Chapter 44 That won't do on New Year's Eve; little girls can't go to the graves...
A border area.
"Boss, how much longer do we have to wait?"
"Lie down properly."
Chen Mubai raised his hand and pressed down, signaling the other party to be quiet.
They've been waiting here for three days, just waiting for the drug dealers to make a deal.
The new recruits clearly need more time to develop their temperament; they've only been squatting for a short while, and they're already getting impatient.
The biting wind blew by, stinging people's faces and making their hands and feet feel numb.
However, they dared not move around too much, and could only move their limbs slightly to maintain flexibility and body temperature.
A young soldier stared at the shadows of trees in the distance and suddenly blurted out, "It looks like New Year's Eve today."
He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Boss, I miss my mom. The he luo noodles she makes are so delicious they're almost unbearable."
Chen Mubai's expression suddenly froze. Wang Xinjun's last words before his sacrifice were also, "I miss my mother."
His expression was somewhat complicated, and a hint of struggle flashed in his eyes. Yes, the New Year was approaching, and he wondered how Wang Xinjun's family was doing.
After a long pause, he whispered reassuringly, "Once you complete this mission, you can go home to visit your family."
Then he can go home and see his parents and sisters.
...
"Kapok, when is your dad coming back?"
"It should be soon."
“We’re still waiting for him to go to the grave together,” the middle-aged man said anxiously.
Chen Mian: "If you're really in a hurry, how about I represent my family and go with you?"
“That won’t do. Girls can’t go to the graves,” the man refused outright.
Chen Mian asked knowingly, "Why can't women go? Isn't that where my ancestor is buried? My grandfather used to hold me when I was little. What's wrong with a granddaughter burning paper money and incense at his grave?"
She already knew what these corrupt and vulgar men were thinking and what they would say in rebuttal, but she still had to speak up.
Every time, I have to say it.
Why can't girls be included in the family genealogy? Why can't they go to the ancestral graves with their relatives on New Year's Eve? Why can't they go into the temple to be the first to offer incense on New Year's Day?
She really wanted to know which ancestor had set this rule.
I wonder if this male ancestor himself sprang from a crack in a rock?
A few years ago, when the village revised its genealogy, she was very dissatisfied. The genealogy only recorded the son's name for those who had both sons and daughters, to show that someone was continuing the bloodline. Those who did not have sons had their names left blank.
As if daughters could not continue the bloodline, this spurred several families with two daughters to have a son through their own efforts.
The man curled his lip and said contemptuously, "These are all rules passed down from our ancestors. When an elder dies, it's customary for the filial sons and grandsons to smash pots and balance plates on their heads."
Besides, it's all the heavy and tiring work in the fields that we men do, while you women just relax at home taking care of your husbands and children, cooking, what more could you want?"
"Do you intend to sit at the table?"
Chen Mian rolled her eyes speechlessly and said indignantly, "Who told you that we women only need to stay at home and cook? We've done everything – chopping wood, carrying water, harvesting wheat in the summer, washing clothes, cooking, and so on."
"On the contrary, you guys are all such cowards outside, but when you come home you know how to swagger around. If I remember correctly, Uncle, didn't your wife just go back to her parents' house crying these past few days?"
"I heard you fought back, didn't you? Didn't your brother-in-law come with a stick to beat you up? Are your facial injuries fully healed yet? Why are you still asking for a beating?" Chen Mian added through gritted teeth.
When Zhao San realized that his embarrassing secret had been exposed, he was immediately embarrassed, but he still stubbornly said, "That's because the old woman couldn't understand human language, so I just gave her a couple of slaps."
Chen Mian feigned surprise: "Really? So you got a beating from your brother-in-law because you couldn't understand human language?"
Seeing that he couldn't win the argument with Chen Mian, the man uttered another classic line: "Oh dear, I can't explain things to you women."
"I'm leaving now. When your dad comes back, tell him to come to Lao Liu's house at the village entrance as soon as possible. We'll wait for him there."
Zhao San had already gone far away, but Chen Mianmian was still standing there, feeling disgusted and sullen. Her hands were clenched into fists, and she wished she could hit something to vent her anger.
On a winter's day, a cold wind blew by, bringing with it a plump mushroom cloud that seemed poised to bring endless rain.
Lin Huijun walked out of the main room, looked at the gloomy weather, and although she knew it was unlikely, her bright and beautiful almond eyes still kept looking out into the courtyard.
The wind was biting cold, and she pulled her cotton-padded coat tighter around herself. "Mianmian, let's go back inside and wait."
"Eh."
The clock on the wall ticked past four o'clock before Chen Yongliang finally returned from the county.
"Business was good today, so I waited a little while and sold everything before coming back." As he spoke, he took out 50 yuan from his pocket and handed it to his wife.
The man couldn't hide his smugness. "I even secretly raised the price."
Lin Huijun smiled gently as she took the money, then turned to make her husband a bowl of hot oil tea. She then picked up a golden, crispy fried dough stick from the stove and placed it on the table. "Have a bite to warm yourself up."
"good."
"Zhao Sanqian came to urge you to go to the graves," Lin Huijun reminded her husband when she saw him eating without even looking up.
"I've already prepared the offerings for you. It's the same three things as always: fried dough, meatballs, and roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)."
"Alright," the man looked up and glanced around, "Hasn't the boss returned yet?"
Lin Huijun remained silent and slowly shook her head.
Chen Mianmian, who was standing to the side, suddenly said, "Dad, I'll go with you."
Chen Yongliang turned and stared at his daughter's still-childish face for a long time. After struggling for a moment, he finally made a decision, "Okay, your brother isn't here, so you can go with him."
...
"Can we still go together?"
Why hasn't my second brother come back yet?
"Here we are, here we are. I'm so sorry everyone, I was delayed on the way." Chen Yongliang raised his hand to greet his cousins. "Happy New Year, everyone."
Happy Chinese New Year!
Zhao San heard Chen Erge's voice and had just turned around, still with the sunflower seed shells in his mouth, when he saw that girl had followed him again.
"No, we're a group of grown men going to visit graves, why do you insist on coming along?"
Chen Mian looked up innocently, "My brother didn't come back this year, so I'm taking his place."
"What's wrong? Is this not allowed either?"
Zhao San said impatiently, "Of course not! Look around, besides you, there's no other woman here."
"Besides, we're going into the mountains, not to go to a market. Why are we taking you along, making you dawdle? Don't let yourself get tired after walking for a while."
Chen Mian retorted, "Uncle Zhao, I think my physical condition is better than yours, so you don't need to worry about me. You should take better care of yourself."
"you!"
Several people were still making paper money by the kang (a heated brick bed). They cut rolls of white paper into even squares, then stacked them up, placed a hundred-yuan bill on top, and pressed and rotated them clockwise. The square pieces of white paper under their hands gradually unfolded like flower petals, and the paper money was ready.
Some people are even folding paper ingots from yellow paper.
Chen Mian ignored Zhao San and walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). "Let me help you. I'm quick."
"Okay, we don't have much left either, it'll be ready soon."
Zhao San was speechless with anger, then turned to Chen Yongliang and said, "Second Brother, aren't you going to discipline your daughter? She has no respect for her elders."
Chen Yongliang pretended not to have heard the argument and said casually, "Our girl is very good. She's beautiful and sensible."
"As the uncle, be more magnanimous. Why argue with a child?"
Zhao San insisted, "I usually give in to her, but this is a big event for the whole clan to visit the graves together on New Year's Eve. How can it be the same?"
Chen Yongliang casually replied, "Well, you're not surnamed Chen either, yet you're standing here too."
Zhao San wanted to say something more, but was stopped by Lao Liu beside him, who smoothed things over by saying, "Oh, it doesn't matter who goes, everyone hurry up and go, it's getting dark."
The group walked together toward the hill not far from the village entrance.
The deceased elders of Chenjia Village are mostly buried halfway up the mountain behind the village.
This place is usually deserted, except for people who come to the mountains to pick mushrooms and medicinal herbs. In winter, when the temperature is low, there are even fewer people.
The two men at the front each carried a shovel on their shoulders.
When encountering a difficult road, use a shovel to clear the weeds to the side of the road. After burning the paper money, shovel soil to completely extinguish the ashes.
Otherwise, you might accidentally burn down your ancestors' graves.
Of course, if things get even worse, the embers, still carrying embers, could be swept up by the northwest wind and spread into a wildfire.
Chen Mian carried the offering basket alone, slowly falling at the back of the line.
Zhao San, who was walking ahead, affectionately put his arm around Chen Yongliang's shoulder and said with emotion, "We haven't seen each other for a year, brother. You're still so thin."
"But why didn't your eldest son come back this year?"
"Yes, I heard that a few years ago, the army came to the village and gave your family money. Why was that?" The man who spoke hadn't been home for five or six years, having been doing business in the south. He had only just returned this year.
Listening to the intermittent sounds carried on the wind, Chen Mian was lost in memories...
It was five years ago, in winter, when she and her sister were only fifteen years old. Her brother had just joined the army in his second year.
It was also close to the Chinese New Year when two men in military uniforms suddenly came to our house.
"Tap tap tap..."
"Excuse me, is this Comrade Chen Mubai's home? We're looking for his parents."
"Yes, I am his father. What can I do for you?" Chen Yongliang asked as he pushed open the courtyard gate.
The tall soldier looked around and asked, "Brother, would it be convenient for us to go inside and talk?"
"Oh, please come in, please come in. Are you the leaders of Mubai?" Chen Yongliang hurriedly and warmly invited the two of them in.
As soon as the group sat down, he reached for the kettle on the table to pour them water, and then told his wife to hurry up and cook to entertain the guests.
"You don't need to trouble yourself, we'll just say a few words and leave."
The two men exchanged a glance, and one of them took out several hundred yuan from his military green satchel and placed it on the table.
Chen Yongliang looked at them with some confusion, "What are you doing?"
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The author says: Visiting graves, balancing a plate on one's head, and breaking a basin are all rural customs. Balancing a plate is a custom that occurs during funerals. The filial son kneels on the ground and balances a wooden plate containing cigarettes and food on his head to invite relatives to attend the funeral.
Am I writing something too boring? It's been three months, and the comment section is still as deserted as ever. I'm so sad.
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