Chapter 367: Gu Fu: The Resources in My Hands W  Wuhan.

Chapter 367: Gu Fu: The Resources in My Hands W  Wuhan.

  A certain residential compound.

  In the room, Gu Caiwei was opening a letter from Fujian, pulling out three pages of densely written paper from the envelope.

  The handwriting on the letter was strong and powerful, showing the sender's solid calligraphy skills.

  In this era, unlike the future where various electronic products dominate, people rarely had the opportunity to write by hand, so most handwriting, even that of university students, was not very good.

  However, in this era, it was still common for university students to have good handwriting, though perhaps somewhat exaggerated, most university students' handwriting was not bad.

  The letter was not from anyone else but Deng Yun, who worked in Fujian.

  This was not the first letter Gu Caiwei had received, she had already responded to his first letter before the New Year.

  Now, this was the second letter from Deng.

  After admiring his handwriting, Gu Caiwei began to read the letter.

  She read through the three pages of the letter, which took her her  After reading the letter, Gu Caiwei immediately took out paper to write a reply.

  Struggling with her thoughts, it took her almost an hour to finish the reply, and when she looked, she had written four pages, which made her blush a little; he had written three pages, and she had written four, which seemed a bit immodest!

  However, she quickly consoled herselfh  She wrote an extra page to avoid waste, after all, writing three or four pages used the same envelope and stamp, so four pages were more cost-effective.

  After consoling herself, Gu Caiwei placed the letter in the envelope, wrote the addresses and names, sealed it with paste, and affixed a stamp.

  Having finished, she checked the time and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

  Having learned to cook from her mother for nearly a month, Gu Caiwei's cooking skills, not great, but at least she could make simple dishes, especially green vegetables, tofu, and steamed Wuchang fish, which she could cook well.

  Her father loved the dishes she made, and every time she cooked, he would eat an extra half bowl of rice, giving her great motivation to cook.

  Forty minutes later.

  Gu Fu and Gu Mu returned together.

  Entering the house, Gu Fu sniffed and a smile appeared on his usually stern face. "Weiwei, what did you cook? It smells so good."

  Gu Mu rolled her eyes at her husband, knowing the smell, it was just the usual tofu, and he should have known better than to ask.

  Gu Caiwei brought out a plate of tofu from the kitchen, greeting, "Dad, Mom, you're back just in time for dinner!"

  Gu Fu laughed, "Today I happened to want tofu, and you made tofu, Weiwei, that's great."

  Gu Caiwei smiled, "Dad, don't say it's not good, please."

  Gu Fu washed his hands, came back, and said, "That won’t happen, I think the tofu you  made by our Weiwei is the best."

  Soon, the family of three began to eat.

  There were three dishes: home-style tofu, stir-fried green vegetables, and steamed eggs, all very common dishes, but Gu Fu ate with relish, having an extra half bowl of rice, supporting his daughter's cooking with his actions.

  After the meal, Gu Caiwei brought her father a cup of tea.

  Gu Fu sipped the tea leisurely,  Gu Mu asked, "Lao Gu, my brother has been at this level for years, and now he's retired. People say he's old, but he still has potential. You, as his sister-in-law, should keep an eye out for him. If there's an opportunity, give him a push."

  Gu Fu nodded, "Sure, I'll keep an eye out. But the resources I have, if possible, should be used on our son-in-law. I'm not stingy, but his potential is only so much. At this level, it's almost his limit. Using resources on him might be a waste."

  Gu Mu found this reasonable, "Good steel should be used on the blade." Her husband's resources were not endless. If her brother had a bright future, using resources on him would not be a waste. However, her brother's potential was limited. Using her husband's resources to push him up might cost more than the gains, making it not worth it.

  Thinking this, Gu Mu looked at her daughter and asked, "Weiwei, did you hear what your father said? With the resources your father has, you should try to bring back your son-in-law so your father can cultivate him, rather than let others benefit from these resources."

  Gu Caiwei smiled bitterly, "Mom, I can’t be the one to take the initiative, can I?"

  Hearing this, Gu Mu was moved and asked, "Weiwei, be honest with me, do you have feelings for Deng Yunheng?"

  Gu Fu naturally knew Deng Yunheng, he was quite satisfied with him, regardless of his background. As long as he was capable, he could use the resources to cultivate him after becoming her son-in-law.

  With the help of his father-in-law, reaching the county and department levels should be no problem  problem. As for going further, he could not do much, but if he could smoothly advance to the department level, his age would be his greatest advantage. If nothing went wrong in the future, he should be able to advance smoothly.

  After all, he graduated from Peking University, which was a huge advantage.

Gu Caiwei blushed and replied, "Mom, how can I answer this question? I haven't even met him yet!"

Gu Mu pondered and said, "I originally thought you two could get to know each other through letters, and then see if your personalities match. But the key is that time doesn't wait for anyone. Your father's resources aren't always available; some resources have a time limit, and if you miss them, they're gone."

Gu Fu interjected, "We can't be too hasty; we need to make sure his character is good."

Gu Mu agreed, "That's true. A man with a bad character, no matter how excellent, should not be married."

Gu Caiwei blinked and continued, "As the saying goes, 'One's handwriting reflects their character.' His character seems to be fine."

Gu Mu, a lover of calligraphy, also believed in this and agreed, "Indeed, from his handwriting, his character should be good."

Gu Fu took a sip of tea and said, "If his character is good and he is capable, then we should move faster."

Gu Mu thought for a moment and looked at her daughter, "Vivian, how about I go with you to Fujian?"

Gu Caiwei was surprised, "Mom, do you mean we go directly to Fujian to meet him?"

Gu Mu nodded, "Since he is a public servant, we know what position he holds. We can go to his workplace to observe him. If his appearance is fine and his reputation is good, we can meet and talk directly. After all, you two are writing letters to each other with the intention of getting to know each other as potential partners."

Gu Caiwei was a bit hesitant but asked, "Mom, is that appropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. As the ancients said, great achievers don't get bogged down by trivialities. As long as the result is good, the process doesn't matter."

With that, Gu Mu looked at her husband and asked, "Old Gu, what do you think?"

Gu Fu pondered and said, "I have no objections, but this era is not peaceful. If you really plan to go to Fujian, I'll send two people to ensure your safety."

Seeing her husband didn't object, Gu Mu decided, "Then it's settled."

Gu Caiwei thought about the letter she hadn't yet sent and said, "Mom, even if we decide to go, it can't be so soon. Let's wait a while, and I'll write him a few more letters. Once we know each other better, it won't be too awkward when we meet."

Gu Mu paused and nodded, "That's fine. Let's go in May or June. By then, the weather will be warmer, and we won't need to carry so much luggage. We can also try the lychees there."

Gu Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief. With a few months' buffer, she and Deng Yunheng could write several more letters and get to know each other better, making the meeting less awkward.

Gu Fu had no objections. He was very open-minded compared to people of his time.

...

Naye Village.

On the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the village was bound to hold a social event.

In the Shuangwang region, every place that held a social event had a social head. The social head, as the name suggests, was responsible for arranging all the details of the event.

The social head did not need to have high prestige in the clan like a clan head; they just needed to be honest, fair, and capable of organizing the event.

The social head of Naye Village was named Deng Yunkun. When Deng Shirong planned to turn his mountain into an orchard, he selected several honest and hardworking villagers to help, including Deng Yunkun and his two sons.

The social event was not a clan-wide affair. The Deng clan of Naye was spread across more than twenty natural villages, and the social events were also held in different natural villages.

For example, Naye Village's social event was held jointly with Yangdipu, Hengmenkou, Zhadu, Shanying, Shanggaoxing, and Laowu. The clans in other natural villages also held joint social events with nearby villages.

At this moment, the village butcher was slaughtering a pig, while Deng Yunkun was checking the accounts with his helpers.

After finishing the accounts, Deng Yunkun sighed, "In the past, many families would just record their debts for the social event and slowly pay them back. Most families would share one social event, and those who could afford their own were already very well-off.

In recent years, no family has been in debt for the social event. Everyone can afford their own, and many can even afford two or three. The changes have been so rapid."

The clan member in charge of collecting social money laughed, "That's true. In the past, when we collected social money from each household, we could barely collect enough to cook the social porridge. Social money was always in debt, sometimes for years.

Now, under the leadership of the clan head, every household has become wealthy. We will never be in debt for the social event again."

At the mention of the clan head, all the clan members present praised him.

To the clan members of Naye Deng, the clan head was as great as a leader.

Especially those who were once very poor, they were extremely grateful to the clan head.

After all, without the clan head leading them to prosperity, how could they enjoy such a life without worrying about food and clothing and having tens of thousands of savings?

While the villagers were busy with the social event, Deng Shirong was accompanying Dean Huang and his team as they walked along the village river.

The new village river was almost completed, but some large rocks still needed to be moved to line the riverbanks, so they hadn't yet diverted the river to the new section.

However, this didn't affect Dean Huang's design work.

After walking the entire new village river, Dean Huang's assistants took photos and made detailed records.

On the way back, Deng Shirong asked, "Dean Huang, how long will it take to get the design drawings?"

President Huang smiled and said, "With just a few minor adjustments, it should take about half a month to complete the design renderings."

Deng Shirong replied, "Once the renderings are done, give me a call."

President Huang nodded and said, "Also, regarding the wastewater treatment plant, I've placed it at the downstream end of the river. The treated wastewater will be discharged directly downstream. What do you think, Mr. Deng?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's fine. Let's do it that way."

Although the discharged water would be treated and not cause pollution, it was still best to release it downstream rather than in the village's river section.

After discussing the main matters, President Huang asked, "Mr. Deng, I heard your village is slaughtering a pig. Is there a special occasion?"

Deng Shirong replied, "Today is our village's social event, the 'Zu She.' You should be familiar with it, right?"

President Huang nodded in understanding. As an expert in ancient architecture, he had a deeper understanding of Chinese folk culture than most people. He smiled and said, "That's quite a coincidence. Can I see the 'Zu She' in action?"

"Of course, there's no taboo about it. Today, you and your team can try our 'She Zhou' (social porridge) as well."

"That's great; I've always been interested in these folk traditions."

...

Back in the village, with nothing else to do, Deng Shirong took President Huang to the social event site to experience the rural folk culture of Bobai County, Guangxi.

When they arrived, large pieces of pork were already being cooked in a big iron pot.

Once the pork was thoroughly cooked, the water turned into a meat broth. Rice was added to cook the porridge. When it was almost done, pig blood was added, and then it was seasoned.

The 'She Zhou' cooked this way had an excellent flavor, especially when eaten on-site, adding a unique taste.

Deng Shirong took President Huang and his team to experience the joy of eating 'She Zhou' on-site.

After finishing the porridge, the social meat was distributed.

As mentioned earlier, the most fair activity in rural areas is the distribution of social meat. A whole pig is cut into small pieces, and then the meat is evenly distributed according to the number of social shares.

Each share typically includes pork, liver, sausage, large intestine, lungs, heart, ears, ribs, feet, and tail.

Because the distribution is extremely fair, in Bobai's rural areas, when people talk about fairness, they often use the distribution of social meat as a reference.

President Huang and his team also witnessed the entire process of distributing the social meat, which was so meticulous that it earned their praise.

After receiving the social meat, Deng Shirong prepared a large table of dishes to entertain President Huang and his team.

After a satisfying meal and a night's stay at Deng Shirong's house, President Huang and his team left the next day.

...

The Qingming Festival for ancestral worship is not limited to just the day of Qingming but extends over a month.

In the future, the Ye Deng clan, whether for ancestral worship or clearing the mountains, generally schedules these activities after the Spring Equinox and chooses weekends to make it easier for those working to arrange their time to return for the activities.

Although there are no weekends in the current era, Deng Shirong still set the ancestral worship for the first weekend after the Spring Equinox. Originally, it was planned to pause after two days and continue the following weekend.

However, Deng Shirong didn't want to waste time by going back and forth, so he set a continuous five-day period for the ancestral worship.

With the ancestral worship just two days away, Deng Shirong called a meeting with the clan members responsible for the ancestral worship. These members were primarily from the clan temple council.

Once everyone had gathered, Deng Shirong said, "Fellow clan members, the ancestral worship begins the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, relatives from various places and the aunts and older sisters will start arriving. How is everyone's preparation coming along?"

Deng YunGui said, "Ninth Uncle, we are all prepared."

"Last year, many relatives came for the temple consecration."

Deng Shirong picked up his smoking pipe, stuffed tobacco into the mouthpiece, and said, "This year, it's the first ancestral worship in over twenty years. Given the impact of last year's temple consecration, I believe even more relatives will come this year. Therefore, everyone needs to be well-prepared to host them properly."

Deng YunQiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, Ninth Uncle. We've already considered this. Even if the number of relatives coming for the ancestral worship is twice that of last year's temple consecration, we can still host them well."

Deng Shirong lit the tobacco with a lighter, took a few puffs, and said, "Since everything is arranged, I'm relieved!"

Next, they discussed some details of the ancestral worship.

After finishing the main discussion, they chatted about family matters for a while. As it was getting late, everyone left.

...

The Xin Tian Deng clan.

Not long ago, the ancestral land had sent representatives to inform them of the specific time for the ancestral worship. With only one day left before returning to the ancestral land, the clan head, Deng Changfa, gathered the clan members to discuss the upcoming ancestral worship.

Once everyone had gathered, Deng Changfa said, "Fellow clan members, the ancestral worship at Naye will take place the day after tomorrow. We need to leave tomorrow. Those who want to participate, please sign up."

"I want to go."

"Clan head, count me in."

"I must go. I missed the temple consecration last year, and I can't miss the ancestral worship this year!"

"Count me in too. I want to see the new temple at the ancestral land and check if it's as beautiful as the brothers say."

"Me too, I want to go."

"..."

As soon as Deng Changfa finished speaking, the clan members eagerly signed up.

Those who had attended the temple consecration last year didn't need to be asked. They were treated as honored guests by the brothers at the ancestral land. Now, with the ancestral worship resuming after over twenty years, they naturally wouldn't miss it.

Those who didn't attend the temple consecration last year were envious of those who did, as they were treated like honored guests by their brothers at the ancestral land. They all regretted not going and were determined not to miss this year's ancestral worship.

Thus, the number of people signing up more than doubled compared to last year.

Seeing this, Deng Changfa couldn't help but smile. Ancestral worship was a major event involving the entire clan, and the more people participated, the better. The more people who attended, the more prosperous the clan's descendants would appear, which was a good thing for every clan.

Therefore, Deng Changfa said happily, "Alright, let's count the number of people now. Meet at the brigade at 10 AM tomorrow, and we'll set off together."

...

Similar scenes were happening in other branches of the clan.

After the temple consecration, those who hadn't been to the Naye ancestral land were very curious and wanted to see the new temple that their brothers had praised so highly.

Thus, the number of people signing up from each branch increased dramatically, almost doubling.

Again, the more people who attended the ancestral worship, the better. Therefore, no branch of the clan limited the number of participants.

...

The next day.

The clan members from various branches crowded onto the trucks arranged by the clan, heading for the Naye ancestral land in a grand procession. Each truck had a large flag with the Deng surname, and some even brought gongs and drums, making a lively scene as they traveled.

As they passed through some towns, the residents were buzzing with curiosity.

"Hey, what's going on with all the gongs and drums and the big Deng flag? Are they going to fight with another clan?"

"No, they're going for ancestral worship."

"Ancestral worship? Why so much fuss?"

"You're too young, so you don't understand. In recent years, most surnames have only been clearing the mountains, and few have held ancestral worship. But in the past, ancestral worship was common. The Dengs are likely resuming their ancestral worship. I wonder when our Zhang surname will do the same."

"What's the difference between clearing the mountains and ancestral worship?"

"A big difference. Clearing the mountains just involves tidying up the graves and offering some pork. Ancestral worship, on the other hand, involves a ‘master of ceremonies’ leading the clan members in kneeling and bowing, reading memorial texts, and more. The ceremony is much more complex."

"Sounds interesting. Why doesn't our Zhang surname hold ancestral worship now?"

"Not just our Zhang surname, but all surnames have stopped holding ancestral worship in recent years. The reasons are complicated, but anyone who tried to do it back then would have faced serious consequences. People are still scared from those times."

"Since the Dengs are now holding ancestral worship, it should be safe, right?"

"Yeah, it should be safe now. Let's tell the clan leaders. We can't do it this year, but we can definitely resume ancestral worship next year."

...

Since the various branches of the Naye Deng clan had to travel along the Bolong Highway, several trucks with the Deng flag would pass through the towns along the way at intervals.

This scene made people from other surnames envious.

After all, their own surnames only held simple mountain-clearing ceremonies, while the Dengs had a grand ancestral worship. The contrast was stark.

It's like during the holidays, your family might have a quiet gathering, while your neighbors have a lively feast. The atmosphere is completely different.

With the Dengs leading the way in ancestral worship, more surnames are likely to join in next year.

...

At the entrance of the new Naye Deng clan temple.

Just like during the temple consecration, 500 tables were set up at the entrance, each laden with candies, cookies, sunflower seeds, peanuts, melon strips, and various other snacks and tea.

Nearby, temporary stoves with twenty to thirty pots were cooking pork, the aroma wafting through the air, making everyone's mouths water.

As the time approached noon, clan members and aunts and older sisters began to arrive.

Speaking of this, it's worth noting the rules for mountain-clearing and ancestral worship in Shuangwang. Married daughters of the Deng clan can return to participate in clan activities, but their husbands and children cannot.

[The author's grandfather passed away early, and the author doesn't even know where he is buried, having never visited. It's not that he didn't want to, but Shuangwang has a rule that grandchildren cannot visit their grandparents' graves.]



As clan members and aunts and older sisters arrived, the scene became lively. The Naye Deng clan had already arranged dedicated personnel to welcome these guests.

Some of these guests were visiting the Naye Deng clan for the first time and were eager to see the new temple.

As expected, everyone was thoroughly impressed. Even though their clan brothers had already described how magnificent and beautiful the temple was, seeing it in person was a completely different experience.

The family merit stone of Deng Shirong also gave these guests a small sense of awe, but they were already prepared for it, so it wasn't as shocking.

After visiting the temple, these guests felt a sense of pride. After all, Naye was their ancestral land, and the ancestors enshrined in the temple were their ancestors.

The greatness of the Naye Deng clan was a source of pride for them.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end