“...... It's not cold, if it's cold, bring an extra piece of clothing in the back basket, and you put it on. ”

“...... Not cold. ”

On the winding mountain road, the mountain wind blows along the mountain road, with some chill, from time to time,

On both sides of the mountain road, on the mountains next to each other, the branches and leaves of the trees are either withered and yellow, or still green, swaying with the mountain wind, rolling down a few fallen leaves from time to time, falling under the forest and on the road.

On the side of the road, a middle-aged woman with a backpack on her back said to the child beside her,

The child was upside down, looking around, and responding crisply,

“...... After walking again, there is a car at the intersection in front, so we will take the car. ”

Carrying a basket on her back and bending her waist, the middle-aged woman's face seemed to be blown by the mountain wind, cold, a little red, turned her head, and said to her child,

“...... Good!"

The child took his mother's hand, nodded emphatically, answered, blinked again, looked at his mother, and carried the basket on her back.

“...... Mom, I'll help you carry the basket. ”

“...... Silly boy, this basket is so heavy, how can you carry it. ”

The middle-aged mother replied and said to her child with a smile.

"Mom, can you carry it?"

“...... Mom is an adult, so she can definitely carry it. Walking with this basket on your back, it's still a lot warmer...... When you grow up and can carry it, help your mother carry it. ”

“...... Good ......"

......

Walking along the winding mountain road, Lian Ge glanced at the mother and son who were approaching beside him,

"This eldest sister, I bother to ask, what is this place now?"

Turning around, Lian Ge asked out loud,

“...... Here, this is Chenjia Village......"

When the middle-aged woman heard the sound, she stopped, turned her head, barely straightened up, looked at Lian Ge, first responded, then looked at her again, and said again,

“...... We are the town of Shannan......"

“...... I know, I know...... We are here in Jingzhou City......"

The child next to him stood on tiptoe, rushed to answer, and said,

“...... Yes, we are Jingzhou. ”

The middle-aged woman first turned her head, looked at her child, and showed a smile on her face, and then turned around again, nodded and said.

"Thank you, big sister. ”

Smiling, Lian Ge thanked him.

“...... You're welcome. ”

The middle-aged woman shook her head, took her child again, and then walked forward, gradually walking away.

......

“...... Wait a minute, my mother will sell the duck and the chicken in this basket, and I'll take you to town and buy a thicker dress...... Winter is coming, it's time to buy you some winter clothes......"

“...... Mom, do you buy it?"

“...... Mom's clothes from last year can still be worn, what did you buy them for...... It would be nice to buy it for my precious son...... Wait for two months, it's the New Year, Mom will buy you another set of clothes......"

“...... The car is coming...... Hurry up ......"

The middle-aged woman was holding her child, talking, and ran towards the old bus that stopped at the fork in the road not far ahead.

......

Watching the mother and son walk away, Lian Ge turned his gaze back and continued to walk along the mountain road.

On the shoulder, the mouse stands on its forelimbs, turns its head, and looks.

......

A few days ago, after eating the bowl of dumplings in that noodle restaurant, Lian Ge chose a random direction and left the city.

The road at the foot of the road gradually turned from a street to a highway, and from a highway to a mountain road.

Either stay overnight or sleep under the mountain forest, spend a few days here, and then travel here.

......

"Sassy ......"

The mountain wind carries a little chill, disturbing the clothes, and the branches and leaves of the forest beside the mountain road,

The rising morning sun occasionally penetrates into the clouds, and from time to time it shines towards the mountain road, reflecting the shadows of the branches and leaves and the pedestrians on the road.

“...... Bell, bell, ......"

Stopping again, it was next to the mountain road, next to a slope that extended downward,

Some sounds mixed with gongs and suona are ringing in my ears with gusts of mountain wind.

Turning his gaze, Lian Ge followed the sound and looked down the slope,

On his shoulder, the mouse also turned its head and looked at it.

On the slope, there are some gravel paved, one side is against the hillside, and the other side is slightly lower on the terraced rice fields.

Down the slope, at the end of the road, is a village in a mountain col,

In the village, a winding village road connects the houses in the village, and families are scattered along the village road.

It's not time to eat, but along the village road, on every house, there are bursts of smoke.

Along the smoke everywhere, leaning against the sky above the other side of the village, there was a thick smoke,

There seemed to be some ashes in the smoke, and with the gust of mountain wind, there was still the smell of paper money and incense candles.

And the sound of gongs and suona mixed with it also came from the place where the paper money and incense candles were burned.

Turning his gaze back, Lian Ge moved his steps and walked towards the village in the col down the hillside.

......

At the entrance of the village, Lian Ge paused slightly,

Follow the village road, look into the village,

On the village road, there was no human figure in sight, only a gust of wind, with some mournful music at the end of the village ringing in the ears.

Moving his steps again, along the village road, Lian Ge walked towards the village.

Along the way, beside the village road, a family swept by the side,

Every house, the doors and windows are closed.

In front of many people's houses and yards, there are small piles of lit straw.

The smoke from before was rising from the piles of fires that were still burning or had been extinguished.

“...... Clang...... Bell ......"

"Crackling ......"

At this moment, the mourning music from the end of the village changed somewhat, followed by a burst of firecrackers,

Some people wearing plain clothes, wrapped in filial piety cloth on their heads, holding filial piety flags, and filial piety flags, seemed to have stepped on the village road from the courtyard of a house at the end of the village, and walked towards the entrance of the village.

......

Glancing at the funeral procession, Lian Ge stopped and walked two steps into the courtyard next to him.

“...... Ignition!"

"Crackling ......"

Another burst of firecrackers rang out, and after turning a corner, the funeral procession approached.

Walking in the front was a Taoist priest wearing a Taoist robe, followed by a middle-aged man holding a spiritual position,

Beside the middle-aged man, followed by a man carrying a red plastic bag, holding a stick of incense, from time to time from the plastic bag, taking out a firecracker to light it, and taking out some paper money to throw around.

Behind the middle-aged man, the man who was slightly younger than the middle-aged man lowered his head, held a coffin-shaped urn, and followed the person in front.

On both sides of it, there are people who play mourning music, and then there are people who are clothed in filial piety cloth, holding filial piety flags, and filial piety flags.

“...... Sprinkle paper ......"

The Taoist priest who walked in the front shouted again, and a handful of paper money was grabbed from the plastic bag and thrown out,

With the gust of breeze, scattered on the village road along the way, the bodies of the juniors in the funeral procession, and the courtyards of people on both sides of the village road.

......

Seeing the funeral procession walking in front of him, Lian Ge moved his steps again and continued to walk towards the house at the end of the village that was filled with the smell of incense, candles, paper money.

Along the way, after the funeral procession left, families on the side of the village road reopened their doors one after another, or walked out, or looked out.

“...... Don't step on that paper money, and don't pick up ......"

A child who ran out of the house, curious, squatted down in front of the paper money that had fallen in the yard, and stretched out his hand to pick it up.

Seeing this, the narrator's mother hurriedly walked over, pulled the child up, and looked at the paper money with some gloom.

“...... Why can't you pick it up? ”

The child was tugged at the paper money with some curiosity.

“...... Because...... Because that's someone else's stuff. ”