Chapter 5
Zhou Yuan drove the cart at a steady pace, not too fast. The cart was loaded with things he had brought back from town to use for repairing his house.
Knowing Chen Qing's quiet nature, Aunt Sun started chatting with Zhou Yuan: "Construction is starting soon? How many rooms are you planning to build?"
Zhou Yuan replied, "Three or four rooms, a kitchen, two bedrooms, a main room, and we'll also need to build an outhouse."
Grandma Sun nodded: "That's enough for you by yourself. Did you buy the oxcart?"
Zhou Yuan answered every question, and he was much more talkative than he had been in front of Aunt Hua: "Yes, I thought it would be more convenient to go out or do farm work with an oxcart."
As Chen Qing listened to their conversation, he fell asleep leaning against Granny Sun's shoulder on the swaying oxcart.
Zhou Yuan turned to look at him, then looked away.
Aunt Sun added, "Our Qing is a bit introverted. If he does anything wrong, please bear with him."
She knew Chen Qing's personality well: he was quiet, didn't like to talk, was very shy in big situations, and sometimes didn't know how to read the atmosphere.
Zhou Yuan glanced at Chen Qing again; he was fast asleep. "No, we're all from the same village."
Remembering that they were all from the battlefield, Aunt Sun naturally wanted to know something about Meng Tao.
Although Zhou Yuan told the village chief that Meng Tao had asked him to take care of his widowed mother, they were in the same battalion. Zhou Yuan was in the vanguard battalion, and Meng Tao seemed to be in the infantry battalion. The two battalions didn't have much interaction, and he didn't know Meng Tao. He only said that last time to help them out.
As for the people from their village, in order to prevent small groups from forming in one place, they were all scattered when they entered the military camp. Zhou Yuan helped Meng Tao collect his body when he was cleaning up the battlefield. The situation of the battle changed in an instant, so the soldiers who died in battle could only be buried on the spot. Meng Tao was lucky and still had a complete body. Many people couldn't even find their bodies.
But he couldn't tell Meng Tao's mother these things, and only said, "We were in the same battalion, but we didn't interact much on a regular basis."
Grandma Sun stared at Zhou Yuan expectantly, hoping to hear more about her son from this stranger.
"He died a heroic death in the Battle of Guping Pass two years ago," Zhou Yuan said. "That battle was extremely fierce, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Their infantry battalion bought us a lot of time and laid the foundation for the great victory that followed."
Grandma Sun wiped away her tears: "My son is so brave."
Chen Qing felt Sun Da Niang's shoulders twitch. When he woke up, he saw Sun Da Niang wiping away tears. Chen Qing took out a handkerchief he had embroidered for himself from his pocket. It was decorated with the design of the goose that his family raised.
He glanced at Zhou Yuan with some suspicion, moved his lips, and said in a choked voice, "Zhou Yuan only told me some things about Taozi in the army camp."
Chen Qing then cautiously looked away, then looked at Zhou Yuan with a hint of expectation in his eyes. Although he had never met Meng Tao before, he wanted to hear about him.
Zhou Yuan glanced at him, then fell silent, quietly driving the carriage. Chen Qing waited for a while, and when he realized that Zhou Yuan had no intention of speaking again, he sighed softly.
Back in the village, Chen Qing and Aunt Sun discovered that the land where Zhou Yuan was going to build his house was not far from their home; in fact, it was very close.
Grandma Sun paused for a moment before saying, "Then we'll be neighbors from now on."
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Yes. So when is the funeral in the family? As Meng Tao's comrade-in-arms, I should come and offer him some incense."
"Of course, of course." Aunt Sun had a good impression of Zhou Yuan in front of her. He was tall and handsome, and he still had a fierce aura about him from the battlefield. She thought that if Taozi could come back, he would be just like that.
March 27th is an auspicious day for funerals.
Grandma Sun had already informed the villagers. She wasn't after any money; she just wanted Meng Tao to leave in style.
The family from the neighboring village who were holding a funeral banquet had arrived long ago. After looking around at the ingredients they had prepared, they immediately decided on a standard for one table: three cold dishes, four hot dishes, and one soup, which would be just enough. They had made even worse ones before.
Accompanying the banquet chefs were the funeral attendants, who were experts in handling funerals and knew all the procedures and etiquette inside and out.
Their yard wasn't big, and the borrowed tables, chairs, and benches had already been placed on the path outside the door, totaling five tables.
Aunt Sun's acquaintances all came to help, and they all brought some things, such as a few eggs and a few pieces of white cloth.
Most people will arrive around noon, as they will be burying the coffin in the morning.
As Meng Tao's widow, Chen Qing had the option to choose whether or not to wear mourning clothes.
In the local customs of Luohe Village, a woman whose husband has died can choose whether or not to wear mourning clothes. This is because if she wears mourning clothes for her ex-husband, she will offend her future husband's family if she remarries.
In Luohe Village, only Granny Sun wore mourning clothes for her deceased husband. Because of this, Granny Sun had a major conflict with her family and they hadn't been in contact for many years.
Grandma Sun recalled her conversation with Chen Qing the night before.
Looking at the mourning clothes and handkerchief that Chen Qing had prepared, as well as the hemp rope he had twisted himself, Aunt Sun stopped him: "Qing, you don't need to go to this extent. Listen to your mother, don't wear mourning clothes. Besides, you haven't even met Taozi yet, there's no need to go to this extent."
Chen Qing shook his head: "It has to be done, Mother. I consider you my own mother. If I don't wear mourning clothes for him, do you expect me to do it? He won't rest in peace after he's gone."
Grandma Sun tried to persuade him for a long time, but in the end she couldn't persuade him and had to let him go. So today Chen Qing was wearing white mourning clothes, a mourning headscarf on his head, and a hemp rope tied around his waist. He followed the mourners and cooperated with them.
Meng Tao's coffin was placed in the main room. Chen Qing knelt on a prayer mat, with a brazier in front of him containing burning paper money.
Before they go up the mountain, if relatives and friends are willing, they can come and burn some paper money and light incense for him.
From morning until it was time to leave, no one came to burn paper money for Meng Tao.
Chen Qing looked at the brazier in front of him and reached out to burn some more firewood for him. Although they were husband and wife in name, they had never even met.
I don't know whether he or Meng Tao is more tragic.
As he thought about it, tears welled up in Chen Qing's eyes, as if he were crying for Meng Tao, but also for himself.
This is the fourth funeral Chen Qing has held.
The first was his father, the second was his stepfather. The third was an old woman he didn't know. It was the second year after Chen Qing sold himself. The slave trader took him to many places, but no one was willing to buy him. Later, an old woman was willing to take him back, saying that she would be the husband of her grandson.
The deposit had already been paid, and the old man had even given him a handmade sachet. Just as Chen Qing was packing his things to go with him, an unexpected accident occurred: the old man suddenly fell ill and passed away.
Chen Qing's position was quite awkward. He only heard about the old woman's situation later. It was said that the old woman's son had died early, her daughter-in-law had run off with someone else, and her only grandson had been conscripted into the army. The old woman thought she might not live to see her grandson return, so she wanted to find him a husband to wait for him at home.
Chen Qing, who was usually quiet and didn't like interacting with people, made an unprecedented request to the slave trader, saying that since he had already received the deposit, could he go and see the old man off in his final moments?
After much deliberation, the slave trader finally agreed. Chen Qing spent a day finding the old woman's home. With the help of the villagers, he dug a grave for her and buried her. He then spent all his savings to buy firecrackers and set them off at the old woman's grave.
Before leaving, Chen Qing went to the old woman's house. There was nothing in the yard except for some of the old woman's clothes and bedding. Chen Qing didn't throw those things away; he carefully put them in the cabinet, thinking that her grandson's return would be a source of comfort. In the end, he only took the purse that the old woman had given him before following the slave trader on his way.
As Chen Qing was thinking about this past, a shadow fell over his head. He looked up, and two streams of tears fell onto his white mourning clothes, while a few more clung to his chin.
He cried without making a sound, only tears dripping like beads from a broken string. He saw Zhou Yuan dressed in black, pick up an incense stick from the side, light it, bow three times, then put the incense into the incense burner. After that, he went to Chen Qing's side, knelt on one knee, and burned some paper money.
Chen Qing raised his hand to wipe the tears from his chin, then knelt up and bowed to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan's gaze darkened. After burning the last of the paper money, he left the main room.
When the auspicious time arrived, the coffin was closed, and Chen Qing, carrying Meng Tao's memorial tablet and offerings, walked at the front of the crowd.
Today is another sunny day, and you can occasionally hear the chirping of cicadas on the mountain.
Meng Tao's grave had been chosen long ago, not too far from his father's. When Chen Qing walked out the gate, he heard Aunt Sun crying.
Chen Qing raised his hand, steadily carrying the things in his hands, and walked to the edge of the cemetery. He listened to the grave workers singing and dancing on the side, occasionally sprinkling some grains and other things on him.
Finally, he watched as the coffin bearers placed Meng Tao's coffin into the dug pit, and then slowly filled it with soil. Chen Qing was then instructed to burn incense and paper money.
After the burning was finished, a funeral attendant told him to take a different route home before the funeral attendant buried the coffin. On the way, he was to find a cypress tree and pick some cypress branches to carry on his person.
Chen Qing was a little stunned. After Duan Gong urged him, he stood up and walked a completely different and much longer route than the one he had come by. Along the way, he saw cypress branches, picked them, and tucked them into his waistband.
In the Meng family's courtyard, many villagers came, and none of them came empty-handed. Some gave a coin or two, some gave a few eggs, and in short, they didn't eat the meal for free.
Zhou Yuan was also in the crowd, but he wasn't familiar with the villagers yet, so no one came up to him. He sat to one side, where it was relatively quiet.
However, he had developed excellent hearing on the battlefield, and he could hear the conversation between the two women clearly.
"Chen Qing is really wearing mourning clothes?"
"Yes, he even carried the memorial tablet up the mountain. Does he really not plan to remarry?"
"It's pitiful, he's never even met Meng Tao before, has he?"
"So you want to be like Sun Cui, never to get married for the rest of your life."
"How pitiful."
"What if I regret it later?"
“If someone wears mourning clothes for the deceased, they will have to consider the bad luck associated with him in the future. I think it will be difficult for him to get married.”
"Besides, look at his short stature, he doesn't look like he's easy to father children with. Who would leave a clean young man and woman to marry a widow who's wearing mourning clothes and has bad luck on him?"
Zhou Yuan listened to their discussion with a blank expression, unaware that a large crater had been dug into the ground beneath his feet.
Poor Chen Qing returned panting. When Aunt Sun saw him, she took the cypress branch from his waist and gently placed it on him again and again. Chen Qing didn't know why, but he stood there and let her do as she pleased.
Hearing the sound of firecrackers from the mountain, Aunt Sun patted Chen Qing on the shoulder and said, "Let's invite everyone to sit down and eat."
At a banquet, no one is spared any slack. Everyone is a farmer who toils from the land, and no family is willing to eat such large chunks of meat. Everyone is practically scrambling to get to the table.
Chen Qing sat at the table without touching his chopsticks. From today onwards, he would observe mourning for Meng Tao, abstaining from meat for three months, wearing colorful clothes for half a year, and not traveling far from home for a year.
They only started settling accounts after seeing the villagers off.
The coffin was bought in a hurry and wasn't too expensive, a thin coffin costing three taels of silver. The four attendants were each given 120 cash as a wedding gift, the banquet was paid 300 cash, and the meat and vegetables for the banquet cost two taels of silver.
This funeral, along with all sorts of other expenses, cost almost eight taels of silver.
Meng Tao's pension was only ten taels of silver.
But Chen Qing could sense that his mother had relaxed completely, as if she had accomplished the most important thing in her life.
Chen Qing suddenly felt very flustered.
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