An unfulfilled wish?
The Wu family members present were all silent; almost all of their children and grandchildren were there.
No, there are still two people missing.
Evergreen pines, and blue clouds!
At times like these, Jiang Yue would not leave Old Wu's house.
She wanted to stay here and serve her father-in-law.
She would stay by her mother-in-law's side, and if her father-in-law were to pass away at any time, she could accompany him on his final journey.
Qingyao was helped home by Aunt Ge, and her twin daughters also went back with their mother.
Da Xue was worried about her grandfather and her mother-in-law. She first sent the children home, then instructed the maid to stew some nourishing soup for her sister-in-law. After taking care of her two nieces, she dragged her tired body back to the old house and busied herself in the kitchen.
No one slept well that night; everyone was watching Old Master Wu.
As the pillar of the family, Wu Dalang, no matter how reluctant he was, had to rationally prepare for his funeral.
The coffin was made by my parents a long time ago.
The funeral clothes were bought at the market. His father liked festive clothes, so he bought some that were brightly colored.
He and his son purchased all the funeral items, including paper money and gold ingots.
Linen, hood, brazier, wooden sign...
Everything was ready. He couldn't cry, he couldn't collapse, he had to hold on.
As dawn approached, the sound of horses' hooves echoed outside the courtyard, followed by two dusty figures appearing outside the open gate.
Immediately afterwards, a sound came from inside the house—
"He's awake! The old man is awake!"
"Father, Father wants some water!"
"Quick, get some water!"
"What? You're hungry?"
"Okay, okay, you want to eat egg noodles, right? I'll go sit down now."
......
Then Wu Dalang saw his mother come out of the house, nod to him, and go to the kitchen to roll out noodles with a happy expression.
Although Mrs. Zhou was strict with her husband, the couple had been together for decades and had no grudges that lasted overnight.
She thought the old man was better and wanted to eat the egg noodles she made. She was happy because being able to eat meant he was getting better!
Qingsong and Qingyun arrived at the old house one after the other.
When the crowd saw the two brothers, who looked travel-worn, they all made way for them.
"Master—"
"Grandpa~"
Qingsong and Qingyun knelt down together, kowtowed, and said in unison:
"This unfilial grandson is late, please forgive me, Grandfather."
"You're back."
"very nice."
"Get up, all of you, get up."
At this moment, Mr. Wu had a ruddy complexion and a kind smile.
Those who think the best believe that the old man is now better.
Those who think rationally speculate that the old man was experiencing a final burst of energy before death.
"Eldest son, second son, from now on this family will depend on you two. Take good care of your mother."
The two brothers, Wu Dalang and Wu Erlang, came over, knelt down, kowtowed, and answered:
"Father, rest assured, I understand. I will take good care of Mother and protect our home."
Grandpa Wu sat up, his gaze sweeping over his grandchildren, and earnestly gave them his instructions:
"Big Stone, Little Stone, Green Mountain, Green Pine, Green Mountain, and also Big Girl, Little Girl, Qingyao, you cousins, you must take good care of yourselves. You can't write two Wu Zis with one stroke, so you must support each other until old age."
The grandchildren who were called out realized that their grandfather was giving his final instructions, so they all stepped forward, knelt down, and said in unison:
"Don't worry, sir, we will."
Their wives, husbands, and children, who were present, also knelt down.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, third daughter-in-law, you are all very good. It is my good fortune, Wu Yongfu, to be your father-in-law in this life."
Grandpa Wu's tone became increasingly urgent and he grew increasingly breathless after saying so much.
He struggled to calm the turmoil in his chest. As his end approached, he called out to the door—
"Sanlang, you've come!"
Old Master Wu smiled, and slowly closed his eyes...
Legend has it that when a person is about to die, they can see the person they miss most in their life.
So, the legend was true.
Sanlang, come and get, get Daddy...
"Waaaaah~"
"Wow wow wow~"
"father--"
"Grandpa~"
At the doorway, Old Zhou, holding a steaming bowl of egg noodles, suddenly lost all her strength. Her hands went limp, and the egg noodles crashed to the ground, shattering with a crisp sound.
"Bang!"
Old man, you're lying to me.
You lied to me again, even at the very last moment!
"mother--"
Old Mrs. Zhou's vision went black; unable to withstand the shock, she fainted.
......
"Crackling and popping~"
At 1:15 a.m., deafening firecrackers rang out at the door of Old Wu's house.
Then, white lanterns were hung above the doorway.
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors were the first to react and began to come to offer their condolences...
Next came other families in the village, and gradually, more and more families arrived...
The sounds of mournful music and sobbing cast an inescapable shadow over Old Wu's home.
The weather in early summer is a bit warm.
The two brothers, Wu Dalang and Wu Erlang, personally wiped the old man's body and changed him into his burial clothes.
After tidying up their appearance, they were carried into the coffin.
The memorial tablet, spirit tablet, altar, incense, candles, and other items were all placed in the main room.
As filial sons and grandsons, the three families took turns keeping watch at night, burning incense and paper money.
Receive condolences from visitors and reciprocate with gifts.
To ensure the old man passed away peacefully, Jiang Yue instructed people to prepare a lot of dry ice and carefully surround the coffin, so that her father-in-law could remain at home for a few more days.
Fortunately, they have many blood relatives, and the whole family helps each other, allowing each person to get a little sleep each day.
Once the person leaves, the tea grows cold?
Oh no, the Wu family will only become more and more united!
The funeral for Mr. Wu went exceptionally smoothly; it was the most grand funeral in the past twenty years.
I imagine that if my father-in-law knew this from beyond the grave, he would feel honored.
Old Mrs. Zhou would boast to everyone she met that her children, grandchildren, and daughters-in-law were all very filial.
The funeral arrangements for the old man were extremely grand; the old man, now that he's down in the afterlife, must be incredibly smug!
However, in the dead of night, or perhaps in a half-asleep state, when she touches the empty space beside her and finds the blankets cold, her eyes still sting and tears well up uncontrollably...
They were husband and wife for life, how could he bear to leave her alone in the world?
Seriously, she's so infuriating!
Until the day the old man was buried, a black butterfly fell onto her shoulder, and her carefully maintained strength crumbled completely.
"Old man, wait for me! Don't drink the Meng Po soup first, and don't provoke the little old woman in the underworld!"
"I won't restrict your drinking anymore. I'll buy you as much as you want to drink!"
"Alright, alright, you can go now. I'll come find you."
........
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