Chapter 957 Five More Years (10) Funeral
Even though Li San Niang's face hadn't changed much over the past ten years—her face was still the same, and she was still the same person—after serving as an official for so long and wielding power, even if she wanted to be gentle and approachable, her aura was still somewhat different from what she used to be.
As soon as she entered the room, she noticed Wu Qiaolan and Baoya's awkwardness, so she simply said congratulations and offered a few words of blessing before heading to the side hall.
However, shortly after she entered the side hall, Bao Ya and her daughter Wu Qiaolan left with Xiao Ya.
While the family was having dinner together, Li's mother said, "That man sounds like an honest and upright person, but I don't know if that's really the case or what."
However, Bao Ya said that if they have any more children in the future, they will take her surname.
As if remembering something, Li's mother turned to look at Li San Niang on the table. Li San Niang looked up and met Li's mother's gaze: "Mother?"
"Sigh," Li's mother sighed, "Bao Ya said that she doesn't have brothers like you, and she's so capable that she can support the child."
She just wanted to give Xiaoya a little brother, so that even after she was gone, Xiaoya would still have a family member by her side.
What could Li San Niang say about this?
All I can say is, "The hearts of parents are full of love and worry for their children."
"Mother, I'll give Baoya an extra box of gifts later. Luzhu has troubled her a lot since she was little; it took a lot of effort for her to be so decisive in getting a divorce. It's truly not easy."
Not only did Li San Niang add a box of gifts, but Lu Zhu'er also took items from her own savings and added gifts for Bao Ya.
On the day Bao Ya got married, Li's mother and sister-in-law went together.
Wu Qiaolan and Bao Ya bought a small two-courtyard house in the residential area near the gate of Changshoufang, which almost cost them all of their savings from the past few years.
The courtyard wasn't big, but it was enough for their whole family.
Li's mother, who stayed behind and drank two cups of wine, looked at the tall, strong man whose face was flushed after only a few cups of wine, and thought that the man who couldn't drink was an honest and good man.
Although the man's family members were eating like starving ghosts at the banquet, Bao Ya and Wu Qiaolan had taken a liking to this family, so they were not to be trifled with.
Ultimately, you have to live your own life. Others can only help when you ask for help, but they can't help you live your life.
Overall, Li's mother felt it was alright, and only wished that Bao Ya would have good days ahead.
Life is unpredictable. Less than half a month after the wedding banquet for Bao Ya, the Li family hung up white banners.
Dr. Liang, having reached an advanced age, passed away peacefully in his sleep.
When Dr. Liang first met Li San Niang, he was already over sixty years old. More than ten years have passed since then, and Dr. Liang is now quite old!
Li San Niang and Shao Yang's junior brother, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in the mourning hall. Inside the coffin lay the old doctor Liang, his eyes closed and his hair and beard all white.
Several ice basins were placed in the mourning hall, hoping to slow down the decomposition of the body in the hot summer and to cool down the person wearing heavy mourning clothes.
Li San Niang wasn't actually that sad. After all, they were both doctors. A little over a month ago, the old doctor Liang had called her and her junior brother from Shaoyang to his bedside to give them their last instructions.
At the time, neither Li San Niang nor Shao Yang's junior brother believed it. They stepped forward and each took one of their hands to take the pulse.
But as they felt each other's pulses, their expressions changed from disbelief to frowning, and then to sadness and helplessness.
It's not that he's sick; Dr. Liang is just getting old.
On the contrary, Dr. Liang smiled at the two of them and said, "Alright, why do that?"
Birth, aging, illness, and death are experiences that everyone must go through.
For a teacher to live to this age is already considered a long life!
Haha, your master has lived almost twenty years longer than your grandmaster!
No matter how old a person is, once they die, they are gone forever. How can anyone accept the death of a loved one so easily?
Li San Niang, who hadn't cried for many years, had tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.
She cried very restrainedly, only shedding tears silently without making a sound.
"Oh dear, is Third Sister reluctant to part with her teacher?"
"Then while your master is still alive, spend some quality time with him. I also have some things to tell you."
Old Doctor Liang beckoned to the young apprentice who had been taking care of him, and took the stack of letters from the apprentice's hand to show to Li San Niang and Shao Yang's junior brother.
"These are letters I wrote to your senior brothers. I wrote one for each of them. After I die and you bury me, you can send these letters out."
As I wrote in the letter, I do not want them to come to the funeral, nor do I want them to be sad.
It is a blessing for me to have a teacher-student relationship with them.
Whether it's them or you, it's enough if you can do a good job for the medical profession of the Tang Dynasty.
Throughout my life, I have been a renowned teacher, a high-ranking official, met emperors, held power in my hands, and taken on outstanding disciples. In my later years, I also settled past grievances for my sect and witnessed everything you have done for the Tang Dynasty.
My life as a teacher has been worthwhile!
After I'm gone, don't be sad. Pass on the skills I've taught you, and I'll be able to laugh out loud in the underworld."
After that, Li San Niang and her junior brother from Shaoyang took turns taking half a month off to stay home and accompany Dr. Liang on his final journey.
Now, kneeling before the coffin containing Dr. Liang, Li Sanniang numbly threw paper ingots into the brazier. She stopped crying, but her heart still ached terribly.
It was the junior brother from Shaoyang who was kneeling with her who started to cry quietly.
From the moment he learned of Dr. Liang's impending death a month ago until Dr. Liang's actual passing, the junior apprentice from Shaoyang did not cry even once.
Only now do young boys from Shaoyang dare to cry uncontrollably in front of a coffin.
The junior brother from Shaoyang, who had been crying for most of the day, wouldn't listen to Li Sanniang's advice. So, Li Sanniang gave a wink to the tenth brother next to her, and the tenth brother swiftly stepped forward and knocked the junior brother from Shaoyang unconscious.
Actually, Li San Niang can also do this job, and she can do it even better and without hurting anyone.
However, Li San Niang simply couldn't bring herself to do it to her junior brother from Shaoyang, whose eyes were swollen like big walnuts from crying.
The deceased are gone, but the living remain.
In the sweltering summer heat, even with free ice, the body simply couldn't be left to rot.
Therefore, Li San Niang and Shao Yang's junior brother decided to keep the body for three days, and after three days, they would bury it in a feng shui treasure land that they had already selected for the old doctor Liang outside Chang'an.
After burying Physician Liang, Li San Niang arranged for letters to be sent to her fellow disciples scattered throughout the Tang Dynasty. In addition to the letters that Physician Liang had written to each of his disciples before his death, there were also letters that she and her junior disciple from Shaoyang had written to their respective disciples.
Some of my senior brothers lived nearby in Luoyang, the eastern capital, while others lived far away in Champa, the southern capital.
When Li San Niang was sending out letters, she also received letters from her disciples.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com