Liu Bei originally planned to leave for Yanzhou the next day, but Chen Mu persuaded him to stop.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so don’t be tired from running around during the New Year.
The Han nationality is particularly important for ideological events. New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and Cold Food are the three most important festivals in the Han Dynasty.
In the New Year atmosphere, there are no firecrackers, no Spring Festival couplets, no dumplings, and no lively atmosphere.
This year has been a very difficult year for Chenjiacun and the entire Han Dynasty, with frequent wars and constant disasters.
But life must go on.
Nearly a hundred villagers from Chenjia Village died in other places, and their bones were buried far away. If there were no family members to pay homage to them, they would just become lonely ghosts in the end.
Whether it's for those who are still alive or those who have died, people have to cheer up.
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, under the leadership of the clan elders, the villagers began to get busy.
Liu, Guan, and Zhang were still lying on the bed soundly asleep when they heard the sound of gongs, drums, and gongs, making it so noisy that they couldn't sleep.
"Why is it so noisy?"
Zhang Fei got up sleepily and saw that Liu Bei and Guan Yu were already getting dressed, and his fourth brother Chen Mu was not in bed.
The four brothers often slept together, and this bed was made up of two large beds put together, so it was not crowded.
Liu Bei put on his new robe and said to Zhang Fei: "Yide, our fourth brother clan wants to worship their ancestors and pay homage to the souls of the dead in the village. Let's go and have a look together."
"oh."
Zhang Fei stretched out and lay on the bed with a blank mind for a while before getting up from the bed.
The three of them dressed neatly and washed themselves. After leaving the hall and standing in the yard, they saw hundreds of people in the village, more than usual. Every household was dressed in plain clothes and stood solemnly at the entrance of the ancestral hall.
The sound of gongs and drums shook the sky and the earth. It was the twelfth lunar month of winter. Although there had been no snow in the past few days, the northern wind was still howling like the souls of the dead crying.
Chen Mu's mother, Fang, was a short woman. When her eldest son was away from home and her husband was drafted into the army, her thin shoulders carried the beams of the entire family. She raised her children and did heavy farm work at the same time.
Life has not broken her back.
Mrs. Fang, who had been paying attention to her own situation, saw Liu Guanzhang coming out of her home from a distance and trotting back from the direction of the ancestral hall. She greeted loudly: "The three nephews are up. Have they disturbed you?"
Liu Bei waved his hand quickly: "Auntie, I just woke up and I don't feel noisy."
Mrs. Fang waved enthusiastically: "That's just the time. It's time to prepare for dinner. The elder of the clan invites the three distinguished guests to come and sit down."
"Where to sit?"
"follow me."
Fang took them towards the ancestral hall.
All other buildings in Chenjia Village are very old, but this ancestral hall is often cleaned and renovated, and it is quite intact.
This is a large ancestral hall built by Chen Kui, the ancestor of the Chen family during the Western Han Dynasty. It has three entrances and exits. The square inside alone covers an area of half an acre and can accommodate hundreds of people worshiping at the same time.
New Year's Eve in the Han Dynasty was a day for worshiping ancestors. The Chen family in Puyin especially focused on the ancestral hall in Chenjia Village. All the Chen family members scattered in various towns and villages wanted to come back. More than a thousand people crowded the entire ancestral hall, with people standing inside.
I had to stand outside the house because I couldn't stand.
As a local state minister and a prince, Liu Bei can be said to be the biggest distinguished guest in Chenjia Village. There are three elders in the township. The head of Chenjia Village, Mr. Chen, is one of the village elders. He is eighty-two years old and is highly respected in the township.
When Fang brought Liu Guanzhang over, the old man and several clan elders, trembling with the support of the clan members, came out to greet him.
"Everyone is well, sir."
Liu Bei hurried over to greet the old man and supported him.
The Han Dynasty governed the world with filial piety. No matter whether they were high-ranking officials or emperors and common people, they had to show respect to the elderly when they met them.
The old man grabbed Liu Bei's hand and said with a smile: "Since you have come all the way, Chenjiacun failed to give you a grand reception, which makes me feel ashamed. Come in quickly and please take a seat."
The main hall of the ancestral hall is filled with the memorial tablets of ancestors, and the side hall next to it is a banquet, filled with large and small tables and cases. The elders of the village sit in the banquet, and the middle generation and juniors are listed in the middle banquet.
and the last seat, arranged in order.
In order to show respect for the senior officials of the county, Liu Guanzhang's seat was at the top, which was the main seat. There were second seats below on the left and right sides, and below that was where the patriarch, clan elders and other accompanying persons sat.
Liu Bei noticed that Chen Mu, as a junior, could only sit at the bottom of the table, so he waved his hand and said: "There is no envoy here today, only juniors. Zi Gui and I are close friends, and Zi Gui's elder is my elder. Please also ask
Sir, please take a seat, and Zigui and I will share the table."
"How can this be done?"
Old Mrs. Chen's eyes widened and he wanted to hold Liu Bei back.
Instead, Liu Bei helped the old man to sit on the throne, half pushing and half supporting him and said with a smile: "The elders come first, this is how to respect the elderly."
The old man was seventy and eighty years old. He couldn't resist Liu Bei, so he was pushed to the main seat and had to sit down.
Chen Mu was sitting in a crowd of people. Next to him was his second son, Chen Zhi, and his father, Chen Qing, who was still lying on the hospital bed recuperating. Women were not allowed to attend the banquet, so my younger sister and I could only eat standing outside.
Although it is a bad habit, Chen Mu is unable to change it for the time being. Because this is not only a confrontation with the clan rules of Chenjia Village, but also a confrontation with the entire Han Dynasty system.
The belief that men are superior to women and that women are inferior has become a mainstream ideological concept in contemporary times since the end of matrilineal society. Even if men and women are equal, that will not be possible until a new era arrives and women can hold up half the sky.
So for now, Chen Mu can only settle for the status quo, and wait for the day when he has the power to change everything, and then make new calculations.
Chen Mu lowered his head and was thinking about his next plan. Suddenly, his vision went dark. Three strong men surrounded him, hugged his neck, and sat down laughing.
"Why are eldest brother, second brother and third brother sitting here?"
Chen Mu rolled his eyes.
These three brothers never have a serious moment.
Zhang Fei held his neck and rubbed his beard like a steel needle against his face, which stung quite painfully. He said with a smile: "I feel uncomfortable sitting on it, but I feel more comfortable sitting with my fourth brother."
Guan Yu stroked his beard and smiled: "That's exactly it."
Liu Bei touched Chen Zhi's head and ordered: "Brother, go get some wine."
Chen Zhi was young and energetic. He was bouncing around within a few days after suffering a skin injury. When he got the order from Big Brother, he cheerfully replied with the word "got the order" and ran out to get the wine.
Seeing his brisk look, the four of them laughed.
After a while, the women in the village began to serve the food. Stacks of food were placed on the table, and no one moved their chopsticks.
It wasn't until all the food was served that Mr. Chen stood up, held up his wine glass, looked around, and sang softly in a long voice: "When it comes to etiquette, I know how to play the drums, and when I pass on the ballet, I dance. Sacrifice me with the souls of my clan members.
The journey is long and winding. With this wine, I, the Chen clan, wish to rest their souls in their graves and sleep in the green hills!"
"Respect my people!"
Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and poured them on the ground.
The old man picked up the second cup and chanted again: "I'm sorry for my ancestors, who gave birth to me through hard work. I'm sorry for my ancestors who gave birth to me. I'm sorry for my parents who gave birth to me. It's a shame for Wei Lei."
.This wine is a tribute to my Chen family, parents and ancestors, and I hope that my ancestors and ancestors will protect me! Let my Chen family continue to prosper for all generations."
"Respect my ancestors!"
The Chen family members all shouted, and the second cup fell to the ground.
The old man took the third cup, looked at Liu, Guan, Zhang and Chen, and said loudly: "I, the Chen family, have lived in Puyin for hundreds of years. I work hard every day. I have never had any grudges with other clans, nor have I bullied others or caused trouble. But the county
Your Majesty bullies the weakness of our people, and bullies our warriors to fight for the country. He wants to seize my ancestral land and occupy my fertile farmland. Fortunately, thanks to the blessing of my ancestors, my Chen family has a Qilin son, Chen Mu, and I have three sworn sworn brothers, Dragon and Phoenix.
, drove away the powerful, killed the county magistrate, and avenged the blood feud for us. For the third cup, here’s to me, the Qilin son of the Chen family, to the dragon and phoenix among the three!”
"Respect the Qilin son of the Chen family, respect the dragon and phoenix among men!"
Hundreds of men from the Chen family all aimed their wine glasses at Liu, Guan, Zhang and Chen, served the wine and bowed down to salute. The four of them were flattered and quickly returned the favor with the wine.
Of course, this glass of wine was not poured on the ground. After bowing and saluting, everyone drank it in one gulp and then the toast ended.
The old man put down his wine glass, raised his hand and said in a long voice: "Sit down!"
The tribesmen sat down and waited for the old man to move his chopsticks before they began to have a formal meal.
No one spoke during the whole process, it was quiet except for the sound of chewing.
Liu Bei was quite envious and said to Chen Mu in a low voice: "The fourth brother's family has strict clan rules and complete etiquette. He supports the old and takes care of the young. I really envy others."
Chen Mu smiled bitterly and said: "These are bad habits and rules set by our ancestors. It's really troublesome. Thank you three brothers for your hard work."
Guan Yu said with a smile: "These are bad habits and rules, but they are the way of human relations that are in line with etiquette. The ancient Spring and Autumn Annals have great meanings. Etiquette is the scripture of heaven. It is also the meaning of the earth and the behavior of the people. If there is no etiquette, so what?
As a person?"
"Let me tell you..."
Zhang Fei just stood up, but because of his loud voice, others looked sideways. He couldn't help but shrink his head and gave an apologetic smile to the people around him.
There was nothing he could do. Even though he had lowered his voice, his strength did not allow it. Whenever he spoke, it was like thunder. In such a solemn and solemn situation, he was like Hong Zhongda Lu, who could hear the whole room if he made any movement.
The four of them stopped talking and ate quietly.
In addition to the sounds of bowls, chopsticks and wine glasses in the hall, even the sounds of people chewing food around them were much lowered, making people have to chew slowly and not eat too fast.
After about four or five minutes, the door of the ancestral hall was suddenly kicked open. The sound shook like thunder. Everyone stopped their dishes and looked sideways.
"Who was beating the gongs and drums there just now? It was so noisy!"
Dozens of policemen rushed in and showed off their power. Even though hundreds of people were looking at them, they showed no fear at all. They said viciously to everyone: "What are you looking at? If you look at it again, I'll dig out your dog's eyes and ask you to take charge of the affairs. Who can come out?"
Let him play gongs and drums."
These soldiers were sent by Zhang Chun to monitor Liu Guan, Zhang Chen, and they had been living peacefully in the past few days. This morning, when the Chen family worshiped their ancestors, the sound of gongs and drums was so loud that these people did not sleep well, and the soldiers complained.
They were angry when they got up and couldn't celebrate the New Year. In anger, these soldiers put on their weapons and armor and ran to the door to make trouble.