Li Wanming had never participated in the Ghost Festival in the capital city.
When she was in Fujian, the villagers only revered the mountain gods and didn't really care about the souls of the dead.
During the birthdays of the mountain gods, they would slaughter pigs and sheep, hang red decorations, and hold ceremonies to pay homage to the gods.
Fujian was a mountainous area. Each mountain had its own mountain god. Moreover, there were also the gods of caves and the river gods in the rivers and lakes, making the number of deities even larger.
So when she was a child, Li Wanming and Liu Yiyi often went to watch the ceremonies in different villages. They could attend one or two such ceremonies almost every month...
Perhaps because they had seen so many mountain gods and cave gods, the local people in Fujian didn't care much about the souls of their ancestors. They believed that the mountain gods and cave gods would take good care of them, so they didn't need to worry.
Therefore, the Ghost Festival was not popular in Fujian, and no one cared about the wandering ghosts on this day.
When Li Wanming first returned to the capital city in the past two years, she still hadn't changed the habits she had developed in Fujian over the years. Li Rusong, Yuan Jinqiu, and the three sisters didn't care about this festival either.
Only Li's mother would start shouting early in the morning on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month that she wanted to go and worship the City God.
If she was going, the Li sisters would avoid it even more.
So for the Li sisters, the Ghost Festival was a day when their grandmother and great - aunt were not at home, and they could enjoy eating melon seeds and chatting to their hearts' content.
As a result, Li Wanming had never known what a real Ghost Festival was like. Her impression of this festival was only that the common people would draw small circles on the streets and alleys and burn some paper money inside.
"The Ghost Festival, the sacrifice to the City God..." Xiao Jingnan smiled and made an exaggerated gesture with both hands. "It's a grand occasion!"
It was indeed a grand occasion.
The paper - making shops in the southern part of the city had received a huge number of orders these days. They were working day and night, and Tian Erya's round face was even worn down to an oval one from exhaustion.
Not only her, but also Tian's two younger siblings, as well as Qinglan and several other girls working in the paper - making shop, had all become skilled workers in paper - making under the intense work in these ten days.
When Li Wanming went to inspect, she saw them sitting in a row, nervously and orderly busy with their work.
Tian Erya at the head tied the bamboo strips well and passed them to her younger siblings who were responsible for pasting paper. Then the younger siblings passed the pasted paper - made objects to Qinglan and the other girls. Qinglan outlined the lines, and the rest colored them.
The whole operation process was smooth and efficient, and it implemented the principle of being fast, good, and economical. It was just like a beautiful picture.
Li Wanming had no doubt that after the Ghost Festival, they could open a large - scale paper - making workshop and contract all the paper - making in the capital city!
However, such an efficient production model still far from met the demand for the Ghost Festival, which forced them to turn away many customers. Since such a large number of extremely expensive paper - made objects could be consumed, the Ghost Festival was, of course, a grand occasion.
"Speaking of which, my wife is also a meritorious figure for this year's Ghost Festival. Come on, let's go and offer a stick of incense to the City God."
Early in the morning on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Xiao Jingnan had someone prepare a carriage and took Li Wanming with him to the City God Temple in the suburbs of the capital city to see the grand occasion.
From a distance of seven or eight miles away from the City God Temple, Li Wanming could already see a sea of white.
On both sides of the road, there were all kinds of white banners and paper - made objects.
The closer they got to the City God Temple, the more the air was filled with mist, just like during the Chinese New Year.
But this mist was different from that during the Chinese New Year. It didn't have the smell of gunpowder but was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, mixed with the smell of sesame oil and fireworks. Coupled with the pious expressions of the common people on both sides, there was a solemn atmosphere.
The City God Temple was holding a religious ceremony.
In the middle of the temple hall, there was a statue of the City God, wearing a black robe and having a black face. He didn't look kind but rather fierce with a menacing aura.
In front of the statue, there were three red tables. From the front to the back, there were incense burners, candlesticks, vases, incense holders, and other items.
There were five kinds of offerings: incense, flowers, lamps, water, and fruits.
The ritual implements were placed on both sides. There were two types. One type was the utensils for invoking the gods, paying homage to the ancestors, and expelling evil spirits, such as the court tablet, ruyi scepter, jade volume, jade seal, sword, and command flag. The other type was the musical instruments for chanting scriptures, such as cymbals, gongs, bells, drums, bells, conches, and chimes.
Beyond the red tables, there were more than a dozen rows of dazzling offerings.
Different from the solemn and silent atmosphere outside the courtyard, all the offerings here were... joyous!
A five - hundred - jin fat pig and a three - hundred - jin tall sheep, covered in red silk, stood proudly in the middle of the temple.
Outside the main hall, in the courtyard, there were dozens of square tables. The offerings on them included various dishes and fresh fruits, including those from the sky, the mountains, the ground, and the water...
The common people were standing aside, just waiting for the ceremony to end so they could start the feast!
...
Li Wanming was stunned.
She thought the Ghost Festival was a very solemn festival, and she had tried hard to adjust her mood to be solemn and sad on the way. But unexpectedly, when she stepped into the City God Temple, it was so lively and bustling, no less than a small temple fair.
"This is called 'putting on a grand show'."
Xiao Jingnan explained with a smile.
"According to the 'City Annals', the residents in the city form groups and take turns to be in charge each year. When the time comes, the temple will be decorated with lanterns and festoons, offerings will be set up, and plays will be performed, all in the most magnificent way. They will also display a grand guard of honor and carry the statue of the god out to parade through the streets, which is called the inspection tour. The farmers outside the city, who have just finished transplanting rice seedlings, will rush into the city to visit. The streets will be crowded with people, and the business in the shops will triple. This is the grandest temple fair in the city."
"So the sacrifice to the City God is originally a temple fair."
Li Wanming looked around, not knowing how to describe her feelings.
Outside the temple, there were white banners and paper money everywhere, and the atmosphere was solemn and sad. But after passing through the mountain gate, it suddenly changed. It was decorated with red everywhere, and everyone was beaming with joy.
The change in atmosphere was so abrupt yet so smooth that she couldn't help but admire the mental state of the people in the capital city.
"The red and white affairs are originally inseparable."
Xiao Jingnan explained. "There's no need to be overly sad when mourning the deceased relatives and friends. The dead have left, but the living still have to continue. Otherwise, why is it still popular to hold a theater performance during a funeral?"
Li Wanming thought about it and realized he was right.
It seemed that it was popular to set up a theater stage and hold a performance during the funerals of the nobles. The higher the status of the deceased, the more lively the performance on the stage.
Thinking about it this way, the strange feeling in her heart dissipated, and she began to watch the religious ceremony in front of her with great interest.
The Taoist priests looked solemn. Holding the ritual implements in their hands, they chanted the scriptures, invoked the gods, planted the banners, and presented the memorials... It took them more than an hour of chanting, singing, acting, and beating to complete the ceremony inside the hall.
"The porridge - giving ceremony is about to start." Xiao Jingnan whispered. "The porridge - giving ceremony is the most important part of the 'putting on a grand show'. It means providing relief to the poor and seeking the blessing of the City God. The feast will start after the porridge - giving ceremony."
Li Wanming followed the crowd and walked outside the hall. Sure enough, she saw two large pots set up at the entrance of the temple. The enthusiastic lay Buddhists were helping the Taoist priests add firewood and cook rice.
Xiao Jingnan squeezed through the crowd and came to her side. "A young Taoist priest just came to tell me that we donated the most merit money this time. So when the porridge is cooked later, we have to stand in the front and scoop the first bowl of porridge for the common people."
This was the tradition of the City God Temple's 'putting on a grand show' and porridge - giving ceremony. Every year, the lay Buddhist who donated the most would stand in the front to scoop porridge for everyone. It was a praise for the good deeds of the lay Buddhist and also meant the blessing of the City God.
Li Wanming nodded and said, "I see."
Just yesterday, she had earned back all the money she had borrowed from the bank.
The City God had helped her so much, and Li Wanming felt that she should show her gratitude.
As a result, she accidentally donated the most and got the first place!
Now she really felt elated and free from debts.
Sure enough, it's great to be rich and generous!
The ceremony inside the hall was over, and everyone walked out. There was also a small temple fair gathering at the entrance of the City God Temple.
Li Wanming took a look. Although it was not as lively as the Qixi Festival and the Lantern Festival, it had its own charm.
There were dough figurines, sugar paintings, and all kinds of snacks.
She was watching with great interest when suddenly she heard a familiar and unpleasant old woman's voice behind her. "Oh, isn't this our third miss?"
Oh no. She had been so focused on having fun that she had forgotten that her grandmother and great - aunt would come out to worship the City God every year on the Ghost Festival...