"Brother Xiong, isn't your company bankrupt? Why are you still getting better and better? Is there any good way for you to take your brothers out to make a living?"
"Her aunt, you are getting more and more beautiful. I haven't seen you in this year, and you are even younger. Who is that little girl in fancy clothes? She is dressed like a fairy in a painting."
"I guess she must be Asheng's wife. My aunt is lucky to have such a beautiful daughter-in-law."
Uncles, brothers, seven aunts and eight aunts all gathered around and talked endlessly. Zhang Yongsheng's family suddenly became the focus of the village. The dam outside the ancestral hall was very lively, and many tribesmen gathered from all directions to watch the excitement.
Although Bai Zhixuan was used to big scenes, she was suddenly surprised. This was the first time for her to be judged by so many people. Even when facing many cameras at the exhibition, she was not so nervous. Zhang Yongsheng was very calm. He was familiar with many of them and even took the initiative to say hello.
Soon the children from the village gathered around. Zhang Yongsheng opened the trunk of the car and took out a large bag of various candies and snacks. Then the two cooperated to distribute snacks to the children. The children were so happy that they were so sweet that they happily circled around Zhang Yongsheng and Bai Zhixuan.
After a period of excitement, Zhang Ke, the old patriarch of the Zhang family, appeared. He is already seventy or eighty years old, and he is in good spirits. He has a straight waist and looks quite majestic in his prime. Every time the Zhang family members from outside came back to their hometown to worship their ancestors, he was the one who came out to greet them, so he was regarded as a man of his word in the village.
Seeing Zhang Ke coming out, everyone made way, and Zhang Ke led several elders to Zhang Jianxiong's family. Looking at Zhang Jianxiong's family dressed in brand new clothes, Zhang Ke nodded with satisfaction. Zhang Jianxiong has an excellent reputation in the village and is highly valued by the elders of the clan.
"Uncle Patriarch, happy New Year, I wish you a happy New Year!" Zhang Jianxiong quickly greeted him with his hands raised.
"Happy New Year, happy New Year!" Zhang Ke happily bowed his hands as a gift: "Nobita, it seems that you have had a good year. The car is running. You are the most promising person of this generation."
Zhang Jianxiong politely smoked cigarettes to the elders and said with a smile: "It's all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, and I've had a good year. Although it's a little harder to drive a car outside, I make a lot of money, which is better than hanging around in the county. As long as I can keep my family If Asheng enters university, I will be satisfied."
Zhang Ke nodded, looked at Zhang Yongsheng and said, "A Sheng will graduate from high school in more than a year. I heard that your grades are average. How sure are you of passing the exam?"
Zhang Yongsheng scratched his head and said, "Uncle, I'm working hard now. My grades have improved significantly recently. I'm already in the top 20 in the grade. If I work harder in the next year, I'll be fine for at least junior college."
"Okay! The young man is ambitious!" Zhang Ke said happily: "Speaking of which, you guys are all good at reading. Before, Xue Wen was very good at reading, and you are not bad either. If Xue Wen didn't have a physical problem, maybe He can also go to university, so he is considered very promising in our clan."
Zhang Jianxiong smiled and said: "Actually, those of us named Zhang are not bad at studying, but the educational conditions here in Zizhu Town are not good. If we can study in more counties, there may be more college students."
Zhang Ke shook his head and sighed: "It is not easy to go to the county to study. The various expenses are not small. You live in the county, so naturally everything is convenient. But the old and young men in our village have to pay for their children to go there. If you study in the county, you have to peel off a layer of skin from your family."
Speaking of economic problems, everyone present in the Zhang family sighed. Zhangwan Village is too remote and its economic development is seriously lagging behind, which has also seriously restricted education in the village. Children in the village can only go to Zizhu Town to study. It is almost impossible to go to the county.
After chatting with Zhang Ke for a while, Zhang Jianxiong took his family in to offer incense to his ancestors and pay tribute by the way. His family donates some money to the ancestral hall every year to show respect for their ancestors and family. The Zhang family members outside have this custom. Everyone donates appropriate amounts according to their ability.
Part of this money is used to maintain the ancestral hall, and part of it is also used to subsidize the poor people in the village. Zhang Jianxiong’s family had a great harvest today, especially since Zhang Yongsheng directly cheated his ancestors of one million, so this donation was particularly large. Han Aihua took out a stack of hundred-dollar bills and put them in Zhang Ke's hand.
"This...this...this is too much!" Weighing the money in this hand, it's ten thousand yuan! Zhang Ke was so shocked that he couldn't speak clearly, and his mind went blank. He had been a clan leader for decades, and his largest donation was two thousand yuan, which was donated by a clan member who opened a shop in the provincial capital.
Zhang Jianxiong's family directly donated 10,000 yuan, which was five times the previous amount. Zhang Ke was unable to speak, his hands were fighting with each other, and his eyes were filled with tears. Zhang Jianxiong was very calm. He looked at his uncle with a smile, and he looked like he was doing his part, which was very touching.
Looking at Zhang Ke's trembling look, Zhang Jianxiong smiled and said: "If you earn more this year, donate more to the ancestral hall. It's not easy for the relatives in the village. If the ancestral hall has money, we can subsidize more. As long as our Zhang family has more If we get out of a few college students, things will get better and better in the future.”
After leaving the ancestral hall, Zhang Jianxiong's family drove towards the graveyard under the watch of relatives. These are all the ancestors of the Zhang family, forming a large group of tombs. Zhang Yongsheng’s grandparents are buried here, which is called the return of leaves to their roots.
Due to the narrow road, the Accord car could not continue driving not far from the bottom of the mountain. Zhang Jianxiong parked the car on the side of the road, and Zhang Yongsheng took out the sacrificial supplies from the trunk and walked up the mountain together. Han Aihua and Bai Zhixuan helped get some things and followed them up the mountain.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the tomb where Zhang Yongsheng's grandparents were buried together, and then followed a series of operations according to the ancestor worship process. These processes have been done once in Shuinian Village, and Bai Zhixuan also knows a lot about them, and can also help Zhang Yongsheng.
Surrounded by tombs that are shorter than the others, some are for couples and some are for singles. There are many graves here, no less than in the county cemeteries. The entire mountain seems to be densely packed with tombs, and the atmosphere is very breathtaking. Few people dare to approach this place alone at night.
Zhang Yongsheng worked on his hands and explained: "Our Zhang family has been coming to this small mountain village for hundreds of years, so there are many graves left here, all of our ancestors from past dynasties."
It was also the first time for Bai Zhixuan to see such a family cemetery. She looked around and said, "Is anyone taking care of this place? It seems to me that the road was specially built?"
Zhang Yongsheng shook his head and said: "It's not done specially, it's just done by relatives on their own initiative. Every year during Qingming Festival and Hungry Ghost Festival, people come to sweep the tomb. Those who are able can help with it."
