Xiaozhi's school is settled, and Chang An has a lot on his mind.

That morning, she sent Xiaozhi to the kindergarten as usual, and seeing that the weather was good, she drove to Yigang.

Yes, by car!

Because she is now taking on the task of picking up Xiaozhi, Zhou Wei originally said that she would hire a new driver for her, but she was unwilling.

It's a bit of an exaggeration to hire a driver to take your children to school.

"I finally got my driver's license, didn't you buy me a car before, I can't go without touching the steering wheel for the rest of my life. ”

Chang An meant to practice by himself, Zhou Wei was right to think about it, it was indeed convenient to go anywhere if he could drive, so he asked Xiao Zhao to accompany Chang An on the road to practice for two days.

Chang An hasn't touched a car for three years, and she was really rusty at first, but driving itself is not a difficult task, and she basically got her hands after half a day of practice, and then she began to drive Xiaozhi to school.

However, it was the first time to drive to Yonggang by myself.

The road conditions over there are poor, and crowded, Chang'an averages 40 yards all the way to the mouth of the alley, and then drives in it is absolutely not that ability, plus the alley is narrow, her G500 is so big that she finally had to park the car at the intersection, she carried a few bags and could not go in.

At the corner of the alley is the small supermarket, the proprietress was originally talking to someone on the phone by the door, and saw a woman walk in outside.

Chang An passed by the door of the supermarket with a large bag and a small bag, and saw that the proprietress was staring at her intently, she may have passed with her head suffocated before, but now it is different, especially after that press conference, anyway, the whole world already knows her secret, so she disdains to hide it.

Chang An nodded generously at the proprietress generously.

The proprietress held the phone, her throat felt like something was choking, and by the time she reacted, Chang An had already gone to the other end.

The simplest white coarse pullover sweater, denim cropped pants, sneakers, very refreshing outfit, and there is no luxury, but the temperament is completely different.

Chang'an saw two electric tricycles blocked in the alley, and several large cardboard boxes were fixed with thick ropes, and when I looked closer, I realized that they were full of household appliances, including refrigerators, televisions, microwave ovens, air conditioners, etc.

The tricycle was parked in front of the bungalow she used to rent, and two workers in uniform uniforms were unloading the house.

"Grandma Chen!"

"Eh, Grandma is not here, I'm going to the vegetable market!"

A woman came out of the bungalow, and the woman walked around the tricycle only to see that it was Chang'an.

"Miss Chang, why do you have time to come over today?" Ah Mei's voice was sharp and loud, but without waiting for Chang An to answer, she greeted and asked: "My house with Ah Feng has been renovated, and I will enter the electrical appliances today, do you want to come in and have a look?"

When Chang An came back, he found that the bungalow was being renovated, and there were two packs of paint piled up at the door, but he didn't expect that it had been finished in such a short time.

"Okay, I'll take a look. ”

Chang An followed Amei into the house, and the small bungalow was no longer able to find its previous appearance.

It was originally just a large room, but now it is divided, a bedroom, a bathroom, a simple kitchen that is only large enough for one person to turn, the rest of the place is the living room, the walls are all painted, the living room and bathroom are paved with floor tiles, and the bedroom is a simple laminate floor.

The furniture is also all new, with white as the main tone, with pink and blue chandeliers on the ceiling, and beige curtains, although this aesthetic is from Amei's taste, but it is still full of warmth, especially the two small green plants on the windowsill, and a bouquet of flowers in the glass bottle in the center of the coffee table in the living room, which is flowers, the most common and cheapest white daisy, but it can be seen that the hostess has put a lot of thought into it.

In the past few years, Chang An has become more and more fond of such people who work hard for life, like Amei in front of him, and the aunt who pushes a tricycle and sells flowers on the street.

They may only be the common people, the smallest or even the poorest, but the hardships of life have not made them lose faith, on the contrary, they are more industrious and more enthusiastic.

"How's it going?" Amei came over with a glass of water, and there was a little pride in her words.

Chang An smiled, "It's good!"

"Hey... Where is good, it is definitely not as good as the house you live in now. ”

"No, it's really good. ”

Amei also smiled and gave the cup to Chang An: "You sit here and rest for a while, take a sip of tea, the old lady is estimated to be back in a while, I will go outside to greet those workers to finish moving the goods." ”

"Okay, you're busy!"

Amei left, and soon her hearty voice came from outside, one big brother after another has worked hard, one big brother after another, you be careful not to rub it, her voice is rough, she talks a lot, but it is not annoying.

After about twenty minutes, the appliances were all in the house, unboxed, and placed in the previously arranged positions.

The already cramped hut was even more cramped, but Ah Mei didn't seem to mind, handing each delivery worker a glass of mineral water and settling the bill.

Come back after settling the bill.

"Wait, I'll wash my face first, it's a little hot today. ”

Chang An smiled, it was almost April, and the heat was not enough, but at least the winter had passed.

Soon Ah Mei came out of the bathroom and changed into a top, originally a green crewneck shirt with diamonds on top, and now a yellow hooded sweatshirt with a cartoon pattern on the front.

Her skin was not white, her face was flushed after she was busy, and the flush had not dissipated after washing her face.

Chang An's eyes fell on her lower abdomen, it had been more than a month since she last learned that she was pregnant, and her belly didn't seem to be pregnant, but Amei's whole person seemed to have gained weight, and her face was a lot rounder.

She didn't notice that Chang An was looking at herself, so she wiped two handfuls with her hand, not knowing whether she was applying water or skin care products, and walked to the sofa chair while wiping.

"Sit down a little longer, and I'll get you some fruit." ”

Chang An was just about to say don't be busy, but the person had already slapped his face twice and went to the kitchen, and soon there was the sound of water flowing inside, accompanied by Amei's voice.

"Originally, the old lady asked us to sell this small bungalow and take out a loan to buy a small apartment nearby, but I didn't agree. ”

"Yunling's house price is too expensive, and the development of this generation of Yugang is also 20,000, and this old house can't be sold for a few dollars, and the old lady has to help us repay the loan together, you said that the old lady has suffered for most of her life, and she has to carry a loan for us at this age, forget it, there is no need for this." ”

“…… Later, I said that I would renovate this room again, and it would be able to live in the same way as if it was redecorated and renovated, and maybe it would be demolished one day, and there would definitely be a house allocation for demolition at that time. ”

"You don't see it, it's good to finish it, although it's not as good as an apartment, but at least you don't have to take out a loan, you don't have to work for the bank, and in a few years, Ah Feng and I will have a little spare money in our hands, and it's not too late for us to go out and buy a set." ”

“… What's more, the old lady is also old, we live door-to-door like this, and we still have a person to take care of at any time...... Okay, eat the fruit, I'll add you some more water. ”

Ah Mei put a small plate of peeled and sliced apples on the coffee table in front of Chang'an, and brought her water glass into the kitchen.

Chang An saw that she was busy and didn't stop, and it was ten minutes after she was willing to sit down.

Chang An held the glass in his hand, the bouquet of daisies in front of him was bright and vivid, and there was a faint fragrance floating in the air.

"That's good. ”

"Yes, I also think it's very good, the old lady is good to me, what about Ah Feng, although he is a little playful and his mouth stinks, but he is still a man, he is willing to be responsible, and he is not bad for me, and he is willing to spend money on me. ”

"Brother Feng is actually a typical example of a knife-mouthed tofu heart. ”

"You're right, but I know he wouldn't have married me if I hadn't had it in my belly. Amei bowed her head, "You know, I used to have a man in my hometown, and I gave birth to a child, and I am not young, so I really don't expect to be able to marry under this condition." ”

Amei, who was pregnant, sat on the sofa and lowered her head and spoke, her words full of humble unconfidence.

Chang An enlightened her: "Don't think so, it's his blessing that Brother Feng can marry you." ”

"Hehe... You're going to make me happy!"

"Not at all, this was said to me by Grandma Chen herself, she likes you very much, and also said that Brother Feng is unforgiving, but in fact, I am quite satisfied with you in my heart. ”

As soon as she heard that Wu Feng was also satisfied with herself, Ah Mei raised her head suddenly, "Really?"

There is no need to lie to you, you have a lot of shining points, and there are many attractive points, such as enthusiasm, such as kindness, such as diligence and filial piety, and these advantages are particularly precious, far better than others. ”

Chang An's words are really not a compliment, she has heard many stories about Amei from Grandma Chen before, her barren birth, catastrophic fate, domestic violence in marriage and the pain of losing a child, these bad luck pressed on her head one after another, but she finally broke the reins and ran out of the mountain, and then gritted her teeth to save a foothold in this strange city.

Although he is still not rich, at least in the middle of this strange and indifferent city, he sees a little hope.

"You see, now that you have renovated your new house, you are about to get married, and you will soon have children of your own, you have to believe that the worst is behind you, and it will only get better and better. ”

Chang An gave her encouragement.

In the past, she absolutely disdained to say these words to a person she didn't know very well, but after going through so much, she recognized the hardships of life, and also sensed the true meaning of fate, and felt that all those who worked hard to live were worthy of respect.

Ah Mei was so excited by what she said that she was about to shed tears.

"Yes, you're right, at least you have a home anyway, and you don't have to worry about it in the future!"

Amei used to feel that Chang An had a sense of distance from herself, but after a few words, she became more and more scruples, and pulled Chang An to start talking.

It was already past ten o'clock when Grandma Chen came back from shopping for vegetables, and she was very happy to see Chang An coming over, so she had to stay with Chang An to eat.

Chang An didn't want to trouble the old man Zhang Luo, so he said that he would have something to do in a while.

She took out what she had brought back from Italy.

I bought a scarf for the old man and two sets of baby clothes for the bag that Amei was about to be born, plus a few boxes of chocolates and other souvenirs.

Amei is grateful, and she praises the baby's clothes for being good-looking, which is worthy of being a foreign product.

Grandma Chen "scolded" Chang An, saying that she always spends money on herself and will not allow it next time.

After sitting for a while, Chang An left near noon, and before leaving, Amei stopped her, repeatedly confirmed that she must be present when she got married, and asked her to bring Zhou Wei with her.

Chang An politely agreed to two sentences, but did not promise in person.

Zhou Wei is very busy, it is still unknown whether he will be free on the day of Wu Feng and Xiaozhi's wedding, not to mention that his identity does not seem to be suitable to attend.

However, Chang An still asked Zhou Wei before going to bed at night, after all, the words had to be brought.

“…… Grandma Chen and Ah Mei both hope that you can go on the wedding day, and they told me several times when they left today, you see......"

Zhou Wei didn't push it off directly, "It depends on whether I have other arrangements that day." ”

"If there is no other arrangement, will you come with me?"

Zhou Wei took the person to his chest, "Do you want me to go or don't want me to go?"

Chang An must have thought about it in his heart, but he didn't admit it, "I don't care, it's good if you decide." ”

“……”

"But you don't have to be reluctant, think about it carefully, if you really go, you can probably lead all the reporters over, and then Brother Feng's limelight will be stolen by you, and he will hate me." ”

Chang An was actually looking for a reason for Zhou Wei, perhaps she knew in her heart that it was unrealistic for him to attend a wedding of this specification.

Zhou Wei was speechless, and rubbed her hair, "You will worry about others, but what about your own?"

Chang An was stunned for a moment, and glanced up at him in the not-so-bright bedroom light, "What is my own?"

"Didn't I tell you when I burned Emperor Gang? I want to make up for the wedding banquet, you said you would think about it, half a month has passed, how did you think about it?"

“……”

……

Chang An didn't think about the wedding, but he was thinking about buying a cemetery.

The last time I went to see Ding Shouquan, I promised to change him again, but it was exposed on the Internet, Rongbang was listed, and all kinds of delays passed for so long.

It's April, the plants are budding, and the air can already smell the faint fragrance of flowers.

Chang An finally took the time, drove to a few suburban cemeteries, and talked to an intermediary, and finally decided to buy the cemetery in Jinping Mountain, first, the scenery over there is good, the feng shui is good, it is one of the best garden-style cemeteries in Yunling, and secondly, Xue Bing and Chang Wangde are buried there, Chang An is more familiar with there, thinking that it is better to move together, and save a few places to run the tomb in the future.

The cemetery was bought and sold through intermediaries, and I went to see several in one morning, and finally finalized a piece, double caves, the area is not particularly large, but the victory is in the high terrain, the back mountain, the front lake, facing south.

Chang An felt quite satisfied, so he paid the deposit directly at that time, and found someone to engrave the monument the next day.

April 5 was Qingming, and Chang'an rushed to finally finalize the cemetery and tombstone before Qingming.

On April 3, I took a car to the countryside early in the morning.

According to the rules of the ancestors, the day should be regarded as "moving the grave", which is a very important day, originally Zhou Wei wanted to accompany Chang An to go together, but he couldn't leave because of something, so he asked Xiao Zhao to drive with her.

Chang'an has been to it a few times before, but the road is still a little unclear, and the front section can still be navigated, and it is completely out of shape when you enter the village.

In the end, I got out of the car and asked to find the cemetery in the wilderness.

Before, Ding Shouquan did not erect a monument here, nor did he have a cemetery, just a small grid and a small tablet, and no one took care of it at all, but it was not so easy to move it out.

First of all, the tomb keeper did not let go, and then found the official in charge of this area in the village, and the official's attitude was also very arrogant, which meant that Chang An was not a family member, and he could not provide any supporting documents, and the ashes were not easy to hand over to them casually.

Xiao Zhao was so angry that he asked for a theory directly in the village committee office, and was finally called out by Chang An.

"Let's go, look around for a supermarket. ”

Half an hour later, Chang An and Xiao Zhao came back again, carrying a few cigarettes in their hands, and the people from the village committee office stuffed one of them, and their attitudes were simply 180 degrees rotating.

Originally, there were stumbling and stumbling, and after a few cigarettes were stuffed, nothing was a problem, and the strips were immediately opened and stamped to let them go.

When I arrived at the cemetery, the last soft Chinese was stuffed to the uncle of the cemetery, and the uncle smiled, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

After Xiao Zhao got into the car, he was so angry that he scolded these white-eyed wolves, Chang An smiled, but comforted him, "Okay, it's not bad if the matter can be solved now." ”

Yes, although it didn't go well at first, a few cigarettes were all solved, and what could be solved with money is now nothing in Chang An's eyes.

Xiao Zhao scolded a few words and calmed down, "Yes, otherwise, if you continue to consume it, you may not be able to return to the city after dark!"

Think about almighty money, Chang An actually knew the charm of money since he was a child, and the two of them left the village before noon, and the next stop was Peihua.

The two had a brief lunch on the highway, during which Zhou Wei called over to ask how things were going.

Chang An didn't talk much specifically, only said that it was quite smooth.

The location of the Peihua funeral home is not biased, and the navigation can be directly guided.

Chang An had already called to contact him the day before, and after arriving, he directly looked for the head of the business section here.

The section chief's surname is Wang.

Section Chief Wang took Chang An and Xiao Zhao on foot for about ten minutes, came to the door of a remote warehouse outside the funeral home, and opened the heavy roller shutter.

"Our funeral home has stored more than 8,000 unclaimed ashes, and the public memorial hall is full, and we had to rent this warehouse the year before last, and there are 3,000 copies alone!"

Chang An only saw that there were about six or seven rows of iron shelves neatly inside, and the shelves were full of numbered urns.

"More than three thousand?" Xiao Zhao was surprised.

Section Chief Wang: "Yes, more than 3,000 copies. ”

Chang An: "Are there no relatives to claim them?"

Section Chief Wang: "Most of them. ”

Chang An had already entered the warehouse with Section Chief Wang, looking at the urns on the walls and shelves, there was no solemnity or gloom, only sadness and sadness came from all sides.

She was perched in the middle of two rows of shelves, and the closest thing to her vision was a small wooden box, the color was no longer recognizable, and it was very old, but there was a yellowed note on the box, which recorded the name of the deceased, the time of cremation, and even the name of the family and the place where he worked before his death.

Chang An flipped through the sticky note paper, "With such detailed information, why can't I find my family?"

Section Chief Wang looked over, "... In fact, not all unclaimed ashes are because the family information is incomplete, you have this in your hand, you see, the spark time is 1976, when communication is not as developed as it is now, our only way can only be published in the newspaper, but the family may not be able to see it, or maybe the family moved to the field at that time, anyway, all kinds of reasons have led to so many ashes unclaimed, for which we also allocated funds to build a database in the museum the year before last, and some of the ashes with more complete information were entered into the computer for easy query, and the media was also asked to report it, but after so long, there are not many people who come to look for it。 ”

Section Chief Wang also thought about it deliberately, "It seems that there are only seven or eight, maybe seven or eight, and in the end, the ashes here will only accumulate more and more." ”

Xiao Zhao grabbed a sentence: "Then if no one has come to claim it, what are you going to do with these ashes?"

Section Chief Wang: "There is no official document on this, but the city is already discussing it, and the biggest possibility is to dispose of some of the ashes that are older and buried at sea or in trees." ”

The so-called sea burial is the scattering of ashes into the sea.

The so-called tree burial is to bury the ashes in the ground, and only plant trees without erecting monuments.

Chang An didn't say much, and Section Chief Wang realized that he had talked too much.

"I'm sorry, it's really rare for someone to come here to claim the ashes, talk too much, get down to business first. ”

He checked the information with Chang An again.

“… Zheng Qiuzhen, 31 years old, was sent by Tianyou Voluntary Drug Rehabilitation Hospital, and the cremation time should be November 2016......"

Section Chief Wang looked for a few minutes according to the number above.

"Found it, here!"

Chang An followed to the corner of the wall, and she found that there were many small jars with sealed mouths in the corner.

Section Chief Wang picked up one of the jars and blew on it, blowing away a layer of dust at the mouth of the altar.

Xiao Zhao immediately waved his hand and coughed twice.

"Zheng Qiuzhen, November 17, 2016, this should be right!" Section Chief Wang handed the jar to Chang An.

Xiao Zhao pinched his nose and asked, "Why do others have boxes, but here they use jars." ”

Section Chief Wang explained with a smile: "The urn also costs money, and if the cost of the cremation is not included in the cost of the cremation at that time, we can only use jars." ”

Xiao Zhao: "......"

Chang An held the jar in his arms and thanked Section Chief Wang.

On the way back, Chang An became very silent, Xiao Zhao seemed to be aware of it, and did not dare to speak easily, only occasionally glanced back from the rearview mirror, the people in the back seat looked out the window silently, and there were two brand-new mahogany urns on the vacant seats next to them.

These two mahogany urns were bought at the Peihua Funeral Home just now.

……

Zhou Wei arrived home a little late at night, thinking that Chang An had gone to bed early, after all, she had been out all day during the day, and she should be tired, but when she entered the house, she found that she was sitting alone on the sofa smoking.

Chang An was thinking about things, and he didn't notice anyone coming in at all, until Zhou Wei approached and turned on the light.

Her eyelids twinkled, and she looked up.

“… Are you back?" His voice was hoarse, and then he remembered that he still had a cigarette in his hand, "I'm sorry!"

She immediately snuffed out the cigarette butt and poured a little more water into the ashtray.

Only then did Zhou Wei realize that there were two smoked cigarette butts poured into the ashtray.

He hadn't seen her smoking in a long time lately.

"What's wrong? Things aren't going well?"

Chang An shook his head and pursed his lips.

"No, it's all good. ”

"Then why do you see that your face is wrong?" As he spoke, Zhou Wei had already sat down next to Chang An and brought people over.

Chang An rested his head on his shoulder.

The night was deep and the surroundings were quiet, she listened to Zhou Wei's heartbeat and said, "Accompany me to visit the grave tomorrow." ”