Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

Zhou Ligong was still dreaming early in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when he heard his father yelling in the yard: We all got up, get together early on the first day of the new year, eat enough for the whole year, don’t get off the kang on the first day of the new year, eat bran all year round!Shou Sui didn't go to bed until dawn last night, Zhou Ligong was still very confused for a while.Mrs. Zhou Liang came in. She was wearing an apron, apparently from the kitchen, holding a pile of clothes in her arms.She patted her son who was still in bed and said, hurry up and wear it, it is still warm.Zhou Ligong understood what was going on, he immediately got up and put on his clothes, it was really warm.Seeing his son's comfortable appearance, Mrs. Zhou Liang smiled all over his face. When he was a child, his son was most afraid of getting out of bed in winter. When he got up from the hot kang and got into the cold clothes, he always grinned from the cold.In order to save her son from suffering, she often took his cotton-padded clothes to the stove and used the cooking stove to warm him up.Since her son went to school and left home, Zhou Liang never had the opportunity to bake clothes for him. Every winter, she misses her son getting up, and often sits in front of the stove feeling lost.

Zhou Ligong's eyes were moist, looking at his mother with gray temples, he bent down and made a deep bow, saying that the child wished his mother New Year's greetings!Mrs. Zhou Liang thought it was weird. One had to kowtow to pay New Year's greetings to the elderly, how could one bend over to make do with it?But even though she felt awkward, she didn't question her, thinking that this was probably a new etiquette, the second child had seen the world, so there must be a reason for him to worship like this.She just said, my baby doesn't dare to mess up the order, your father is the head of the family, so you have to worship your father first!

Zhou Ligong walked out of the room, hey, there was heavy snow all over the sky, and his father was sweeping snow in the yard.A thick layer of snow fell on the bamboo hat worn by the old man, like a pagoda of white marble.He went to replace his father, but his father said that you are not used to this job, so I will do it, and you can clean up Mingdetang. When Zhou Ligong walked into Mingde Hall, his mother had already replaced the cold rice on the table offered by the ancestors with hot rice, and he helped to arrange the Eight Immortals table and Taishi chair, which was to prepare for the New Year greetings.The ancestors have already worshiped at thirty nights, and today is worshiping the elders.First they worship their elders at home, and then the juniors in the clan go door-to-door to worship the elders of the same clan.No matter which elder you worship, the elders will give lucky money.

Zhou Kewen came back from sweeping the snow and immediately went into the house to change his clothes. This old man is usually dressed in coarse cloth clothes, with a big jacket on his upper body, crotch trousers on his lower body, a loincloth around his waist, leg wraps on his legs, a white cloth scarf on his head, and black cloth shoes on his feet. There is a cigarette pot pinned to the back neckline, which is no different from ordinary peasants in the countryside, and it is impossible to tell that he is a former scholar.But when it comes to solemn occasions, such as attending weddings, funerals, and festivals, he has to change his outfit.Zhou Kewen didn't think it was a trick, but a matter of etiquette. What clothes to wear was not a personal matter, but a major matter of respecting the heavens and worshiping the gods, which could not be sloppy.Today he is wearing a black Zhigong cotton robe, a woolen waistcoat, a black top hat, cotton loafers, and a shiny copper hookah in his hand.As soon as the person came out, he sat upright on the teacher's chair with a solemn face, waiting for his children to pay New Year's greetings.

Zhou Lide is not at home, Zhou Ligong is the boss, let him worship first, but Zhou Ligong only bowed to the old man, and then stepped aside, which surprised everyone.Zhou Liyan said, second brother, why don't you kowtow?Zhou Ligong said that kowtowing is an old custom. Now that the emperor has been defeated, the civilized way to change the custom is to bow. What happened?The son even refused to worship the father!Zhou Kewen was angry, but he held back thinking that today is the first day of the new year.He asked, what year is it today?Zhou Ligong didn't know what his father meant, he said Lunar New Year.What year is the lunar year?Zhou Kewen asked immediately.Zhou Ligong was baffled, saying that the lunar year is the old calendar year.Zhou Kewen said, that's right, since it's the old calendar year, then you have to follow the old customs, and it won't be too late for you to bow to me when the solar calendar year is over.

Zhou Ligong didn't expect to be set up by his father, and this set up was almost nonsense.The rural construction movement he was engaged in first of all was to change customs, and it seemed that the transformation of old customs had to start from his family.Zhou Ligong was about to defend himself, but his father said again, the emperor has been defeated, so don't you want human relations?Fortunately, you have studied a lot. Zhou Ligong said, Dad, you can't force people, now it's the Republic of China! What happened to the Republic of China!Zhou Kewen couldn't bear it anymore. Doesn't this mean that he is old and useless, unable to keep up with the times?He rattled the hookah on the table of the Eight Immortals, saying that as long as you are Chinese, you have to act according to etiquette at all times.Today you have to knock your head off. I don't respect me for you, but to teach you how to be a human being. Don't think that after reading foreign books for a few days, you don't know the heights of heaven and earth!

Zhou Ligong's innovation must start from his own family, and he is determined not to kowtow. Zhou Kewen wants to teach his son the etiquette of human relations, and insists on kowtow. Zhou Liyan felt that the old man was angry with the New Year's Eve, and the second brother was too wrong, so what's the matter with kowtowing?Isn't it worth your kowtow for the old man to raise you?But he didn't say that, he brought a futon from outside the house, put it in front of Zhou Ligong, and said with a smile, my second brother didn't do anything too hard, his knees are soft, his pants are also made of material, the ground is dirty, he can't kneel down, I got you the mat.Zhou Liang also said with a smile that the second child has been used to cleanliness since he was a child. I sit on the futon every day, and there is not a speck of dust on it.Zhou Liyan tugged at the corner of Zhou Ligong's clothes and gave him winks, but Zhou Ligong refused to climb along his pole.

Zhou Kewen snorted. If it was in the past, he would have slapped him. His tutor is strict.But now that he's old, he doesn't have the strength anymore, and besides, it's still the first day of the Chinese New Year, so it's unlucky to hit someone.But he couldn't let it go, not only would he lose his old face, but he would also get used to this kid's blind temper.He could only be soft and hard, saying that if you don't kowtow to me today, we will sit here and wait for you for a day. If Zhou Kewen doesn't leave, no one dares to leave.Zhou Liang was in a hurry, because people from other families could come in at any time. Wouldn't it be a joke if people saw it?Especially next door, the uncles and brothers are the first to come to pay New Year's greetings. If they see it, they will be even more gloating. This scandal will spread throughout the village within a long time!She counted her son, why are you so stubborn?Did a kowtow humiliate you?Isn't it embarrassing to see people coming in a while?

Zhou Kewen snorted again, saying that I will wait for others to come and see, so that everyone can see the disobedient son who does not worship his parents!The reason why Zhou Kewen dared to bet with his son was because he had this confidence in his heart. He guessed that his son could not bear the infamy. Unexpectedly, Zhou Ligong was really weighed down today, and he was determined to fight his father, but he just refused.At this time, Chun'e, who had been silent all this time, spoke. She walked up to the futon with a big belly and knelt down, saying, second brother, I will ask your nephew in my stomach to kowtow to you, and you will kowtow to our father instead. ,Okay?As she spoke, she kowtowed to Zhou Ligong.Zhou Ligong was dumbfounded. Chun'e was double-bodied, and it was extremely inconvenient to bend over and kowtow. She killed the chess player as soon as she knelt down. Bye, I immediately knelt down to Zhou Kewen and kowtowed perfunctorily.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just as the kowtow was over, there were footsteps outside the door, it turned out that Zhou Baogen came to pay New Year's greetings.Zhou Kewen is the eldest, so of course Zhou Shuancheng's children should pay New Year's greetings to their uncle first.Zhou Baogen was the only one who came to pay New Year's greetings, and Zhou Ligong felt strange. He asked Zhou Baogen, why didn't Sister Yinwa come?Zhou Liangshi gave him winks, but he didn't realize it.Zhou Baogen could only smile, saying that you haven't given me the New Year's Eve money, uncle, begging for money from Zhou Kewen and begging for walnuts and jujubes from Zhou Liang with a playful smile.Zhou Ligong continued to ask, but Zhou Baogen saw that she couldn't hide, so he said that she was not at home.Zhou Ligong was even more strange. It's Chinese New Year, where can she go if she's not at home?Zhou Baogen said, ask your uncle and aunt, they know, and then left with an unnatural expression.

Zhou Ligong hurriedly asked his mother, Zhou Liang sighed and said, sorry to see you, where else?In the rotten cave dwelling of Huanglongyuan.Zhou Ligong was taken aback. How could she be allowed to stay in such a wilderness in such a cold day during the Chinese New Year!Zhou Ligong didn't know the reason, Zhou Liang told about the custom that married daughters can't celebrate New Year at her in-law's house. Another custom!This is killing people, Zhou Ligong regrets giving in to his father just now.He was filled with righteous indignation, saying why is my second dad so cruel?I'll take Yingwa back and live in our house! Zhou Liang's face turned pale with fright, she said, my lord, I dare not, if I could live with my mother a few years ago, I would invite disaster! Zhou Liyan said it tactfully: Not only is it causing trouble, but our second dad is also not happy, this is just slapping him in the face with a big ear. What's wrong with him?You are afraid of him, I am not afraid of him!Zhou Ligong poked his neck and said. Zhou Kewen became angry again, thinking that this kid is becoming more and more ignorant, he said, did the book read you?Just don't think about it, does this house belong to you alone? Zhou Ligong looked at his sister-in-law and third brother, they were all squinting at him.He can't hold on any longer, or he will commit public wrath. It's okay if I go and see her, Zhou Ligong said.Although Zhou Kewen was still angry, he was a reasonable person, and he knew the pain of introducing a baby, so someone should take a look.It is inconvenient for the old couple to come forward, Zhou Liyan and Chun'e may not be willing, only the 250-year-old second is the most suitable.If the next door makes trouble afterwards, he can easily evade it: that is a person who has failed to read foreign books, and does not understand the world, so how can he care about him? Zhou Kewen nodded and said, tell your mother to prepare the steamed pork and you can bring it.