In a blink of an eye, it was the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Starting from the tenth day of the seventh month, Yang Chunyan and Zhou Huaian no longer went into the mountains. They stayed at home to do housework and helped deliver vegetables to Ning'an.
Grandpa Zhou, together with Zhou's father, Zhou's eldest father and Zhou's third father, started carving blessing paper and writing blessing envelopes at home.
The tool used to carve blessing paper is an iron tile-shaped object. Nowadays, people buy cut yellow paper and make their own paper money before the Ghost Festival in July.
A stack of yellow paper money is placed on a round tree stump. A wooden hammer is used to hit a paper chisel to make the paper money. Then the paper money is sealed and the ancestor's name is written on it.
Every year on July 13th before the Ghost Festival, the three families all go to the big house to celebrate.
Zhou's mother, her two sisters-in-law, and their daughters-in-law prepared the food and wine for the ancestor worship. After the worship, everyone had their meal and started to burn blessing paper.
On the afternoon of July 13, Zhou's father took the whole family to the big house.
Li Qiuyue muttered, "Every year it's my family and Third Uncle's family who buy the meat, and the eldest family only kills a rooster and two ducks every year, and they still say we're taking advantage."
Zhao Huifang said: "We bought those things, at least there were so many people, so we ate them all anyway. In fact, the one who suffered the most was my third uncle's family."
These days pork is more valuable than old ducks and roosters. The second and third wives together bought more than ten pounds of pork, two pig trotters, and fish. The wine was home-brewed and free, but it still cost more than thirty dollars. In the end, the second and third wives were indeed at a loss.
When they arrived at the main room, they saw that Aunt Zhou had killed a bright red rooster and two ducks.
Aunt Zhou looked at the stove full of meat and vegetables and said with a smile, "After decades, the wine and food for burning blessing paper this year are the best. Life is really getting more and more prosperous."
"Yes! My family kills chickens every year to offer sacrifices to our ancestors. Not only are the second and third branches prosperous, but our lives are getting better and better!" Aunt Zhou said, looking at the plucked rooster, "Do our ancestors dislike roosters?"
Li Qiuyue was furious when she thought of her two hundred yuan. She glanced at her and said, "Auntie, I understand. Our ancestors were just like us, with little fat in their stomachs. They liked fat meat that was two fingers thick! Next time you buy fat meat, how about we buy chicken?"
Mother Zhou glared at her and said, "You stupid girl, you even dare to make up stories about our ancestors. Do you want to be beaten?"
Li Qiuyue smiled awkwardly, "I'll go help Chunyan and the others pick some vegetables."
At the kitchen door, Yang Chunyan and Zhang Xiuxiang were picking vegetables. Looking at Zhou Huaian, who was standing in the yard with his hands on his hips and laughing smugly, they couldn't help but shake their heads.
"Huai Gang and the others are the same. Why did they want to play cards with the youngest? I think by the time we eat, their foreheads are swollen from his punches."
Yang Chunyan smiled and nodded, "He was bluffing and scaring them, so no one dared to place a bet!"
Zhou Huaigang then received a few slaps on the face. He rubbed his forehead which was red from being hit by Zhou Huaian and protested, "Don't let Brother Huai'an come. He used to play cards with Yiding and the others when he had nothing to do. He has already mastered the skills."
Zhou Huaian looked at him with a smug look on his face, "You are the typical person who can't plow the field but blames the field. You ruined a good hand of cards, who can you blame!"
"No, my forehead is red." Zhou Huaigang said frustratedly.
Zhou Huaizhong pushed him aside and said, "If you don't want to come, then get off. I'll do it."
Zhou Huaian shuffled the playing cards slowly and calmly, "Brother Huaizhong, I won't show mercy just because you are my brother!"
Zhou Huaizhong rubbed his hands in anticipation, "There is no distinction between big and small in the casino, just come!"
At the entrance of the main hall, the old man looked at his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the yard. He was happy, but he also thought of Zhou Huaixing who was still wandering outside. "Boss, we are burning blessing paper today, but Huaixing and his wife are not coming back?"
"Those villagers who bought the quota came to look for them yesterday afternoon." Zhou Dachun said with a bitter face, "If they could come back, I would have asked them to come back a long time ago."
"Alas!" The old man sighed, "We have to go harvest the grain soon. How can you and Yinfu finish all the work if they stay outside like this?"
Zhou Dachun also sighed, "What can we do?" He looked at Zhou Dasong and Zhou Dahe, "If we really can't finish the work, we can only wait for Dasong and Dahe to finish their work and come to help."
Father Zhou and Father Zhou San nodded readily, "Don't worry, big brother, we will help you after we finish collecting!"
The old man felt relieved when he saw that the three brothers were still friendly.
Zhou Dachun smiled and nodded, "Yes! Thank you for your help."
He looked at his two younger brothers and felt a little uncomfortable. In the past, everyone in the village said that they were capable. Like the brigade secretary, they had already lived in a brick house and had to beg for their daughters-in-law in the town.
The two brothers lived a tight life and still lived in the old house that their mother and father had rebuilt when the family split up.
The second son's family had a second-rate prodigal, but now, alas...
I never dreamed that there would be a day when I would have to beg two poor brothers for help.
After the dishes were ready, Zhou's mother and her two sisters-in-law brought the chicken, duck and fish to the main room. They saw that the basket in front of the eight-immortals table was full of blessing buns.
The Zhou Dachun brothers took the plates and placed them respectfully on the eight-immortals table.
The old man lit the incense and candles, and everyone knelt down to worship their ancestors.
After the worship, the family of more than 20 people sat at three tables.
Steamed pig's trotters, braised pork, twice-cooked pork, cold chicken, fish with fermented soybeans, old duck and mushroom soup...
The children kept eating the fried peanuts on the table and felt that the food they ate today was not as good as anything they had during the Chinese New Year.
The old man pointed to the fruits that had been offered to the ancestors and said, "Take the fruits and candies and share them with the children. Eating them will keep you healthy."
"Yes!" Yang Chunyan and Zhang Xiuxiang brought the food to the children's table. "It's time to eat. Didn't you guys say you were hungry a long time ago?"
Zhou Jiaming shook his head, "We are not hungry, it was Xiaoli and the others who were talking."
Zhou Xiaoli looked at Yang Chunyan and the others without saying anything. After the adults left, she lowered her voice and said, "We are not hungry. My grandma cooked eggs for us. Your family eats boiled potatoes for every meal and doesn't even have rice to eat. You come to my house every July 15th for a meal."
"That's right!" Zhou Jiaqiang glanced at Zhou Xiaoqian and the others, "When you came to my house for dinner before, you would swallow your saliva before you even sat down at the table."
"You're talking nonsense! We've never drooled before!" Zhou Xiaoqian stood up and pointed at the meat dishes on the table, "These are all from my family. If you have the guts, then don't eat meat!"
"Granny~" Zhou Jiaqiang flattened his mouth and ran to the adults' table crying, "Xiao Qian won't give me meat!"
Zhou Xiaoqian also stepped forward, "Grandma, it was Sister Xiaoli and Jiaqiang who first said that my family had no food to eat and had to eat potatoes for every meal. When we saw the delicious food at your house, we drooled. Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, we come to your house for a meal."
Aunt Zhou glanced at Zhou Jiaqiang and said with a smile, "Xiao Qian, ignore them. If they dare to talk nonsense again, I will beat them."
"Nana~" Zhou Jiaqiang stomped his feet in dissatisfaction, "It's not us, it's you from the past..."
"You little bastard!" Aunt Zhou slapped him and glared at him, "Why don't you go eat?"
Zhou Jiaqiang sobbed aggrievedly, "I want my mother, I want my mother..."
Zhou's mother, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other and said to Zhou Xiaoqian, "Go back and eat, don't talk too much here!"
"Oh!" Zhou Xiaoqian went back obediently.
When Aunt Zhou saw her grandson crying, she quickly picked him up and said, "Okay, stop crying. Eat at your table."
The old man shook his head secretly when he saw this. He thought that he had been spoiled and now he couldn't even go home. It looked like his grandson would also be spoiled.
After everyone had eaten, the adults gathered together to burn blessing paper, and the children began to ask questions. (End of this chapter)
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