As soon as I got home, my aunt and uncle called me over. It turned out that my great-grandmother was dying and wanted me to go see her one last time. I was so anxious when I heard that that I rushed over immediately.
My great-grandfather is almost ninety years old this year. Speaking of which, my great-grandfather had a very hard life. He had no children and lived a lonely life. The reason for all this was that he was a member of the National Revolutionary Army and participated in the War of Resistance against Japan and the Civil War.
Our great-grandfather had always been supported by our entire family and lived in the family's old house. When I visited, he was already lying in bed, seemingly in his final moments of lucidity.
I remember when I was a child, he often told me stories, the most frequent one being how he killed Japanese devils back then. To this day, he still keeps the broadsword he used to fight against the Japanese.
He was holding the large sword in his arms, like it was his longtime companion. When he saw me, his cloudy eyes lit up.
"Zhiwa, you've come! I thought I wouldn't see you one last time," the old ancestor said, her voice already very weak.
I choked up and didn't know what to say.
"Grandpa, don't worry, nothing will happen."
"Don't try to make me happy. I know myself very well. I'm nearing death, my life force is almost gone. But I won't be able to see our country take down Japan before I die. I won't be able to rest in peace," the old ancestor sighed.
"The crimes committed by the Japanese against China are countless. If we do not avenge this, we will be ashamed before our Chinese ancestors. Back then, our Sichuan Army sent a million troops out of Sichuan to fight against the Japanese. How glorious that was! But most of them did not come back. A dozen or so people from our village went, but I was the only one who survived. If we do not destroy the Japanese, they will not rest in peace in the afterlife."
Then the old ancestor slowly closed his eyes and passed away peacefully. I stood there, stunned, for a long, long time...
This was just the last wish of an ordinary old man. The hatred was as deep as the sea and irreconcilable. How could the national hatred be forgotten? However, such a patriotic old man ended up like this, spending most of his life in suffering. It is truly heartbreaking.
Looking at society today, national spirit has been replaced by self-interest, whether it is those in power or ordinary people, and all we can do is hurl insults.
The broadsword my great-grandfather left me is spotless, polished to a gleaming shine, its blade radiating a chilling light, as if waiting for the day it can once again sever the head of a Japanese soldier.
"The sword remains, but the man is gone. The sun sets at dusk, a hero grows old!" I sighed softly, putting away the greatsword.
Our entire family will naturally be responsible for our ancestor's funeral arrangements. I will be in charge of the Taoist rituals, and the burial site has already been found. Since he lived a solitary life, our family will keep the funeral arrangements simple.
After burying my ancestors, I rested for a day and then prepared to go to town to do business. I haven't been able to do business properly this year. As soon as I got to the shop, the old blind man came over and said that Uncle Liu from Hunan and his gang had gone in again, bringing several more people with them. Judging from their demeanor, they were going to pull off a big heist.
Ninety-three ghost hunters
Several grown men dug it out in just over an hour. Then they burned it with fire for a while to kill as many insects and bacteria as possible in the soil, and also to dry out the tomb.
The grave has been dug, and we're just waiting for the burial tomorrow. This time, the ritual is relatively simple. Some rituals take half a month or even a month because some people die on the wrong day and have to wait several days before being placed in the coffin. If it's winter, that's fine, but in the hot weather, the body starts to stink after a few days. In the countryside, burial isn't like crematoriums where the body is put in a freezer, which is really disgusting. I've encountered that a few times, and the stench of the corpse could be smelled for miles around.
My funeral will be tomorrow, and then my affairs will be over. The funeral team will take care of the rest of the days.
When I got back, I had to perform some rituals and chant some scriptures. By the time the rituals were finished, it was almost five o'clock. As soon as I got back to my grandmother's house, Wang Ling came looking for me.
I was told to go to her house to visit. Her mother made dumplings tonight and invited me to try them. She said her mother's dumplings were incredibly delicious.
I couldn't refuse, so I went to her house. When I got there, I saw that it was lunchtime, and the county official was there with his wife and daughter.
I had a vague idea of what was going on, but I remained calm and waited to see what his purpose was.
The county magistrate's name is Guo Gang, and I heard he's about to be promoted.
When I arrived at Wang Ling's house, her mother had just finished cooking the dumplings. Guo Gang's family treated me with great courtesy, constantly quoting "Master" and smoking one good cigarette after another.
It was clear that Wang Ling's mother was very pleased with me. She was incredibly kind to me at the table, asking about my well-being and ladling out a large bowl of dumplings for me, telling me to eat as much as I wanted and that she would make more if I wasn't full.
"Is it delicious?" Wang Ling's mother asked with a smile.
"Delicious," I nodded in reply. The dumplings were indeed delicious, but I certainly wouldn't eat them in large quantities.
After we finished eating, Guo Gang invited me to take a walk outside the village. I thought to myself, "The real purpose is about to be revealed."
Guo Gang handed me a cigarette and said, "Master Liu, I've heard that your ancestors were very famous Yin-Yang masters. Old Master Liu in the Republic of China was famous all over the country. To be honest, the main reason I came back this time is to ask you for a favor."
As soon as I heard it, I understood the gist of it. This person must be about to be promoted, and in order to ensure a smooth process, he probably wanted me to help him with some kind of ritual. The most direct way was to move the graves of his ancestors.
"I have a chance to be promoted to Director of the Education Bureau, but another colleague also has a chance, so I hope you can help me get promoted smoothly. I will definitely reward you if it goes well."
"What do you want to do?" I asked, puffing out smoke, inwardly scoffing, "All crows are black."
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