The ceremony of worshiping the mountain god is performed in the evening.
The villagers will prepare everything needed for the ceremony in advance before the ceremony.
On this day, as soon as the sky was getting light, all the villagers, regardless of gender, age or status, gathered in front of the gate of the ancestral hall.
The patriarchs of the four major surnames in the village each assigned members of their own clansmen to divide the work and cooperate.
The Hua clan members were cooking in front of the stove, the Xie clan members were slaughtering pigs by the lake, the Li clan members were slaughtering sheep by the stream, and the He clan members were preparing the sundries needed for the ceremony...
This division of labor has lasted for more than ten years. People who grew up in Shoushan Village are no strangers to this process.
Although the scene looked chaotic, it was proceeding in an orderly manner under the arrangements of the clan leaders...
The older ones follow the adults at home and help out. The younger ones who like to make noises don’t need their help when there are many people around, so they are just allowed to have fun.
As Hua Shi pulled Xiao Huaying along with the crowd towards the ancestral hall, countless figures and chaotic sounds filled his eyes and ears.
This was the first time she had seen such a lively scene in Shoushan Village...
She also noticed that many women or young girls wore clothes in bright colors such as red or pink.
Although men don't wear such brightly colored clothes, they will wear a light red scarf around their necks. If they don't wear one, they will tie a red rope around their wrists.
She looked around and saw no exceptions, so she guessed that this was some kind of custom in the village, or a custom of the day...
Before Hua Shi had time to take a second look, a woman with a rosy complexion and a smile on her face came towards him.
"Hey! You, it's you! Who are you from? Why are you just standing there watching?"
The woman pointed at her and the voice was directed at her.
Hua Shi looked at her with a confused look in his eyes.
As the woman spoke, she had already walked up to her. Her voice was a little high-pitched: "Since you look confused, I want to ask your last name."
"My last name is Hua." Hua Shi responded.
The woman nodded, then reached out and tugged at her: "That's perfect, then. Come with me. Why do you look so confused? Haven't you been here before?"
Hua Shi was pulled forward by her, feeling a little confused.
But the woman was very talkative: "You can call me Sister Hua. I will be cooking soon, so you can help me."
"Sister Hua?" Hua Shi blinked and immediately realized that this woman had the same surname as her.
Strictly speaking, this was her first time participating in the village's mountain god worship ceremony. Seeing that Sister Hua seemed quite open-minded, she was also interested in finding out more, so she tentatively asked a number of questions...
Sister Hua was a little surprised: "Why do you ask me your last name?"
Hua Shi met her gaze and nodded.
Sister Hua looked even more puzzled, but still replied, "Because our division of labor is all based on last name, of course I have to ask your last name. From a distance, I saw you holding your brother? Or was it your son? Standing there like an idiot. Everyone else was busy with their work, and I saw you were confused, so I knew you had no idea what you were doing..."
Sister Hua is indeed very talkative. As long as Hua Shi asks something, she will respond with a few words, whether she knows it or not.
"Is this your younger brother? Well, I see you're still quite young, so you probably haven't gotten married yet, right?" Sister Hua changed the subject and glanced at the little Huaying who was being held obediently by her hand.
Hua Shi shook his head.
While talking along the way, Sister Hua had already brought her to a stove under a row of thatched huts.
There are many women sitting here, chatting happily while busying themselves with their work. Their young, rosy cheeks are filled with happy smiles.
Sister Hua led her through the crowd and stopped in front of the stove of a large iron pot.
Within a distance of one or two meters, many people who were familiar with Sister Hua looked up and greeted her, and Sister Hua responded happily.
Hua Shi's attention was attracted by the clusters of green cabbages. There were more than ten large wooden basins, all filled with unwashed cabbages covered with yellow mud, as if they had just been dug out of the ground.
Seven or eight women gathered around the well. Some were drawing water from the well, some were using wooden ladles to collect water, and some were squatting nearby, breaking off vegetable leaves for washing.
Not only were there vegetables, but there were also several bulging bags of rice and bags of flour leaning against the stove.
There were so many people around that she was dazzled by the flowers. The sounds of conversation and laughter coming from her ears made her head hurt.
Sister Hua talked to her a lot again, and Hua Shi listened carefully...
Seeing that she was listening attentively and didn't mind her loud voice and talkativeness, Sister Hua couldn't help but chatter on non-stop.
Hua Shi also learned a lot about Shoushan Village from Sister Hua...
For example, the specific process of the mountain god worship ceremony, and the significance of this ceremony...
The people in Shoushan Village firmly believe that there is a mountain god with infinite magical powers living in Linhai Mountain. No one knows what this so-called mountain god looks like, and no one knows whether it really exists. It is like a belief that is rooted in the hearts of everyone in Shoushan Village.
Even the name of Shoushan Village comes from Lin Haishan...
As for why the people of Shoushan Village believe so much in this illusory mountain god, the story goes back many years ago.
I heard that a long time ago, at the foot of Linhai Mountain, where they live now, there were large groves and barren sandy land. Shoushan Village did not exist at that time.
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