The Grand Ancestral Worship Ceremony

The elder asked, "Do you want to help her?"

Si Huaruo nodded immediately.

"Even if the price is that you replace her and have to attend these boring, tedious classes here?"

Si Huaruo nodded firmly without hesitation. "I've always preferred quiet, and I can't make friends anywhere. But Sister Yu is different. She loves to play and has a cheerful personality. She can make friends with anyone. If she goes to school in my place, she'll definitely make lots and lots of friends."

"Then I'll tell you a way. As long as you can beat her, in any way, as long as you prove you can do better than her, you can replace her and get her out of here."

"Is that so?"

"If you don't believe me, you can go back and ask your mother. She'll definitely be happy to help you with this."

"But Sister Yu is so powerful, how can I defeat her?"

"It's very difficult, so be prepared. It's okay if you lose. As long as you persevere, if you can't do it once, try ten times; if you can't do it ten times, try a hundred times. Keep challenging yourself, and one day you'll be able to beat her. Believe in yourself. You're actually a very talented kid. You just need a little more confidence."

"I understand, I will try my best."

The elder patted Si Huaruo's head affectionately. "Yes, good child, never give up."

"I won't give up, I will definitely rescue Sister Yu!"

Si Huaruo looked at Si Jingyu, who was learning tea ceremony in the classroom, and secretly made up her mind, clenching her small fist.

"Sister Yu, I challenge you."

"Oh, it's Huaruo. I already explained what happened last time. I had no choice; I didn't mean to break my promise to you."

"It has nothing to do with what happened last time. I just want to rescue you from that cage!"

"... So you know everything, but I'm sorry, I can't lose. At least not until we achieve our goal, I can't lose to anyone!"

--I lost. Sister Yu is indeed very strong, but it doesn't matter. I can lose a hundred times, but she can't even lose once.

"Sister Yu, I challenge you."

"It's you again, Huaruo! You've lost to me 153 times already, haven't you given up yet?"

"I won't give up. I won't give up, not even a hundred times, not even a thousand times, until I defeat you!"

You're so annoying!

It's okay if I'm disliked. I was always alone. Now I'm just back to square one. The days we spent playing together were the best gift you gave me, and now it's my turn to return the favor.

"Sister Yu, again!"

"It's you again! You just lost to me in the tea ceremony this morning, why haven't you learned your lesson? Even a fish has a better memory than you!"

--I gradually got used to challenging her, again and again, and I felt like I was almost forgetting my original intention...

Let's play chess today!

"It's time to learn to give up. I've lost all interest in beating you; it's too easy anyway."

"Young Miss, didn't you spend all night studying chess scores last night?"

"Don't talk back! Last night I was bored and wanted to read to pass the time, and I just happened to have a chess manual on hand."

--What was my initial motivation for wanting to beat her? Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore, I just want to defeat her!

"Si Jingyu, today I will end your undefeated streak!"

"It's still light out; save your sleep-talking for tonight!"

Chapter 317 Ancestor Worship Ceremony

On the day of the ancestral worship ceremony, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

"That's all I can do for you. The rest is up to you."

Si Ming said to Si Huaruo, who was all ready to go.

"That's enough. These seven days of intensive training have been incredibly beneficial. Thank you so much."

"It's a 50/50 chance, are you confident of winning?"

"I've done my best. I've used every trick in the book. If I still lose, it just proves that it's fate." Si Huaruo was quite philosophical about it.

Si Ming shook his head and said, "If you go into battle with that kind of thinking, you're doomed. Even if you can win a battle, you'll still lose to your opponent. In other situations, you can do your best and leave the rest to fate, but not in battle. You have to be prepared to fight with all your might, with the determination to turn the tide even if there's only a one percent chance of winning, in order to hold the outcome in your hands."

The same applies to sports competitions. All those "participation is more important than friendship" and "friendship first, competition second" slogans are bullshit. There can only be one champion, and only the winner can have the last laugh. Slogans are just for fooling the audience. Others can have that kind of thinking, but athletes can't. If they don't even have the determination to win, then what's the point of the competition? Going home and having babies is the most important thing.

Should you give up the match just because you're not as good as your opponent?

Not to mention how many times the underdog has triumphed in ball games, even in track and field, which has the fewest interfering factors, various accidents often occur. If you don't have the will to win, even if all seven people on the other track start behind, you still can't win the championship.

Si Huaruo was silent for a while, then exhaled and said, "You're right. I've probably lost too many times, so I've become numb... This is my best chance of winning. I must beat her, or I'll die trying!"

"That's right, that's the kind of awareness you should have! Face your own heart, haven't you ever felt resentful? Do you still want to see that smug face of the other person? The serfs have been liberated and are now singing songs of triumph, wiping away our past humiliations today! Believe in yourself, you can do it, you definitely can!"

Si Ming seemed to have transformed into a coach, constantly encouraging Si Huaruo: "We don't need any Evil Dao. Today, we're going to win fair and square. Just look at your hair, it's dazzlingly golden, destined to make you the center of attention! Don't be ashamed. Only the weak care about what others think. Come on, stand tall! The strong are fearless. As long as you keep conquering the peaks, others will naturally sing your praises!"

These words might fool others, but they were more than enough to fool Si Huaruo. She clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming, and exclaimed excitedly, "Oh—I'm full of fighting spirit now!"

The two went to the ancestral hall, where a large number of clansmen had already gathered. They were assigned positions according to their status in the clan, with the main lineage inside and the branch lineage outside. Only "Jing" and "Hua" were qualified to enter the ancestral hall to worship.