To sum up the opening of the Xiao Family Clan Association, I can only use one word to describe it: grand!
The ancestral hall of the Xiao family in Lingnan is not far from the Xiao family's old house and closer to the mountain. The ancestral hall covers an area of 20 acres, with front and back halls, corridors on both sides, and a fifty-meter-long alley in front of the ancestral hall. After nearly a hundred years of operation, this place has almost become a miniature small town.
Along the way, the colorful sheds were connected together. When we entered the alley, several hundred thousand firecrackers were lit. Amidst the deafening crackling sound of firecrackers, gunpowder smoke filled the air, the crowds swarmed, and there was a lion dance team in front. Jumping back and forth amidst the sound of gongs and drums.
Mr. Xiao was dressed in a Tang suit and holding a dragon-head crutch in his hand - in Chen Xiao's opinion, this outfit was a bit too pretentious. Everyone knows that this old man is more agile than the young man! But he happened to be holding a cane in his hand.
Next to the old man were several senior figures in the big houses of the Xiao family, all of whom looked gray-haired. The mayor of Xiaojia Town also followed behind Mr. Xiao.
The lion dance activity lasted for more than an hour, and the young lion dancers were already out of breath from exhaustion. The sun was also quite bright today, and the hot sunshine made everyone sweat on their foreheads. The other elders of various houses around Mr. Xiao were all a little exhausted. Some were barely standing with the help of people around them, and some were wiping sweat with a wet hand towel. Only Mr. Xiao Squinting his eyes, his back was still straight.
After the excitement, it quickly became quiet. Mr. Xiao took an incense stick handed over by others and saluted at the door of the ancestral hall. Behind him, the children of the Xiao family had all grown up according to their seniority. Everyone stood in line and bowed together with the old man.
When the old man announced the "opening of the ancestral hall" in his rich voice, the thick two-piece teak door of the ancestral hall was pushed open, and the high threshold was painted with a new layer of paint.
Dozens of rows of long stools are at the bottom, and in front of the ancestral hall are ten Taishi chairs.
The ancestral hall was filled with a solemn atmosphere. The lobby of this old-fashioned building was a bit dim. The smell of new paint and candlelight mixed together, which was very special.
The adults in the Xiao family, those who are eligible to enter the ancestral hall to participate in the sect meeting, enter the hall in accordance with order and sit in their own place.
There were dense crowds of people, but there was no noise in the ancestral hall.
It wasn't until everyone had taken their seats that the door of the ancestral hall slowly closed...
It was as if the somewhat heavy and majestic atmosphere had been locked inside the ancestral hall.
At this time, the most excited ones were the children. These children did not have to go in to attend the sect meeting and were not bound by the somewhat depressing atmosphere. They were playing back and forth in the alley and picking up firecrackers on the ground.
At this time, Chen Xiao was standing in the corridor next to him, watching everything outside. This corridor leads to the ancestral hall, and he feels a little nervous - it's a real joke, he must have experienced a lot of big scenes, but at this moment he actually...
The sect meeting in the ancestral hall is carried out according to the fixed procedures for many years. Incense is burned, ancestors are worshipped, and the heirs and leaders of each house salute respectively.
Then some recent events in the clan need to be decided by the elders - of course, these are just a formality. When Old Mrs. Xiao, an absolutely powerful figure in the Xiao family, still existed, everything in the family was decided by him.
Chen Xiao is waiting for the last process of the sect meeting.
He stood at the window, watching the children playing in the alley outside, and Chen Xiao let out a breath.
This... is "home"
Chen Xiao was lost in thought for a while. Finally, after a long time, the door in the corridor was pushed open, and a member of the Xiao family came in and signaled to Chen Xiao that it was time.
…
When Chen Xiao walked into the ancestral hall from the side door, most of the affairs of the clan had already ended. Mr. Xiao kept his word and handled the internal affairs of the clan in every possible way, including several poorly managed industries. The authority of the person in charge was revoked, and the power controlled by each house was reshuffled under the authority of Mr. Xiao. No one dared to say a word "no" to the overlord of the family.
There were hundreds of people sitting in the ancestral hall, but when Chen Xiao walked in, there was silence.
He saw Mr. Xiao sitting upright on the master's chair in the middle, smiling and nodding to him, and saw Xiao Qing sitting in the front row looking at him with complicated eyes, and felt hundreds of pairs of eyes watching him.
In fact... Chen Xiao is not the only one who is undergoing the process of returning to the clan today. Every time the clan meeting was held, the people who came to the Xiao family during this period would be given a formal genealogy ceremony at the clan meeting in the ancestral hall. Today, the two babies who were born to the Xiao family during this period were included in the genealogy together with Chen Xiao.
However, because of Chen Xiao's special status, hundreds of pairs of eyes were naturally focused on him.
The son of the former eldest brother, Xiao Saran, is also engaged to the daughter of the current deputy financial manager of the Xiao family... I even heard that Mrs. Xiao has an ambiguous attitude. Such a young man who suddenly appears may be a heavyweight in the future battle for succession of the Xiao family...
A person from the Xiao family ancestral hall brought up a roster and led Chen Xiao to the ancestral tablet in the ancestral hall. Just when he was about to say something, Mr. Xiao, who was sitting on the Taishi chair, suddenly stood up. In full view of everyone, This iron bowl figure in the family actually walked up to Chen Xiao in person. Without any explanation, he took an incense stick from the person next to him, lit it with his own hands, and handed it into Chen Xiao's hand.
The old man said to Chen Xiao with a rare and kind smile: "Don't be nervous, come on, kneel down, offer incense and kowtow to your ancestors. No more, just three."
Has Mr. Xiao ever spoken to anyone so kindly? Even when facing Xiao Qing, the most favored person in the family, Xiao Que'er and the other little guys all had a straight face.
Chen Xiao silently took the incense, saluted, knelt down and kowtowed, then stood up and inserted the incense into the incense burner.
The old man was already grinding the ink himself. He took a fine wolf brush and dipped it in the ink. He handed it to Chen Xiao, pointed at the book on the desk in front of him, opened a new page, and pointed to the corner above: "Here, write your name, and you will be considered a member of the Xiao family."
Chen Xiao smiled and stood in front of the case and pondered for a moment.
At this moment, many people noticed that Mr. Xiao was staring at the young man with an expectant and slightly anxious look.
Finally, Chen Xiao put pen to paper and wrote the two characters "Chen Xiao" on the page - he had never practiced calligraphy, so these two characters were naturally written crookedly.
However, some people also discovered that when Mr. Xiao saw this boy writing the word "Chen", he suddenly sighed slightly, and a slight trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Chen Xiao put down his pen, turned around, bowed to Mrs. Xiao, and whispered: "Old Mrs., I'm sorry to disappoint you."
…
Just the night before the sect meeting was held, the old man and Chen Xiao had a conversation.
"My hope is that you can officially return to the Xiao family. Not from outside, but from the Xiao family! You should understand what I mean. Your mother gave up her inheritance rights back then, and you now have the power to get it back. As long as Are you willing to change your name during the registration process at the sect meeting... to Xiao Xiao?"
At that time, the old man patted Chen Xiao on the shoulder: "Xiao Qing, this girl is a descendant of Mingyue. She is the most talented and the smartest among the younger generation. She likes you very much and is engaged to you. As long as you are willing to make it official After joining the Xiao family, within ten years, I will find a way for you and her to gradually take over the Xiao family's business and industry. Before I die, I will promote you to the position of the head of the Xiao family, and then... In the future, it will be you Yes. Our Lingnan Xiao family relies on the blessings of Mingyue to prosper. Now I am willing to hand it over to Mingyue's descendants. And you are the descendant of the eldest brother of my Xiao family, and I also very much hope that you... "
When he said this, Mrs. Xiao patted Chen Xiao on the shoulder: "You don't have to give me an answer now. You can make your own decision at the sect meeting."
…
The old man looked at Chen Xiao. The young man smiled calmly, with a nonchalant expression on his handsome face, and his eyes were clear and full of calm.
"Okay... Since this is your choice. However, people from outside the clan have no inheritance rights." The old man pondered for a moment: "Then, today's sect meeting is completed..."
When he was about to turn around and announce the end of the process, he suddenly heard a clear and loud voice. This voice came from outside the gate of the ancestral hall. Through the thick door panel, it clearly fell on the ears of everyone in the ancestral hall. inside!
"Wait a minute! It's not over yet!"
With this sound, the door of the ancestral hall was pushed open, and the sunlight from outside poured in. In the sunlight at the door, a girl stood there. She slowly stepped across the threshold, as if she was sent in by the sunlight. …
Phoenix!
She walked in and walked slowly down the middle aisle. She didn't walk very fast, but every step was very determined!
Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at the girl who suddenly came in. When they saw the girl's appearance clearly, almost everyone took a deep breath at the same time, and some couldn't help but exclaimed!
"Old Master, it's not over yet! There is still one person missing among those who have returned to the clan."
Phoenix pointed to his nose, with a smile on his beautiful face: "Me!"
She slowly walked to the front with a slight smile on her face: "My name is Fenghuang... Xiao Fenghuang!"