The Little Widower (farming)

5

Zhou Yuan drove the cart at a steady pace, not too fast. On the cart were the things he was going to bring back from the town to use in repairing the house.

Aunt Sun knew that Chen Qing was reticent, so she chatted with Zhou Yuan: "Construction will start soon? How many rooms are you planning to build?"

Zhou Yuan replied: "Three or four rooms, kitchen, two bedrooms, A main room and a hut are needed."

Aunt Sun nodded: "That's enough for you alone. Did you buy the bullock cart?"

Zhou Yuan answered all questions and talked more than he did in front of Aunt Hua. Many: "Yes, I thought it would be convenient to go out or do farm work with an ox cart."

Chen Qing listened to them and fell asleep leaning on Aunt Sun's shoulder on the rickety ox cart.

Zhou Yuan turned to look at him, then looked away.

Aunt Sun added: "Our Ah Qing is a bit introverted. If anything happens to him, please be patient."

She naturally knows Chen Qing's temperament. He is boring, doesn't like to talk, and has stage fright in big scenes. , sometimes some people don't know how to read the atmosphere.

Zhou Yuan glanced at Chen Qing again, he was sleeping soundly: "No, they are all from the same village."

Remembering that they all came down from the battlefield, Aunt Sun naturally wanted to know something about Meng Tao.

Although Zhou Yuan told the village chief that Meng Tao asked him to take care of his widowed mother, they were in the same camp, Zhou Yuan was in the Pioneer Camp, and Meng Tao seemed to be in the Infantry Battalion. The two battalions had nothing in common, and he didn't know Meng Tao. Tao, I said that last time just to take care of them.

In order to prevent small groups from forming in one place, all the people in their village were dispersed when they entered the military camp. Zhou Yuan helped Meng Tao collect the corpses while cleaning the battlefield. The battle situation was changing rapidly, so he died in the battle. The soldiers could only be buried on the spot. Meng Tao was lucky to have a whole body. There were many people and even the body could not be found.

But to Meng Tao's mother, he had no way to tell these things. He just said: "We are in the same camp, and we don't interact too much on weekdays."

Aunt Sun stared at Zhou Yuan longingly, trying to get rid of this stranger. He heard more news about his son from his mouth.

"He died heroically in the Battle of Gupingguan two years ago." Zhou Yuan said, "That battle was very tragic, and both the enemy and us suffered losses. Their infantry battalion bought us a lot of time and laid the foundation for the subsequent victory. The foundation has been laid."

Aunt Sun wiped away her tears: "My son is brave."

Chen Qing felt Aunt Sun's shoulders twitching. When he woke up, he saw Aunt Sun wiping away tears. Chen Qing took something out of his arms and embroidered it for himself. The veil is in the shape of his domestic goose.

He glanced at Zhou Yuan warily and moved his lips. Aunt Sun choked and said, "Zhou Yuan just told me something about Tao Zi in the military camp."

Chen Qing then carefully moved his eyes and then Then he looked at Zhou Yuan with a little expectation. Although he and Meng Tao had never met, he also wanted to hear about him.

Zhou Yuan just glanced at him and then stopped talking. He just drove the car quietly. Chen Qing waited for a while and found that he had no intention of speaking again, so he sighed slightly.

All the way back to the village, Chen Qing and Aunt Sun discovered that the homestead where Zhou Yuan was going to build a house was not too far from their home, it could even be said to be very close.

Aunt Sun was stunned for a moment before saying, "We will be neighbors from now on."

Zhou Yuan nodded: "Yes. So when will the funeral be held at home? As Meng Tao's comrade, I should come and offer him a stick of incense. "

"It should, it should." Aunt Sun had a good impression of Zhou Yuan in front of her. He was tall and handsome, and he had some killing spirit that he had not yet recovered after coming off the battlefield. She was thinking that if Tao Zi could come back, he should This is also the case.

March 27 is the appropriate day for a funeral.

Aunt Sun had already given the people in the village a break. She didn't do it for any gift money, she just wanted Meng Tao to leave in glory.

The banquet people from the neighboring village had already arrived. After looking around at the ingredients they prepared, they immediately decided on the specifications for a table. Three cold dishes, four hot dishes, and one soup would be enough. Used, they have also made products with worse specifications than this.

Along with the waiters, there are also waiters. They are good at handling mundane tasks. They know all the procedures and etiquette and how to do it.

Their yard is not big, and the borrowed tables, chairs and benches have been placed on the path outside the door. There are five tables in total.

Aunts who were familiar with Aunt Sun all came to help, and they all brought some things, such as a few eggs and pieces of white cloth.

More people will come at noon, and they will bury the coffin in the morning.

As Meng Tao's widow, Chen Qing can choose whether to wear filial piety or not.

In the custom of Luohe Village, both the woman and her husband can choose whether or not they want to wear mourning for their ex-husband, because if they marry again in the future, they will conflict with the future husband's family.

Aunt Sun was the only person in Luohe Village who paid homage to her deceased husband. Because of this incident, Aunt Sun had a lot of conflicts with her natal family, and they did not have any contact with each other for many years.

Aunt Sun remembered the conversation between Chen Qing and her last night.

She looked at the filial piety clothes and filial piety that Chen Qing had prepared, as well as the hemp rope that he had twisted by himself. Aunt Sun stopped him: "Aqing, you don't have to do this. Listen to mother and don't wear filial piety. What's more, you can't even wear filial piety. I have never met Taozi, so there is no need to do this."

Chen Qing shook his head: "I have to do it, mother, I regard you as my own mother, why should I ask you to come if I don't pay him a tribute? "It won't be safe if he leaves like this."

Aunt Sun tried to persuade him for a long time, but in the end she couldn't resist him and had to let him go. So today Chen Qing wore a white mourning dress with a mourning handkerchief on his head and around his waist. Holding the hemp rope, he followed the porters and cooperated with them.

Meng Tao's coffin was parked in the main room, and Chen Qing was kneeling on the futon. In front of him was a brazier, and in the brazier was burning paper money.

Before going up the mountain, if relatives and friends are willing, they can come and burn some paper money and burn a stick of incense for him.

But when it was time to go out in the morning, no one came to burn paper money for Meng Tao.

Chen Qing looked at the brazier in front of him and reached out to burn some more for him. Although they were called husband and wife, they had never met each other.

I don't know whether he is sadder or Meng Tao is sadder.

As he thought about it, Chen Qing burst into tears, as if he was crying for Meng Tao and also for himself.

This is the fourth funeral held by Chen Qing.

The first time it was his father, the second time it was his baby daddy. The third time was an old woman he had never met. It was the second year after Chen Qing sold himself. Ren Yazi took him to many places, but no one wanted to buy him. Later, it was an old woman who He is willing to take him back and say that he will be his grandson's husband.

At that time, the deposit had already been paid, and the old man also gave him a wallet he made. Just when Chen Qing was packing his things and preparing to follow him, something happened suddenly. The old man suffered a sudden illness and passed away.

Chen Qing's identity was very embarrassing. He only heard about the old man's affairs later. He said that the old man's son had died early, his daughter-in-law had run away with someone a long time ago, and his only grandson had been drafted away. The old man thought that he might I can't wait for my grandson to come back, so I want to find a husband for him to wait for him at home.

Chen Qing, who had always been quiet and didn't like to deal with people, begged Ren Yazi for the first time, saying that after receiving the deposit, he could let himself go and give the old man a happy ending.

After careful consideration, Ren Yazi agreed. Chen Qing spent a day finding the old man's home. Under the guidance of the villagers, he dug a hole for the old man, buried her, and spent all the money he had saved. , bought firecrackers and set them off in front of the old man's grave.

Before leaving, Chen Qing went to the old man's house. There was nothing in the yard, only some of the old man's clothes and bedding. Chen Qing did not throw away those things, but put them away in the cabinet, thinking about her grandson. Coming back was just a thought after all. In the end, all he took away was the purse the old man gave him, and then he followed Ren Yazi and continued moving forward.

When Chen Qing was thinking about this past, the top of his head was blocked by a shadow. Chen Qing raised his head, and two lines of clear tears fell on his white mourning clothes, and one or two spots hung on his chin.

There was no sound at all when he cried, but his tears kept dripping like broken beads. He saw Zhou Yuan wearing black clothes, picked up a stick of incense from one side, lit it, bowed three times, and then He put the incense into the incense burner, then went to Chen Qing's side, knelt down on one knee and burned some paper money.

Chen Qing raised his hand to wipe the tears on his chin, then knelt straight and saluted Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan's eyes dimmed, and after burning the last paper money, he left the main room.

When the auspicious time came, the coffin was closed, and Chen Qing held Meng Tao's memorial tablet and offerings in his hands, and walked at the front of the crowd.

Today is also a sunny day, and occasionally one or two cicadas can be heard on the mountain.

Meng Tao's cemetery had been chosen a long time ago and was not too far away from his father. When Chen Qing walked out of the door, he heard Aunt Sun crying.

Chen Qing raised his hands, held the things in his hands steadily, and walked to the cemetery. He listened to the porter singing and dancing, and from time to time, he would sprinkle some grains and other things on him.

Finally, he watched the coffin bearers put Meng Tao's coffin into the dug pit, and then slowly filled it with soil. They arranged for Chen Qing to burn incense and paper money.

After the burning, a porter told him to take a different route back home before the porter buried the coffin. On the way, he should find a cypress tree and pick some cypress leaves. Put branches on your body.

Chen Qing was a little stunned. After being urged by the porter, he stood up and walked a completely different road than when he came. He also saw cypress branches on the road. He picked them off and put them on his head. waist.

In the courtyard of the Meng family, many people from the village came at this time, and they didn't come empty-handed. Some were given one or two cents, and some were given a few eggs. In short, they didn't get this meal for nothing.

Zhou Yuan was also in the crowd, but he was not familiar with the people in the village, and no one came near him. He sat aside, relatively quiet.

It was just that he had developed excellent ears on the battlefield, and he could clearly hear what the two women on his side were saying.

"Is Chen Qing really wearing mourning?"

"Yes, isn't he holding the memorial tablet up the mountain? He really doesn't plan to marry again in the future?"

"That's pitiful, he has never even met Meng Tao, right?"

"Then I just want to be like Sun Cui and never marry again."

"It's really pitiful."

"What if I regret it later?"

"If anyone falls in love with him in the future, he will be remembered. The bad luck on his body makes it difficult for him to get married. "

"Besides, you can see that his little guy is not easy to raise. Who would leave his innocent brother and sister unmarried and marry someone else? Is there an unlucky widow in Ma Daixiao?"

Zhou Yuan listened to their discussion expressionlessly, not noticing that a big hole had been dug under his feet.

Poor Chen Qing came back out of breath. When Aunt Sun saw him, she took off the cypress branch from his waist and gently fell on him again and again. Chen Qing didn't know why, but Still standing there and letting her do what she did.

Hearing the sound of firecrackers on the mountain, Aunt Sun patted Chen Qing's body and said, "I invite everyone to sit down and eat."

Naturally, no one takes time to eat. They are all people digging for food in the land. Not willing to eat such a large piece of meat, everyone was almost rushing to get it to the table.

Chen Qing sat at the table without moving his chopsticks. From today on, he would observe filial piety to Meng Tao. He would not eat meat or fish for three months, not wear colorful clothes for half a year, and not travel far for a year.

They didn't start settling the bill until the villagers were sent away.

The coffin was bought in a hurry and was not too expensive. A thin coffin cost thirty taels of silver, and each of the four porters received one hundred and twenty cash as wedding money. The wages for making the banquet were three hundred cash, and the meat and vegetables were sold for two hundred cash. Two silver coins.

This idle affair, plus miscellaneous expenses, actually cost almost eighty taels of silver.

Meng Tao's pension was only ten taels of silver.

But Chen Qing could feel that her mother was relaxed, as if she had accomplished the most important thing in her life.

Chen Qing suddenly felt panicked.