Jagged city

Jagged City - Chapter 250 Annual Festival Dinner

When Lin Tao's family entered the martial arts arena of the Lin clan, which is also the scene of the ancestor worship dinner, they couldn't help but be infected by the atmosphere here. ﹛ (～ o ～)y﹜The Martial Arts Arena is a square shape, about 12 square meters in size. The flames burning in the sixteen big cauldrons rose up to a height of ** meters, illuminating the entire venue with flames.In the middle of the venue is a temporary martial arts platform, two meters high, [-] meters long and [-] meters wide, made of huge square wooden columns, all surrounded by steel plates and screws, which looks extremely strong.

Fifteen meters away from the Yanwu stage, there were people from the Lin tribe. There were three people at a table, and futons were spread on the floor. Lin Tao saw that there were no less than 15 people in the arena. Men, women, and children were enjoying themselves happily, with excitement in their eyes.In the southwest corner of the venue, there is a canopy, where eighteen fire stoves are lined up, all of which are roaring with flames, and the chef is showing his skills.All kinds of aromas drifted to everyone's nostrils along the breeze.

"Mother Xiao, the pot over there is so big, is it cooking?" Xiao Jinlin took Xiao Xiao's hand and looked curiously at the eighteen big pots for cooking. The big iron pot was three meters in diameter and eighteen Chefs, regardless of gender, held a large shovel with a wooden handle, which looked like they were turning over the dishes with a large shovel, and flames burst out of the pot from time to time.

It was also the first time for Xiao Xiao to see this kind of cooking, especially those women wearing white headscarves who looked only in their early twenties, and they were very petite. Xiao Xiao was really worried that these women would plunge into the big pot and fry themselves. up.

Xiao Xiao exclaimed in amazement: "Such a fiery cooking scene is really spectacular!"

On the other hand, Zhu Yueting kept taking pictures and recording videos, and exclaimed in a low voice from time to time.

Lin Zhiyuan looked at all this with some excitement, and was filled with emotion when he saw such a scene of ancestor worship again after 40 years.Lin Zhiming on the side smiled and said: "The chefs who worshiped the ancestors were trained by the Lin family themselves. In addition to having the normal level of super chefs, even cooking requires effort. There are usually 25 to 800 kilograms of ingredients in the cauldron, and the large The temperature of the pot is also very high, which requires the chef to quickly stir fry, which cannot be done without two or three hundred catties of wrist strength. We usually prepare banquets here, and they are open to the public, usually by appointment, for banquets with [-] to [-] people Wait."

"There must be a lot of people booking the banquet."

"Well, about [-] games a year." Lin Zhiming said.

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "Second Uncle, you can pay a ticket to visit such a spectacular scene, the cost must not be low."

"Our standard is more than 300 yuan per person, and we don't accept reservations for less than [-] million yuan. Now the fire is relatively bright, and you can't see clearly behind it. In fact, there are fifty or sixty small stoves behind it, which are used to make delicate dishes."

"Second uncle, there are quite a lot of people in our Lin clan!" Lin Tao said with emotion looking at the dark crowd.

"Yes, almost all the Lin family came back on the day of ancestor worship. Take our branch as an example, there are 35 members of our three brothers' families. It's not a lot, and there are only 300 people present now. There are more than 300 people, among them there are [-] people who cannot return due to various things, and there are also [-] people from the Lin family who have left Baishi Town and cannot return."

"Second Uncle, are there still hundreds of tables empty over there?" Xiao Xiao asked curiously.

"This—" Lin Zhiping was somewhat embarrassed.

Lin Zhiyuan snorted and said, "That's a married woman from the Lin family. Every year after offering sacrifices to the ancestors, she would come to the dinner party and bring her husband's family and children. It's an old custom. What's more, the food she eats every time is not as good as that of the Lin family. good."

Lin Zhiming coughed and said: "The rules have changed a bit in the past ten years, and everyone eats the same dishes. It's just that they are still cooked separately."

Xiao Xiao asked puzzledly: "Why do you want to do this?"

Lin Zhiyuan said: "A married daughter is a splash of water. In the eyes of those old antiques, a married woman from the Lin family is someone with a foreign surname."

"It's feudal enough." Xiao Xiao blurted out.

Lin Zhiming looked around and said to himself, the Lin family would not dare to talk nonsense, it would be terrible if the old man heard it.That's what happened to the Big Brother family.

"Let's go, our team is in the middle, facing south and facing north. It's the best position." Lin Zhiping laughed.

Xiao Xiao seemed to be a curious baby, and asked again: "Why does our family occupy the best position? Is it because grandpa is the patriarch?"

Lin Zhiping smiled and said: "Not only is the old man the patriarch, but also our branch is the eldest son and grandson. The old man is the eldest grandson of the previous generations, so is the eldest brother, and so is Zhen Wu. When Zhen Wu becomes the patriarch, your descendants will sit in the middle, and their descendants become side branches, and cannot sit in the middle.”

Lin Zhiming pointed to his grandson and said.

"At that time, will they feel unbalanced. They will object to this rule, or they won't come to participate." Xiao Xiao smiled.

"Actually, I quite agree with it. Although the tradition is very conservative, it is the first condition to maintain the existence of the family. Most modern people have lost this tradition, and the human relationship has become indifferent. After more than three generations, they have become strangers. Every year When the big family of the Lin family sits together, I will feel a sense of pride. So when I educate them, I also let them remember the tradition and not forget their ancestors."

Just as Lin Zhiming finished speaking, Lin Zhiyuan snorted: "Are you teaching me?"

"Brother misunderstood, I just express my feelings. Now that my brother is returning to his hometown, Zhenwu has fulfilled the wishes of the ancestors of the clan. He is a role model for us and the Lin family. How dare I teach my brother a lesson? This makes my younger brother panic." Lin Zhiming quickly lowered his head and said. .

"Brother, don't be angry, it's just a slip of the tongue." Lin Zhiping next to him also said quickly, with a look of uneasiness on his face.

"Okay, you talk like you are seventy or eighty years old. I'm just looking for the feeling of being a big brother. It seems that the two of you have been educated by the old man to be well-behaved."

The two brothers laughed and said, "Isn't it normal? The two of us were beaten a lot before we were 20 years old, and a few of the canes were already discounted."

Lin Zhiyuan and others came to their place.Lin Zhiyuan and Zhu Yueting were at the same table, and Lin Tao and Xiao Xiao were at the same table with Jin Lin.The two young ones, less than one year old, went to bed early and stayed in the wooden building to be watched by someone specially assigned to them.

Lin Zhiyuan is surrounded by two brothers and his sister-in-law.Lin Tao and Xiao Xiao are also cousins ​​and sister-in-laws.Aisles separated by one meter.

Not long after everyone sat down, the spotlights on the martial arts stage in the middle suddenly turned on, and everyone looked at the stage at the same time, and saw that there were already nine people on the stage, Lin Zhennan was in the middle, and an old man with a white beard.

There were three microphones in front of Lin Zhennan's table, the old man coughed, and the audience fell silent.

"Everyone's annual festival is over. Thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, the Lin family's animals and businesses are prosperous. The town's Wuchang Sun Rong returned to his hometown and added a grand event for the Lin family. The ancestors are very comforted, and the Lin family is very comforted. The plan for a year lies in spring. The family has started a new year. Here, I announce three things. The first thing is to set up a school in Baishi Town, and set up three departments from elementary school to high school. It is funded by the Lin, Ma and Song clans, covering an area of ​​90 mu, with a building area of [-] square meters, at a cost of [-] million, has been completed in one year. Fifty special-grade teachers, [-] first-class teachers, and ten educators and scholars have all been hired. The three ethnic groups funded the establishment of the Baishi Town School. One is to repay Baishi The elders and folks of the town, the second is to adapt to the development of the times and the needs of the society, and cultivate outstanding talents. The Baishi Town School has a science and technology department, a literature and art department, a military department, and a benevolence department. In the Baishi Town School, the purpose of running a school in Baishi Town is to To strengthen one's body with martial arts, to rectify one's body with propriety, to be wise with culture, to rejuvenate the country with reason—"

Hearing his father talking on stage, Lin Zhiyuan felt that his father had changed, as if he was no longer a stubborn old man, but an enlightened country gentleman.As soon as he got home, he worshiped his ancestors and then visited his elders. Lin Zhiyuan really didn't see this new school.Lin Zhiyuan is very interested in this new school, but I don't know who proposed it.With a cost of [-] million, it is conceivable that this private school is not simple.Moreover, it is even rarer to provide free education to the students in the town.

When the old man said that the children of married women of the Lin family would be admitted free of charge, and the third generation would be charged half of the tuition fees, and those who met the requirements would be admitted, which caused a small commotion.Because there are hundreds of women from the Lin family who are married, and thousands of children and grandchildren have been born, and the third-generation children with foreign surnames are even more numerous.This school in Baishi Town caused quite a stir two months ago, because the school here is expensive and the teachers are excellent, many people want their children to enroll.But the high tuition fees discourage people outside Baishi Town.The primary school is 25 per year, the middle school is 20 per year, and the high school is 20 per year.And all at once.For example, in the first grade of elementary school, the tuition fee for six years is 150 million.There is a test before admission, and students with average or stupid intelligence will not accept money.

Lin Tao was a little speechless when he heard that, the tuition is really expensive, even more ruthless than aristocratic schools, this is simply a royal school.Xiao Xiao couldn't help but said: "It's really expensive, office workers can't afford it, it seems that this is setting up a high strength for outsiders!"

Lin Tao nodded and said: "This kind of idea is mainly to concentrate the teaching staff to better educate the students. If there are too many students, the teaching staff will be scattered. They also hired educators and scholars. I guess this is to teach students according to their aptitude! This It’s not small, I don’t know who advocated it. Moreover, this elementary school has the highest fees, and it attaches great importance to basic education. This idea is also very clever.”

Next to Lin Zhiming's son Lin Hao said: "Brother and sister-in-law, send your children here too. The tuition fees are outrageous for foreign surnames, but our children are all free."

After Lin Hao finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Jinlin who was sitting in front of him.

"Hehe, I will consider it, but the child is a bit reluctant to leave my side. By the way, who advocated the construction of this school?" Lin Tao asked with interest.

"It's uncle Lin Zhijian, the general manager of Maolin Group."

"Oh. General manager? Isn't it a joint-stock company? Isn't he the chairman?" Xiao Xiao asked suspiciously.

"Sister-in-law, this is a family business. Of course it is the patriarch, that is, our grandfather is in charge of the family. The old man is the chairman of the board of directors. You don't see what he says. He has been tempered over the years. Uncle Tang is the director and the general manager. Responsible for the operation." Lin Hao laughed.

"Where is that uncle? I haven't seen him yet?" Lin Tao wanted to see who this uncle was.

Lin Hao pointed diagonally to the opposite side and said: "The old man with white beard, the middle-aged man who combed his hair at the table behind our uncle is Tang Shu Lin Hao."

Lin Tao's eyes were sharp. Although they were about a hundred meters away, Lin Tao could see clearly. His uncle Lin Hao was sitting there, squinting his eyes, not knowing whether he was listening or just taking a nap.The one next to her should be Aunt Tang, who still has the charm of an old lady, looking towards Lin Zhiyuan, just in time to meet Lin Tao's gaze, and nodded to Lin Tao with a smile, Lin Tao followed suit and nodded as a salute.At this moment, the uncle opened his eyes and looked this way. Lin Tao found that they were a pair of very sharp eyes, very sharp eyes, and then a smile appeared on his face.

Lin Hao smiled and said, "Uncle Tang and Aunt Tang seem to have seen us. By the way, do we still need to commend them now?"

"What commendation?"

"People who have made contributions to the Lin family are commended every year. The uncle is basically the first one, but this year is hard to say?" Lin Hao looked at his cousin Lin Tao with a smile.

Lin Tao smiled: "What kind of contribution is this from me, this uncle Lin Hao really deserves it."

Lin Hao quickly said: "Don't refuse, my cousin is rewarded with 500 million yuan every year, I guess you can't afford it this time. I don't rank you first, look at these white-bearded old men who have been working in the past four weeks. I agreed. No matter how capable Tang Shu is, he would not dare to disobey the wishes of these old ancestors."

Sure enough, the second thing Lin Zhengnan said was to reward the meritorious ministers every year.

Lin Zhennan said in a loud voice: "After every annual sacrifice, we have to reward those who have made meritorious deeds. In the past ten years, Lin Zhijian has devoted himself to the Maolin Jintuan Zen of the Lin people, and created huge benefits for the Lin people. Future generations. This is not only to reward him, but also to encourage all Lin people to forge ahead. The construction of Baishi Academy is also advocated by Lin Hao. So this year, Lin Zhijian is the first hero of the Lin family."

Hearing this, there was a warm applause from the audience.At this time, the Great Elder on the side raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.The applause stopped abruptly, showing the prestige of Mr. Da Zong.

The white-haired old man coughed and said, "According to the resolution of the Zong Laohui, in addition to the number 1 meritorious official of the Lin clan, there is also a special meritorious official added. That is the 380th generation of the Lin clan, the eldest grandson." Zhenwu. Why is he a special hero. You know, our Lin family has been passed down through the ages, and the glory of the sect is the will of the ancestors of the past generations. The eldest grandson Zhenwu fulfilled the dreams of generations of ancestors, comforted the spirits of the ancestors, and let the ancestors and sages rest in peace. Therefore, the eldest grandson Zhenwu is the special hero this year. The reward for the eldest grandson of Zhenwu is to join the Zonglaohui and become one of the special members of the Zonglaohui. The reward is 1000 million in cash. Maolin Group will increase its income by 50 billion this year, and also reward Lin Zhijian 1000 million."

There was thunderous applause from the audience.But Lin Zhijian's eyes flashed a trace of resentment.In his eyes, Maolin Group was created by him. Without him, there would be no Maolin Group, but he did not have the honor of entering the Elderly Association.This old association is not a false title. Taking Maolin Group as an example, the board members include the nine old men on stage. Now Lin Tao, who has entered the old association, naturally also becomes a member of the board of directors.

"The eldest son, Sun Zhenwu, and Sun Zhijian, the fourth generation of 380, will come to the stage to accept the award." Da Zong said loudly. Although there was no microphone in front of the table, the old man's steely voice made the sound spread throughout the audience.

"Brother, hurry up! Brother!" Lin Hao shouted while applauding, more excited than Lin Tao.

Lin Tao walked towards the podium under the envious eyes of everyone. Lin Tao walked closer and saw that the platform seemed to have no ladders.At this time, Lin Zhijian also walked to Lin Tao's side.

Lin Tao quickly saluted Lin Zhijian and called out, "Uncle Tang."

"Zhenwu, great job!" Lin Zhijian shook Lin Tao's hand enthusiastically.

"Jump up here?"

"Hehe, no two times, even accepting the award will make people laugh. This is all caused by some old men." Lin Zhijian said in a low voice.Then he stretched out his hand to scratch the ring and turned over, jumped over the guardrail and landed on the stage.Lin Tao shook his body slightly, and jumped on it directly.The people on Lin Tao's side could see clearly, they went up without bending their legs, and immediately there was thunderous applause again.Many people started to discuss.

"Dad, how did Zhenwu jump on it? His legs don't seem to be bent."

"Brother, my lightness kung fu is not ambiguous. I can also jump up this arena, but I have to squat down first. Cousin Zhenwu's dry land pulling onions is too evil. It seems that I shook my head slightly. What kind of state is this? "

"You boys didn't see that when entering the ancestral hall, the eight clan elders took the exam, but they didn't even touch the corner of Zhenwu's clothes. It is said that they have reached the ultimate state of martial arts practitioners."

"It's worthy of being the No. [-] Scholar, and worthy of being a third-rank general. It should be clear."

The Lin family in the audience can say that, as long as they are not born with disabilities and diseases, both men and women have practiced martial arts since childhood, and some have never stopped. They maintain the habit of practicing martial arts. There are hundreds of people practicing martial arts here, including men, women and children.If an 80-year-old lady uses Guan Gong's sword in People's Square, she will definitely become popular.But it's not unusual in the Lin family.Even the Lin family like Lin Zhiyuan, who doesn't like martial arts, was amazed by Lin Tao's jump.

Zhu Yueting, who was beside her, held Lin Zhiyuan's arm and said, "How do you think Xiaotao jumped up? Isn't this against the laws of physics?"

"I don't understand either, I just practiced for a few years when I was a child, and I have long forgotten about it." Lin Zhiyuan laughed.

"Xiao Xiao, your husband is really amazing! He looks like a hero." Zhu Yueting turned her head and smiled at Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao also heard the conversation between the two, and she also smiled and said: "This is pediatrics for Lin Tao, but it doesn't violate the laws of physics. Didn't you see him shaking his head? He just relied on the inertia of shaking his head to drive his body to jump up. of."

"Pull it down, even if I broke my neck, I still can't jump half a meter high!" Zhu Yueting said with a look of disbelief.

Xiao Xiaoxin said, two meters tall, if I jump with bent legs, it will probably be about the same, ah, can I participate in the Olympics or something, if I compete in the high jump, maybe I can win the world championship!Xiao Xiao looked at Lin Tao who came to the stage and began to think wildly.

All the old men on the stage nodded in satisfaction. They could only describe Lin Tao's martial arts as unfathomable. After worshiping the ancestors, Lin Tao was left alone for half an hour to talk about Lin Tao's experience and inheritance over the years. There is also the matter of Jinlin.For Huiming, the two eminent monks of Huineng, the elders of the Lin family, can only marvel. They never thought that there would be such strange people in the world.In the minds of the old men of the Lin family, there has always been the idea that the Lin family is number one in martial arts, and they have never paid attention to the characters on Wudang Mountain.Regarding the 72 unique skills of Shaolin Temple, the old man of the Lin family also sneered, thinking that it was mostly rumors, because these few young people also made friends with martial arts, traveled all over the world's famous mountains, and have never seen such a powerful monk as rumored.But Lin Tao's two teachers lived in seclusion in an inconspicuous place, and they really responded to the saying, "If the mountain is not high, there will be immortals!" '