He spoke again, his voice a little hoarse, "Big White, they've all left here. You're all alone here, it'll be lonely. I'm asking you, will you nod or shake your head?"
Big White nodded, his eyes half-closed.
Bai Yajing gently stroked its head. "After you leave, do you want to stay here?"
She will bury it here if she wants.
However, to her surprise, Big White shook his head.
Her heart skipped a beat. "So, you want to come home with me? How about I arrange for you to stay with my mother?"
I took you there, to that big burial mound.
Big White nodded wearily, his breathing gradually weakening.
Bai Yajing held her breath, listening quietly to its faint breathing. After the last long sigh, when there was no further rise and fall for a long time, she finally couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
She held it in the mountains until the sun was about to set before she moved her already stiff body.
She carried it to the other side of the mountain, where her mother and ancestors lived.
The younger members of the village chief's and brigade leader's families were already waiting here.
"Sister Yajing, the old man told us to dig a pit next to your mother."
Bai Yajing tried to force a smile, but ultimately failed, so she simply gave up.
"Okay! Thank you all. You can go back now. I want to be alone for a while."
The group felt uneasy. Da Bai was a beloved pet in the village, but knowing that Bai Ya Jing was upset, they nodded and went back together.
After everyone left, Bai Yajing took out a small, black coffin from her jade pendant. This was a coffin she had specially made by a carpenter in the past two years when she realized her death was approaching.
They carefully placed Big White inside. Grandpa and the others were very thoughtful, bringing over its favorite toys and its food bowl.
Bai Yajing placed all of these beside it.
I stayed by its side for a while, muttering some words incessantly, suppressing my grief, and finally sealed the coffin.
Handfuls of soil were scattered on it until it became a small mound.
"Big White, my mom also loves animals. When you go down there, go find her..."
As he spoke, he offered incense and kowtowed to his mother, not forgetting to add a few words of advice: "Mom, a little guy will be coming to see you in a couple of days. Could you please take it in? Da Bai is the best-behaved and most sensible one; it can keep you company..."
Even after dark, the village chief and brigade leader, still worried, came into the mountains with flashlights to look for the person.
"Little girl, let's go home! Let Big White get some rest."
"Yes, Da Bai didn't want you to be like this either. You went home with your grandfathers."
Your yard has always been cleaned, and these past two days they've had it tidied up inside and out. Your great-grandmother cooked noodles and boiled water and delivered them over.
After you've eaten your noodles, washed your face, soaked your feet, and gotten a good night's sleep!
Bai Yajing forced herself to stand up and softly said "Thank you..." to the two elderly people.
"Hey, no need to thank me! We're all family! If anyone should be thanking someone, it's us thanking you!"
How many people from the village were selected to work in your Bai family's factory? If it weren't for your influence, how could we have gotten such good opportunities?
"Absolutely! We never dreamed that one day our children would become city dwellers! Hey!"
Bai Yajing smiled faintly, "It's all as we should do. When we were in trouble, it was the clan that took the risk to protect our family. Just like you said, we're all family, so let's not be so formal!"
The relationships between the families and the village are mutually reinforcing.
The two old men were all smiles, and the three of them went down the mountain together.
Bai Yajing was worried, so she escorted the two old men home before slowly walking back home herself.
After eating the lukewarm noodles, she comfortably washed her face and soaked her feet. Sleepiness washed over her, and the moment she relaxed, she drifted off to sleep.
She can't stay away from Kyoto for too long; her whole family is waiting for her to come back for the New Year.
So she didn't stay long and took a bus back the next day. She didn't even go back to her home in the city, since her grandfather and her two children were all in Kyoto, and there would be no one home if she went back.
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