The young men carrying the coffin marched in perfect unison, following the low-voiced commands of the person in charge.
A large group of villagers followed behind; almost the entire village had come out.
Although wearing mourning clothes and holding grand funerals are no longer allowed, Jin Dachun's funeral was still very dignified.
What used to be a half-hour drive took three hours to walk.
The young men who carried the coffin changed batch after batch.
No one left halfway through.
Finally, they arrived at the auspicious burial site that Jin Dachun had chosen for himself.
Su Ruyi didn't understand feng shui, but this place was nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with picturesque scenery. At first glance, it seemed like a perfect place for a final resting place.
Su Ruyi was preoccupied with revenge and kept looking for Ding Xiuping, but she couldn't find her.
Under Ding Youliang's arrangement, the various procedures of the funeral proceeded in an orderly manner.
Su Ruyi scooped up the first handful of slightly damp soil with both hands and sprinkled it on the coffin.
Someone started yelling, and in an instant, the sound of crying shook the heavens.
Shen Guoliang also arrived and swung the first shovel of soil.
Chef Wang also came, bringing several dishes he had cooked himself, as well as a bunch of rare fruits, which he planned to offer as tribute later.
Su Ruyi was helped to the back by Shu Lan, and a grave appeared before her eyes.
"The stone tablet is still under construction and will be erected in seven days, just in time!" Ding Youliang came to Su Ruyi's side and whispered, "Little Doctor Su, please take care!"
Regarding the erection of the monument, Jin Dachun did say something:
"Anyone who builds such a big tomb and such a luxurious tombstone for themselves is a fool!"
It's like telling future tomb raiders – come and dig me up!
Let's dig out my old arms and legs and put them out in the sun!
Ruyi, let me tell you, when I die, I won't have a tombstone erected!
After all, I'm a very famous person in this area!
People will definitely think I have some good burial goods!
Su Ruyi became anxious: "Uncle Ding!"
"Don't worry, there is no mention of Mr. Jin's name on it, only the four characters 'Xinglin Chunnuan'."
Ding Youliang wiped his face. "I know a little bit about the old man's temper!"
Su Ruyi nodded with satisfaction.
At this moment, Ding Silai and his wife Feng Aijuan suddenly stepped forward and knelt in front of the grave: "Dr. Jin, we were wrong! We will never dare to covet your house again!"
Su Ruyi frowned—what's going on now?!
Feng Aijuan cried, "Ever since you revealed yourself last night, I knew I was wrong! But you wouldn't let it go, haunting me in my dreams all night! I'm kowtowing to you now to admit my mistake. I'll never covet that house again! I'll sell it to you, money and goods settled. It was our greed!"
Su Ruyi frowned and thought for a moment, then she understood—what Feng Aijuan saw must have been the old man she had picked up! She felt guilty, and what she thought about during the day, she dreamed about at night.
Just as she was about to speak, a sarcastic voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Feng Aijuan, are you out of your mind? That house belongs to our family. It was agreed that it was lent to Dr. Jin. What does it have to do with you?!"
Su Ruyi looked at the middle-aged man who was walking out of the crowd.
He was followed by three or four young men.
Su Ruyi had noticed them just now.
These people simply followed along; they never took turns carrying the coffin.
She recognized the middle-aged man as Qian Xia, a scoundrel.
The Qian family are outsiders; they are the only family there.
The family is quite large, with four generations of grandparents and grandchildren already living there.
What are they up to?!
Qian Xia rolled his eyes at Su Ruyi: "You little girl, you're quite good at taking advantage of others! Four big brick houses, you think they're so easy to get?"
Feng Aijuan rushed forward: "You surnamed Qian, your family sold the homestead to us in the first place! What business is it of yours?"
"What evidence do you have?!" Qian Xia lifted his eyelids.
"You..." Feng Aijuan was so angry she couldn't speak. The sale of homestead land wasn't allowed back then; it was all negotiated privately. She had Ding Daguo's father vouch for her when she bought it, and that man is long gone now!
Qian Xia said smugly, "The land belongs to the Qian family, so the house built on it naturally belongs to the Qian family too! Everyone agrees, right?"
"Yes!" three or four young men said in unison.
"Oh?" Su Ruyi remained calm. "What evidence do you have?"
Qian Xia said smugly, "I don't have any, but we can verify that this land was allocated to our Qian family. What about you? What do you have?"
“I have the property deed,” Su Ruyi answered clearly.
"What?! How could you possibly have a property deed?!" Qian Xia was stunned. "Wasn't the property deed burned a long time ago?"
Su Ruyi took out the house deed and handed it to Ding Youliang: "Captain, could you take a look and see if this house deed is valid?"
Ding Youliang passed it around with several older people, and they all nodded and said, "It's a legitimate house deed."
Qian Xia was still unconvinced: "Having a property deed doesn't prove anything! Did you get my permission to build a house on my land?"
Su Ruyi looked at the captain.
This matter must be resolved today.
She asked, "Captain, if I don't inherit this house, will the brigade take it back?"
Ding Youliang nodded: "That's the procedure, anyway, it won't reach Qianxia's hands!"
Qian Xia snorted: "Even if it doesn't end up in my hands, I'm not giving it to this girl for free! Four big brick houses! And a sweet water well in the yard! There are only three sweet water wells in our village!"
Su Ruyi then asked, "How much will it cost to buy this house?"
Ding Youliang instantly understood her meaning and knew that she wanted to buy it.
Although he did not agree with this approach, he had to admit that it was the best way to prevent future problems.
He counted on his fingers: "Four large brick houses, plus a good well, such a house would cost at least... four hundred yuan!"
This is a fairly standard price.
He didn't ask for a low price because the purpose of buying it was to prevent people who were greedy for small gains from getting a bargain.
Su Ruyi looked at Qian Xia: "This house has already been assigned to the brigade according to the procedures. Now, let me ask you first, are you going to buy it?"
Qianxia shrank back: "I'm not stupid, who the hell would spend money to buy it?"
Su Ruyi pulled out a bunch of ten-yuan notes from her bag and counted them: "Captain, this is almost all the money I have, exactly four hundred yuan. Please count it! Can I buy my master's house from the brigade?"
The crowd erupted in uproar again, some saying Su Ruyi was foolish, others saying Jin Dachun had taken on a good apprentice.
Some people were already thinking about how they could get some of this extra money into the brigade's account.
Ding Youliang suppressed the crowd and nodded, saying, "Of course!"
Su Ruyi then looked at the crowd: "Is there anyone else who wants to buy it? We can start bidding!"
As he spoke, his gaze settled on the shrimp.
Qianxia hurriedly retreated into the crowd and lowered his head.
One of the women spat out, "You bastard, who the hell are you! Forcing a young girl at a funeral! You have no humanity at all!"
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