Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

With this little trick, Xingbao's weighing speed increased considerably; each portion of red dates weighed precisely with each rise and fall of the weight. Meanwhile, the dozen or so packers were scrambling around. They'd only ever seen their elders pack things at home; they rarely had the chance to do it themselves. With red dates in their mouths and cheeks bulging, they clumsily folded the brown paper and tied the string. Either the paper wasn't folded properly, and the dates spilled out; or the string came undone, and the package fell apart, forcing them to start over. Even the tied packages were all different shapes, crooked and uneven. Fortunately, everyone was easygoing; as long as they could get home and there were no leaks, no one minded the details.

Gui Xiang sat to the side, holding scissors in her hand, carefully trimming the excess threads for everyone. Every now and then, she would hold the paper bags for her companions, and she would mutter, "Take it slow, don't rush, tie them tight so they won't come apart." The bamboo house was filled with the sweet aroma of red dates, mixed with the laughter and chatter of her companions, making it lively and warm.

Before they knew it, it was pitch black outside. The last person to receive the red dates thanked them, carefully carried two bags of dates, and disappeared into the night with their companions. Xingbao and Guixiang exchanged a glance, both letting out a long sigh of relief and wiping the sweat from their brows. Looking down at the sacks in the bamboo house, they saw that most of the red dates were still undistributed. Xingbao smiled helplessly, "Looks like we'll have to keep busy tomorrow, but everyone else will get the news first thing tomorrow morning, so it won't delay everyone's enjoyment of the new dates for Qixi Festival." Guixiang nodded, picked up a broom, and began sweeping up the scattered date crumbs in the bamboo house. The siblings cleaned up the mess together.

In the past, the Song family owned no land and relied entirely on their cooperative business for a living, so there was no need for them to observe the custom of tasting the new harvest. But this year was completely different. Not only did the Song family receive over two hundred catties of new rice through cooperation with their fellow villagers, but they also cultivated high-yield rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and Chinese cabbage. They even made a time-saving and labor-saving rice transplanter by hand. Each achievement was enough to earn them a place on the family genealogy and bring glory to their ancestors. Father attached great importance to this, ordering a pig's head for today at a high price well in advance. He also specially asked the villagers from the reservoir to send over a fresh grass carp, and even cruelly killed a large hen that was laying eggs, intending to properly organize this tasting ceremony.

The family had already divided up the tasks: the eldest brother was assigned to invite several village elders to preside over the ceremony and serve as witnesses. According to custom, clan elders should have been invited, but since the clan members lived in remote areas, a special trip to invite them would completely expose their high-yield crop cultivation. Since it wasn't the right time for large-scale promotion, they had to postpone it. However, the father had already planned ahead; samples of several high-yield seeds and rice transplanters were ready. Once he finished his work, he would make a special trip to the clan to explain everything.

Xingbao and his second brother were assigned to mill the new rice, while Guixiang was still responsible for looking after Xiaoweibao and registering the names of those who took the red dates. The family already had their own earthen huller and mortar for milling rice; both were newly purchased and kept in the tofu shop. In the past, they always used the village's communal equipment, and over time, it became impossible to hide their own grain. Last year, when they bought grain from Yongfeng Town, Dad decided to get their own set of rice milling tools. The stone mortar was delivered by Uncle Daquan a few days ago. At that time, the family was busy making a rice transplanter for an official business and couldn't properly entertain him; they only had a meal together, helped him set it up, and then he left in a hurry. The earthen huller was something Dad and his second brother made themselves in their spare time. It had been drying in the tofu shop for quite some time, and today it could finally be put to use, allowing them to try their hand at milling.

Today's milling of new rice is limited to five jin (2.5 kg), just enough for the sacrifice and a taste for everyone. Second Brother first cleared away the debris piled on the earthen mortar, then slowly poured in the golden new rice. He attached the crank, pulled and pushed, and it spun back and forth. In no time, the hulled rice, mixed with the husks, tumbled into the bamboo basket below with a crisp, pleasant sound. Xingbao wasn't idle either; he carefully swept the dust from the stone mortar with a brush and found a sieve and a winnowing basket for Second Brother. The family's winnowing fan hadn't been made yet, so they had to make do with the sieve to sift out the husks and debris. However, the hulled rice still had a layer of husk, making it rough to eat. It needed to be pounded in the mortar to remove the husk before cooking soft, sweet, and fragrant new rice.

When the two brothers returned to the kitchen with the freshly milled rice, their father had already cleaned the hen thoroughly and almost finished cleaning the pig's head, leaving only a few fine hairs to remove. Their mother was sitting on a small stool, meticulously washing fish intestines. The eldest brother was in the main room, writing the sacrificial text with great care, each stroke deliberate and precise. Guixiang sat at the doorway of the main room, gazing at the bamboo house ahead. Beside her, little Weibao slept soundly in his cradle, his little brows slightly relaxed, looking adorable. The second brother didn't linger; he immediately rolled up his sleeves, rinsed the rice, started a fire, and began cooking the new rice. After all, guests would be coming to the kitchen for lunch, and this grand sacrificial ceremony for tasting the new harvest had to be completed before noon.

The sweet aroma of newly cooked rice wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the savory scents of chicken and pork, filling the entire kitchen. Just then, Grandpa led five village elders through the kitchen door. Dad quickly went to greet them, warmly inviting Grandpa and the elders to sit in the main room. He then handed them the written eulogy and the family genealogy recording the Song family's achievements for their review. Xingbao also hurriedly served the fragrant tea that had already been brewed. The four siblings worked together, quickly setting up the octagonal table for the sacrifice. They placed incense paper, three cups of fragrant tea, a pot of rice wine, and three plates of exquisite sweets and pastries. Then, they neatly arranged the cleaned pig's head, grass carp, and hen on the table. Finally, they served three bowls of steaming new rice with clean bamboo chopsticks. The offerings were complete and looked exceptionally neat.

Father went to the backyard to wash himself and changed into clean clothes before the solemn sacrificial ceremony officially began. Five village elders stood around the offering table, each with their own duties: some lit incense and candles, others arranged the offerings, while Grandpa watched from the sidelines. As the incense and candles were lit and wisps of smoke rose, Father knelt first before the offering table. Mother, holding little Wei Bao, led Xing Bao and his siblings in a row behind, respectfully bowing to heaven and earth and paying homage to their ancestors. Then, the eldest brother read the sacrificial text aloud, every word expressing gratitude to heaven and earth, comforting the ancestors, and praying for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

At the end of the sacrificial ceremony, in front of the ancestral tablets, five village elders solemnly signed their names on the family genealogy that recorded the Song family's achievements in cultivating high-yield crops and making safety ropes for rice transplanters. This served as a testament to the ceremony and also acknowledged the Song family's efforts and achievements over the past year.

After the sacrificial ceremony, the most anticipated part was tasting the new rice. According to village custom, the first thing to do when tasting the new rice was to offer it to the family's livestock. Dad first served Snowball a bowl of new rice, and then brought a bowl to Black Charcoal, to thank them for their daily help. After these things were done, everyone took their seats at the table. Following the rule of seniority, the eldest, Grandpa Zhao, tasted the new rice first, and then the others began to eat in turn.