Zhang Hongmei got out of bed, opened the cabinet, took out Zhang Aiguo and his wife's clothes, and handed them to the woman who came to store them, saying, "Second wife, are these two outfits suitable?"
“Okay, I’ll go put them in the coffin right away. Where are the shoes? We can’t let them walk barefoot. Hongmei, go find more shoes, socks, underwear, everything. Put their pillows and blankets in too.”
Several more women came over and sorted the things Zhang Hongmei had found. Looking at the clean pillows and bedding, they all praised Zhang Hongmei in their hearts, thinking, "This girl is good." Actually, Zhang Hongmei hadn't even considered using Zhang Aiguo and his wife's bedding. It was purely her obsessive-compulsive disorder that made her wash everything clean, and this turned out to be a lucky accident. The women carried the sorted items to the yard and began loading the coffin.
Liu Maocai came in and said to the old man, "Uncle, five people have already gone to dig a pit, right next to the graves of Aiguo's parents. They died a violent death. Should the tombstone be erected now or in three years?"
"They will be honored in three years. They are heroes and need no suppression. Let Wang Hongxi open the brigade's warehouse. The village will provide the grain for tonight's cooking."
Captain Wang Hongxi immediately called two young men away to move grain, and Liu Maocai instructed two more people to set up a stove and arrange for six women to cook dinner. Meat was out of the question; having grain at all would be good enough.
“Uncle, I asked Jianguo to go to Zhangjiawa to buy paper money and white sails, but not paper figures or horses. They’re cracking down on these things now, and they’re not allowed to use them.”
"Okay. You can arrange it as you see fit."
Wang Hongxi and his two companions pushed a cart carrying a bag of cornmeal, half a bag of sorghum flour, half a bag of wheat flour, a bag of potatoes, a bag of cabbage, ten steamers, twenty aluminum basins, and two large, round pots.
The stove was already set up in the yard; all you had to do was put the pot on it. This is when you really see the power of many hands making light work: some fetched water, others tended the fire, and the women washed their hands and cooked. Dinner was steamed buns made with a mixture of wheat, water, and vegetables, and stewed cabbage and potatoes.
The grain that was delivered is only enough for one meal tonight; the Zhang family doesn't need to provide meals tomorrow. Life is hard for everyone these days; it's the same for every funeral.
Zhang Hongmei was deeply moved. It wasn't that she couldn't afford to provide food, but the village elders' decision was a form of care for her; food was life itself for the people these days. She remembered that other families prepared their own meals for funerals, but the village didn't provide such services.
Just then, Li Cuihua returned, carrying a bundle of white cotton cloth. She came in with Wang Hongxi's wife, and the two of them quickly made mourning clothes for Zhang Hongmei. They helped Zhang Hongmei put them on, and the mourning hat on her head still needed to be sewn with cotton, which they had also gotten from the old lady.
After Zhang Hongmei was dressed, the coffin was also placed outside. Li Cuihua told Zhang Hongmei to go outside and kneel in front of the coffin. This was how filial sons always kneeled to thank those who came to pay their respects. Li Cuihua had prepared a cushion for Zhang Hongmei to kneel on, so she wouldn't hurt her legs later, given the freezing weather outside.
Outside, people were busy cooking, but everyone was silent, speaking in hushed tones as a sign of respect for the deceased.
Zhang Hongmei knelt outside with her head bowed, next to a large earthenware basin for burning paper money. They hadn't bought the paper money yet, so kneeling was enough.
Liu Jianguo came in, sweating profusely. Liu Maocai went to greet him and took the bag. He told Liu Jianguo to put the white cloth against the wall, while he placed the paper money next to Zhang Hongmei. He took out a match, struck it, and Zhang Hongmei took out the paper money, lit it, and put it into the brazier. He did this one by one, and her tears fell down in a steady stream.
The five elderly people inside the house were also discussing Zhang Hongmei's future life.
The old man, who hadn't said a word since entering the house and seemed difficult to get along with, finally spoke up: "If this were before, the Zhang family girl wouldn't be allowed to live in this house. Her land would belong to the village. But that's a new society now, and it's not like that anymore. But she is a girl after all, and she'll have to get married someday. What will happen to her then?"
Liu Maocai's uncle, Liu Changhe, glanced at him and said, "Fifth brother, you're meddling too much. I've already said that Zhang Hongmei will be the head of the Zhang family from now on. Whether she gets married or finds a husband is her own business. You're so short-sighted at your age. Why should your Wang family worry about the Zhang family's affairs?"
The remaining three also looked at Wang Laowu, their expression conveying the message that his eating manners were extremely unseemly.
Wang Laowu's face flushed red. "My Wang family has no right to interfere with your Liu family's affairs?"
The oldest woman spoke up, "Fifth brother, if you're willing to help, stay here and show your support. If you're not, go back to your home."
Wang Laowu was so angry that he didn't say a word, got up, put on his shoes, and left. He thought to himself that he couldn't let anyone take advantage of him, so he had to have his daughter-in-law come and keep an eye on things.
After Wang Laowu left, everyone in the room fell silent. In fact, everyone looked down on Wang Laowu, but given his status and age, it was inappropriate to simply ignore him.
Another thin old man spoke up, "Brother, this girl is young, how will she live? Should we all help her as before? Before, when Gou Dan was around, he helped everyone when he came back, but now there's only one girl, and she can't repay the favors. We can't just have the barber's slips all to do the work, can we?"
"It's alright. Everyone who's willing to help should lend a hand, and those who're not can just ignore it. Anyway, this girl is growing up day by day, and she should be able to do the work in the fields by now, so there's no need to worry about this. Second brother, it's too heartless of you to act like this right after Aiguo passed away."
The skinny Wang Lao Er sat silently; unlike Lao Wu, he wasn't brainless. He was content to just watch, hoping to gain something, or at least at least get a meal.
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the room was quiet. Yu Chenglong sat on the bench on the floor, listening to the conversation with a growing unease. These people were so pragmatic so soon after they left; although there's an old saying that people cool off quickly, this was too fast. He had initially thought the villagers were united, but now it seemed there were indeed some bad apples, though most were decent, which meant Zhang Hongmei could survive.
The old lady sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), feeling furious. What a bunch of good-for-nothings! They've brought shame upon themselves in public. Unreliable people will always be the same; a leopard can't change its spots.
Liu Changhe patted his mother and smiled reassuringly. Even at his age, his mother still had such a fiery temper.
Liu Maocai came in and said, "Second wife, eldest brother, Cui Lin's family doesn't live here. I heard there aren't many people left there. Should we ask Hongmei?"
"Go ahead and confirm it. We can't be impolite."
Liu Maocai hurriedly went out and squatted down next to Zhang Hongmei. "Hongmei, do you know where your maternal grandmother lives?"
"I don't know, I've never heard my parents mention it."
"Alright, let's leave it at that." Liu Maocai went into the house and told the old lady.
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