1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 508: Outdated Customs and Bad Habits
One night connects two years, and five watches divide two years.

As one of the most important festivals in China, the older generation in rural northern China attaches great importance to New Year's Eve in a way that the younger generation cannot understand.

………………

"Hey, Yang Mo, are mom and dad... a little angry with me?"

Mu Liya, who was scattering sesame stalks one by one in the yard, glanced at the two elders who were busy in the kitchen, and asked in a low voice with some anxiety.

A 1.8-meter-tall useless guy put down his load with a grin, then poured half a bucket of water into the water tank in the yard. He took a long breath and asked curiously, "Why do you think so?"

Miss Mu, who had specially changed into a pink woolen coat today, was piling dried sesame stalks one by one on the ground in the yard like noodles, with a somewhat aggrieved expression: "My parents only said a few words to me when I came back this morning... and then they ignored me."

As he spoke, he glanced cautiously towards the kitchen, his tone somewhat anxious: "Is it because I haven't been back to see my parents much in the past two months since we got married, so they are angry? But, but...but I can't get away, right?"

It’s no wonder Miss Mu thought so. The two of them drove back early in the morning and brought large and small bags of gifts that they had carefully selected.

But Yang's father and mother just took the gifts with a smile, asked about their well-being warmly, and before any of the daughters-in-law could present their gifts, they sent the two of them out to work and went straight into the kitchen.

Mu Liya had never seen such a scene in her life. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been the most popular little moon. Whenever she went to other people's homes during the Chinese New Year, the elders would inevitably put down what they were doing, surround her enthusiastically, hold her hands, and chatter non-stop about all kinds of family matters. This kind of enthusiasm even made her a little overwhelmed.

But the result was that today she was quite willing to let her mother-in-law hold her hand and chatter non-stop, and she was even ready to put in her utmost effort to please her mother-in-law, but she stuffed two large bundles of sesame stalks bought from the village street into her arms, and then asked her to spread the sesame stalks in the yard, while she went into the kitchen and was busy until now and has not shown up.

Miss Mu, who had never been treated so coldly since she was a child, naturally couldn't help but think too much.

After thinking about it, I probably felt that the fact that I had not been able to spare the time and opportunity to visit my parents-in-law after marriage might have made them angry.

It is said that traditions are very important in rural areas. The daughter-in-law has been married for more than three months, but has only come back to visit once. I guess in their eyes, this is extremely unfilial, right?

But there was nothing I could do. Right after I got married, the company launched a brand overseas expansion plan. I spent almost three months in the island country busy with work. Even if I wanted to come back to visit my parents-in-law, I couldn't find the time!

It's the same with my parents-in-law. Their son is a department-level cadre, and their daughter-in-law is doing well too. The family doesn't lack that little money, but they still can't bear to pull a telephone line into the house. Even if I want to call them from time to time to say hello like I would my own parents, I don't even have the chance!

Yang Mo looked at the anxious expression on his wife's face and laughed, "How can my parents be so stingy? Their son is so successful and married such a beautiful and virtuous wife. They are so happy and distressed that they don't have time to be angry with you!"

"Besides, although my parents haven't received much education, they are not unreasonable people. You are abroad all day because of work. They are worried about you. Why would they be angry because you don't have time to come back to see them?"

Hearing this, Mu Liya couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but her tone was a little unconfident: "Really?"

Yang Mo shrugged, "You've never lived in the countryside before, so you don't know our customs... New Year's Eve is the most important day of the year for us, so we can't miss anything, and we can't miss the time, otherwise it will be unlucky. This is a big deal, and we can't delay it even if the king of heaven comes, so we naturally don't have time to chat with their sons and daughters-in-law now."

After saying that, Yang Mo pointed to the empty bucket in his hand, looking aggrieved: "Do you know what this is?"

Miss Mu looked as if she was dumbfounded: "Bucket! You don't think I've never seen a bucket, do you?"

Yang Mo shook his head, looking miserable: "No, this is called [Sa Sui], to be precise, it is part of Sa Sui... On New Year's Eve here, we must clean the courtyard thoroughly and fill the water tank. This is an important part of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new. Even if you have a water pipe or a well at home, you still have to do it... My parents got up after four in the morning to clean the yard. Naturally, I, as a son, have to do the hard work of fetching water... Filling such a big water tank is so tiring!"

After saying that, he pointed at the half bundle of sesame stalks at his wife's feet with envy: "Similarly, what you are doing now is also part of scattering the new year... To put it simply, after sweeping the yard clean, scatter these sesame stalks on the ground, which is called [stepping on the new year]... Since [Sui] and [Sui] are homophones, this means to scatter and trample the evil spirits in the hope of good luck in the new year; at the same time, there is a folk saying that sesame flowers bloom higher and higher, so stepping on the new year with sesame stalks has the auspicious sign of rising higher and higher, and is the most important part of New Year's Eve."

At this point, Yang Mo had an expression of being abandoned: "Letting their own son do such a tiring job as fetching water, and letting their own daughter-in-law do such an easy and important job, how partial are parents... Isn't this the typical example of not wanting their son after having a daughter-in-law!?"

Hearing that her job was so important, Miss Mu, who was experiencing the local customs for the first time, immediately became happy. She first looked down on her husband with pride, and then poked her head towards the kitchen: "What are our parents busy with?"

Sensing the uncertainty in his wife's tone, Yang Mo curled his lips and said, "What else can I do? I have to prepare offerings for the New Year's Eve... Didn't you see our parents killing chickens and fish?"

As he spoke, Yang Mo looked at the water tank, which was only 1/3 full of water, and then looked at the sky. He then took out a cigarette and lit it up, "Our house is an old-style courtyard. On the left and right walls of the main house, which is the north house, there is a small temple-like shrine. "

"The one on the left is called [Heaven and Earth Hall], which is dedicated to the gods, to ensure good weather and a good harvest next year;"

"The one on the right is called the [House God Hall], which is dedicated to the door gods. It is to protect our family's safety in the next year, and to protect the house from thieves and people from unexpected disasters."

"You know, in our rural areas, there is probably nothing more important than keeping the house safe from fire and thieves, keeping the family healthy and safe, and having a good harvest in the fields;"

"Therefore, at noon on New Year's Eve, every household will set up an altar in front of the Heaven and Earth Hall and hold a ceremony to worship the heavens... As for the offerings, it depends on the situation. Generally, if the conditions permit, they will offer [five bowls of meat], that is, chicken, fish, meat, elbow, and meatballs, plus five plates of assorted cakes, five plates of fresh fruits, five plates of dried fruits, and two jujube cakes... Two steamed buns with red dots on them must be piled on top of the jujube cakes."

At this point, Yang Mo couldn't help smacking his lips. "In theory, the cakes and other things in these offerings can be bought directly on the street, but my parents said that their son was able to marry a daughter-in-law like you, which was completely God's blessing, so in order to show our sincerity, we have to make everything ourselves."

"Tsk tsk, there are so many things that need to be made, and they need to be finished before the noon ceremony to offer sacrifices to the gods. Do you think they can be busy?"

Hearing that so many things had to be made in just one morning, Miss Mu was immediately shocked. Looking at the two elders who were still busy in the kitchen, her eyes finally no longer had the previous anxiety.

It turns out that he didn't have any problem with his daughter-in-law, but he was really too busy to get away!

Sensing the change in his wife's expression, Yang Mo carefully threw the cigarette butt into the trash can, then sighed and carried the bucket on the pole: "There's no need to spread the sesame stalks so neatly, just spread them all over the yard... Also, hurry up, we have to pray for the door gods and post couplets later... We have to do it before the heaven sacrifice."

Miss Mu, who had never known that the New Year could be so busy, blinked her eyes and said, "Yang Mo, what else do you guys have to do with New Year's Eve? Tell me all of it first, so I can be prepared."

Yang Mo tilted his head and thought for a while: "Actually, it's nothing. In addition to inviting the door gods, we also have to bring out the portraits of our ancestors... No, our family is a small one, we don't have portraits of our ancestors... We have to bring out the ancestral tablets, and then hang up the family hall scroll to worship our ancestors."

"After dinner, around 5 to 7 p.m., our family will go to welcome the gods... Dad will lead the way, holding a wooden square plate with two sesame stalks and a long paper strip called "soul guide" (commonly known as long money) on the plate, as well as incense, wine, and paper money. Then we will go to the road outside the door to burn incense and report to the ancestors, reporting our family's situation and achievements this year, and then invite the ancestors to come into the house in the long money to see our family's situation... We have no say in this matter, so we will just lead the way with lanterns in our hands, and after inviting the ancestors, we will burn paper at the main gate, the second gate, and the house door to ask the door gods to make way and let them pass."

At this point, Yang Mo added, "Of course, after inviting the ancestors into the house, you have to offer the attached souls in front of the ancestral tablets, then serve dumplings and light incense and candles; in my family, starting with my father, everyone from the oldest to the youngest has to kowtow to the ancestors... ...When you, the new daughter-in-law, kowtow, don't forget to introduce yourself to the ancestors."

Mu Liya was a little dumbfounded: "Introduce yourself? How... introduce yourself?"

Yang Mo chuckled, "It's not complicated. Just tell me your name and age, where you're from, when you got married, how you're doing in your husband's family, and when you plan to give birth to a fat boy for our Yang family... From my generation forward, our Yang family's ancestors for 18 generations were all honest peasants who didn't have much education. If you tell me too much, our ancestors won't be able to remember!"

Mu Liya chuckled when she heard this, then lightly hit Yang Mo: "Still honest? You must be lying to me. How can you even tell your ancestors when you plan to have a child? I'll ask our mom later... I don't believe you!"

After saying that, he thought for a moment: "Besides these, is there anything else I need to prepare today?"

Yang Mo shrugged. "The rest are some very common activities. For example, after paying respects to our ancestors, it's time to say goodbye to the old year... We two young people have to kowtow to our parents to say goodbye to the old year."

"After saying goodbye to the old year, it's time to stay up all night... Dad has to sit obediently under the ancestral tablet and can't talk or move around. Then mom and I have to start making dumplings;"

"Of course, although our dad can't move around, the three of us don't have to be so particular. We'll knead the dough and mix the stuffing... Anyway, I'm definitely not going to be able to escape the hard work of kneading the dough, so it depends on what you're good at... If you really don't have anything good, then you can just make dumplings with everyone else."

After finishing speaking, Yang Mo scratched his head and said, "That's about it. As for the rest, it's not something we should do today on New Year's Eve. I'll tell you in detail when the time comes." Miss Mu was a little upset when she heard this: "You mean tomorrow is the first day of the new year, do you have any other customs here?"

Yang Mo said as if it was a matter of course: "Of course, everyone must get up before dawn on the first day of the new year, and eat vegetarian dumplings before dawn. Then change into new clothes from head to toe. Men wear new hats, and women wear red flowers. Then go door to door to wish everyone a happy new year. What to say to each elder and what etiquette to perform are slightly different. It's hard to explain right now, so I'll explain it to you in detail later."

"Also... although our family is not of high rank, it is not low either, so we have to prepare a lot of lucky money in advance and carry it with us. The little brats in the village are very naughty and they might rush out to kowtow to you halfway. If they kowtow to you, you have to give them lucky money. If you don't prepare enough, it will be embarrassing if you don't have any red envelopes with you when the time comes."

"Besides that, the sending off of gods and grabbing of wealth on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and the [breaking the fifth] on the fifth day, all have their own particularities. And depending on the different backgrounds of each family, especially between military households and non-military households, the details of each aspect vary greatly... But we have to go back to Dongying on the third day of the Lunar New Year, so there is no need to understand breaking the fifth."

Mu Liya felt uneasy when she heard this, and couldn't help but look a little bitter: "Why do we have so many rules for celebrating the New Year? Isn't it good to celebrate the New Year happily and comfortably? Do you have to make yourself so tired?"

Yang Mo glanced at the displeasure in her eyes and smiled softly: "Although it's a bit tiring, this is the new year atmosphere!"

Mu Liya curled her lips: "It has the flavor of the New Year, but I am exhausted. I have worked so hard for a whole year and finally have a long holiday during the Spring Festival, but it is more tiring than going to work. No wonder some young people in the city would rather stay in the company to work overtime than go home for the New Year... What era is this? There are still so many old customs. Is it necessary?"

Hearing this argument that is somewhat similar to that of later generations, Yang Mo couldn't help but laugh: "When I was young, like you, I was also very reluctant to come back for the New Year. I felt that these messy customs were purely asking for trouble. Wouldn't it be nice to sleep soundly at home for a few days? Why do I have to do so many things to make myself upset?"

"But as I got older, my view on this matter changed a lot. Now, I treasure these so-called old customs even more... Maybe in a few years, you may not be able to see these so-called old customs again."

Hearing her man speaking in such an old man's tone, Mu Liya couldn't help but feel a little strange.

What does "When I was young" mean?
Come on, you are only 26 years old this year. Even if you have experienced a lot in the past two years, there is no need to act like a 62-year-old, right?

and also,

What does it mean that “my thoughts have changed drastically without me noticing”?

Even I, a small section-level cadre, am exhausted. As a general manager who manages two companies at the same time, don’t you want to take advantage of the New Year holiday to relax and have a good rest?
Yang Mo caught the incomprehension and disapproval in Mu Liya's eyes, and couldn't help but smile: "Ya'er, do you know why it is so common to believe in religion in Europe and America, especially in Europe? If you are very devout in your faith, it is actually a big plus for employers?"

He actually didn't want to cite examples from Europe and the United States, but he had no choice; that was the trend of the time.

As expected, Mu Liya opened her mouth wide when she heard this: "It's like this in Europe? Why...?"

Finding that his woman had no doubts, Yang Mo grinned: "Because it's very simple, although humans claim to be advanced intelligent creatures, they still haven't gotten rid of their animal nature... Once they are not restrained, they will soon reveal their bestiality... Once the bestiality is greater than the human nature, that is, the social nature, then it will be a terrible disaster."

"In fact, due to the genetic differences between human races, the bestial instincts in Europe and America have always been more obvious. In the name of freedom, the social constraints are also weaker than in East Asia... Therefore, religious beliefs have become an effective means to restrain the bestial instincts to a certain extent."

At this point, Yang Mo habitually lit a cigarette, his tone not without sarcasm: "Don't be afraid of the power of heaven, don't trust other people's opinions, liberate your nature, be self-centered, do your own thing, be sophisticated and selfish... This is actually a very scary thing."

Mu Liya suddenly understood why Yang Mo said that having a devout faith in Europe is actually a plus. Then, considering the previous exclamation, she understood what Yang Mo meant: "You mean...?"

Yang Mo smiled bitterly: "In fact, scholars have always put forward such a concept: only a sufficiently developed civilization will give birth to those etiquette and rituals, and the more complicated and less bloody these etiquette and rituals are, the more developed the civilization is."

"In fact, the development mentioned here does not refer to how advanced the technology and productivity are, but refers to the people in this civilized system. The social constraints are stronger and the beast instincts will be suppressed more... After all, humans are social creatures. From a macro perspective, the benefits of strong social constraints are obvious."

This was not difficult to understand, so Miss Mu nodded in agreement easily.

Yang Mo flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "Whether you are willing to admit it or not, a person's ability to suppress his animal instincts is actually not closely related to the amount of knowledge he has. Instead, it is determined by the intensity of the suppression of the social legal system and his own moral level... IQ does not represent wisdom, knowledge level does not represent cognitive level, and high education does not represent high quality. This is something that everyone with a little social experience knows very well."

"The reason why we put the four words, the intensity of social legal repression and the level of morality together, is because the word morality cannot withstand cold and rational scrutiny... Apart from the little bit of conscience and compassion that most people are born with, the morality of most people is actually a value standard and behavioral standard derived from the word [fear]."

"The fear that one does not have the ability to survive independently outside of the small social system;"

“The fear of being separated from one’s current job, skills and social roles and being able to survive independently;”

“Fear caused by aversion to loss, whether tangible or intangible;”

"Because of the fear of punishment and death;"

"Because of the fear of losing spiritual sustenance and the fear of self-worth denial caused by the extinction of hope;"

"And so on and so forth...and so on."

After shrugging his shoulders, Yang Mo said in a light tone: "It is undeniable that the rural grassroots of China today generally have a low level of education. In addition, their living circles are generally small and closed. Therefore, to a certain extent, their ability to suppress animality should be very weak."

"But the fact is just not so. Even though there are still various problems at the grassroots level in rural areas, and even some things that are hard to bear, it is undeniable that Chinese farmers are probably the most simple, kind, easily satisfied, and honest group in the world."

"Why did such a serious violation of common sense occur?"

"The reason is very simple. Today, rural areas in China still retain a small value system and underlying operating logic based on simple social moral values... This is an invisible net. Once you violate this value system and underlying operating logic, you will be gradually excluded from this small social ecological system. This is a very scary thing for the people who live in a relatively closed circle."

"So in order not to be abandoned by this value system that has been in operation for thousands of years, they will restrain themselves and domesticate themselves through a set of methods that may be difficult for outsiders to understand... and the various cumbersome etiquette and customs during the New Year are an important part of this."

“Respecting ancestors, honoring ancestors, respecting heaven and earth, respecting the old and loving the young, living in harmony with the village, placing hope on the future, granting the privilege of praying to the gods to those military households who can protect their personal safety… and so on, these are the meanings of these cumbersome rituals;”

"They may not have read many books, but this does not prevent them from repeatedly suggesting and reinforcing the cultural traditions of China that have been proven to be excellent and valuable for thousands of years in these etiquettes that seem a little ridiculous to young people, and then integrating and feeding back into their daily behavioral norms."

"The heavens and the earth are worthy of awe, ancestors are worthy of respect, there are gods above our heads, there are things we can do and things we cannot do, no matter how poor or miserable we are, we must not lose face for our ancestors... and so on and so forth. These simple concepts may be extremely ridiculous and contemptuous to those self-centered young people who actually know nothing about this society, but how many people can really understand the wisdom contained in them?"

"These things that can achieve logical self-consistency and support self-consistency in operation at a deep level are actually the pillars of maintaining the grassroots social ecology in rural areas. They are also the basis for the rural areas to keep the imperial power from going to the countryside in the past, and they are also the soil that can still present decentralized characteristics today... If you regard them as outdated customs and bad habits in a condescending manner, it only shows that you lack the necessary understanding of the grassroots of rural areas in China."

At this point, Yang Mo sighed with emotion: "However, with the further development of the national economy and the gradual acceleration of urbanization, driven by interests, cities will inevitably produce stronger and stronger labor siphoning power... I am afraid that within ten years, the operating ecology that has been maintained for thousands of years in many rural areas will collapse, and the value ecology and humanistic ecology will naturally disappear gradually... By then, it will be unlikely to see such cumbersome and rich New Year customs again!"

Although Yang Mo's words were a little obscure, Mu Liya still saw the subtle worry in her man's words. Knowing that Yang Mo had been committed to revitalizing the rural grassroots economy in the past two years, she vaguely realized something.

This……

Is this just the persistence of a farmer's son?
To be honest, Muliya was not optimistic about her man's persistence at all.

but…………

Is it possible that the busyness and bustle of the Chinese New Year will never be seen again in the future?
Come to think of it, it’s actually quite a pity.

Thinking of this, Mu Liya leaned over and carefully arranged a sesame stalk...

(End of this chapter)