“Wang Fa.” Zhong Tingyue touched the gift she was giving.
Thank you.
Thank you for coming.
Chu Fang's high school classmate, Wang Fa, who had made a fortune, happened to be resting in town and came over as well, bringing a monetary gift. Zhong Tingyue casually handed him a small gift.
He stood in the courtyard, looking around with a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, thoughts, and reflections).
Despite the unremarkable surroundings, this funeral must have cost at least several million. Looking at the small gift in her hand, she saw a piece of jewelry with a faint golden glow, likely containing some gold. Just that alone made it very expensive.
Even though Wang Fa is wealthy, he wouldn't spend so much money on a funeral.
This shows that Chu Fang was truly wealthy, far beyond what he could have imagined.
In fact, Chu Fang hadn't planned to make such a big deal out of it. In his mind, his grandfather's passing was just a simple meal with relatives, friends, and neighbors, and there was no need to make a big show of it. But he couldn't persuade his mother otherwise.
Chu's mother wanted her father to leave this world in style.
It has to be said that Chu's mother's social skills are "amazing and lightning fast," and many guests came specifically because of her.
My mother hired the most famous funeral team in the area, and soon a mournful sound echoed in the air and spread outwards.
Chu Fang then heard his mother's voice: "My father, don't go..."
"Sigh!" Chu Fang sighed, "She's crying again."
He was very worried about his mother's emotional changes.
... ...
As night fell and a thin mist hung in the air, the funeral troupe continued their work diligently, the sounds of suona horns, trumpets, and chanting spreading far and wide.
"Are you tired?" Chu Fang took a piece of white cloth and wrapped it around his head.
"It's alright, much easier than work." Zhong Tingyue shook her head. Seeing that Chu Fang couldn't wrap the white cloth around his head, she took the cloth, stood on tiptoe slightly, and tightly wrapped it around his head, tying a bow. She asked, "Why are you wrapping the white cloth around your head now?"
“There’s an event later,” Chu Fang replied. “To bid farewell to my grandfather, we have to kneel and kowtow with the funeral procession. This is a local custom, and immediate family members are required to participate.”
"I'll join you too."
"No need," Chu Fang said. "Look, Chu Yi and the others didn't participate."
Zhong Tingyue said, "But I am your girlfriend."
"Let me make it clear first, it's very tiring, that activity will last at least half an hour."
Zhong Tingyue's eyes held a hint of disdain: "I'm still more capable of enduring hardship than you."
Chu Fang took a white cloth from the side, wrapped it around Zhong Tingyue's head, looked her over carefully, and couldn't help but say, "Beautiful girl!"
A beautiful girl is beautiful no matter what; nothing can conceal her unparalleled beauty.
Zhong Tingyue wore a white t-shirt and classic navy blue jeans, the cut of which showed off her slender legs. A white cloth was wrapped around her head, with one end of the cloth hanging over her shoulder, swaying gently with her movements, adding a touch of dynamism to her overall look.
Before long, the event began. Chu Fang, Chu's father, Chu's mother, grandmother, and Zhong Tingyue knelt down and kowtowed as directed by the funeral troupe.
Chu Ma's eyes were red all the time, standing out brightly in the night. She glanced back slightly and saw that Zhong Tingyue had also knelt down and kowtowed. She hummed softly.
Father Chu shook his head, while Grandma tugged at Mother Chu's sleeve, and the latter immediately puffed out her cheeks, looking dissatisfied. A man in his forties had the facial expressions of a child.
... ...
Half an hour later, the event ended. Zhong Tingyue felt that her legs were almost numb from kneeling. Chu Fang noticed her discomfort and walked over to her side, gently massaging her shapely legs to relieve the soreness.
Chu's mother said loudly, "Chu Fang, I've raised you for over ten years, and you've never even massaged my legs."
“My dad isn’t massaging your legs; I can’t take his job.”
Chu's mother snorted, her anger towards Zhong Tingyue growing even stronger.
She not only harmed her own father, but also stole her own son.
This future daughter-in-law is too wicked.
As the event ended, so did the banquet. Some of the remaining guests brought out a few mahjong tables from the next room and set them up in the middle of the courtyard. They immediately called out to their friends and family, and within seconds, the mahjong tables were full of people, and the sound of mahjong tiles filled the courtyard.
Even Chu Fang, who never plays cards, sat down at the mahjong table.
Chu Fang noticed his girlfriend's surprise and said with a smile, "That's how it is here. People usually play cards when keeping vigil. Firstly, there's nothing else to do, and secondly, mahjong has a different cultural significance in the Sichuan and Chongqing areas. To some extent, it represents a 'happy funeral'."
Zhong Tingyue is always amazed by this 'relaxed feeling' in Sichuan and Chongqing.
Chu Fang, seated in the main seat, asked, "What do you mean? How many?"
Those who dared to sit at Chu Fang's table were all quite bold and had some assets. One of them said, "One hundred?"
Wang Fa then said, "You are all big bosses, only I am poor. I'll set a number, one thousand."
Wang Fa let go of his jealousy towards Chu Fang.
If he had the chance to catch up, he might stay away from Chu Fang and wait until he had enough assets before showing off. But obviously, he could never catch up with Chu Fang no matter how hard he tried, so there was no need to continue to worry about it. He might as well make more friends. After all, they were high school classmates, and he could build up more connections for himself.
The other three nodded in agreement.
Zhong Tingyue sat next to Chu Fang, watching him play mahjong. The latter only knew the rules of mahjong and had hardly ever played it. Compared with the other opponents, he seemed to be much less skilled and was "several times" discarded, while several times he won by drawing a single tile.
In no time, he lost tens of thousands of yuan.
"It's time to redistribute land from the rich! Everyone come and play to win gold coins!" Wang Fa said with a smile.
Another player asked, "Are you genuinely bad at the game, or are you deliberately losing to us?"
Chu Fang gritted his teeth and said, "... ..., you are guests after all. I'll let you off the hook for a few rounds out of respect for your hospitality."
"That's real food!"
“... ..."
Just you wait, once I get a good hand, I'll make you all spit it all out.
Zhong Tingyue sat beside him and watched for a while. Seeing Chu Fang lose money, she didn't say anything about being afraid of him becoming addicted.
On the one hand, Chu Fang rarely plays mahjong and is not addicted to it. He can reduce his consumption from high to low and go from extravagance to frugality, which shows his strong willpower. How could he be tempted by mahjong?
On the other hand, even if she gets addicted, it's fine. Her boyfriend is rich, very rich. Compared to spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan on games every day, mahjong seems to have a more positive meaning, at least it involves social interaction.
"Why don't you do it?" Chu Fang asked, turning his neck.
"No." Zhong Tingyue shook her head.
"I'll teach you." After saying that, he pushed Zhong Tingyue to sit down at the card table.
"Oh, they've brought in outside help."
"So you two are ganging up on someone, aren't you?"
“Zhong Tingyue doesn’t know how to play cards,” Chu Fang said.
The three of them immediately shut up and exchanged a smile.
That's alright then.
Clearly, three cobblers are no match for one Zhuge Liang, let alone two cobblers.
Before long, Zhong Tingyue also lost tens of thousands of yuan.
Chu Fang patted his girlfriend on the shoulder and said, "Don't be afraid of losing. I'm your support. You'll always be the best."
Zhong Tingyue instantly felt a sense of responsibility on her shoulders.
Why is that so strange?
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