Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 530: Chinese traditional heritage, igniting the news at the end of the year
After hearing Lao Ji's invitation, Fang Yan calculated the approximate time it would take to complete the task, then shook his head and said:

"After I finish this, I have other things to do."

"The college entrance examination results came out at that time, and I hadn't finished my work at Union Hospital yet. In addition, I had promised Mrs. Luo at the 252 Hospital in Shuangqiao that I would go there to learn bone setting from her."

"To be honest, I want to go, but the key is that I don't have enough time."

Not only that, because of Lao Zhou's relationship, some overseas Chinese businessmen have already contacted the Zhongqiao Office, wanting to come back to see Fangyan for medical treatment.

If Fangyan wants to go out, Director Liao may not agree.

Hearing Fang Yan say this, Old Ji nodded:
"I knew you were a busy man."

The dialect explains:
"It's mainly because of all the things that have been arranged during this period. It's not that I don't want to go."

Of course, Old Ji also knows that Fangyan is indeed very busy with business now.

Now he is a hot commodity.

No one around him has ever seen him appear in the news so many times.

Old Ji waved his hand and said:
"Okay, okay, I just mentioned it casually. If I really want to go, I have to find time."

Then he looked at his watch and said to the person who sent it:
"It's getting late, let's go back and celebrate the festival."

Fangyan nodded.

After saying goodbye to Lao Ji, Fangyan rode his motorcycle all the way back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Street.

Today is the Winter Solstice, and we have to have a festival ceremony.

The winter solstice is the day with the shortest day and the longest night in the year, marking the end of the negative pole and the beginning of the positive pole.

This is the most common food.

There is a saying in BJ that you can eat wontons at the winter solstice and noodles at the summer solstice.

People originally ate wontons on the day of the Winter Solstice, symbolizing the beginning of chaos. Later, after outsiders came in, the custom of eating dumplings emerged.

Of course, there is also a legend that it is to commemorate the medical saint Zhang Zhongjing, who did a good deed of giving medicine to save the world in the cold winter.

After the winter solstice, the coldest period of the year begins. People pay attention to health care, add clothes in time according to weather changes, and eat more warm and nourishing foods, including dumplings, wontons, mutton, etc. to replenish body energy and resist the cold.

This also reflects the concept of adapting to nature and following the changes in solar terms to maintain health.

This year’s Winter Solstice Festival is also the first Winter Solstice Festival in ten years that the Fang family has been together as a whole.

So Fangyan’s family not only prepared dumplings, but also "Winter Solstice Meat".

In fact, the winter solstice meat is the meat left over after the family worships heaven and ancestors on the winter solstice day, including stewed lamb and braised pork elbow.

It is similar to the twice-cooked pork in Sichuan and Chongqing, which was originally used as meat for ancestor worship.

The specific meaning and preparation of winter solstice meat vary in different regions and families.

In the past, the Winter Solstice Festival was particularly eye-catching in the capital.

Not only do family members offer sacrifices to their ancestors and heaven, but the country also has to offer sacrifices.

Offering sacrifices to heaven at the Circular Mound during the winter solstice is a political and cultural tradition with a long history. As early as in the Book of Documents, there was a record of "reporting to the Heaven and Earth", and the Zhou Dynasty institutionalized it.

BJ was the capital for a long time, and the Circular Mound was built during the Jin and Yuan dynasties.

The Temple of Heaven, located in the southeast of the central axis of BJ, is a place for worshiping heaven that was built and rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

"It is time to welcome the Yangxiu Great Sacrifice during the festival."

The sacrificial ceremony mainly includes nine steps: welcoming the emperor and gods, laying down jade and silk, offering the sacrificial table, the first offering, the second offering, the final offering, removing the food, seeing off the emperor and gods, and watching the burning of the fire.

Of course, these activities did not take place in 1977, and were not officially resumed until later.

The authorities oppose feudal superstition, but this is called a cultural activity.

The government later gradually restored these Chinese cultural activities and even began to build some buildings.

In Fangyan’s previous life, there were atheists who believed that when a typhoon came, would it be helpful to keep the lights on in Zhenhai Tower all night?

In the end, it depends on whether the typhoon turns or not.

When Fangyan returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Street, he saw that some people had already placed incense, candles, fruits and dumplings at the door of the slum and were holding a ceremony to worship their ancestors.

After the relaxation, many customs that had not been seen for ten years were restored.

The Chinese people don't believe in anything else but their own ancestors.

Even for overseas Chinese businessmen like Lao Zhou, they were the same. At noon, they had already asked their assistants to find a place to perform ancestor worship ceremonies.

He is still the most traditional, because traditional ancestor worship rituals are usually performed before noon, when the yang energy is at its strongest.

Nowadays, people in dialects have to worship their ancestors after get off work, but there is no other way.

This is the time when the whole family is together.

When I got home from get off work, the main hall had been cleaned and dumplings, mutton, pork elbows, and some dried fruits were laid out.

The family was waiting for Fangyan to come back to worship their ancestors together.

A few days ago, Fang Yan specifically asked Old Ji from the Forbidden City to find someone to make a tablet for the Fang family's ancestors.

The tablet has been set up today.

The folk sacrificial process is relatively simple.

The elders in the family light candles first, hold incense sticks and bow to the ancestors.

It expresses the thoughts and respect for the ancestors, and at the same time prays for the safety of the family and the success of the career.

My father and mother were here today. When they were paying homage, they prayed that all the children in the family who were taking the college entrance examinations would get satisfactory results.

May everyone be healthy and those who are sick get well soon.

I was still nagging my daughter-in-law to bring back a baby to the Fang family as soon as possible.

After saying this, insert the incense into the incense burner.

Then the family members bowed and burned incense to the ancestors in order of age.

To express remembrance and respect to the ancestors, after the worship is completed, paper ingots, paper money, and paper clothes are burned in the yard. These are things sent to the other world, with the intention of letting them live a rich and comfortable life there.

The flames roared and rose, as if someone was really receiving it.

The two little kids, Zhao Zhengyi and Zhao Mingzhu, were sitting around the fire with rosy faces.

At this time, the old lady greeted everyone:

"Okay, okay, come inside after the fire is done. It's too cold outside."

After that, he called out to Zhao Zhengyi and Zhao Mingzhu:

"Justice, Mingzhu, don't touch the burnt ashes!"

As they spoke, a group of people entered the house.

On the winter solstice in BJ, it is customary for daughters-in-law to make shoes and socks and present them to their parents-in-law.

Zhu Lin had already prepared new shoes and socks. Of course, if she was asked to make them herself, she definitely wouldn't have the time, so these were all bought outside.

But this does not affect anything. After receiving the gifts from Zhu Lin, father Fang Zhenhua and mother He Huiru were quite satisfied.

Then the family began to eat the winter solstice dinner.

Halfway through the meal, I announced something to everyone.

That is, before the Chinese New Year, Union Hospital will organize free medical consultations in other places.

The place we went to this time was Gansu.

A total of free mobile clinics will be conducted in several major counties and cities.

During this period, I will also go to Wuwei where my second sister is. I was just promoted to associate chief physician this year, and I need to perform well. At the same time, I can also visit my second sister, so I signed up.

The free clinic lasts for one month.

Depart on December 31st and return on January 31st next year.

After I came back, there was exactly one week left before the Spring Festival.

After I finished the dumplings in my mouth, I put down my chopsticks and said to everyone:

"My main consideration is to go out at this time, so that I can participate in the hospital's mission activities and visit Fang Ning."

"She is a very frugal person in telegrams. If you don't ask her face to face, she won't tell you anything."

"Besides, a month is not a long time. Plus, your dad and his family will be on winter vacation soon. He can take care of the sixth child at home and get close to him to develop a good relationship with him."

After saying this, Dad was the first to raise his hand and said:
"Yes, I agree."

Others also expressed their agreement that my mother should go to Gansu.

Fangyan didn't expect that after he failed to go, his mother decided to go instead.

And once there, I went to the free medical consultation.

Fangyan performed a lot of free medical consultations in his previous life.

He has basically encountered most of the problems he may encounter during free clinics.

It was at that time that I learned and memorized many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.

In places where free medical consultations are needed, medical resources are generally limited, equipment is limited, and drug shortages are the norm.

In addition, patients lack health awareness and some areas lack health knowledge, and do not pay enough attention to some of their early symptoms. By the time of the free clinic, the disease has often developed more seriously, which increases the difficulty of doctors' diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, this group of people are the least likely to listen to medical advice, because they don't have money and their lifestyle habits, etc., which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the treatment.

Most patients can only speak the local dialect, which makes communication very difficult.

Sometimes, even after asking for details for a long time, it is still difficult to piece together the complete situation, and one can only rely on inspection and pulse diagnosis.

In addition to these situations, the poor venue, inconvenient transportation, and the inability to follow up on subsequent treatment are also big problems.

And the problems Fangyan talked about were from his previous life.

The problems my mother is facing now will definitely be more, not less, than in the past, even though she is in a major county or city.

But the conditions in the counties and cities now are similar to those when Fangyan went to the countryside in his previous life.

Even worse.

Anyway, I should be busy this time because I'm going to the free clinic.

"Lao San, what about you?"

When I saw Fangyan didn’t say anything, I asked him.

The dialect responded:
"Free clinics are a good thing. Of course I agree. But the conditions there may not be very good. You have to be mentally prepared."

Hearing the dialect, the old lady smiled and said:

"Your second sister was able to live for so long, so as a mother, I can go there in a month, isn't it possible?"

"Although I have never been to the countryside, don't look down on your mother."

Fang Yan smiled and nodded:
"Then I wish you a safe journey and hope you can treat more patients."

……

After the Winter Solstice, time flies by.

The last few days of 1977 ended with Fangyan's daily busyness.

On December 1977, 12, my mother, He Huiru, set off for Gansu with the free medical team of Union Hospital.

At the same time, news finally came that the marking of papers in Beijing had been completed.

It was also reported that two people tied for second place in liberal arts, and the first place in liberal arts was the one who scored full marks in all subjects including English.

This news ignited the end of 1977 in the capital.

(End of this chapter)