Chapter 197 Keep the volume down

Men, women, young and old lined up according to their closeness and seniority. The musical instrument band led the way with their playing, followed by people carrying the offering table and paper offerings, and then a long line of relatives, consisting only of men.

Zhang Pengfei was third in line. He walked slowly with the group, his head down, his face filled with sorrow.

Although Liu Jin'e and Zhang Tianmin treated Hua Hua very badly during those three months, they weren't like this before, at least they had never shown it before. On the contrary, when his parents were around, the two families had a very close relationship.

Whether it was a deliberate act or a genuine expression of emotion, in any case, Zhang Pengfei couldn't bring himself to hate the two men who died in this way.

He suddenly felt very lucky that he had met Chen Jingyang and that he also had his mother.

He doesn't need to worry about money, nor about his future marriage. He doesn't even need to worry about work or life. He can do whatever he likes, and even lie down as he pleases.

Because Chen Jingyang was standing behind him, he had boundless confidence!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look up to find Chen Jingyang.

There was only one row of streetlights on the main street of the village, casting a weak, yellowish light. Each streetlight was 50 meters apart. There were many onlookers on the street. It was not easy to find someone in such a dark and chaotic environment, but Zhang Pengfei still found Chen Jingyang with almost no effort.

Because Chen Jingyang was also looking at him, his gaze was naturally drawn to him.

The two of them smiled in unison.

"Hey, Jingyang!"

Chen Jingyang was startled. Shuibo handed him a portable cannon barrel—something that looked like a single-person honeycomb briquette machine, except that the larger end was facing upwards.

"Could you hold this for me? My lighter won't light; I need to go buy a new one!"

There's one thing I forgot to mention: during the "parade," firecrackers need to be set off, and this "difficult" task naturally fell to Brother Shuibo.

Chen Jingyang didn't see clearly how he put the gunpowder into the cannon hole, but he did it very quickly. He lit it with a lighter, and with a "Duang" sound, the windows of the residents on the street trembled.

Normally, firing a cannon once every five minutes would be fine, but since the person in charge is Brother Shuibo, he fires two cannons a minute!

After returning from the pilgrimage, most people went to watch the instrumental performances. There's a saying, "There are many hidden masters among the common people," and Chen Jingyang felt that there was some truth to that, just like the person playing the suona in front of him.

In his opinion, he is no less skilled than some masters of the suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument).

However, when he switched to performing opera, he felt it wasn't very interesting and thought it would be better to go back to his wife.

Surprisingly, Zhang Pengfei was not at the funeral hall!

Not only was he absent, but Zhang Pengju was also absent!

Chen Jingyang immediately made a phone call: "Baby, where are you?"

Zhang Pengfei was speechless. He felt that Chen Jingyang was not as good as Hua Hua. Hua Hua went to play with her friends and seemed to be having so much fun that she didn't want to leave. Why did Chen Jingyang start looking for him after only ten minutes of separation?

"In the west room," Zhang Pengfei whispered, "We're..."

"Beep beep beep..." Chen Jingyang hung up on him, and then a few seconds later pushed open the door to the west room.

Besides the two brothers Zhang Pengfei and Zhang Pengju, there was also Master Huaichen, and three other old men whom Chen Jingyang had never met.

One of the old men, wearing a dark blue liberation cap, immediately frowned: "Who are you? We're having an internal meeting, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Pengfei lowered his head, suppressing a laugh. Chen Jingyang looked around and calmly said, "Oh, sorry, wrong place. Please continue."

As soon as he left the house, he sent a message: "Baby, how late is the internal meeting going to end?"

Zhang Pengfei smiled and twitched his fingers slightly: I don't know, it might take an hour or two. We're having an in-depth conversation right now.

Chen Jingyang chuckled: What spirit are you trying to convey?

Zhang Pengfei: First, let's review and arrange the schedule for tomorrow's activities, and then discuss the concept of mutual help and shared prosperity within the family.

"Pengfei!" the old man wearing a dark blue liberation cap said with displeasure, "What are you fiddling with with your head down? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Zhang Pengfei instinctively hid his phone in his pocket, like a primary school student caught reading an extracurricular book during class. He straightened his back and said seriously, "Second Master, I'm listening. I won't ignore Pengju and the others. Don't worry."

Second Master nodded and began another earnest lecture.

This second uncle is almost 80 years old and still in good health. He is a veteran member of the Communist Party and has served as a village cadre for more than 20 years. He likes to speak in a distinctive tone, but he has a very kind heart and is very fair. He is quite respected in the village.

When Zhang Pengfei was a child, he would go with his father to visit his second uncle's house every year for the New Year. At that time, the income of each household was not high, and the New Year's money was usually given as five cents or one yuan. However, his second uncle always gave ten yuan.

When his father passed away, it was his second uncle who went to great lengths to arrange his father's funeral in the village, ensuring that it wasn't too hasty. Therefore, Zhang Pengfei held his second uncle in high esteem.

When the "internal meeting" ended, the music class was almost over. Hua Hua couldn't stay awake any longer and wanted to go home to sleep. Chen Jingyang brought back a thermos of hot water from Zhang Pengju's house. After Hua Hua washed her feet and fell asleep, he went back to the room where Zhang Pengfei used to sleep.

The interior was very simple, even rudimentary. Apart from a single bed, a small wooden wardrobe, and a rickety desk, there wasn't even a chair or bench.

It was obvious that he would have to sit on the bed to use the desk, but the bed was too low for him, and he couldn't stretch his legs out, so he had to lie face down with his back hunched over.

On the wobbly desk were two stacks of books, each thirty or forty centimeters high, all related to literature and history, and mostly textbooks.

Chen Jingyang sat on the bed, picked up a book and flipped through it. The lamp was hanging too high and the brightness was not good. It was hard to imagine how Zhang Pengfei studied under such conditions and still became the top scorer in the province!

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Chen Jingyang looked up: "The meeting's over?"

Zhang Pengfei grunted in response, casually placed the mourning cap he was holding on the desk, and then began to take off his mourning clothes.

What are you looking at?

Chen Jingyang closed the book and put it back: "The history textbook of a top-scoring student in a certain province during his second year of high school."

Zhang Pengfei, with a shy yet slightly proud expression, smiled and asked, "Is it pretty?"

Chen Jingyang beckoned to him: "Sit down, and I'll tell you."

Zhang Pengfei shook his head: "I'm afraid I won't be able to get up once I sit down."

He glanced at the kettle on the table: "Is there water in it?"

Chen Jingyang stood up, turned sideways, and wobbled out from the gap between the desk and the bed. He grabbed Zhang Pengfei's head with both hands and kissed him on the cheek: "You're not as good-looking as me!"

Zhang Pengfei blushed instantly and said coquettishly, "Stop it, this room isn't soundproof."

Chen Jingyang laughed and said, "It's okay, just keep your voice down for a bit."