Birth, old age, sickness and death are all major events. When the Zheng family returned to the Zheng family's old house, the news of Mr. Zheng's death quickly spread throughout the Ginkgo Village.
The village chief was the first to come and offer his condolences. He bowed respectfully three times toward the coffin, then looked at Zheng's brothers and said comfortingly, "Dafeng, Datong, Dagu, please accept my condolences..."
"Thank you, village chief." Zheng Dafeng kowtowed to the village chief according to local custom. After a few words of greeting, other villagers also came to pay their respects.
"Rest in peace, Uncle Zheng."
"Uncle Zheng lived to be seventy-six years old, a rare longevity in our village. His descendants were all very promising, and his funeral was handled with great ceremony. He was blessed with both good fortune and longevity."
"Dagu, Datong, Dafeng, don't be sad, your father is having a happy funeral."
…
"Uncle Zheng, I came to see you."
For five or six hours, the Zheng family's mourning hall was always crowded with people. Even though Zheng's father and his brothers took turns to kowtow and express their gratitude, their foreheads still gradually became red and swollen.
"Dear ones from the eldest family and the second family, go and have a rest first." In the evening, Sun Cuilan looked at her two daughters-in-law who looked tired and had visibly pregnant bellies, and gave them instructions.
"Let's all go back to the house, and leave two people to keep watch." After hearing what Sun Cuilan said, Uncle Zheng looked at the younger generations and said.
We should be filial to our elders, but this does not mean that we should bother the younger ones.
"Jianjun, you stay." Thinking of Zheng Jianye and Zheng Jiangong who needed to take care of their wives, Sun Cuilan looked at the third child, "You stay with your father at the funeral hall for one night."
Zheng Jianjun nodded. He had no objection at all.
Mr. Zheng, who just happened to hear the bad news, has not yet been able to digest his sadness and has no intention of resting at all.
Uncle Zheng naturally didn't object when he saw this. He arranged, "Okay, Datong and Jianjun will guard the first half of the night, and Dagu and I will guard the second half. We'll change them tomorrow."
When everyone heard this, they nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
"Mom, do we really have to keep the body for seven days?" After returning home, Zheng Dandan looked at Sun Cuilan, her eyes full of hesitation.
She could understand and respect the grand funeral and the return of the deceased to his roots, but she was worried about the suspension of the body.
After a person dies, the body will quickly produce and ferment a large amount of bacteria, which is extremely dangerous even in a cold winter.
"Of course, that's the old rule. A dozen years ago, people didn't have the means, so they just wrapped the body in a straw mat and buried it hastily. But our family is different now. We have the means, so we can't be as perfunctory as before." Sun Cuilan answered without thinking.
"But what if grandpa's body gets spoiled?" Zheng Dandan asked with a frown.
"It shouldn't be, right?" Sun Cuilan's tone was full of uncertainty. The scene hadn't appeared for more than ten years, and she was really not sure about the subsequent changes.
"Who can say for sure? Let's discuss it with my uncle tomorrow. I think three days will be enough." Zheng Dandan expressed her thoughts.
Sun Cuilan habitually followed Zheng Dandan's opinions. After Zheng Dandan finished speaking, she subconsciously expressed her support.
Because of Zheng Dandan's abilities and achievements, she has a lot of say in the Zheng family.
The next day, after she expressed her opinion, she quickly gained the support of most of the Zheng family.
Mr. Zheng's funeral was very grand, with all kinds of music and singing.
During the burial, the funeral procession seemed to have no end in sight.
Zheng Dandan was also generous and willing to spend money at the funeral banquet, which won almost unanimous praise from the villagers of Ginkgo Village.
"Can we go back to the county town tonight?" Uncle Zheng asked Zheng Dandan for her opinion after the funeral. After all, Zheng Dandan had hired the transport team and the car parked at the village entrance.
"Of course." Zheng Dandan nodded. She looked at Uncle Zheng, "Don't worry, I'll have them send everyone back home."
"Aren't you going back?" Uncle Zheng heard the implication of Zheng Dandan's words and looked at Zheng Dandan in surprise.
"I have something to do in Ginkgo Village. I'll come back after I'm done." Zheng Dandan said lightly. Soon after she finished speaking, she walked towards the village chief's office.
"What did you say? Road construction?" The village chief looked at Zheng Dandan in disbelief. Just now, he saw Zheng Dandan coming over and was about to comfort her that the dead cannot be resurrected and that she should look forward to everything, but he heard Zheng Dandan speak first, telling him about the road construction plan.
"That's right, the road from Ginkgo Village to Bailian Town is too rugged and muddy. I plan to build a slightly better road." Zheng Dandan gave the village chief an affirmative look.
When the road is repaired and she has the credit, she can start to fight back against Shen Shifeng. Thinking of this, Zheng Dandan couldn't help but feel excited.
"We don't have much money in the account of Ginkgo Village." Although he knew that Zheng Dandan would not let Ginkgo Village pay, the village chief still took precautions.
"I can provide the funds." Zheng Dandan didn't care and was not at all offended by the village chief's behavior.
"I don't have access to sand and gravel either." The village chief looked at Zheng Dandan embarrassedly. This time, he meant what he said. If he had access, with the money Zheng Dandan earned from renting the mountain, he would have borrowed a little more money and built a road.
"I have contacted Secretary Su in the town about the channel, so it's not a problem." Zheng Dandan looked at the village chief and said.
"Then why are you looking for me?" The village chief looked at Zheng Dandan in confusion. Zheng Dandan already had everything, so why did she look for him, for approval?
"I am short of manpower. I hope we can still follow the old rules. Village chief can help me recruit people and keep an eye on them." Zheng Dandan made a request to the village chief.
This matter was no pressure for the village chief, and road construction was beneficial to the entire Ginkgo Village. After hearing Zheng Dandan's words, he agreed on the spot.
When the village chief was gathering people, Zheng Dandan contacted Secretary Su and told him that he was about to start building the road and hoped that Secretary Su could provide help.
When Secretary Su heard the news, he was even more excited than Zheng Dandan. He immediately called various departments and asked them to cooperate to the greatest extent possible.
The staff is in place and other aspects are arranged properly.
Almost on the same day, the road from Ginkgo Village to the town was planned and cordoned off.
"Dandan, thank you. It will be much more convenient for us to go to town from now on."
"Yes, I won't be afraid of rainy days anymore."
"Dandan, why are you thinking of building a road? How much will it cost?"
"I heard you pay them six dollars a day. That means you'll hire over thirty people in total, right?"
"Can women like us sign up? Dandan, you're a girl too, why are only men allowed to sign up?"
When the villagers heard about Zheng Dandan's road construction, they gathered around her and chattered about their inner thoughts.
"Road construction is physical work. Ladies, your lives are not difficult now, so why make yourselves suffer?" Zheng Dandan looked at the person who complained. She actually wanted to take care of women, so she didn't recruit anyone.
"It's not hard at all. Women can't do physical work. I'm happy to make money and I won't cry at all!" The middle-aged woman who complained obviously awakened her feminine consciousness and had a tough attitude.
Seeing her firm attitude, Zheng Dandan thought for a moment and agreed to her request.
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