Li Jinshan praised Zhao Sufang and Qi Yuexian, who were crying bitterly, and then frowned as he looked at Li Song.
Li Song knelt blankly before the coffin, neither crying nor making a fuss. He was very worried; had the child been frightened into a stupor?
Looking back at his younger brother Li Qingshan, who had fainted from crying again, Li Jinshan's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly.
How could my family produce such a romantic!
Li Qing was overwhelmed with the task of handling two funerals at the same time, so he entrusted Li Wanshi's affairs to former Premier Li Jinshan.
According to the customs of Huichuan County, a person who has died is usually laid to rest for three or four days before being buried.
If Guo Daming's mother and Li Wanshi's funeral were to take place on the same day, the villagers would be scattered, and neither funeral would look good. So Guo Daming and Li Jin discussed that one family would keep their bodies for three days and the other for four days, thus staggering the funerals.
Li Wanshi was older, so she decided to keep the body for four days.
The four-day schedule was as follows: the first two days were for various relatives and friends to come and pay their respects; the third day was for cremation; in the evening, the daughter, granddaughter, and niece cried at the gates of hell; the fourth day was for the grand funeral, and the body was buried in the afternoon.
The arrangements were as follows, and the first two days went smoothly, but things went wrong on the third day when it was time for cremation.
Li Qingshan, his face sallow, threw himself onto Li Wanshi, resolutely refusing to be cremated.
"For thousands of years, people have been buried to rest in peace. Why should we be cremated here?!"
Li Jin advised him, "Since the beginning of the year, the cremation system has been implemented nationwide, and now people are cremated after they die."
Li Qingshan stiffened his neck and said, "No one in Lijiapo has ever been cremated. I can't let my old woman be the first to be cremated!"
Li Yuan advised, "Sister-in-law Guo has already been cremated."
Li Qingshan was dissatisfied. "That's because his family has no power or influence! Did I give birth to you all for nothing? You can't even handle this simple matter for your mother!"
Li Jin was so angry at his father's unreasonable behavior that he waved his hand, and four young men came up behind him and dragged Li Qingshan away.
Li Qingshan unleashed a torrent of curses, calling Li Jin a "bastard" and a "turtle son," but Li Jin simply pretended not to hear.
Less than four hours later, Li Wanshi was cremated, her ashes were placed in an urn, and brought back.
Li Qingshan held the urn containing the ashes, crying so hard that his face was covered in snot and tears.
Everyone was watching him, their expressions varied.
For example, Aunt Li San and Aunt Li Si were even more heartbroken by her father's crying, and other aunts and older women sighed that Li Wanshi's life had truly been worthwhile.
Standing next to Zhou, Li Xiangdong heard her mutter, "He didn't cry this sadly when his father died."
In any case, death is the end of life, and in just four days, both Li Wanshi and Guo Daming's mother were laid to rest.
Without Li Wanshi, Li Qingshan seemed to have aged more than ten years. Li Jin would occasionally go to his father's place to sit and chat when he had free time.
With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, everyone was busy preparing for the holiday, and the joyful atmosphere instantly overshadowed the sorrow of the two deaths in the village.
Guo Daming fell ill after his mother's funeral and was bedridden.
The villagers took turns taking care of him and cooking different kinds of food for him.
That day, Li Xiangdong and Li Lanqing cooked chicken soup and delivered it to Guo Daming.
Suddenly, a slender figure was seen lingering in front of Guo Daming's house.
I went over and saw that it was Liu Lanhua!
"Sister Orchid, what are you doing loitering outside? Why don't you come in!"
Liu Lanhua greeted Li Lan and Li Xiangdong, then turned and left.
Li Xiangdong was completely baffled by her. "What's going on?"
Li Lan shook her head. "I don't know."
Everyone in the village knew that Liu Lanhua liked Guo Daming, but Guo Daming never reciprocated her feelings.
The two carried the chicken soup and steamed buns into the house, and once inside, they understood why Liu Lanhua wasn't coming in.
It turned out that Ma Fengxia from Guanyutai was sitting by Guo Daming's bedside, feeding her canned yellow peaches!
Speaking of Ma Fengxia, she had previously gone on a blind date with Guo Daming, arranged by Guo Daming's mother.
However, at that time, Guo Daming's mind was entirely on Li Zhen, and he firmly disagreed.
Later, Ma Fengxia's father, Ma Jinyou, even brought his three sons to smash up Guo Daming's house. It was Li Jin who led people over to demand an explanation, and that's how the two sides were able to resolve the issue.
Li Xiangdong thought Ma Fengxia had already gotten married!
Hearing a noise inside, Ma Fengxia quickly stood up. "Ah, it's Brother Xiangdong and Sister Dalan!"
The two villages are close to each other, and everyone knows each other.
Li Lan and Li Xiangdong greeted Ma Fengxia warmly and placed the chicken soup on the kang (heated brick bed).
"Daming, this is chicken soup I just made. I've skimmed off all the oil. Drink some while it's hot."
Guo Daming struggled to sit up and thanked her, "Thank you so much, big sister, for always bringing me delicious food."
Li Lan scolded him, "Don't be so polite! Getting well is the most important thing for you right now!"
Li Xiangdong also said, "Yes, the aquatic product base can't function without you in charge."
Guo Daming smiled bitterly, "My heart is broken after my mother passed away. I worked so hard so that my family could have a better life, but my mother didn't get to enjoy it for long before she was gone."
Li Xiangdong advised him, "Now that your aunt is gone, you should live even better and enjoy all the blessings she had."
Ma Fengxia had already quickly ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and was feeding it to Guo Daming spoonful by spoonful.
Seeing how familiar she was with the bowl and spoon, Li Xiangdong knew what was going on.
Guo Daming felt a little embarrassed being fed so affectionately by Ma Fengxia in front of the Li siblings.
Li Lan and Li Xiangdong quickly said goodbye.
Ma Fengxia saw the two men out on behalf of Guo Daming, her poised and graceful demeanor resembling that of the lady of the house.
After Ma Fengxia entered the room, Li Lanfang said, "It seems Lan Hua is going to be sad."
Li Xiangdong said with a smile, "Sister Lanhua is still young, and there are plenty of good men waiting for her!"
Li Lan was amused as well, "That's true, the girls in our village are very selective when it comes to finding a partner."
What kind of man qualifies as a good man?
Like Li Qingshan, although in the eyes of many people he is the kind of person who can't distinguish right from wrong and is afraid of his wife.
From Li Wanshi's perspective, however, he was an exceptionally good man, one in a thousand years.
Gentle, considerate, obedient, and always putting her first.
Perhaps Li Wanshi missed her husband too much in the afterlife, or perhaps Li Qingshan missed his deceased wife to an extreme degree.
Five days after Li Wanshi's burial, Li Qingshan also passed away quietly one night.
The first person to discover his death was Li Song.
Li Song feels guilty towards his mother, and is now exceptionally filial to his father.
As usual, he got up, prepared the meal, and then called Li Qingshan to eat.
But no one answered when he called out. Li Song felt something was wrong and quickly threw the door open.
Li Qingshan was lying stiffly on the kang (a heated brick bed), his whole body already cold.
When Li Song stumbled over to call Li Jin, Li Jin was eating breakfast.
Upon hearing that his father had passed away, Li Jin suddenly stood up and then spat out a mouthful of blood.
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