Shen Bing smiled and said, "I knew you would push it to me. I'm not a petty person, so let her stay. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, don't forget to meet the ancestors." After that, she went to mediate the conflict between the three female ghosts. Having her help me saves me a lot of trouble.
Time flies so fast. I returned home and it was New Year's Eve before I knew it. According to our local customs, we worship the gods and ancestors in the morning, and then start making dumplings after dinner. We set off firecrackers before lunch, and then eat dumplings. This year, my mother was very happy on the 30th. There is one more person in the family. Although we haven't married yet, it's no different from having another daughter-in-law, except that we don't have a bridal chamber. Shen Bing is a girl who understands filial piety and respects the elderly. Do you think my mother can't be happy
After eating dumplings, Shen Bing and I went to the store to post couplets and set off a string of firecrackers, which also meant that the store would be closed and would reopen after the Little New Year.
New Year's Eve arrived when we had just finished putting up couplets and were helping mom prepare dinner.
This year's New Year's Eve dinner was very sumptuous. My mother took out her signature dishes that she rarely makes and filled the table with them. It felt a bit wasteful. Three people couldn't finish it in two days. But sometimes when everyone is happy, waste is also a kind of happiness.
Before dinner, I want to meet my ancestors. I can't tell my mother about this, but the ancestral tablets are in the living room, which makes me worried. Shen Bing, who you say has no brains, saw through my thoughts at a glance. She said she was not hungry now, and begged my mother to take her to the small temple in the south of the village to make a wish. The small temple is dedicated to Lingshan Laomu. During every festival, incense is constantly burned, especially on the night of New Year's Eve, it is like a market, and the sound of firecrackers is non-stop. It is said that whoever sets off more firecrackers will have more prosperous fortune in the coming year.
How could my mother refuse to honor her beloved daughter-in-law? She immediately took incense, candles and offerings. Shen Bing also brought firecrackers, and they went out together.
As soon as the two of them left, I quickly put the bronze mirror in place and put the roast chicken in. Before I could even recite the spell, the dead rat showed up in a hurry, grabbed the roast chicken and ate it, complaining as he ate, "You're already thirty years old, why didn't you send me the roast chicken earlier? I'm starving to death."
Watching it eat, I smiled and said, "Don't choke. I'll give you two roast chickens tomorrow morning. Tell me how you're going to meet my ancestor."
"How stupid! You can just burn incense and kowtow in front of the ancestral tablets."
Oh, it's so simple. If you knew, I wouldn't have roasted the chicken for you. You'd starve to death. It's not that I'm a traitor, it's just that I always call me stupid.
I burned three incense sticks in front of the ancestral tablet, knelt down and kowtowed three times in a proper manner. Then I saw a face gradually emerge from the three wisps of green smoke from the incense and candles. The ancestor appeared.
"Fortunately, you didn't miss the time. If you were a moment later, I would have to attend a banquet with the Chief Executive, and after midnight, I wouldn't be able to meet you again." The old ancestor said kindly.
I chuckled and said, "What instructions did our ancestors give me? Did they ask the mirror god to send me a message half a month ago?"
The old ancestor frowned, as if he was worried about something, and said to me: "I know everything about your trip to Shanxi this time. Taoist Xuanzhen also met with me. We are all worried about your future fate."
What did I think of it? It was just a matter of shortening one's lifespan. I smiled calmly and said, "Grandparents, don't worry about it. I, your great-grandson, don't take it to heart. Don't all of us in the Xi family live past the age of 56? Our ancestors were so indifferent to this matter, and I also follow the tradition..."
Just as I was talking nonsense, the old ancestor interrupted me and said, "It's not about shortening your life, but disaster is about to happen, and the Maoshan sect will be in trouble!"
I was stunned. What was so serious that it even involved the Maoshan Sect? Besides, the Maoshan Sect had many disciples. What disaster could there be
"What happened?" I asked nervously.