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208 Bring Meals to Father

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    Although I didn't go to bed until after midnight, I felt that that night seemed particularly long.  I thought about it a lot.  I don't know if I ever fell asleep, I woke up early in the morning amidst the noise outside.  I shook my drowsy head, trying my best to regain some clarity.  Because, I know, there are still many things waiting for me to deal with today.

    Under the strong impact of modern civilization, traditional customs are facing the danger of being lost.  Therefore, early on, the eighty-year-old man in our family and my generation came over.  After all, the elderly have spent a long time, and their knowledge is not comparable to that of us young people, especially the understanding of ancient customs and habits.  We have a lot of rules and regulations here, and if one is not good, it will be criticized by others.  Because, we have a saying here called "the dead are the greatest", birth, old age, sickness and death are caused by objective laws, and no one can avoid them. Therefore, since ancient times, people have attached great importance to the handling of funeral affairs.  If you do not follow the rules, it will be regarded as disrespect to the deceased, which is the most taboo thing.  Compared with the increasingly westernized weddings, the changes in our posthumous affairs here are minimal.  Many fixed formats passed down from old to old have been tenaciously maintained in funeral matters.  It's just that today's young people, who have been influenced by atheism since childhood, have become more and more dismissive of those seemingly superstitious formulas, otherwise the traditional customs related to funerals will never be in danger of disappearing.

    After I finished washing, the old man in his eighties just came to look for me.

    "Brother" Out of respect for the old man, I greeted him first and gave him a cigarette.

    "Do you know what the first thing you have to do today?" The old man asked with a smile.

    Because of my mood, I couldn't squeeze out even a smile.  However, I still said very respectfully: "I don't know. Please give me your advice."

    "You have to remember, from now on, before the burial, every morning and noon, you must deliver food to your father before you eat." The old man said solemnly.

    From the expression of the old man, I can see that this should be the top priority in funeral customs.  "Brother, I will!" I replied resolutely, and then asked with some doubts, "However, I don't know how to send it? I don't know where to send it?"

    "It's okay, everything is up to me!" After the old man comforted me kindly, he asked me to follow him.

    I know that the old man is going to start giving me instructions on how to operate.  I didn't have time to say thanks, so I followed.

    The old man first asked me to put a bowl of hot porridge in the pot.  The most important thing to pay attention to when feeding the deceased is to eat while it is hot.  It is said that when the meal is served, the continuous steaming heat indicates that the deceased relatives are enjoying the food.

    After the hot porridge was served, the old man asked me to wear sackcloth and mourning, and then took the mourning stick.  The mourning stick is the "filial stick" that the filial son supports when the elders are in mourning.  Among elders and couples, if one person passes away, one will be held, and if both have passed away, two will be held.  Of course, I only need to hold one.  The so-called "murder stick", as the name suggests, is used for mourning.  When one's closest person dies, one is devastated, and the "murder stick" is used to support the body when the grief is unbearable.  Today, the "wailing stick" is largely a symbol of grief.  The mourning stick is made of green bamboo poles.  Cut off a section of green bamboo, wrap the upper end with yellow paper, and then tie it with green thread to prevent the yellow paper from falling off.  As for why it is necessary to use green bamboo, why is it necessary to wrap it with yellow paper, and why is it necessary to use green thread?  These are beyond what I can know.

    The old man not only prepared the mourning stick early, but also prepared the chopsticks used by his father.  The requirements for the chopsticks used by the deceased are very simple, that is, the two chopsticks must be exactly the same length.  Then, also wrap yellow paper around the upper half of the chopsticks, and then tie them with blue thread.

    The old man asked me to put the steaming porridge in the basket, and then put the chopsticks neatly.  At this point, all preparatory work is complete.  So, next, the old man asked me to send the hot porridge to the earth temple in the village not far from my home.

    For a long time, the earth temple has been regarded as a feudal superstition.  Therefore, the Earth Temple has been demolished many times.  However, now the Earth Temple has reappeared tenaciously and survived more and more prosperously.  As far as I know, earth temples have been built in almost every village here.  Moreover, the incense of the earth temple in each village is showing more and more prosperous situation.  This may be the tragedy of the local government.  In the eyes of ordinary people, it is better to believe in the illusory land than to believe in those local cadres who only know how to eat and drink.

    People here still stick to the custom of burial.  The so-called peace in the soil means that after being buried in the soil, it will naturally be taken care of by one side of the land.  Therefore, the oldOnly then will I send my father's food to the Earth Temple.

    Of course, what the old man reminded me was not only the destination, but also the things to pay attention to along the way.  First, I had to drag the mourning stick behind me throughout the process.  Why drag it behind?  I don't know if there is any other reason besides the fact that I am expressing grief.  Second, the old man reminded me that during the delivery process, remember not to talk to others.  Why can't you speak?  This is what I can't understand.  In fact, every custom must have its allusions and reasons.  It's just that, now, even the elderly only know what's going on, but don't know why.  Third, after arriving at the Earth Temple, put the bowls and chopsticks in front of the statue of the Earth God, then light incense, and finally bow down.  Of course, there are three incense sticks.  The so-called "three sticks of incense before the Buddha".  Generally, before gods and Buddhas, there are three sticks of incense.  Finally, after the ceremony is completed, we must not forget to pour out part of the porridge and sprinkle it beside the earth temple.  I don't know if this is an offering to the land, or if it's shared with other ghosts who come to seek refuge.

    After firmly remembering these four points, I walked slowly towards the Earth Temple with a basket in one hand and a mourning stick in the other.  Sure enough, as the old man said, you will meet villagers who take the initiative to fight on the road.

    "So-and-so (a nickname for my nickname), could it be that your father has passed away? When did he leave?"

    "Where are you delivering the food?"

    "Why are you ignoring people?"

    At this time, I keep in mind the teachings of the old man.  "At this time (when someone initiates a conversation), you must not be impatient because others blame you for being high-sighted. This is a major event that involves the prosperity of our family for generations (it is said that if you speak, then  I will be poor for a lifetime). I think afterward, after that person understands the situation from others, he will definitely express his understanding of your behavior.¡± I ignored it, and I didn¡¯t care if the person was angry because of it, I just buried my head in silence  walked forward.  (Remember the site URL: www.hlnovel.com
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