vines and melons

Chapter 27

It was a heavy snow day, and it fell from time to time for two days and two nights. It was white everywhere, on the walls, eaves, corrugated tiles, and treetops were covered with thick and heavy white.

Fang Qiang walked ahead with Fang Jie in his arms.

Fang Jie was holding her father's urn in her arms. Holding the urn was very difficult at the age of 6. Invisibly, gravity was placed on Fang Qiang's arm. The urn was covered with a piece of red cloth, and the red cloth was covered with snow. Jie's immature face was flushed red from the cold. Her father used to hold her with hypocrisy in pride. Now she is holding her father's ashes, with tears in her eyes, snowflakes hanging on her long eyelashes, and decadence in frustration. In just a few days, she seemed to have grown up a lot.

Gui Zhi walked behind with Fang Qiong in her arms. She was dressed in black, with dull eyes, a white scarf covering her forehead, and her heavy footsteps led her body to move forward, making her shadow in the snow.

Fang Qiong in the cotton cloak seemed to be sleeping but not sleeping. Guizhi pulled the fluffy brim of the hat vigorously and put it on Fang Qiong's face. The white outside was too dazzling.

The folks looked around the gate with sad faces, and the aunt and aunt leaned against the gate frame, wiping away the corners of their scarves and sighing: How is this family doing? !
When he reached the gate, Fang Qiang put Fang Jie in his arms on the ground, and asked Fang Jie to enter the house with his father's ashes in his arms. This is the way in the countryside. Fang Jie carried the heavy urn and walked over with difficulty. The gate, after passing through the gate, Fang Qiang picked up Fang Jie and walked to the backyard.

The big kiln was full of Fang Qing and Gui Zhi's relatives, the atmosphere was gloomy and sad, all of them had bitter faces and said nothing.

Fengnian heard footsteps outside, walked a few steps to the door to check, and confirmed that he really came back, he turned his head and gave the kiln a look, and several people followed out one after another.

Under the leadership of his uncle, Fang Qiang put his father's ashes into the kiln (the kiln where Fang Qing and Gui Zhi lived).Here is the preparation made by Fang Yuanniang and Fang Qiang's wife Aifen in the morning.A table for the Eight Immortals was placed not far from the entrance of the kiln. Behind the table was a dilapidated curtain, and behind the curtain was a high stool.After the ashes were put away, Aifen and Fang Qing's two younger sisters (Fang Wannian's two daughters) were busy setting up offerings, burning incense and foil.

Fang Wanxi, who was paralyzed on the bed in the small kiln opposite the big kiln, opened his blind eyes with all his strength, and just revealed a little white eyeball, but was quickly closed by the white snow outside, and his nostrils opened and closed in grief.He has been paralyzed in bed for more than a year. That time Fang Qingniang took four-year-old Fang Jie out to play, Fang Wanxi suddenly had a stomachache, he waited long and short for the old woman not to come back, so he went by himself. He fell down when he went out, and he couldn't get up again after the fall.Now, he is crying and yelling that he has caused the family trouble, and his daughter-in-law is only taking care of him and the old couple, so Fang Qing has been delayed, so he might as well tell him to die, woo. After being persuaded, she sat convulsively on the edge of the bed, her face was wrinkled together, and two cloudy teardrops squeezed out of her drooping eyelids, and they kept falling. She wiped her tears with her bony hands and said, "This How are you going to live in the future?!"

After the boiling point of sorrow gradually subsided, Fang Qiang swept around the kiln, elbowed his uncle Fang Wannian beside him, and said, "Where are my brother's ashes put while everyone is together?"

Fang Wannian did not speak, and followed Fang Qiang to Xiyao (the kiln of Fang Qiang's family).

All those who helped went to Xiyao.

Fang Qiang said: "With my uncle and my mother, Brother Fang Qing cannot enter the main grave."

Everyone hummed unanimously.This is a rural rule and everyone knows it.

"Or, get up first (dig a kiln at the bottom of the high wall)" someone said.

At this time, Fang Yuanniang came in. Of course, she didn't come to "participate in politics", she came to see the old man, and she wanted to take good care of the old man.Since Fang Qing's death, Fang Wannian has been depressed.She took over the conversation and said, "Let Guizhi decide, now Guizhi is the head of the family."

(End of this chapter)