Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12070

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan heard the commotion and came out of the house one after the other, both dressed in mourning clothes.

Zhou Wang looked haggard, with an unshaven beard, and Xiao Huan also had swollen eyes, looking sad and haggard.

"Tang Ya Zi, Qing Er."

When Zhou Wang saw the four people in front of him, especially when he saw that even Zuo Jinling had come from afar, Zhou Wang was deeply moved. But when he opened his mouth, the man burst into tears.

"My mother...she's gone!" he choked out, his shoulders trembling slightly as large tears rolled down his cheeks.

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Wuyou watched Zhou Wang shed tears, and the mother and daughter exchanged a quiet glance, both feeling a pang of sadness.

The Zhou Wang they knew was a typical rough rural man, the kind who never seemed to shed a tear. He would silently toil for his family's livelihood, the kind of tough guy who would grit his teeth and bear it no matter how hard or tiring it was.

He is a husband, a father of several children, but he is also someone else's son.

Even though he's in his late thirties and almost forty, from today onwards he's become a motherless child.

He would shed tears too...

Moreover, these tears were far more powerful than those of a pushover who cries at the drop of a hat, causing Yang Ruoqing and Luo Wuyou to both tear up.

Faced with this situation, Luo Fengtang didn't know how to comfort him. He could only pat Zhou Wang on the shoulder and say, "The dead cannot be brought back to life, cousin. Please accept my condolences."

Zhou Wang nodded. This sorrow isn't something that can be easily relieved!
It might take at least ten days to half a month to recover from that feeling.

“Cousin, take us to see Auntie!” Luo Fengtang said again.

Zhou Wang nodded and turned to lead the way.

The group followed Zhou Wang into the main room. The original eight-immortal table and other furniture had all been moved away, leaving the main room empty and set up as a mourning hall.

However, Luo Da'e is not here; she is currently in her own room.

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, Luo Da'e's room must have been the quietest place in the Zhou family home.

It was that familiar room, dimly lit, with the windows tightly shut.

The bed that Luo Da'e used to sleep on now has its curtains removed, and the pillows and blankets have been taken off, leaving only the bare bed frame.

On the floor in front of the bed, a door panel was propped up by two long benches.

Luo Da'e, already dressed in her burial clothes, lay stiffly on the door panel, her head facing the doorway and her feet facing the inside of the house.

Her face was covered with a yellow paper, her hands were crossed and placed on her abdomen, and a bowl full of raw rice was placed on top of her head.

Three incense sticks were burning in the bowl, and the ash fell into the rice grains, forming a thick layer.

In addition, there was an earthenware pot next to it, which also contained ashes from burnt paper.

Besides Luo Da'e lying down in the side room, the only other person sitting by the door was Luo the blacksmith, who looked very sad.

The noise from Yang Ruoqing and the others entering startled Luo the blacksmith, who was immersed in grief.

He looked up, recognized the person, and Luo the blacksmith slowly stood up, his body hunched over, his lips trembling uncontrollably. "Tang Yazi, Qing, Qing'er...you've come..."

When Yang Ruoqing saw the blacksmith Luo in front of her, she felt that the old man had aged more than ten years!
Alas, the thing I feared has finally happened. The passing of Aunt Da'e has caused unimaginable trauma to my uncle!

"Auntie, Qing'er and I have brought the children to see you."

Luo Fengtang spoke in a deep voice, then knelt down on the prayer mat that had been placed on the ground in front of the door.

Yang Ruoqing gestured to Luo Wuyou and Zuo Jinling behind her, and the three of them knelt down on the prayer mats at their feet and kowtowed three times to Luo Da'e.

After kowtowing three times, Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan helped Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang up and sat them on a bench to talk.

Xiao Huan stood aside, her voice hoarse as she recounted to Yang Ruoqing the events of the days leading up to Luo Da'e's death.

Zhou Wang then took a ream of yellow paper, squatted down by the earthenware pot, and burned it.

The room was quiet, except for Xiao Huan's hoarse voice and the sizzling sound of the flames spreading on the yellow paper.

The slightly pungent ash added a touch of desolation and solemnity to the atmosphere of death.

As a result, Yang Ruoqing felt her hands and feet become ice-cold.

"...Auntie passed away peacefully. For her, passing away peacefully is a relief, and she will suffer less." Yang Ruoqing carefully chose her words to comfort Xiao Huan and the others: "Please accept my condolences. For the sake of the children, you and Cousin Zhou Wang must also hold on. You cannot fall down at this critical juncture."

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan couldn't stay in the room for long because there were still many things outside for them to take care of, so they were soon called away.

Only a few members of the Luo family remained in the house.

The blacksmith Luo sat by the door, closest to Luo Da'e, muttering to himself as he spoke to her as usual.

Honestly, the old man's appearance is kind of creepy if it were in a horror movie.

Yang Ruoqing couldn't help but ask Luo the blacksmith, "Uncle, where's my aunt?"

Having been at the Zhou family's house for so long, I haven't seen Luo Da'e at all.

The blacksmith Luo said in a low voice, "The Zhou family's two children have no one to look after them, so your aunt went to help look after them..."

"I see!" Yang Ruoqing understood.

From noon yesterday to noon today, the older woman has been helping to look after the two boys; she must be exhausted.

Yang Ruoqing decided to go back today and take her aunt home to rest.

So she looked at Luo Fengtang.

Luo Fengtang understood what she meant, and then he said to Luo the blacksmith, "Uncle, please tell us what to do next!"

We can't just sit here like this forever. Today, Luo Fengtang and the others came early to pay their respects. According to the local customs, later on, relatives from all walks of life will come with gongs and drums and send wreaths to offer their condolences. Then, during the funeral procession, they will all help to send the body to the mountains for burial.

As for the details and rules of sending wreaths, what to send, how much to send, and what kind of funeral couplets to give, Luo Fengtang and Yang Ruoqing had no experience with these and needed Luo the blacksmith to guide them.

Upon hearing Luo Fengtang's words, the blacksmith Luo temporarily pulled himself out of his deep sorrow. He pondered the matter carefully for a moment, and then explained it to Luo Fengtang in detail...

Not only was Luo Fengtang listening and taking notes, but Yang Ruoqing next to him was also silently memorizing.

This is the final step in sending off Aunt Da'e, and nothing can go wrong.

After Luo the blacksmith had explained everything in detail, a stick of incense had already burned.

Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan returned, followed by Wang Cuilian and the two children of the Zhou family.

"Grandma." Luo Wuyou and Zuo Jinling stood up at the same time and called softly to Wang Cuilian.

Wang Cuilian spotted them at a glance and was very excited. She rushed over, grabbed one of them by the hand, and looked them over carefully: "You're both here? Good, you're both here."

A little while later, they started talking about lunch.

But Luo Fengtang and Yang Ruoqing had already gotten up to say goodbye.

"Qing'er, Tang Yazi, it's already lunchtime, how can you leave without eating?"

"Yes, we should at least eat something. How can we go back hungry?"

Despite Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan's efforts to persuade them to stay, Luo Fengtang and Yang Ruoqing remained resolute in their desire to return.

The reason is simple: with the deceased in the house and a pig slaughtered in the yard outside, the blood on the ground still wet and covered in pig hair, a large pot of food is being cooked. Sorry, Yang Ruoqing would rather go hungry for three days than eat such a thing.

She was like that, and Luo Wuyou must have been too.

Fortunately, Luo Fengtang understood his wife and daughter's thoughts, so he bowed to Zhou Wang and Xiao Huan, made up a flimsy excuse, and left with his men.

Only Luo the blacksmith remained, steadfastly staying at the Zhou family's residence.

Before leaving, the blacksmith Luo saw Wang Cuilian off to the carriage. He first instructed her, "You've been exhausted these past few days. Don't come over tomorrow or the day after. Just come over for Da'e's funeral the day after tomorrow."

"Tang Yazi, you don't need to come tomorrow. You can come the day after tomorrow to deliver the wreath. You can stay here to keep vigil, and then send your aunt up the mountain early the next morning before you go back. Is that alright?"

Luo Fengtang nodded: "Of course, but I'll also make time to come over tomorrow."

"Qing'er and the children, we'll come on the day we deliver the wreaths."

"Okay, okay, this arrangement is the best!"

The Luo family's carriage slowly drove away, leaving Luo the blacksmith standing by the roadside, gazing into the distance.

Luo Wuyou quietly peeked out the car window and saw Luo the blacksmith's hunched back in the distance. The girl sighed.

"I haven't seen my great-grandfather for just a few days, and he's aged drastically. He looks even older than my great-grandfather!"

The great-grandfather that Luo Wuyou mentioned was none other than Old Yang.

Inside the carriage, Yang Ruoqing was talking quietly with Wang Cuilian when she heard Luo Wuyou's sigh, and the two women could only smile bitterly.

Wang Cuilian then said to Yang Ruoqing, "It was around this time yesterday too. Your uncle and I heard that Da'e was dying, so we rushed over immediately. Da'e was barely hanging on and couldn't speak."

"Everyone says she was waiting for your uncle to see her one last time. Perhaps it's true. When your uncle came up to her, he took her hand and said, 'Little sister, your brother is here.'"

"Da'e's last breath came out. Oh, it was so heartbreaking to see, tears streamed down our faces."

As Wang Cuilian spoke, tears began to fall, and she quickly lowered her head to wipe them away.

Although Yang Ruoqing had no feelings for Luo Da'e—yes, that's what you'd call indifferent—her feelings for her had gradually risen from negative to zero.

However, upon hearing about the scene from Wang Cuilian, especially how Luo Da'e clung to life just to wait for her brother, to see him one last time... Yang Ruoqing's eyes still felt slightly hot, and something moist welled up in them.

Alas, she can never go back to being that emotionless assassin. Now, she is completely enveloped by the mundane world, immersed in the web of emotions woven by the vast world, unable to extricate herself, and willingly bound by this great net.

So when Yang Ruoqing heard these words, she was also moved.

Luo Wuyou, who was standing to the side, started sobbing and said while wiping her eyes, "Grandpa and Aunt Da'e are so tragic! Now that Aunt Da'e is gone, what will my grandpa do?"

The girl's words reminded Yang Ruoqing. When Yang Ruoqing looked at Wang Cuilian, Wang Cuilian seemed to have thought of this as well, and looked over with the same worried gaze.

Yang Ruoqing frowned and said to Wang Cuilian, "Aunt Da'e's funeral hasn't been held yet these past few days, so my uncle will definitely be by her side every step of the way."

"After the funeral, we'll keep a close eye on him every day, or we'll go to the village every day and invite a few of the old men he likes to chat with to come home and keep him company, trying to distract or divert his attention."

Hopefully, with the passage of time, some of the sadness will fade away!

Wang Cuilian nodded: "The reason I came along yesterday was because I was worried. Now that you're back, I feel much more at ease."

With her children not at home, it was just the two of them, an elderly woman, who felt insecure and without a sense of security.

Yang Ruoqing reached out and gently placed her hand on the back of Wang Cuilian's hand, offering her warmth and comfort.

The carriage stopped at the Luo family's gate, where Yang Huazhong, Madam Sun, and Old Sun and a few others were waiting.

"Gao Gong, Yue Fu, Yue Mu."

"Grandpa, Grandpa, Grandma!"

Luo Fengtang and Zuo Jinling, father-in-law and son-in-law, were the first to get off the carriage and greeted Old Sun and Yang Huazhong and Sun Shi at the gate of the courtyard.

Old Sun nodded: "Good, good!"

Yang Huazhong stared at Luo Fengtang with concern: "Just came back from Zhoujia Village?"

Luo Fengtang nodded, "Yes, I went to pay my respects to Aunt Da'e."

Yang Huazhong nodded solemnly: "That's only right. We only found out you were back from Huguang County when we saw Ronggu taking Tuanyuan out to play, and then we immediately went out again."

If they hadn't seen the two little brothers, Yang Huazhong and the others probably would have thought that Luo Fengtang and the others wouldn't get home until this evening.

I didn't expect them to be so efficient; they not only returned home but also went to Zhoujia Village to pay their respects and came back.

Be polite!
Madam Sun, on the other hand, went straight to the carriage as soon as it came to a stop, and helped lift the curtain to look inside.

"Sister-in-law Cuilian, Qing'er, Wuyou~"

"Grandma, I'm getting off first."

"Okay, okay, slow down." Madam Sun stepped aside to make way for Luo Wuyou to get off the carriage.

Then, Madam Sun helped Wang Cuilian down from the carriage.

After not seeing her for a day, Sun felt that Wang Cuilian looked haggard. Thinking about it, it made sense. The Zhou family must be in a mess right now. Cuilian had been there for a day, and she probably didn't eat or sleep well. She might have even stayed up all night.

But Sun didn't ask these questions aloud, because there was no need; it was obvious.

Who has the heart to carefully and thoughtfully greet relatives and friends when someone passes away? Grief alone is enough to make one dizzy, let alone having to force oneself to carry out the funeral arrangements while still grieving. It's too difficult.

"Mother, why are you waiting here?" Yang Ruoqing also got off the carriage, took Sun's hand, and glanced at Old Sun and Yang Huazhong behind her.

Sun looked at Yang Ruoqing with a worried expression: "We heard you were back, so we came to see what's going on with the Zhou family?"