Finally, the grave mound was finished. Zhang Hongmei felt a bright light before her eyes and vaguely heard someone calling her anxiously. She shook her head vigorously and looked at Li Cuihua with a confused expression.
"Hongmei, you're awake! Are you alright?"
"It's alright, Auntie."
"It's time to bow. You're just one step away. You must hold on."
"Um."
At this moment, Liu Changhe walked over shakily, and before he could catch his breath, he said, "Pay your respects. Hongmei, you hold the earthenware pot and kowtow three times to your parents, then smash the pot hard on the ground. Jianguo, Zhuzi, you two come over and plant the pot next to the grave."
Zhang Hongmei followed the old man's instructions. After the earthenware pot shattered, she knelt on the ground and silently prayed, "May your family rest in peace. I will live on. If you truly died unjustly, I will avenge you." She kowtowed three more times before standing up. Everyone, men and women alike, bowed separately, and the ceremony was considered complete.
Everyone went down the mountain. Zhang Hongmei was at the very back, and Li Cuihua accompanied her, saying, "Hongmei, go back and live a good life. Only when you are doing well will your parents be at ease."
"Don't worry, Auntie."
Finally home, Zhang Hongmei was too tired to even move a finger. This exhaustion wasn't just physical; it was also emotional. Li Cuihua offered to heat the kang (heated brick bed) for her, but Zhang Hongmei refused.
"Auntie, you must be tired after a long day. I won't keep you for lunch. Go back and rest."
Because Yu Chenglong and Zhang Hongmei both lived at home, Zhang Hongmei had to cook, no matter how lazy she was. Pancakes were the best meal she could make right now, and Yu Chenglong helped with the fire. The pancakes were ready in less than an hour. While the pancakes were cooking, she stewed sauerkraut in another pot.
After the meal was ready, the three of them ate quickly and then went to rest.
Zhang Hongmei locked the courtyard gate, then locked her own room before entering the spatial dimension. She went straight into the bathroom and took a comfortable hot bath in the spiritual spring water.
Sitting in the bathtub, every pore on my body opened up, and I let out a comfortable sigh. It was really tiring, but because of the prohibition against feudal superstition, it was much simpler. In my previous life, when my grandmother passed away, the funeral procession lasted for three whole days, which was much more tiring than this.
After the water cooled down, he drank a glass of milk before going outside. He lay on the hard kang (a heated brick bed) but couldn't sleep. Reading would strain his eyes. Seeing the two wooden boxes Yu Chenglong had brought, he lit a candle, went over, and opened them.
The first box contained the two people's clothes. Zhang Hongmei took them out one by one; below that were two new military overcoats, and below that was a new women's military uniform.
The second box contained their daily necessities. They even brought back their drinking cups.
Zhang Hongmei took out a small wooden box and opened it. Inside were money, tickets, a photo of the family of three, and two watches. However, the watches had stopped. She would find Yu Chenglong to check the time later so that they would have watch straps. There was also a woman's ring.
She placed the box on the kang (a heated brick bed), and all that remained inside were books. She wondered if there were any clues here. Zhang Hongmei had always felt that Zhang Aiguo and Cui Lin's deaths were suspicious.
However, I had no ability to find it at all. I took out all the books and looked them over, but I didn't find Zhang Aiguo's handwriting. But I found Cui Lin's diary and work handwriting.
On the first page of the diary, a few lines were written vertically: "I love my family, I wish my family peace and good health, and I wish my little Hongmei a healthy growth!" The diary was started in 1951. At first, it was mostly about the interesting things that happened as little Hongmei grew up. There were only a few sentences a day, and sometimes there would be only one entry every few months.
Until 1953, her thoughts were filled with longing for Xiao Hongmei. Zhang Hongmei could feel a mother's concern and heartache for her child, and the helplessness of being separated from her child, between the lines.
In 1955, she only wrote about ten diary entries. In Xiao Hongmei's memory, her parents came back in a hurry that summer, stayed for two days, and left very hastily. Before leaving, the two of them even had an argument. This was the first time Xiao Hongmei remembered the two of them arguing, so it left a deep impression on her.
After that, the two of them lived on the border. The last diary entry, dated the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1958, was written in somewhat messy handwriting and expressed their longing for Xiao Hongmei. However, they mentioned the ring twice, saying that it was a family heirloom and that they would definitely give it to Xiao Hongmei when they returned home.
Zhang Hongmei picked up the ring and examined it for a while, but couldn't discern its value. Suddenly, a thought struck her: could it be a storage ring?
She shook her head and laughed at herself for being crazy. She was already considered a lucky girl, could she possibly become a red lucky koi? But she could try. She had a space, and being reborn after death, wasn't she just the illegitimate daughter of the Heavenly Dao? Having another storage ring wasn't out of the question either!
I decided to give it a try, so I picked up the needle and pricked my index finger. Looking at the bead of blood that oozed out, I felt a little heartache. How much good food would I have to eat to replenish that drop of blood?
Pressing her hand on the ring, she suddenly felt a connection between herself and the ring, and she was excited. It turned out that she really was the illegitimate daughter of the Heavenly Dao!
Excitedly, I put the ring on my finger, thinking that if I became invisible, the ring would truly be unseen. Then I realized the space inside the ring was only ten cubic meters, filled with wooden boxes, nothing else.
Zhang Hongmei decided now wasn't the time to check, so she gave up. Anyway, it was hers now; she could look at it slowly when it was safe.
Because a huge windfall had fallen from the sky, Zhang Hongmei was in high spirits. She extinguished the candles and walked around the room, but she always felt like she was about to suffocate, so she simply went to walk around in the yard.
No, I need to do something to distract myself, otherwise I won't be able to stay still. Looking at the time, it's only a little past two o'clock, I might as well cook. Thank you, Yu Chenglong, for thoughtfully bringing all my things back for me.
I decided to get right to it. I'm currently in mourning and can't eat meat, so I decided to make two kinds of fillings: one for Jackie Chan with sauerkraut and cured meat, and one for myself with cabbage. Anyway, I have plenty of time.
First, I went to the cellar and took out a cabbage, then scooped out two sauerkrauts, scooped out four bowls of noodles from the storeroom, and took out a piece of cured meat weighing about a pound. All done, let's get started.
Zhang Hongmei was chopping filling in the kitchen, and Yu Chenglong and the young soldier, who had been sleeping, both woke up. The young soldier thought to himself, "This little girl really has energy." They both got up and got off the kang (heated brick bed).
Zhang Hongmei was embarrassed when she heard the noise inside. She had forgotten that the people inside were sleeping, and quickly suppressed her happy and excited expression, realizing that this was not the right time.
Yu Chenglong came out and was very surprised to see Zhang Hongmei cooking. This girl has such a good mentality. She can still face life quickly after experiencing such a big thing. Little did he know that Zhang Hongmei's mind had long since changed. Although she was sad, she was far from being able to truly empathize with her.
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