On the day of the Spring Festival, Confucius got up early and dressed neatly. Breakfast was haphazardly eaten a bit, and then! Just sitting in the living room, waiting.

Qi Guan made him a cup of tea, and the teacup was steaming hot. Time passed minute by minute, the heat on the teacup was gone, and Lu Gong did not send anyone to invite him over to participate in the Spring Festival.

Qi Guan, Fang Qin, and Kong Li, all hid to the side and looked into the living room, none of them dared to step forward, for fear that they would do something wrong and make him angry again.

Today is the Spring Festival, that is, the New Year, and there are no students in the school for a long time. At home, they are a family of four. The niece's family and the daughter's family all went back to their homes for the New Year.

The street is full of people and is very lively. Most people go to the Lu Palace to watch the Spring Festival.

The Spring Festival is divided into several venues, and the first time is to hold a ceremony to worship the gods of heaven and earth on the square outside the Lu Palace. Sacrificing to the gods of heaven and earth is the real ceremony, and it can be participated in by all peoples. Then go back to the Lu Palace, and hold an ancestor worship ceremony in front of the Taimiao Temple.

What Lu people can openly visit and participate in is the ceremony of worshipping the gods of heaven and earth outside the Lu Palace.

After worshipping the gods of heaven and earth, under the words of Lu Gong, it is necessary to distribute sacrifices to the people after worshipping ancestors, generally distributing cattle, sheep and pork and other places. There are so many sacrifices that will be distributed to the people, until they run out.

Those at the front of the queue can get it, and those at the back can only get other symbolic items. Anyway! Everyone has a portion, as long as you are willing to receive it. The purpose was to prevent the people from complaining for not receiving the sacrifices. Because the back is a symbolic item, so! Not many people were willing to receive it.

In addition to the offerings to the people, some sacrifices of cattle, sheep and pork used in the sacrifice were prepared and distributed to officials and others who came to participate in the sacrifice. The offerings given to these people were more numerous, generally not a mouthful, but about a bowl.

It all depends on the identity of the other party. Those with noble status will give more, and those with average status will give less. It's not just a casual gift, there are rules on the weekly system. Giving more is a sign of respect and value for you. To give less or not to give, you can figure out for yourself.

Other than that! The offerings distributed to civilians, officials, and guests are not the main offerings, but the accompanying offerings. The main offering was placed in a regular position, while the accompanying offerings were placed on both sides. After the main sacrifice is sacrificed to heaven and earth, it is necessary to enter the temple to worship the ancestors. Because! The ancestors also relied on heaven and earth to survive, and they were blessed by heaven. So! It is not possible to change the sacrifice, but only the main sacrifice that has been sacrificed to heaven and earth.

It is precisely because of this that the person who can enjoy the sacrifice of the Lord is an important person. So! Generally, the main sacrifice is not distributed to outsiders, but to those within the family. Family insiders, that is, hereditary nobles and the like.

In general, these people do not eat sacrifices. It is only after the sacrifice that a symbolic portion is eaten in the palace due to the needs of the ostensible situation.

The sacrifices used in general sacrifices may be the reason why the water has been boiled for a long time, and there is no umami taste when it is processed and eaten. So! Rich people don't eat.

But! For civilians living in poverty or slaves, it is good to have meat to eat. So! The sacrifices used in the general sacrifice are distributed to the lower-class people to eat after they are distributed.

It was almost noon, and before the people from the Lu Palace came to invite, Confucius felt that the Lu Palace would not send someone to invite him to the Spring Festival.

What does this mean? It means that you were completely dumped by Ji Huanzi and others.

But Confucius then thought: Maybe I am sick, they think that I am not yet well, and it is understandable that they did not invite me to participate.

That being the case! Then wait a little longer! After the sacrifice to the gods of heaven and earth is completed, the sacrifices will be distributed. As the Sikou of the Lu country, I should be able to get a large piece of meat.

Seeing that it was already noon, Qi Guan went to the kitchen with Fang Qin and began to prepare lunch. They also had a hunch that not only would the Lu Palace not come to pick up Confucius to participate in the Spring Festival, but it was very likely that there would be no sacrificial meat.

In previous years, since the emergence of Confucius, many sacrificial meats and sacrifices have been sent to the spring festival every year. In previous years, it was a small festival, but this year it is a big festival, and there should be more sacrifices to be delivered.

But looking at this situation, let alone the sacrifice, it is a blessing not to cure your sin.

So! Don't let Confucius down, don't let the whole family down, let's cook and eat at home first!

In previous years, when the sacrifices were distributed, the Qiguan clan would cut the best meat, pick the best part, and let Kong carp give it to the cornerstone of the in-laws. It's not just polite, it's also a face. This is not only a sacrifice of the country of Lu, but! It's also an honor to be able to get it.

When the lunch was ready, Qi Guan and Fang Qin stood at the door of the kitchen, and neither of them dared to shout for dinner. The time passed slowly, and it was already past the afternoon.

The sky was clear in the morning, but suddenly there were many more clouds. The north wind is blowing again. The temperature is cold when it is cold, which makes people's feet tingle.

Confucius sat there, motionless. His eyes were glazed. And! More and more sluggish. As the weather changed, his whole body tightened.

Outside the gate, there was the cry of Kong Li.

Kong Carp sat on the ground, leaning his back against the door frame, looking at the sky in the courtyard, seeing the wind and clouds in the sky, coupled with the cold, he couldn't help but feel sad and wept. He didn't dare to cry loudly, just crying quietly with a wronged baby.

Hearing Kong Li's cry, Qi Guanshi ran over from the kitchen, stood beside Kong Li, and also cried loudly.

"Woo woo woo ......"

Fang Qin also followed, and when she saw Kong Li's appearance, she knelt on the side and hugged Kong Li, and she also cried.

I don't know how long it took, but there was a knocking sound in the living room. Confucius slapped his hand on the table in front of him, and said weakly outside: "Eat!" ”

Hearing Confucius's voice, Qi Guan stopped crying, wiped a handful of tears, and quickly returned to the house. Fang Qin also stopped crying and helped Kong Li up.

Kong Carp naturally stopped crying and struggled to get up. Maybe I sat there for a long time, and I just didn't stand up. Later, with Fang Qin's help, he stood up tremblingly and held the door frame with his hand.

Qi Guan's family cleaned up the dining table, and the family ate together on a desk.

At noon, Confucius ate a lot. After eating, I went back to my room.

With the end of the Spring Festival, Confucius knew that his opportunity to display his talents in the Lu State was over. His dream of promoting his doctrine and ideas in the country of Lu was also shattered because of this.

His life has once again entered a period of confusion, and he doesn't know where the future lies? Go?

(End of chapter)