Chapter 181 [VIP]
They originally planned to stay in Tianyang for a few more days, but their older cousin advised them to go back first. Although their father was seriously ill, he was not in any immediate danger, and staying here would delay their important business.
Li fell ill as soon as she returned. Worried and exhausted, she couldn't eat for four or five days. Everyone was extremely worried. Chen Rong stayed by her side to comfort her, saying, "Sister-in-law, you have to think positively. Life and death are in God's hands. No matter how sad we are, we can't stop it. You have to think about the children."
Li Shu lay on the bed, choking back tears, and said, "I understand everything you're saying, but seeing my brother like that, it feels like there's a thorn stuck in my heart."
Chen Rong sighed and said, "When my elder brother fell ill, I was in the same boat as you, but life had to go on. Qingyan is about to take up his post in the capital, Qingyun is pregnant, and Qingsong hasn't taken the imperial examination yet. If something happens to you, who will take care of them? You can't rely entirely on Wang Ying."
Li was stunned for a long time before bursting into tears. After crying, she came to terms with it, and her health gradually improved within a few days.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If anything had happened to Li, not only would the children have been devastated, but Qingyan's official position would also have been affected. According to the laws of the Wu Dynasty, officials were required to observe a three-year mourning period after the death of their parents. Once this golden period was over, it would be difficult to get promoted again.
In mid-May, the ancestral hall was finally completed, and the whole family went to participate in the beam-raising ceremony.
On this day, everyone dressed up neatly, the men tied their hair up and wore crowns, and the women also wore hairpins and jewelry, putting on their most formal clothes.
Little Yuanbao, dressed in a brand-new blue robe, seemed to sense the serious atmosphere and sat obediently on Wang Ying's lap.
Upon arriving at the village, villagers were already waiting at the village entrance, crowding around the carriage as it headed up the mountain behind the village.
Wang Ying lifted the carriage curtain and saw the Zhuangyuan Archway standing not far away from a distance. The archway was inscribed with the three large characters "Zhuangyuan Archway" and the side was inscribed with Chen Qingyan's life story, including his achievement of becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination in the thirteenth year of Wuping.
The carriage stopped by the roadside, and everyone walked through the Zhuangyuan Archway to the ancestral hall in front.
The ancestral hall was built according to the blueprints drawn by Wang Ying. There were three rooms in total. After passing through the main gate, you would enter the main hall. There were two small halls on the left and right sides. The main hall enshrined the ancestors of the Chen family, and the small hall next to it was dedicated to married women, sons and children who died young.
According to the customs of the Wu Dynasty, married men and women were not allowed to be buried in the ancestral graves or the husband's family graves. They could only be buried in the wild. If no descendants remembered them, the graves would probably be abandoned within a few years.
Wang Ying then thought of building a small ancestral hall next to it, so that someone would take care of it at all times and receive incense offerings from her descendants.
Upon learning this, Chen Rong was so moved that she burst into tears. She had thought about this when they were getting a divorce earlier, as people in ancient times were quite superstitious and paid special attention to the afterlife.
Originally, I thought I wouldn't be able to be buried in the ancestral grave and would probably end up in the wilderness. I didn't expect that Wang Ying had already made arrangements. I was so grateful that I didn't know what to say. This nephew-in-law really thought of everything!
The other room was prepared for the people of the village. More than half of the people in the village were surnamed Chen. Some were from the same clan and some changed their surname later. No matter what happened before, they were all one family afterward, and they could be enshrined in the ancestral hall after death.
The cohesion of a clan to a village is beyond words. Everyone in the village immediately feels a sense of belonging, knowing that they will remain here after they die to receive offerings from their descendants!
Around Chenshi (7-9 AM), preparations were underway for raising the roof beam. The same old man who had presided over the beam-raising ceremony at the other courtyard was helping out. He was over seventy years old, with white hair and beard, but still quite healthy. Leaning on his wooden cane, he said with a broad smile, "May the master be blessed with good health and happiness. This old man has come again."
Chen Qingyan stepped forward to help him over, saying, "Thank you for your help, sir."
"No trouble at all, this is a joyous occasion. I'm overjoyed that the employer thinks so highly of me!"
The three sacrificial animals were already laid out in the courtyard. The old man lit incense and candles and chanted complicated lyrics, first worshipping Master Lu Ban, then the local earth god, and finally the ancestors.
After reading the auspicious text, Chen Qingyan picked up his brush and wrote the four characters "Auspicious Beam Raising" on the beam with cinnabar. Chen Xi then called over more than ten strong men to secure the beam with hemp ropes as thick as a thumb. Then, while chanting, they slowly pulled the beam up.
As the main beam was finally set in place, firecrackers crackled and popped. The elderly were moved to tears, and the children clapped and laughed. At that moment, everyone found a sense of belonging. This is the power of ancient ancestral halls!
The whole family lined up to offer incense, and even the little Yuanbao was included. Wang Ying placed the lit incense sticks in his hand, and the two of them followed the people in front of them into the room and knelt on the prayer mats.
“Yuanbao, these are your ancestors. They kowtowed like their father and then put incense in the incense burner.”
"Hmm." Yuanbao kowtowed three times, mimicking his manner, and then placed the incense sticks into the incense burner. At that moment, Wang Ying seemed to hear laughter coming from all around. He looked around in surprise, but the laughter gradually faded away as if nothing had happened.
Wang Ying rubbed the goosebumps on her arms and hurriedly led her son out of the ancestral hall, where other villagers also wanted to go in to offer incense and worship.
After handing the gold ingot to her mother-in-law, Wang Ying planned to go to the fields with the villagers to see how the wheat harvest was this year, as it was harvest season.
Chen Xi said, "Ever since you gave us the wheat seeds, our village's wheat harvest has been the best in the surrounding area, yielding one more bushel per mu than other villages!"
"Has it been affected by pests or diseases?"
Another old man next to him said, "Last spring, there was another outbreak of gray leaf disease, but it was cured using the method you taught us, and the harvest was not reduced."
"That's good."
Upon arriving at the field, Wang Ying plucked an ear of wheat; the grains were plump and of very good quality.
“In the spring, many people from other villages wanted to buy our village’s wheat seeds, but I couldn’t make up my mind and didn’t dare to sell them.”
Wang Ying said, "Sell it. The price will be 10-20% higher than ordinary wheat, which will increase your profits."
The people behind were overjoyed when they heard this. Originally, the land was exempt from taxes because the landlord had passed the imperial examination with top honors. The landlord only collected 30% of the grain, and the rest belonged to them. They couldn't possibly eat it all, and selling the rest would bring in another source of income!
Wang Ying used the 30% of the grain money she received to repair bridges instead of paving roads, and also to maintain the ancestral hall. Only in this way could the family prosper more and more.
At noon, a banquet was set up in the village, where all the villagers, young and old, sat and chatted, creating a lively atmosphere.
Some people talked about the floods of that year. "Three or four villages nearby were wiped out, and the land was taken back by the government. Thanks to the landlord who took us to safety, we not only survived but our lives have gotten better and better."
"Yes, the better we do!" Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles. That's how ordinary people are; they're content as long as they have enough to eat and wear and have a little extra money.
They ate until evening before boarding the carriage to head back. As they left, the entire village, young and old, followed the carriage for seven or eight miles before stopping.
They simply hoped that their employer would get better and better, because only when their employer was healthy could they also live a good life.
When they got home that evening, Wang Ying pulled Chen Qingyan aside and started talking about what happened at the ancestral hall during the day, asking, "Did you hear any sounds when you went to offer incense?"
"No."
Wang Ying said mysteriously, "When I was offering incense with Yuanbao, I thought I heard someone laughing."
"It must be the people outside laughing, right?"
Wang Ying shook her head. "No, the laughter felt like it was right next to my ear. It gave me goosebumps."
Chen Qingyan patted his head to comfort him, "It's alright, that's our family's ancestor. He probably smiled because he saw you and your son were happy."
"Hearing you say that makes me less afraid."
Wang Ying rested her head on his shoulder and said, "We don't know how many years it will be before we come back after this trip. I'm really going to miss it."
"Then when we get old, we can go back to live here and farm a few acres of land, how about that?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ying looked up and said, "That would be perfect! Let's get a dog and a cat. We don't need chickens and ducks anymore; those flat-feathered animals have straight intestines and leave their droppings everywhere after eating."
Chen Qingyan chuckled as he listened, and both of them were filled with longing.
*
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was time to return home.
On May 26th, the weather was fine and sunny, perfect for an outing. The family packed up and reluctantly left the old house.
He had to go to the county town first to send his third aunt and the others back. The porter's business couldn't be left unattended, so Cao Kun sent them here and went back the next day.
They didn't stay long after arriving in the county town. They rested for one night and continued their journey early the next morning. Before leaving, Wang Ying called Cao Kun over to ask him how the discussions about going to the prefectural city were going.
Cao Kun said, "I discussed it with the porters, and half of them are willing to come with me to the prefectural city, while the other half, who cannot abandon their families and businesses, will stay in the county town to continue running this shop."
"Then I'll help you find a shop when I get back."
"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law!"
Wang Ying waved her hand, "We're family, no need for formalities. Just let me know in advance when you're coming, and I'll arrange a place for you to stay."
"I estimate it will be over in July or August."
"Alright, we'll be waiting for you in the city then."
The journey back from the county town was long, and there were several days of rain that forced us to stop and rest at the post station. We finally made it home on June 15th, and the whole family was exhausted.
When they arrived home, Wang Ying's mother-in-law fell ill. Perhaps due to her advanced age and the unclean water she had drunk on the way, she suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, which really frightened Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan.
They called a doctor who prescribed several doses of medicine, and it took six or seven days to cure the two of them.
Qingyun came to take care of her for a few days, and now that her pregnancy is stable and she's stopped vomiting, she looks much rounder than before.
“I’ve been talking about it with Changyi for days. It’s a real pity I couldn’t go back with you this time. I don’t know when I’ll have the chance to go back next time.”
Wang Ying said, "There will always be opportunities in the future. You're about seven months pregnant, aren't you?"
"I'm seven and a half months pregnant, and the doctor says I'll give birth in August."
After calculating the dates, it just so happens that Qingyan is going to Kyoto to take up his post. "It's a pity we won't be home then. We'll prepare a full moon gift for our little nephew in advance."
Qingyun joked, "Then you'd better prepare something decent, otherwise I'll hold you and your brother accountable."
"You little brat, you dare to ask your sister-in-law for things."
After laughing and joking for a while, Qingyun quickly begged for mercy, "Oh dear, I'm laughing so hard my stomach is cramping. Being pregnant is really uncomfortable. I can't sleep well all night. I'm not comfortable lying on either side, and lying flat makes it hard to breathe. I wish I could just give birth to him as soon as possible so I can feel better."
Wang Ying said, "It's even harder after giving birth. When the baby cries, wets the bed, gets cold or hot, you worry about everything once you become a mother."
Qingyun gently stroked her belly, "Women are truly amazing; they can actually give birth to children."
Wang Ying thought to herself, "Ming-ge'er is the most amazing one; he can even give birth to a child!"
A note from the author:
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