Restart life

Chapter 399 0389 [A Theatrical Performance in the Funeral Hall]

The body is usually kept for three or seven days, but the exact number of days depends on the actual situation.

The Chinese New Year is just around the corner, so it's impossible to stop until after the Spring Festival.

The main reason is that I don't want to trouble the guests on the first few days of the Lunar New Year.

Over the next two days, the ancestors' descendants returned from other places one after another. Once everyone had arrived, a Taoist priest was invited to perform the ritual.

The previously cheerful atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

The Taoist priest was muttering incantations, which were roughly understood. He was recounting the life of his ancestor to all the gods, Buddhas, relatives, and friends, recounting the hardships and blessings the old man had endured. This life, it seemed, was more suffering than blessings.

The Taoist priest then called each of the descendants to kneel down and recounted the old man's selfless dedication to each of his offspring.

No one was hired to wail at the funeral, and no funeral tapes were played on the radio.

But those whose names were called by the Taoist priest began to cry as the priest chanted their names. Some sobbed softly, while others wailed loudly.

Chen Guiliang saw his grandmother, who was usually very stable, kneeling in front of the mourning hall without saying a word, but occasionally raising her hand to wipe away tears.

Bian Guanyue took out a pack of tissues, walked around to her grandmother's side, and silently handed her a pack.

The father, Chen Xinghua, was less restrained and burst into tears as soon as he knelt down. As a stepson, he suffered discrimination and would run back to his maternal grandmother whenever he felt wronged; she was his safe haven during his childhood.

Listening to the Taoist priest recount his childhood stories, Chen Xinghua cried until his body was convulsing. It was heartbreaking!
When it was Chen Guiliang's turn, his older cousins ​​knelt down first. Then the Taoist priest called out the names of Chen Guiliang and Bian Guanyue, and the two of them quickly went over and knelt down.

The Taoist priest began to recount all the things the old man had done for Chen Guiliang since his birth.

"My great-grandson Chen Guiliang was sickly from birth. We couldn't afford the twenty yuan hospital fee, and even when his mother was holding him, they wouldn't let him stay in the hospital corridor. My dear child, your father and mother couldn't borrow any money, what were you going to do? It was your great-grandfather who rummaged through drawers and cabinets to get the hospital fee..."

Chen Guiliang thought he wouldn't cry, but tears streamed down his face in an instant.

After the Taoist priest finished invoking the guiding spirits of the four directions, the opening ceremony was over, and Chen Guiliang stood up in a daze.

The atmosphere became cheerful again. The Taoist priest continued to play the cymbals and sing, but this time it was difficult to understand what he was singing. The children started chasing and playing, and even ran towards the Taoist priest, imitating his head-shaking and swaying movements.

Several town leaders also came after hearing the news, taking turns to offer incense and pay their respects at the mourning hall.

They came for Chen Guiliang, but didn't say much, only offering their condolences and a few words of casual conversation before leaving.

Chen Guiliang was a little down, but he still called his cousin Feng Tao over: "Donate 30 computers to the government offices in your town. Tell Secretary Li that I'm busy right now. I'll visit him again when I have the chance."

“Okay, this time I’ll only charge the cost price,” Feng Tao said.

Chen Guiliang thought for a moment and said, "I'll donate another 10 yuan to the town's middle school to set up a scholarship for impoverished students. You can help with that too."

Feng Tao said, "Yes, that's my alma mater."

There were quite a few people keeping vigil tonight, and Chen Xinghua, instead of playing cards, sat in the mourning hall in a daze. He was the most heartbroken, crying so hard his body was shaking.

Chen Guiliang squatted down next to the mourning hall, smoking, and asked his cousin Zhang Qing, who was chatting with Bian Guanyue, "Do you have enough living expenses?"

Zhang Qing said, "That's enough. It's 600 yuan a month, and I also do part-time jobs."

Chen Guiliang said, "Doing part-time work can be good for your development, but your studies should be your priority. You're studying at a third-tier university, and your major is graphic design. The school can't give you extra points, so you have to learn more skills. If you don't have enough living expenses, just call me."

"I understand, thank you, brother." Zhang Qing nodded.

Chen Guiliang then chatted with his cousins, who were all grandchildren of his grandmother's sisters. He asked them how they were doing and if their work was going well.

Some people said they didn't want to work anymore and wanted to open their own flower shop. Chen Guiliang said he could lend them money as start-up capital.

Some people said they wanted to buy a house to get married, and Chen Guiliang also said he could lend money to pay the down payment.

You can pay me back whenever you want, or even if you don't pay me back at all.

But it must be a loan, not a direct gift.

Besides, you can't keep borrowing forever; borrowing once or twice is fine. But you can't do it more than three times.

The old ancestor entrusted all the hidden silver coins to Chen Guiliang, and Chen Guiliang naturally had to take care of her descendants.

"Waaaaaahh ...

The sound of a child crying came from afar; it was a naughty child being beaten by his parents.

A group of village kids were fooling around, running to collect unexploded firecrackers. They even dared to try and light them with just a tiny bit of fuse left; one little brat even got his finger swollen from the explosion.

Chen Guiliang suddenly laughed and told Bian Guanyue about his great achievements: "Back then, there were those little firecrackers that kids played with. I picked up a small glass penicillin bottle, removed the aluminum cap, and then made a hole in the middle of the rubber cap. The glass bottle was the barrel, and the rubber cap was the shell. You'd stick the firecracker in the hole, light it, and with a bang, the rubber cap would fly off. You could even shoot the shell at people; it hurt a lot in the face but didn't hurt them. It was really cool!"

"How many of these naughty things did you do when you were a kid?" Bian Guanyue asked, both amused and exasperated.

Chen Guiliang recalled carefully and realized he couldn't finish in one breath: "There are many. Take playing with firecrackers, for example. Besides making glass bottle cannons, there are all sorts of other ways to play with them. If you find a firecracker with a very short fuse in a cemetery, you can take out the gunpowder and collect it. Then pick up two handy pebbles, sprinkle the gunpowder on one pebble, and use the other pebble to hit it. Boom! It explodes every time you hit it, just like setting off a firecracker."

"Put it in your hand and tap it?" Bian Guanyue asked curiously.

Chen Guiliang said, "That's right. The pebbles aren't big, so you can put them in your pocket. When you want to play, you can take them out, hold them in your left hand, and smash them with your right. They make a loud booming sound all the way, and you can tell everyone you meet that you can make palm thunder."

Bian Guanyue felt that Chen Guiliang's childhood was so wonderful, while her own childhood seemed so monotonous.

Chen Guiliang was quite proud: "Whether it's the glass bottle cannon or the pebble palm bomb, I figured them all out myself. I even developed the friction firecracker fish-frying method. One small friction firecracker can flip over a dozen strips. If you don't master the special method, you can't fry a single fish. Don't I have a spirit of exploration and innovation since I was a child?"

Bian Guanyue quipped, "You really have a talent for making a fool of yourself."

Chen Guiliang lamented, "If I had chosen science back then, I'd probably be a scientist by now, and I'd definitely be able to make all sorts of discoveries and inventions."

"Bragging!" Bian Guanyue smiled, pursing her lips. "Brother, come over here and play Texas Hold'em!" her cousin called from the other side.

Previously, the guests were playing cards, but now that the family members have recovered from their grief, they have started to organize a card game around the table in a lively atmosphere.

Chen Guiliang said to Bian Guanyue, "You can have fun tonight."

Bian Guanyue said, "I only know how to play mahjong, I've never played Texas Hold'em."

"It's alright, I'll keep things under control for you," Chen Guiliang said.

Bian Guanyue quickly sat down, and Chen Guiliang stood behind her watching.

No matter what you do, there's always a beginner's protection period.

Bian Guanyue's luck was off the charts; she won two or three hundred yuan in less than half an hour. The more she played, the more excited she became. At first, she was quite reserved, but later she couldn't help but shout and yell.

Chen Guiliang quietly walked back to the mourning hall, dragged a stool, and sat down next to his father.

"Still not recovered?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Chen Xinghua exhaled a breath of stale air, forced a smile, and stood up: "You watch the incense, make sure it doesn't go out. I'm going to play cards!"

Chen Xinghua is gone, but Grandma is still in the mourning hall.

Grandma said, "Your great-grandmother also liked to listen to operas, so we should have hired an opera troupe. I asked them to go and invite one, but we couldn't find one in the whole city. There are no opera troupes anymore."

"Why don't you sing a song for Grandma?" Chen Guiliang suggested.

Grandma started singing quickly, but instead of funeral songs like "Crying at the Funeral Hall" or "Sacrifice at the Three Rivers," she chose the very cheerful "The Flower Girl Picks Up Gold."

The plot is about a beggar who finds gold and dreams of living a life of wealth and luxury.

"...Found gold, beaming with joy, today a beggar becomes a god. Buying fields and land, wearing silk and satin, taking a bite of a steamed bun—the meat filling oozes out its fresh oil..."

Grandma's three sisters all sat down when they heard the opera singing.

Bian Guanyue stopped playing cards and went to Chen Guiliang to find out what was going on. He volunteered to perform for his ancestor's spirit.

My third uncle also knew how to sing. After a brief discussion, he and Bian Guanyue sang a selection from "Autumn River" (from "The Jade Hairpin").

One played the boatman, and the other played Chen Miaochang.

Even the Taoist priests joined in, and their cymbals and small drums came in handy. Grandma acted as the drummer and conductor, keeping time with the priests.

The older relatives and neighbors, upon hearing that there was going to be a performance, were the first to gather around, followed by some of the younger people.

Third Aunt's husband plays the boatman rowing the boat, while Bian Guanyue makes a graceful entrance.

"it is good!"

Before Bianguanyue could even begin singing, the elderly people cheered in unison, mainly because her posture and gait were so skillful.

My cousin Chen Guirong was playing cards when he heard the commotion and said, "Shall we go and see?"

"Let's go, let's watch the show first, then we'll fight."

Most people aren't really interested in listening to opera, but tonight is different.

Before long, twenty or thirty people had gathered around the mourning hall.

This was Bian Guanyue's first public performance since she began learning opera, and she was both nervous and excited.

She thought she wouldn't have that chance again, since not many people would listen to her sing anyway.

"You have left, and I have arrived late; we both know the sorrow of our separation. When we meet again, we can pour out our hearts to each other. I must hurry to the river to hire a boat..."

"it is good!"

As soon as the first verse ended, the elderly people cheered in unison once again.

They hadn't heard a live opera performance in decades, and the sound of Bian Guanyue's voice filled them with both nostalgia and amazement.

Amid cheers and applause, the elderly people couldn't stop smiling.

The portrait of the old ancestor is also smiling, seemingly praising Bian Guan Yue for singing well.

After this performance, everyone gained a new understanding of Chen Guiliang's girlfriend: in addition to being beautiful, she was also exceptionally good at opera.

The next day, early morning.

Funeral procession.

People who hadn't slept all night, suppressing the urge to yawn, escorted their ancestor's remains to the burial site.

Tomorrow is Chinese New Year.

After the funeral procession, neighbors and friends dispersed, and relatives gathered together for an early New Year's Eve dinner.

After the New Year, everyone will be busy with their own lives again.

The year 2009 should be very exciting for Chen Guiliang.

Or rather, it was the year my career truly took off.

(End of this chapter)