Just as the two brothers were sitting in the luxurious VIP suite, drinking and chatting merrily, Jingjing was spending the Spring Festival with her grandparents in her hometown.
After Jing Jing accompanied her grandfather to buy a lot of New Year's goods, she suddenly remembered what she had heard from Aunt Liu at the alley entrance. She quickly took out her mooddiary diary and opened it to record: "Today, I collected a folk song for the Spring Festival: At the age of twenty-three, he sacrificed to the kitchen officer, and at the age of twenty-four, he swept the house. Twenty-five, beat tofu, twenty-six, cut meat; Twenty-seven, kill a chicken; Twenty-eight, kill a duck; At the age of twenty-nine, he went to fetch wine. At the age of thirty, he pasted the flag on the door.”
In Jingjing's hometown, the kitchen festival during the Spring Festival was second only to the reunion festival during the Mid-Autumn Festival. If one could eat the kitchen fire made at home, they would be protected by the kitchen god, and their family would be safe and sound in the coming year.
In order for the Kitchen God to speak well of the Jade Emperor in heaven, every family had to put up a memorial tablet of the Kitchen God. Some of them wrote on both sides of the memorial tablet,"Heaven speaks good things, and the lower realm sends good luck."
In Jingjing's hometown, every time it was time for the festival, all the people who worked, did business, and went to school in other places stopped their work and tried to rush home before the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. They were busy with the routine of offering sacrifices to the gods before the new year.
In addition to eating sugar on the day of the Zao Festival, burning fire was also a very unique seasonal food. On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the business of the shaobing stalls in the city was very prosperous. The people crowded around and did not move, scrambling to buy a sacrificial stove to burn. Most of the villagers did it themselves, making noodles and making brick beds. The whole family was lively and lively, and it was very much like celebrating the New Year.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Kong Qiu's Analects of Confucius had a saying: " It is better to flatter the kitchen than to flatter the carriage."
Legend had it that the Kitchen God was the heavenly god in charge of the cooking fires of every family. He would be in the kitchen of every family for a year, monitoring the old and the young. On the night of the 23rd Kitchen Sacrifice Festival, he rode his horse to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of this family for the past year. The Jade Emperor would decide the good or bad luck of the family in the coming year based on the Kitchen God's report.
Grandpa said," Because the Kitchen God's report is of great importance, before he goes to heaven, a sacrificial ceremony is held every year at this time. When offering sacrifices to the kitchen god, a god must be set up, and a sumptuous feast of wine and food must be used as sacrifices.”
Jingjing and her grandparents went to the kitchen first, placed the table, and offered incense to the kitchen god in the shrine on the wall of the stove. They also offered sacrifices such as sesame cakes made of sugar and flour.
Grandma even smeared the sweet candy around the kitchen god's mouth and said,"Kitchen God, you must say more good things. Don't say bad things.”
Jingjing couldn't help but giggle when she heard her grandmother's words while kneeling down to worship the gods.
Grandpa said,"This is to stuff the mouth of the Kitchen God with sugar so that he won't say bad things."”
After Grandma smeared sugar on the Kitchen God's mouth, she took off the statue and placed it in an iron basin with gold ingots and incense paper to light it up, symbolizing that they had ascended to heaven together. She also brought a lot of gold ingots for the Kitchen God as a greeting gift for the gods.
There was also a very sad folk legend about the custom of the Kitchen Stove Festival.
In ancient times, a loving couple had only one son. They treated their son like a pearl in their palms and doted on him very much. However, because his family was poor and could not make ends meet, he had to reluctantly agree to his son's request to go to the coal mine to dig coal to earn money to support his family.
His son had been gone for a long time, and the old man missed him very much. On this day, the old grandma asked the old grandpa to go to the coal mine to take a look.
On the way, the old man met a fellow traveler of Earth God Spectre. The two of them became more and more familiar with each other and got along very well. While chatting, the old man learned that Earth God Spectre had been instructed by King Yama to come to the mine to retrieve 100 miners.
The old man was burning with anxiety as he begged the spirit god to spare his son. The spirit god generously agreed and told him not to tell anyone.
When he saw his son, the old man pretended to be sick. His son served him and was unable to go down the well. Soon, an accident happened in the coal mine, and the old man hurriedly took his son home.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed. On the night of the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, the old man remembered the risks he had taken back then and could not help but tell his wife about what had happened back then. Who knew that this was heard by the Kitchen God. On the twenty-third night, the Kitchen God went to heaven and told the Jade Emperor about it. The Jade Emperor flew into a rage out of humiliation and immediately punished Earth God Spectre and took away the grandfather's son.
For this reason, on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, people would offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God and eat the candy, hoping that he would not stir up trouble in the human world after he arrived at the Heavenly Palace. As time passed, people would offer sacrifices to the stove on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the towns in his hometown would set off the first round of firecrackers for the new year. The town residents were busy buying sesame candy, fire, and other sacrificial food. In the vast rural areas, the preparations for the sacrificial ceremony and the grand sacrificial ceremony gradually began amidst the deafening sounds of the cannons.
Most of the sacrificial ceremonies were held at night. When offering sacrifices to the stove, the person who offered sacrifices to the stove knelt in front of the statue of the stove master and hugged the rooster in his arms. There were also people who made children kneel behind adults while holding chickens. It was said that the chicken was the horse that the kitchen master rode to heaven, so the chicken was not called a chicken, but a horse. If it was a red rooster, it was commonly known as a " red horse ". If it was a white rooster, it was commonly known as a " white horse ".
After burning the incense stick, the smoke in the room filled the air with a mysterious color. The man poured wine and kowtowed, muttering something. After he finished reading, the kitchen god shouted," Leader!" Then Tianzhi poured wine on the chicken head. If the chicken's head made a sound, it meant that the stove master had already appreciated it. If the chicken head didn't move, it needed to be watered again.
After the sacrificial ceremony, people began to eat food such as sugar and fire. In some places, they even ate sugar cakes, sesame cakes, and tofu soup.
In Jingjing's hometown, the typical sacrificial food was the kitchen candy. Cooking candy was a kind of chewy and sticky gum. The reason for offering sugar to the stove was to stick to the stove god's mouth. Legend has it that the kitchen god was sent by the Jade Emperor to supervise the good and evil of the human world. It had the power to communicate with heaven. Human feelings, transmitting important information between the immortal realm and the mortal world.
When it ascended to heaven, people offered it candy, hoping that it would eat sweet things and say good words in front of the Jade Emperor.
Therefore, sometimes when describing someone who was sweet-mouthed and good at talking, he would say,"Have you eaten the stove candy? Your mouth is so sweet and you know how to talk.”There were also people who said that the sugar used to worship the stove was not to stick to the mouth of the stove god, but to stick to the mouths of those heavenly god officials who were greedy for good things and loved to gossip.
Jingjing recorded a poem in her diary: "On the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God was about to speak to the heavens. Cloud car wind horse small Liulian, home has cup plate rich ceremony sacrifice. The pig's head is rotten and hot, and the fish is fresh. The red bean paste is sweet and pine powder bait. Men drink wine to offer their daughters to avoid, wine to burn money to cook the Lord happy. You don't hear the struggle between maids, and you don't get angry when cats and dogs dirty you. Send you drunk full boarded the gate of heaven, dipper long dipper short don't say again, request to take the profit of the market back to share.”
Grandpa saw Jingjing sitting at the table and writing in her diary. He smiled and said,"Jing 'er, Sixth Uncle wants you to write a couplet for their family as well as an auspicious couplet for the Kitchen God.”
Jingjing put away the diary. Grandpa grinded the ink and handed her an ancient bound couplets book, asking her to write according to the couplets on it.
Jingjing felt that the content of the couplet was a little old, so she watched the program on TV and made up a few new year couplets.
"Year after year, there will be plenty of money, and years of peace and longevity will be abundant.""Lucky star shines high!"
"Happy to live in a treasure land for a thousand years, blessing shines on the family and everything is prosperous" horizontal comment: "Welcome the Spring Festival!"
"A year of good luck comes with spring to the four seasons of colorful clouds rolling in" horizontal comment: "All the best!"
While Jingjing was writing the couplet, Uncle Li, Uncle Cao, Aunt Liu, and a few neighbors entered the house. Grandma was busy pouring water to greet the neighbors.
Uncle Li stood by the table and smiled." Elder Liu, your granddaughter's calligraphy is really good."”
Grandpa smiled and didn't say anything, but he was secretly praising his granddaughter. He knew that Jingjing could write such beautiful calligraphy because of his son's careful guidance.
When Jingjing learned to write at the age of three, she did not only use a pencil, but also a brush to practice calligraphy. This was because her father loved calligraphy and painting when he was alive.
Her father was usually very busy with work. At that time, her mother opened a small barbershop and had no time to take care of her. She had to sign up for many special training classes for Jingjing since she was young. Her father taught her calligraphy and erhu personally. Her father sent her to the training center of the Youth Palace every day to learn painting, dancing, piano, etc.
Jingjing wrote a few more couplets as she thought about this.
"Cheers and laughter, celebrate the new year, gather together to welcome the new year" horizontal comment: "Happy Family!"
"Heaven and earth, harmony, home, wealth, peace, happiness, people, happiness" horizontal comment: "Peace throughout the four seasons!"
" Welcome happiness, welcome spring, welcome wealth, receive wealth, receive blessings, receive peace ""Good luck!"
"Spring returns to the earth, the world is warm, and happiness comes to the Divine Land.""Blessing and Prosperity"
Uncle Cao went back happily with the couplet he had written. Aunt Liu seemed to be saying something in Grandma's ear. Jingjing saw Aunt Liu's strange gaze and heard Grandma say with a smile,"We still have to ask for Jing 'er's opinion on this matter.”
Aunt Liu smiled and said,"Let's take advantage of the Spring Festival holiday to meet first. They have urged me several times. I can't refuse."”
Grandpa also smiled and said,"It's fine to meet him."”
They seemed to be discussing something. Jingjing sat at the table and took out her diary to record," On New Year's Eve, every household pasted festive couplets, hung auspicious New Year paintings, lit lanterns of good luck, and used happiness to get rid of the worries of the year. They used joy to weave a happy cloud, built a table of reunion meals, and gathered with their dearest people.”
Jingjing wrote in her diary for a while and went to help Grandma roll the skin. Grandma wrapped the dumplings and put a coin into the dumplings. Seeing that the dumplings were like ingots, Jingjing held them in her hands and admired them.
Grandpa brought the newly made New Year Cake to the tribute table and told Jingjing that the yuanbao shaped dumplings and sweet New Year Cake were good omens of good luck and happiness. He told Jingjing to eat more and she would be happy for the rest of her life.
During the reunion dinner, Grandpa told Jingjing that the fish on the table could not be touched because this fish represented wealth and surplus every year, symbolizing wealth and luck in the coming year. It was a kind of decoration for good luck.
Jingjing accompanied her grandparents to light a small fire in the small courtyard, lit candles, burned incense foil, and placed tribute dishes in front of her father's portrait.
She took out her erhu and wiped the bowstring. She stared at the night sky and sat in the courtyard, playing her father's favorite song," Horse Racing," recalling the many words her father had said. Perhaps, Jingjing's sweetest and most beautiful time was before she was twelve years old. Ever since her father died in a car accident, a warm and happy family disappeared. Jingjing also began her own difficult and winding wandering life.
Grandpa was sitting in the yard listening to Jingjing playing the erhu, and Grandma was talking to her son in front of her father's portrait.
All these years, she had been working and studying. In the past, Jingjing only returned home for one day during the Spring Festival. She left in a hurry after preparing the New Year's goods for her grandparents. Every year during the Spring Festival, she would work in a restaurant to earn money. There were a lot of reservations for the New Year's Eve dinner in the restaurant. The restaurant was short of service staff, and all kinds of benefits and salaries were doubled. At that time, Jingjing needed money to pay tuition fees and living expenses, so she rarely stayed at home to accompany her grandparents for the reunion dinner.
Jingjing looked back at the bitter experiences of the past and felt a little sad. In order not to affect his grandparents 'mood, he could only embellish his mood with the joy of the Spring Festival.
She smiled and said," Jing 'er wishes Grandpa and Grandma an early New Year. I wish Grandpa and Grandma good health and good luck."”
When his grandparents heard this, they all laughed out loud. Jing 'er also smiled happily.
He couldn't help but think of a poem: " In the sound of firecrackers, the year ends, and the spring breeze brings warmth into Tusu." Every day, thousands of families will exchange new peaches for old talismans.”
The lights on New Year's Eve would not go out all night. According to folk legends, as long as one had perseverance, they would definitely wait until the daughter of God opened the Southern Heavenly Gate to bless the world. If they slept early, they would not be blessed.
Jingjing wrote a few words in her mooddiary: " Time flies like an arrow. Everyone changes with the passage of time. Sometimes, I realize that I've grown up overnight. Sometimes, I feel inexplicably sad and just want to be alone in a daze. Sometimes, when she heard a song, she would suddenly think of someone. Sometimes, when she walked past a familiar street corner, she would suddenly think of a person's face. Sometimes, he had a lot of things to say, but he didn't know how to express them. Sometimes, he wanted to imitate Andersen's longing and imagine that he could have a fairy tale that would last forever.”
Jingjing's diary was full of thoughts. She recorded her mood.diary since she started working in AA-province. At this moment, her phone rang. It was still the song," The happiest person.""How much fate does it take to meet a person? How many strangers do you have to brush past in the vast sea of people? But your eyes touched my heart. I'm willing to use everything in exchange for you to turn around. How much fate does it take to fall in love with a person?"
Jing Jing picked up her phone and realized that it was a reminder from her 'Memo Alarm'." Sister, happy Spring Festival!" She held her phone in front of her chest and bit her lips as she smiled. At this moment, the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside. On the television, the host of the Central TV Spring Festival Gala and the live audience were shouting the countdown of " 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ". The midnight bell immediately sounded. The New Year's Eve bell was not only a horn that urged people to work hard, but also a chance for people to start anew.
When the New Year's Eve bell rang, how should he spend the new year? After the midnight bell rang, what should he do on a new day?
Jingjing thought about this and typed a text message on her phone." My brother's name is always on my phone, my brother's shadow is always in my heart, and my sister always thinks of me during festivals. I'm grateful for my brother's love and care over the past few years. Although my sister's greetings are simple, my feelings are sincere. Although the contact is intermittent, I miss you all the time. I wish my beloved brother a smooth new year, two dragons soaring, three sheep prosperous, four seasons safe, five blessings coming to the door, six smooth, seven stars shining high, wealth coming from all directions, nine nine united hearts, perfect.”
Just as Jingjing sent the message, her phone rang.
Jingjing listened to the familiar ringtone and stared at the caller ID on the phone screen. She smiled and swiped the answer keyboard, saying,"Jing 'er wishes Brother Kang a happy New Year. I wish Brother a happy family, a lot of money, peace and good luck, and everything goes well!”
Brother Kang had been waiting for Jingjing's call the whole night. When he sent Jingjing back to her hometown, he had secretly set a New Year's Eve alarm on her phone. He knew that his sister would definitely send a message at this time.
Brother Kang smiled and said,"With my sister's blessing, I will definitely be happy."”
Brother Kang listened to his sister's soft and sweet voice on the phone. He really wanted to sit on the moving radio wave, cross the mountains, cross the surging river, fly over the high-rise buildings, and fly to Jingjing's side.
Thank you for taking the precious time to read Jade Butterfly's new work,"The Butterfly Diary of the Sonorous Rose". I wish you all the best and good luck!，，，Thank you! http://b.faloo.com/f/279270.html
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