Chapter 985 - 535: 533 Burn

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Burning offerings for ancestors follows a certain order.

If it’s something small, like a university admission notice or similar items that don’t require alerting all ancestors, you just go and burn them in front of the graves of the few ancestors you’re closer to, following basically the same order as the Qingming ancestral rites.

If it’s something that necessitates alerting all ancestors, like a PhD diploma, you first go to the ancestral hall to burn it, and then follow the Qingming ancestral rites order to burn them at each ancestor’s grave.

For someone like Jiang Feng, which is even a level above a PhD diploma, not only do you need to burn offerings, but you also need to set off firecrackers, and make a lively fuss so that the ancestors know there’s an extraordinary person among their descendants.

Of course, before burning them, these photocopies have to be shown off to Jiang Feng’s maternal grandparents for their appreciation.

“Mom, look at this one, this is a promotional photo taken when Feng was in a competition. I specifically chose the most handsome one for photocopying.” Wang Xiulian began to introduce the photocopies one by one to Jiang Feng’s grandmother.

Jiang Feng’s grandmother squinted at the photocopies, her face never losing its smile, “I’ve seen this. We all watched Feng’s competition live.”

“Yeah, indeed, sis, we all gathered to watch Feng’s live competition.” Aunt immediately echoed in agreement.

Wang Xiulian didn’t acknowledge her brother-in-law, but instead continued with the next photo, “Mom, look at this, when Feng received the runner-up prize. I specifically captured this shot, and did it so well.”

“That copy Dad’s holding is from the January issue of ‘Taste,’ which reported on the dishes that Feng made, an exclusive interview! Very prestigious, only the most famous chefs get an exclusive interview.”

Jiang Feng’s grandfather, holding the text-filled photocopy, couldn’t stop grinning.

“And these, they’re all related reports about Taifeng Building, all mentioning Feng’s name.”

“This one, this one is about the competition’s coverage.”

“All these are good reviews written by customers for Feng, so many of them, praise after praise, Feng’s dishes are in such demand that they’re hard to keep in stock, it’s tough to get a single dish!”

“All these, and these too, all of them!” Wang Xiulian exclaimed, her excitement colorfully on display.

Jiang Feng: …

His mother was certainly sparing no effort to show off to the ancestors; she even photocopied customer reviews.

Jiang Feng’s grandparents looked from one photocopy to the next, feeling each was exceptionally good, each worth flaunting to the ancestors.

“Feng has grown up, huh, and is doing well!” Jiang Feng’s grandmother could only repeat these few words over and over.

“Yes, yes, Feng has grown up and is doing well.” Uncle and Second Uncle echoed like chorus insects.

Aunt Li Hong, already feeling uneasy listening to Wang Xiulian boast about Jiang Feng, discovered that not only had her husband switched sides, but he’d also done so wholeheartedly, even cheering on the adversary’s camp, which upset her even more.

“The world sure is strange these days; it used to be that a family was considered successful if they produced scholars, now even a chef working for someone else is considered a success,” Li Hong muttered under her breath.

The voice was soft, but Wang Xiulian still heard it. She had a knack for picking up whispers of criticism against her, no matter how hushed.

If it were someone with a better temper, they might’ve pretended not to hear, but Mrs. Wang Xiulian was not that kind of person. She not only liked to crush her opponents but also to trample them underfoot, and not just trample them, but make sure they saw clearly what brand of shoe she was wearing while doing it.

“A chef is indeed the most promising, isn’t he? Back then, our Jiankang was the most promising chef. If Feng didn’t surpass Jiankang, wouldn’t it be a letdown for both of us?” Wang Xiulian was well aware of the strategy of striking the enemy’s vital points. “Sister-in-law, you have no idea how filial my Feng is. I told him I had enough clothes, but he insisted on buying me this Chanel winter’s latest collection, saying it was inappropriate to wear last year’s old model.”

Jiang Feng: ???

Isn’t the one she’s wearing Dior?

Jiang Jiankang: ???

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“Isn’t that the dress I bought for my wife?”

Li Hong couldn’t even muster a smile.

Apart from Wang Sulian, the only other person who heard Li Hong mutter quietly was the second aunt, who shook her head and silently stepped a few paces away from Li Hong.

She finally understood, Wang Xiulian was just a younger sister-in-law who had married out, she had nothing to do with her and they barely saw each other once a year, trying to find trouble with her would only end up infuriating herself.

Better to keep a distance.

“Feng is such a filial child, always has been since he was young, obedient too,” said Jiang Feng’s grandmother.

A few people then inflated each other’s ego with flattery far below the Jiang Family’s average standards, and set off to the ancestral hall with paper money, firecrackers, copied offerings, and tributes for the ancestors.

At the ancestral hall, Mrs. Wang Sulian was relatively restrained; offerings were placed on the table. Along with the sound of firecrackers, everyone led Jiang Feng to bow this way and that. After bowing, they began to burn the paper money, and after the paper money, they burned the copied offerings.

When it came to the copied offerings, Mrs. Wang Xiulian was just muttering under her breath, so quietly that Jiang Feng standing beside her could hardly make out what she was saying.

After burning the copied offerings, Jiang Feng followed everyone out of the ancestral hall to the burial site of his great-grandparents, which was also the resting place of Wang Xiulian’s parents.

As the firecrackers sounded, Mrs. Wang Xiulian started to raise her voice.

“Grandpa, your great-grandson has made a name for himself, he’s won second place in a national competition!”

“Not only did he win second place, but he also appeared on TV!”

“Not just on TV, even famous gourmet magazines have interviewed him!”

“Now, your great-grandson is already…”

Mrs. Wang Xiulian’s loud voice echoed through the hills, and Jiang Feng felt as if he could even hear an echo.

The graves of the Wang family ancestors were all close together, only a few distant ones were omitted from the burning of the copied offerings due to their more remote family relation.

Mrs. Wang Xiulian shouted over each grave, her voice full and strong, not diminishing at all, but rather seeming to grow louder.

Jiang Feng stood obediently by the side, silent, not speaking or moving, his feelings somewhat mixed.

As for feeling awkward, not really. Jiang Feng wasn’t someone who easily felt embarrassed, and he had been through a scene like this once already, so it was almost familiar. Mrs. Wang Sulian had yelled the same way when they burned the copied university admission notice, though what was yelled then was more concise.

Returning to one’s hometown in glory is everyone’s wish, and although the Wang family’s proud tradition was a bit exaggerated, one understood the feeling after experiencing it just once.

How thrillingly satisfying that process was, the person concerned knew all too well. The first time Jiang Feng had gone around with Mrs. Wang Xiulian burning copies of the admission notice, he was thrilled to no end.

But this time was different from the last; previously, they burned admission notices, which were all text. This time, there were more items to burn, including not just text but also images, and most importantly, these pictures were primarily photos of Jiang Feng.

Burning his own photos for his ancestors, Jiang Feng always felt a bit…

A bit peculiar.

Especially since these photos were in black and white.

Because there were so many, Mrs. Wang Xiulian didn’t use color printing.