After the sun rose again, the Zhu family became lively.
"First brother, second brother, go get everything ready in the kitchen. Take out the rabbit and pheasant that the second brother hunted and cleaned up yesterday."
"Old Third's, sweep the yard again."
"Old Fourth's family, go wake him up and ask him to go to the grocery store at the village entrance to buy some snacks, melon seeds, fruits and some wine."
Early in the morning, the grandmother called several daughters-in-law over, and after a busy day, they cleaned up the house and made it look brand new.
The ingredients picked yesterday were also processed overnight. Fungus and other wild mushrooms were roasted on the stove last night, and soaked by my aunt and mother in the morning. The bamboo shoots were also plucked and the other ingredients were also processed.
My grandfather was rarely seen wearing a blue cloth shirt that was about 80% new and neatly dressed. He was sitting in the middle of the yard smoking a pipe and occasionally looking at the door to listen for any noise.
The straight-brimmed gown my grandfather wore was the main style of men's clothing in the Ming Dynasty. It was a long gown that was cut from top to bottom, with slits on both sides, but the slit in the middle had a hidden hem to cover it. It was one of the more formal garments for men in the Ming Dynasty.
My great uncle was no longer studying in his room. He was dressed like a student, much more decent than my grandfather, and was pacing in the yard with his hands behind his back.
After a while, Aunt Fourth woke up Uncle Fourth. Uncle Fourth came out of the room laughing and mumbling, wearing loose clothes.
"Old Four, tidy up your clothes. Look at what you look like." When Grandpa Zhu saw that his uncle was in such a sloppy state, he immediately grabbed his uncle and scolded him.
After all, he was his grandmother’s favorite youngest son. When his grandmother saw the old man getting angry, she immediately came to rescue him.
"Well, I told the fourth brother to call him urgently, so why don't you hurry up and pack up, go to the village entrance to buy some snacks, fruits and melon seeds, and get a few pounds of liquor for your father."
Grandma stuffed a handful of money into my uncle's hand, and he took it with a big smile and stuffed it into his sleeve pocket, repeatedly promising that he would do exactly what my mother had asked him to do.
My eldest brother, along with my father and my third uncle, went to the neighbor's house to borrow tables and chairs. Although there were two sets of tables and chairs at home, if my great-grandfather's family came over today, there would surely be a lot of people, and two sets of tables and chairs would not be enough.
When the sun was high in the sky, the sound of horses neighing was heard outside. Mr. Zhu put down his pipe and walked out like a gust of wind.
“Here I come.”
The old man's voice was heard outside, and then everyone rushed out, and Zhu Pingan also followed.
There were three large carriages parked outside, two of the same model and one that was even larger.
It turned out that not only the great grandfather's family came, but also the great aunt's family. It was very lively and three large carriages were squeezed to bring the two families. The two identical carriages belonged to the great grandfather's family, and the other larger one belonged to the great aunt's family.
When my great aunt heard that my great grandfather's family was moving to the south to live with their eldest son, she also brought her family over to see them off.
My great-grandfather and my great-aunt's family were obviously much richer than my family, and their clothes were more than one level higher. Both families wore the latest styles made of silk. Although my great-grandfather's family was engaged in business, my great-grandfather was smart and intelligent. After making money from business, he bought a lot of land. When registering with the government, he spent some more money, and then he became a farmer in the government's yellow book. If someone objected, my great-grandfather would say, "I am a landlord. Look at how much land I have. If I am not a landlord, then what am I?"
The eldest son of my great-grandfather's family, that is, my great uncle Zhu Ping'an, is doing business in the south. My great-grandfather's aunt is at home taking care of the elderly with two children. The youngest son of my great-grandfather's family, that is, my third uncle, has just started a family and has no children yet.
My great aunt is a very warm and generous old lady, while my great uncle is like a saw-mouthed gourd and doesn't talk much. His one son and one daughter are both married. My second uncle has two children, a 12-year-old older cousin and a 10-year-old younger cousin; my youngest aunt has only one younger cousin who is eight years old this year.
Looking at what his cousins were wearing, the styles and materials were much more modern, and they set off the people who wore them much better-looking. Then looking at himself, he looked so rustic. The only thing Zhu Ping'an could be thankful for was that he didn't have to wear open-crotch pants anymore, otherwise he would have been dead.
The Zhu Family Ancestral Hall was built by the Zhu family after they moved in. Although it does not occupy a large area, it is very decorated. The entire ancestral hall cost much more than the Zhu family's old house. The ancestral worship was led by the great grandfather. He first read a difficult-to-understand sacrificial text, then burned incense and paper money, and then offered a glass of wine in front of the gods. After that, he led the grandfather and the eldest son of the second uncle's grandfather to place the pork and mutton for the ancestral worship on the altar, chanting something, and bowed three times and kowtowed nine times in a very solemn manner.
Zhu Ping'an followed his brother and cousin, who were led by several uncles to kneel in the yard. Zhu Ping'an was very envious of his cousins at this time, because they did not have to join in the ancestor worship, otherwise, those delicate girls would definitely get sick from kneeling.
Instead of worshipping ancestors in such a tedious way, it is better to work hard to bring honor to the family. Of course, Zhu Pingan did not dare to say these words.
When kneeling on the ground to worship the ancestors, that strange phenomenon appeared again. Zhu Ping'an saw the luck again. This time, not only the people, but also the luck pillars appeared above the ancestral hall.
It's really an uncontrollable ability. I have no idea when I can see the luck. I have no clue and it appears suddenly without any preparation. The road to free control is long and arduous.
There is a white aura over my great-grandfather's family and my great-aunt's family, but the strange thing is that there is a strong green aura on the white fortune pillar in the Zhu family ancestral hall, which occupies about one-tenth of the white fortune pillar. Green represents official aura. Perhaps the ancestors of the Zhu family are blessing a noble person because of their filial piety. I just don't know if it is my great uncle or myself who is blessed. After all, there are only two of us who can study. But it should be me. If it were my great uncle, he would have passed the imperial examination and become a scholar long ago. It has been so many years, it is not possible that he could not pass the examination and become a scholar.