"Wen Qing," Ji Yousheng greeted first.
Wen Qing stopped.
Ji Yousheng walked over quickly, followed by Ji Yanjun.
“Mr. Ji,” Wen Qing replied with a smile, his kindness making Ji Yousheng slightly embarrassed.
"To burn paper money for Second Uncle?" Ji Yanjun asked.
Wen Qing nodded.
Ji Yousheng smiled and said, "Perfect timing, let's go together."
Wen Qing smiled and said, "Mr. Ji, you go ahead. I have something to attend to."
Ji Yanjun turned his head to look at Wen Qing.
Wen Qing smiled at him.
Ji Yanjun stopped speaking.
Wen Qing deliberately walked a few steps behind them. When they were about to reach Shuiwan Village and then turn to the mass grave, Wen Qing placed the joss paper at the edge of a field in Shuiwan Village and then returned to Shuiwan Village.
At this time, the sky was overcast, but it stopped snowing.
Wen Peng and Da Dao were bickering with Guan Er on the main road. The two of them were bickering, and then a group of them were bickering. They were having a great time. On such a cold day, this was the warmest way to play.
"Pengpeng, Dadao, be gentle, don't get hurt," Wen Qing called out.
Wen Peng turned around and looked at Wen Qing: "Big sister, you're back."
"Um."
“Big sister, I saw you holding some joss paper just now,” Wen Peng said.
Wen Qing: "Okay, I'll burn paper money for my second uncle in a bit."
"Oh." Wen Peng continued playing.
Wen Qing walked towards her home. Just as she reached the gate of her courtyard, Yao Shiling came out and asked, "Did you buy joss paper?"
"Mm," Wen Qing responded and headed into the courtyard.
Yao Shiling pulled her out and asked, "Did you burn the joss paper?"
"not yet."
Where is it?
“It’s on the dirt road at the edge of the field,” Wen Qing replied.
Yao Shiling pressed on, asking, "Did you go to anyone else's house?"
Wen Qing asked curiously, "No, Mom, what's wrong?"
Yao Shiling breathed a sigh of relief and stopped Wen Qing, saying, "Burn the paper before you come home."
"Why?" Wen Qing asked, puzzled.
“You,” Yao Shiling said, pointing at Wen Qing, “the joss paper is something from the other side. How can it be brought into the house before it’s been burned? It’s bad luck to bring it into someone else’s house, and it will make your family sick if it comes into your own.”
"Oh, so that's what it is," Wen Qing said, who had been startled earlier. "Mom, that's just superstition."
"It's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't."
"This superstition must have originated from the sale of joss paper. They were afraid the joss paper business wouldn't be good, so they made it up. You have to burn the joss paper after you buy it, otherwise it'll bring bad luck," Wen Qing explained with a smile.
"I think you're the one making things up." Yao Shiling insisted on not letting Wen Qing into the yard: "What if a member of our family gets sick?"
Unable to persuade Yao Shiling, Wen Qing had no choice but to surrender: "Okay, okay, I won't go into the yard, and I won't go into anyone else's house. I'll go burn the joss paper now and come back, okay?"
Yao Shiling smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Wen Qing then returned the way he came, walked onto the dirt road, and looked towards the mass grave. Apart from a little bit of smoke and dust, there was no one in sight at the mass grave.
Wen Qing looked to her right and saw the departing figures of Ji Yanjun and Ji Yousheng.
"Finally gone." Wen Qing said softly, turned around to get the joss paper from the edge of the field, and walked towards her second uncle's grave.
Cremation was not yet fully implemented in this era, but a couple of years ago, the authorities required cemeteries to be standardized. Therefore, the mass graves were not chaotic at this time, with neat rows of graves.
Wen Qing walked to her second uncle's grave.
A circle has been drawn in front of the grave, and there are still some unburned joss paper inside the circle, which were burned by Ji Yousheng and Ji Yanjun.
Wen Qing walked over, spread the joss paper on the ground, took out banknotes of denominations of one hundred, fifty, twenty, and ten yuan, divided the joss paper into four parts, and then took the banknotes and patted them on the joss paper, front and back. This method was called "printing joss paper" and was very popular in the era before joss paper was issued and popular.
"Second Uncle, it's been two lifetimes, do you still remember me?" Wen Qing said with a smile as she tapped real money on her fingers. "You remember me? I almost forgot you. I asked you to take a picture before, but you refused. I can hardly remember what you look like anymore."
Wen Qing smiled again: "Second Uncle, are you angry that I said this? Let me tell you, I was lying to you just now. I will remember you for three lifetimes." After saying that, Wen Qing's nose tingled and tears fell down her cheeks: "Second Uncle, I have lived again. If you are still here on the day I am reborn, I will definitely not let anything happen to you, I definitely won't."
Wen Qing wiped away her tears, shook the joss paper, took out a matchbox, took out a matchstick, and with a gentle slide along the gunpowder on the matchbox, lit the match, moved it to the joss paper, and it ignited instantly.
Wen Qing picked up a twig and drew a circle with the joss paper as the center: "Second Uncle, all the money in this circle is yours. No one can take it away. It's almost New Year, so go play mahjong. It's okay if you lose; I'll give it back to you in a few days."
As she spoke, Wen Qing slowly squatted down in front of the burning joss paper, gently poking at it with the twig in her hand, quietly watching the flames, and then said, "Second Uncle, are you still wandering in this world, or have you already completely disappeared?"
Wen Qing looked up, and snowflakes began to fall again.
Snowflakes fell on Wen Qing and Ji Yanjun.
"It's snowing," Ji Yousheng said. "Yanjun, let's hurry back, or the road will be difficult to travel on later."
"Wait a minute." Ji Yanjun stopped in his tracks.
What are you doing?
"Dad, you go first, I'll go deliver the umbrella to Wen Qing." He had just seen Wen Qing carrying joss paper to the mass grave.
"It's snowing, not raining, it's fine," Ji Yousheng said.
"Dad, you go home first, I'll be back in a bit," Ji Yanjun said, already walking back.
"Yanjun!" Ji Yousheng called out, but couldn't get through. He sighed heavily.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Ji Yanjun held an umbrella and walked towards the mass grave. Sure enough, he saw Wen Qing squatting by a fire, without an umbrella beside him.
Ji Yanjun strode forward, but when he was still some distance away, he heard Wen Qing mention his name. His heart tightened, and he subconsciously stopped. Then he heard Wen Qing say, "Second Uncle, I still remember what you said in our past life..."
What were those words spoken in a past life?
Ji Yanjun was taken aback. What past life? What nonsense was Wen Qing talking about?
"Big sister!" Wen Peng's voice suddenly came from not far away.
Ji Yanjun looked over in response.
Wen Qing also snapped out of her daze, turned around and caught a glimpse of Ji Yanjun, and was slightly taken aback.
"Big sister!" Wen Peng rushed over, holding a large black umbrella with a patch on it. "Big sister, the snow is getting heavier. Mom sent me to pick you up!"
Wen Qing stood up and walked to Wen Peng's side, while also getting close to Ji Yanjun.
Ji Yanjun hurriedly said, "It's snowing, I came to bring you an umbrella."
"Ji Yanjun, you don't need your umbrella, I'll pick up my older sister," Wen Peng said, holding up the umbrella.
Wen Qing replied, "Yes, thank you."
“Alright, I’ll go then,” Ji Yanjun said.
"Okay, goodbye." Wen Qingjian.
Ji Yanjun then opened his black umbrella, walked onto the dirt road, and headed towards the county town.
Wen Peng then took Wen Qing's arm and said, "Big sister, let's go home."
"Wait a minute, let's kowtow to our second uncle before we leave," Wen Qing said.
"Okay." Wen Peng agreed, put down the umbrella and knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Second Uncle, my eldest sister is doing well now, and you are doing well in the afterlife too."
Wen Qing smiled, then knelt down as well: "Second Uncle, Happy New Year!"
The siblings stood up, opened an umbrella, and walked towards the dirt road. When they reached the dirt road, Wen Peng turned to look at the left side of the road and said, "Big sister, look, Ji Yanjun has already walked quite far."
Wen Qing looked over and, through the curtains of snow, vaguely saw Ji Yanjun's figure, holding a black umbrella, his figure growing smaller and smaller.
"Yeah, it's too cold, let's go home," Wen Qing said.
"good."
When Wen Qing and Wen Peng arrived home, Ji Yanjun was still walking in the snow. He was thinking about what Wen Qing had said earlier, "something I said in my past life." What did "past life" mean?
Does she consider their past as a previous life? Or does it mean something else entirely?
Ji Yanjun arrived in the county town without figuring it out.
Back home, Ji Yanjun went straight to his room, tidied up briefly, and prepared to return to the city.
"Brother, brother!" Ji Ningzhi called as she ran in.
"What's up?"
"Brother, it's Fangfang's birthday today, why don't you go celebrate with her?" Ji Ningzhi said excitedly.
"I'm not going."
"Go ahead." Ji Ningzhi stepped forward and took Ji Yanjun's arm.
Ji Yanjun turned his head and saw that Ji Ningzhi's face was covered in both white and red paint. He immediately said, "Go wash your face."
"Why?" Ji Ningzhi thought her makeup was ruined, so she quickly found a mirror to look at herself. After looking in the mirror, she smiled with relief: "Why do I need to wash it off?"
"Look how ugly you are."
"Wen Qing used to do her makeup like this too."
"She's prettier than you."
"Brother!" Ji Ningzhi protested.
Ji Yanjun finished packing his luggage and picked it up.
"Brother, it's almost Chinese New Year, where are you going?" Ji Ningzhi asked.
Ji Yanjun said, "I'm going to the company to handle some matters. I'll be back on New Year's Eve."
Where do you live?
"I have a place to stay in the city."
"Why?" Ji Ningzhi asked, and seeing that Ji Yanjun was unmoved, she brought up Zhang Fangfang's birthday: "Brother, are you going to Fangfang's birthday party? Fangfang and your old classmates will be there too. Are you going? Fangfang really wants you to go."
"I'm not going." Ji Yanjun picked up his bag, said this to Ji Yousheng, opened the car door, threw the bag inside, got in the car, and drove away.
Ji Ningzhi was slightly disappointed, but thinking that Li Chuanli was there, this disappointment was nothing, and she happily went to Zhang Fangfang's place again.
Ji Yanjun drove to the company first, handled some matters, and then returned to his house in Nanzhou City. It was already dark by then, so he made himself a meal of noodles.
After finishing his meal, he worked for a while, then lay down on the bed, gazing at the roof beams.
As he drifted off to sleep, the bizarre and fantastical dream resurfaced, and he saw Wen Qing.
Wen Qing lay in his arms and said, "Yan Jun, I regret it, I regret it so much... If there is a next life, I will definitely, definitely not like you, I will definitely not marry you..."
Ji Yanjun felt a sharp pain in his heart during his dream. Suddenly, a crackling sound came from the bed. Ji Yanjun sat up abruptly. He couldn't remember anything about his dream, only that his heart ached, and it still ached now.
He reached up and touched his chest; it ached terribly.
The crackling sound of firecrackers outside the window continued, and he realized that everyone was preparing for the New Year.
With the Chinese New Year approaching, the city, the county seat, and Shuiwan Village are all decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, creating a lively atmosphere.
Although everyone is still struggling to make ends meet, the standard of living this year is significantly higher than last year, and we hope it will be even better next year.
The living standards of Shuiwan Village have improved dramatically. Every household buys more than three catties of meat, and thanks to Wen Qing, almost every household has a new piece of clothing.
"Pengpeng, come out and confront Guan!" Da Dao shouted outside Wen Qing's courtyard.
Big Knife Mom suddenly rushed out of Wen Qing's kitchen: "What are you shouting for? What if you scare away the Kitchen God?"
Da Dao immediately fell silent.
Yao Shiling then came out of the kitchen and called out to the main room, "Wenpeng, go out and play, come back at noon."
"Okay!" Wen Peng shouted from the main room, skipping and jumping.
Yao Shiling and Da Dao's mother went back into the kitchen, where they were frying dough sticks, fried dough balls, fried cakes, sesame seed cakes, and the like.
Aunt Wang and Sister Zhou were both helping out.
This was a way for Yao Shiling to reward everyone for their hard work throughout the year. She suggested frying some things and giving them to the shoemakers at Fengqing, and she was sure everyone would love it.
Wen Qing immediately agreed. Everyone was helping out, and Wang Da sat in front of the pot, heating the oil.
Wen Qing stood aside and watched.
Aunt Wang put the first fried dough into the oil pan, and after it was fried, she handed it to Wang Da, who threw it into the stove hole to burn as firewood. This was the first bite for the Kitchen God to eat, which was called "offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God" so that the Kitchen God would bless the people with enough grain to eat every year.
The reason Da Dao's mother yelled at Da Dao just now was because she was afraid that Da Dao would scare away the Old Stove God, and if the Old Stove God got angry, he wouldn't give Shuiwan Village any more food.
Wen Qing didn't get to spend much time with Yao Shiling in her previous life, so she didn't know much about these things. Now that she found them interesting, she sat down and watched.
Aunt Wang has recently taken a liking to Wen Qing. She finds everything about Wen Qing pleasing to the eye. So, after the old stove master takes a bite, whenever he fries something, the first bite is always given to Wen Qing.
Yao Shiling watched with delight.
By noon, the food was almost fried.
Aunt Wang and Sister Zhou carried bamboo baskets and delivered the goods to each household.
These days, a pound of oil can last for three to six months if you're careful with it, and sometimes you can go for six months without eating any oil at all. So the fried dough snacks that Wen Qing sent in the name of his were very precious.
The villagers all praised Wen Qing, and Wen Qing took it as his year-end bonus.
After delivering the supplies to all the workers at Fengqing Shoe Factory, Yao Shiling collected the rest and hung them from the roof beams with ropes.
"Mom, why did you put the fried dough sticks so high?" Wen Qing asked, looking up.
Yao Shiling said, "We need to keep out rats, dogs, and Wen Peng. Otherwise, if Wen Peng touches it, he'll eat it all in two or three days. This is a lot of deep-fried food. Just break off a little bit and you can make a whole dish."
Wen Qing: "..." Wen Qing especially admired her mother's frugality.
After all the so-called "New Year's goods" were prepared, Lunar New Year's Eve arrived.
That evening, Wen Qing's main room was packed with people, and even the side gate was filled with people from Shuiwan Village.
Everyone sat together and happily watched the Spring Festival Gala.
Wen Qing and Yao Shiling sat among them.
"Wen Qing, who is this person?" Yao Shiling asked.
"Zhao Zhongxiang".
What is he doing?
"This is called presiding over a meeting, just like when the village chief speaks during a village meeting," Wen Qing explained very unprofessionally.
Yao Shiling replied, seemingly understanding but not quite, "Oh, I see."
Wen Qing smiled as she looked at the room full of people, all engrossed in watching TV without seeming bored at all; on the contrary, she felt a sense of kinship with them.
And so, amidst everyone's laughter and applause, the New Year arrived and was quickly passed away.
The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year had not yet dissipated in Shuiwan Village, and everyone was busy making shoes for Fengqing.
Wen Qing was also getting ready for the start of school, but to Wen Qing's dismay, the village chief's wife kept trying to arrange a marriage for him every day.
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