"Second brother, I have a fever and I really can't go."
Liu Xiangyang didn't say much, hung up the phone, and went back to the mourning hall.
I happened to run into Xiao Wu. I was about to say something, but the child just walked right past me.
"Brother Yuhui, go and keep Grandpa and Grandma company." She then pulled him up.
It wasn't until late at night that they heard the sound of a car again. Sanya stumbled into the mourning hall. She was so fast that Song Zigan was left behind.
Sanya lay on the ground, wailing loudly. "Great-Grandma, why didn't you wait for me? You could have at least let me see you one last time. Great-Grandma, how could you be so cruel? I'll blame myself for the rest of my life for not making it in time."
Song Zigan came in at this moment, knelt down next to Sanya, and respectfully kowtowed three times to the old lady.
At this moment, Er Ya also came in, knelt down next to San Ya, and patted her back. "San Ya, Grandpa, Grandma has gone with Great-Grandma."
Sanya immediately raised her head and saw that there were two more coffins behind her.
She collapsed to her knees and wept bitterly, recalling the old lady's kindness to her and how gentle her first wife always was.
Sanya cried uncontrollably. She kept muttering, "Why didn't anyone wait for me? Great-Grandma, Grandpa, Grandma, I really used all my strength to rush back, but I still couldn't catch up."
Er Lengzi and Su Chen also came in. When they saw San Ya crying loudly, Su Chen helped her up and finally managed to persuade her to leave.
On the last day of its closure, more people came, mostly relatives from the surrounding area who came to pay their respects.
Da Shan's father, along with Da Shan and a few other people who had returned from the city, arranged the burial plot for tomorrow. It was freezing cold, making digging extremely difficult. However, many hands make light work, and they managed to dig one plot in a day.
The old lady is to be buried with the old man, and Liu Changhe and his wife will be buried together as well, so we can just dig up the old man's grave tomorrow.
Wang Hongxi was arranging the banquet for tomorrow. She bought nine pigs, all already slaughtered. Since the canteen couldn't hold them all, she set up a large banquet on the street.
There are probably over two hundred tables inside and out.
Lu Jing gave Wang Hongxi 10,000 yuan directly, telling him to come back if it wasn't enough.
Almost all the women in the village work in the canteen. This is not just for the whole village to eat; even the children who are half-grown are called over to help with the fire and other tasks.
No matter how busy everyone is outside, they are all happy to be here.
It's a real shame that this centenarian has passed away.
In the evening, the musicians arrived, and paper figures, horses, flower baskets, banners, and even paper sedan chairs were delivered. The paper decorations alone stretched along the entire street.
These were all gifts from married daughters. The more circles drawn on the ribbon, the more it proves there are many people in the family.
Ma Li's parents also came by car today. They are in-laws, so how could they not come?
This spectacular scene astonished all the visitors who came to pay their respects.
Officials from the province, city, and county all stayed in the township, waiting for tomorrow's funeral. They also all sent wreaths.
Wang Hongxi found Liu Aimin and asked, "Aimin, can your body handle this? How about letting Jingze or Jingxiang take over?"
Liu Aimin shook his head. "No need, I'm fine, I can manage."
"Alright, you'd better figure out how to arrange it."
"Yeah, the three of us have to carry the jar."
"Yes, that's how it should be. I'll go and make the arrangements then."
“Go ahead, and let all the children from Maocai’s family and Hongmei’s family carry the flag.”
"Okay, I understand. I'll let them know in a bit."
As for the paper figures and wreaths, let the village boys have them.
"Okay, that's settled."
The funeral arrangements for tomorrow have all been finalized, and Wang Hongxi is now going to inform the family.
He's been incredibly busy these past few days, barely having time to breathe. But he feels at peace; his whole life has been thanks to the old lady's support, and now he can finally do something for her.
Before we'd even had dinner, a big young man ran in from outside.
After learning of the old lady's death, Liu Jingsong rushed back home without being notified by anyone in the village. He only found out when he went to buy groceries that an elderly person in Liujiatun had passed away and that the funeral was a grand affair.
He thought about it and realized that such a grand ceremony was only necessary for the passing of his ancestor. He immediately ran home, tidied up, and took a car back.
Liu Jingsong entered the mourning hall, knelt down, and cried loudly, "Ancestor, Ancestor, Jingsong is back."
He lay on the ground crying, thinking about how kind the old lady had been to him. His heart ached even more.
He kowtowed three times, knelt down, and noticed three coffins. "Auntie, Auntie, who are those two?"
“Jingsong, those are your great-grandfather and great-grandmother. They passed away together with your great-grandfather.”
This time, Liu Jingsong knelt down and kowtowed six more times. Liu Changhe's family had indeed treated Liu Jingsong very well, especially after Zhenye and the others were born, when they lived together.
Having lived his life for so many years, Liu Jingsong was well aware of human relationships and customs. He stood up, left the mourning hall, and offered his respects to the side. Because he was a member of the Liu family, although he was beyond the fifth degree of mourning, he still wore mourning clothes.
After getting dressed here, I saw Wang Hongxi.
"Grandpa, is there anything I can do?"
"Jinsong, there's not much work to do right now. Tomorrow at the funeral, you'll just be responsible for carrying the painting circle. The canteen will be serving food soon. Go eat first."
After giving his instructions, Wang Hongxi left immediately; he had too much to do.
That evening, despite Zhang Hongmei's objections, Zhang Shouyi had his fourth son carry her to rest, saying, "Mom, don't be so uncomfortable. You still have to see my great-grandfather off on his final journey tomorrow."
"Yes, I understand. I'm sorry to have worried you."
At five o'clock in the morning, the musicians began playing the Great Compassion Mantra. All the filial sons and grandsons were ready. Zhang Weiyu and Xiao Wu were beside Liu Jingze. Liu Chongyu and Liu Yuhui were beside Liu Jingxiang, and Liu Jianguo and Er Lengzi were beside Liu Aimin.
Gu Yaozu stayed by Hu Aifen's side, while Zhenye and Zhang Ruifeng were with Zhang Hongmei. Er Ya and San Ya each had their own children with them, Pengfei was with Li Cuihua, and Zhiyuan was with Ma Li.
This procession is spectacular. Liu Aimin and his two sons, carrying jars, set off ahead and walked out onto the street, while the rest of the procession hadn't moved an inch.
The Liu family has ancestral graves. Twenty-four young men carried three coffins, following behind Liu Aimin and his two sons.
With all the music and fanfare, there was no need for a roadside memorial service. The entire village was in the procession to see him off. Behind them were friends, including Liu Jingze's colleagues and friends who had come from the capital, as well as Wang Ying and a few others. At the very back were the local leaders. They arrived at the cemetery an hour later.
Dashan arrived first and lit firecrackers.
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