Shumei couldn't help crying while eating the noodles in the bowl. These were tears of emotion. In these hard days, little Youchen's understanding made her feel very comforted.
She finished her noodles and was about to throw some food to the pigs when she saw the pigs in the pen, all snoring with their big bellies. She realized that Xiao Youchen had done her work again, and she was deeply touched.
She tidied up the house simply and prepared breakfast for the next morning. After everything was ready, she hurried out to Zhang's house to keep watch for Zhang Binglin.
As soon as she went out, she bumped into Wu Ju who was coming back from outside.
It turned out that Wu Ju had gone to see her lover, Old Man Zhong, and she couldn't wait to tell him the news.
The two of them were startled by each other and screamed in unison.
Shumei shone the flashlight on Wu Ju's face. Seeing that it was Wu Ju, she asked anxiously, "Mother, where have you been?"
"Do I—do I—do I need to report to you where I go? You must be bored! Why are you running back home instead of staying with your father?"
"Dad has my eldest sister and the uncle and aunt from the Fu family to help take care of him. I'm coming back to see the two children."
"Is the child all right?"
"Yeah, everything is arranged."
"Why don't you hurry up and follow us? Let's take turns guarding. No one can be left near the corpse. If a cat jumps on it, it will come back to life. Handling funerals is no easier than weddings. We'll be busy these next few days. Let's go! Hurry up and be quick."
Wu Ju realized that she was anxious at this time. Why hadn't she been anxious before?
Shumei didn't say anything and followed her towards the Zhang family courtyard.
Shumei's handling of Zhang Binglin's funeral was another major drain on her. Although it wasn't a grand affair, she paid for the drummers, the guests, and the coffin bearers. In short, she was the one paying, and Wu Ju was the one collecting the contributions. Wu Ju, however, capitalized on Zhang Binglin's death to make a killing.
After a few days of hard work, Zhang Binglin was finally laid to rest. This was a great relief for Shumei.
Afterwards, Shumei went to Jizong's grave to pay her respects to him.
A glass of light wine, a few stacks of straw paper, a pair of candles, three long incense sticks, and a piece of meat on the knife head.
No matter how tight her financial situation was, she still made sure to provide everything necessary for the worship.
She tossed the straw paper sheets into the fire one by one, muttering to herself, "Ji Zong, I've done my best. Although I didn't give Dad a few more days of good life, at least he died in a decent way. Did you see him? If you did, please say sorry to him on my behalf! I feel truly guilty for not being able to see him off to his grave."
The fire burned fiercely, and the wind blew the flames, making a "whoosh, haha" sound, as if someone was laughing. The burnt straw paper flew all over the sky in the wind.
Shumei's face was red from the fire, and tears were in her eyes. Listening to the sound that sounded like laughter and looking at the straw paper ashes flying in the sky, she didn't feel so guilty anymore.
"Ji Zong, are you laughing? You don't blame me anymore, right?"
She was so excited that tears welled up in her eyes. She was very tired, not only physically but also mentally. The tension made it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She couldn't find anyone to talk to, so she could only use this method to relieve her stress.
"Don't worry, Ningning is a good girl, very obedient, and good at studying. Maybe she is a golden phoenix that flew out of the mountains and can bring honor to your Zhang family."
"As for my mother, I will take good care of her and let her live out her days in peace. I will never let her suffer from cold or hunger."
"Now that my father is gone, I've learned a lot. A son wants to support his parents, but they're no longer around. I want to go back and see my parents. Although every time I go back, my father always has a long face, worried that I'll eat or drink anything from home, I still want to go back and see them. After all, they gave birth to me and raised me, which is a great favor. Even if there are many faults, they can't compare to this great kindness."
"Oh, by the way, my eldest sister's child went missing some time ago, and then I thought of Shuangwan. I don't know if I can still renew our mother-daughter bond in my lifetime. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. I simply don't have the energy or resources to look for her."
…
She talked a lot until she had nothing more to say, and then she returned home.
Zhang Binglin's departure had freed her up considerably. She no longer had to worry every day about whether something might happen to Zhang Binglin while he was home alone, and she no longer had to run back and forth to bring him meals.
Her life was back on track again.
Wu Ju couldn't wait any longer. She secretly moved everything in her house, except for the mud walls and tiles that she couldn't move, to Old Man Zhong's house bit by bit, just like ants moving house.
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