The four children suddenly knelt down and crawled forward, lying beside the coffin, calling out to their ancestor again and again.
Zhang Hongmei sat to one side and cried. No matter what, it was truly heartbreaking to see someone die.
A short while later, the coffin was prepared, and Li Chang'en came out carrying Zhou Shixiong's photo. He walked to Zhang Weiyu's side.
"Third Young Master, this?"
Zhang Weiyu stood up, his eyes blurry with tears, and took the photo. His tears flowed even more profusely. He kept murmuring about his ancestor, which moved the staff around him to tears as well.
This was a glass coffin, and the lid wasn't sealed. Sixteen burly men dressed in black walked over and steadily lifted the coffin, followed by eight more burly men dressed similarly, who carried the lid.
Zhang Weiyu walked ahead, holding the photo. Zhenye and his two companions, along with Zhang Hongmei and Zhang Shouyi, walked on the left, while the Zhou family walked on the right. The line on this side was very long, with more than fifty people. They all knelt outside the gate. One by one, they slowly stood up and followed the line.
Funeral music played, and cries of weeping filled the air. Everyone in the compound came out, all dressed in black, and stood silently weeping on both sides of the road. They were all bidding farewell to this great man of their generation.
Outside the courtyard gate, someone directed the procession, and Zhenye walked in front of Zhang Weiyu, carrying a bag and calling out to his ancestor Zhou Shixiong while throwing paper money. Zhang Ruifeng and Gu Yaozu stood on either side of Zhang Weiyu.
The procession moved very slowly. At each house, the family members would come out and kowtow, and then the four children and all the Zhou family members would kneel down to return the gesture.
This continued for a full hour and a half before they finally left the compound.
The procession playing funeral music arrived at the front, and the coffin was loaded onto the vehicle.
The coffin lid was loosely closed, and twenty-four strong men boarded the vehicle and stood on both sides of the coffin.
The four children were sitting in the car at the very front.
The Zhou family of fifty people sat in ten cars. The last car was occupied by Zhang Shouyi, Gu Chuanming, Zhang Xingguo, and Zhang Hongmei, a family of four.
Zhang Shouyi put his arm around Zhang Hongmei's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Hongmei, Hongmei, take good care of yourself. You haven't had your period for over ten days. Are you pregnant? You need to be careful."
That's how it is when people die. You were already very good to Zhou Shixiong when he was alive, so don't be sad anymore.
Zhang Hongmei was sobbing softly. After hearing Zhang Shouyi's words, she was stunned for a moment. After thinking about it, she realized that it was true. Could it be that she was really pregnant?
As a mother, I can't be willful. I have to adjust my mindset.
"Brother Zhang, I will be careful."
The car drove very slowly. The road from the compound to the funeral home was long, but many people had already driven there to see off the leader.
Everyone bowed their heads and wept. How could they not be heartbroken at the passing of their leader who had brought them a good life?
The procession of people seeing the car off continued to grow, and some elderly people even knelt down and wept. Following this precedent, wherever the car went, the people on both sides of the road who were seeing the car off would kneel down and cry loudly.
On the first vehicle, someone was specifically scattering paper money on both sides of the road.
What should have been a 40-minute journey took two hours.
Even after we arrived at the funeral home, we could still hear the mournful cries from behind.
Now, all the government staff are here; it's a huge, dark mass inside.
The four children came down, still in the same formation. Zhang Zhenye scattered paper money and shouted, while Zhang Weiyu and the other two followed behind.
The Zhou family members all got off the bus, with Zhang Shouyi and his family of four at the very back.
Twenty-four strong men got off the bus, carried the coffin, and followed them into the funeral home.
No one is crying or making a fuss here; everyone is bowing their heads and shedding tears. Too much noise is not allowed here.
The coffin was placed in its designated spot. The four children and the four young men of the Zhou family knelt on either side of the coffin, with Zhang Hongmei kneeling behind the children. The rest of the Zhou family members knelt on either side of the coffin, receiving the people's respects.
They were all in groups of three. The first to arrive were Gu Chuanming, Liu Jingze, and Zhang Xingguo.
A master of ceremonies announced the ceremony, and the deceased bowed three times. The dutiful sons and grandsons returned the bow by kowtowing once in gratitude, and the ceremony was considered complete. Then they stepped forward to pay their respects to the deceased.
There were several hundred people, and it took until 2 p.m. just to exchange greetings.
Zhang Shouyi was extremely anxious and worried, but there was nothing he could do, as he and his five children hadn't had a drop of water.
Finally, all the mourners finished their prayers. At this time, all the filial sons and grandsons rose, and there were very few outsiders left in the funeral home. Someone arranged for them to have a meal.
Zhang Shouyi came over and helped Zhang Hongmei. The family went to a separate room where food was already laid out on the table.
Xiao Li closed the door, and he and Lu Jing stood outside.
Zhang Hongmei sat down and quickly poured out six cups of spiritual spring water, one cup for each member of the family.
"You four hurry up and eat. People from the city center are coming here now. There will be people from all walks of life coming over this afternoon. Chang'en is outside looking after things. Hurry up and finish eating so your mother can't kneel for long. Maybe you have a younger brother or sister now. Your mother will be home in a little while."
“Brother Zhang, no need, I’m fine. This won’t do. I’ll just kneel there with my head down. Don’t worry, I know my body.”
"Mom, you should go back. Dad is here. You should go back."
Zhang Hongmei shook her head. "I won't push myself, don't worry. I can manage. I've already done the twenty-four prostrations, what's one more? Let's eat quickly."
Seeing Zhang Hongmei's insistence, Zhang Shouyi had no choice but to accept it. Ten minutes later, the mother and her five children knelt in the same spot again.
The Zhou family members also came out one after another.
Li Chengen received the news and organized people from outside to go in and offer condolences.
It wasn't until 7 p.m. that the day finally ended, and Zhang Hongmei felt that she couldn't feel either of her legs.
Rooms were arranged here, and the family of six settled in immediately. The Zhou family had also made all the necessary arrangements.
In the evening, the six family members drank water, ate dinner, and then went to bed to rest.
They hadn't slept with their parents for eight or nine years. Zhang Weiyu lay next to Zhang Hongmei. Zhang Shouyi knew his third son was heartbroken, so he didn't say anything.
At four o'clock the next day, the whole family got up. Zhang Hongmei gave them water and breakfast, and then they went to the mourning hall.
Today, those who came to pay their respects were all leaders from the surrounding areas. Tomorrow is another day, and they will prepare for cremation. Originally, the plan was to bury the body fifteen days later, but Zhou Shixiong disagreed and only wanted three days.
Therefore, many subordinates who live far away cannot come back, and someone specifically called them one by one to notify them.
I was busy until 7 p.m. today, the only thing I did was let them have lunch.
Zhang Hongmei hugged her third son and gently patted his back; this was the child she cared about the most.
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