Chapter 203 Funeral
Gu Lianshan, who was driving a ox cart to Bei'an City, would never have dreamed that not long after he left, the small mountain village, which was deserted and dull due to the cold weather, was completely in an uproar because of the news of Old Man Gu coming to report the death.
Logically speaking, when Wei died, the person who announced the death would be either her husband or her son. There was never any case of her father-in-law coming to announce the death.
Old Master Gu also knew that it was inappropriate for him to visit like this, so he explained to others along the way that Gu Liansheng had gone to the Wei family to report a death and was not at home at the moment.
As for Gu Tianbao, Old Man Gu said that he fell ill because he couldn't bear the shock of learning that his mother had died. Now he can't even get out of bed and is very ill.
My old partner at home is also paralyzed in bed due to illness and cannot walk. The remaining two granddaughters are useless. One is sick due to sadness, and the other just knows how to cry and has no idea what to do.
After much consideration, he realized that only his old bones could move, so he had to cover his face and come to report the death.
The villagers felt very sad when they heard these words. Even if Mr. Gu was no longer a good person in the past, he was really sad at this moment.
But he didn't look like he was sad about the death of his daughter-in-law, but rather seemed sad about his own situation.
There were some soft-hearted people who couldn't bear to see Mr. Gu like this, so they gave him an idea and told him to ask his third uncle for help.
"You two are brothers after all. Even if your bones are broken, you are still connected. Now he is supporting Lianshan's family. Logically, you should be closer!"
Organizing a funeral is not an easy task, as all the trivial matters and rules involved are extremely complicated.
If no one comes to help, and Mr. Gu has to work on his own, he will probably fall ill in less than half a day.
Mr. Gu also knew this, and he tried to save face and had no intention of going over.
But after visiting four or five houses in a row, he couldn't hold on any longer and leaned against the wall with stars in his eyes.
This is really not something that can be done by one person.
After hesitating for a long time, Mr. Gu finally gave in. He walked step by step to his third uncle's house and knocked on the door, hoping to ask his second son to come forward to help take care of it.
The person who opened the door was Gu Ping'an. When he first saw Old Man Gu, he did not hide the surprise on his face.
The same went for Mr. Gu. To be honest, at first glance he didn't recognize that the boy in front of him was Ping An.
It was only after the second and third glance that he recognized it.
Looking at the boy in front of him, Mr. Gu had a complicated look in his eyes, with all kinds of emotions intertwined, both good and bad.
After not seeing him for many days, Gu Ping'an looks much different now.
In the past, he looked thin and had a shadow that could not be shaken off.
Now he has plump cheeks and looks lively.
Everything he was wearing was new, made of the finest cloth, something he had never dared to think about before, but now he wore it casually.
Old Master Gu also had a few clothes made of fine cloth, but they were all kept at the bottom of the box to be worn when visiting relatives during festivals or when guests came to the house, so as to bring honor to Gu Liansheng.
I still remember that when the second son was adopted, Mr. Gu said that his family would not have a smooth and prosperous life.
But not long after they separated, the second brother's family not only dressed in fancy clothes, but also looked rosy and lively.
It's like a dead tree coming back to life.
Mr. Gu couldn't tell what he felt in his heart, but generally speaking, he still disliked the second brother's family!
Especially the second brother's family is more annoying than ever now!
"Where's your father? Call your father out!"
He suddenly took a few steps forward, pushed Gu Ping'an aside, and walked into the yard in a swagger.
Mr. Gu did this on purpose.
According to the customs in this area, when the head of the family announces a death, they are not allowed to enter the courtyard of their relative's house.
When announcing a death, one would kowtow outside the courtyard, then be informed of the date and time of the burial, and then they could go home. They were not allowed to enter the house to greet the deceased.
But today, Mr. Gu deliberately entered the yard.
Gu Ping'an didn't know that Mr. Gu had been reporting the death before. He closed the courtyard gate and followed him to the main hall.
In the main hall, Third Uncle didn't know about the death either. When he saw Mr. Gu coming, he was very surprised.
Old Master Gu didn't beat around the bush and said that Wei had died and the family was preparing for the funeral, and he wanted Gu Lianshan to go back with him to take care of it.
As soon as these words were spoken, Gu Ping'an and his third uncle's expressions changed.
What a damn wicked thing!
Since there is a funeral in your family, why did you step into the yard!
He is in his forties and covered in dirt up to his neck, yet he is still so confused when doing things!
Third Uncle took a deep breath and looked at Old Man Gu with cold eyes. He saw a hint of pride in his eyes.
What else is there to understand now?
He came in on purpose during the funeral announcement!
Good, good, good!
Since you don't care, then he doesn't need to be merciful either!
"Go back! Lianshan is not at home, so he can't go to your funeral!"
"He is about to come back from outside, so why is he not at home?"
Old Master Gu didn't believe this. He suddenly stood up and started shouting randomly around.
"Second brother! Second brother! What? Now that you are rich and well off, you start to look down on your family?!"
"What are you yelling about!" Third Uncle slammed the table, his face impatient: "Lianshan is no longer the second son in your family, he is my eldest son now!"
The sudden outburst of the Third Uncle shocked Old Man Gu.
Uncle San pointed at him and cursed: "You wicked thing! What did you do when my wife and son passed away one after another? Not to mention coming to help with the funeral, you didn't even show up from beginning to end! It was all thanks to Lianshan that kid who held up the scene!
Now, you are shamelessly coming here, wanting my son to help you with your funeral? Ha! Don’t even think about it! "
These words made Mr. Gu feel embarrassed and annoyed, but he couldn't defend himself.
At the time, he only cared about his own pleasure and didn't care about anything else.
The result? Not much anger was relieved, but the reputation was lost.
Uncle San calmed down, but his tone was still bad: "There is no room for negotiation on this matter! If you don't want to go, you won't go! You know whether Wei is dead or alive! It's not taboo for you to hold a funeral for a living person!
Mr. Gu's face changed drastically: "Who told you that? Did Lian Shan tell you that?"
"Does he need to tell me about this? Anyone with eyes can see that the funeral of the Wei family is very strange."
"What's so strange?" Mr. Gu denied that there was anything strange about it.
"Wei has been missing for so long, and he disappeared in the mountains. He will die sooner or later! This is normal!"
"Ha!" Third Uncle laughed coldly, "You said Wei was dead, but have you seen the body?"
Corpses… Mr. Gu’s eyes darkened. “There are often tigers and leopards in that mountain. How could there be any corpses? I’m afraid they were eaten long ago.”
Third Uncle's face turned grim for a moment.
If Wei was really detained and not released, it would be fine if she couldn't come back. But if she came back, his second brother would probably die of illness.
At this point, Mr. Gu also realized that the second son was indeed not there.
He glanced at Gu Ping'an, and an idea occurred to him: "Since the father is not here, let the daughter and son take over. Where is Si Ya? Call her out, I will take her and Ping'an back together. She is already so old, she should help with things!"
"Why are you staring at them all day long? If you want to order people around, just go back and find your own grandchildren! Forget about our side branch! I love my own children, and I can't do something like treating other people's children as if they were human beings!"
These words were obviously meant to veil one's criticism, and Mr. Gu could hear it.
No matter how thick-skinned he was, he didn't have the nerve to stay here anymore.
After a stalemate, Mr. Gu gave in and left with a gloomy face.
After everyone left the courtyard, Third Uncle told Gu Ping'an to stay at home to look after the door while he also wanted to go out for a while.
He wanted to go to the clan leader to ask what was going on with Wei's funeral.
Previously, when Tang Yatou and her father were buying cattle in Bei'an City, they saw a strange man wearing Wei's pants.
After some inquiries from the father and daughter, they felt that Wei was imprisoned in a village called "Shanyao Village".
My third uncle had heard of this village before. He heard that it was a village made up of mountain people, and they were drowning girls like crazy!
Every family doesn't want girl fetuses, every family only wants boy fetuses.
In just a few decades, no baby girl survived in Shanyao Village.
This trend continued to grow, and the surrounding villages also began to learn to drown baby girls in order to save food for their families.
Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, the government requested the court to send troops to suppress it, which temporarily deterred the rebellion for a while.
I heard that things have gotten better in recent years. Although the custom of drowning girls still exists, those families who can fill their stomachs no longer drown baby girls.
If Wei was really trapped in a village like this, and if no one rescued him, he might never be able to come back in this lifetime.
Lianshan said that he would tell the Gu family about this matter. Judging from the situation, he should have told them this morning, otherwise his good second brother would not have suddenly said that he wanted to hold a funeral for Wei.
Once the funeral was held, it meant that Wei had been abandoned.
A woman was abducted and imprisoned for so many days that she might have lost her virginity long ago.
His second brother always valued reputation, and so did his nephew. The father and son hit it off and simply held a funeral for Wei, just to tell everyone that Wei was dead.
If someone claims to be Wei in the future, please don’t believe it, it must be fake!
…
At 2:00 pm, Gu Lianshan finally arrived at Bei'an City driving a ox cart.
After entering the city, he went straight to the yard without stopping.
When I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, I found a pull rope under the gate porch.
Gu Lianshan didn't know what this thing was. He grabbed it and pulled it, and faintly heard a ringing sound in his ear.
It seems... it comes from this rope?
Gu Lianshan was curious and pulled it again. This time he listened carefully and found that it was indeed the rope that made the sound.
Just as he was about to pull it again, Gu Tang's voice came from behind the door: "Who's outside?"
Hearing his daughter's voice, Gu Lianshan's heart finally settled down, but then his face darkened and he became furious!
"Open the door! It's Dad!"
Gu Tang behind the door was stunned for a moment. Her father?
How did her father know she was here?
Gu Tang quietly removed the bolt, opened the door a crack, and looked outside. Yes, it was indeed her father.
She quickly opened the door and walked out with a smile on her face: "Dad! When did you come back? I haven't seen you for a few days, it feels like a long time. I miss you so much!"
Gu Lianshan ignored her and drove the ox cart into the yard, treating her as if she were nothing.
Gu Tang scratched his head, as if he had pissed someone off.
After closing the gate, she didn't dare to smile anymore and admitted her mistake very clearly.
"Dad, don't be angry! I was wrong this time! I promise I won't do it again next time!"
"I don't trust you! How many times have you done this? You admit your mistakes so quickly, but then you just ignore them!"
Gu Lianshan was extremely angry, but he couldn't do anything about her.
Gu Tang swore to the heavens: "I swear, there won't be a next time!"
Gu Lianshan glanced at her without saying anything, snorted coldly, tied up the cow, and walked into the second courtyard with his chin raised.
They walked all the way to the main room in the second courtyard. Gu Lianshan sat in the first seat and Gu Tang hurriedly poured a bowl of hot tea and handed it to him.
After drinking a bowl of hot tea, my whole body warmed up.
"Tell me, why do you want to stay here alone?"
He felt warm all over, and Gu Lianshan's tone softened a bit, but he was still very aggressive.
Gu Tang caught this change and knew that her father's anger had subsided a little.
"I won't hide it from you. I stayed here just to find a way to build momentum for our Backflow Incense."
"What the hell? Creating momentum? Creating momentum for what?" Gu Lianshan didn't understand what this meant for a moment.
"It's hard to explain this in a short time. I have to go out for a while. You can come with me and you will understand it by then."
"What? Are you still keeping your father in suspense?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll keep you in suspense. Will you come with me later?"
"Go! Why not go!"
"Okay! Then we have a deal."
Gu Lianshan snorted lightly, as a response to this, and his anger disappeared.
Seeing this, Gu Tang started to get ahead of himself: "Dad, let's go cook. I'm about to get up and I haven't eaten yet!"
Gu Lianshan paused, wanting to starve her.
But after thinking about it, he couldn't bear to leave. After hesitating for a while, he finally resigned himself to his fate and got up and went to the kitchen.
There was not much time left until the end of the Si hour, and Gu Tang was afraid of missing an appointment, so she asked her father to steam a bowl of egg custard for her.
Gu Lianshan knew that she didn't eat much in the morning, so he gave in to her wishes and steamed a bowl of egg custard for her.
After dinner, Gu Tang glanced at the clepsydra. It was almost time, so she urged her father to pull the ox cart out. She locked the gate, climbed onto the ox cart, and urged her father to set off quickly.
"Where are we going?" Gu Lianshan was still confused and didn't ask clearly.
Gu Tang pointed ahead: "Go west to Chang'an Teahouse!"
Chang'an Teahouse?
Do you want some tea?
Gu Lianshan muttered to himself, becoming more and more curious.
Chang'an Teahouse is quite far from here, and it took the ox cart a quarter of an hour to arrive.
Gu Lianshan thought they were going to stop and go in for tea, but Gu Tang asked him to stop and stood in the car looking towards the entrance of the teahouse.
"What are you looking at?" Gu Lianshan followed her gaze. Apart from the people coming and going, there was nothing else to notice.
Gu Tang pointed to the west of the teahouse entrance: "Dad, drive over there, the person I met has arrived."
Gu Lianshan looked in the direction she pointed and saw three men with unsteady legs and ugly faces.
"This is the person you made an appointment with!" Gu Lianshan raised his voice, finding it hard to believe what he saw.
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