The Lan family held a family reunion every other month, and the three generations got together and had dinner around the table, almost all of which asked Yuan Qiuhua to participate. According to custom, she has not married into the Lan family, and according to the rules, she is not a member of the Lan family, and she is not eligible to participate in the family gathering.

But every time Lan Xinyan went, he was urged to get married. For grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, uncles, aunts, aunts, and those elders, if you don't get married at the age of 34, it's a big crime, or even a big rebellion.

Don't you want to have a face? Look at how old you are? People who are the same age as you, or even younger than you, are all married, have children, and you are still single, don't you think you will be laughed at?

Don't tell me about work, is it important to work or to get married? Others still think that there is something wrong with you, you can't marry a wife! If you don't get married, where will I put my old face?

Lan Xinyan's party, what he eats is not a meal, but a lesson.

You don't want to do it yourself, you can, come back on a blind date, this time I can't help you, you have to listen to me.

If Lan Xinyan doesn't agree again, it is estimated that they will jump up and fight.

How old are you, don't you know in your heart? You are still picking and picking here, and you really wait until the end, and you can't marry a wife, you are willing, right?

Lan Xinyan was forced to be helpless, and on the winter solstice, she told Yuan Qiuhua to visit folk customs and bring her to the ancestor worship site of the Lan family. In Guangzhou, the "Winter Solstice is a big New Year", "Fat Winter and Thin Year", the winter solstice seems to be more important than the Spring Festival, and the battle is even bigger than the Spring Festival. People generally go to the ancestral shrine to worship their ancestors on the winter solstice, and they also go to the grave to hang paper, commonly known as "hanging winter". "The winter festival has not returned to the ancestors", which means that people who go out, on the day of the winter solstice, must rush home to worship their ancestors no matter what, otherwise there is no concept of ancestors.

The Lan family follows the tradition of worshipping ancestors with nine-layer cakes on the winter solstice, and the women use glutinous rice flour to knead into chickens, ducks, turtles, pigs, cows, sheep and other animals that symbolize auspiciousness and happiness, and then use a steamer to steam them in layers, and then prepare enough pork, chicken, fish and other three animals and fruits to worship their ancestors and show that they will not forget their ancestors. Clansmen with the same surname and clan, on the winter solstice, gather in the ancestral shrine according to the order of the eldest and youngest, one by one to worship the ancestors, commonly known as "ancestor worship". After the worship is completed before noon, a feast will be held to entertain the ancestors who come to worship their ancestors. The sacrifice of thanking the gods, in addition to the three animal cakes, must also have winter festival pills, which everyone must eat, in order to show that the family is full and safe. Everyone drinks happily and contacts each other for a long time, which is called "food ancestor". The Winter Solstice Festival worships ancestors and has been passed down from generation to generation to show that they will not forget their "roots".

Lan Xinyan went to the ancestral hall to worship his ancestors, and Yuan Qiuhua stood next to him to watch the excitement. During the meal, he pulled her into the table. The winter solstice banquet of the Lan family, the main ingredients are sashimi, squid fillet, shrimp slices, etc., the main cooking process is co-cooking, big fish and meat, bacon, sausage, duck, ham, bacon, bacon, clams, a pot of cooking, everyone around the cauldron and eat, called "playing around the hearth". "Playing around the hearth" is different from the usual "hot pot". "Eating hot pot" is to sit down and eat, and "playing around the hearth" is to eat standing up; The hot pot is made of metal utensils, charcoal is burned in the middle, and the chopsticks are also made of bamboo, which is particularly long, about twice as long as ordinary chopsticks, making it easy to stand and eat.

On the day of the winter solstice, the married daughter should bring winter tuan, pork, fat chicken, oranges, biscuits, candy and other foods early in the morning from her mother-in-law's house to her mother's house to thank her parents for their nurturing grace, which is called "winter worship". Parents will bagged the food brought by their daughters and distributed them to relatives and friends to share the festivities. Afterwards, the whole family gathered around for a sumptuous winter solstice feast. But to worship ancestors, married daughters cannot participate, but sons and daughters-in-law must participate, kneeling in front of the ancestral tablets and kowtowing.

Lan Xinyan took Yuan Qiuhua to appear in front of the clansmen and introduced, "This is my girlfriend." Because of the agreement to shield each other, Yuan Qiuhua can't turn his face and embarrass him, especially in public, so that he can't get off the stage. Although giving him face was a tacit acquiescence, she was still very unhappy in her heart. When Lan Xinyan knelt down and kowtowed, several brothers coaxed, "It's better to choose a day than to hit the day, it's better to worship the wedding hall today." Everyone agreed, "Yes, save money, save trouble, and save worry". A few hands stretched out and pushed Yuan Qiuhua to the Pucao kneeling mat, Lan Xinyan straightened her waist and stretched out her hand to pull her, wanting her to kneel down and worship together. The eagerness in his eyes made Yuan Qiuhua super, and at the same time, he was extremely ashamed, and his face was as red as a burning cloud. She covered her face, turned around, and escaped, and people joked, "Look at her shy answer." "She's blushing, she's shy." During the meal, they called "sister-in-law" in their mouths and came to toast. Yuan Qiuhua was so ashamed that he didn't dare to look his head, let alone look into their eyes, and he was so frightened that he couldn't speak. Lan Xinyan was full of spring breeze, blocking wine for her, drinking as much as she wanted, and not getting drunk in a hundred cups.

Sweep the grave in the afternoon. Cantonese people go to the grave every year to sweep the grave, generally in the Qingming Festival and the Winter Solstice Festival, called "hanging spring paper" and "hanging winter paper". Under normal circumstances, in the first three years after death, the practice of "hanging spring paper" should be practiced, and only after three years can "hang winter paper" can be practiced. But most people like to walk "hanging winter paper", because the winter climate is relatively dry, and the twilight warbler flies long grass and often drizzles in Qingming, the road is easy to walk, and it is also convenient to go up the mountain for picnics.

The sacrifices of the tomb sweeping in the winter solstice festival are usually five or three animals, with fresh cockles, citrus and other things and kueh products. Fresh cockles are necessary, which means to take their auspicious meaning. When worshipping the tomb, you must also worship the land lord next to the tomb, that is, the so-called god of the earth. After the worship service, people gather for dinner at the tomb. The outdoor dinner was relaxed and lively, children frolicking, the elders toasting and chatting, and the harmony and harmony of the family rippled in the mountains and fields. The plate of cockles in the offering must be eaten and the shells scattered on the grave. Cantonese people call cockle shells "cockle shell money" and sprinkle it on the grave to use it as money. In addition, large fish in the sacrificial plate, with whole tails or cut into two parts, are traditionally reserved for the family members of the drinker. So it became a rule, and no one was allowed to eat it at a picnic. If you don't know the rules and eat the wrong thing, people will blame you for not being reasonable.

Yuan Qiuhua didn't know that she was taken to the ancestor worship site by Lan Xinyan, and she was not prepared at all, she was coaxed by her brothers to sweep the tomb, and she said that she would not go anywhere. Lan Xinyan drank too much wine and didn't go, and accompanied her at her grandfather's house. The two of them chatted in the room, and while he was talking, he fell asleep.

The person who handled the drink was Lan Xinyan's grandmother and stepmother, Aunt Qiu. Aunt Qiu was afraid that Yuan Qiuhua would be bored, so she asked her to help make rice balls, cut chickens and kill ducks in the kitchen, and prepare a sumptuous dinner in the evening. "One year older after eating glutinous rice balls", the winter solstice is a day of reunion, and the family will try to rush home on this day to have a warm reunion dinner.

Aunt Qiu taught Yuan Qiuhua to make salty rice balls. Tangyuan means "family reunion, happy and happy". The toppings are really rich, including pork, shredded squid, dried shrimp, scallops, sausages, glutinous rice noodles, coriander and green onions. Grandma prepared the four types of glutinous rice balls necessary for the winter solstice dinner, first boiled or steamed mung beans, red beans, sugar winter melon, and taro respectively, peeled them, and added sugar, sesame, cooked lard and other condiments to make four kinds of sweet fillings, and wrapped the glutinous rice ball skin into four different fillings to make a mark. Cook four types of glutinous rice balls in sweetened water. One rice ball with different fillings in each bowl.

Tangyuan, also known as Dongjie pills, people use Dongjie pills to divinate to give birth to a man, or give birth to a girl. In this year, he married a new daughter-in-law, and at dawn, after worshipping the god of the well, he threw a soup pill into the well, and then asked the new wife to hurriedly draw water, and if the soup pill could be beaten, then it was a sign of a boy. Grandma asked Yuan Qiuhua to take out two of the soup balls in the sieve each time, until the end, leaving one pill. Grandpa laughed beside him, "Good omen, a boy is about to be born."

Another essential food for dinner is a rake. Yuan Qiuhua knew that there was also a custom of eating glutinous rakes in his hometown, and he ate them from the New Year to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, "after eating a half-moon rake, everyone planted crops." She visits the whole process of making a harrow at home, first cooking glutinous rice into rice, and then putting the glutinous rice into a stone mill to scoop. The glutinous rice is very sticky, it is very difficult to scoop up, and it takes a long time to scoop until it is very fine and porcelain, and you can't see a little rice grain. In this way, it is not a strong man, and it is necessary to take turns to change shifts. Therefore, non-winter leisure, and there is the need for the two major festivals of the winter solstice and the New Year, ordinary people will never do it easily, most of them are several partnerships, do it on the same day, and the men take turns to do it. After scooping it, then use the wooden mold engraved with auspicious graphics to press out round cakes with a diameter of about 20 centimeters, which is the glutinous cake. The rake is soaked in clear water, and the water is changed every day, and it is not bad to leave it until Qingming. The way to eat glutinous rice dumplings is also very special, with a slightly hot pot, put the glutinous rice dumplings on it later, the more you fry the bigger and more soft, and then sprinkle white sugar, roll and eat, beautiful! Or first boil water and put sugar, sugar dissolves in water, after boiling, put in the glutinous rice dumplings broken into small pieces, soft and thorough, the taste is the same as the glutinous rice balls.

The rice is cured ginger rice. Ginger rice, as the name suggests, has ginger, and this ginger is not simple, it is composed of seven different varieties of ginger, which people call "seven-colored ginger". There should also be cured meat, sausages and bacon. Lanjia cured meat, grandma made it herself, put it on the roof of her house to dry, handmade, natural and delicious. As for the rice for cooking, use glutinous rice.

Winter Festival dinner, two tables of people, a family sitting, in addition to the necessary food, there is also a dog meat hot pot. Grandpa said: "If you eat pills and have a family reunion, you will have money if you eat glutinous rice and fruit, and if you eat celery and garlic, you will have money and persuade (Tibet)." ”

Although it is the winter solstice, the temperature in Guangzhou is still like spring, you can wear long sleeves, and you are afraid of cold kits in the morning and evening. Everyone ate hot and sweaty. Grandpa suddenly said that he felt that someone was touching him, from the back of his neck to his chest, and then along his waist to his buttocks, back and forth.

The way he described it seriously made the juniors laugh. Not to mention that his family won't do this, he is also an old man who is almost 100 years old, and he is not a yellow flower girl, what is there to touch, curious, so strange.

Before everyone finished laughing, Grandpa crooked and lay on the ground. Lan Xinyan straightened his grandfather's body, laid it flat, and put his ears against his chest to listen to the therapy. Lan Xinyan looked up, tears flowed down, and said softly: Grandpa's heart is paralyzed, he has more breath and less intake, I'm afraid it won't work.

Everyone felt a great panic, helpless, but they looked at each other, and there was nothing they could do.

Father Lan said: Xiaoxin, grandpa loves you the most. Today, I saw you bring the girl home, and my grandfather was very happy! The suspense in my heart fell to the ground, and as soon as I was relieved, I went.

Yuan Qiuhua "clicked" in his heart, and the gongs and drums sounded: What? Why did I indirectly kill someone?

She stepped forward, lifted her grandfather's upper body, and skillfully performed massage on his back and chest. A few times to the left, a few times to the right, and the breath that blocked Grandpa's chest came over, and his breathing was steady, but he was still motionless, his eyes closed, as if he was asleep.

Lan Xinyan said: Grandpa is fine.

Grandma patted her chest and said: The stone in my heart has finally landed. Thank you, girl!

Yuan Qiuhua pouted his teeth and pretended to be angry: Why do the old people call me a girl? Do I look like a girl?

Xie Fanfang said in his hometown: I have heard of the rules of your family surnamed Yuan, and I should call you respectfully, second girl, right?

Yuan Qiuhua changed his native dialect: May I ask Your Excellency, who is your surname?

Xie Rongrong said his hometown: Don't have your surname Xie. A native of Longshan County. My inner sister is Mr. Lan's sister, and I am his brother-in-law. I should call you sister-in-law.

Yuan Qiuhua said: Wait! I'm just his student now. It's too early for you to call your sister-in-law.

Xie Rongfang said: There is a hidden secret? At this time, it is inconvenient to speak here, so I will talk in detail when I have time.

Lan Xinyan said: You two are talking in code, like spies. Muttering what?

Yuan Qiuhua said: If you go to Shanghai, you will find that the old Shanghainese are all spies.

Grandpa said, "Daughter-in-law, it's so comfortable!

Lan Xinyan said: Grandpa, you scare us again.

Yuan Qiuhua gave him a whole body massage, according to the different meridians and acupoints, take a finger Zen wrapping method and joint pulling and stretching method, fingers, palms, elbows are all used, point, percussion, patting, pulling, all make up. Grandpa was like a toy in her hands, sitting, climbing, backing, tumbling, rolling.

Fifteen minutes later, Yuan Qiuhua clapped his hand: Okay. It's time to stand up.

Grandpa stood up, and everyone was surprised to find that his face was much more rosy than before, and his body became lighter when he walked.

Grandpa said: My eyesight has also improved, and I can see the Canton Tower on the south bank from here.

Father Lan laughed happily.

Grandma couldn't help but burst into tears.

Naturally, everyone didn't believe that his cataract was cured like this, and they didn't believe that he could look at the Canton Tower. However, the massage just now did have an effect, which was visible to the naked eye, and it really changed the attitude of the elders towards Yuan Qiuhua. They dislike Lan Mu, and then they don't like Lan Xinyan, and they are not interested in his girlfriend.

They began to ask, to care, to curry, to curry favor, to think that they were amazing, and to ask what was going on. Gather around her, desperately trying to talk to her. Before that, they hadn't been close to her at all, and they didn't bother to talk to her.

Grandpa is ninety-three years old this year, and he tells his juniors every day that he has few years to live, but he is very strong, like a seventy-year-old man. However, in the eyes of young people, an old man is an old man, and there is no difference between a seventy and ninety years old. In Lan Xinyan's eyes, from the moment he was born, his grandfather was like this.

The Lan family's big family gathering, Yuan Qiuhua went, it was not right, and her words were not good, but her grandfather liked her massage, and he asked her to go by name, and everyone had to obey.