Chapter 347 The Orphanage's Lies: The Handsome Flower Boy 47
A few days later, the elders of the Shen family chose a recent auspicious day with clear skies.
At the Shen Family Ancestral Hall, they crowned Shen Ci as emperor—no, they held a ceremony to open the family genealogy separately.
The ceremony was simple yet solemn; for most of the clansmen, it was a very formal event.
However, because this era is too sensitive, we dare not make a big fuss like before, so we have to do things the way they used to. If this were in the past, Mother Shen would definitely have made a big fuss.
Only a few respected elders of the clan and Shen Ci's immediate family members were present.
The ancestral hall is actually just a few empty large rooms, just like this small mountain village, very simple.
The ancestral hall was not brightly lit; in fact, it was rather dim. As soon as you entered, you could smell the incense and the odor of old wood.
The ancestral tablets were arranged in rows on the table, and the oldest clan elder, with trembling hands, took out the thick family genealogy book hidden under the tablets.
Then I found Shen Dashan's branch and carefully started a new page with a brush, leaving neat ink marks.
"Ms. Shen Ci was born on June 6, 1947."
He was intelligent in his youth and wise in his adulthood.
Despite being a woman, she had lofty aspirations, wandered in foreign lands, worked hard to start her own business, and eventually achieved success.
With his heart set on his hometown, he generously donated money to build school buildings, benefiting the local community and making a lasting contribution.
His virtue and conduct are exemplary for the clan.
A special page has been granted to commemorate his achievements and inspire future generations.
The original owner gave birth to Lu Jinnian when she was seventeen years old. At that time, seventeen years old was already a grown woman.
After writing it down, the clan elder read it aloud once, and then said to Shen Ci.
"Come, light incense for our ancestors and pay our respects to Heaven and our ancestors."
Shen Ci stepped forward, took the three incense sticks, lit them on the candle flame, bowed respectfully three times to the memorial tablet, and then inserted the incense into the incense burner without kneeling.
In this era of transition, this method is already acceptable to everyone, so not many people come, and there's no fear of accidents happening.
For most people with the surname Shen in Shenjia Village, genealogy is important, which is why they treat this matter with such care.
Standing to the side, Chen's mother was moved to tears, her face full of pride. She grabbed Lu Jinnian, who was standing behind her, and pushed him to the front.
"You go too, Little New Year! Light incense for your great-grandparents!"
Remember this: no matter whose blood flows in your veins, you only have one biological mother, Chen Ci!
She suffered so much hardship and torment to find you! You will always be the grandson of the Shen family!
Over the past few days, Lu Jinnian has heard a lot of stories in the village. The villagers have been telling him all sorts of things, from one story to another, revealing everything that happened to his mother back then.
From these scattered memories, Lu Jinnian pieced together the whole story, feeling both guilty and heartbroken.
If it weren't for him, perhaps my mother wouldn't have had to live a life of constant displacement and be pointed at and gossiped about.
Lu Jinnian obediently stepped forward and lit incense like Shen Ci. His grandmother was right, he was a member of the Shen family!
"Grandma, I remember."
I will always be my mother's son, and that will never change. No one can alter that fact.
After offering incense, Lu Jinnian assured Feng Juxiang, earning a satisfied and approving look from Mother Shen.
Her daughter's child is indeed smart, and so far he seems to be a good child. It's worth all the years her daughter spent looking for him.
After the ceremony, Mother Shen was as happy as a child. She took out a net bag full of fruit candies that she had prepared early in the morning, handed them out to everyone she met, and kept talking about them to everyone she met.
"Have some candy! My daughter is so successful! She's been added to the family genealogy! And she's even going to build a school for the village!"
As soon as the family genealogy matter was settled, Secretary Li approached Shen Ci to discuss the specifics of building the school, as it was time for her to contribute funds.
"Comrade Shen Ci, we cadres have discussed it and decided to choose the site on the foundation of the abandoned old school at the east end of the village."
The land is spacious, and it saves us the trouble of approving new land. What do you think?
Our village, including any children who might come from nearby areas, probably has only fifty or sixty children of varying ages.
We planned to build three large brick houses as classrooms, surround them with a wall, and then add a small playground.
All the materials were found in the village, and everyone contributed their labor. So, it probably costs... eight hundred yuan.
After giving this quote, even Secretary Li himself felt it was a bit excessive; it was an enormous sum of money, but this was for building a school, and the scale was what it was.
He looked at Shen Ci with some trepidation, wondering if it met her budget.
At that time, the cost of building a simple school in the countryside was relatively low, with materials and labor costs of 800 yuan, which was in line with the market price at that time. Before coming, Shen Ci had also inquired about it with his family.
Shen Ci glanced at the sketch in Secretary Li's hand and shook his head.
Secretary Li's heart sank, thinking that she thought it was too expensive and that the village should add some more, but then he heard Shen Ci say...
"Secretary, the school will be used for many years, so we can't be too sloppy."
Three classrooms are not enough; we need at least five to allow for future expansion.
The walls should be made of red bricks, the roof should be sturdy, and the windows should be bright.
I'll add another 700 yuan, making it 1500 yuan in total. Make sure the school is built solid and bright! Enough to last for decades!
If she's going to give money, she should do it openly and generously, and work hard to build a sturdy, clean, and warm school. She doesn't do superficial things; if she's going to contribute, she should genuinely help.
But any more would not be in line with the configuration of Shenjia Village. Within the scale of the village school, making it the best it can be is sufficient.
Party Secretary Li could hardly believe his ears; his hands were trembling with excitement.
"Fifteen thousand?! This! This is wonderful! Comrade Shen Ci, on behalf of all the children in the village, thank you!"
I was worried I'd reported too much, but I didn't expect I could add more! Secretary Li was overjoyed!
Soon, the village party secretary convened a meeting of all villagers.
They were all gathered at the threshing ground, which was packed with people; almost the entire village had come, and everyone in the village knew about this important event.
Standing on the millstone, Secretary Li stood out from the crowd and shouted loudly.
"Folks! Quiet down!"
Today, I have some fantastic news to announce!
Comrade Shen Ci from our village, who cares deeply for his hometown and has not forgotten his roots, has decided to personally contribute 1,500 yuan to build a new school on the site of the old schoolhouse at the east end of our village!
Before he finished speaking, cheers and applause erupted in the threshing ground. How generous! Truly generous, giving away 1500 yuan in one go!
Is there anyone else in the village with such courage and determination?
Party Secretary Li pressed his hands down and continued speaking.
"Comrade Shen Ci not only built schools, but also promised that as long as a girl in our village is willing to go to school, her tuition will be waived and she will be provided with a meal at noon!"
What a great kindness this is! Our Shenjia Village will remember Comrade Shen Ci's merits for generations to come!
Whether it's a boy or a girl, they're all our children!
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