On New Year's Eve, Tang Jiancheng's family was busy from morning to afternoon.
The smell of meat wafted out, making the neighbors cry.
First there is the aroma of wild boar meat. The wild boar hooves are stewed with big soybeans. The more they are stewed, the more fragrant they become.
Next comes the aroma of pheasant meat. Put the whole pheasant directly into the pot, add some star anise, fennel, and cinnamon, and then stew it. Although there is no Codonopsis pilosula and the like, there is dried daylily. When the chicken is almost stewed, add Add daylily to add color and flavor!
Then there is the aroma of hare meat. First use a knife to separate the rabbit meat from the bones, then add garlic and a little ginger, chop them together, make rabbit meat balls, fry them in oil, the aroma is fragrant and mouth-watering!
Then came the smell of badger meat, fish, beef...
A table full of meat and vegetables!
"Dad, when can we eat?"
"Dad, I'm so hungry!"
"Dad, can I try a piece first?"
Listening to the children's screams, Tang Jiancheng felt both upset and happy. He repeatedly scolded, "You can't eat it! You haven't respected your ancestors yet!"
At two o'clock in the afternoon, all the dishes were almost ready, and the remaining vegetarian dishes were left to Liu Fangfang and her eldest sister to prepare, while Tang Jiancheng began to prepare matters to honor his ancestors.
First, eight bowls of vegetables were served in small earthenware bowls, all of which were meat dishes. Then four bowls of white rice were served in small porcelain bowls. Four pairs of chopsticks were placed on them. Four wine glasses were taken, and a little wine was poured into each wine glass. Then, I took the paper incense and prepared to go to the ancestral hall.
"Which of you is willing to come with me to the ancestral hall to honor your ancestors?"
Tang Jiancheng asked casually.
"I go."
"I go."
"I also need to go."
"And I."
All the children wanted to go.
Liu Fangfang said: "Isn't it a man's business to respect our ancestors? If a girl goes, will she be criticized?"
"I used to think the same way," Tang Jiancheng said. "I thought girls couldn't respect their ancestors because when they grow up, they will always marry into someone else's family. But now I don't think so."
"Respecting ancestors is just a manifestation of filial piety culture. It is a ceremony to recognize ancestors and return to the clan. Regardless of boys or girls, as long as they have filial piety, they can pay respect and their ancestors will be very happy!"
"Let's go and honor our ancestors!"
Tang Jiancheng opened the door with a small basket in hand. A gust of snowy wind blew in, and the food was quickly covered with a layer of frost. Tang Jiancheng quickly went to the house to get some towels and surrounded the small basket to prevent the food from freezing.
The children all wanted to see how to respect their ancestors, so only Liu Fangfang and Xiaojiu stayed at home, and the others followed Tang Jiancheng.
When we arrived at the ancestral hall, we saw that many people had gathered inside.
The entire Daping Village has the surname Tang, so there is only one ancestral hall in the whole village.
When the Four Olds were destroyed, the old ancestral hall had long been destroyed. Now this is the new ancestral hall that was built last year. It is said to be a new ancestral hall, but in fact it is also dilapidated. It is just different from the old ancestral hall with a wooden structure. This new ancestral hall It is made of bricks and stones, making it appear more spacious.
As soon as Tang Jiancheng took the children into the ancestral hall, a stubborn old man scolded him: "Jiancheng, do you understand the rules? How can you bring girls to the ancestral hall to respect your ancestors?"
Next to him, several of Tang Jiancheng's neighbors were also there, saying in a strange tone: "Since ancient times, no woman has respected her ancestors! Be careful, there will be thunder!"
"Respecting our ancestors is not sincere at all, and we will definitely be in bad luck next year!"
"Such people should be driven out of Daping Village!"
Tang Jiancheng was too lazy to pay attention to those barking dogs, and turned to look at the stubborn old man, "Uncle Gui, who made the rule that girls cannot respect their ancestors?"
Tang Jingui glared and said, "This has been passed down since ancient times and was set by our ancestors. Why, do you still want to change this rule?"
Tang Jiancheng pointed to the tablet in front of him and said with a smile: "The ancestors ordered it? Now the ancestors are there, waiting for us to make offerings? Uncle, you are getting older and more stubborn, and you are getting more and more confused. Day by day What’s the use of sticking to that broken rule?”
"you……"
Tang Jingui was so angry that he almost lost his temper.
Those neighbors shouted: "Jian Jiancheng, don't act arrogant in front of your ancestors! Girls can't respect their ancestors. This is a rule passed down by our ancestors. You can't mess around just because you can't give birth to a son!"
Tang Jiancheng glared at them coldly, "We're celebrating the New Year, are you trying to make yourself uncomfortable again?"
"What age are we in now, and you still cling to old traditions and old ideas? The country has long put forward the saying that 'women hold up half the sky,' but you still dare to discriminate against women? You should be punished by the director of the Women's Federation!"
"To respect our ancestors, the most important thing is how you respect them, not who respects them."
"As far as the ancestors are concerned, as long as they are the children of our Tang family, they will definitely like them. But some unfilial descendants will eat the best for themselves, but give the ancestors the worst. This is a great act of unfilial piety, and the ancestors will never like them. , how can you still bless them!"
Tang Jingui and several neighbors' expressions changed, "Tang Jiancheng, who do you think is unfilial?"
Tang Jiancheng sneered: "Look at what you feed our ancestors. They are either wild vegetables, sweet potatoes, or potatoes. They don't even have any meaty taste. How can you call this filial piety?"
"I remember I shared the meat with you before, right? Why don't you use it to honor your ancestors?"
"What a bunch of unfilial sons!"
"You have the nerve to accuse me of being unfilial?"
"Look! My daughters prepared meals and wine for our ancestors! This is the greatest filial piety!"
Tang Jiancheng opened the towel outside the small basket. Immediately, bowls of meat and vegetables appeared in front of everyone's eyes, and hot steam emanated. The fragrance instantly filled the entire ancestral hall. Everyone couldn't help but swallow dryly when they smelled it.
"Remember! What our ancestors look for is not boys and girls coming to pay respects, but what our ancestors look for is your filial piety!"
After saying that, Tang Jiancheng ignored these people and took his daughters to burn incense and paper for his ancestors. He took out the food and wine glasses and placed them in front of the memorial tablet. Then he took out a small firecracker and lit it next to the tablet.
Amidst the crackling sounds and smoke rising, the sense of ceremony suddenly came over.
Everyone else praised Tang Jiancheng for being fastidious and the most filial to his ancestors. Tang Jingui and several neighbors left in disgrace.
I don’t know whether it was because Tang Jiancheng won the argument with his arguments, or because times had indeed changed. After that, many families in the village brought their daughters to honor their ancestors.
Some lazy men even send their wives to pay homage to their ancestors and that's it.
Throughout the afternoon, I saw many women coming in and out of the ancestral hall. The ancestors did not seem to be angry. Instead, the smoke was curling up and the incense was constantly burning, making them feel very happy.
After paying respect to the ancestors, the family can finally start having New Year’s Eve dinner.
Xiaoqi, Xiaoliu and Xiaoba were all extremely happy. They had already sat down at the table and looked at Tang Jiancheng eagerly.
Because in addition to delicious food today, dad also prepared delicious food for them!
