Tang Xiaoling was a little nervous and followed the funeral procession. How could her father have died? She should be wearing mourning clothes for her father, but why had no one come to inform her?
And my mother was really something. If she had told me earlier, I could have seen him one last time. Now that he's been sealed in his coffin, I won't even be able to see him one last time.
Thinking of this, they were overcome with grief and began to wail. Southwest and the others were startled by the sudden crying behind them and quickly turned around to look.
When they saw that it was Tang Xiaoling who was crying, no one said anything. After all, she was Tang Jianjun's daughter, and it was only right to see her off.
Yan Xiaonan even asked Ma Mingchun to give Tang Xiaoling the extra mourning clothes to wear, otherwise it would look bad for a young girl to be wearing bright red clothes and following behind the funeral procession.
The funeral procession slowly entered Mushroom Village. The villagers spontaneously stood at the village entrance. Everyone knew that Tang Jianjun was a good person, and at least they were willing to see him off on his final journey.
Village Chief Ma picked up the gong and began to sing and beat it, leading Tang Jianjun in the way: "This is your hometown, you are a native of Mushroom Village. Return to your roots and go to the Pure Land."
The villagers scattered paper money or wept softly to express their goodwill toward the deceased.
The coffin was carried directly to the Tang family ancestral grave. The pit had already been dug, and incense and other utensils were prepared. The auspicious time was checked, and the coffin could be buried. The strong men carrying the coffin carefully placed the coffin in the designated position, and the coffin was lowered.
Duoduo wiped away her tears, lit incense and candles, picked up a brand-new shovel, scooped up the first shovelful of soil, then knelt down on the spot and shouted loudly, "Grandpa, may you rest in peace."
Then Tang Xiaojun picked up a shovel and scattered soil on the coffin. Then Xinan was about to pick up a shovel to shovel the soil, but Duoduo suddenly snatched the shovel from Xinan's hand and handed it to Yan Xiaonan: "Auntie, you do it."
Yan Xiaonan felt a little embarrassed. Was Duoduo too heartbroken? But now was not the time to argue. He could only shovel a shovelful of soil and sprinkle it on the coffin.
Tang Xiaojun didn't notice this, but instead wiped away his tears while shoveling soil. He was filled with regret. If he had known this would happen, why didn't he take good care of his parents? Fortunately, his mother was still alive, and he could still make amends.
Tang Xiaoling was pushed forward by the villagers. No matter how many mistakes Tang Xiaoling had made, it was still her duty to be filial to her father one last time. Tang Xiaoling quickly picked up the shovel and started shoveling with all her might.
Village Chief Ma, Ma Mingchun, and several other strong men began filling the area with soil. Once a small hill had formed, they would put up a wooden sign, and then it would all be dust to dust and ashes to ashes.
Southwest stared blankly at the small hill. He had already lost his chance to shovel soil. Even North and Southwest could send his master on his way, so why couldn't he? Duoduo kept watching him, preventing him from making a move.
Tang Xiaojun glanced at Southwest and snorted coldly. Duoduo did the right thing. This kind of person should not be allowed to tarnish his father's spirit in heaven.
Sister-in-law Ma and a group of old women had already set up several large iron pots in the village. They always had to treat the villagers to tofu soup and rice. Fortunately, Bei Nan had taken out the money early, so the dishes were quite plentiful.
Because Tang Jianjun's funeral was handled properly, Tang's mother was truly comforted. At least the fear of what she would do alone after her husband's passing had disappeared.
“Mom, after the seven-day memorial service, I’ll take you back to our hometown to live,” Tang Xiaojun said.
Mrs. Tang shook her head and said, "No, we still have Duoduo to take care of. Duoduo is only in his first year of high school this year. We have to wait until he gets into university."
“Mom, Duoduo isn’t without a father. You and Dad have already done more than enough. Don’t worry, I will definitely take care of you.” Tang Xiaojun glanced at Southwest with dissatisfaction.
Southwest was at a loss for how to deal with this. Wasn't it because Master and Mistress were afraid that no one would break the pots that they let Duoduo go back to the county to study with the old couple? How did it become that they had done everything they could for Duoduo?
Bei Nan was also a little unhappy after hearing these words: "Tang Xiaojun, you should have a conscience. Why did your father make Duoduo go back to the county to study with them? Why did he specifically ask Duoduo to break the basin? Don't you have any self-awareness?"
If you were truly filial, would your father need a grandson to smash pots and pans? Duo Duo isn't without her losses either; otherwise, she would have already gotten into a top high school in Beijing, just like Fu Bao.
Tang Xiaojun blushed. His father had pointed at him and threatened to sever their father-son relationship. How could he forget? Now that Bei Nan had brought up the past, Tang Xiaojun was too ashamed to speak.
Hearing this, Tang's mother felt distressed. She recalled the ugly faces that Tang Xiaojun and his wife had shown to her and her husband in the past, and every detail seemed like it was just yesterday. The heart that had been touched by her son just now closed tightly again.
She couldn't believe what Tang Xiaojun had just said, and she had invested her feelings in Duoduo. She never expected that her and her husband's selfishness would affect a child's future.
"Duoduo, good child, Grandma will listen to you. If you go back to the capital to study, Grandma will live alone in the county. If you don't go back, Grandma will live with you."
Duo Duo was a little confused. He glanced at Yan Xiaonan. Ever since he learned that Fu Bao had been admitted to a key high school in Beijing, he had been very envious. It wasn't that he didn't study hard, but that's just how regional differences are, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Yan Xiaonan didn't speak. Duoduo was raised by Tang Jianjun and his wife since she was a child. Duoduo has an obligation to be filial to these two elderly people. Of course, if she were to follow Tang Xiaojun and Tang Xiaoling's example and not care about anything, that wouldn't be out of the question.
Duo Duo's eyes hardened, and he looked at his mother and said, "Grandma, let's talk about it after I finish high school here."
Mother Tang felt a warmth in her heart; finally, one of her children was considerate. That evening, Mother Tang took Duo Duo back to their house in the county. Most importantly, the altar was set up there, and the candles could not be extinguished at night.
Tang Jianjun and Tang Xiaoling were left looking dejected. Tang Xiaoling glanced at Tang Xiaojun, then at the Tang family's old house in the distance, and felt fortunate that she had bought a house in the county. Now she was doing a small business and was financially secure.
The four men, from the southeast to the west, north to south, moved into their own houses. The houses had already been cleaned up by the old bachelor and his companions, so there was no need for them to clean them anymore.
Yan Xiaonan climbed Mushroom Mountain under cover of darkness. Seeing the barren rocks on the outer edge, he felt a pang of heartache; the environment had been destroyed after all.
She climbed the mountain and soon arrived at the hot spring. The new generation of wolf king came to her side and affectionately rubbed against her leg. Yan Xiaonan's mountain god aura surged forth and spread throughout the entire Mushroom Mountain.
In an instant, Mushroom Mountain became lively. All the animals poked their heads out, and the second-generation Tiger King ran out of the cave. When he saw Yan Xiaonan, he jumped straight into her arms.
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