
…
After things were discussed, everyone said goodbye.
Wang Xiuren made the excuse that it was getting late and wanted to go back to rest, asked Li Xiuying for two coils of mosquito coils, and then took his wife and daughter back home.
After returning home, Wang Xiuren boiled water for a bath under the stove, and Lin Qiu and Wang Shan sat beside him to keep him company.
"We are lucky to have Shanshan here today, otherwise we wouldn't have the qualifications to sit at the same table with them for dinner!" Lin Qiu talked about what happened tonight.
"That's right!" Wang Xiuren interrupted, "No one would ask for my opinion on such important matters as ancestor worship before. It's all thanks to Shanshan."
"How can you say that?" Wang Shan disagreed, "It's the hard work of our whole family."
"My parents worked hard to earn money to train me, so I could pass the exam. And they looked at our family differently not only because I was admitted to Qingmei, but also because my parents are now rich and capable."
Lin Qiu thought about it and felt that his daughter was right.
First respect the clothes and then respect the person, the colorful sedan chair will be carried by someone.
When your abilities are strong enough, the so-called "rules" and "customs" can be easily broken.
If the rules are like this, what about the world?
Wang Xiuren also understood this truth and looked at his wife and daughter contentedly: "That's right! But we don't have to care about what others think, as long as we live well."
"Yes, as long as we live our own lives well." Lin Qiu nodded.
After washing up, the family of three fell asleep accompanied by the chirping of insects and frogs outside the house.
Although nominally the ancestor worship was held because Wang Shan was admitted to Tsinghua University, in fact, other than the fact that the three of them had to be present on the day of the worship, other matters had basically nothing to do with the three of them.
Wang Xiuren simply drove around with his wife and daughter.
I went to Xiuyue to watch the sunrise, went to Xingcheng to eat stinky tofu, and went to Shaoshan to pay homage to the hometown of the great man...
During this trip, the three of them not only had a great time shopping, but also enjoyed their meals, especially Wang Shan, who finally got to taste the Hunan delicacies that her parents had mentioned from time to time before.
…
July 30, 2008, the 28th day of the sixth lunar month.
On this day, firecrackers were blasted and gongs and drums were beating.
The Wang Family Ancestral Hall was decorated with lights and the central door was wide open.
Under the chairmanship of the oldest elder in the clan, the ancestor worship ceremony officially began.
The Wang clan members dressed neatly and followed the ancestral temple rules. The ritualist recited the sacrificial text and the clan members performed the ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.
This year, another event was added. Wang Shan led five young boys and girls from the tribe who were admitted to university. They entered the ancestral hall together with big red silk flowers tied on their chests, burned incense and paid their respects in front of the rankings of their ancestors.
One of the clan's ceremonial attendants said, "Wang Shan, the 21st generation descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family, was admitted to Tsinghua University in June 2008. Wang Ling, the 21st generation descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family, was admitted to Hunan Normal University in June 2008..."
After the whole ceremony, everyone in the clan followed their elders and stood in the yard outside the ancestral hall, waiting for the ceremony to end.
Finally, as the ritual performer shouted out the word "Ceremony Completed" in a dragging voice, the ancestor worship ceremony ended successfully amid the sound of firecrackers and fireworks.
Next comes the meal.
The younger generations of the clan quickly placed tables, chairs and benches in the front yard, covered them with red film tablecloths, and put rice wine, beer, drinks, dried fruits and fresh fruits on them.
Each family finds a seat, sits down, drinks tea and chats, it is very lively.
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