After all, Man Bao and the others did not wait for Xia Yi and his wife to come back and installed the three beds. Man Bao checked that it was getting late and decided to go back to the city.
Before leaving, Mrs. Qian pulled Manbao aside, took out three strings of money and put them in her hand. She winked and said, "Take this as a meeting gift for your younger brothers and sisters as an elder sister."
I originally wanted to give it to my cousin as a meeting gift, but thinking that she didn't seem to like Xia Yi very much, I changed my mind.
Manbao's eyes lit up, it was the first time that she was considered a sister based on her age.
She reached out and took it. Instead of giving it to everyone, she pulled the three of them aside and gave it to them quietly. She also whispered: "Don't tell your parents, keep it yourself. This is my meeting gift for you."
Xia Dalang didn't want to take it, so he pushed it back. When he saw his younger brother and sister holding the string of money, they pulled it out and wanted to return it to her. Manbao pushed it away and said, "I already have a salary as an official. Alas, speaking of it, our two families are the best."
We are close to the same ancestor. In this way, I am far away and may not come back several times a year. From now on, when you go to visit the graves of my great-grandparents, remember to clear grass for them when you see their graves..."
Only then did Man Bao remember the most important thing, and he stamped his feet in annoyance: "Oh, I forgot to visit the graves of Grandpa Taizu and Grandma Taizu."
After saying that, he turned around and ran away.
Xia Dalang didn't have time to stop her and watched her run away with three strings of money in his hand.
Lao Zhoutou, who was waiting outside, kept mumbling: "...I asked her to give it in public, how could she do it quietly?"
This was beyond Qian's expectation at all, but she still held Lao Zhoutou tightly and scolded in a low voice: "You should be quiet, just give it to me quietly. If you go in and shout out now, you are so kind."
He also became malicious."
Old Zhoutou muttered: "You shouldn't have given me so much, three hundred cents."
Qian thought to herself: How did she know that Man Bao was so sincere and would give it quietly?
She was willing to spend so much money just because she wanted her to give it in public so that she could get another good one in front of Mr. Xia.
Old Zhoutou continued to mutter: "If I had known, it would have been enough to give me ten cents."
Qian disliked him for being noisy and said, "Shut up."
Lao Zhoutou's voice was lowered, but he still couldn't help mumbling.
Qian was thinking unconsciously. He didn't know if it was because he was getting older or because he was living a good life. He had been nagging more and more recently.
Man Bao ran out of the house in a hurry and said in a hurry: "Dad, Mom, we forgot to pay homage to my great-grandparents."
Lao Zhoutou and Qian:...
Qian couldn't help but turned around and said to Lao Zhoutou, "What do you remember every day? How can you forget this kind of thing?"
Old Zhoutou: "Is this also my fault?"
When Man Bao and the others rushed back to the patriarch's house, Mr. Zhuang, who had already had a pleasant chat with the patriarch, smiled and said, "Are you done?"
Man Bao opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Zhuang had already pointed to the chickens, fish and meat on the table and said, "The sacrifices have been prepared for you. Do you want to start worshiping your ancestors?"
Man Bao was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He took Mr. Zhuang's hand and said, "Sir, you are still reliable."
Mr. Zhuang patted her on the head and said with a smile: "Naughty, hurry up and pack the basket. I have made an agreement with Chief Xia. He has also prepared hoes and sickles for you. Your cousins and brothers are also waiting for you."
Woolen cloth."
Man Bao looked around and asked doubtfully: "Where is Chief Xia?"
Mr. Zhuang chuckled and said: "Xia clan leader drank too much tea and felt a little uncomfortable in his stomach, so he went to rest."
Chief Xia and Mr. Zhuang drank tea here for a long time. They didn't ask much about Zhou Man, but they were given a lot of sacrifices. They also thought that the Zhou family was leading the young people of his clan to do things at Xia Yi's house.
When I was depressed, I couldn't help but drink a little more tea, and then my stomach bloated. I felt a little uncomfortable for a while, so I went back to the house to rest.
Man Bao saw that the son and grandson of Chief Xia were waiting for them, so he didn't ask any questions. He loaded up the sacrifices and went out. Bai Shan and Bai Erlang helped with the sickles, while Zhou Dalang and Wu Lang carried the hoes.
The tomb of my great-great-grandparents is not very far away. It is on the mountain next to the village. It only takes a short walk to reach it.
But when they arrived at the place, even the son of Chief Xia, who had come to see it in advance, took a while to find it.
Everywhere you look is covered with weeds, and there is a large tree growing next to the tomb, completely blocking the tomb.
Not to mention looking from a distance, you can't even tell that this is a tomb up close.
Patriarch Xia's son was a little embarrassed and said to Zhou Man, "Your parents haven't come back for many years, so no one has come to offer sacrifices to you. However, occasionally Uncle Xia will come back to offer sacrifices to you."
It’s just that the last festival sweep was several years ago.
Man Bao frowned, nodded, and started mowing and shoveling the grass together with everyone else.
In fact, she wanted to ask, doesn’t the clan pay homage and sweep the graves of widows and orphans every Qingming Festival?
In Qili Village, each family has a bunch of tombs that need to be swept together. The village has experienced several major disasters, and many families have died. Some of them are related to each other.
Other festivals aside, Qingming Village organizes young people to clean all the graves. Anyway, the sacrifice dishes are the same, it’s just a few more graves, and it’s not you who takes them home to eat in the end?
Fellow villagers, if you visit more graves, you may get more protection.
In Man Bao's memory, she had never known that the grave next to her grandparents belonged to her biological parents. The village even agreed that they didn't know whose family it belonged to. It seemed to be a wild grave. That's how Zhou Dalang and the others went up the mountain every year.
Even if they shoveled away the weeds on the grave, they would also worship it. She never thought it was wrong.
So she couldn't quite understand why her great-great-grandparents were not sacrificed even though they were on the edge of the village. Apart from anything else, there must be a lot of people close to her by blood in the village.
Man Bao hummed in her heart, and after cleaning all the weeds on the tomb and offering sacrifices, she went back. She did not stay in Hongtian Village longer, and ran away with Bai Shanbai Erlang on horseback. She felt depressed only after leaving Hongtian Village.
Change horses and get off.
As a result, not far from the village, she met Xia Yi and his wife who had returned. Man Bao still remembered the grudge of her great-great-grandparents for not being sacrificed, so others would not talk about it. Her great-great-grandparents and Xia Yi's grandparents were brothers, and he still occupied
It's her family's house.
So he leaned half of his body out of the window and waved hello to Xia Yi, shouting loudly: "Uncle Yitang, why did you just come back? I've already packed up your house."
Daji did not stop, but slowed down. The carriage gurgled past Xia Yi and his wife. Man Bao could clearly see their eyes widening in an instant, and he chuckled and said: "Your bed, your bed."
We have reinstalled your boxes and cages, your tables and chairs, and many people in the clan have helped. If you don’t believe me, go back and take a look.”
Xia Yi was so frightened that she thought she had done something to their family, so he jumped in anger, "Xia Man, that's my home, what did you do to my home?"
"It's nothing, uncle Yi. I love my brothers and sisters, and I love you too. I will come back to see you next year. Goodbye."