After a simple rebirth

The May Day holiday came, and Fu Ying sorted out the etiquette videos required by the teacher on the afternoon of the first day of the holiday. She also made an appointment and chatted with friends and classmates.

Maybe because it was a holiday, Zhang Zun was also online, but he talked about something that surprised Fu Ying.

zen【I want to change my name.】

Ying [Change your name? Why would you change your name? It's troublesome to change your name now, right? 】

zen【My mother asked me to do this. It was my lunar birthday a while ago. My mother went to worship the gods and consulted a Feng Shui master. The Feng Shui master said that I should change my name so that I can successfully pass the college entrance examination and get into the university I want.】

Ying: [Ah, Mr. Feng Shui is also involved? ]

zen [Yes, she also went to ask before my eldest sister’s college entrance examination. My eldest sister said at that time that everything was going smoothly. This time, the Feng Shui master said that my current situation is a bit difficult and it would be better if I changed my name.

My mother said that the Feng Shui master was very powerful. When I was born, my health was not very good. I prayed to several gods but it didn’t get better. So I asked the Feng Shui master and he said that it was helpful to pray to several gods again. 】

Fu Ying looked at these words and felt that they were full of complaints. Didn't getting into a certain university depend on one's own efforts? What could a name determine...

But when I think about his family, I feel that this is quite reasonable.

Zhang Zun is from eastern Guangdong. Before I met him, I had heard from my best friend that people in this area were extremely superstitious and favored boys over girls. My best friend advised Fu Ying not to look for a boyfriend from that area, and Fu Ying originally thought the same.

But during the conversation, I found out that Zhang Zun didn't really believe in God, so I didn't take it seriously. Later, I was a little bit in love, so I didn't think so long-term.

After dating for a long time, I realized that the superstition and god-worshiping culture in eastern Guangdong has really penetrated into every aspect of their lives, and even non-believers have to follow these rules.

Young people like Zhang Zun have indeed changed a lot, and only the older generation still sticks to worshiping gods and customs. But more often than not, we still have to respect local culture.

What Fu Ying remembered very clearly was that in her previous life, the eldest and second sisters Zhang Zun got married.

According to normal wedding customs, girls leave their parents' home in the morning, and the auspicious time to leave is usually around noon, and the wedding banquet is held in the evening.

For example, when Fu Zhe got married in his previous life, his wife left home at ten in the morning and arrived at Fu's house at eleven. Then they worshipped their ancestors, knelt down to pay homage to their parents, and then had lunch. In the afternoon, her family went back.

But the eastern Guangdong region is very special. Before the marriage, the man's parents give the man and the woman's birth dates to a Feng Shui master, who will calculate the auspicious time.

Only when everyone holds the event on time and does not make compromises to make it convenient for the host and guests.

When Fu Ying first heard Zhang Zun say that his eldest sister was getting married in the early morning, she lamented that it was too late and too tiring.

As a result, his second sister also got married in the early morning.

Fu Ying and Zhang Zun had been together for two years at that time, and they could only take two days off to attend the wedding.

On the first night, the bride's family had to block the door at 11:30 pm, and then at 0:45 am, the auspicious time, the groom could pick up the bride. Zhang Zun, as the eldest brother-in-law, had to live at the groom's house, so Fu Ying could only go back to Zhang Zun's house and not to the groom's house.

The wedding banquet will be held on the second night. Arrive at 7 o'clock, and the wedding ceremony can start at the auspicious time of 8:20, and then the food will be served.

These times cannot be changed, advanced, or exceeded, and must be observed. The bride's family must wear reddish clothing, not white or yellow.

Only by participating in the whole process can you feel the impact and shock of this traditional culture. Superstition or customs are really difficult to shake.

So Fu Ying was surprised but not shocked at Zhang Zun's sudden name change.

After all, Zhang Zun didn’t even know the exact date of his lunar birthday. Zhang Zun asked his mother, but she told him not to tell it.

Therefore, Zhang Zun does not celebrate his birthday. If he wants to celebrate, he can only do so according to his ID card. The specific date and time of the lunar calendar can only be announced after he gets married. At the same time, the number and objects of worship and return of gods at the end of each year must also change.

However, Fu Ying was still a little curious about the fact that she didn't change her name in her previous life.

Ying【What name do you want to change to?】

zen【Zhang Dian.】

Ying: [Ah, isn't this just changing back to your old name? ]

Fu Ying was speechless. It felt like both superstition and childishness. It was just a waste of time.

Fu Ying remembers that Zhang Zun was named Zhang Dian when he was a child. Zhang Zun's family members all called Zhang Zun "Adian". Fu Ying usually followed suit and called him Adian. When she was angry, she would call Zhang Zun by his full name.

Because he was not in good health when he was a child, he asked a Feng Shui master to change his name to Zhang Zun, so he had to worship more gods. He didn't expect that he would have to change back to that name. Wouldn't the gods he worshipped have to change as well?

zen【Yes, I changed my name back to Zhang Dian. I don’t know if I will call him Zhang Zun again in the future. It depends on my mom. She did everything. She has the final say.】

Fu Ying didn't know what to say.

Ying: [I’m already in my second year of high school. It’s going to be hard to change now, right?]

zen【That's not bad, my third uncle is in the police station, so he has some connections.】

zen【My mother believes in gods so much, the Feng Shui master said it’s better to change it, so she will change it no matter how difficult it is.】

Fu Ying suddenly realized and remembered Zhang Zun's uncle. Zhang Zun was almost adopted by him.

Although she always felt that the name seemed a bit rustic, she couldn't say such things in front of him, so Fu Ying could only change the subject.

Ying [Your brother doesn’t need to change? ]

zen【No, my grandfather said that as long as he can get into college, that's good enough, nothing else is expected. But it shouldn't be a big problem, if there is a problem, my mother will definitely ask for it to be changed.】

Ying: [Yes.]

Speaking of Grandpa Zhang Zun, Fu Ying suddenly thought of something. It was Zhang Zun's family affair, and Fu Ying couldn't interfere, but this thing was quite important.

According to what Zhang Zun said about his growth history, Zhang Zun should now live near the town’s high school, about two alleys away from his old house.

The old house is actually an old house. It is not big and the building is relatively high. The second floor is separated by wooden boards. The house is a bit old and now his grandfather lives alone in the old house.

It's not that Zhang Zun's parents are unfilial, but his grandfather, as a former village party secretary, was not very adaptable to the new society after retirement. After his grandmother passed away, his temperament changed drastically. When she was in a bad mood, she drove Zhang Zun's family out. Zhang Zun's parents had no choice but to rent a house, and later bought the current house.

They would also invite his grandfather over for dinner during the holidays, but his grandfather didn't pay much attention to them, so they didn't interact very often.

The problem lies with the old house. The house was built in the early years and Grandpa Zhang Zun also lives there, but the foundation of the house does not entirely belong to his family.

Taking floor tiles as an example, Zhang Zun’s old house is made up of three rectangular tiles. The inner one belongs to Zhang Zun’s grandfather, the middle one belongs to one of Zhang Zun’s uncles, and the outer one belongs to Zhang Zun’s grandfather’s younger brother.

That uncle was an orphan, and Grandpa Zhang Zun sponsored his studies. When he grew up, he went to Hong Kong City to develop. He came back a few times at the beginning, but later he settled there and basically never came back, and we didn't keep in touch. In the early years, he said that he would give the piece of land in the middle to Grandpa Zhang Zun as a reward.

But this is just verbal, there is no actual transfer, and the other party can also deny it.

At that time, land was not that valuable, and people did not care so much about the ownership of the land. So the houses were built and the problem was never solved.

After Grandpa Zhang Zun passed away, the only people who knew about it were his generation, but several elder people also passed away one after another, leaving this difficult problem.

Fu Ying and Zhang Zun found out about this when they were discussing whether to buy or build a house in the future when they were about to get married.

If Zhang Zun's family has other suitable residential land, it is not impossible to give up the old house and build a bigger one.

But his family did not have much land, and later there was strict control over homesteads, so that was the only option for him to build a house.

Zhang Zun felt that as a young person, it was not appropriate for him to go beyond his parents' request to resolve the matter. However, his father was weak and his mother wanted to save face, so they were unwilling to speak freely. Moreover, they did not know whether the uncle was still alive, so the situation remained at a standstill.

Fu Ying thinks that the problem should be solved while there is still a way to deal with it, otherwise it will be troublesome if it is demolished or rebuilt in the future. It would be good if it can be bought back at the market price, but she is afraid that someone will ask for an exorbitant amount of money, or come out to talk about it after the repair is completed, and then there will be a lot of arguments.

Because no one lived in the house and the ownership of the land was unclear, it later became a disguised ancestral hall, enshrining the spirit tablets of several elders.

Back to the present, Fu Ying felt that it would be best to resolve the issue if Grandpa Zhang Zun was around. It would be easier for the old man to come forward for communication, and while they could still contact the other party, they could buy it with money or write a receipt to leave no hidden dangers.

Fu Ying thought about it and told him the matter. She was quite familiar with Zhang Zun now, so she decided to remind him of this matter.

Although Zhang Zun is just a friend to her now and may be suspected of meddling in other people's affairs, there is a huge difference between knowing and not saying anything and knowing and giving a reminder.

A reminder is that it is with good intentions, and it is to resolve one's inner entanglement and torment. If Zhang Zun cannot tell his family members and cannot resolve this matter, then it has nothing to do with Fu Ying.

The worst outcome is to give up the land and donate it to the ancestral hall.

After hearing this, Zhang Zun responded to her seriously.

zen【I have also heard about this from my mother, but my grandfather is ignoring us now, I don’t know if he is willing to come forward.】

Ying: [Your grandfather is definitely unwilling to transfer the property to your father now. It would not sound good to divide the property while the old man is still alive, but if the property can be transferred to your grandfather, the problem has been solved.]

Ying [It may seem difficult to speak up at first, but it is not that difficult. The point is that in the long run, the benefits will definitely outweigh the disadvantages. ]

Ying: [Maybe your family will still buy a house outside, but it is impossible to completely abandon your hometown. Your parents need a place to sleep when they go back to worship their ancestors. It is uncomfortable to stay in someone else's house every time. What's more, this is considered the ancestral home, which has a different meaning. Maybe you will tear down your hometown and rebuild it in the future, but the land belonging to your family is really too small. You have to build 3 floors to accommodate your family. It will definitely be more convenient if it is bigger.]

Ying [As time goes by, residential land will only become more expensive and harder to buy. My house is three or four times larger than yours, but I also persuaded my parents to buy the land behind my house, so that it will be easy to expand or build a house in the future. ]

Fu Ying provoked Zhang Zun. Boys of this age must have a face and will compare themselves with others. Who doesn't want their home to be spacious, bright, big and comfortable?

She didn't give any ideas. Zhang Zun had his own ideas and knew how to communicate with his grandfather. Whether things would succeed or not, it was up to fate.