Chapter 97
When he first started listening, Lu Yuanzheng wanted to laugh at Xu Wen for being stupid, because no one would rush to die first. But he stopped talking as he listened.
After a while, he nodded and promised: "Okay, I will try my best to live! No matter how many children we have, no matter how filial they are, I will accompany you until the last moment of your life. I will stay behind and be the lonely one."
The promise was serious, but this was indeed the most uncertain thing about Lu Yuanzheng. Even though he was on the island now, he was not really far away from the war. He had to deal with a few people who came to the island for reconnaissance every now and then.
If a large-scale war breaks out, I'm not sure whether he can save his life.
Even in peacetime, no one can guarantee how long they can live.
Life and death are not in our control.
Lu Yuanzheng has always been a man who does what he says. If he cannot do what he says, he will usually remain silent.
But this time, he was willing to act on impulse and promise something he was not at all sure of.
New Year’s Eve is destined to be a night of poor sleep.
Even if nothing happened with grandma, there would still be the sound of loud firecrackers.
There are families who start eating dumplings at midnight.
Xu Wen felt like he had just fallen asleep when he was woken up by Lu Yuanzheng.
"My uncle just came over and told us not to cook anymore, saying we should go to his house to eat."
Everyone knew that Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen had only been back for a short time, so the family didn't prepare much New Year's goods.
Xu Wen actually didn't want to go.
"Just think of it as giving face to your uncle. You have to go and pay New Year's greetings anyway, right?" Lu Yuanzheng persuaded her.
Only then did Xu Wen stand up reluctantly.
She changed into a red coat.
The matter of grandma's death was put aside for the time being. Everything was normal today and Xu Wen could not wear plain clothes.
In addition, although she had been married to Lu Yuanzheng for a year and a half, Lu Yuanzheng's accident happened suddenly last winter, and she did not spend the New Year at home after he passed away.
According to the rules, she is a newlywed this year and has to wear red.
Xu Wen didn’t sleep well. After washing her face with cold water, she still felt a little sleepy. She yawned and tied her hair up behind her head.
Only then did he wake Dongsheng up and go to his uncle's house together.
Children all love the Chinese New Year. Even though they feel particularly sleepy in winter, they still don’t get grumpy. Once they put on their new clothes, they are so happy that they dance with joy.
Before breakfast, I picked up a few candies on the tea table.
It is customary to set off firecrackers before eating in the morning.
Xu Wen knew that the Xu family would not set off firecrackers again today.
Thinking of my grandma still makes my nose a little sore.
Xu Wen sniffed.
Lu Yuanzheng patted her on the back.
It was four or five in the morning, there were no street lights, but it was not dark.
The streets were full of children holding lanterns. They ran in groups, excitedly wishing a happy new year to everyone they met.
The same goes for adults. Even if they saw each other yesterday evening, they still have to greet each other with a smile on the morning of New Year's Day.
When they arrived at their uncle's house, Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wenxian asked each other happy New Year as usual.
The uncle was arranging chopsticks, and when he saw them, he hurriedly greeted them, "I just wanted Taozi to call you again, come and sit down! Your mother just cooked the dumplings, and Taozi is getting ready to set off firecrackers!"
Firecrackers are also set off before eating on the morning of New Year's Day.
They are all earthen whips rolled up with white paper and are extremely powerful.
Taozi was his youngest son, a few years older than Xuche.
My uncle has two daughters. The two eldest daughters are married and cannot come back on New Year's Day, so the family seems a little lonely.
After breakfast, we will go together to celebrate the New Year.
My uncle, my aunt, my uncle, my aunt, their children, and Lu Yuanzheng's family of three walked out together.
Before leaving, Xu Wen first accepted two red envelopes from the bride.
According to local customs, on the first Spring Festival after the bride enters the home, all family members in the groom's family have to prepare red envelopes for the bride.
Naturally, the eldest uncle and the younger uncle had to be the first to give Xu Wen a red envelope, and they had to give a relatively large red envelope.
Each person gave ten yuan.
More than what is harvested in winter.
Normally, children of Dongsheng’s age would no longer be given red envelopes in the production team.
Maybe the uncle and younger uncle felt guilty, or maybe it was because Dongsheng didn’t bring back much, but they still gave each of them two yuan.
Dongsheng is so happy!
Xu Wen originally didn't intend to accept it, but Lu Yuanzheng advised her: "Don't be so stingy with the money. Besides, wouldn't it be a loss if you don't accept it?"
She had asked her uncles and aunts to take care of Dongsheng and paid generous living expenses, but in the end Dongsheng was not taken care of very well.
Xu Wen thought about it and realized that this made sense, so he calmly took the red envelope.
The sky gradually brightened, and at least I could see the face of the person coming from the opposite side.
After Xu Wen married Lu Yuanzheng, she didn't stay in the village for many days and most people didn't know her.
Lu Yuanzheng actually didn't know him either.
But on this day, it doesn’t matter whether you know each other or not.
If you know someone, add a respectful title, such as uncle, brother, grandpa, etc., and wish them a happy new year.
If you don’t know me, just be direct and say Happy New Year with a smile!
Everyone greeted each other and wished each other well. Whether they knew each other or not became unimportant in one day.
Everyone had a smile on their face and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Their uncle took them to visit their closest relatives to wish them a happy new year. Every time they visited a household, Xu Wen would receive a red envelope.
The so-called red envelope refers to giving money, whether it is three yuan, five yuan, one yuan or two yuan, it is considered a red envelope.
It is not certain whether there is a layer of red paper outside.
Dongsheng was particularly envious and whispered to Lu Yuanzheng: "Dad, I am obviously a child and Mom is an adult. Why does she have a red envelope and I don't?"
Lu Yuanzheng answered very casually: "Probably because Mommy is prettier than you."
Dongsheng: “…”
Okay! Mama is very beautiful.
The group of people were amused and laughed continuously.
"Dongsheng, your father lied to you. When you grow up and marry a new wife, we will give her a red envelope."
Dongsheng said, "Then I'll bring Doudou back next time."
"Who is Doudou?"
"She's a very beautiful girl. I want to marry her when she grows up."
"You're promising! He's only five years old and he's already found a wife."
Dongsheng retorted unconvincedly: "I'm six years old!"
He just ate six dumplings at Grandpa's house!
It's lively from New Year's Eve until the morning of the first day when we finish paying New Year's greetings and have some free time.
Lu Yuanzheng, Xu Wen and Dongsheng went home to catch up on their sleep.
The family of three slept until the evening.
After waking up, Lu Yuanzheng made some food and called Xu Wen to come over.
"Eat more. I feel like I won't be able to eat or sleep tonight."
Xu Wen nodded and changed his red clothes into plain ones.
For ordinary people, the end of the first day of the new year does not necessarily have to wait until midnight.
After dinner, the first day of the Chinese New Year ends.
After washing the dishes, the family of three rode their bicycles to Xu's house.
Zhu Meizhen saw them and sighed: "Logically, you really shouldn't have come back today."
But life and death are unpredictable, and we cannot follow rules all the time.
Besides, you can’t ask others for help on New Year’s Day. It’s okay for happy events, but for funerals... it’s somewhat unlucky on New Year’s Day.
This is why if an old person celebrates the Lunar New Year on the first day, they will postpone it for one day.
There's no one to help. It's really a bit too much for just the Xu family to handle it.
There are so many things to prepare.
Xu Qiushi and Xu Wen were setting up a mourning tent in the yard. Lu Yuanzheng stopped his bike and went forward to help.
A mourning tent looks similar to a tent, with a frame built first and then a piece of cloth placed on it. The only difference is that the frame of a mourning tent is made of tall bamboo poles, and the cloth is white, taller, and rectangular in shape overall.
There are doors at both ends, and a curtain separating the space at a 3:7 ratio.
There was a shelf in front and a door panel on top. Grandma was placed in the front. There was also a table in front for people who came to pay their respects and burn incense.
Behind it is where filial sons and grandsons keep vigil over the deceased.
It was cold at that time, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of wheat stalks.
The two sides of the mourning tent are also open, like many curtains.
In the inner room, Xu Qie was sitting on the kang and playing with Chunsheng, while Sang Xiaoqing was sitting on the edge of the kang and cutting white cloth.
Filial sons and virtuous grandsons, especially those like Xu Qiushi who led the banner and smashed the basin, had to wear all white, even with white cloth tied around the uppers of their shoes. And the shoes of filial sons could not be lifted up, they had to step on the heels.
There should be a white headband on the forehead and a white cloth band hanging on the back of the head.
The length of the white cloth belt is also important.
They also have to wear a hollow hat made of hemp rope on their heads, with two small balls hanging next to their ears. The brim of the hat has to cover their eyebrows so that their faces cannot be seen clearly.
For example, Second Uncle is not much different from Xu Qiushi, except for some slight differences in details.
My uncle doesn't have to wear a linen hat because he is adopted.
Daughters-in-law like Zhu Meizhen, or daughters like the elder and younger aunts, all wear half white, that is, a white coat on the upper body, a white belt around the waist, black pants on the lower body but tied with straw ropes, and shoes that are mostly white, leaving only a black patch on the heels.
The upper is white, but the heel is still black.
You also need a white headband and a white band hanging down the back of your head.
When relatives come to pay their respects, each of them needs a white forehead mask. Whether or not to wear a white belt depends on the relationship between the two.
For example, Lu Yuanzheng did not need to do that. He was the grandson-in-law, so he did not need to hang a white cloth belt behind his head, but he had to tie a white belt around his waist, and Lu Yuanzheng did not need to enter the mourning shed.
But Xu Wen was allowed to enter, not only into the mourning tent, but also had to wear a white headband, a white cloth band behind his head, a white belt around his waist, and only half of his shoes were wrapped with white cloth.
Xu Wen should be similar to Zhu Meizhen, half of her body should be white.
Chunsheng was still young, so he didn't wear white clothes, but he had a headband and a white cloth belt hanging down, and there was a small red ribbon on his white belt.
Because he is the great-grandson, he is called a happy grandson.
It took Xu Wen two lifetimes to realize that there are so many things to pay attention to when it comes to funerals, and that wearing mourning clothes has various considerations depending on the relative degree of relationship.
Xu Wen and Sang Xiaoqing listened to Zhu Meizhen explaining the differences to them while cutting the white cloth with scissors.
The exact number of mourning clothes and the size of the cloth were decided by Zhu Meizhen.
Xu Wen only needed to cut the white headband, white belt and the strip of cloth on the back of his head.
Sang Xiaoqing cut the shoe uppers and sewed white cloth on the cloth shoes of everyone in the family according to the rules.
Other families may not need to wear white shoes after their grandmother is buried, but Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen need to.
They both have to wear cloth shoes for some time to come.
So Sang Xiaoqing sewed very carefully.
I was busy until late at night.
Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen didn't sleep much last night, and if they continue to stay up they will not be able to sleep for two days and two nights.
Fearing that they couldn't bear it physically, Xu Wen advised them to rest early.
Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen did not refuse. They had many things to worry about later and could not let their health collapse at this time.
Dongsheng and Xu Qi hugged each other and fell asleep at Xu Wen's house.
Afraid that he would freeze on the road, they did not wake him up. Anyway, Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen would be back soon.
They just went home and took a nap.
Lu Yuanzheng's biological clock is particularly punctual. He gets up at five o'clock and wakes up Xu Wen at the same time.
The two of them rushed to Xu's house without even eating.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the new year officially begins.
But for the Xu family, it was a sad beginning.
Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wenyuan heard thunderous cries coming from the Xu family.
This is a report of death.
Many neighbors have come to help spontaneously.
Customs are customs, we all understand them but we are not stupid.
Everyone who comes to visit my house on the first day of the new year and doesn’t see grandma will definitely ask about it.
After all, it is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and grandma is an elder, so many younger generations will come to pay their New Year’s greetings to her. Those who live nearby may hear a little bit of the noise but won’t say much, but some nephews who live far away will definitely come to see grandma.
Xu Qiushi mumbled something and just said that grandma was not feeling well and fell asleep.
Grandma is not a person who doesn't know etiquette. How could she sleep when she knows that everyone is coming to pay New Year's greetings?
So those who understand now understand.
Everyone tacitly gave way to the first day of the Lunar New Year.
So when I heard something was happening at the Xu family this morning, I came over to help on my own initiative.
Lu Yuanzheng and Xu Wen arrived just in time for lunch.
A lot of people came to help today. The Xu family provided meals, but there wasn't anything delicious early in the morning, just steamed buns and cabbage and tofu soup.
Zhu Meizhen was so busy that she didn't even have time to greet Lu Yuanzheng.
According to custom, this was the first time that Lu Yuanzheng was the new son-in-law to pay New Year's greetings, so the Xu family had to host a formal banquet to entertain Lu Yuanzheng, and also had to invite all direct relatives to join them.
The same red envelope should be given to Lu Yuanzheng.
Zhu Meizhen jumped to the last step and stuffed a red envelope into Lu Yuanzheng's hand: "The family situation is special this year, I'm sorry to have to deal with you, kid."
Of course Lu Yuanzheng couldn't be so ignorant, he shook his head and said, "Mom, I'm fine. We're all family, so we don't need to be so particular. We've been spending money these past two days, you can keep it."
Zhu Meizhen stuffed the money into his arms, "Let's put it this way. I've already wronged you by not serving you today, and you can't be short of a red envelope. I'm afraid I'll be busy and forget about it later, so you keep it first."
After saying that, she hurried out to find someone to help, as she would need someone to help her sew the quilt tomorrow.
They just sewed the festive red quilt together with the one grandma was lying on, loaded it directly onto the car and sent it to the crematorium.
In fact, funerals are more testing and trying than weddings.
For example, for a wedding, the date can be chosen more than half a year in advance, and one can start preparing wedding quilts and dowry early.
During that long time, I bought whatever I thought of.
When it came time for the wedding there was nothing much to do except entertaining the guests.
Funerals are different.
After all, no one can predict when he or she or others will die.
For this reason, many elderly people will prepare their own burial clothes in advance and choose the fabrics, hats and shoes themselves.
The coffin will also be made in advance.
Just like grandma.
As early as the year before last, my grandmother prepared her birthday clothes because she was afraid that she would not live to see 73.
The coffin was made by a carpenter when Xu Qiushi asked his grandmother to make it when the doctor said that she would not live long.
However, the Xu family's place was small and they couldn't spare the space, so they temporarily stored it in the place where coffins were made.
Even the white cloth Zhu Meizhen bought it early.
But I still didn't expect grandma would leave so quickly, and many details were still not prepared.
It was Chinese New Year and most shops were closed.
Grain, oil, rice, flour, cigarettes and alcohol are easy to deal with. We have some prepared for the New Year at home. If we really need more, we can borrow some from our neighbors.
The main problem is the lack of food for entertaining guests.
There is always something missing at home, which makes life very difficult.
The reception for a funeral is similar to that for a wedding, except that it is on the day of the burial, so there are two days to prepare.
It was impossible to buy it, so I could only borrow it from neighbors.
Borrow cabbage and tofu.
Fortunately, cabbage is available in every household.
Every household buys a lot of tofu.
The Xu family prepared some chicken, duck, fish and meat, but it might not be enough, so they had to borrow some.
Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen also lacked experience in handling funerals, and after a day, one of them had a hoarse voice and the other had blisters on the corners of his mouth.
The second day of the Chinese New Year is called the "Announcement of the Death", which means that the production team helps to notify all of grandma's relatives.
We also need to notify Zhu Meizhen’s family and Sang Xiaoqing’s family.
There are also families like Xu Wang's and Lu Yuanzheng's.
All relatives including my second uncle and second aunt must be notified.
No matter how reckless my second sister-in-law is, she cannot be vague about this matter.
There is also a hidden iron rule in Wei Zhuang: you can choose not to help the red but you cannot ignore the white.
What this means is that if a married person asks you for help, you can refuse if you don’t want to help.
But funerals cannot be refused. Everyone will grow old, get sick and die one day, so we must accumulate blessings for ourselves.
After all, no matter how powerful a person is, he cannot decide what will happen after his death.
Those who need to cry at the funeral should come first. Distant relatives like Zhu Meizhen's family members only need to come on the day of the funeral to give gifts and have a feast.
They want two gift moneys, one for condolences and one for their own daughters, sisters or something like that, which is called the opening payment.
That is, a filial daughter will kowtow to the woman’s family.
You can't kowtow to this one, you have to give money.
After breakfast, nearby relatives who had received the letter began to arrive.
Start crying as soon as you enter the village. You may not shed tears, but your voice must be loud.
For example, my eldest and second aunts cried and shouted at the top of their lungs: "My dear mother! Why did you leave?"
In fact, they were there when grandma passed away.
Xu Wen and Sang Xiaoqing heard the noise and went to help their eldest and second aunts back. After they kowtowed and burned incense to their grandmother, they knelt in the mourning shed.
The process is almost the same for other filial sons and grandsons.
Throughout the day, the mourning shed started with only Xu's family members, but gradually more and more people came to it. By the evening, the whole shed was filled with people of all ages kneeling.
Most of the questions are unknown.
Many of them are grandma’s nephews and nieces.
As for Xu Wen, except for occasionally going to pick up the female relatives, most of the time he knelt on the wheat straw in the mourning shed.
In the mourning shed, men and women were placed in one row each, with men on the left and women on the right, with an empty coffin in the middle.
Lu Yuanzheng and Dongsheng could only accompany her outside.
There is no way. Sometimes the so-called closeness and distance are actually very inhumane.
Even before grandma died, Lu Yuanzheng was still the grandson-in-law who stayed by her bedside.
Now many people whom Xu Wen had never seen were kneeling in the mourning shed to keep vigil, but Lu Yuanzheng and her brother-in-law were just "outsiders."
In the evening, the gong, drum and suona band arrived and started playing various instruments and singing.
Many people in the production team came over to watch the excitement when they had nothing to do.
Xu Wen didn't quite understand the meaning of this action. It might have been just to show off for his grandmother.
Late at night, everyone had dispersed, and nearby relatives had also gone home. Only Xu Qiushi and his second uncle were keeping vigil in the mourning shed.
Xu Wen was also ordered to go back.
Zhu Meizhen felt sorry for her and didn't let her stay here: "You are still young. It's so cold outside at night. What if you get frozen? Go back and rest for a night. You will be busy tomorrow!"
Xu Wen wasn't actually that cold. Since Lu Yuanzheng knew she would have to kneel all day, he went home and brought her his military coat to cover her legs.
Finally, she couldn't persuade Zhu Meizhen and had to go home.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, my grandmother was cremated.
After breakfast, we sent grandma to the crematorium.
Before sending it away, he let his filial sons and grandsons take a look at it.
The moment they lifted grandma into the car, all the filial sons and grandsons cried at the same time.
Only then did Xu Wen realize that his grandmother had really passed away, and he cried heartbreakingly.
Although grandma has her eyes closed now, she is still flesh and blood, and when she returns she will just be ashes.
Only a few people went to the cremation, and it was not the turn of Xu Wen, the granddaughter.
It was after noon when we got back.
The car stopped outside the production team. Xu Qiushi walked in front holding his grandmother's urn, and his second uncle followed behind holding his grandmother's portrait.
Xu Wen and the others were all standing at the entrance of the village to greet her. As soon as they saw grandma, they all knelt down and started crying.
Then they lined up and followed Xu Qiushi to take grandma back to the mourning shed.
This time, the 3:7 cloth curtain in the mourning tent was removed.
The urn is placed in the coffin, and the lid is closed and nailed shut.
Men and women still kneel separately on both sides of the coffin.
The evening was still noisy with music and singing.
The fourth day of the Lunar New Year is the day my grandmother was buried.
The Xu family was even more lively that day.
People like Xu Wang's parents-in-law, aunts and sisters-in-law, Sang Xiaoqing's parents-in-law, aunts and sisters-in-law, uncles who had gone on a long journey, etc., all of them would come to pay their respects.
The Xu family will entertain their guests with great ceremony at noon.
Xu Wen's home is small, so he has to borrow his neighbor's house.
The funeral banquet also has eight dishes.
After lunch, the highlight before the burial begins.
Xu Qiushi led the male filial sons, and Zhu Meizhen led the female filial sons.
First go to the guests sitting there and express your gratitude, which means you should kowtow to them.
Guests came to pay their respects, and the family thanked them again.
At about 1:30 p.m., the person in charge shouted, “Revelation!”
Xu Qiushi lifted the basin high and dropped it heavily on the ground, crying out loudly: "Mom, have a safe journey!"
After that, grandma was buried in the ancestral tomb.
There are also some rules for funeral processions.
The table is in the front, followed by the coffin bearers, and behind them follow two rows of filial sons and grandsons in mourning.
We had to stop several times along the way, and each time the person in charge would shout something loudly.
Xu Wen couldn't hear it.
Anyway, after he finished shouting, there would always be the same old man coming out to burn incense.
Her grandmother was the first.
Then the filial sons and grandsons kowtowed.
We walked and stopped along the way until we arrived at the Xu family's ancestral tomb.
Grandma was buried with grandpa, and the grave had already been dug.
After the coffin is put in, the soil is filled in.
At that moment, the cry was heard again.
Xu Qiushi cried until tears came out of his nose and eyes. He knelt beside the grave, holding the stone slab on the coffin with both hands to prevent the soil from being filled in.
A fifty-year-old man cried like a child: "Mom, if you leave me, I will be without a mom!"
No matter how old a person is, as long as he has a father and a mother, he can be a child.
Xu Qiushi had always been prepared for his grandmother to leave, but when she actually got off the bed, he still broke down.
Xu Wen cried while pulling Xu Qiushi.
Zhu Meizhen cried more sadly than her two aunts. She had lived with grandma for twenty-three years since she married into the Xu family, and she was more like a daughter to grandma than to her two aunts.
After all, grandma was not an evil mother-in-law. As soon as Zhu Meizhen came in, she delegated her authority and usually did more work and did less business.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would occasionally quarrel, but Zhu Meizhen was such a person that she would say what she wanted to say and forget about it without bearing any grudges.
My grandmother was an open-minded person, so the two of them were considered a well-known model mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the entire commune.
Xu Wen was also crying, but she was not used to this kind of crying and just shed tears silently.
This is the first time in two lifetimes that I am seeing my dearest person leave like this.
Xu Wen felt very uncomfortable.
She wondered how painful it would be for her parents in her previous life when they learned that she had died.
Lu Yuanzheng stayed beside Xu Wen, holding her shoulders, patting her soothingly, and repeating in a low voice: "You still have me." "I'm still here."
After grandma is buried, I still have to deal with her funeral affairs.
The people who helped in the production team returned all the borrowed tables, chairs and benches, and the mourning tent was also dismantled.
After everything was packed up, everyone went back to their homes.
Zhu Meizhen thanked everyone in a hoarse voice and stuffed a handful of candy, melon seeds or cigarettes into each person's pocket.
During the Chinese New Year, everyone has to visit relatives, and those who take time out to help are all out of courtesy.
After all the other guests were seen off, only my second uncle, second aunt, younger uncle, younger aunt, eldest aunt and second aunt were left at home.
Xu Wang's family, Xu Wen's family, and Xu Wen's family were also there.
Xu Wang, Xu Wen, and Xu Wen simply wanted to stay a little longer to accompany Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen. After all, these years were very chaotic and they had no time to sit down and have a meal and chat.
My grandma just passed away and my parents are very sad.
Moreover, Xu Qiushi and Zhu Meizhen were obviously very tired, and they wanted to see if there was any missing work that they could help with.
Seeing that Xu Qiushi and his siblings still had something to say, Xu Wang led the brothers and sisters into the inner room, where they sat around on the kang and chatted.
The children all ran out to play.
We were still too far away from death and didn’t understand what the death of our great-grandmother meant.
Xu Qie should have understood and cried the most. The one who loved him the most in the family was his grandmother.
But, because he was sensible and knew that the adults had to talk, he was still sad and took the children away, including Chunsheng.
As for my uncle and aunt, they sat in the main room waiting for the settlement.
It was rare for Second Aunt to have the patience to sit at the square table and wait.
Xu Wen shook his head and spoke in a low voice with a hint of sarcasm: "This is the first time I've seen Second Auntie sit in our house for so long."
In previous years, whether it was Chinese New Year or grandma’s birthday, my second aunt would just show up and then find an excuse to leave.
Xu Wang curled his lips and whispered, "Don't blame you. I have barely seen her since I was a child. She always tells people outside that grandma is partial to us and gives all the good food and drinks to us, and also gives all the money she has saved for her whole life to us.
If grandma had money, she would have taken it away long ago. In the early years, whenever grandma went to her house, she would secretly look through grandma's things. If we talk about partiality, the only things left to our family are these two old houses."
Sang Xiaoqing also nodded: "In the first year after I got married, Xu Wen took me to visit my second uncle's house for the New Year, and my second aunt gave me fifty cents. I really didn't want it!"
It's not that she doesn't know what's good for her and despises the poor and loves the rich.
Wei Zhuang Commune was poor, but no matter how poor it was, there was no aunt who would give fifty cents to her niece-in-law.
This means that you don't take Sang Xiaoqing, the new daughter-in-law, seriously.
From then on, Sang Xiaoqing also disliked this second aunt.
Xu Wen snorted, "Need I say more? You must think that there is still a lot of money left from grandma's gift waiting to be shared! Dream on! Grandma has been in the hospital for more than a month, and the expenses are not small. Buying food before the New Year is expensive, I am afraid that not only will there be no money left, but I will also have to pay part of the money myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard his second aunt outside asking, "Brother! How much of the gift money is left from Mom? Have you finished counting it? Count it quickly, I have to go back to cook, Cuizhi and the others are staying at home tonight."
Cuizhi is her daughter.
Xu Qiushi looked up at her without saying a word.
Zhu Meizhen was so angry that she said to her, "Wang Yulan, do you still have any shame? Mom was just buried, and the soil on the grave is still warm. Is it appropriate for you to say that?"
"Why is it inappropriate? It wasn't me who made the old lady die. I have honestly been here to guard her spirit for three days and fulfilled my duty as a daughter-in-law. What else can I do? Besides, aren't we staying here just to settle the account? What's wrong with me urging you?"
"Are you waiting to settle the bill or to share the money?" Zhu Meizhen has overused her voice in the past two days, and her voice is hoarse. After saying a few words, her throat hurts so much that she coughs.
Sang Xiaoqing in the inner room had her eyes rolled up. "Is she keeping vigil? She's not as punctual as me when she goes to work. She comes in the morning when the sun rises, and leaves in the afternoon before the sun sets. Today she stayed the longest because someone from her family came to give her money for kowtows."
The eldest aunt in the outer room tried to smooth things over: "Both of you should stop talking and let Qiushi finish the account. What is due should be divided and what is due should be compensated."
Second Auntie still refused to do it. "I checked the counter! I received more than a thousand dollars! I can't spend a thousand dollars in the past two days. Don't try to fool me."
Xu Qiushi slammed the table, and the pencil in his hand broke. The tip of the pencil flew out and hit his second uncle's face.
The second uncle uttered a cry of pain.
Second Auntie stood up at once, "Xu Qiushi, what do you mean? You are not happy about the money sharing, right? You want to take all the money from my mother? I tell you, it's impossible! The money from my mother's gifts and food and drinks during festivals are all given to you. You still want to take all the money from my mother after she dies? Don't even think about it!"
Xu Qiushi opened his mouth but no sound came out.
He cried so much that his voice was so hoarse that he couldn't speak, or rather, his speech was silent.
Seeing this, the second aunt became even more arrogant, "Why don't you say anything? I'm making you feel guilty, aren't I? Let me tell you, I went to Uncle Wu, the accountant, today and asked him to copy a gift book for me. I can read, too, so don't try to fool me."
In the inner room, Xu Wang rolled his eyes, "You still know how to read! You only know your own name, who are you trying to fool?"
Xu Wen shrugged: "Just to scare our dad!"
Xu Qiushi glared at his second uncle.
The second uncle was so scared that he stood up and tried to pull the second aunt, but the second aunt had been making trouble at home for a day or two and didn't give the second uncle any face at all.
The two aunts couldn't stand it anymore, and held her on both sides, "Yulan, stop making trouble! Isn't Qiushi settling the score? He didn't say you had no share, so why are you so excited?"
"That's right! Mother is afraid of the cold. You didn't visit her for a single day in the hospital, and when she came back, you didn't even leave any footprints. Isn't it a bit too much for you to be jumping up and down now? My second brother is a coward, but the rest of our Xu family is still alive." The aunt's tone was not very good either.
It means don't go too far.
When the second aunt saw that everyone was talking about her, she threw up her sleeves and was about to leave. Halfway through, she turned back and found a way out for herself: "Don't even think about teaming up with me to get rid of me. I'm telling you, there's no way you can cheat our family out of that money!"
To be honest, I'm not as aggressive as before.
No one paid any attention to her.
After a while, Xu Qiushi slapped the calculated bill in the middle of the square table and squatted aside to smoke, meaning that he would let them look at it for themselves.
Auntie was one step ahead of the others. She grabbed the bill, copied it in her hand, and handed it to Uncle, saying, "Take a quick look. How much does each family get?"
"One hundred and fifty-seven per family." said the second uncle in a low voice.
Second Aunt's eyes lit up. One hundred and fifty-seven yuan was not a small amount.
She stretched out her hand to Zhu Meizhen and said, "Sister-in-law, please give us our share first."
Before Zhu Meizhen could say anything, her second uncle added: "It's not money given to us, it's money we need to make up for it."
"What?" Second Auntie got angry and turned around to slap Second Uncle. "Don't follow the Xu family to fool me just by kneeling for two days! How can you charge more than 1,000 yuan for gifts and still charge 150 or 160 yuan per person?"
There are five of us here, isn't that...
The second aunt counted on her fingers and calculated that at 200 yuan each, that would be 1,000 yuan, minus 40 yuan for each person...
Second Aunt couldn't figure it out, so she threw up her hands and turned to look for Xu Qiushi: "Brother, your calculations are so ridiculous. How is it possible that you are still short of a few thousand yuan?"
Xu Qiushi wanted to explain, but he couldn't utter a word.
Zhu Meizhen shouted hoarsely: "Is hospitalization free? You all know that mom has been in the hospital for more than a month!"
"You are the ones who raised mom, so why do you want us to pay? It's not like we didn't go to the bedside! Besides, the money collected from funerals is always used for the funeral. The children who don't have enough money add to it, and the children who have more share it. Why do you include the hospital fees?"
"Only because of what? Just because the man you married is named Xu! He was also born after his mother's pregnancy!" Zhu Meizhen was so angry that she was shaking all over. Her voice became hoarse and her cough even came out with blood.
"Sister-in-law, stop talking! You've broken your throat from yelling." The eldest aunt hurried forward to check.
After a while, they could no longer sit still and ran out from the inner room one after another.
Xu Wen and Xu Wang helped Zhu Meizhen sit down aside.
Xu Wen glared at his second aunt.
The second aunt was obviously a little scared. She took two steps back and just supported the second uncle. She was so angry that she slapped the second uncle with both hands, "You idiot! Can't you see that people are going to beat your wife? And you still don't care? You're sitting here like a log!"
The second uncle was embarrassed and annoyed, and pushed the second aunt away at once: "Have you made enough noise? My mother has just been buried! I have seen the bill! I have also seen the hospital's hospitalization fees! It must have cost a lot of money for my mother to be hospitalized for more than a month! She needed injections, medicine, and a ventilator. If we hadn't accepted these gifts, we would have shared more after the funeral. And this money is still owed to the hospital, we have to give it to them.
As the old saying goes, "You can owe money to heaven and earth, but you can't owe money to doctors and teachers. I was also raised by my mother, so I can't just ignore this matter."
"You hit me?" The second aunt was anxious and stepped forward to tear the second uncle, "How dare you hit me! I gave birth to your children, raised them, and arranged to build a house for you and find you a daughter-in-law. You have become independent now, right? How dare you hit me!"
"Don't mess around! Who hit you? You were the one who got into trouble with me." The second uncle didn't dare to fight back and could only yell.
Xu Wen was quick to pick up a tea bowl that was almost knocked to the ground by the couple and slammed it heavily on the table. "Have you made enough noise? If not, go back to your homes and make some noise!"
"Do you, a kid, have the right to speak when the adults are talking?" Second Aunt's eyes turned red, and she grabbed Xu and asked without asking any questions.
Before the second aunt's hand could reach Xu Wen's face, it was grabbed by Lu Yuanzheng.
He looked down at his aunt and warned her: "Although I don't hit women, if you dare to touch my wife, I will definitely throw you out!"
Second Aunt tried to pull her hand away, but it didn't move.
She was used to being arrogant and subconsciously wanted to curse, but when she looked up and saw Lu Yuanzheng's icy eyes and the scary scar, she shrank back and looked timid.
No matter how rude and unreasonable she is, she is just an ordinary citizen, at most a bully who only fears the strong and bullies the weak.