Chapter 84

However, just as Li Xunzhe had barely started his opening stance and hadn’t even had the chance to perform a single move, an elder from the Jin family came over to remind everyone that the ancestral worship was about to begin, urging everyone to hurry over.

Xiahou Zhongying was quite disappointed and muttered, "Taekwondo fourth dan, and I still didn’t get to see it. What a pity."

Jin Taeyeon, who was standing next to Xiahou Zhongying, finally couldn’t hold back a giggle. "Big Brother Zhongying is really too mischievous, making Li Xunzhe spin around in confusion."

"Brother-in-law, perform after the ancestral worship," Xiahou Zhongying called out to Li Xunzhe, who was quickly leaving, looking embarrassed.

Li Xunzhe’s legs went weak, almost causing him to fall. He hated Xiahou Zhongying to the bone, thinking how wicked this guy was.

"Alright, after the ancestral worship, we’ll find a place to demonstrate it for you," Li Xunzhe said through gritted teeth, turning to Xiahou Zhongying. He secretly resolved to find a chance to make Xiahou Zhongying go on stage to help him perform, so he could give him a good beating to vent his anger.

The young people and girls thought they wouldn’t get a chance to see it, but when they heard Li Xunzhe agree to continue the demonstration after the ancestral worship, they immediately cheered.

The Korean ancestral worship has strict rules. Just the arrangement of the offering table follows rules such as "fish east, meat west," "head east, tail west," "red east, white west," "jujubes, chestnuts, pears, persimmons," "raw east, cooked west," and "rice on the left, soup on the right."

The ritual procedures are also very strict. During the worship, first, a fast is observed, and the family members are arranged according to the genealogy. Various foods are offered on the spirit tablets with the names of the ancestors written on them. The descendants pour wine and then bow and kowtow to the ancestors in sequence, expressing their gratitude and praying for the ancestors to bless them with peace, health, and prosperity throughout the year, as well as the flourishing of the family business.

After the ancestral worship, the women in the family remove the offerings from the table and, together with the food prepared in advance in the kitchen, set them on the dining table. The entire Jin family shares the meal, remembering the kindness of the ancestors left to their descendants. This is the first meal of the New Year.

The main dish for the New Year’s breakfast is rice cake slice soup. Koreans refer to New Year’s food collectively as "Seollal meal," and rice cake slice soup is the most representative dish. Ancient Koreans revered the sun and the pure white color. The white, round rice cake slices represent the sun and symbolize the farewell to the old and the welcome of the new. Eating a bowl on the morning of the first day of the New Year signifies welcoming the brightness of the sun and the purity of the renewal of all things.

After finishing the first meal of the New Year, the "Seollal bow" or New Year’s greetings are performed. The Seollal bow requires a grand ceremony, with different methods for men and women.

For men, the grand bow involves clasping the hands together, facing the person to be greeted, bending the waist, and placing the clasped hands with the palms facing down. First, kneel on the left knee, then the right knee, with the left foot on top, the soles of the feet stacked, and the heels spread apart, sitting down. The elbows touch the ground, and the back of the hands touch the forehead (the buttocks must not leave the ground). Then, raise the head, lift the elbows from the ground, and stand up starting with the right knee, using the right knee to push up.

For women, the grand bow involves clasping the hands at shoulder level, first kneeling on the left knee, then the right knee, with the right foot on top, the soles of the feet stacked, and the heels spread apart, sitting down. The upper body tilts at a 45-degree angle, and the hands touch the ground. Maintain this position for a moment, then raise the upper body, lift the right knee, and stand up while bringing the feet together, returning the clasped hands to the original position.

The Seollal bow is performed in order from the eldest to the youngest. First, the elders perform the grand bow to each other, with the younger brother bowing to the older brother and offering New Year’s greetings such as "Happy New Year, good health," and the older brother shaking hands and returning the greetings. After the bow, the younger brother does not leave but sits next to the older brother to receive the greetings from the younger generation.

After the elders have greeted each other, it is the turn of the parents’ generation to perform the Seollal bow. After the parents and uncles and aunts have finished, it is the turn of the third generation, and so on for families with more than three generations. The children bow to their grandparents, parents, uncles, and aunts, and at this time, the elders give "New Year’s money." As long as one is working, they should prepare New Year’s money, even if the recipient is just a year younger and still a college student.

During the Seollal bow of the eldest generation, Jin’s father quietly walked to Xiahou Zhongying and whispered to him how to perform the bow to the elders, telling him to observe how others do it and follow their lead.

Xiahou Zhongying looked up at the sky, speechless, continuously cursing the Korean country with its bizarre etiquette. Seeing so many elders sitting up there, he knew he would have to kneel until he was dead.

The three future sons-in-law of the Jin family were not much better off; they also had to perform the kneeling bow. But they were Koreans and were used to it, and they were truly the future sons-in-law of the Jin family, unlike Xiahou Zhongying, who was forced onto the stage.

The ones who performed the Seollal bow before Jin Taeyeon and Xiahou Zhongying were Jin Baoyan and Li Xunzhe.

Li Xunzhe, dressed in a suit, made the Jin family elders frown from the start. He only performed the grand bow to the eldest generation and Jin Baoyan’s parents, bowing to the other elders. He merely nodded and wished a happy New Year to the four-year-old uncle and the infant uncle, without even using the proper titles.

For the very etiquette-conscious Koreans, Li Xunzhe’s behavior was disrespectful to the elders, which made the Jin family elders even more annoyed. They secretly blamed Jin Baoyan for choosing such an impolite man, who was still a college student.

However, it was the first day of the New Year, and scolding him would make the family seem disharmonious. Superstitious elders believed it would affect the family’s fortune for the coming year. So, they could only endure Li Xunzhe’s impoliteness, just giving him a glare, secretly blaming Jin Baoyan and her parents for choosing this son-in-law.

After Jin Baoyan and Li Xunzhe finished their Seollal bow, it was Jin Taeyeon and Xiahou Zhongying’s turn.

Having never knelt so much in his life, Xiahou Zhongying and Jin Taeyeon were both exhausted and sore after bowing to all the elders.

Especially when they had to bow to Jin Baoyan and Li Xunzhe, Xiahou Zhongying felt even more aggrieved, as Jin Baoyan was older than Jin Taeyeon.

The Jin family elders were very satisfied with Xiahou Zhongying. He performed the grand bow throughout, even to the four-year-old uncle and the infant uncle, which was a stark contrast to Li Xunzhe. The difference was significant.

The elders around Jin’s father and mother praised Xiahou Zhongying for his politeness, making them both beam with joy. Xiahou Zhongying had truly brought them honor, and they were even more satisfied with him. Where could they find such a good son-in-law? They wished they could hold the wedding immediately.

After performing the grand bow throughout, Xiahou Zhongying received a large number of red envelopes, but the money didn’t really matter to him. The total amount was less than one-tenth of his monthly expenses.

Korean elders also have rules for giving New Year’s money to the younger generation. High school students receive 5,000 to 10,000 Korean won, and college students receive 10,000 to 50,000 Korean won. Since Xiahou Zhongying and Jin Taeyeon were high school students, even if they received 100 red envelopes, the maximum would be 1 million Korean won, which wasn’t much.

Jin Taeyeon belonged to the fourth generation of the Jin family, with three generations above her and two generations below her, making it a six-generation family, a sign of prosperity.

However, the oldest generation only had a few members, and the youngest generation, Jin Taeyeon’s great-grandchildren, only had two infants who couldn’t even speak yet.

Jin Taeyeon was very happy, feeling deeply satisfied to perform the Seollal bow with the man she loved, like a married couple. She had previously been resistant to the troublesome Seollal bow, but now she wished it would never end.

After bowing to the three generations in front of them, it was finally their turn to receive the Seollal bow from the younger generation, and she couldn’t help but feel relieved, which made Xiahou Zhongying feel a bit more balanced.