Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

After leaving Yuan's office, Yang Jun quickly went to the infirmary to find Yi Qiushui, but just as the car drove out of the gate, Yang Jun suddenly came to his senses and turned back, thinking that as a grandson, facing the serious condition of his grandmother, he, as a grandson, should also rush back. An Guo burst into tears upon hearing the news. The emotion of relying on his grandmother since childhood could not bear this sudden news, and his heart seemed to be broken.

Seeing him in pain, Yang Jun felt guilty. As a member of the Yang family, he had neglected many of his responsibilities to the family, and felt guilty. So the three of them packed up their belongings, took Ma Xiangxiu with them, and headed straight to the courtyard. When they arrived at the backyard, Yang Jun told Wang Yuying about the situation, and the latter immediately burst into tears, feeling reluctant to leave.

Without saying much, she immediately instructed Yang Jun to go to the factory to pick up her sister Yang Mei. More than 30 years had passed, and she felt that she needed to take her children back to her hometown for a visit. At first, Yang Jun planned to go with his mother alone, after all, the children were young and it was not suitable for them to travel long distances. However, Wang Yuying understood her idea after a little thought. Deep in her heart, she longed to see her hometown again, and now her grandmother was seriously ill, which undoubtedly gave her an indescribable heartache. Therefore, she did not want to disappoint her grandmother at the last moment of her life.

When Yang Jun returned to the courtyard, he suddenly realized something and called back Yang Anguo. Since so many people had to go together, one car was not enough. He decided to find a car and travel separately. After borrowing a car from the steel plant, he asked Anguo to handle the relevant matters, while Yang Jun went directly to the workshop to find Yang Mei. After hearing this, Yang Mei felt that she should go home to fulfill her responsibility, so she returned to the compound with her companion Liu Zhi.

When they returned, Wang Yuying had packed her luggage and was waiting. The large and small items almost filled up half of the car. Fortunately, their two pickup trucks were large enough to accommodate everyone. Unfortunately, Xiao Yangliu was preparing to join the army and had to miss the trip. Yang Jun glanced at the time. It was already four o'clock in the evening. He was used to estimating the time required for the trip before doing anything. It was estimated that it was more than 1200 kilometers from his hometown to here. At a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, it would take at least 16 consecutive sleepless hours to arrive. Of course, considering the actual road conditions and the possibility of changing trains in the middle of the journey, it is estimated that it will take 6 more hours, that is, 20 hours, but this is an estimate under ideal conditions.

However, in reality, this long journey cannot be defined with precise time. It took more than an hour for the vehicle to get to the main road after leaving the city, and then it was bumpy. Wang Yuying and her group almost vomited on the way. Yang Jun drove for about two hours and stopped for a while, and then set off again after having a meal at a small restaurant. After driving for nearly six hours, they were exhausted and found a guesthouse to rest for a while.

At dawn, Wang Yuying gently woke up the sleeping Yang Jun. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and set out on the road back to his hometown.

On the morning of the third day, after many twists and turns, Yang Jun and Yang Anguo finally returned to their homeland.

Compared to taking a train, the bumpy ride actually takes more time.

Standing at the mountain pass, everyone took the opportunity to rest and get ready, then walked along the winding mountain road into the village.

This is a small mountain village surrounded by mountains. There is only one narrow and bumpy road leading into the mountain. It has just rained in spring, and the road is very wet, so the tires are very easy to slip.

The two had no choice but to slow down.

As the car went deeper, Yang Jun's heart beat faster and faster. He couldn't believe that his father had lived in such a poor environment, and he couldn't imagine how his father had managed to get that precious job in the city.

This is undoubtedly a battle for a bridge. If God had not favored this young man from a remote village, how would he have had the opportunity to get out.

As you enter the village, you can see the doorway of a house. The air is filled with white mourning clothes and you can faintly hear the sound of wailing and sobbing.

Yang Jun felt depressed and thought worriedly, is it too late?

Sure enough, Yang Anguo, who was driving, drove like a horse that had broken free from its reins, galloping past.

Following closely behind, before Yang Jun stopped the engine, he saw Yang Anguo stumbling into the gate.

"Grandma, your grandson is late..."

After getting off the bus, everyone looked sad.

Wang Yuying stood at the door of her house, gazing deeply at this familiar yet unfamiliar cave.

Looking around, although everything seemed the same, every detail seemed to evoke her inner memories.

With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "Go in and pay your respects to her first."

This is a small village rooted at the foot of the mountain. The residents live in caves dug into the mountain, and these caves have become their homes.

Uncle Yang Dong's home has four cave dwellings, plus a shed for raising livestock next to it, a total of five. The most important sacrificial hall is set up in the cave in the center. People in white clothes come in and out of the yard, busy and orderly.

Seeing the Yang family and their group arrive, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on them.

Wang Yuying took the lead without hesitation and went straight to the memorial hall. There was no trace of tears on her face, and she just remained silent.

The Yang family knelt in front of the sacrificial hall and reverently performed the ritual of three bows.

Yang Dong, who was dressed in mourning, held a locust branch in his hand, lowered his head and sobbed silently, "Aunt, you came too late. My mother didn't wait for her. Yesterday afternoon..."

Yang Dong cried at the top of his lungs and pulled his hair in pain, as if he was full of remorse for not taking better care of his mother.

"Second brother Yang, don't blame yourself too much. My mother was 83 years old and she died a good death. If you want to blame someone, you should blame me. Over the years, it was you who supported this family alone." After kowtowing, Wang Yuying half-knelt on the side and added a few pieces of paper money into the brazier.

The fire in the basin burned, illuminating her clear face, and the tears in the corners of her eyes sparkled like gems under the candlelight.

"Before she died, she couldn't close her eyes, and kept thinking about wanting to see her eldest grandson." Yang Dong looked up at Yang Jun, sighed helplessly, and lowered his head in silence.

Yang Jun didn't say much. His heart felt as heavy as if a huge rock was pressing on it. He knelt quietly beside his grandmother, looking at her sleeping grandmother.

My grandmother was less than five feet tall, with skinny hands covered with calluses. Years of hard work had made her back bent like a shrimp. Until the last moment of her life, she was lying on her side next to the coffin.

Her face was covered by a white mask, so her features could not be seen, but her silver hair gave him a great feeling. The sparse but tough hair was tightly attached to her scalp, revealing the accumulation of years.

Yi Qiu Shui and others also knelt down on both sides of grandma's coffin, and even the naughty Xiao Si knelt quietly beside her.

The other people in the room were also kneeling. They were family members, both male and female. They all stopped crying and watched the grief of the Yang family quietly.

Yang Jun knew clearly that everyone in the mourning hall was a close relative. The young man who looked a bit like Yang Anguo must be Yang Anbang, the young woman should be his wife, and the boy and girl kneeling beside them must be their children.

There was also a woman in her forties standing next to her. Perhaps because of overwork or poor diet, she looked even older than Sister Yuying. I thought that might be my second aunt Qin Xiuzhi.

At this time, the funeral was crowded with people.

When the villagers heard that Mr. Yang's eldest daughter-in-law was coming with her whole family, they all came over to watch the fun.

They have lived in the mountains for generations and rarely leave. Some have never even been to the town, but just want to take this opportunity to see what people who leave the city look like.

However, what they witnessed this time made them understand the gap between urban and rural areas.

Everyone in the Yang family has fair skin and bright clothes, especially Yang Mei and Yi Qiu Shui, who are like fairies descending to the earth. The villagers have never seen such beautiful people.

The villagers stood outside the mourning hall, talking and guessing who they were.

Then, Aunt Qin stood up and signaled everyone to move away.

"What's so good about it? You've never seen city people, right? Go back and do your own thing," she said.

Someone in the crowd replied, "That's true. Second Aunt, you hit the nail on the head. It's really rare for us to see each other." Everyone laughed.

Second Aunt Qin Xiuzhi's face changed slightly, and she pretended to be angry and said, "An Guo from my mother's family is also from the city. If you want to see him, go find him."

"It's different. Although he is a public resident, he is still a farmer at heart." Someone interrupted.

"Yes, look at An Guo's rustic appearance, he doesn't look like a city person at all." The villagers echoed.

This statement angered the second aunt, after all, she still had a son who was paid. "What's wrong with me, An Guo? What's wrong with being a countryman? He can eat four pounds of roast duck and twenty white flour buns in the city at a time! Let me ask you, who among you can eat like this?" She questioned. Speaking of her daughter-in-law Xiangxiu, she only earned 20 yuan a month. Do the villagers earn that much in a year?

Hearing this, everyone looked embarrassed and speechless. Second Aunt was always proud of her son's good life in the city, and she was very satisfied with the envious looks from others.

After being humiliated, everyone dispersed in disgrace.

Seeing that everyone had left, Second Aunt Qin Xiuzhi smiled triumphantly and turned to Yuying and said:

"Auntie, that must be Junzi, what a spirited young man."

Hearing this, Yuying raised her head and said to Yang Jun: "Junzi, this is your second aunt, say hello to her."

"Second Aunt!" Yang Jun responded, and Yi Qiu Shui and Yang Mei behind him also shouted out.

"Well, that's good." Second Aunt looked at them with satisfaction. "The descendants of our Yang family are really unique. Each of you is outstanding." She went on to praise.

Looking at Yi Qiushui, the second aunt smiled and said, "Hey, this is Junzi's wife, she's so beautiful."

Yi Qiushui blushed shyly and replied, "Second Aunt!"

Afterwards, the second aunt looked at her eldest daughter-in-law Zhao Hongmei with dissatisfaction, and her eyes gradually showed disdain. They were both members of the Yang family, but there was a huge gap between them. The more the second aunt looked, the more she felt something was wrong.

After Second Aunt finished praising the other members of the Yang family, she came to Yang Dong and whispered a few words to him.

After listening to this, Yang Dong frowned and remained silent.

Seeing the situation, Yang Jun hurriedly asked: "Second Uncle, what's wrong with you? Are you worried about something?"

Hearing this question, Yang Dong looked up at his nephew, sighed, and said with a blushing face:

"Your second aunt is worried about mourning clothes. The family can't buy enough mourning clothes."

It turns out that it was due to economic problems.

Their family could barely afford to buy clothes for the son, so the others had to use white cloth instead. The people watching at the door brought their own white mourning cloth.

The custom in the village is that every family will prepare mourning clothes for funerals. If there is not enough white cloth, they will even use steamer cloth to make up for it. Therefore, Yang Dong and Qin Xiuzhi found it difficult to prepare mourning clothes for the Yang family.

The family had saved up a few cloth coupons, which were earned through frugality, and were barely enough for the deceased's relatives to wear alone. For Qin Xiuzhi and other family members, all they could get was a thin piece of cloth, only as thick as a finger, around their arms.

Yang Jun felt very heavy after hearing this. He knew that life in the countryside was not easy, but now he found that the actual situation was even more severe than he had imagined. He was so poor that he couldn't even afford mourning clothes and had to rely on borrowing and sharing among neighbors.

However, when he saw that the villagers were wearing shabby clothes but none of them were stained with dirt, he felt relieved. Because everyone knows that the villagers always pass down clothes from generation to generation, and the children inherit the old clothes of their older brothers and sisters, and so on. The patches on the clothes of the elders are piled up layer by layer until the original colors can no longer be identified.

"I still have some cloth coupons left. Take them to the town to buy some white cloth, otherwise I will be laughed at by others." Wang Yuying sighed and took out a bulging handkerchief from her small pocket. When she went home this time, she brought back almost all her money and belongings. Seeing the pile of banknotes and cloth coupons, Yang Dong felt a stinging pain in his nose and almost burst into tears.

He understood that his mother, who had worked hard all her life, had not received a proper farewell ceremony. Wiping away his tears, Yang Dong took the money from Yuying and waved to the young man next to him: "Anbang, go to the town and buy a few feet of white cloth and come back as soon as possible."

"Okay, Captain." The young man took the instructions and went out.

Not long after, the village party secretary Wang Dayan came to visit. This 50-year-old, slightly hunched middle-aged man dressed like a typical honest mountain villager, wearing a woolen waistcoat, a white belt to restrain his body, a white towel wrapped around his head, and a water pipe in one hand.

After the greetings, he sat down at the door in front of the coffin, smoked his pipe, and participated in discussing the follow-up affairs of the old empress dowager.

"Second brother, I calculated that the 9th is a good day for burial. What do you think?" Wang Dayan was named Dayan because of his extraordinary eyesight when he was a child. Villagers liked to ask him for his judgment whether children were frightened or the elderly were buried. As he got older, his "superpower" disappeared, but the name has become a convention and is still used today.

Yang Dong thought about it again and again and rejected the proposal of number 9 because it was his mother's death anniversary: ​​"We can't choose the same day, big eye brother, can we change it to number 11?"

However, Wang Dayan thought that the 11th was not suitable, and after thinking for a while, he suggested changing it to the 13th, because there are specific rules for selecting dates for weddings and funerals in rural areas. Even-numbered days are only used for weddings, and odd-numbered days are reserved for mourning occasions. Yang Jun and others had to stay here for ten days to prepare, and the living difficulties during this period, especially the use of simple dry toilets, became their most troubling problem. Several times, he almost asked if it could be changed to a later date, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.