In the kitchen, the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and their two daughters spent half a day preparing a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
“Third daughter-in-law, this is for the ancestral worship. Take it out. Your father-in-law and the others should go to the ancestral graves.”
"I know, Mother, I will be careful."
Li Qiuniang was strong, so she carried it out while watching it.
"Shuwen, this is for ancestral worship."
"Leave it to me, we need to set off too."
Jiang Shuwen took the basket from his wife, Jiang Shuheng carried the incense and candles, Jiang Shuyun carried the paper money for burning, and Jiang's father held the written eulogy.
The younger siblings, Jiang Shaoqin and Jiang Shaoming, stayed with them, while the other younger siblings stayed at home.
Women are not allowed to worship their ancestors, not even to visit ancestral graves.
Jiang's father led his children and grandchildren to meet up with the clan chief and others, and together they walked towards the Jiang family ancestral graves.
Every year during the Lunar New Year, unless there are special reasons, the descendants of the Jiang family will return to pay homage to their ancestors.
The most senior member of the Jiang family is Uncle Jiang, who is also the oldest. He is the elder brother of the clan leader.
The Jiang family, numbering several dozen, carried tables and offerings, and marched in a grand procession toward the ancestral cemetery.
Other families in the village also went to worship their ancestors, including the Lin and Wang families, the three major surnames in Jiangjia Village. There were also other families with different surnames who went to worship their ancestors, and the village roads were almost full of people.
When we arrived at the Jiang family's ancestral cemetery, it was located halfway up a mountain, and the scenery was quite nice.
This was the first time Jiang Shuyun had ever seen such a cemetery. There were hundreds of tombstones of all sizes. The ancestors of the Jiang family were buried here. It had been there for over a hundred years and had grown to a considerable size.
Third Grandfather set up the offering table, and each family would place an offering for the Jiang family's ancestors to enjoy.
After setting out the offerings, the eldest and third grandfathers took the lead, and the others lined up in order of seniority, kneeling and kowtowing.
The eulogy written by Jiang's father was read aloud by the third grandfather to the ancestors of the Jiang family.
Afterwards, the heads of each family led their children and grandchildren to pay respects at the graves of their parents and elders.
Jiang's father brought his son and grandson to the gravesite of their branch of the family. His parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on... Because the family had been passed down through generations of single-lineage heirs, there were not many gravesites.
Father Jiang laid out the offerings he had brought, kowtowed with his children and grandchildren, lit paper money, and recounted the major and minor events that had occurred in the family throughout the year. He burned paper money for his ancestors so that they would not lack money in the underworld, and also asked them to bless them so that everything would go smoothly.
"Alright, let's go back."
Jiang's father got up and called his children and grandchildren to walk back, hoping that their ancestors would also come home to visit.
At home, Jiang's mother, along with her daughter-in-law and daughter, had already set the dining table.
Today is Chinese New Year, so we put two tables together for a family reunion dinner.
After arriving home, Jiang's father first washed his hands, then went to the altar to offer incense. On the altar were the memorial tablets of their deceased relatives.
After all this was done, Jiang's father took the seat of honor, followed by Jiang's mother, then Jiang Shuyun and his two brothers, and the rest of the people sat around the table.
The New Year's meal should include fish, chicken, and meat, a total of ten dishes, symbolizing perfection.
"Today is the last day of the year. A lot has happened in our family this year, some good and some bad. But what's done is done, so don't look back, keep looking forward."
I hope everything goes well at home next year. May those who are studying achieve good grades. May those who are working do their jobs well and perform well. Okay, everyone's hungry, come and eat!
Jiang's father picked up a piece of food first before the others started eating.
"Mom, fish, eat fish."
Jiang Shaoyun likes to eat fish, but he doesn't know how to spit out the bones. He just stares longingly at his mother.
Mu Yi'an picked up a piece of fish, carefully removed the bones, and gave half to each of the two children.
"Yes, I want it..."
Jiang Chuyue, who was sitting on the chair next to her, also became anxious and kept saying that she wanted it.
Based on the design of children's high chairs from their previous life, Mu Yi'an and Jiang Shuyun made a simplified version of the children's high chair. This way, they wouldn't have to hold the child while eating.
Mu Yi'an selected a piece of fish and placed it into Chuyue's wooden bowl.
Chuyue is over ten months old and has already started eating complementary foods. I don't dare to feed her pork because I'm afraid it will be hard to digest, but fish, shrimp, and liver are fine with her. The little girl isn't picky about food and will eat anything I give her.
Jiang Shuyun was sitting far away and couldn't take care of the children. He was also worried that Mu Yi'an wouldn't eat enough, so he ate much faster, thinking he should finish quickly so he could take care of the children.
Fortunately, Jiang Qi was sitting between Shao Ming and Shao Ning, so she could help take care of them.
Jiang's wife was exhausted and hungry. She was used to eating alone and couldn't take care of the children. Actually, she didn't cook much for the meal; she just sat down and peeled some scallions and garlic, and picked some green vegetables.
While taking care of the child, Mu Yi'an didn't neglect her own meals. She cooked several of the dishes today, and they tasted quite good.
The family enjoyed a happy meal together, and no one dared to cause any trouble at that moment.
"Mother, I'm really tired. I'll have to trouble my two younger siblings to take care of the dishes and chopsticks."
Sister-in-law Jiang puffed out her not-so-obvious belly, supporting her lower back with her hands. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was six months pregnant.
"Go and rest."
Although Jiang's mother disliked her eldest daughter-in-law's behavior, as a woman herself, she understood the hardships of pregnancy. Therefore, she was more tolerant of her.
Mu Yi'an remained silent. Whether she was truly exhausted, she didn't know. Having never experienced ten months of pregnancy, she had no right to speak.
Furthermore, during the Lunar New Year, please be careful not to make any noise or disturbances, otherwise it will bother you and you'll keep thinking about it.
Brother Jiang wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing. It was the New Year, and he couldn't let his parents be unhappy. He would talk to Wanru after the New Year; some things shouldn't be taken too far.
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