“Everything has been settled with the clan. As soon as the New Rice Festival concludes, the three boys will set out.”
“When the time comes, my eldest son will go along to look after them.”
When Wang Chengye returned, he happened to run into Song Xingjian.
Hearing Song Xingjian’s words, Wang Chengye had no idea whether Song Song and the others would have a smooth journey taking the provincial examination this time.
Hiding his inner thoughts, he offered a smiling compliment, “Then I shall quietly await the good news from the official messenger here in the village.”
“Hahaha, from your lips to God’s ears!”
Truth be told, Song Xingjian had wanted the three of them to leave earlier, but with the New Rice Festival right around the corner, waiting these extra two days would make little difference.
To the local people, the New Rice Festival was an exceedingly important day.
On this day, they celebrated the harvest and gave thanks to the land and their ancestors.
The date was not fixed. When the rice in the fields turned golden and the aroma of grain filled the air, the village elders would choose an auspicious day.
Generally, two dates were selected. The first auspicious day was used to “gather the new.”
The chosen elder would select a patch of farmland, pick three of the longest and fullest ears of rice, cut them down, and reverently hold them up toward the heavens, chanting prayers for favorable weather in the coming year and expressing gratitude for the gifts of heaven and earth.
Once the chanting was finished, those holding sickles would, at the elder’s signal, rush into the farmland with joyful cheers to begin harvesting.
After the rice was harvested, it still had to undergo threshing, stir-roasting, and husking.
When all preparations were complete, on the second chosen date, women from every household would bring out the fresh rice they had been reluctant to eat and steam a generous pot of it.
While waiting for the fresh rice to steam, every household would set up an offering table to honor their ancestors with the new rice, alongside melon, fruit, and liquor.
Immediately following this, they would prepare an additional portion of new rice and cooked meat to offer to the household dog or ox.
For according to legend, it was the dog that braved all hardships to bring back grain seeds.
As for the ox, its contribution lay in painstaking plowing and helping humanity break new ground.
The local people used this custom to express their gratitude toward their animal companions.
Once these rituals were completed, the liveliest part of the festival arrived.
Everyone would bring their steamed rice and home-cooked dishes to the widest flat courtyard in the village, where young and old alike gathered to enjoy the fruits of the harvest together.
This was the first time Wang Zhaoming had ever participated in such a collective event.
She sat obediently in the spot arranged for her by Wen Caimei, admiring the joy of harvest written on everyone’s face.
The adults bustled back and forth in their business, while the children were not idle either, playing and laughing together.
Quite a few people cast striking, assessing glances toward Wang Zhaoming.
Ignoring these looks, Wang Zhaoming dutifully played the role of a delicate, exquisite porcelain doll beside Wen Caimei.
Many people approached Wen Caimei to inquire about Wang Zhaoming.
Now that she had regained her clarity, even if she was somewhat spoiled, she could still do household chores if taught well after marriage.
She could also bear children.
Furthermore, considering Wang Zhaoming’s previous condition, the Wang family likely would not have the nerve to ask for a high bride price.
Calculating it this way, marrying Wang Zhaoming into the family seemed like a very good deal.
Little did they expect that their subtle inquiries would all be brushed off by Wen Caimei, who declared that they intended to recruit a matrilocal son-in-law for Wang Zhaoming.
Those inquiring could not quite understand Wen Caimei’s decision.
“You have two sons and both grandsons and granddaughters. Why do you still need your daughter to recruit a matrilocal son-in-law? Aren’t you afraid that after he joins the family, he’ll fight with your two sons over the family property and cause domestic strife?”
Wen Caimei wore a peaceful smile. “Once the household is split, each family will live their own lives. If the family property is distributed to them in advance, the issues you worry about won’t exist.”
“I only have this one daughter. I can’t bear to let her suffer in someone else’s home.”
“Even for a matrilocal son-in-law, we have our requirements. It’s not as if just any man will do.”
In these times, men willing to marry into a bride’s family were either eyeing the family’s wealth, or came from poor households with too many sons where life was unsustainable, leading the parents to send away their least favored son.
Their family had no vast fortune, so if they really recruited a son-in-law, anyone willing to come would be from the latter group.
How could Wen Caimei ever look favorably upon such a man?
Gazing at her daughter’s fair face, Wen Caimei felt immensely proud.
If they could not find a suitable match, they would rather their daughter remain unmarried for the rest of her life.
In any case, the two of them were still in decent health and could work for a few more years.
Later, they would figure out ways to raise pigs and leave a bigger safety net for their daughter.
The people present exchanged glances, all feeling that Wen Caimei was indulging in wild fantasies.
The way they looked at Wang Zhaoming became noticeably less enthusiastic.
They wanted to find a daughter-in-law for their sons who was considerate and could help share the household chores, not ancestor-like royalty to be served on a pedestal.
Several women dropped the topic and began gossiping about the affairs of families that were not present.
Their conversation drifted into Wang Zhaoming’s ears with the breeze.
A faint, subtle smile curved at the corner of Wang Zhaoming’s lips.
After a morning of preparations, everyone sat down in family units alongside those they were familiar with.
Seated at the very center table was Song Xingjian, along with the highly respected elders of the village.
The elder chosen to preside over the New Rice Festival ceremony walked up to the offering table prepared in the center.
Seeing his actions, everyone who had been talking immediately fell silent, stood up, and turned their eyes toward the elder in unison.
The elder did not rush to speak. First, he pinched a small cluster of rice from the bowl of fresh rice on the table, placed it in his mouth, and chewed slowly.
His originally solemn expression gradually softened into a smile with the movement of chewing.
He lifted the first cup of liquor on the right side of the table. “Fellow villagers, today is a fine day. The new rice has entered the barn, and the year’s hard work has finally borne fruit.”
“This first cup of liquor is offered to Heaven, thanking the Heavens for bestowing favorable weather! This year’s rain arrived at just the right time, and the sunshine came at just the right time too! Without any unruly winds, the grains swelled full and plump!”
The elder leaned forward slightly and poured the cup of liquor onto the ground.
“To Heaven!”
Everyone shouted in unison, symbolically pouring a few drops of liquor from their own bowls onto the ground.
“The second offering!”
The elder lifted the second cup of liquor from the table.
“To this land! Generation after generation, our ancestors walked in this mud, leaving behind untold amounts of sweat on this earth. The land never fails its people, granting us such a grand harvest once again this year!”
“To the Earth!”
The second cup of liquor was poured onto the ground.
“To the Earth!”
“The third offering!”
“To everyone present! To the women of our village, who weeded the fields even when their backs were bent with exhaustion! To the men of our village, who carried heavy loads of grain even when the skin on their shoulders peeled from the sun! To the little children who were not idle either, picking up fallen ears of grain in the fields so that every single kernel returned to the granary!”
The elder did not pour out this third cup of liquor; instead, he brought it to his lips.
Just as everyone was about to drink along with him, he paused.
“As the old saying goes, there are three great hardships in life—punting a boat, forging iron, and selling tofu.”
“I would add one more line: farming the land.”
“Farming is indeed hard, but on a day like today, the hardship has passed, leaving only sweetness on our tongues.”
“Come! Raise your bowls, taste the new rice, and celebrate the harvest!”
“May the ears of grain every year be as long as a horse’s tail, and may every family’s granary be so full that the doors cannot shut! Cheers!”
Everyone burst into cheers and drank the liquor in their bowls to the last drop.
“Here’s to a bumper harvest!”
“Eat, eat! Pick up your chopsticks!”