Lujia Village is quite far from the city, so the news hasn't reached there yet.
Lu's father was placed on a bamboo bed, his whole body covered with a burlap sack; his body was laid to rest in the main hall.
Several members of the Lu family were discussing something nearby.
Lu Xingjia said fiercely, "The Meng family is a bunch of ungrateful bastards who can't understand human language. We can't be too polite to them! Otherwise, we definitely won't get the money back."
Another younger man, who had also borrowed money, nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Second Brother is right. I heard that Meng San still owns a shop in the city. When his father-in-law passes away, he must give a generous gift."
Will your dad be angry?
Lu Xingjia waved his hand, "We're not going to beat them up, what's the big deal? It's none of our business."
Since it is Uncle Lu's family who is in charge of this funeral, Lu Xing's family will be responsible for the rituals such as breaking the basin. Naturally, their family will be the ones to collect the money or items given by various parties when they come to pay their respects.
This amount of money is usually not much, but every little bit helps.
"That's right. If Lu Amian is a filial daughter, what's a little money to her?"
Lu Xingjia said, "By the way, should we invite Lu Weiwei along? She's always been quick-witted, so if the Meng family tries to argue or refuses to pay, we'll have a good plan."
The younger woman shook her head: "She's pregnant and afraid of causing any bad luck, so she spends her days weaving at home. Her husband is a scholar and wouldn't throw a tantrum."
Lu Xingjia thought and thought but couldn't think of anyone else who could act as the "spokesperson" for his side. In the end, he could only say, "It's alright. This is our village. What can they do to us? When the time comes, you can just chime in with what I say. I doubt they'll dare to make too much of a scene at this funeral."
Lu Xingjia didn't intend to make things difficult for A Mian's family. As long as they obediently handed over ten taels of silver (five taels for a grand funeral, and two taels as compensation for their hard work; five taels was repayment, which wasn't unreasonable), they still planned to let Uncle Lu have a peaceful and safe journey.
Two days passed in this way, and it was the sixth day of the body's resting place.
Amian and her family finally arrived late, and Lu Xingjia and his men greeted them at the village entrance.
"Second brother, something's not right. Wasn't it said that A-Mian wasn't valued in her husband's family? How come..."
Wow, so many people came!
At the village entrance, a large group of people were seen, including Meng San's family (Meng's mother, worried about them, rode up on a donkey), Meng Er's family (the children were temporarily staying at their maternal grandmother's house for two days), Ersao's younger brother and sister who had come from her maternal home, and Wangwang and his younger brothers.
This caught Lu Xingjia, who had prepared his speech all night, off guard.
He originally planned to criticize Ah Mian for arriving late, which clearly showed that she did not care about her father's funeral, and this was extremely unfilial!
However, before he could even speak, the group of people who came pulled out Lu Amian, who was dressed up with disheveled hair and a deathly pale face, and she burst into tears with a loud "Aww!"
“My sister-in-law is such a fool! As soon as she heard that her father had passed away, she cried herself unconscious that day, and it’s been almost three days and three nights now, without eating or drinking a drop of water! She says she wants to keep vigil for her father, but tell me, even a body of iron can’t take it, right?”
Lu Xingjia: ...
What was that steamed egg with minced meat that I saw her eating so deliciously on the table that day?
He gave a wink, and a younger relative standing some distance away quickly stepped forward and said, "Please accept my condolences, please accept my condolences. Uh, their elders are still in the mourning hall. I'll take you there right away..."
Not to be outdone, Meng Jing shouted back, "Third Sister-in-law! Your legs are so weak you can't walk, yet you said you'd crawl here! How could you ruin your health by crying like this? Your father in the afterlife certainly wouldn't want to see you like this!"
Lu Xingjia, his chest burning with anger, patiently led the way.
The villagers were talking amongst themselves, "A-Mian has changed after all. After all, her father is gone, and her only remaining relative in this world is gone too..."
"Ah, it's pitiful, really..."
Lu Xingjia said with a forced smile, "Aunt (A-Mian), we've arrived. Go see your father one last time."
Meng Chijian grasped A-Mian's shoulders, who seemed about to collapse: "I will go with her, otherwise she might see her father and immediately follow him."
It was only right for the husband's family to accompany them, so Lu Xingjia couldn't refuse. He bowed and watched the two enter the mourning hall.
Ah Mian's face was covered with a thick layer of makeup, and she squinted as she secretly observed the body. The weather was getting hot, and the corpse was starting to rot, emitting a strong stench.
Meng Chijian suppressed his irritation and urge to "suck" at A Mian, and whispered in her ear: "Don't look, in case you have nightmares tonight."
The two knelt down beside him. Meng Chijian quickly lifted the burlap sack, and A-Mian obediently closed her eyes. Then he covered her up again.
The next second, Meng Chijian's face contorted with pain as he spoke in a loud and sorrowful voice: "Dad! We've come to see you! How could you leave like this? We were saying we'd bring you here to take care of you after spring. How is A-Mian supposed to live now! She's been longing to see you one last time—"
Amian was secretly surprised, not knowing that he had this side to him. His voice was loud and clear, and his vibrato was genuine. He could probably even perform on the village stage.
As if receiving a signal, the Meng family members outside all started sobbing, repeating over and over again how filial A-Mian was, how grateful A-Mian was, and how much A-Mian had sacrificed for her father.
Lu Xingjia, having endured this for so long, also wore an expression of extreme grief, and decided to go along with it, saying, "We've all seen Ah Mian's filial piety. It pains us to see it! Uncle Lu only has one daughter, Ah Mian, and she will definitely give him a grand funeral!"
"Yes! This is the only way to express our condolences!"
"This old man's last wish was to have a dignified funeral. Uncle Lu lived a life of poverty, so he should be allowed to enjoy some good fortune in the afterlife!"
The elders in the village nodded in agreement. Even if Lu Amian was ignorant, she would have no objections now.
As the two walked out of the mourning hall, A-Mian imitated them, saying, "Everyone has worked so hard for my father's sake, so I, Lu A-Mian, must contribute this money! Otherwise, would I, Lu A-Mian, still be a human being?"
Meng Chijian feigned surprise: "You...where do you have any money on you? Could it be that you've been hiding some money from me?"
Ah Mian said mournfully, "This is all my filial piety towards my father. It's from my frugal daily life. These two hundred coins are what I saved up one copper coin at a time!"
“A-Mian, you are a married woman, you belong to your husband’s family, how can you do this?” Second sister-in-law clutched her chest.
this--
It's understandable that the young lady didn't have any money.
Lu Jiaxing had never been targeting A-Mian from the beginning. He stepped forward and said, "Brother Meng, please listen to my advice. Don't blame Madam Lu, the person lying inside is your own father-in-law."
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