At this hour, most of the guests had already arrived, and Midwife Zhang just arrived, so the newborn ceremony began.
As it was a rural family, the process was not very complicated. Without any deities in the rural areas, Midwife Zhang simply bowed three times symbolically towards the east. Then, she placed a copper basin filled with liquid boiled from locust twigs and wormwood leaves and all the ceremonial items in the yard. Next, she took Gu Chengyu from Mr. Gu's hands, and the prelude to the "washing the third day" ceremony began.
Starting with Mr. Gu, the Gu Family led the way by adding a small spoonful of clean water into the basin, followed by adding some money, known as "adding to the basin." Mr. Gu threw ten copper coins in. Then, it was Boss Gu's turn. Mrs. Gu Fang represented the eldest family, adding five copper coins, all provided by Mr. Gu in advance. Each of the families of the eldest and second sons threw five copper coins when it was time to add to the basin.
