After Mrs. Chen's commotion, everyone hurriedly finished eating and went back to the house.

Li took Xue Ru and Xue Jiao to clean the pots and pans, and quietly took two nests from the closet for Chen Zimin to eat. Xue Jiao reached out to get the white steamed bun and was stopped by Xue Ru: "Look at the trouble tonight, let's save our worries." The white steamed buns are counted in grandma's heart, and if she finds out one less tomorrow morning, she will definitely scold her mother. ”

Chen Zimin didn't bother to eat because of the death of his eldest sister, he was reading under the dim kerosene lamp, his thin face looked more and more haggard, Li handed the nest head to Chen Zimin, Chen Zimin shook his head and said that he couldn't eat.

"The eldest sister is going to be bitter this time, and it's better to be quiet." Li sighed.

"I didn't agree with the eldest sister when she got married, if I knew this ending, I wouldn't have wanted the eldest sister to pass the door at the beginning." Chen Zimin held his head with his hands in pain.

"Who would have expected the Wang family to be like this? The eldest sister has suffered too much in her life, and the Wang family always belittles the eldest sister with no son, and now she can't give birth to a son if she can't keep it, and their family is so inhumane. The eldest sister is bitter in her heart, although she doesn't talk about her hard life every time she comes back, but who doesn't know, she's just afraid that we will worry. Li couldn't hold back his tears.

"It is said that the eldest sister is like a mother, when the mother went, the eldest sister was in Zhang Luo's house. If I hadn't begged my father to let me take the township exam, I wouldn't have married into the Wang family, and if I had married Xu Shizhi, I wouldn't have ended up like this, after all, I hurt my eldest sister. Chen Zimin's tone was like the ice of the cold winter moon, surging with piercing sadness.

"Dad, my relatives have taken the Yellow Crane to go, and the people are not empty when they go to the Yincun Building. But with a smile to comfort mercy, hate the most from now on. My aunt is our closest person, she must not want us to live in pain, if my aunt knows that her father is so guilty of self-blame, she will definitely walk unsteadily. Qi An said with grief.

Xue Jiao thought that Qi An had this insight at a young age, so she echoed: "Dad, the most important thing now is to prepare for tomorrow's funeral, look at this situation, tomorrow will go to the Wang family, there will be a trouble, you are the head of the family, there are a series of things waiting for you tomorrow." ”

Looking at the sensible children, Chen Zimin felt a little comforted in his heart.

"Look, this is the food that Xingjian brought to everyone." Qi An held a large paper bag in his hand, opened it as he spoke, and the fragrance was overflowing. "Xingjian's mother knew that Xue Jiao was sick, so she specially asked Xingjian to go to Baitu Town to buy roast goose and jasper-scented spring rolls from Hu Fulou, and brought them to school today for me to take home."

Han Xingjian is Chen Qi'an's classmate, and the two are good friends, because Chen Zimin is Han Xingjian's enlightened master, so Xingjian's parents respect Chen Zimin very much, and they are also very enthusiastic about their son Enlightened master's family, and often let Xingjian bring food to Qi'an's four brothers and sisters.

"Brother Xingjian is the best, I love to eat roast goose." After all, the younger brother Chen Qiping is young and doesn't know life and death, and he immediately became excited when he saw the roast goose.

"Roast goose, you and Xue Jiao eat more, Xue Jiao's head is just right, blow an egg to make up for it first." Qi An peeled an egg and handed it to Xue Jiao, "Mother and Xue Ru also eat it." ”

"I don't eat it, Xuejiao just eats more, Ping'er should eat it when she grows up, and brother, you have to supplement your nutrition every day when you study." Snow is like a wave of hands.

When Li saw the child who loved each other, his heart ached, and he hugged Xuejiao and blamed himself: "You have the strongest temperament, if you hit the wall this time and go like this, how can you live." The hard-working child has lived a hard life with us, your aunt is gone, you can't make any mistakes, how can your father help it. ”

"Mother, am I not good? Don't cry, I'm going to burn paper for my aunt tomorrow, maybe there will be something wrong with the Wang family, we have to work hard to deal with it. Chen Xuejiao took words to explain her mother.

There was nothing to say all night, and as soon as the sky was misty, Chen Zimin got up and went to Baitu Town to set up a funeral, accompanied by Chen Zifu and Chen Qi'an. Walking to Zhang Banxian's funeral home and seeing that Han Xingjian was already waiting, Qi An walked forward and said, "Brother Xingjian, why did you come here?" ”

Han Xingjian gave Chen Zimin a master-apprentice salute and said: "I want to come to the master and Brother Qi An will come to the funeral in the morning, and my father specially asked the students to wait here to help." Our family lives in the town, and we come and go. Han Xingjian said as he took out a bag of broken silver from his arms and handed it to Chen Zimin.

"I can't do it, I can't help it, I have silver here for the teacher." Chen Zimin resigned.

According to the funeral customs of Xuzhou Mansion, the mother's family has to arrange a thick funeral for the girl who dies after marriage. In Zhang Banxian's disposal, he put 16 strings of yellow paper and copper coins, four wreaths, a pair of boys and girls who tied paper, a paper house, 24 white candles, all kinds of paper furniture like dressers, hangers, gong buckets, etc., all kinds of things, and went to the cloth building to pull six feet of white cloth and black cloth. Han Xingjian insisted on hiring a car to personally send Chen Zimin, Chen Zifu and Chen Qi'an to Maoshan's home.

When they arrived at Maoshan, the whole village came to see the funeral.

Mrs. Chen was distressed early in the morning, and when she saw the funeral ceremonies on the carriage at the door, she shouted and scolded: "None of my sons were born, and I hanged the face of my mother's family, and I put it in my mother's house, let alone set up a funeral, and I didn't go to burn paper." This is good, vigorously buying such a thick funeral, and cooperating like a wedding. How much ability people have, who makes the brother of the family a big show, usually can't make money in school to eat and drink at home, how to give a dead man money to spend. ”

"Grandma, you forgot that your eldest uncle is your own nephew, to say something disrespectful, your eldest uncle treats you more than your aunt does to you, and logically speaking, you and your eldest uncle are your aunts and nephews. The nephew and daughter-in-law are gone, and the aunt also has to buy a thick funeral. When my father arranged my aunt's funeral, I first thought of the relationship between you and my aunt as aunts and nephews. Xue Jiao really couldn't stand Mrs. Chen's nonsense, and couldn't help but retort.

Old Mrs. Chen was silent with a gloomy face, and Xue Miao glanced at Xue Jiao fiercely and said, "Xue Jiao, this dead girl, will chew maggots indiscriminately." ”

"My sister knows the most, if you can't get used to it, you dare to return the funeral, and see who will be disgraced at that time." Xue Jiao is not afraid of Xue Miao, in Xue Jiao's eyes, Xue Miao is an uncivilized child-level little girl.

"Oh, mother, this qiē is not for my cousin's good looks. Okay, okay, the sun is out, let's hurry to Wangzhuang to burn paper for my cousin-in-law. "What a well-behaved Zhao family, because he and Wang Baozhu are cousins, they are not called by their husband's family, but by their old lady Chen's mother's family.

Han Xingjian helped send the funeral and went back, but left the hired carriage. The Chen family began to go to Wangzhuang to mourn, Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen were helped into the carriage, Zhao said that he was distressed and was ordered by Mrs. Chen to get into the car, Xue Miao shouted that she would beat Mrs. Chen's legs and pinch her back and climb into the carriage and sit in Mrs. Chen's arms, and the rest of the people followed the carriage on foot.

The distance from Maoshan to Wangzhuang is about seven or eight miles, and it is a winding and rugged mountain road. It is the beginning of autumn, the most beautiful season in the mountain village, the river makes a gurgling sound, and the banks of the river are full of corn, and the corn that is about to ripen exudes a rich aroma. The autumn rhododendrons all over the mountains are blooming, and they are far away like an unscrupulous fire cloud, which is very beautiful. Chen Xuejiao saw the scenery of the ancient mountain village for the first time, and it was indeed a beautiful and livable idyllic scene.

After walking for about two hours, I passed a nine-hole bridge and saw a village under the shade of green trees, even Wangzhuang. After getting off the bridge, he arrived at the entrance of Wangzhuang's village, and according to custom, Chen Qi'an lit firecrackers, which meant that the deceased's family had arrived. After about a quarter of an hour's work, Jing Hao, who was dressed in linen and filial piety, knelt on the side of the road with the support of a woman wearing a white filial piety hat and cried to greet her. Jing Hao cried while telling the grief of losing her mother, and the famous woman next to her said that she thanked her mother's family for their hard work all the way to the funeral, and handed Chen Zimin and other mother's family members a white cloth, also known as filial piety.

"The eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle and aunts of the Chen family have worked hard all the way." The woman beside her said. This woman has a long face, and although she is middle-aged, she can still see the pretty shadow of her youth, and her eyes reveal shrewdness.

"Whoever is doing a funeral and crying is waiting at the intersection early in the morning, why did we wait for a long time before coming." Cai said to Li happily, his tone full of obvious dissatisfaction.

"Jing Hao is still a child, what do you know, alas, it's just that," Li sighed.

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen, who were sitting in the carriage, were helped out of the car by Chen Zichang, and Mrs. Chen still had a straight face. Zhao and Chen Xuemiao followed closely and got out of the car, Zhao covered her chest with a handkerchief, and a weak willow couldn't help but show that her old problem of heartache had been committed again.

"Auntie, uncle, it's been hard all the way." The woman walked over and shook Mrs. Chen's hand.

"Baoshan daughter-in-law, I haven't seen you for a long time, I heard that your mother's health is not good, how is it now." Mrs. Chen said.

The daughter-in-law who came was Wang Baoshan's daughter-in-law, judging from yesterday's funeral, Wang Baoshan is a kind person, so it is not bad compared to his daughter-in-law. Chen Xuejiao thought.

"Aunt Lao is worried, and she is already much better. My mother has always said that my aunt is a warm-hearted person, and I am afraid that you can't help it when you know that your daughter is gone, alas, why did the eldest sister-in-law go like this, leaving you and the eldest aunt and the second elder, and the nephew and daughter-in-law are here to persuade the eldest aunt to mourn and change. Baoshan's daughter-in-law said exquisitely, and she couldn't help crying when she said Wenxiu's death.

Baoshan's daughter-in-law wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said to Jinghao: "I'm just sad." Be a good niece and daughter, kowtow to your grandparents, uncles and aunts. Jinghao, supported by Baoshan's daughter-in-law, cried bitterly and kowtowed to the Chen family one by one.

"My sister-in-law just discussed with me why my sister-in-law came to cry and greet Jinghao alone, and there was no one to ask about it." Cai's and Baoshan's daughter-in-law were familiar with each other, so they couldn't help but ask quietly, and Cai's asked in the name of Li's tactfully.

"Alas, it's my aunt's doctrine." Baoshan's daughter-in-law said quietly, looked at Li and said, "Sister-in-law of the Chen family, you and Chen Xiucai should take care of it more." ”

Although Chen Xuejiao didn't understand the funeral customs of the ancients, she also knew that the Wang family didn't pay attention to her aunt's funeral at all. After the death of the aunt, she was treated badly, and if her mother's family supported her, she could still seek justice, but it was impossible for Mrs. Chen, who was dedicated to her mother's family, to seek justice at all, and Mrs. Chen couldn't wait to follow the Wang family to practice the aunt.

Chen Xuejiao thought about it, walked to Mrs. Chen and Old Man Chen, and said innocently: "Grandma has worked hard. Xue Miao snorted. Chen Xuejiao pretended not to hear, picked up Mrs. Chen and continued to say sweetly: "Sister Miao must have been tired of serving grandma all the way, and her granddaughter was unfilial and didn't get into the car to serve grandma. Grandma, just now people said that grandma is a warm-hearted person, and she is better to her aunt than her own daughter, and she said that grandma is comparable to her own son to her uncle, and she deliberately gave her eldest daughter to her uncle in order to kiss and kiss. The aunt left her uncle and sister Jinghao behind, and she could see that her grandmother was more distressed than anyone else. ”

"That is, your aunt is a person who spares no luck, my poor treasure pillar." Old Mrs. Chen listened to Chen Xuejiao's words, and her face became a little brighter.

"Grandma loves my uncle so much, how can I know that my grandmother is coming to mourn my uncle's house, so I arrange two people to cry and welcome, I think the pomp and circumstance of other mothers' families in our village are very big. Could it be that my uncle forgot that my grandmother was coming today because I was too sad, how can I say that my grandmother is my aunt's mother, and my family is my aunt's mother, I heard that there are few people who cry and mourn, and they are dissatisfied with my mother's family. Grandma loves her uncle's family so much, is there anything that my uncle is dissatisfied with grandma? Chen Xuejiao continued to add to the fire, "Maybe it's my child's speculation." ”

Mrs. Chen thought about Chen Xuejiao's words carefully, her face changed a few times, and she began to be dissatisfied with Wang Baozhu in her heart.

"Mother, don't be too careful, what Xue Jiao said is just childish. How can my cousin be dissatisfied with his mother? Zhao hurriedly cleared up his cousin.

"What the eldest aunt said is that what the uncle can be dissatisfied with grandma, it may be that he is dissatisfied with his grandfather, or he is dissatisfied with the rest of our family. Anyway, the milk is the big girl's family, even if you are dissatisfied with other people, you have to take care of the face of the milk, and it's not a joke to let the two people cry and welcome it, especially now that the whole Wangzhuang people know, maybe what people say behind their backs, the milk's maiden family is Wangzhuang, and the family can only arrange the milk. Xue Jiao said with a smile.

After saying this, Zhao had nothing to say, and he kept scolding Xue Jiao in his heart for not touching her to death last time, and after waking up, she changed her temperament and opened her mouth to no one.

Old Mrs. Chen's face was gloomy, Xue Jiao knew that her words made the old lady dislike Wang Baozhu, so good, the province and the Wang family practiced the aunt together, and let the aunt die and not live peacefully.