Dinner officially began at six o'clock.
The three children playing in the yard all ran into the main room with shouts as soon as they heard it was time to eat. Even little Feng Xinan tried to climb onto the stool.
Feng Ye picked up a pair of chopsticks, making a gesture as if to hit them: "Go wash your hands before you sit down to eat."
"Uncle, we didn't do anything, our hands aren't dirty, we don't need to wash them."
Feng Xidong, who had already climbed onto the stool, pouted and reached out to grab something.
Feng Ye tapped him with his chopsticks: "You have to wash your hands before eating, didn't your teacher teach you that? Have you forgotten already? Go wash your hands now."
"What's dirty won't make you sick, isn't that what you all say?"
Feng Xidong grumbled reluctantly, but still obediently got off the stool and ran to the kitchen, with the other two quickly following behind.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he complained: "Grandma, help me wash my hands. My uncle thinks our hands are dirty."
Xiao Chunxiu chuckled and filled a basin with water: "He was very dirty when he was a child, no better than you."
"Exactly, how dare he say that about us..."
When Feng Xinan saw the water, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Wash your hands! Nannan wants to wash her hands..."
"Okay, okay, wash them all..."
After washing their hands clean, they quickly ran back to the main room and climbed onto the stools.
The adults also sat down at the table one after another, filling the round table to capacity.
The table was laden with a variety of dishes, including chicken, duck, pork, fish, shrimp, and crab.
Aside from the sea urchins which cost nothing (Ah Chan specially saved some for himself today), and the chicken which was raised by his own family, everything else was bought by the two brothers.
In the past, even during holidays, such extravagance would not have been possible.
But now that I have some money, I don't have to be so frugal anymore and can't bear to spend money on food.
However, Xiao Chunxiu, who was used to being frugal, couldn't help but complain to the two brothers, saying that they were wasting money.
The three children were very excited. As soon as they sat down at the table, they reached out their chopsticks or grabbed food with their hands as if they were starving ghosts.
The most popular dish was boiled prawns, which were snatched up by the three children before the adults could even pick up their chopsticks.
Feng Xidong grabbed the most, directly using his hands to grab them.
More than half of the plate ended up in his bowl, piled high and overflowing.
Although Feng Xinan also got started, he was still too young and didn't manage to grab many.
The rest were all taken by Feng Yanmei.
Feng Ye frowned, wanting to say a few words to them.
Du Guilan started cursing first: "You have no manners, huh? I think you're asking for a beating. You're the only ones who want to eat, but nobody else wants to eat, right?"
Feng Xidong pouted and reluctantly put the shrimp from the bowl back onto the plate.
Feng Yanmei smiled somewhat embarrassedly, leaving only two or three pieces in her bowl.
Feng Xinan, being too young to understand anything, looked at the adults with an innocent expression, unaware of what she had done wrong.
They were just kids, after all, and only quieted down for a short while. After finishing the shrimp in their bowls, they started fighting again, yelling and asking for this and that...
The meal was a lively affair. Before the adults had even finished eating, the children who had finished were already clamoring to worship the moon.
At this time, they still have the custom of worshipping the moon on the Mid-Autumn Festival (August 15th).
To worship the moon, an incense table is set up, and various offerings such as mooncakes, watermelons, apples, red dates, plums, and grapes are placed on it.
Under the moonlight, the "Moon Goddess" tablet is placed facing the moon, red candles are lit, and the whole family worships the moon in turn, praying for blessings.
In another ten years or so, hardly anyone will worship anymore; the sense of ritual will be lost.
Many customs have slowly disappeared in the ocean of time.
"What's the rush? Let's go out and have some fun first. We can pray after we finish eating."
Upon hearing this, everyone had no choice but to go out and play in the yard.
After the adults finished eating, they couldn't wait to come in and urge them to hurry up.
Xiao Chunxiu felt a headache coming on and went inside to get the mooncakes her daughter had brought her a couple of days ago.
Between Feng Ye and Feng Xuan, she also gave birth to a daughter, Feng Xi, who married into a neighboring town.
This mooncake is quite large, about 15 centimeters in diameter.
This is because they have a custom of worshipping the moon, which is why they send such a large mooncake.
The number of pieces of mooncakes used for moon worship depends on the number of people in the family.
His family is large, and if the mooncakes are too small, they will be difficult to divide; each portion is not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
The two Feng brothers carried a table to the courtyard and placed it facing the moon, with a mat laid out in front of the table.
Then place the "Moon Goddess" tablet, along with round mooncakes, various seasonal fruits, and other offerings. Finally, light the red candles, and you can begin the moon worship.
However, moon worship is a woman's affair, as the saying goes, "Men do not worship the moon, and women do not worship the stove."
Therefore, sitting on the mat were Xiao Chunxiu, Ye Qingling, and Du Guilan.
Of course, children, regardless of gender, were also seated among them.
The three members of the Feng family, father and sons, served as chief officiant, deacon, and master of ceremonies, respectively.
With everything prepared, Feng Xuan, acting as the steward, presented a prayer praising the moon.
Feng Jiaqing, the chief officiant, received the document and, by the light of the moon and candlelight, began to recite it with measured intonation:
"In the mid-autumn of the Gengwu year,
We are true sons and daughters of Yan and Huang, dedicated to bringing glory to the Chinese nation;
Return to etiquette and follow virtue, pray to the night light:
All things in the universe, the sun and moon shine brightly.
Universal desires prevail, and the mind is filled with darkness and confusion.
...
Presented here in this elegant manner, let us drink and raise our cups.
We offer this sacrifice to the spirits, and humbly pray that they will accept our offering.
After he finished reciting the prayer, he lit the prayer on a red candle and burned it in a small basin in front of the table.
Feng Jiaqing then stepped aside, and the people sitting at the table went to the offering table in order of seniority, knelt down, lit three incense sticks, silently prayed for their wishes, and then bowed to the moon goddess once.
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