At seven o'clock the next morning, Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian, dressed in black, appeared at Jingzhou Airport with Zhao Changshan and Liu Yang.
As the country developed better and better, the administrative office had its own civil airport last year, so Xu Jianguo chose to take Zhao Changshan and Liu Yang back to Sandaliang Village by plane.
After all, with his current identity and status, whether from the perspective of his own safety or to reassure the country, he really cannot just abandon the two of them.
Two hours later, the four of them arrived at the office safely.
When they walked out of the terminal, two local garrison officers in military uniforms were already waiting there.
The two men had met Xu Jianguo before, because the last time their family returned to Sandaliang Village, the two men had delivered a military vehicle to Xu Jianguo and his family.
"Hello, Chief!" The two men saluted Xu Jianguo.
After Xu Jianguo returned the military salute, he said, "Thank you for your hard work!"
After a few brief greetings, Zhao Changshan took the car keys from one of them. Then Liu Yang opened the car door, and Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian got into the back seat.
With the sound of a whistle, the jeep with military license plates quickly drove away from the administrative airport and sped towards Sandaliang Village.
The jeep sped along the winding mountain road, and the scenery outside the window flashed by quickly like a slide show, but Xu Jianguo had no intention of appreciating it.
The figure of old man Li Dashan kept appearing in his mind, and the memories were like a warm old movie, constantly playing in his heart.
Wen Sitian sat beside him, gently holding his hand, conveying silent comfort.
When the car drove into Sandaliang Village, the familiar big tree at the entrance of the village first came into view. The originally vibrant village was now shrouded in a sad atmosphere.
At this time, some villagers had gathered at the entrance of the village. When they saw the approaching military vehicles, they immediately stood up and surrounded them.
When Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian got out of the car, the villagers immediately recognized them and came forward to greet them, but their tone and eyes could not hide the sadness.
Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian did not stay at the village entrance for too long. After exchanging a few brief greetings with the villagers, they got into the jeep again and drove towards Mr. Li Dashan's home.
They did not go to Li Mancang and Li Erniu's home because the old man passed away last night. Although he usually stayed in the nursing home in the village, he had to return to his home when the body was laid to rest.
Just because the old man had no children, all his funeral arrangements were made by Li Mancang and Li Erniu.
However, they are both old, so in most cases they are in charge of command, and the rest of the work is done by the young people in the village.
As for the night vigil, it is naturally the responsibility of the younger generations in the village.
From this point of view alone, the village style of Sandaliang Village is very good. To put it more broadly, in terms of human touch, cities are far inferior to rural areas.
I don't know about other places, but I have seen it when I was a child when I went to my uncle's village to play. Whenever there was a funeral in someone's family, as long as they shouted, all the villagers would rush over to help.
Even families that have conflicts with the main family will put aside their prejudices at this time, and all matters will be discussed after the deceased is buried.
Soon, the jeep driven by Zhao Changshan stopped in front of Li Dashan's old house. As soon as the car was parked, Li Mancang came out after hearing the noise.
Ever since the news of the old man's death spread, people have been rushing to pay their respects from last night until now. Not to mention people from the surrounding villages, even staff from the town's Civil Affairs Department and the county armed forces department have come, which shows how popular the old man was when he was alive.
It was for this reason that when Li Mancang heard the sound of a car, he thought that someone else was coming to pay homage, so he hurried out.
But when he saw Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian, both dressed in black, getting out of the car, Li Mancang, who is now in his seventies, immediately had tears in his eyes.
Seeing this scene, Xu Jianguo's eyes turned red, and Wen Sitian even shed tears of sadness.
"Uncle Mancang!" Xu Jianguo shouted in a hoarse voice.
"Oh, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! If the old man knew that you two are back, he would be able to rest in peace!" Li Mancang said with a sob.
At this time, Li Erniu also walked out of the yard. When he saw that the people coming were Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian, his emotions collapsed instantly and tears as big as beans fell directly.
You have to know that it was Li Dashan who recommended him to be the militia captain of the production team, and privately, Li Erniu learned a lot of skills from the old man about fighting in the battlefield.
So after the old man passed away, Li Mancang and Li Erniu could be said to be the saddest people.
After a brief greeting, Li Mancang and Li Erniu took Xu Jianguo and Wen Sitian into the yard.
At this time, white silk had already been hung on the door and window frames of Li Dashan's old house, and two white lanterns were hung under the eaves on the east and west sides.
Because it is already November, there is no need to worry about the old man's body decaying even if the body is kept for three days.
The group opened the door and walked into the house. Xu Jianguo saw at a glance the body of old man Li Dashan lying on the kang in his funeral clothes.
Not far away, there is an eight-immortal table with memorial tablets, portraits, eternal lamps, incense burners and other items on it.
Xu Jianguo walked to the kang with red eyes and said, "Grandpa Dashan, Sitian and I are back to see you!"
"Wow, wow, wow..." Wen Sitian burst into tears immediately after hearing what Xu Jianguo said.
After seeing this scene, others couldn't help but shed tears.
Xu Jianguo helped to tidy up the old man's clothes and his hair, then he and Wen Sitian came to the Eight Immortals Table, took out the incense, lit it, and kowtowed solemnly to the portrait.
Originally, if Xu Jianguo was wearing a military uniform, it would definitely be inappropriate to kowtow, so he specially changed into a whole set of black clothes this time.
After the two of them finished bowing and burning incense, Xu Jianguo asked Li Mancang for the hemp clothes and mourning belt, and he and Wen Sitian put them on quickly.
The couple did this because when Li Dashan was alive, Xu Jianguo had promised him that he would wear mourning clothes for him after he passed away.
Therefore, the two people's actions today were not only out of their heartfelt desire to send the old man on his final journey, but also to fulfill their original promise.
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