Shen Xuanqing wasn't short of this mouthful of meat, but after Lin Shouyi called him, he still carried the shovel and went to the south slope with Shen Yaoqing. As he walked, he thought that this Li Wanyun had a pretty good mind. Since all the people were dead, and Lao Zhang also treated her poorly during her lifetime, why should she spend money for setting up three days banquet in vain?
On the other side, when the fourth uncle Zhang heard that Lao Zhang was going to be buried today, his attempt to force Li Wanyun to set up a flowing water banquet would fail, so he colluded with Zhang Gui and Zhang Hongye, and came to the Zhang family.
[流水席 liú shuǐ xí: flowing water banquet, banquet where guests arrive at various times and are served with food as they arrive]
"You have to bury people right after they die, and you don't even abide by the rules for burying the soul. What is this? Li Wanyun, you are unfilial!" The fourth uncle Zhang finally found a reason to suppress Li Wanyun, and shouted as soon as he entered the door.
But he never thought that Lin Shouyi would be here today. He said solemnly: "Fourth child, I was the one who let them dig the grave. Do you have any problem?"
The fourth uncle Zhang had been jumping up and down in the past few days, which had aroused public outrage. The villagers kept scolding him behind his back for being immoral and also liked to sneak around to get out of the spotlight. Lin Shouyi's father was Lin Zhongcai, so he must be the next village chief. Usually he was very kind in the village, but now he got angry and didn't look good to the fourth uncle Zhang.
Who didn't know that the fourth uncle Zhang came here for money and things of the Zhang family? Lin Shouyi looked at him and then at Li Wanyun. Comparing the two of them like this, a man couldn't even match a woman's knowledge, and he felt more and more disgusted.
They were all poor people with mud legs digging in the soil. It wasn't difficult to leave a way for a widow to live, so why did they want to force her to die?
As soon as Lin Shouyi spoke, the fourth uncle Zhang immediately became speechless. After he went back yesterday, he thought for most of the night. Even if he couldn't get the money, he would have to extend the period of banquet and let Li Wanyun hold banquet for ten days.
If there was a family from all over the country who could hold banquet for the death like this, they would be praised by everyone. If Li Wanyun didn't want to spend so much money for the banquet, then she was unfilial, and the money of the Zhang family wouldn't fall into the hands of outsiders.
Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened when he woke up. Lao Zhang was going to be buried today. Once this person was buried, he wouldn't be able to get anything.
This group of evil-hearted people came again. Li Wanyun looked at them with hatred in her heart. She was determined not to let these people get a copper coin.
Fortunately, Lin Shouyi was here today, and many women and fulangs from the village came, so she didn't need to act like she was crazy like yesterday.
No matter how much the relatives of the Zhang family continued to make a fuss, what Lin Shouyi had approved couldn't be changed. Besides, those young and strong men had gone to dig the grave in the south slope. They also had killed the chickens for the men who dug the grave. He could never take his words back, wouldn’t that slap him in the face? If something like this happened, how could he be the village chief in the future? So he gave the fourth uncle Zhang and the others a lesson.
When the banquet started at noon, a dozen men who came back after digging the grave from the south slope finally could eat.
It was funny when it was the time for them to sit together at the table. The two tables of meat supposed to be eaten by the men who had given their strength to dig the grave. However, as soon as the fourth uncle Zhang saw the stewed chicken on the table, he rushed over and wanted to occupy a chair to sit down.
Most of the people who went to dig the grave were young men. Some people came to help out of pity for Li Wanyun, and some people worked hard for this meat dish, and everyone knew had dug the grave with them before. Suddenly, the fourth uncle Zhang, who didn't help at all sneaked in to eat with them. The men who dug the grave couldn't bear it and got angry, they immediately started scolding and kicked the fourth uncle Zhang out of the table.
More than a dozen men took action together. The fourth uncle Zhang wanted to curse, but when he saw this situation, he immediately shrank his head and slipped to the side.
The relatives of the Zhang family were also really annoying. They even squeezed the seats of the villagers. They felt that this was their Zhang family's money. Why should they let outsiders come to eat? This made several women and fulangs quarrel with them.
Li Wanyun didn't go out to eat, and she could only look at the faces of those "good relatives", but she couldn't drive them away. As long as today was over, it would be quiet as long as the old woman was buried.
Farmers with a relatively well-off family would invite a suona after the death of elders in their family, but Li Wanyun didn't. As soon as the banquet was finished, the men carried the coffin to the south slope in a deserted manner.
In the house, Lu Gu and Shen Yan were pasting the windows of their home with red paper. They heard the sound of coffin being carried outside and couldn't help but look over. They found Shen Xuanqing's figure in the crowd, but he walked past without even seeing a few glances.
They put the red paper on the glued area. Ji Qiuyue was pregnant, and two people from the Zhang family died in a row, so they had no choice but to block it.
The hens in the backyard were clucking loudly, and several of them were clucking together. Shen Yan heard it, however because there was glue on both of her hands, she said, "Brother Guzi, why don't you go to the backyard and have a look, I’ll paste the rest."
It was too cold in winter and hens lay very few eggs. When spring came, it would get warmer, and the eggs gradually increased. Naturally, the eggs were valuable, therefore when they heard any noise, they had to go and collect them as soon as possible. It would be a pity if they couldn't collect it in time and got smashed.
"Okay." Lu Gu took the egg basket and walked to the backyard. It didn't matter. He thought that it was an old hen laying eggs, but he never thought it was one of his little hens.
Shen Xuanqing wasn't short of this mouthful of meat, but after Lin Shouyi called him, he still carried the shovel and went to the south slope with Shen Yaoqing. As he walked, he thought that this Li Wanyun had a pretty good mind. Since all the people were dead, and Lao Zhang also treated her poorly during her lifetime, why should she spend money for setting up three days banquet in vain?
On the other side, when the fourth uncle Zhang heard that Lao Zhang was going to be buried today, his attempt to force Li Wanyun to set up a flowing water banquet would fail, so he colluded with Zhang Gui and Zhang Hongye, and came to the Zhang family.
[流水席 liú shuǐ xí: flowing water banquet, banquet where guests arrive at various times and are served with food as they arrive]
"You have to bury people right after they die, and you don't even abide by the rules for burying the soul. What is this? Li Wanyun, you are unfilial!" The fourth uncle Zhang finally found a reason to suppress Li Wanyun, and shouted as soon as he entered the door.
But he never thought that Lin Shouyi would be here today. He said solemnly: "Fourth child, I was the one who let them dig the grave. Do you have any problem?"
The fourth uncle Zhang had been jumping up and down in the past few days, which had aroused public outrage. The villagers kept scolding him behind his back for being immoral and also liked to sneak around to get out of the spotlight. Lin Shouyi's father was Lin Zhongcai, so he must be the next village chief. Usually he was very kind in the village, but now he got angry and didn't look good to the fourth uncle Zhang.
Who didn't know that the fourth uncle Zhang came here for money and things of the Zhang family? Lin Shouyi looked at him and then at Li Wanyun. Comparing the two of them like this, a man couldn't even match a woman's knowledge, and he felt more and more disgusted.
They were all poor people with mud legs digging in the soil. It wasn't difficult to leave a way for a widow to live, so why did they want to force her to die?
As soon as Lin Shouyi spoke, the fourth uncle Zhang immediately became speechless. After he went back yesterday, he thought for most of the night. Even if he couldn't get the money, he would have to extend the period of banquet and let Li Wanyun hold banquet for ten days.
If there was a family from all over the country who could hold banquet for the death like this, they would be praised by everyone. If Li Wanyun didn't want to spend so much money for the banquet, then she was unfilial, and the money of the Zhang family wouldn't fall into the hands of outsiders.
Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened when he woke up. Lao Zhang was going to be buried today. Once this person was buried, he wouldn't be able to get anything.
This group of evil-hearted people came again. Li Wanyun looked at them with hatred in her heart. She was determined not to let these people get a copper coin.
Fortunately, Lin Shouyi was here today, and many women and fulangs from the village came, so she didn't need to act like she was crazy like yesterday.
No matter how much the relatives of the Zhang family continued to make a fuss, what Lin Shouyi had approved couldn't be changed. Besides, those young and strong men had gone to dig the grave in the south slope. They also had killed the chickens for the men who dug the grave. He could never take his words back, wouldn’t that slap him in the face? If something like this happened, how could he be the village chief in the future? So he gave the fourth uncle Zhang and the others a lesson.
When the banquet started at noon, a dozen men who came back after digging the grave from the south slope finally could eat.
It was funny when it was the time for them to sit together at the table. The two tables of meat supposed to be eaten by the men who had given their strength to dig the grave. However, as soon as the fourth uncle Zhang saw the stewed chicken on the table, he rushed over and wanted to occupy a chair to sit down.
Most of the people who went to dig the grave were young men. Some people came to help out of pity for Li Wanyun, and some people worked hard for this meat dish, and everyone knew had dug the grave with them before. Suddenly, the fourth uncle Zhang, who didn't help at all sneaked in to eat with them. The men who dug the grave couldn't bear it and got angry, they immediately started scolding and kicked the fourth uncle Zhang out of the table.
More than a dozen men took action together. The fourth uncle Zhang wanted to curse, but when he saw this situation, he immediately shrank his head and slipped to the side.
The relatives of the Zhang family were also really annoying. They even squeezed the seats of the villagers. They felt that this was their Zhang family's money. Why should they let outsiders come to eat? This made several women and fulangs quarrel with them.
Li Wanyun didn't go out to eat, and she could only look at the faces of those "good relatives", but she couldn't drive them away. As long as today was over, it would be quiet as long as the old woman was buried.
Farmers with a relatively well-off family would invite a suona after the death of elders in their family, but Li Wanyun didn't. As soon as the banquet was finished, the men carried the coffin to the south slope in a deserted manner.
In the house, Lu Gu and Shen Yan were pasting the windows of their home with red paper. They heard the sound of coffin being carried outside and couldn't help but look over. They found Shen Xuanqing's figure in the crowd, but he walked past without even seeing a few glances.
They put the red paper on the glued area. Ji Qiuyue was pregnant, and two people from the Zhang family died in a row, so they had no choice but to block it.
The hens in the backyard were clucking loudly, and several of them were clucking together. Shen Yan heard it, however because there was glue on both of her hands, she said, "Brother Guzi, why don't you go to the backyard and have a look, I’ll paste the rest."
It was too cold in winter and hens lay very few eggs. When spring came, it would get warmer, and the eggs gradually increased. Naturally, the eggs were valuable, therefore when they heard any noise, they had to go and collect them as soon as possible. It would be a pity if they couldn't collect it in time and got smashed.
"Okay." Lu Gu took the egg basket and walked to the backyard. It didn't matter. He thought that it was an old hen laying eggs, but he never thought it was one of his little hens.
