Wang Guifen was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.
Good heavens, she had been worried and scared for so long, and had racked her brains but still didn't know how to deal with it, but Shuiqing was able to give her a clear answer on the spot!
It even solved the problem of excessive silver deposits.
Yes, keeping too much is useless; improving our lives is the important thing.
She looked at Shuiqing and exclaimed sincerely, "Shuiqing, I finally understand why my father-in-law and my own father all wanted you to be the village chief. The gap between us is too big."
Shui Qing replied sincerely, "I can't do it. I'm too ambitious and lack the selflessness to do this. You're the most suitable one."
She has a clear understanding of herself; she's the type who won't do anything without a reason. She's willing to put in a lot of effort for her family and those she cares about, but not for others.
Just as Wang Guifen was about to retort, she heard cries coming from the front of the village.
The sound was sharp and piercing, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes intermittent, mixed with indistinct wails.
"Is this a funeral? Who died?" Wang Guifen suddenly stood up and asked nervously.
Shui Qing also stood up and carefully discerned the source of the sound, a guess forming in her mind.
The two disregarded everything else and ran toward the source of the sound.
Before long, the guards struck a gong, the sound echoing throughout the village. People from every household rushed out of their houses and gathered at the village entrance.
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The dilapidated house was filthy.
Even Wang Guifen couldn't help but cover her nose.
Inside the room, Fan Qian lay stiffly on the dark bedding, while Sun Jinhua screamed incoherently in the corner. Outside, Fan Dazhu, Erzhu, and Sanzhu wept bitterly, and Zhang Chunhua wailed loudly.
Wang Guifen and Shui Qing understood the situation and retreated into the courtyard.
Villagers have been coming in waves to see if they need help with Fan Qian's funeral arrangements.
Shui Qing was somewhat prepared for Fan Qian's passing. Four years ago, Fan Qian must have suffered a minor stroke that night. Given the lack of medical care and meticulous attention, it was unexpected that he could survive for four years.
However, the quality of life during those four years was hardly anything to speak of.
As the saying goes, "a long illness tests filial piety," but Fan Qian didn't need to be sick for long at all. His three eldest sons abandoned him very quickly from the very beginning!
The family relied entirely on Sizhu. After marrying Zhang Chunhua, she was not a kind-hearted or honest person. They still depended on Sizhu. Until a year ago, when Sizhu saw that his three older brothers would rather sell their land than work honestly to earn money, he made a tough decision to separate the family and move to a new village.
Fan Qian endured hunger and irregular meals for over a year, demonstrating remarkable resilience. However, his heart-wrenching cries now sound somewhat hypocritical to everyone else.
Wang Guifen glanced at the few people in the room who were only wailing but not mentioning how to handle the funeral arrangements, and whispered to Shui Qing: "I'm afraid we can't count on the eldest couple."
Since the second and third pillars aren't married, even if they had money, they probably wouldn't use it for their father's funeral. They'd have to wait for the fourth pillar to come and ask for his opinion.
When Sizhu divided the family property, just like Fan Jin and Shuiqing, their parents were counted as one share. Fan Dazhu and Zhang Chunhua insisted on supporting their parents-in-law in their old age so that they could have their share.
If Fan Qiansun Jinhua had stayed with Sizhu, her life would have been much better. But living with her eldest son's family was worse than that of livestock. One wonders if the two of them regret their past actions...
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