Qingxi Valley Zhoujia is 30 miles away from the center of Jiangliu city by car, go out of the city to the south, after getting on the provincial road, and then drive more than 10 miles, you can see a stone on the side of the road, there is a red inscription "Qingxi Valley" on it. Turn into the concrete road of Cheonggye Valley, and there is a clear stream flowing from the depths of the mountain on the side of the road.

On both sides of the road are patches of fields, few people know that the Zhou family has been inherited in the Qingxi Valley for more than 2,000 years, and even the surrounding villages only know that the Zhou family arrived here first.

After opening the village road for more than ten miles, I finally saw a stone tablet under an ancient banyan tree, which said that the Zhou family was not marked as a village, nor was it marked as a tun, but the Zhou family had the final say on everything within a radius of dozens of miles.

The road into the village is not accessible to cars, because they are all small alleys paved with cobblestones, I don't know what age the wood-and-stone houses are built along the Qingxi Valley from the entrance of the village, the Zhou family is the water source village of Qingxi, and there is no other family name in the upper reaches of Qingxi.

There was a gravel clearing outside Cheonggye Valley, so they pulled their car to a halt. An old man in his sixties stood under an ancient banyan tree, smoking a pipe, and quietly watched them stop and get out of the car.

Since the Zhou family wanted them to come back today, but no one came out to greet them, Zhou Xiaoqiang was a little angry, what kind of score is this, it's just a declining family, and he really thinks he is a golden signboard. But recognizing ancestors and returning to their ancestors is a big deal, and it is also what Zhou Xiaoqiang's grandfather Zhou Jinyu wants, and even what Zhou civilians want, if he returns to Jiangliu City and says that he is a descendant of the Zhou family in Qingxi Valley, others will also give face if they know.

Zhou Xiaoqiang said: "Mom and Dad, there is an old man over there, let's ask for directions." ”

Both Zhou Minmin and Wu Shufen nodded.

Zhou Xiaoqiang walked over, nodded and said hello: "Old man, we are the descendants of the Zhou family who have come to recognize our ancestors and return to our ancestors, what do you call them, can you show the way?"

The old man listened, took a few puffs of cigarette before he said slowly: "My name is Zhou Jinkong, I was originally ranked eighteen, and now after adding your grandfather, I will be ranked nineteen, you can call me nineteen uncle, civilian, you can call me nineteen uncle." ”

Zhou Minmin and Wu Shufen hurriedly bowed and said, "Hello Uncle Nineteen." ”

Zhou Xiaoqiang greeted: "Hello Nineteenth Master, then what is my grandfather's ranking?"

The nineteenth master said: "Your grandfather Zhou Jinyu is ranked fourteenth. Come back today to recognize your ancestors and return to your ancestors, the date has been chosen, you bring back the revised copy of the genealogy, and then enter the ancestral hall to burn incense and worship to complete the ceremony. Come with me, someone will tell you why you want to come back. ”

The Nineteenth Master smoked a cigarette and walked slowly towards the village.

Zhou Xiaoqiang followed him, the more he entered, the more surprised he became, this village is not small, but he didn't hear too many people's voices, even standing on the road to observe Zhou Xiaoqiang's family were women and children, and the number of people was not very large.

After walking for more than a mile, they finally found an ancestral hall under a few ancient pine trees, on which was written the Zhou Family Ancestral Hall. The couplets on both sides are "this branch is not easy for a hundred generations, and it is steamed to taste the eternal", which is carved on the square stone, which is estimated to express the meaning of the descendants of the endless.

The ancestral hall is blue bricks and red tiles, old, the door is open, no sound comes out, but there is a strong smell of incense.

After entering the ancestral hall, Zhou Xiaoqiang's family found that it was not that there were no men in the village, but that the men had all arrived here.

The ancestral hall is very large, and there is a huge shrine on the opposite door, and there are countless tablets on the table, with bright candles and cigarette smoke. There were four rows of people on the left and right of the hall, and on the chair of the Taishi under the shrine sat an old man of unknown age.

There are four old men in the first row on the left and right, the second row is the nineteenth master and their age group, some of the people standing in the third row are stronger than Zhou Xiaoqiang, some are smaller than Zhou Xiaoqiang, and the fourth row is smaller, all of them are children, the older ones are more than ten years old, and the small ones are held by the big ones.

At this time, an old man sitting in the first row spoke: "The ancestor of the Zhou family, the 73rd generation of Sun Zhou Jinyu, the 74th generation of Sun Zhou civilians, and the 75th generation of Sun Zhou Xiaoqiang, entered the ancestral hall today to worship and recognize their ancestors and return to their ancestors!"

"Prostrate!"

The old man didn't know how old he was, but he was full of energy. Zhou Minmin listened, and hurriedly pulled Zhou Xiaoqiang and Wu Shufen to kneel on the three cushions that had been prepared. Zhou Minmin took out a spiritual seat from his arms under the surprised eyes of Zhou Xiaoqiang and Wu Shufen, which was the spiritual seat of his grandfather Zhou Jinyu.

Zhou Minmin took the lead, holding Zhou Jinyu's spiritual position and kowtowing in the direction of the ancestral spiritual position, and kowtowed 3 times. The old man said again, "Get up and burn incense!"

Zhou Minmin took the lead in going to the spiritual throne to offer incense to the ancestors.

After Zhou Xiaoqiang and Wu Shufen finished paying their incense, the old man said, "Civilian, put your father's spiritual seat in the outermost row, in the 14th position." ”

Zhou Xiaoqiang found that in addition to the highest rows, there are more than 20 positions in the future, and two spiritual positions can be placed in each position.

At this time, the old man continued to speak: "The three of you kowtow to the Thirteen Great Ancestors. The old man pointed to the old man on the Taishi's chair and said.

Zhou Xiaoqiang looked at the old man on the Taishi's chair up close, he was too old to look good, but his eyes were still shiny, and his breathing was very stable.

Zhou Minmin didn't dare to slack off, he pulled Zhou Xiaoqiang to the place where he kowtowed just now, and kowtowed to the person on the Taishi's chair. This kowtows to the deceased ancestors to kowtow three, and kowtow to the living elders only needs to kowtow to one.

Zhou Xiaoqiang also knows the generation of Gaozu, which is grandpa's grandfather.

"Tea!" the old man shouted again. At this time, a tall young man in his 30s came up with tea.

Zhou Minmin, Wu Shufen and Zhou Xiaoqiang gave tea to the thirteen ancestors on the Taishi chair.

The Thirteen Ancestors took a sip of the tea of the three of them and said, "Get up." The old man on the Taishi's chair suddenly spoke, his voice still clear and full of energy. He continued: "After kowtowing, recognize your ancestors and return to your ancestors, and you will be the descendants of the Zhou family in the future." I'm 135 years old, so I don't have a few days to live. ”

"Xiaoqiang, your dear ancestor is ranked ninth, his spiritual position is ninth, your dear grandfather is ranked tenth, and his spiritual position is tenth. After our Zhou ancestors came to Qingxi Valley for refuge, in addition to the prosperity of the previous generations, after the development of more than a dozen branches, they are basically a single line, if any of the veins are broken, other branches will give birth to one more male, this is like a spell, our Zhou family has never had more than 20 males in each generation of Qingxi Valley, all, we have bred for more than 2,000 years, and still can't get out of Qingxi Valley, which is estimated to be God's arrangement. Zhou Jinyu is the only descendant of our Zhou family who has been exiled over the years, and his descendants will be added back to the Zhou family tree by me. Xiaoqiang, as the 75th generation grandson, and you are over 20 years old, it's time to find someone to get married and have children. This matter will be handled by the eight boys. After he finished speaking, he stood up, he was only less than 1.5 meters tall, and he was a little hunchbacked. Walking steadily, he walked out of the ancestral hall and did not know where he went.

After the Thirteenth Ancestor left, Zhou Xiaoqiang breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't expect that the Zhou family still had such an old elder surviving, at the age of 135, why didn't he hear the relevant reports, it is estimated that no one said it.

The old man who made them kowtow just now said: "Xiaoqiang, I am your eighth grandfather, and the difference sitting here is your eleventh grandfather, twelfth grandfather, fourteenth grandfather, fifteenth grandfather, sixteenth grandfather, eighteenth grandfather, nineteenth grandfather, our eight old guys are all over 100 years old, I am 108 years old this year, and your nineteenth grandfather is just 100 years old." There are only 19 people in our generation, and there are only 19 people in your grandfather's generation, and your grandfather is still abandoned. In your father's generation, there are 20 people, but 4 people were killed by foreign poker organizations, leaving no descendants, that is to say, there are only 16 people in your father's generation, including your father Zhou Civilian, and in your generation, there are 19 children, because you have 3 uncles who have two children. Now that your 75th generation of grandchildren have begun to grow up and start a family, you have 7 brothers who have already married and had children, and your nephews are in the last row, only 5, and the others are daughters, and daughters will marry in the future, which is not my Zhou family. Your Thirteenth Ancestor recruited you back just to make you a biological son as soon as possible and spread the branches for my Zhou family. Leave this matter to me, and I will naturally do it well. There aren't many of our clansmen, now you all know these people one by one, let's make tea!"

Many elders present, Zhou Xiaoqiang followed Zhou Minmin and Wu Shufen to give them tea, they also introduced themselves and drank tea with a smile.

Zhou Xiaoqiang counted that in addition to 1 of the thirteen ancestors of the great ancestors, there were 8 centenarians of the grandfather's generation. There are 14 grandparents in their seventies and eighties, 15 middle-aged uncles, and 18 contemporaries, but only Zhou Xiaoqiang and the seven brothers in front of him are adults, and Zhou Xiaoqiang's nephews have 5 little children. Counting Zhou Civilians and Zhou Xiaoqiang, this Qingxi Valley Zhou family, a family that has been inherited for more than 2,000 years, is now only 63 people in the same hall for six generations, and there are only 63 people in total, which is really miraculously thin. If the married daughter is not counting the residents of Cheonggye Valley, there are less than 200 people living here.

Zhou Xiaoqiang tried his best to remember the names and looks of each clansman, but just like when he first went to school in a place, he would forget the classmates he had just met in a blink of an eye, and he would really remember them after the exchange.

Zhou Minmin and Wu Shufen gave tea to the elders, while the juniors gave tea to Zhou Minmin and Wu Shufen.

As for Zhou Xiaoqiang, it was the same, he gave tea to his elders and 7 clan brothers, and the remaining eleven minor brothers and 5 little children and nephews gave him tea.

After the exchange, the ceremony of recognizing the ancestors and returning to the ancestors was simply completed.

The eighth master said again about Zhou Xiaoqiang's marriage, it is better to get married sooner rather than later, it is better to choose a day than to hit the day, anyway, it is already a marriage, it is better to have a double happiness today and tie the knot. When he told this, Zhou Xiaoqiang and his parents were shocked.

You're getting married today?!