Peninsula: I, a chaebol! I will never follow hidden rules.

"Selling glutinous rice balls, selling glutinous rice balls"
The waiter's glutinous rice balls are round and round.
A bowl of soup, perfectly round and full.
Three cents for a bowl

......"

Early in the morning, the cheerful and humorous song "Selling Tangyuan" rang out from the Li family's mansion in Chengnan City.

Today is the Lantern Festival, so playing this song is quite fitting.

However, a few nights ago, Li Zhixuan told Kim Tae-yeon that the Lantern Festival was also Valentine's Day in ancient times.

Another Valentine's Day has arrived, and this time we can't let Li Zhixuan and Shen Youna go out and have fun like we did on February 14th!

In theory, there is no public holiday for the Lantern Festival in South Korea, but people still hold some celebrations on this day.

Activities included setting off fireworks, burning down the moon house, playing with firecrackers, and flying kites.

Aside from kite flying, the other three celebrations take place at night, and the more rural the area, the more lively the celebrations become. Among them, the rat fire play is a unique activity of Jeju Island.

So, Yoona and the others planned to take Lee Chi-heon to the countryside of Jeju Island for the holiday today.

However, Li Zhixuan is going back to the Li family to pay respects to his ancestors today.

South Korea has a custom of ancestor worship on the Lantern Festival. Ordinary families may not be so particular about it, but the Lee family is a chaebol, and such a wealthy family would definitely not be careless about it.

"You all stay home and rest well. I'll be back after lunch and I won't delay taking you to Jeju Island for the holidays."

After breakfast, Li Zhixuan was going back to the Li family mansion.

The women all told him to be careful on the road, and Lin Yoona also said, "Be careful on the road, and remember to light a cigarette when you come back, and wait outside for a while before going home."

Why light a cigarette? And why wait outside for a while?

Because Li Zhixuan was going to pay respects to his ancestors, those people were his "ancestors," whether he acknowledged them or not.

But for Yoona, those things felt like ghosts.

What if those things don't leave after the ritual is over, and even follow Li Zhixuan home?
The main problem is that there are four pregnant women in the family now, and three generations of the Li family are all here.

It's hard to guarantee that those "ancestors" won't come back to see their descendants.

Lin Yoona was worried that the four of them would be disturbed by those things from the underworld, so she asked Li Zhixuan to light a cigarette outside and stay a little longer before going home.

Because it is said that doing so will drive away those things.

Of course, this is entirely a feudal superstitious idea.

But the children in Lin Yoona's belly were all sent by Guanyin, how could she not be superstitious?

Besides, there's no harm in indulging in a little superstition. What if there really is such a thing?
Li Zhixuan understood Lin Yun'er's thoughts very well. Therefore, after he went out, he asked someone to buy him a cinnabar red envelope, a Buddhist amulet, a cross, and a small Bagua mirror, which he kept close to his body.

It's better to be safe than sorry! For the sake of the children, it's always good to be cautious.

Moreover, Li Zhixuan felt guilty. Because his body belonged to a tycoon's son, but his soul belonged to an orphan from China.

Living people wouldn't be able to tell, but if the Li family's ancestors really existed, they'd all be ancient ghosts. Wouldn't they be able to tell at a glance that their descendants had been possessed and resurrected?
Therefore, whether for the sake of the child or for his own sake, Li Zhixuan needs to make thorough preparations.

However, Li Zhengxian and the others must not know about this, otherwise bringing something to ward off evil spirits during ancestral worship would infuriate the old man.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Li Zhixuan returned to the Li family mansion.

Because they were going to pay respects to their ancestors, Lee Jung-hyun and Kim Bo-young looked very serious today, while the Lee brothers, Lee Chi-man and Lee Moe-mo, looked respectful.

Seeing this, Li Zhixuan naturally didn't dare to show a smile.

Upon seeing Li Zhixuan return, Li Zhengxian asked, "Did you drink alcohol this morning?"

"No, pregnant women can't drink alcohol, so none of us drank."

"Hmm." Li Zhengxian nodded, then instructed the steward, Li Taiguan, "Go and get Zhixuan a cup of wine."

"Yes."

In South Korea, there is a custom of drinking "ear-brightening wine" on the morning of the Lantern Festival. It is actually South Korean sake, and it is said that drinking it will make one's hearing and eyesight sharp for the whole year, but this is just a wishful thought.

After Li Zhixuan finished drinking, his family set off.

Although the Li family only consisted of five people, they set off as a convoy of eight vehicles.

The five members of the Li family were riding in a black luxury minibus, while the remaining dozens of people included bodyguards, workers, and some actors.

Because the Lee family is known as the top conglomerate in South Korea, yet the entire family only has five members, it's too tragic. Lee Jung-hyun felt ashamed to face his ancestors, so he hired some actors as decorations, at least to make it look like there were more people.

An hour later, they arrived at Bukyongsan Mountain, located between Suwon and Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, where the Lee family's cemetery is situated.

It's currently the Rain Water solar term, and the ground is starting to thaw, but the weather is still very cold. The North Dragon Mountain, at an altitude of over 300 meters, is desolate, covered in withered branches and fallen leaves, utterly devoid of life.

Seeing this scene intensifies the atmosphere of ancestor worship.

"Dad, Mom, are you tired? Why don't you take the car up?"

Although Beilong Mountain is only a little over 300 meters above sea level, the mountain road is winding and takes a long time to walk up.

Li Zhixuan was worried that the pampered Li Zhengxian and his wife would get tired, so he suggested taking a car up.

If you want to build a family cemetery on the mountain, you need at least a main road leading up the mountain to transport building materials, so taking a car up the mountain is not a problem.

Li Zhengxian immediately rejected his beloved son's suggestion: "Our ancestors worked hard to build this business. Can't our descendants even endure a little hardship like climbing a mountain? Let's go, let's climb up!"

"it is good!"

Now that Li Zhixuan has shown his filial piety, Li Zhengxian can go mountain climbing if he wants.

More than half an hour later, they arrived at the Li family cemetery located on the mountaintop.

From the outside, the Li family cemetery appears as a grand mansion with blue tiles and white walls, exuding a classical Eastern style.

Pushing open the door, a path led directly to a grand hall-like building, which was the Li family's ancestral temple, or perhaps more accurately, their clan temple. Tall pines and cypresses lined both sides of the path, making this mansion seem less like a place for the living.

It was getting late. Led by the tomb keeper, the five members of the Li family went to the side hall to bathe and purify themselves, and then changed into black Korean ethnic clothing, which was actually a sacrificial robe.

In ancient times, only officials could wear this kind of clothing. Merchant families were absolutely not qualified to wear it for ancestral worship. But now it doesn't matter anymore; let alone wearing sacrificial robes, no one would care even if one wore a dragon robe.

For Li Zhixuan, changing clothes was quite troublesome. He had already hidden the amulet he used to ward off evil spirits close to his body, but now that he was changing clothes, he had to hide it all over again.

While the family was bathing, purifying themselves, and changing clothes, the actors also changed into their sacrificial robes and knelt on the ground below the steps of the ancestral temple's main gate.

Next, according to South Korean custom, the eldest son will lead the other second sons of the family, dressed in ceremonial robes and with solemn expressions, to carry the ancestral tablets from the family temple and place them on the offering table in the center of the hall, which is filled with sacrificial offerings.

Afterwards, everyone except the eldest son had to leave the hall, close the door, and kneel in silence to wait.

The chief officiant, the eldest son, must kneel, read the prayer, and burn the offerings inside. He then waits for a quarter of an hour, the purpose of which is to invite the ancestral spirits to enjoy the offerings.

A quarter of an hour later, the eldest son inside coughed twice, signaling to the ancestral spirits that the descendants were about to enter. This is what Confucius meant by "worshipping the gods as if they were present." After the ceremony in the main hall was completed, the eldest son led the other second sons to lift the ancestral tablets from the main hall and place them back in the ancestral temple, thus concluding the entire ceremony.

Finally, everyone can remove their sacrificial robes and enjoy the offerings.

In other words, Li Zhengxian and Jin Baoying were not allowed to enter the family temple during the entire sacrificial period. The chief officiant was the "Zongzi," who was usually the eldest son of the eldest branch of the family.

In the Li family, before Li Zhiwen turned eighteen, the position of "eldest son" was always held by Li Zhengxian, and after Li Zhiwen turned eighteen, he has been the "eldest son" ever since.

Today was no different. After changing his clothes, Li Zhiwen took out the eulogy he had prepared beforehand and reviewed it to avoid misreading it or getting stuck when he read it later.

After reviewing it, he put the eulogy away and left his room.

At this moment, the other four members of the Li family were already waiting in the main hall of the side hall, while Li Zhengxian was staring blankly out the window.

The people around him, unaware of what Li Zhengxian was thinking, did not dare to disturb him.

The sudden sound of the door opening brought Li Zhengxian back to his senses. He first glanced at Li Zhixuan, then turned to Li Zhiwen and said, "Zhiwen, where is the eulogy you prepared?"

"here."

Li Zhiwen thought that Li Zhengxian was worried and wanted to check it, so he took out the eulogy and handed it to Li Zhengxian.

But Li Zhengxian didn't accept it. Instead, he pointed to Li Zhixuan and said, "Give it to Zhixuan."

???

The Li family, mother and her three children, were all stunned!
Give the eulogy to Zhixuan (me)?
"Why should I do this?" Li Zhixuan was already feeling guilty, so he was naturally unwilling to be the chief priest.

Li Zhengxian said solemnly, “You have changed so much since last year. You were originally a good-for-nothing playboy, but in less than a year you have made a name for yourself and transformed into a promising talent of the Li family. We have to thank our ancestors for this. So you will be in charge of the sacrificial ceremony later and go and thank our ancestors properly.”

"Uh... ok."

Li Zhixuan wasn't stupid. Although he felt guilty, he had to agree to this.

why?
Because the chief officiant is the "eldest son of the eldest son," who is theoretically the eldest son of the eldest son's family, but in reality, he is the heir of the family!
What Li Zhengxian just said was just to give Li Zhiwen a way out, to save face.

Then, Li Zhixuan took the eulogy that Li Zhiwen had carefully prepared from Li Zhiwen's hands.

Li Zhiwen was extremely angry at this moment, but he was helpless.

Soon, the family of five left the side hall and arrived at the main hall.

At this moment, four prayer cushions had been placed on the steps of the main hall. After walking up the steps, Li Zhengxian and Jin Baoying knelt on the two middle prayer cushions, one on each side.

The three Li brothers, led by Li Zhixuan, entered the main hall with solemn and dignified expressions.

After entering the main hall, the two brothers, Li Zhiwen and Li Wu, could no longer maintain their solemnity.

Li Zhiwen was filled with boundless hatred, while Li Zhiwu, leaning on his crutches, harbored resentment towards Li Zhixuan, but was also watching Li Zhiwen's predicament unfold.

After Li Zhixuan moved the ancestral tablets from the family temple to the offering table in the middle of the main hall, the two brothers, Li Zhiwen and Li Zhiwu, left and knelt outside.

"Squeak~ Bang~"

The main gate closed, dimming the light in the hall. Li Zhixuan knelt on the prayer mat before the ancestral tablets of the Li family, took out the sacrificial text, opened it, and began to read: "On the fifteenth day of the first month of the year 2016, the year of Bing Shen, your filial grandson Li Zhixuan respectfully offers this pure wine, simple delicacies, seasonal fruits, and rare dishes before the spirits of your ancestors, saying:
Remembering our ancestors, who pioneered and endured hardship, their descendants flourishing and their virtues enduring. They upheld the principles of farming and scholarship, emphasizing diligence and frugality; their teachings, though earnest, are etched in our hearts. Today, on this auspicious occasion, descendants gather, offering sacrifices in remembrance. We humbly pray that our ancestors, in heaven, will bless their descendants, granting them prosperity, abundance, and good health; that their endeavors be successful; and that the weather be favorable, and that peace prevail year after year. May they accept this offering!

After reading it, Li Zhixuan stood up, walked to the offering table, lit the eulogy with a candle, and quickly threw it into the brazier in front of the offering table before his hands burned.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhixuan returned to the prayer mat and knelt down, waiting for fifteen minutes.

The next second, the eulogy was finished burning.

"Whoo~"

In the instant the fire went out, a gust of wind, seemingly out of nowhere, blew up the ashes in the brazier.

At the same time, Li Zhixuan suddenly felt a tightness in his back, and goosebumps immediately rose all over his body!

Holy crap! Oh no!
Li Zhixuan wasn't sure if some strange thing had come, or if he was just feeling guilty. In any case, he felt uncomfortable, as if there were several people watching him.

Damn it!
We've brought you food, so eat it quickly. After you're done eating, go back right away. Don't try to scare people here!
Without me, your Li family line will be wiped out! If you scare me into something serious, you'd better think about the consequences!

At least this body belongs to your Li family descendants, so you're not at a disadvantage, right?
Li Zhixuan silently recited to himself, "It's about reasoning with them and appealing to their emotions."

About two minutes later, the flame of the candle on the offering table suddenly flickered, and the discomfort in Li Zhixuan's heart suddenly disappeared.

gone?

Li Zhixuan looked up at the rankings, then glanced at his watch.

There are still ten minutes left!

Ten minutes later, the ancestors should have finished enjoying the offerings. Li Zhixuan should then, according to procedure, cough twice to signal the two Li brothers, Li Zhiwen and Li Zhiwu, to come in.

Just then, Li Zhixuan heard two soft coughs coming from the offering table: "Cough! Cough!"

What the fuck? !
Li Zhixuan looked up abruptly, but there was nothing there!

But the next second, with a creak, the door to the main hall was pushed open by Li Zhiwen, and the two brothers walked in together.

"Big brother, second brother, did you hear me cough? I was worried that my cough was too soft for you to hear."

"Small? We can hear it quite clearly."

(End of this chapter)