Soon it was Lunar New Year's Eve. Early in the morning, Old Man Lu took his three sons, a group of grandsons and other clansmen to the ancestral hall to worship.
Meanwhile, the women in the household personally prepared the food for the New Year, and the maids also went to prepare their own New Year's ingredients; everyone was busy with their own tasks.
A few days ago, they slaughtered a few pigs. The clansmen who had fled the famine with them and the families they had rescued from the bandit's den gave them some. Families who had performed well in the workshops and fields also gave them a lot. So they didn't keep much. But early in the morning, the Lu brothers still carried pig heads and some tribute fruits to pay respects to their ancestors.
Upon arrival, they would first begin cleaning and sweeping, followed by the worship ceremony. The men would be the ones doing the cleaning and sweeping, but the women would arrive when the worship ceremony actually began.
The worship ceremony wasn't very grand, but everyone worshipped with sincerity. After it was over, Old Man Lu said, "Now that we've settled in Jingzhou, we can't leave our ancestors in Changzhou. So I've decided to take some people back to Changzhou after the New Year to move our ancestors' graves here. What do you all think?"
This is a very large family, and relocating the graves is a huge project. The remaining people are far from enough, and we need to hire more people to help.
Of course, this is just Old Man Lu's idea; whether or not to relocate will depend on everyone's opinions.
"Uncle, this is all we can do. You can make the decision; we'll all listen to you!"
Lu Daping, Xiaozhu's father, chimed in, and the others thought the same way. Although they didn't say it outright, everyone already regarded Old Man Li as the new clan leader, so naturally, whatever he said went.
Besides, they are living well now, so there is no reason for their ancestors to suffer in Changzhou. And those clansmen who have died out cannot be left without anyone to worship them. As long as they are still alive, they cannot be abandoned.
Looking at everyone's reactions, Old Man Lu nodded in satisfaction. Fortunately, those who came along were all kind-hearted people. There were a few scoundrels in Changzhou before, but they all perished on the way to escape famine. Although it was a pity, it was easier to get along with the remaining people now. Everyone helped each other and there were no conflicts.
"Then it's settled. You can go back and discuss it. Each family only needs to send one representative. We'll hire others to help out, and our family will cover the cost."
They are all kind and easy-going people. The Lu family is well-off and doesn't care about such a small amount of money. It's okay for them to suffer a loss, since not all family members can afford to spend that much money.
Everyone was deeply moved and thanked them repeatedly. However, they didn't want to take advantage of the situation for nothing. After a brief discussion, they decided that each household would contribute five taels of silver, and if there was really no other way, they would have to trouble the Lu family for the rest.
They had all been working for the Lu family and had managed to save some money over the past two years. Five taels of silver used to be a family's entire year's expenses. Now that they were earning more, they also had higher aspirations. Many families were preparing to build new houses, and those with children wanted to send them to school. After all this, it was really difficult for them to come up with five taels of silver.
Old Lu nodded and did not refuse.
After the worship ceremony, everyone took their offerings home.
During lunch, Old Man Lu said, "It's just me and my eldest son going back home. My second son has to take care of his wife, and my third son has an official position and can't leave. So, my eldest son will have to take a few days off."
The eldest son, Lu, had no objections; as the eldest son, it was his duty.
He nodded and said, "Dad, I can go back. It's such a long way, and you're getting old, so it's better not to go through all that trouble."
"No, I have to go back. Your mother and I are the oldest people here. I have to go back as a representative. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the last time I go back in my life."
At this point, Old Man Lu sighed.
Although Jingzhou is wonderful in every way, Changzhou is where they have lived and multiplied for generations. This time, he went back for two reasons: first, to relocate the graves, and second, to remember his hometown. He is getting old and no longer likes to travel around as he did when he was young. He just wants to enjoy his retirement with his children and raise flowers and birds with his wife.
As for their hometown, even their ancestors' graves are being moved here, so naturally there's nothing to miss about it, and this place will become their hometown.
Upon hearing these words, everyone fell silent, a nameless sorrow welling up in their hearts, the hardships and despair of fleeing the famine still vivid in their minds.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lu Baichuan took the initiative to change the subject, saying, "The journey is long and you may encounter danger. I will send a few people to accompany you and escort you to safety."
Actually, he wanted to go back in person. He was the one who had been away from home the longest, and he should do his part at this time. However, the capital was waiting for him to take up his post, so he couldn't refuse.
“Okay, we’ll make arrangements after the New Year. It will take at least a month to go there, so having more people around will definitely give us peace of mind.”
Old Lu nodded, took a sip of his wine, and stopped thinking about those sad things from the past.
He Jiuniang said, "Since we are moving the graves, we should definitely send more carriages over. When we go, the carriages will be empty, and we can bring some local products to sell. It's not about making money, but about selling them at cost price. It's good to do something for the people of Changzhou."
Changzhou has suffered such a great calamity that it is certainly much more backward than other places. Although the imperial court has tried to change this, it is impossible to do so quickly in a short period of time.
She's not a saint, so she can't just give everything away. But even if it doesn't make money, she can still bring some supplies to those people at cost price. Anyway, the carriages are all empty, so why not use them?
"That's a good idea. It's only right to do good deeds within our capabilities."
Sun approved of it, and no one else had any objections.
Mrs. Yu said, “We have some flawed coarse cloth clothes in our workshop. They’re just sitting there anyway, so let’s give them to families who are not well-off.”
Don't be fooled by their improved life now; back in Changzhou, they couldn't bear to buy a single piece of cloth to make clothes all year round. There are still many families like that now, especially in Changzhou, which has just experienced a great disaster.
Not all refugees settle down wherever they go like they do. Some people flee for a while, only to find it even harder to make a living elsewhere, and return to their hometowns when the first rain falls. This is especially true for some well-off families, who flee to other places before the real disaster strikes, only to return after the disaster has passed.
Those people had servants protecting them when they fled, so ordinary people didn't dare to rob them. Also, because they left early, the chances of encountering bandits were much smaller, so they were able to return home safely.
But it's different for the poor; they can only risk their lives. If they can endure it, they live; if they can't, they die.
Natural disasters and man-made calamities always cause suffering for the poor.
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