Shen's father was currently at an elder's home in the village, discussing matters related to ancestor worship during the New Year.
Although Shen's father's direct lineage had no particularly close cousins other than himself at this location, they still participated in ancestor worship together with other clan members.
Shen's father's visit this time was to discuss where the ancestral worship ceremony would be held.
In the past, ancestor worship was always held at the ancestral home, so there was no need for discussion. The matter the clan members were discussing this time was undoubtedly about Shen Huaimin and his family taking charge.
However, they hadn't seen Shen Huaimin recently, so they didn't know if he was capable of handling it.
Shen's father had learned a couple of days ago that his son would be returning before the New Year, so he readily agreed without any hesitation.
In their village, being able to prepare the dishes for the ancestor worship was considered a great honor, and they naturally wouldn't refuse.
It's important to remember that it wasn't just about cooking; it also involved preparing paper money to be burned during the ceremony, and various pastries, all of which had specific requirements.
However, the paper money and pastries were mostly prepared by each family for their own needs.
"Dad, are you there?" Shen Yao called out to Shen's father from a distance.
Upon hearing his daughter call him, Shen's father immediately got up, greeted the clan members, and left.
"Sigh, I don't know what stroke of luck University has had. Ever since his daughter returned, your family has truly been prospering."
"What can you do? Their daughter is capable. Not only did she return and take over the land, but the produce she grows, I hear, sells for a good price!"
"If you ask me, if the price isn't low, it must be reasonable. Look at the cost of hiring workers and building those greenhouses; if they don't charge a higher price, they won't even recoup their expenses."
"Hey, don't just talk about Yao Yao. Look at his three sons. The eldest son's private kitchen is packed every day, his son's farm is doing so well, and he's even settled on a wife. As for the third son, he's working for the government in the army!"
"Stop talking, stop talking. The more you talk, the more I feel how fortunate Dajun is..."
From afar, Shen's father saw his daughter waiting for him not far away.
They didn't have any backward customs here, such as the saying that women cannot enter the ancestral hall.
The reason Shen Yao didn't want to go was that she was afraid the villagers would start praising her profusely again, and she was truly tired of it.
"What's wrong, Yao Yao? What do you need Dad for?" Shen's father asked.
"Mom asked you to find some red-blue grass and Jia Lou, and also asked me to call second brother and third brother back to wrap zongzi," Shen Yao said.
"Alright, I understand."
Shen's father didn't get angry at all when Shen's mother asked him to find these things; instead, he enthusiastically started looking for them by the roadside.
Red-blue grass is a very common natural dye in their area. Its leaves are green, but after being boiled at high temperatures, a chemical reaction occurs, producing a purplish-red color.
In their area, on the third day of the third month, red-blue grass is used to make one of the colors for the five-colored glutinous rice.
Not much red-blue grass is needed. Shen's father picked only a small handful and then took Shen Yao to his uncle's house.
Behind his uncle's house was a small yard, which also connected to a small mountain. At the foot of the mountain, under the lychee trees, grew wild Jia Lou.
This Jia Lou has a very peculiar smell; those who like it love it, and those who don't can't stand it.
This plant is much harder to accept than Houttuynia cordata, but Shen Yao felt it was slightly better than Houttuynia cordata.
A larger quantity of Jia Lou is needed because it has many uses. It can be used not only for wrapping zongzi but also for making a snack called Jia Lou with meat.
For Jia Lou, only the leaves need to be picked; the whole plant doesn't need to be taken down.
Shen Yao and Shen's father specifically picked Jia Lou leaves that were large and tender, filling an entire plastic bag before stopping.
When they returned home with the items, Shen's second brother and third brother had already arrived. They were currently using a large sieve to filter the water from the soaked glutinous rice.
The amount of zongzi being made this time was quite a lot, with over a hundred jin of glutinous rice and dozens of jin of beans soaked.
"You're back? That's great. Take the zongzi leaves out of the big pot and wash the Jia Lou leaves." Shen's mother quickly instructed everyone.
Shen Yao was also roped into work and was now responsible for watching the three little ones.
Mo Xuan and Xiao Jun were also drafted into work.
They were responsible for chopping wood, starting fires, boiling water, and preparing to cook the zongzi.
Regarding this task, Mo Xuan felt he was already very skilled, as there were no induction cooktops or gas stoves in the cultivation world.
Xiao Jun could only follow behind Mo Xuan, as he didn't know how to do anything else...
Shen's mother skillfully mixed the glutinous rice and beans together, added seasonings, mixed them evenly, and set them aside to marinate.
Shen's mother made six types of zongzi fillings: red bean and meat, mung bean and meat, plum bean and meat, alkaline zongzi, sweet zongzi, and plain zongzi.
Shen's mother was responsible for preparing the ingredients, while the crucial task of wrapping the zongzi was done by both Shen's father and Shen's mother.
Of course, Shen's second brother and third brother were also among the main helpers.
Similarly, Shen Yao was also good at wrapping zongzi, but she didn't get involved with the larger meat zongzi; that task required too much skill.
Fortunately, the three little ones were very well-behaved and stayed by her side, allowing her to occasionally free up her hands to wrap some smaller sweet and plain zongzi.
The entire family worked together, wrapping zongzi for a whole afternoon, and only then did they finish wrapping over 100 jin of zongzi.
Several large pots were already bubbling merrily, and two of them had already had zongzi placed inside.
As soon as they had wrapped a certain amount, Mo Xuan and Xiao Jun would put them into the pots to cook.
Because the zongzi were quite large, they took a very long time to cook, and it wasn't until midnight that those pots of zongzi were finished.
Unlike usual, the Shen family would have already gone to bed early by this time. This time, unexpectedly, no one had fallen asleep; everyone was waiting for the zongzi to be cooked.
After all, meat zongzi are best when they are fresh out of the pot. And after smelling the aroma of zongzi all night, how could they sleep without tasting them?
Each zongzi used different colored strings to distinguish the types, making them very easy to identify.
Jiang Qingqing and Xiao Jun both preferred sweet zongzi, so they tasted the sweet and plain zongzi first.
The sweet and plain zongzi were wrapped by Shen Yao. They were small triangular zongzi, perfect for one person to finish without feeling too full.