"Snowflake, it's you? What happened?"
Seeing Xuehua's disheveled appearance, Zhao Heng cried and said, "Young Master Zhao, my father fell off a cliff and is unconscious."
Zhao Heng thought about how he had thrown down his chopsticks and left, and didn't know what to say. He turned around, walked into the courtyard, and shouted.
"Auntie, something terrible has happened! Uncle Wang has fallen off a cliff and is unconscious! Hurry!"
Upon hearing this, Liang Shuyan quickly pulled Jin Dashan out and hurriedly said, "Quickly, follow Zhao Heng to the carriage and bring your Uncle Wang back!"
In a panic, Liang Shuyan called Jin Laotai and went to Wang Daikui's house.
Li Zheng and his group of people hurriedly carried Wang Daikui onto the carriage. Wang Daikui was pale. He was only a few years older than Li Zheng, but for some reason, he died so young.
He died just like that?
Grandma Jin lowered her voice: "I don't know, how could such a thing happen out of the blue? Is there something on Wang Daikui's mind?"
Liang Shuyan shook her head; she still didn't understand.
Li Zheng walked towards Liang Shuyan and slowly shook his head: "There's no hope for her. It seems we need to prepare for her funeral. I've already mobilized everyone in the village to help the Wang family."
Liang Shuyan was a little confused and stepped forward to ask, "What happened? When did this happen?"
"Last night, Wang Daikui had a dream that someone was stealing wheat from his field. He stopped the person, but the person claimed that he owed him something and tried to drag him away! After waking up, he told Xuehua about it, but Xuehua didn't pay any attention, thinking it was just a dream. Who knew that when Xuehua remembered to look for her father, she found that he was already dead!"
Liang Shuyan hadn't expected such a miracle to happen. She said with some regret, "Wang Daikui only had one daughter, Xuehua, in his whole life. Now that this has happened, it's really pitiful for this child."
"Who says otherwise? In that case, let's go and help bury Wang Daikui. Even though he's gone, we still need to take care of his funeral arrangements."
In the Wang family courtyard, Jin Daya carried in a basin of noodles, panting, and placed it on the cutting board.
Ruyan said with some regret, "I really didn't expect Uncle Wang to leave like this. Now, what will Xuehua do all by herself?"
"I believe Lizheng will come up with a good solution, so don't worry about it. Just quickly help clean the steamer and start steaming the buns."
In rural areas, steamed buns are a must when an elderly person dies. They are used to make offerings on the altar and also for eating, so extra buns are usually steamed.
Ruyan washed the steamer basket, lined it with a cloth, and Jin Daya quickly kneaded the dough and placed it on the steamer.
On the other side, Aunt Pang was picking vegetables, and Jiao was chopping them. They were preparing some side dishes for the stew. When the helpers returned, they could eat hot steamed buns and stew. In this place, this is how people are treated when someone dies.
Li Zheng, along with several others, placed Wang Daikui's body in the thatched shed outside, while the mourning hall was inside.
The local custom dictates that poison cannot enter the home of someone who dies outside.
Wang Xuehua cried her heart out. Liang Shuyan was very worried about the child because she wouldn't eat a single bite of food, her face was sallow, and she was trembling when she walked.
"Snowflake, don't worry. Your father is gone, so don't be sad for him. He would be heartbroken to see you like this."
Wang Xuehua knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Auntie, this whole thing is weird. A few days ago, my father went to the valley to worship the mountain god, hoping for good luck. But this happened. That mountain god isn't a protector at all; it's a scourge and can't bless anyone."
Liang Shuyan then remembered the stone mountain. They had been saying they would get rid of it, but they hadn't done anything about it. Now, this had happened.
Liang Shuyan felt a little guilty. Although she didn't believe in superstition, she had experienced the demon of this Stone Mountain firsthand. It had kidnapped Xuehua and become cruel and bloodthirsty. Wasn't that all because of this person?
Li Zheng came in and called Liang Shuyan out.
"The yin-yang master I consulted has already figured it out. Wang Daikui went to Stone Mountain, disturbed the mountain god, and was punished by the mountain god, which is why he ended up like this?"
Liang Shuyan shook her head: "What mountain god? He's clearly a devil. If he could protect our village, why would such a thing happen? I heard that Wang Daikui was in a daze after he went to worship in the valley, and that's when that happened."
Li Zheng said somewhat cautiously, "If this mountain god is really so effective, then we cannot act rashly. It would be better to wait until we bury Wang Dai Kui, then invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual, and then level this stone mountain."
Liang Shuyan didn't say much, and there weren't many people talking in the courtyard either; they were all elderly people from the village.
Wang Daikui's background was also pitiful. Now that he was dead, none of his relatives came to visit him. Apart from the villagers, there were only villagers.
Soon, the villagers helped bury Wang Daikui. Wang Xuehua was all alone. Liang Shuyan felt sorry for Wang Xuehua and also felt that Wang Xuehua was destined to be with her. So, she said to Lizheng, "Lizheng, Xuehua doesn't have any relatives. I want to take Xuehua to our home. We have many children, so it won't be too boring."
In recent years, whenever something happens in the village, Liang Shuyan will take in people in need. Now, Liang Shuyan's family has more than a dozen members, and he really feels embarrassed about being the right person in charge.
When Liang Shuyan brought Wang Xuehua home, she found a luxurious carriage parked in front of her house.
Upon seeing Liang Shuyan arrive, the county magistrate approached with two guards, smiling broadly as he spoke.
"This is the Tea Scholar!"
Liang Shuyan didn't understand what a "tea scholar" was, so she looked at the county magistrate and asked curiously, "Who are these two?"
"These two are from the palace. Not only did you ensure another bumper wheat harvest this time, but your tea also entered the capital and won the Emperor's favor. The Emperor bestowed upon you the title of Tea Scholar!"
A eunuch dressed in a eunuch's robe raised his voice and took out an imperial edict, reading aloud: "This county's peasant woman, Liang Shuyan, has led the villagers to a great double harvest and has also invented a fragrant tea that pleases me greatly. Therefore, this tea scholar is hereby granted ten thousand taels of gold and a set of tea scholar's robes. I hope she will continue her efforts! This is my decree!"
Liang Shuyan never expected that she would be personally appointed as a tea scholar by the Emperor. She hurriedly knelt on the ground to politely accept the decree: "This humble woman thanks the Emperor for his great kindness!"
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