Back to 1984: Hunting in the Mountains

Compared with Yu Qiutang, Yu Qiushan is more familiar with his neighbors.

Following Yu Dejin, you can help a lot.

Yu Qiutang probably has a lot of things to do, and it's not appropriate for him to be responsible for everything.

At this time, everyone must be doing their own thing.

Normally, when a man dies, the children are the main supporters of the family, and it is the wife who needs to take care of things.

But now neither of them can handle the work, so the others have to be more careful when assigning tasks so as not to miss any problems.

"Then let's have thirty-six paths for the Naihe Bridge, right?"

Yu Qiu Shui suggested.

The so-called Naihe Bridge is a floating bridge connected by carts. Guests who come to participate in the memorial service have to step into the bridge, and when they send someone off for burial, they have to step out of the bridge across the bridge.

There will be iron wires or ropes stretched on both sides of the Naihe Bridge, with white and yellow flags hung on the lines.

Yu Dejin blurted out, "Seventy-two routes."

Everyone looked at him again.

Yu Demu said cautiously: "Brother, the Liushui Marriage Bridge is easy to organize, anyway, it's just a matter of arranging a few more seats, but this Naihe Bridge requires so many carts, where can we find them?"

Yu Dejin was very stubborn, "I'll help."

"Then..." Seeing this, Yu Deshui couldn't refute it anymore and just decided on it.

Next, various matters such as Lingshan, playing cards, and drummers were determined.

The trumpeter and drummer is the "band" given as a gift.

It usually consists of three suonas or two suonas, a cha and a drummer.

Play red songs for red events and white songs for white events.

The size of the suona players depends on how much money they are paid. If they are paid more, there will be more suona players and they can play all the time. If they are paid less, the suona players will have a hard time and the music will stop every time they take a break.

Yu Dejin said that three drummers are needed, which is a relatively high standard, but not the highest.

As for wreaths and other things, Yu Deshui was in charge of it, and Yu Dejin didn't say much.

Including purchasing tobacco, alcohol, meat and vegetables, etc.

He didn't say anything.

Although Yu Demu has always been the leader of various activities at home, Yu Dejin is the eldest brother and has taken care of his brothers. So no matter how big Yu Demu's business is outside, he still has to listen to his eldest brother when he returns home.

Seeing that all matters had been settled, Yu Dejin proposed to invite a troupe of actors to perform a big show.

At first it was said to be three days, but later, after being persuaded by the brothers, it was changed to one day.

The big operas here are basically Long Opera or Qinqiang, and only those with well-off families can afford to hire them.

Yu Dejin is really risking his life.

After discussing these, the next step is to discuss the issue of money.

When Yu Demu encountered such an occasion, he was naturally the first to stand up and said, "Brother and sister-in-law, as well as the third child, Meilan, Qiujiang, and you children, regarding the funeral expenses, I think this way:

First of all, in terms of responsibility, Shuhua and I have been away from home for a long time and have not fulfilled many responsibilities, so we should contribute more at such a critical moment.

In terms of income, we are all brothers, we are all family, there is no need to hide anything, no need to be polite, I do earn more money.

So, I will pay for the funeral expenses of the fourth brother this time.

Xiaoshan, you should prepare 5,000 yuan and give it to the manager in charge. Keep a record of the income and expenditure. If it is not enough, you can ask your mother for more. "

"Got it, Dad."

Yu Qiushan nodded.

Seeing that everyone looked a little unnatural, Yu Demu explained, "Don't feel burdened by this matter. Brothers shouldn't be so reserved. It's the way we contribute money and effort.

I can have some money because you take good care of the family, and I can be where I am today because of your care, big brother.

Didn’t Dad say before that everything will be prosperous if the family is harmonious? Only when all of us brothers are united... united..."

As Yu Demu spoke, he began to sob.

Thinking of my two deceased brothers, I was so sad that I couldn't speak any more.

"Second brother, let's settle the money together later. We are brothers, and we can't let you pay alone."

As expected, Yu Dejin disagreed.

Before Yu Deshui could say anything, Gao Meilan took over the conversation, "Well, big brother, second brother, the fourth brother's body is still warm, I don't think it's a good idea for us to discuss money.

Let me give you some advice on this matter. It's actually very simple. People with greater abilities should contribute more, and those with less abilities should contribute less.

Second brother, your family is well-off, so you should take more. My family and eldest brother's are in financial difficulty, so we should give a little. Not taking a penny is definitely not acceptable. Don't you think this makes sense?"

Chen Meidi took over the conversation, "Meilan is right, it all depends on actual ability."

This was Chen Meidi’s first sentence tonight.

Yu Dejin and Yu Demu both nodded.

I thought this made sense, so I didn't insist.

On this occasion, Yu Qiutang kept a low profile and listened without attracting much attention.

Everyone is now immersed in an extremely depressing atmosphere, and most of them are forcing themselves to talk about things. If they are not careful, they will burst into tears like my second uncle.

As a junior, how could he understand the love between brothers?

"Then there is one last thing," Yu Demu looked at everyone, "Where is the fourth brother buried?"

This topic is even more sensitive than the one about money.

This can involve complex issues.

Yu Dehuo is their brother, but they have all started families and each has his own land.

If you bury a brother in your own field, the waste of land is the least of the problems, but the most important thing is that the status is not right.

It is not in line with ethics and customs.

But Yu Dehuo's household registration had been moved away long ago and he was no longer in the village, so it was impossible to bury him in a mass grave.

So this is the most embarrassing thing.

This time, even Yu Dejin didn't speak immediately, and Yu Deshui was also helpless.

People of this era still care very much about traditional ethics and believe that everything must follow rules and cannot be done arbitrarily.

The atmosphere was about to become tense.

Yu Qiutang broke the suffocation.

"Dad, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, my Fourth Uncle's grave should be buried in my land."

"Is this... possible?"

Yu Demu had no choice. After a brief moment of surprise, he asked if it was possible instead of denying that it was not possible.

Yu Dejin looked at Yu Qiutang without saying anything.

"We have half an acre of land near the foot of the mountain, but it is blocked by the trees on the mountain and we can't grow any good food. We didn't plan to plant anything, so we buried Fourth Uncle in that field.

Anyway, Fourth Uncle is no longer from our village. Your land is all in the village, and he is not used to it. My land is basically at the edge of the village, so he can bury it freely there."

Yu Qiutang no longer cared about traditional customs.

What is auspicious or inauspicious is nothing but deception to fool honest people.

On the one hand, he didn't want to continue watching everyone suffer in this situation and mentally torture themselves, but on the other hand, he sympathized with the poor man.

After living a lifetime, at the end of my life, I have nowhere to bury my body. How sad.

That was the end of the night.

Yu Qiutang, Yu Qiushan, Yu Qiuyuan and Yu Qiujiang agreed to take turns to be on duty at night.

Since the house has been arranged as a mourning hall, according to the rules, there should be someone kneeling inside to keep watch.

For families with many children, most of them are sons and daughters.

My fourth uncle has a son and a daughter. His daughter is still young, and his son Wang Ruixiang is of that kind of character, so this kind of thing can only be done by his nephews.

Fortunately, it is not uncommon for nephews to do things on behalf of others, so it is understandable.

The next morning, before the sun came out, my sister-in-law was the first to arrive.

This was the first time that Yu Qiutang saw his aunt Yu Xique since his rebirth.

Yes, the younger aunt is called Yu Xique, the second aunt is called Yu Huihui, and the eldest aunt is called Yu Dujuan.

The names of the three aunts were all given by my grandmother. She was not well educated, so she simply gave them the names of three birds.

The names of my uncles and aunts were all given by my grandfather, which are relatively more elegant.

Huihui is the cuckoo. Because it looks gray, it is also called Huihui here.

So Second Aunt's name inexplicably became like this.

In later years, her grandson watched a cartoon called Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf and laughed at her for giving it a wolf name.

My sister-in-law and brother-in-law had already divorced at this time, and their life must not have been easy.

My brother-in-law used to be a male chauvinist, and the worst kind.

She is bossy and has a bad temper at home, and likes to beat her younger sister-in-law at any time.

I often see my aunt covered in bruises when she comes to visit my grandmother.

Logically speaking, women who are constantly abused at home are basically the kind of people who accept everything submissive, which is why they are bullied by men over and over again.

But my aunt is not actually like that.

She is that kind of silly girl.

In the Northeast dialect, it means a bit "tiger".

If a man hits her, she won't bear it at all and will fight back against the man.

But rural men are not like many weak scholars in the city who are powerless. If a rural man really hits a woman, the woman is basically no match for him.

So my aunt lost every time and was beaten badly every time.

But even so, she never gave up. If you dare to hit me, I will fight back next time.

Anyway, the pain won't cancel each other out. Even if I suffer more, you won't be able to gain much advantage.

After all this time, life became unbearable.

After several years of struggle, it finally came to an end.

Leaving behind two children, the man took his son and left the girl to his sister-in-law.

Yu Qiutang remembered that the cousin was a few years younger than him and was not very pretty, mainly because she inherited her looks from her aunt.

My younger aunt is the only ugly one among the three aunts, as if she was picked up.

In addition, her personality was not as good as her second aunt and eldest aunt, so when she was a child, people called her "Baogeda", which means a child brought back from outside.

Yu Qiutang was on the night shift. He was just beginning to fall into a daze when he saw a group of figures rushing in and beating his fourth uncle who was lying on the kang.

He was startled and quickly stood up to hold her, "Who is it?"

"Get up, Tangtang."

After being pushed away, Yu Qiutang recognized that it was his aunt.

After all, we haven't seen each other for many years, and we didn't see each other very often every year. I was a little confused when I saw him suddenly.

The aunt ignored him and continued to beat her uncle's body.

"I told you not to go, but you insisted on going. You are a grown man, you can make a living anywhere, why did you go to marry into someone else's family? Look what you have done now, you have tortured yourself to death.

How could you do this? If you have something to say, tell us. Why did you just leave? My dear brother, you have taken my heart away. "

The little girl started crying hysterically.

She was not as reserved as the others. She cried without restraint, and her voice could shake the roof down.

Yu Qiutang had never figured out the ages of his fourth uncle and his young aunt, but now he discovered that his fourth uncle was actually older than his young aunt.

"Get up, you are all so young, why are there no one here? You left us in this world, don't you want us to live well?

How can you be so cruel?

My dear brother, you are poking my heart hard..."

If Yu Qiutang didn't know that my aunt was this kind of person, he might have mistaken the way she cried as formulaic.

This kind of "crying" is popular here.

For example, when a filial son is keeping vigil over the body, if someone comes to burn incense, the men will help the guests light incense, while the women will be responsible for crying.

The crying starts when people come, and stops when people leave.

But crying is an emotion. No matter how sad you are, you can't bear to keep crying.

But that's the etiquette.

Every time you come in, you start it.

By the end of the crying, the tears will naturally dry up and only dry howling will be left. Often after a whole night of vigil, the voice will become hoarse.

In addition to this kind of crying, people also cry during family sacrifices, visiting graves, and when important guests come to visit.

That’s why some people say that if you only have daughters and no sons, there will be no one to hold the bricks when you die; and if you only have sons and no daughters, there will be no one to cry to the sky.

Carrying bricks means that before a person is buried, the son is required to carry a few bricks from home and place them in front of the grave as a small incense burner.

The so-called crying to the sky is naturally the daughter's crying.

Because before crying, people basically start with: "Oh my God...", so it is called crying to the sky.

At this time, naturally someone is needed to support, usually people of the same sex support each other, but now there is only Yu Qiutang here, so he has to do it.

The key point is that he and his aunt are actually quite strangers. When he suddenly touches her body, he doesn't feel any sense of kinship, but instead feels like it's inconvenient for the opposite sex.

But this thought disappeared in an instant.

He pulled his aunt up with all his strength. The aunt was still crying very loudly and struggling from time to time. If Yu Qiutang was not very strong, he might not have been able to catch her.

I finally managed to call Yu Chunmei over and helped my aunt to rest. But before she could rest, I saw my third uncle coming over with two other people on the path.

It turned out to be my aunt and uncle.

He quickly found a place to hide, left the matters here to Yu Qiyuan, and went to busy himself with the shopping with Yu Qiujiang.

The crying of the younger aunt can still be dealt with, but the eldest aunt is a complete tearful person. She likes to cry a lot, and once she starts crying, she can't stop for a long time. Now that the tears have started, there is no way she can stop for a while.

He was already feeling depressed enough and didn't want to hear any more of this.

Purchasing things was certainly not easy. A small truck was specially hired to go to Rongcheng city for wholesale, and purchases were made one by one according to the list. In addition to Yu Qiujiang, the chef's assistant was also present.

Everything else about a buffet is easy, except the ingredients for cooking.

When I came back from the city in the afternoon, I saw that tents were already being set up here and masons had begun building temporary stoves, water boilers, etc. in the yard.

There were at least dozens of people coming and going as substitutes in the yard. (End of this chapter)