Xu Junyang started cutting paper.
She cut out complex patterns, made white paper lanterns, and skillfully folded paper lotus flowers.
Chen Man came closer, looking stunned like a child who had never seen the world.
Xu Junyang glanced at her, then looked away, the scissors in his hand almost turning into pieces.
Only then did she realize that the paper-cuts Xu Junyang had said he had cut were actually cut by him.
How could someone be so dexterous!
Everything is made with great care.
Grandpa Junyang was helping out, and he was very skilled. He took the cut flower paper and wrapped the bamboo strips, and put them aside for later use.
After Xu Junyang finished all these and prepared all the materials, he began to build the gate.
It was the first time that Chen Man saw him working so seriously on handicrafts, with a look of piety and awe on his serious face.
The gate is beautifully built and magnificent.
If it weren't for the fact that it is used to commemorate the dead and people were worried about it being unlucky, I believe more people would really like it.
"Jun Yang's craftsmanship is excellent. There's no one better than him in this town."
"That's right. Look how well this door is fastened."
"I don't know how a boy like them can be so skillful. I can't do it at all."
"Yeah, I was born to do this."
"Look at the couplets he wrote, they're so elegant and graceful, everything about them must be perfect."
Chen Man was full of admiration.
Except for the beginning when she felt like crying, her emotions are now very stable.
I even have the mood to appreciate Xu Junyang's masterpiece.
Standing beside him, I watched his calligraphy writing smoothly and fluently.
Free and easy and handsome, the handwriting reflects the person.
She just watched from the side without saying a word.
Everything seemed exceptionally solemn, and even writing was done with awe.
A cooking stove was set up in Chen Man's yard.
Several chefs wearing aprons were busy working.
From time to time someone would go and set off a string of firecrackers.
Chen Man and a group of old people were sitting around a big fire when they saw Xu Junyang and his grandfather each carrying a big box from his home to theirs.
The yard was bustling with people who were not busy sitting together by the fire and chatting. She had nothing to do, so she suddenly felt tired.
It was not until the sound of gongs and drums that her sleepiness was driven away.
Chen Man was actually a little confused. Was she really of no use to him at all?
No one ever discussed anything with her, like when the burial would take place or what she should do, making her feel like an outsider watching the fun.
"Do I really not have to do anything?"
She sat next to a group of old ladies and asked the person next to her.
"What do you know? There are people who do these things. They will call you if there is anything."
Only then did she feel relieved and looked carefully at the group of people who were beating gongs, drums and playing suona beside the coffin.
Suddenly I realized that the person sitting on the high stool and wiping the gong with ease could not be anyone else but Xu Junyang?
With an extremely skilled and casual posture, his slender fingers casually wrapped around the gong string, and the gong made a rhythmic clang clang clang sound as his fingers flew and struck it.
The people playing the gongs and drums cooperated with each other seamlessly.
Knock for a while, then stop and sing for a while.
Chen Man was confused and suffered a heavy blow.
How could he know this?
Aren't these what a 'mortician' should do?
How come he is still a funeral director?
His image and occupation are completely inconsistent. Sometimes he is a village cadre, and sometimes he is a funeral director.
Because Chen Man's gaze was too intense, she stared at Xu Junyang intently.
So when his gaze suddenly met hers, Chen Man felt as if her heart was being burned and pricked by a needle.
His eyes were very different from his usual clear and gentle ones.
It became more distant and calm, or to be more precise, serious and solemn.
That look was like encountering the cold winter in summer, without sadness or joy, inherently heartless, which made people feel cold in an instant.
Compassion is far away.
With awe of life and death.
That look is so strange.
Chen Man withdrew her gaze and blinked, trying to erase his calm expression from her mind.
Because her biggest feeling about Xu Junyang is that the way he looks at herself is different from the way he looks at others.
When looking at others, Wu Wubo is calm and unperturbed, but when looking at himself, there is a hint of warmth in his eyes.
But this look seemed to be sticky and could not be shaken off.
At dinner time.
A string of firecrackers attracted everyone in the village.
The round tables placed in the yard seemed a bit crowded.
Young and old found their seats and sat down, fearing that others would take theirs.
This time of year is when the village has the most people.
Some people sat down, but there were still many people standing on the street waiting, waiting for the first round to end so that they could have a seat.
Chen Man had nothing to do. As the host, although he was very hungry, he didn't want to compete with others for food.
She found a bench and sat down by the fire.
The funeral directors only stopped when it was time to eat.
Xu Junyang looked around the yard and saw her alone by the fire under the bamboo forest.
I didn't play with my phone or do anything else.
Just staring blankly at the red charcoal brazier.
Chen Man felt someone sitting down next to her.
He raised his misty eyes and looked over.
It just happened to meet Xu Junyang's gaze.
She found that his way of looking at people had changed back to normal.
It is no longer vague and distant, but warm.
She didn't know why, but the discomfort that had been lingering in her heart for a long time was suddenly relieved.
"Why don't you go eat? Aren't you hungry?"
His voice was gentle and soft, completely different from the tone he had when he was presiding over the funeral just now.
Chen Man looked dazed, and it took her a while to remember to answer him.
"I'm hungry, but as the host, it's a bit embarrassing to snatch food from others. I'll wait until the next round to eat."
Xu Junyang hummed softly, then sat quietly beside him.
A cold wind blew in from the river, making it cold both in front and behind.
Chen Man tightened her clothes.
Xu Junyang fixed his gaze on her. "After dinner, put on another layer of clothing or change into something thicker. Don't catch a cold. We're quite busy these next two days, and someone might call you at any time."
Chen Man nodded.
"You actually still know those?"
She looked at the beautifully decorated Dianmen Gate and raised her chin.
Xu Junyang knew what she was referring to. He took a look and then looked away.
"I learned a lot from my grandfather when I was little."
"Is this the first time you've done something like this?"
"No, I was already quite proficient in it when I was in junior high school."
Chen Man's eyes lit up. "Wow, you do have some talent. Why doesn't your grandfather ask you to continue developing it?"
"I run a funeral home. However, it's generally not used in rural areas."
Chen Man:···········
"Very good. You can be considered as inheriting your grandfather's legacy." Chen Man shrugged, half laughing, "These things sound quite mysterious."
Xu Junyang smiled without saying anything, and put his fair and slender hands close to the brazier to warm them.
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