Seeing old friends
Inside the room.
Grandma turned around, her face kind and smiling, but not as eerie as the one in Si Mucheng's dream. That smile had accompanied him through many days and nights, and it was warm.
"It's Xiao Cheng. I'm so sorry, child, I've made you suffer. Grandma didn't mean it. Grandma just wanted to see you one last time and say goodbye."
Si Mucheng wanted to ask why she was apologizing and why she was saying goodbye, but all his thoughts turned to one question: "Grandma, it's late, where are you going?"
"You can see?" someone suddenly spoke from beside the bed, their tone filled with surprise, before replying, "She's going where she's meant to be."
Si Mucheng was startled, but quickly realized that there was another person he didn't recognize in the room, the one who had been talking to himself. But now he only cared about one thing: "Where?" he asked anxiously, "Grandma? Don't you want me anymore?"
Grandma reached out, seemingly wanting to pat Si Mucheng's head, but for some reason she didn't continue. Her gaze was deep as she stared at Si Mucheng, her cloudy eyes filled with reluctance: "Little Cheng, even if Grandma isn't by your side anymore, I'll still love you the most."
Si Mucheng didn't know what was happening, but he had a bad feeling. He blinked, wiping away the tears in his eyes, and looked at the old woman: "Grandma, I still have to build you a big house."
Grandma smiled gently: "There will be other opportunities in the future."
Si Mucheng wanted to ask, what does this mean? Why is it a future opportunity? Why can't I be by his side anymore?
But it was too late to ask these questions. He saw a faint light emanating from his grandmother, and then another person in the room spoke. The clear, cold voice carried a hint of solemnity, and the tone was steady and the words were clear: "All things return to dust, and all delusions dissipate."
As she spoke, her grandmother's body gradually became transparent.
She whispered, "Break!"
Grandma's figure instantly turned into dust, like countless stars, and drifted away.
Si Mucheng stared at all this, his mind a complete blank.
how so?
He only moved his already sore eyes when he felt a slightly cool touch on his forehead. A slender finger touched his forehead, and the owner of the hand said in a cold tone: "Don't think about it. Just treat it as a dream. Go to sleep."
Si Mucheng suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He followed the jade-white hand upwards and only managed to meet a pair of eyes as clear as a spring, bright and serene. Then, he drifted off to sleep.
He had a long dream; he dreamt of Xiqiao Village from his childhood.
Every winter and summer vacation, he would come to Xiqiao Village. Of all the grandchildren in the Si family, his grandmother loved him the most. Every time he came, his grandmother would bring out all the best food and drinks and stuff them all into his hands.
Fanning mosquitoes in summer, shoveling snow in winter—memories of long holidays are all associated with kind old people with smiling, crescent-shaped eyes.
Grandma's most frequent saying is: "Our Xiao Cheng is the best boy. Grow up quickly, and Grandma will be waiting for you to build me a big house."
Because Si Mucheng always said that the old house was too old, the lighting was bad, it was dark everywhere, and the wood was all gnawed away, and that when he grew up he would build a big house for his grandmother to live in. Every time he heard this, his grandmother would smile from ear to ear.
The dream was like a movie, a movie about Si Mucheng and his grandmother. He was surprised to find himself becoming a spectator, watching silently from a third-person perspective for the first time, and some scenes that were almost forgotten in his mind surfaced one by one with this "movie". As he watched, his heart was filled with a bittersweet sense of happiness.
He knew that those were memories of his time with his grandmother over the years.
Finally, the scene freezes. Little Si Mucheng is frightened and cries in the old house where the coffin is kept. His grandmother hugs him tightly, and the unique, dry, and light scent of her sun-dried soap gives him a strong sense of security. Her large hand gently rests on Si Mucheng's head: "Don't be afraid, Xiaocheng, that's Grandma's."
Xiao Si Mu Cheng didn't understand: "But why does Grandma need to buy a coffin? Are you going to die?" As he spoke, he pouted and was about to cry.
"No, this is Grandma's talisman. With this, Grandma can live to be a hundred years old."
"Really?" Xiao Simu Cheng's eyes widened, then he thought of something else, "Grandma can't just live to be a hundred years old, Grandma has to live to be a thousand years old, ten thousand years old."
These words amused the old woman, who stroked Xiao Simu Cheng's head and said, "Then wouldn't Grandma become an old monster?"
"I don't care, I want Grandma to stay with me forever." Xiao Simu hugged his grandma.
"Alright, alright, Grandma still wants to watch Xiao Cheng grow up."
As the sun gradually rose, the morning sunlight streamed into the room through the small wooden window, like a loving hand caressing Si Mucheng, as if covering him with an orange blanket. A tear in the corner of his eye, illuminated by this warm light, sparkled like a diamond.
The sunlight dispelled the morning mist, revealing the old house bearing the marks of time: moss-covered tiles, peeling paint revealing yellow adobe walls, and blackened wooden beams—all telling tales of the relentless passage of time.
A group of people had already arrived in the front yard; they were all villagers who had come to help. Their soft voices drifted through the main room and into the side room. Si Mucheng's eyelids twitched, and then he opened his eyes.
Unlike the previous days, he was no longer experiencing dizziness and his mind was clearer than ever before. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, then got up.
The room was empty, and the light bulbs hanging from the rafters were off. The atmosphere was silent, as if nothing had happened. Si Mucheng stood there in a daze for a while until he heard noises coming from the main room. He then came to his senses, slipped on a pair of slippers, and walked out the door with unsteady steps.
The lights in the main room were on, and the air was thick with the scent of incense and candles. Si Mucheng was tall, and he was immediately spotted as soon as he appeared.
"Oh, is he Grandma Wei's grandson?"
"Oh, you're all better now?"
Si Mucheng's second aunt, who had been burning paper money with her back turned, turned around upon hearing this and hurriedly got up to greet him. Si Mucheng looked down at her and said, "Second Aunt."
His voice was still a little hoarse. His aunt touched his forehead with the back of her hand and breathed a sigh of relief: "The fever has finally broken. You scared me to death! Is there anything else that's bothering you?"
Si Mucheng shook his head hesitantly. Aunt Chen next to him smiled and said, "I told you the 'little fairy' was very effective. Look, she took one look at him and Xiaocheng's fever went down."
This statement immediately sparked discussion among others.
"Which 'little fairy'?"
"It's the Wen family."
"Old Master Wen wasn't..."
"So she's a 'little fairy,' because Grandpa Wen's granddaughter was personally taught by him."
"Is it really that effective?"
"That's right."
...
The cacophony of voices reached Si Mucheng's ears, and he inexplicably recalled those clear, spring-like eyes. Was that girl really there?
His second aunt held his hand: "It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. Your parents will be here soon, and they can make it in time to send Grandma up the mountain today. Grandma loved you the most, and she will be very happy to have you carrying her portrait."
Si Mucheng froze, a deafening sound ringing in his ears. He involuntarily looked towards the main room. The character "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") was pasted on the wall, the door frame was decorated with white cloth strips, and a familiar coffin sat in the center of the room. White candles burned on the altar in front of the coffin, incense burned continuously, and yellow paper money burned in the brazier. On the wall behind the coffin, the photo in the middle of the elegiac couplet was a kind-looking old lady.
Si Mucheng looked into the eyes of the old man in the black and white photograph, just as he was looking into the eyes of his grandmother from afar.
He remembered that he had been traveling when he suddenly received a call from his father saying that his grandmother was dying and that he should return to Xiqiao Village first, as he and his mother were still abroad and would return as soon as possible. So Si Mucheng immediately set off for his hometown.
He couldn't quite remember how he felt when he received the news, or the anxiety he felt during his long and arduous journey. All he remembered was that, no matter what, he had to see his grandmother one last time.
However, once he arrived at Xiqiao Village, he began to feel dizzy and became delirious with fever, which continues to this day.
Seeing his pale face, his second aunt knew what he was thinking, so she gently comforted him, "Grandma kept talking about you. She had just passed away when you came. Normally, a person's soul is still alive after death, so she was able to wait for you. Don't be sad. Grandma passed away peacefully without pain or suffering. At her age, this is considered a happy passing."
Si Mucheng opened his mouth, mumbled, "But he's only eighty years old, and there are still twenty years until he's a hundred. How can that be counted?"
His second aunt didn't hear him clearly, but patted his arm and said, "Alright, go wash up and have some breakfast. When your dad and the others come back, we'll take Grandma up the mountain."
Xiqiao Village still maintains the custom of burial. Si Mucheng washed his face hastily and then stood motionless beside the coffin. Grandma lay in the coffin, her face serene, her complexion alright, just like Si Mucheng had seen her many mornings when he woke her up—she was simply asleep.
Si Mucheng watched quietly, and a thought struck him: yesterday was indeed just a dream.
He was probably too obsessed, and what he thought about during the day manifested in his dreams at night, which is why he had a long and chaotic dream about his grandmother.
Second Aunt brought over a bowl of noodles and asked Si Mucheng to hold it, gesturing for him to eat quickly: "You haven't eaten anything these past few days because you've been sick. Eat something to tide you over, otherwise you won't have the strength to carry your grandma's photo."
Si Mucheng held his chopsticks, but had no appetite. Fearing that his aunt would worry, he reluctantly finished the bowl of noodles.
Second Aunt is right, he still needs to send Grandma up the mountain safely.
After Si Mucheng finished eating, his parents finally arrived, looking travel-worn. As soon as his second aunt saw Si Mucheng's father, her eyes immediately welled up with tears. It seemed that the bewilderment and grief she had felt while single-handedly arranging the funeral after her grandmother's passing was finally released at this moment.
Si Mucheng's father had a calm expression. He patted his second aunt's shoulder with his big hand, then rubbed Si Mucheng's head before stepping over the threshold to see his grandmother.
Watching his father's retreating figure, Si Mucheng also breathed a sigh of relief. His mother walked to his side and touched his forehead: "Are you alright? Your second aunt was so worried."
Si Mucheng knew that it was about his persistent high fever. He hesitated for a long time, and finally just nodded without saying anything.
After all, those were just his dreams.
With the eldest son of the Si family in charge, all processes proceeded smoothly and quickly.
Si Mucheng's mind was blank. He had been instructed to put on mourning clothes, kneel down and kowtow, and then solemnly carry his grandmother's portrait as he was pushed to the front of the funeral procession. As they passed the big tree in the yard, Si Mucheng paused. He subconsciously glanced at the thick branches, which were bare.
He was indeed seeing things.
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