The old woman squinted. "If you don't know, you don't know. Go check why the people who dug the hole haven't come back yet. It's already dark."
Liu Maocai accepted the order and went out. He had just reached the door when the people digging the grave returned, inviting everyone in. These days, it wasn't fashionable to have musicians playing music, so there was no need. The courtyard was quiet, and because there were so many people, it didn't feel eerie. Why did this funeral feel so awkward without musicians? Other families had many members, and their crying made it seem lively, but Zhang Aiguo only had Hongmei; no matter how much they cried, it felt desolate.
Li Cuihua came over and told Liu Maocai that the meal would be ready soon and everyone could come over to eat. There were over twenty households in the village, totaling 176 people, including the elderly and children. The heads of every household were here, so calling people over for dinner was quite convenient; everyone could just go home for a short trip. However, everyone would have to prepare their own bowls and chopsticks, as everyone was struggling financially and no one had extra bowls and chopsticks.
Seeing Zhang Hongmei kneeling there all alone, Li Cuihua quickly poured her a bowl of hot water. "Hongmei, drink some hot water. I'll get you some food later, or you won't be able to hold on."
"No need. Auntie, this is my family's funeral. Everyone has come to help. They haven't eaten yet, how can I eat first? You don't need to worry about me. Just take good care of everyone for me."
"You don't need to worry about that, your great-grandmother and the others are there. Just take care of yourself. How can you not eat? You have to keep vigil tonight, and the burial will be early tomorrow morning. If you collapse then, it will be troublesome. No one in the village is taking anything from you, so you can eat without worry."
Zhang Hongmei really had no appetite, but seeing Li Cuihua's concerned look, she couldn't refuse. "Third Aunt, I can't eat first. I'll wait until everyone has finished eating!"
"Okay. I'll bring it to you after everyone leaves."
Zhang Hongmei nodded. She knew she needed to conserve her energy; there were more important things to do tomorrow, and she couldn't afford to collapse with her small frame.
People arrived one after another. There were only two tables in the courtyard, each with a large basin of cornbread on it. The dishes were in a pot, and people could serve themselves as they pleased. Li Cuihua also placed the offerings she had prepared on a small table in front of the coffin: two pieces of cured meat, two bowls of half-cooked rice, two small dried fish the size of a palm, two bowls of vermicelli that had been blanched in hot water, two bowls of tofu, and lit incense.
People came one by one, bowing to Zhang Aiguo and his wife. Despite the large crowd, everyone remained quiet and respectful, even the children bowed with proper decorum. Zhang Hongmei had to return the bows with a kowtow. After everyone went to eat, Zhang Hongmei felt dizzy and lightheaded; when she looked up, the world seemed to spin. She steadied herself and closed her eyes, feeling a little better.
Li Cuihua brought Zhang Hongmei a cornbread and a bowl of boiled cabbage and potatoes. "Hongmei, eat quickly, it's too cold."
"Auntie, have my great-grandmother, great-grandfather, and my parents' comrades-in-arms all eaten?"
"Don't worry, everyone's eating, so you don't need to worry. Hurry up and eat, don't talk." Li Cuihua stuffed a cornbread into Zhang Hongmei's hand while holding a bowl for her. Now's not the time to be fussy, just eat like this, washing hands and such are irrelevant.
Zhang Hongmei forced herself to eat half a cornbread and a few bites of vegetables, but then said she couldn't eat anything more. She was already angry, and the inability to eat made it worse. Li Cuihua tried to persuade her, but she really couldn't eat. Finally, Zhang Hongmei had no choice but to drink half a bowl of hot water. In other families, the filial sons could take turns keeping watch, but in Zhang's family, she was alone, and no one could replace her, so she had to kneel the whole time.
After a long time, Zhang Hongmei felt that she had lost all feeling in her legs. Li Cuihua came over again, "Hongmei, your great-grandmother wants you to come in."
"Third Aunt, what's the matter?"
"No. I just don't want you to kneel anymore. Get up quickly, I'll help you inside." Li Cuihua forcibly pulled Zhang Hongmei up and helped her into the house.
"Hongmei, that's enough for now, no need to kneel. The living are more important, and your parents in heaven will understand. Go back to your room and get some sleep. We old folks are going back too. Your third aunt will wake you up tomorrow morning." After saying this, the old lady told the old men to get up and leave.
"Great-Grandma, please take care. Thank you for coming today."
The old lady waved her hand and left without saying anything, supported by Liu Changhe. The remaining two old men followed her.
“Hongmei, I won’t go back to keep you company tonight. Let’s go back to the house, you and your third uncle will take care of the rest.”
Zhang Hongmei looked at Yu Chenglong, who was sitting on the bench, and said, "Uncle, please stay in this room. Thank you for your hard work."
"Go, Hongmei, I'm here. I'll make arrangements for the two comrades."
Lying in the warm quilt, Zhang Hongmei felt as if she had come back to life. The quilts and bedding were brought from Li Cuihua's home. Every household had just the right amount of such large items as quilts and bedding; there were no spares.
Liu Maocai, who lived across the street, made arrangements for Yu Chenglong and then went home. He had informed the sixteen people who would be carrying the coffin the next morning before breakfast. Breakfast would be the leftover cornbread from tonight; they would just add some soup to it tomorrow morning. If anything got spilled, Jianguo and Erzhuzi would handle it.
Liu Maocai mentally reviewed tomorrow's tasks before going to sleep; this morning had been anything but easy.
Yu Chenglong, however, couldn't sleep. Zhang Aiguo's family seemed to be managing alright. He had suggested Zhang Hongmei join the army, but the battalion commander had refused. Indeed, what could a girl that age do in the army? Besides, the border was unstable, with frequent skirmishes; if something dangerous happened, it would be troublesome. He'd just have to take it one step at a time. Tomorrow was the burial, and the day after, he'd take Zhang Hongmei to the city's armed forces department to get the necessary documents stamped, then to the county's armed forces department to register her. After that, they'd collect the compensation, and she'd receive a monthly allowance; the little girl shouldn't go hungry in the future.
Yu Chenglong couldn't sleep at all, his mind filled with thoughts of Zhang Hongmei's future and how he could best help her. He planned to mail her some ration coupons every six months, and with the help of his comrades, they could manage to support the little girl.
Zhang Hongmei couldn't sleep either. Lying in bed with her eyes closed, her mind replayed the past of her family. Her memories before the age of five were of the military camp, where her parents were often away from home. After she turned five, they worked in the fields. Every year, the couple would come back to stay for a month, and these were the happiest times for Xiao Hongmei. Every time they came back, the three of them would sleep together. Cui Lin would hold Xiao Hongmei and sing lullabies that Zhang Hongmei had never heard before, tell her stories, bathe her, and braid her hair. Zhang Aiguo would always take Xiao Hongmei to visit neighbors and tell her jokes. During the autumn harvest, the two adults would work while Xiao Hongmei played on the side. Scattered memories were filled with Xiao Hongmei's pure love for this couple.
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