Chapter 457 Funeral (Part 4)
Mats were spread on both sides of the coffin. The Zhou brothers and sisters were all there. Manbao looked around and wanted to sit next to his eldest sister, but Zhou Dalang pulled him back and whispered, "Just sit here with your brother. Remember to return the favor when guests come to pay their respects. Do you know how to do that?"
Manbao nodded hesitantly.
The Zhou family had never held a funeral, but other families in the village had. Manbao had also been there and knew that the filial sons standing on both sides had to bow their heads in return.
As soon as the sky got light, guests came with funeral gifts. The first to arrive were the Qian family, followed by some families in the village.
Old Zhou's family and many other families in the village borrowed tables, chairs and benches. Knowing that there would be many people eating, they simply set them up along the road in front of Old Zhou's house under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village.
The food was also distributed to the neighbors' homes for cooking, with each family responsible for ten tables. The chopped meat was distributed to each family, as well as bags of flour mixed with wheat bran...
No one thinks this is wrong. We invited so many people, and we are not a wealthy family. Who would host a banquet with only white flour and white rice?
What's more, this is the first year after the disaster.
When it came to the actual funeral, Old Zhou and Mrs. Qian didn't care at all. Even Old Zhou's sons and daughters didn't get involved. It was Little Qian who led several sisters-in-law and the elders in the village to take care of the whole process.
Old Zhou helped Qian out, and the two of them sat beside the coffin, but they were not wearing linen clothes, but only tied a piece of white linen around their waists.
The two of them threw some millet pieces into the brazier from time to time, their eyes a little red.
Whenever there were villagers who came to pay their respects, the couple would solemnly return the greetings.
What the Zhang family saw was Old Zhou and Qian bending down to thank the people who had just burned incense. When they looked up, their eyes met.
Old Zhou then pressed his wife's hand, put on his shoes and walked out, "Cousin, cousin, you're here?"
Boss Zhang frowned, "You're the older brother, why are you sitting there?"
Zhang Lao Er looked around and said, "Brother, why don't you care about him? It's not like my cousin is feeling guilty. By the way, cousin, where are we sitting?"
A young man came up and said, "You are the Zhang family's cousin, right? Come on, your table is in the yard. I'll take you there."
Zhang Lao Er handed the small bag he had brought with him to the person collecting the funeral gifts at the door. Without even noticing his name, he walked over with his hands behind his back, glanced at the table, and said, "This table isn't enough."
Just as he finished speaking, the people from the Zhang family who had fallen behind finally arrived. A large group of people came in, men, women, and children crowded together. One of them was even held in his arms, and he looked only seven or eight months old.
Not to mention one table, even three tables may not be able to accommodate everyone.
Old Zhou stared in amazement, watching these people, whether known or not, stunned.
Qian's brows twitched, but she didn't say anything or stand up. Instead, she grabbed a handful of millet knots and threw them into the brazier, making it crackle with fire.
Thinking of all the steamed buns and vegetables that would be eaten by so many people, Old Zhou felt a pang of pain in his heart. He reached out and grabbed Boss Zhang, pulled him aside, and asked, "Cousin, who are these people? Why don't I recognize several of them?"
Boss Zhang's face darkened and he said, "So you've married a wife and forgotten your mother. Who among those who came here isn't your cousin? Those two are from my uncle's family, and that one is from my second aunt's family..."
"Second aunt?" Old Zhou's face darkened. "My mother is the only daughter of my grandparents. How come there is a second aunt?"
"It's my cousin!"
Damn it!
Old Zhou almost couldn't help cursing out loud. His lips were twitching and he couldn't speak. He was heartbroken beyond words.
But his mind was still full of activity. He stared at Boss Zhang. If it weren't for the fact that this was his uncle's son, he really wanted to...
Old Zhou closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Cousin, please sit down first. No, that's not right. Let me light some incense for my second brother first..."
"Let's burn incense for a while," Zhang Laoer, who came over with a bowl of water, said dissatisfiedly, "Cousin, it's almost noon, and you haven't had your meal yet? We left early this morning and are already hungry. Why don't we eat first and then burn incense?"
"Right, right, right," an old lady holding a child said with a worried look on her face, "We adults can go hungry, but children can't."
Old Zhou turned and was about to leave when the village chief finally squeezed in from outside and said quickly, "Almost there, almost there. This is my cousin from the Zhang family. It's been many years since we last met. Are you feeling well?"
"It's okay."
"How can it be considered okay? Look, Uncle Xiaoyin is younger than your son, and you actually came in person. Uncle Xiaoyin would be so happy if he knew about this. Come on, let's burn some incense for Uncle Xiaoyin first. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare the meal for you right away."
After finally pacifying the Zhang family, the village chief pulled Old Zhou aside and said, sweating profusely, "Uncle Jin, today is Uncle Yin's big day. You have to control your temper. It's just that more people are coming. Just bear with it, just bear with it."
"How can I bear it? His family brought three tables of people to me, and there's not even enough space at all three tables," Old Zhou said angrily. "He's my uncle's family. It's not right not to invite them. If you invite them, it's fine if your direct relatives come. But they also brought the sons of some distant cousins here. What relationship do I have with them? What relationship do my Zhou Yin have with them?"
"Okay, okay, coming here shows your thoughtfulness."
Old Zhou finally calmed down and managed to swallow his breath. But before he could exhale, Uncle Lai's son came over with two small bags. He said with a look of embarrassment, "Brother Jin, what do you think we should do about this?"
He opened the bag and showed it to Old Zhou.
Old Zhou saw what was inside at a glance and almost gasped for breath.
The village chief was very frightened and quickly supported him. In fact, to be honest, Old Zhou is not young anymore, so he should not get hurt by anger.
Zhou Silang, who was sitting closer to the outside, couldn't help but pick up his shoes and ran down, asking, "Dad, what's wrong with you?"
Uncle Lai's son showed him the bag. Zhou Silang was confused. Isn't this the small cloth bag that people usually use to carry money and food?
He opened it directly and saw a large pile of yellow-brown bran mixed with a few grains of wheat. His eyes widened in surprise.
Who gives gifts like this when coming to a dinner party?
It’s better not to send it!
Zhou Silang closed the bag and angrily asked, "Who sent this?"
Uncle Lai's son quietly pointed to the Zhang family not far away and said, "Two bags were delivered..."
Zhou Silang looked at the Zhang family members who had occupied three tables and were about to squeeze out people at the next table, and remained silent.
That's his grandmother's family, and he has to call everyone who comes his uncle. How can he say that?
Zhou Silang glanced at his father secretly.
(End of this chapter)
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