As Chinese New Year's Eve progresses, families are starting to get busy.

Maybe in the eyes of young people now, the Chinese New Year is actually not very important. This is mainly due to the fact that the living conditions are better now, and the material and spiritual life are sufficient. So everyone is not so enthusiastic about the New Year.

But for the parents' generation, the New Year is still very important.

No matter how busy or tired you are in a year, no matter how tight your days are, you must have a good year. No matter how far away people are, they have to find ways to go back to reunion. This desire for reunion, this dependence on family affection, has been deeply engraved in the genes of everyone in our nation.

As in most areas, the customs of the New Year are similar. However, Han Li's hometown is located on the geographical dividing line between the north and the south, and it was also a very important transportation artery in ancient times. Therefore, it absorbs the different customs and habits of the northern and southern regions, and thus integrates them into the unique customs of the local area.

For example, before the Chinese New Year, steamed steamed buns, steamed buns, reunion dinner on the afternoon of the 30th, dumplings on the morning of the first day of the new year, Lantern Festival or glutinous rice balls on the evening of the 15th night, etc.

Of course, as in many places, on the thirtieth day, the men of every family have to go to the grave to pay respects to their ancestors.

Han Li and they belong to a larger family, his grandfather's generation has a total of five brothers, and his father's generation has four brothers and sisters, and his father ranks third. And when it comes to Han Li's generation, although many of them are only children, he also has a lot of cousins.

Therefore, the ancestor worship of the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve will be very heavy.

The place where Han Li's hometown is located is called Han Village, which is a small village in the mountains about five or six kilometers away from the city. The village is basically dominated by Han surnames, and of course there will be a few families with other surnames.

But because they are all in the same village, plus the previous generations of in-laws or other relationships, they basically belong to their own people.

Han Li's grandmother passed away relatively early, but Han Li's grandfather is still there. The old man participated in the War of Liberation, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he also participated in the fight against bandits.

Later, he worked in the army until that special period, when he was forced to change jobs for some reasons.

said that it was a job change, but in fact, it was to herd sheep for other people's production teams. Although he was rehabilitated later, he could not return to the army, so he could only retreat.

Because of the plot of the army, Han Li's eldest uncle, second uncle, and sister-in-law are all from the army, and the sister-in-law is still serving in the army. Han Li's father, Han Yimin, was admitted to the college entrance examination at that time, so he didn't go to the army.

Because of work, Han Li and they have been living in the city. Because the family conditions were relatively poor before, life was also relatively poor.

Therefore, his grandfather has been living in his hometown in the countryside and is taken care of by his eldest and second uncles.

Although Han Li would often go back to visit his grandfather, they would also go back for a meal. But he won't stay long, mainly because Han Li's family doesn't have a house in the countryside, and he always lives in the house of the eldest uncle and the second uncle, which is not very convenient.

Although the eldest uncle and the second uncle will not say anything, the eldest aunt and the second aunt are different.

Of course, this is the little bit of filth between their elders. It is said that the main reason is that the money for Han Li's father Han Yimin to go to school back then was provided by his eldest uncle and second uncle.

Although his grandfather had a pension, the pension was pitiful at that time. On the one hand, he had to treat his sick grandmother, and on the other hand, he had to use it to relieve some comrades-in-arms, so there was not much money left.

Later, Han Yimin stayed in the city after graduating from junior college and did not go back. In addition, Han Yimin later refused the construction project contracted by his uncle and second uncle. Therefore, the relationship between the three families is a little stiff.

However, these are all between their elders, and they have nothing to do with Han Li's generation. After Han Li went back, both the eldest uncle's family and the second uncle's family also loved him very much.

When Han Li was admitted to university, his eldest uncle and second uncle each gave Han Li 2,000 yuan, which was regarded as funding him to go to school. Of course, his parents are the same, and they are also very loving to his cousins.

Early in the morning of the thirty-first morning, after eating breakfast, Han Li and his father Han Yimin quickly pasted the Spring Festival couplets. Then the family packed up their things and rushed to their hometown.

This time, Han Yimin did not drive his broken car, but let Han Li drive Shen Chi's old Volkswagen. He and Yang Fang sat in the back.

Following the familiar road, Han Li drove back to the village.

I drove the car to the front of the uncle's house and stopped, and when I heard the sound of the car, everyone in the house came out one after another.

Looking at these familiar relatives, Han Li's heart warmed, and then he smiled and shouted loudly: "Grandpa, uncle, aunt, Brother Bin, Brother Yong, Sister Qin......"

"Hey, I'm back!"

"Why is Oak driving?" Han Li's grandfather, Han Honghua, frowned and said.

"Hehe, Dad, this is what the little oak has to open. Besides, he just got his driver's license, so I let him drive it. Han Yimin said with a smile.

"A different car, or an old car?" Uncle Han Yijun asked at Han Yimin.

Han Yimin shook his head and said, "No, this is Xiao Li's friend." My broken car broke down and didn't drive. ”

"Oh, so, come in, come in!" Han Yijun glanced at Han Li, and then beckoned to them.

Seeing this, Han Li hurriedly walked over and walked towards the house with his grandfather. Han Honghua, who is over 80 years old this year, is very strong and full of qi because of his military service, the careful care of his eldest uncle's family, and the fresh and beautiful environment in the countryside.

As a veteran, he still maintains the habit of getting up early every day to play a set of military physical boxing. But in the end, he is in his eighties, and his age is not forgiving.

After everyone sat down, his uncle began to introduce Han Yimin to this year's arrangements for worshipping ancestors and sweeping tombs. The ancestral hall of the family was rebuilt after a special period and is dedicated to the ancestors of their family.

Therefore, before sweeping the tomb, all the clan relatives should enter the ancestral hall to worship the ancestors and offer incense.

Of course, only men are allowed, and women are not allowed to participate. And those who can enter the ancestral hall are those who are of high seniority and older age, like Han Li's generation, can only kneel outside the ancestral hall, and can only enter when the incense is offered.

I heard from the uncle that many of his uncles and elders are coming back this year, so this year's ancestor worship battle is very big. Firecrackers, paper money and incense alone cost tens of thousands.

And except for part of this money, which was paid by these elders and uncles who came back, the rest had to be shared from house to house. However, it is only about 100 per family, which is not a lot of money, and it can be afforded once a year.

Although in the eyes of many young people, this is superstition, or feudal thinking. But it is undeniable that this ancestral hall, every time you worship your ancestors, it is a rare opportunity for the whole family to gather.

If it weren't for this ceremony, it would have been difficult to gather so many people on this day.

Having an ancestral hall means that your roots are here, and no matter how far you go, you will still come back in the end.