Siniang and Liuniang glanced at the hall when they heard this, and they were also afraid of the Sun family, so they didn't dare to stir up trouble again. But Liuniang was unwilling after all, she glanced at Erniang, and muttered in a voice that everyone around her could hear: "It's just a concubine, and she always poses in front of us, as if she is amazing, can you really think that she is a concubine?" Don't be ashamed! ”

Erniang naturally heard it, her face turned pale, and finally gritted her teeth and endured it, just as if she didn't hear it. She knew that if the topic continued to be debated on such occasions, she would only suffer from it.

Sanniang looked at Erniang's rapidly changing face, as well as her stiff and tight arms and invisible palms hidden under her sleeves, and she was really worried that Erniang's palms would puncture her nails. But I have to admire that this little girl can hold back her anger.

Wu Niang smiled on her lips and watched quietly from behind, neither helping nor coaxing.

Erniang no longer had the heart to stay in the hall and accept the suspicion and scrutiny of everyone, so she left the hall unnoticedly after a while. It's just that although she walked away quietly, her back has always been straight, as if no strength can make her waist bend half a minute, she is not very good for others to see, but as if she is reminding herself of something.

Yuan Niang glanced at Erniang with concern, glanced at Sanniang, and pulled Sanniang to follow quietly.

Sanniang sighed, she knew that Yuan Niang was kind and wanted to comfort Erniang, but she also knew that Erniang didn't want anyone to sympathize with her at this time, and she didn't need the comfort of their sisters at all, especially the comfort of her serious concubine in the third room.

was about to pull Yuan Niang away, but saw Er Niang go out of the hall and didn't go far, only standing sideways in front of them under the corridor on the right. Hearing a noise here, he immediately stiffened, and then slowly tilted his head to look over. Her eyes were calm and calm, and she didn't have any emotion at all, but it stopped Yuan Niang, who wanted to walk over.

I saw that it was Sanniang and Yuan Niang, who was worried. Erniang slowly smiled at them and nodded.

Sanniang grabbed Yuan Niang and greeted him in a casual voice: "My eldest sister and I want to go to the kitchen to see why the pineapple cake that my grandmother just ordered has not been served yet." Does the second sister want to come with us? ”

Erniang's tense back relaxed a little, but she still shook her head with a smile: "I just saw a half-palm-sized happy spider in the corner of the wall." I was stunned. I'm going to go to my mother and ask if there are any bamboo strips in the yard that make river lanterns, so I won't go with you. ”

Sanniang nodded, not reluctantly, only smiled: "Then we will go first." With that, he pulled Yuan Niang and walked out.

Yuan Niang glanced at Sanniang, but this time she did not raise any objections, and only walked out of Sun's yard hand in hand with Sanniang.

"Third sister, shouldn't I have chased it out just now? But I just want to comfort my second sister. Yuan Niang hesitated.

Sanniang smiled at Yuanniang: "Second sister is naturally able to feel your kindness, big sister." It's just that she might want to be quiet by herself. Sometimes we would rather be treated as normal than see sympathy and comfort in the eyes of others. "The prouder the person, the more so.

Yuan Niang thought about it, and she also understood a little, so she nodded.

Erniang watched Yuan Niang and Sanniang go out of the yard, and did not rush away. Half a sound, but he lowered his eyes slightly and released his clenched fist. Spread out the palm of the hand in front of the eyes, and the four-and-a-half-moon shaped nail marks on the palm of the hand were already the color of bruises.

Erniang didn't frown, but just closed her palms slightly to cover the injury. Her eyes instantly became firm and condensed. Something seems to have been decided. Then without stopping, he turned around and walked out of Sun's yard.

At noon, the sacrificial ceremony on the side of the ancestral hall has been completed, and the tribute is offered to the ancestors first. After that, it was the turn of the Wang family to eat. There is no big feast in the middle of the year, so the food is very simple, only some dumplings and snacks and fruits. The ladies are all in Sun's Songling Courtyard, and the men are in the outer courtyard.

Sanniang was sitting in the side hall, and suddenly heard some noise in the distance, mixed with the sound of the monk's chanting.

"It's the other side of the street, and I'm carrying sacrifices at this time to prepare for the flames." Yuan Niang saw Sanniang tilting her head to listen, and explained in a low voice.

Sanniang nodded, "There are frozen bones on the stinky road of Zhumen's wine and meat." Every year, when the Wang family and the surrounding wealthy families bring out a dazzling array of tributes during the Midyear Festival, those ordinary people will be amazed. They will point at the tribute and judge the merits, as if they want to peek into the life behind the Gaomen compound from these filial piety to the deceased, and then envy it.

In the past two years, the wind and rain have been smooth, and it has been okay. I heard that during the disaster year, there were cases where people crowded together to grab tribute. The Wang family was also robbed, but the annual tribute did not shrink because of this.

It can be seen from this that believing in ghosts and gods and worshiping ghosts and gods is only when they are rich and not hungry, and once their survival is threatened, people will also snatch food from the mouths of ghosts, and at that time gods and ghosts are no longer terrifying.

After a brief meal, everyone drank tea and chatted in the hall.

When evening came, the coating began to burn.

The housekeeper had already led people to draw a lot of circles with lime in the open space, and then stacked the coats with the names of the ancestors of the Wang family in the white circles drawn out.

After the fire was lit, it became a bonfire.

The crowd burned incense again, and bowed down without mentioning it.

Sanniang saw that there was nothing to do with the ceremony here, so she went back to the Hefeng Courtyard, she remembered that Mama Zhao also prepared some silver ingots, dark clothes, paper cows, paper horses, bon and so on for the Zhao family.

When I arrived at Hefeng Courtyard, I found that Wang Jing had arrived, and was kowtowing to the incense on the offering table under the guidance of Mama Zhao. When Mama Zhao saw Sanniang coming back, she raised the back of her hand and wiped her eyes, and she didn't speak, but only lit Sanniang and handed it over.

Sanniang took it silently and knelt side by side with Wang Jing.

After the incense was served, Mama Zhao beckoned Wang Jing and Sanniang to the courtyard to light the three piles of "coatings" surrounded by lime.

"Mama, what is lime for?" Sanniang saw that Wang Jing was surrounding a lime circle, lit a fire, and asked Mama Zhao in a low voice, also wanting to dispel Mama Zhao's sad emotions.

"That one was to prevent wild ghosts from being worshipped. Circles were drawn with lime, and except for the names on the burnt buns, the other ghosts did not dare to come up. Oh yes, I almost forgot. Mama Zhao seemed to suddenly remember something, and walked aside to take out a basket of unsealed silver ingots and paper money.

Mama Zhao poured the basket of paper money and ingots aside, lit the fire, and chanted words in her mouth while making a gesture. She said too quickly, Sanniang didn't hear it clearly, and the meaning was probably this: Lonely souls and wild ghosts from all walks of life, don't blush, these filial piety are for you, don't embarrass my young lady Yunyun after you take it.

Sanniang watched from the sidelines, laughing and laughing.

At this time, it was probably when every household was burning the "coating", Sanniang felt that the air was filled with black smoke, and she couldn't escape the choking smell wherever she went. It is no wonder that in later generations, this worship activity was banned, and every household burned it like this, and the pollution to the air was too great.

When the ceremony was almost over, Sanniang and Wang Jing returned to Sun's side. It's time for dinner. It's just that everyone is so smoked that they can't open their eyes, and there is still a mood to eat those simple foods.

Before it was completely dark, everyone in the house came to say goodbye. It's just that the cousins made an appointment to meet at the Xicheng people at the time of the day, and go to the river to put river lanterns together.

Sanniang returned to Hefeng Courtyard and changed out of the clothes that were full of smoke, but at this time, the smell of smoke in the air had not yet dissipated, and even if she changed into a hundred, it was useless.

After a brief tidying up, seeing that there were still three minutes left, Sanniang took the four maids to Songling Courtyard, because they made an appointment with Yuan Niang and they went to Ermen to take the carriage together.

When Sanniang arrived at Songling Hospital, the two sisters of the big house, plus Yuan Niang and Wu Niang, had already arrived, but Erniang had not arrived. Seeing that it was only a moment away from the appointment with the cousins, Erniang had not yet arrived.

"Fifth sister, did you say hello to the second sister when you came?" Yuan Niang asked Wu Niang.

Wu Niang blinked her eyes and thought about it: "I sent the girl over again, but the girl said back and forth that the second sister was bathing and changing clothes, and asked me to come first." ”

"How long does it take to take a shower and change clothes? I think she lost face in front of her sisters today, and she wants to get it back from us. Let so many of us wait for her, doesn't she have face? Liu Niang rolled her eyes.

Siniang shook her head: "The second sister is really face-saving. I'm also a concubine, but I don't dare to make everyone wait for anything every time. In such a comparison, I really don't have the majesty of my second sister. ”

Yuan Niang frowned, and was about to want them to say a few words, when a gentle voice came from afar: "I'm late, let my sisters and sisters wait for so long, Erniang will make amends to you." ”

Everyone turned their heads and saw Erniang walking quickly with a few maids.

Liuniang wanted to say something, but Yuan Niang hurriedly said: "Since the second sister is here, let's get in the car quickly, don't let the sisters of Beppu wait." ”

Liuniang snorted coldly, and followed Yuan Niang with Siniang.

Sanniang glanced at Erniang, and saw that although her clothes had changed, her hair was dry, her hairstyle and hair accessories had not changed, and there was no smell on her body after bathing, so she couldn't help frowning.

Seeing that everyone was gone, Sanniang could only lift her heels.

Yuan Niang and Wu Niang have a car, Si Niang and Liu Niang have a car, and San Niang and Er Niang get into a car.

Erniang only discussed with Sanniang shortly after getting into the car that the lotus lantern prepared in the house was too ordinary, so she sat there and rarely spoke.

Although she couldn't see anything on her calm face, Sanniang always felt that she was a little unrelenting. ()