Early the next morning, many strangers poured into Mingzhai.
When these strangers came, they held a small bundle of paper money and said they wanted to pay homage to the old lady.
The Ming family was confused.
Mingrui quickly called Xu Zhian, "Xiao An, go and ask the master from Micheng what's going on?"
Later, Master Yin Yang from Micheng came over, and when he saw the paper money in his hand, he understood instantly.
The strangers who came here all have their ancestral home in Micheng.
It is a custom in Micheng to bring bundles of paper money to pay homage to the deceased.
Yesterday, someone posted a video of the Ming family's wedding ceremony and a dinner with neighbors to eat mutton on the Internet.
It is said that the famous Ming family in Acropolis passed away at the age of eighty-two, and the Ming family was holding a funeral for her.
During the funeral, all guests are entertained free of charge.
In ancient times, it was similar to the practice of large families leaving food and doing good deeds during mourning periods to accumulate virtue for future generations.
The Acropolis had no reaction.
But when the people of Micheng saw this video, they knew that the old lady was from Micheng and was organizing a traditional funeral in Micheng.
Maybe I am homesick and miss people when I see things.
Or maybe they share the sadness and melancholy of being away from home, dying in a foreign land, and ultimately never being able to return home. People in Micheng who saw the video unanimously followed the custom of their hometown and bought bundles of paper money worth a few yuan, and stopped by Mingzhai to give them to fellow Micheng residents. Feng Xiaoyu, a fellow villager, burned a piece of paper as a farewell gift.
Nothing else, just a little bit of residual hometown feelings.
Ming Liang was very happy when he saw this.
He asked the people at the mourning hall of the Ming family to return favors to these strangers and not to neglect Feng Xiaoyu's hometown people.
Su Jianguo and Xu Wei showed great enthusiasm, arranged the staff, and politely entertained the guests.
Xu Zhian bought another 20 sheep from his friends and let them eat freely.
This is the fourth day of the funeral. From morning to night, there is an endless stream of guests coming to Ming's house to pay their respects.
The laughter and noise in the tent never stopped.
Mingrui knelt in front of the mourning hall, returning the greetings to the worshippers over and over again. Listening to the unfamiliar Micheng dialect, through the open door of the living room, he saw the various people in the courtyard with different expressions, and felt strange.
Everything in front of him was really another world to him.
It didn't fit in with his world at all.
The strange thing is that now, he is in his own home, but not in his own world, in another world.
Calm and confused.
Inadvertently, his eyes fell on Feng Xiaoyu's portrait.
The portrait was facing the door of the living room, as if she was also looking at the world.
But, she is laughing.
Smile calmly.
Yes, those wrinkled eyes are full of kind and easy-going smile.
It seems to be able to tolerate everything in the world.
Octavia stared at the eyes in the portrait and suddenly became enlightened.
What he saw before him was his beloved grandma's true last wish.
In this world of fireworks, vulgarity means elegance. This is the real life, the real world.
He realized that he was still young and shallow, and there were still many areas where he needed to grow.
April 5th, Qingming Festival, is the day of the old lady’s funeral.
According to custom, the body must be buried before dawn.
At five o'clock in the morning, nine onmyojis held an enshrinement ceremony for the deceased.
As the eldest grandson, Octavia walked at the front holding the portrait, and walked around the coffin with everyone to see the old lady for the last time.
Xu Zhiyi, who was following him, whispered to him:
"Octavia, five days have passed, and grandma's face is still so peaceful, as if she was asleep. My grandma said that only the deceased who entered the paradise world are like this."
Octavia knew that she was afraid that he would be sad, so she comforted him like this.
However, she was right, Feng Xiaoyu's remains were indeed peaceful.
It is said that appearance comes from the heart.
Feng Xiaoyu was always a kind, peaceful and open-minded person during his lifetime.
Peace is her true nature when she goes west.
Then, the coffin was sealed and the mourning began again.
In the past few days, the most comforting words the Ming family has heard are:
"You have nothing to be sad about. Looking at it, who is as lucky as the old lady?
I didn't suffer any pain when I left, and I didn't cause any trouble to my children. This is a blessing that has been cultivated in several lives.
I also enjoy the blessing of four generations living under one roof.
Joy and mourning, this is a true joy and mourning. "
Then, use the analogy of so-and-so’s old man.
He said that the old man had been on the bed for a long time during his life, suffered all the pain and torture, and was so thin that he was skin and bones when he left. He suffered so much that it is difficult to describe it in a word, and he only hoped to die soon, and death would be liberation.
The children are even more miserable.
On the one hand, seeing one's close relatives suffering from illness is heart-wrenching but unable to do anything.
On the other hand, it is really helpless to be unable to live a normal life for a long time in order to take care of a sick relative.
It is said that if there is no filial son in bed for a long time, even if the family is rich, the love will fade over time.
Until the end, both the elderly and the children hoped that the person would leave as soon as possible.
Waiting for the day when the old man passes away, the relief is greater than the sadness.
It is also the truth of the world.
Octavia understands these principles.
The joy is real, and the sadness is also real.
It's daybreak and it's time for the funeral.
Everything went smoothly before, but there was a problem when carrying the coffin.
There are now professional pallbearers.
Xu Zhian has already arranged for 16 strong young and middle-aged men to lift the weights.
However, according to Micheng custom, all coffin bearers cannot be professionals, and at least four relatives, friends or neighbors are required to help.
Immediate family members are not allowed, and those who are not married are not allowed.
He must be a married adult man, and his zodiac signs cannot conflict.
In the past, it was common for neighbors to stay close to each other, help each other with weddings and funerals, and help each other carry coffins.
Modern people are like strangers to each other, and it is impossible for neighbors to talk to each other.
You can only find it from relatives.
After checking last night, it was determined that Wang Yue, Xu Bao and Xu Hong's husbands, as well as Zhou Zijun, would help carry the coffin during the funeral.
Because there were already 16 professional coffin bearers and the load was sufficient, these four people just held hands symbolically and could not use much force.
The distance for carrying the coffin from the gate of Mingzhai to the main road is only 300 meters.
As a result, as promised, Zhou Zijun quit when it was time to carry the coffin.
He said that he had a shadow in his heart and could not get over the hurdle in his heart.
No matter how Zhou Feng tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen.
Zhou Lan and Ming Huaiyuan did not dare to tell Ming Liang about this, for fear that he would be angry.
After hearing this, the two of them rushed to the coffin where they were waiting. Zhou Feng felt guilty and did not dare to look at them.
Zhou Lan dragged Zhou Zijun to a shelter, gritted her teeth and said:
"Zhou Zijun, you don't want to do it. Just tell me last night. No one is forcing you. We just find someone else. It's a small matter to respond to someone, but it's a big deal to make mistakes. At the critical moment, if you give up your choice, are you still not a human being?"
Zhou Zijun lowered his head, "Auntie, I promised last night because my dad forced me to do it, but now, I really can't do it, I can't do it."
"you you……"
Zhou Lan pointed at him, her fingers trembling and she could no longer say a complete sentence.
She hated her family for not living up to expectations.
Seeing that the time to raise the coffin was coming, we had to find a way as soon as possible.
Ming Huaiyuan knew that this matter could not be kept secret, so he quickly called Octavia and asked him to come over.
Later, Mingrui and Xu Zhiyi came to the place where the coffin was dropped.
