Lin Hongchu nodded, then said softly: "I just missed her a little, so I couldn't help it."
Xu Jiang felt distressed and said, "We'll be able to see him soon."
"Yeah." Lin Hongchu smiled.
Xu Jiang helped her up and said, "I made some cold food. Let's go have some with the teacher before we set off."
"Okay." When Lin Hongchu heard that her father was waiting for her to eat, she quickened her pace.
After the father and daughter had their meal, Xu Jiang and Zeng Zhui harnessed the donkey cart to load it with offerings for the tomb sweeping. After the father and daughter finished their meal and their belongings were arranged, the four of them set off for Taoyuan, a place in the suburbs.
Before they had gone far, they heard someone chasing and shouting from behind. Everyone turned around and saw that it was Cao Dali riding a horse with Lu Zhen.
Lu Zhen was also dressed in a plain linen robe, obviously wanting to go to the grave to pay homage together.
Cao Dali carried Lu Zhen off the horse. Lu Zhen ran to Master Lin, bowed, and begged, "Teacher, please take me with you to visit your wife's grave."
Master Lin looked at Cao Dali, who said, "Master, don't worry. The family's sacrifices are over. Let Jin'er go with you."
Mrs. Lin had just passed away, and as an apprentice, Lu Zhen should go to pay his respects.
"Okay." Then, Master Lin bowed to him and said, "Thank you very much."
Cao Dali quickly returned the greeting, "Master, I'm so flattered. It's all my duty." Then, Cao Dali said to Xu Jiang, "Master, please take good care of him along the way. I'll pick him up at the bookstore later."
Xu Jiang replied, "Just leave it to me."
Only then did Cao Dali say goodbye to everyone and leave.
Xu Jiang carried Lu Zhen onto the donkey, and the group set off towards the suburbs.
On the way, Xu Jiang whispered to Lu Zhen, "Have you gone to pay your respects to your brother?"
The elder brother was the child of the Cao family who died young. In terms of age, he was a few months older than Lu Zhen.
"Yes, I went to pay my respects yesterday." Lu Zhen nodded, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "This morning, I not only paid my respects to the ancestors of the Cao family, but also to my parents and my clansmen. Grandpa made tablets for my parents and clansmen a few days ago, and they are now enshrined in the Cao family."
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
Xu Jiang quickly wiped him clean, patted his head, and advised, "This is a good thing, don't cry." Then he glanced at Lin Hongchu in front of him and whispered, "Be good, your senior sister Hongchu just cried, don't provoke her again."
"Yeah." Lu Zhen rubbed his eyes with his little hands until they turned red.
Xu Jiang quickly grabbed him, and he stopped rubbing his tears, and tears began to fall again.
Lu Zhen sobbed and said, "I'm sorry, sister, I can't help it."
Xu Jiang quickly supported his back and patted him, whispering, "It's my fault. If you want to cry, go ahead. It's okay."
Lu Zhen put his arm around Xu Jiang's neck, pursed his lips and silently shed tears. Xu Jiang looked at the low clouds in the distance, and her eyes became a little sore.
Zeng Zhui followed Lin Hongchu and looked at her calm face. His heart felt as if covered by countless layers of quilts, and he felt suffocated and uneasy, but he could do nothing about it.
There is no way to eliminate this sorrow, no one can replace this pain, Lin Hongchu can only endure it by himself.
Lin Hongchu noticed his gaze and turned to look at him, "What's wrong?"
Zeng Zhui hesitated to speak, but finally shook his head and said, "It's okay."
"Oh." Lin Hongchu continued to stare ahead. After a long moment, she said softly, "Thank you for your help these days."
Since his mother became seriously ill, Zeng Zhui and Xu Jiang have been the ones running back and forth the most frequently. After his mother passed away, he was even more attentive and took care of the family affairs as if they were his own.
She had always wanted to thank him, but she never had the chance.
Hearing her say this, Zeng Zhui's heart was filled with mixed emotions, and thousands of words were spinning in his stomach. In the end, he could only squeeze out one sentence, "You're welcome."
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