Chapter 196 Parading Through the Streets

"Hey! How did this thing get out?" The man curiously touched it and shook it, triggering the sensor, and the "little person" immediately flipped back.

"Huh?!" He was startled. "How did it go down again? Did I break it?"

Pingyuan clicked his tongue and said, "How could you be so impulsive? Why did you touch that thing? If you break it, how are you going to pay for it?"

Chen Jingyang couldn't help but chuckle: "It's okay, it won't break if you touch it. It has anti-theft and anti-touch sensor designs, so it retracts as soon as you touch it."

The man breathed a sigh of relief: "That scared me to death! I saw online that this car costs several million, and repairing it would cost the equivalent of selling a house!"

He had just finished speaking when he suddenly heard someone shout from behind, "What are you guys doing over there? Get over here and get to work!"

The group chuckled awkwardly and hurried back.

Chen Jingyang followed them into the courtyard.

This was the first time he had ever seen a funeral procession in the countryside.

Zhang Pengju's yard is about the same size as Zhang Pengfei's, around 70 or 80 square meters. However, two large stoves were temporarily built on the south side, and several people who looked like chefs were busy working. The stoves were blazing with fire, and white steam was billowing from the pots. Various ingredients and bowls and plates were scattered all over the ground.

A paper-made tall building stands at the entrance of the main hall on the north side. In front of the building is an offering table with a complete pig's head in the center. Two scallions are stuck in the pig's nose. Several snacks and fruits are placed next to the pig's head.

A straw mat was laid on the ground in front of the offering table. When Chen Jingyang passed by, there were people worshipping the dead.

The man first clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, then stepped forward with his right leg, bent his left knee and knelt down, followed naturally with his right leg, kowtowed three times, stood up and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to the offering table again, then turned and kowtowed to the people standing on his left, and then to the people standing on his right.

The entire ceremony was solemn and respectful, filled with reverence for the deceased.

After the ceremony, he walked to a table on the right, took out a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to a person at the table. The person said something to him, probably asking for his name, and then wrote it on a piece of white paper on the table.

After Chen Jingyang finished reading, he was about to go to the mourning hall to find Zhang Pengfei when he suddenly heard a loud cry outside the gate. Soon, a plump woman in her thirties entered the courtyard.

"My dear sister!" the woman cried out, her head thrown back. Unlike the previous person who had bowed and kowtowed first, she knelt directly on the mat, tears streaming down her face. "My dear sister, ah, ah, ah~"

Chen Jingyang quickly bit his lip—the woman's crying was so melodious, with an unusually long ending note and a rhythmic cadence, very similar to the melody of a traditional opera; he almost laughed out loud.

Almost as soon as the woman entered the courtyard, a chorus of weeping erupted from inside the mourning hall, from both men and women, their emotions unreadable.

Two women quickly came out of the mourning hall, one on each side, to comfort the weeping woman and console her. The woman said a few more words of condolence before being pulled up. After a few more pleasantries, the three women went to the gift table and handed over two banknotes.

With his curiosity satisfied, Chen Jingyang turned and went inside.

Although the sun had already set below the eaves, it was still early, and the lights were on inside.

Zhang Pengju was kneeling at the front, throwing paper money into a brazier in front of him. Chen Jingyang looked past him and saw Zhang Pengfei at a glance!

Perhaps he was tired of kneeling, so he was half-kneeling and half-sitting, talking quietly to someone behind him.

"Ahem!" Chen Jingyang coughed lightly, intending only to attract Zhang Pengfei's attention. However, it was as if everyone in the room had been put on pause. After a brief pause, they all looked up at him.

Chen Jingyang was feeling the pressure of being stared at, and the room was small, only about 20 square meters. It contained two coffins and a bed, and with more than twenty people standing inside, there was almost no room to put his feet down.

Only then did Chen Jingyang fully understand why Zhang Pengfei hadn't allowed him to come.

But it was too late!

"Is this... a relative?" someone asked.

After all, who would casually enter the mourning hall?

Even with Chen Jingyang's excellent mental fortitude, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed, staring blankly at Zhang Pengfei, waiting for someone to come to his rescue.

However, when he met Zhang Pengfei's gaze, his heart was immediately clenched—Zhang Pengfei's eyes were red and swollen from crying!

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Pengfei's eyes at first, but he immediately stood up, said that they were relatives, and pulled him to a quiet place outside the door.

"Didn't I tell you not to come?"

Chen Jingyang gently stroked the corner of his eye with his thumb: "Do you really need to cry so hard?"

"Tsk!" Zhang Pengfei quickly brushed his fingers away, glanced at the crowd, and whispered, "Stop fooling around, mind your manners! What else can you do but laugh in a mourning hall? I'll start with you!"

Chen Jingyang scratched his head guiltily and decided to reveal Shui Bo's identity: "I came because Shui Bo said it was okay."

Zhang Pengfei rolled his eyes at him speechlessly: "You actually dare to do what Brother Shuibo says!"

Chen Jingyang chuckled. Just then, Master Huaichen began to invite the guests to take their seats. Most of the people in the mourning hall came out in a rush. Zhang Pengfei didn't go back. He followed the flow of people out and found a table to sit down and prepare to eat.

It was Chen Jingyang's first time "attending a banquet," and he felt both excited and a little awkward. Sitting opposite him was a bald man in his fifties, whom even Zhang Pengfei didn't recognize. He was probably from Liu Jin'e's family.

The two sat facing each other, separated only by a long table 50 centimeters wide. He even felt that he could smell the man's bad breath as soon as he opened his mouth!

Zhang Pengfei took out his phone and sent him a message: "Want to switch places?"

Chen Jingyang looked around and typed two words: No need.

The number of people at each table is roughly the same; unless you give him a separate table, there's not much difference.

Zhang Pengfei understood, got up and brought back two bowls—as soon as the food was served, he would put it into the bowls to minimize contact between them.

After the meal, there was still a ceremony to attend to, so the dishes were served very quickly. First came plates of cold dishes, and to Chen Jingyang's surprise, these dishes tasted quite good.

There was one dish in particular that he praised highly: "I've never eaten this before, what is it?"

“Tofu skin,” Zhang Pengfei said with a smile. “This is a local specialty. You can’t find it anywhere else, and even if you can buy it, you won’t find it prepared this authentically.”

"Let's buy some to take back with us when we go back. I think Auntie will be very happy to eat this dish."

Zhang Pengfei nodded: "Okay, we'll buy some at the restaurant when we leave."

After the meal, Zhang Pengfei followed the group to welcome the scriptures. Chen Jingyang insisted on broadening his horizons, and since there were quite a few people "visiting," Zhang Pengfei let him go along.

After walking for a while, Chen Jingyang realized that the so-called welcoming ceremony was actually just a "street parade"!