The pagoda burned for two or three hours before it was extinguished. It would not be taken back that night and would have to be parked until the next morning. The next day, the young people in the village will collect the ashes left by the sacrificial tower and scatter them into the river ditch not far from the village. This symbolizes that the sacrifices were delivered to the ancestors through the water flow.
After completing the ancestor worship activities, the tribesmen who returned to Zhangwan Village from other places began to leave one after another. Zhang Yongsheng and others also embarked on the country road back to Zizhu Town. Wang Po and Zhang Guiquan repeatedly tried to persuade them to stay, but because they had their own arrangements, Zhang Yongsheng and others politely declined the other's offer.
After returning to Zizhu Town, Zhang Yongsheng took a day off, sorted out the gifts he had brought, and planned to visit Linyin Village not far from the town. He made an appointment with his deskmate Liu Wei before the holiday to come and play with him, so he had to go to Linyin Village to avoid losing his credibility.
Linyin Village is much closer to Zizhu Town than Zhangwan Village. It takes about half an hour to walk around the mountain at the entrance of the village and continue forward. It is close to the mountains, surrounded by a large forest, and a small river flows down the mountain. The environment is very beautiful.
Zhang Yongsheng met Liu Wei at the temple fair in the town during the Chinese New Year and did not visit him at home. This was his first time coming to this village, and the beautiful scenery along the way made him feel refreshed. Wu Qiuyue also came with him, sitting on the back seat of the bicycle and hugging his waist intimately.
Wu Qiuyue's grandmother's home is also in Linyin Village. She has not come to visit the old man this time. Hearing that Zhang Yongsheng was coming, he volunteered to be a guide to visit his elderly grandmother. Her grandmother is over eighty, her grandfather and uncle have passed away, her grandchildren are working outside, but she is the only one who still lives in the village.
Wu Qiuyue's mother wanted to take her grandmother to live in the town many times, but her grandmother always refused. Her aunt remarried a bachelor from the same village, so she took her grandmother over to live with her. Every time she comes back, she comes to Linyin Village to visit the elderly and give them some money and daily necessities.
Zhang Yongsheng rode along the mechanical farming road and arrived at Linyin Village in less than 20 minutes. Entering the village, there are houses built against the mountain, surrounded by many terraced fields. People come and go, and there are children, dogs, domestic ducks and geese strolling on the road, creating a lively scene.
The two of them did not go to Liu Wei's house first, but went directly to Wu Qiuyue's aunt's house. Her aunt remarried shortly after her uncle passed away, but this woman was very conscientious and took care of her husband's mother as her own. She had a good reputation in the village and was widely praised by the villagers.
My aunt's house is a small brick farmhouse with three tile-roofed houses surrounding it in a concave shape. Wu Qiuyue had been here many times. When she saw that the door was ajar, she pushed it open and went in. In the small courtyard, a middle-aged woman and an old man were picking vegetables, chatting and laughing in a pleasant atmosphere.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, the middle-aged woman raised her head and said with a smile, "Isn't this Qiuyue? When did you come back?"
Wu Qiuyue nodded in agreement: "I've been back for a week. I'm busy with the Ghost Festival and haven't had time to see grandma. How is grandma this year? Is she in good health?"
Grandma raised her head, smiled at Wu Qiuyue, and pointed to her ears: "What did you say? Louder?"
The old man was hard of hearing and couldn't hear the sound clearly, so her aunt repeated it loudly in her ear. Grandma smiled and nodded: "There's nothing wrong with me, it's just that my ears don't work. Your aunt will take care of me, so don't worry."
Wu Qiuyue handed the things she was carrying to her aunt and said: "I bought this specially for grandma. I give her something to eat every morning to increase her nutrition. There is still a little money in it. If you see what is needed, buy some for grandma. , I am not in town, thank you very much for your hard work."
My aunt took the things with a smile and praised: "Qiuyue, my granddaughter, is better than my own grandson. My turtle son didn't bring such good things when he came back."
Wu Qiuyue said modestly: "This is what I should do. My grandmother raised me when I was a child, and now it's time for me to fulfill my filial piety. If you have anything to do, just ask my mother to take care of it, and I will definitely take care of it."
My aunt nodded, saw Zhang Yongsheng out of the corner of her eye, and asked, "Who is this little brother? A relative of yours? Why haven't I seen him before?"
Wu Qiuyue introduced: "This is Zhang Yongsheng, Xuewen's cousin. He rarely comes to Zizhu Town, so you haven't seen him. He comes to play with his classmates, and his classmates are Liu Wei from the Liu family in the village."
The aunt smiled and said: "Oh, I always heard that Xuewen has a cousin who is very talented. Today is the first time I met him. He is really a rare visitor. Sit inside quickly, take a rest, drink tea, and eat at home later. I'm going to the woods. Tell Lao Qin here and ask him to bring back some hard food."
Lao Qin was the man Wu Qiuyue's aunt married for the second time. He was a bamboo craftsman in the village and an old bachelor. He has superb bamboo craftsmanship and is famous throughout Zizhu Town. But because of his stubborn temper, he never found a wife. He married Wu Qiuyue's aunt only after he was over fifty.
The two of them had no children, so they regarded Wu Qiuyue's cousin as their own children and loved them very much. Her family is considered one of the five best families in Linyin Village. They live a relatively comfortable life relying on the craftsmanship of Qin Mengjiang. Wu Qiuyue's grandmother lived with them and enjoyed the happiness of her old age.
Wu Qiuyue was not polite to her aunt, and took Zhang Yongsheng into the main room. Grandma walked slowly beside her. Although she was older, she was still very steady and healthier than the old people of the same age in the city. Wu Qiuyue's aunt tidied up her work and went out quickly.
The three of them sat down in the main room, and grandma brought out a large pot of Laoyin tea. Wu Qiuyue took out the tea bowl from the cupboard and poured it for the three of them. The old man was very interested in Zhang Yongsheng and kept asking all kinds of weird questions, like checking his household registration or introducing him to a blind date, which made Zhang Yongsheng very embarrassed.
Since grandma has a bad ear, the three of them would shout loudly when they spoke, as if they were quarreling. After chatting for a while, Zhang Yongsheng felt that talking like this was too tiring, so he offered to massage the acupuncture points on his grandmother's ears, hoping to restore some hearing. This method can only be tried, and Zhang Yongsheng is not completely sure.
He uses internal energy to massage the acupuncture points, which has the effect of unblocking the meridians. If grandma's hearing loss is caused by aging and meridian congestion, there will be certain side effects. If it is a systemic disease of the ear itself, the effect of this treatment method is very limited.
Grandma was very open-minded and readily accepted Zhang Yongsheng’s suggestion. Zhang Yongsheng tapped several acupuncture points behind her ears, and then pressed them gently. After a while, grandma felt that her hearing had improved significantly. Wu Qiuyue was pleasantly surprised. She had no idea that Zhang Yongsheng had such an ability.
Zhang Yongsheng explained with a smile: "It seems that grandma's back of the ear is caused by aging and meridian stasis, and it can also be cured with traditional Chinese medicine. I can take care of it for a day after a massage today, but I may not be able to do it tomorrow. When I get back, I will talk to Zeng Yi Tell him and ask him to take some time to diagnose and treat grandma."
