Chapter 44
The valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the sunlight overhead is completely blocked by the sycamore trees. As soon as Jiang Lan was pulled onto the ground of the valley, a cold air current rushed towards her.
The grass on the ground was knee-high, and even Jiang Lan, who prided herself on being brave, felt her hair stand on end from the atmosphere of this classic horror movie.
After taking a few steps forward, Jiang Lan seemed to have kicked something. He bent down to take a look, and when he saw what he had kicked, he gasped and couldn't help but take a step back.
"Ming'er, why are there tombstones here?"
Xiao Ming also looked at the tombstone, which was now just a short section remaining on the ground, and said unsurprisingly, "Because this is a cemetery."
"You...liked playing in cemeteries when you were little?"
Xiao Ming smiled and said, "How could that be? I didn't know this was a cemetery when I was a child. It's not far from my old family home. Just turn a corner in the other direction from where we just came down. My grandma was standing at the back door calling me, and I could hear her from here."
"The tombstone you kicked might belong to some ancestor in the village. Many families in the village have their great-great-grandfathers and ancestors buried here."
Over a hundred years ago, at the end of a dynasty, this area was once a village settlement. However, a great plague emptied nine out of ten houses, leaving it desolate. Time has changed everything; the once green tiles and white walls have become a wasteland of rubble.
I wonder if these ancient trees, which have stood for so many years, are also lamenting the ruthlessness of time, as they too are swaying in the wind.
The gloomy atmosphere was replaced by desolation, and Jiang Lan sighed as she looked at the land beneath her feet.
Xiao Ming led him towards the exit of the ravine: "Let's go."
As they emerged from the mountain valley, they were blocked by a small river. The river was shallow, and a broken stone bridge stood in the middle of the river.
Why don't you go over there?
"We can't get through."
Like Xiaoming, Jiang Lan also quietly gazed at the opposite bank.
Not long after, several figures appeared indistinctly on the opposite bank, waving at them. Xiaoming did not respond, but continued to silently gaze at the opposite bank until the people on the other side left and disappeared.
"who are they?"
"It is my deceased blood relative."
"Since they are your blood relatives and elders, why don't you respond to them?"
"Life and death are separate."
Jiang Lan stared at the round ceiling light, the four words Xiao Ming said at the end of her dream lingering in her mind.
Light was already streaming through the curtains, and Jiang Lan used the light to carefully examine Xiao Ming, who was still asleep.
Although the specific scenes inside were blurred again, he still remembered the general content of the dream. He wondered if Xiaoming had influenced the rules of the Rubik's Cube. Otherwise, if she had specially brought him in but he couldn't remember anything, wouldn't it have been a waste of time to go in?
Xiaoming sees herself and her grandfather as ordinary people, but it's unclear whether she has some misunderstanding about what "ordinary people" means.
In his eyes, the biggest difference between Xiaoming and ordinary girls is that she is quiet, has few emotional fluctuations, and is not afraid of being alone.
It's unusual for a little girl from a happy family who has received plenty of love during her upbringing to develop such a withdrawn personality.
Unless she possesses a dazzling world that others cannot perceive.
Jiang Lan sighed, gently stroking the person's eyebrows and eyes, and couldn't help but kiss her forehead. Even now, he couldn't help but admire his past self; where did he find the perseverance to win over such a person?
After breakfast, the family went back to their hometown.
Xiao Ming rode his electric scooter with Jiang Lan in the back, swaying and wobbling behind the family's car until they arrived at his uncle's house.
The offerings were all prepared, and after waiting for everyone to arrive, we set off for the back mountain.
Jiang Lan carried a basket of boiled eggs and led Xiao Ming, who was carrying drinks, up the mountain.
You can occasionally see rose hips with reddish peels in the bushes by the roadside, and a few dogwood trees are growing in the crevices of the rocks.
Xiao Ming wanted to go pick some, but Zhou Ma stopped him: "You're not old yet, are you? Aren't you afraid of poisonous snakes and insects in the grass?"
When they reached the top of the mountain, they found the graves of their grandparents. Together, they cut the grass off the grave mounds and shoveled up the mud that had accumulated throughout the year to build up the grave mounds.
After the worship ceremony, Xiaoming overheard Zhou Ma burning paper money and chatted with his grandmother: "Xiaoming got married, and your son-in-law just kowtowed to you. Please bless the young couple from below so they can have a safe and smooth life and have a baby soon."
Xiao Ming squatted down beside his mother, listening to her rhythmic and uninterrupted rambling. He couldn't help but sigh, it seemed that all middle-aged and elderly women, upon reaching a certain age, would innately master this skill of asking their ancestors for blessings.
Suddenly something was stuck into his head. Xiaoming reached up and touched it, and plucked a sprig of dogwood covered with red berries off his head.
Turning his head, his eyes lit up: "You've cut down all the tree branches."
Jiang Lan held up a string of dogwood in her hand and waved it: "My older brother and I went over and cut these. There's enough for everyone to put one in their hair."
Xiao Ming touched his ponytail, lowered his head and leaned close to Jiang Lan: "Put it in for me."
Jiang Lan found a good angle to insert it for her, then cupped her head and looked her up and down: "Hmm, it looks good. Where should I wear mine?"
Xiao Ming pinched his chin and looked at it, then took the dogwood from Jiang Lan's hand and put it in the breast pocket of his denim jacket. The red fruit poked its head out, adding a touch of festiveness to the clothes.
The main force descended the mountain, circled around several hills, climbed to a half-slope, and saw the village. After winding their way around, they suddenly found themselves at a dead end. The able-bodied men took out sickles, carried small lawnmowers, and began clearing the path.
Walking along the cleared path, Jiang Lan was a little stunned. This place...
"Is your old house down the next turn?"
Xiao Ming glanced at him and nodded, "Yes." Then he turned his head and pointed to the valley below, "When I was little, there was no grass down there. As soon as the grass sprouted, it was eaten by cattle and sheep. I used to play down there all the time, and now the grass is taller than a person."
Back home, the family members all massaged their legs and backs; tomb sweeping is truly a physically demanding task.
Xiao Ming went to his mother's room and got a bottle of safflower oil. He applied it to Jiang Lan's naked arms and legs and rubbed it vigorously.
Jiang Lan lay on the bed, wincing in pain: "Be gentle, are you trying to murder your husband?"
"If I massage gently, wouldn't that make me a technician?"
Xiao Ming softened his movements and started making circles on Jiang Lan's back.
Jiang Lan hummed softly, "That feels good."
As Xiaoming's kneading motion gradually moved downwards, Jiang Lan felt the temperature in the air suddenly rise, and the blanket beneath her began to feel uncomfortable.
Just as he was about to counterattack, Xiaoming pressed down hard, and Jiang Lan let out a "whoop!" The temperature immediately dropped, and the blanket became softer.
"It's time to show off your real skills!" Xiao Ming straddled Jiang Lan's waist, using all his might to press hard on Jiang Lan's inner thigh. Jiang Lan jumped like a fish: "Holy crap!"
After a massage by the master masseur, Jiang Lan's whole body was red, and her skin, marinated in safflower oil, emitted a medicinal odor.
"Okay, turn off the lights and go to sleep."
Seeing that Xiaoming had spread out another quilt, seemingly because he thought he smelled bad and wanted to sleep in a separate bed, Jiang Lan got anxious: "What's so good about it? I haven't even rubbed safflower oil on you yet!"
"I don't feel any soreness or pain, so I don't need to rub it."
"Then rub your feet. You've walked so many mountain paths today, your feet must be sore."
Before Xiaoming could object, she took the medicine bottle, pulled Xiaoming's toes over, and started massaging them.
It has to be said that men's hands are really strong. Xiaoming felt very comfortable being squeezed and soon began to doze off.
Seeing that the person had fallen asleep, Jiang Lan tucked away the blanket she had just spread out, turned off the light, and then pulled the person into a blanket and fell asleep herself.
Jiang Lan was driving, with Xiao Ming sitting next to her. Zhou's parents were in the back seat, watching the scenery rushing past through the window.
"The changes are huge. There weren't so many tall buildings around the train station before, and the roads weren't as wide and clean."
"How many times have Mom and Dad come?" Jiang Lan asked Zhou's parents, looking in the rearview mirror.
“I only came here once, when I brought him here to register for university. Almost ten years have passed since then. Time really flies.”
After driving for more than an hour, we got off the highway at the county town's highway exit: "Tomorrow, I'll call my parents and tell them we'll be there in twenty minutes."
The in-laws met and exchanged pleasantries.
According to the schedule, we'll rest today, and the wedding banquet will be held tomorrow. Yes, only the banquet will be arranged; the wedding ceremony will not take place.
Like Xiaoming's family, they only invited close relatives.
In Xiaoming's words, "It's a happy occasion, so there's no need for too many formalities. Everyone just needs to enjoy the meal and let our relatives and friends know that we're getting married."
Unlike Xiaoming's hometown, people in Jianglan usually have a banquet at noon.
Xiao Ming got up early that day to prepare. Aunt Jiang Lan gave the newlyweds Chinese wedding attire. Xiao Ming wore a Xiuhe dress, while Jiang Lan wore a Tang suit.
I heard that Xiaoming doesn't know how to do makeup, so Aunt Jiang Lan drove over early in the morning to do Xiaoming's makeup and hair.
“I really don’t understand the thinking of you young people. You can be so casual about such a once-in-a-lifetime event. Your parents are good-natured and let you do whatever you want.”
Jiang Lan smiled apologetically: "We're already working ourselves to the bone, so we wanted a simple and relaxing wedding. Luckily, our parents understand and feel sorry for us."
My aunt rolled her eyes: "Fine, I'm a bad person, I don't understand or care about you."
Xiaoming wrinkled her nose as her aunt applied foundation to her face. She replied, "Auntie, you care about us so much. Otherwise, why would you care whether we have a wedding or not? You sent us a dress and came to help us early on. Jiang Lan and I remember it all."
"You know I'm just worried about you, otherwise people would say you're weird relatives causing trouble." Aunt Jiang Lan felt much better after hearing this.
"Xiaoming, your skin is so good, you can't even see your pores."
"Yes, they inherited good genes from their parents."
Jiang Lan applied hairspray to his hair and styled it himself. He's good-looking, so even with a simple styling, he's still an eye-catching handsome man.
The two women, now fully made up, stood together and posed for a photoshoot for their aunt: "I'd like to post this on an online platform, is that okay?"
Xiao Ming thought for a moment and said, "If it's a frontal shot, remember to blur my face. A side view is fine."
Jiang Lan shrugged: "I'm fine with anything."
What should have been a simple wedding banquet turned into a disaster.
Jiang Lan had already told her parents that she wouldn't accept any money as gifts, but her mother firmly disagreed: "I know you don't lack money now, do you think I'm short of money to spend?"
Whether or not to accept gifts is not a matter of money, but a matter of breaking the rules in social interactions. Who can't afford to give a small amount of money as a gift?
Another point is that if you don't accept gifts, I don't know if your relatives will say good things about you, but some people will definitely say things like, "Jiang Lan is successful now and has become arrogant. She doesn't even care about such a small amount of money anymore."
It's always been a case of envying the rich and laughing at the poor. You followed the rules and accepted the gift money, and nothing happened to you, understand?
Jiang Lan was persuaded by her mother to accept the wedding gifts according to custom. However, after the wedding banquet ended and all the relatives had left, Jiang Lan's aunt, who lingered there, pulled Jiang Lan and her father aside and said hesitantly:
"Xiao Lan, Auntie... please help me."
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