Chen Weizheng's hometown, Qingshan Town, was about 200 kilometers away from the provincial capital and 50 kilometers away from Gu Yi City. It was a valley in the mountains. On one side of the valley was the Longshan Mountain Range, and on the other side was the Qingshan Town Mountain Range. The secondary road leading to Qingshan Town County passed through Longshan Village and passed by the foot of Longshan Village. There was a three-way junction under a huge longan tree. Chen Weizheng got off the car here.
The road leading to his hometown was not smaller than the county road, and it was paved with good cement. This was the result of the county's project to connect all the villages two years ago. In the past few years, the country had been supporting agriculture and building a new socialist countryside. It was very effective. After walking on the old dirt road for hundreds of years, it had suddenly become a broad road. As long as one had a conscience, they would sincerely thank the government and its policies.
The county road was built along a small river. To reach Chen Village, one had to cross this river. There was a bridge over the river. It was a stone arch bridge built during the Daoguang Era of the Qing Dynasty. It looked very similar to the Zhaozhou Bridge in the picture, but it was not as old and famous as that bridge. The structure of the stone bridge was also very similar to the Zhaozhou Bridge. The long stones were manually chiseled into a shape. The top was big and the bottom was small. The bridge was about 4 meters wide, and the big bluestone bridge was flat and smooth. Cars were not allowed to pass through the bridge. Less than ten meters upstream of the bridge, there was a rolling dam. The surface of the dam was the road for heavy trucks to pass through. The water flowed over the dam, forming a small artificial waterfall below. Under the waterfall, it was the best paradise for children to play in the water in summer.
Chen Weizheng walked on the bridge. His eyes were still fixed on the waterfall. It was as if he was recalling the scene of playing under the waterfall as a child. His footsteps could not help but slow down.
"Weizheng!" Chen Weizheng hurriedly pulled his thoughts back from the waterfall. He looked up and saw that the person who greeted him was a man in his thirties. He was very tall and very strong. Under his thick short hair was a pair of small eyes. He had a lion-like nose and a wide mouth. He had a short jaw and no beard. He was wearing a camouflage T-shirt and a pair of old dark green trousers. On his feet was a pair of plastic sandals.
Chen Weizheng knew him. He was the grandson of his third grandpa. His name was Chen Weilai. He had served in the army for a few years before retiring and returning to his hometown to do farming. The village saw that he had been a soldier, so they made him the village's health director.
"Brother Vilai." Chen Weizheng hurriedly greeted him as he took out a pack of Hongtashan from his pocket and gave one out.
Everyone in Chen Village had the surname Chen, except for those who married into the village and those who married into the village. It was said that at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty's army entered the pass and encircled the land to kill the Han people. The ancestor of the Chen family, who was originally from Taidong, moved south and came here. He married with the local people and slowly multiplied into this branch of Chen Village.
Today, the oldest generation in Chen Village was the generation that passed down the name of Chen Weizheng's grandfather. Chen Weizheng's grandfather, Chen Chuxi, was ranked 15th. He was relatively behind. Chen Weilai's grandfather was ranked third. He had been dead for many years. He was Chen Chuxi's elder brother. Strictly speaking, Chen Weizheng and Chen Weilai were not very close. They were only from the same clan.
"You're back!" Chen Weilai took the pack of cigarettes and took out a two yuan windproof lighter. After he turned off the fire, he subconsciously waved it in an attempt to extinguish the non-existent flame in the lighter.
"You're back." Chen Weizheng wasn't too familiar with him. They hadn't interacted for many years, so he didn't know how to respond.
"This is Grandpa Fifteen?" Chen Weilai pointed at the square box hanging from Chen Weizheng's neck.
"Yes, it's my grandfather." Chen Weizheng lowered his head. He was thinking about what he should do if the other party saluted the old man.
"Weizheng, do you know of a rule?" When Chen Weizheng heard that the other party didn't have any intention of saluting the old man and instead asked him if he knew of the rules, he couldn't help but become curious. His eyes lit up as he looked at the other party.
"What rule?"
"The ghosts that died outside are not allowed to enter the village. Your grandfather's ashes are not allowed to be brought in." Chen Weilai pointed at the ashes again. "Oh!" Chen Weizheng really didn't think of this. On the way back, he only thought that it would be easy to return to the village. With the help of his relatives, things should be simple. Who would have thought that before he even reached the village, he would be hit in the head!
"Is it your idea to not let people into the village, or is it the idea of the whole village?" Chen Weizheng was a little angry, so he lowered his voice and asked.
"It's my idea, and it's also the village's rule." Chen Weilai was very serious and also very serious.
"Oh, I know." Chen Weizheng didn't argue. He turned around and walked back. When he arrived at the fork in the road, he saw a motorcycle waiting for him. Chen Weizheng knew that it wasn't appropriate to hang the ashes box on his chest. He took out a backpack from his space and put the box inside. He also put in a few clothes to fill up the backpack, then he got on the motorcycle and went to the county.
The county was very close, only ten kilometers away. The motorcycle stopped in front of a wreath shop in less than twenty minutes.
Chen Weizheng knew that this shop was opened by a classmate surnamed Zhang when he was in high school. He didn't know if the owner had changed, so he carefully asked, "Is Boss Zhang here?"
"Yes!" There was a definite answer. As he finished speaking, a man around forty years old came out from behind the wreath. Chen Weizheng recognized at a glance that this was his classmate's father. He was a person with a good reputation, and his nickname was Bai Sizhang. His main business was helping people with funeral ceremonies, funeral processions, and eating, drinking, and worshipping. He usually made wreaths and sold incense and candles. It was said that his father's generation could even help people watch the time of day. However, when it came to his generation, there was no such thing.
"Boss Zhang has something that I need your help with." Chen Weizheng didn't try to get close to his classmate. Instead, he directly talked about business.
"Go ahead." Boss Zhang was very experienced. He raised his hand and handed over a Hongtashan.
"I'm from Longshan Chen Village. My surname is Chen." Chen Weizheng quickly introduced himself.
"Haha, everyone in Longshan Chen Village has the surname Chen. Which family are you from?" Boss Zhang was probably very familiar with the area.
"My grandfather is Chen Chuxi, Fifteenth Uncle. My name is Chen Weizheng. "
"I know you. Your father is Chen Baoguo, a martyr who saved people from the mudslide in Guling in 2005. I helped your father with his big event. You're my Dechun's classmate, aren't you?" It was unknown whether Boss Zhang's memory was too good or his business was too bad. He actually remembered things that happened seven or eight years ago so clearly.
"Yes," Chen Weizheng replied, "How's Dechun? I haven't seen her in four years. What do you do now?"
"Working in Shenzhen City. Last year, I got a wife. When I came back for the New Year, we're a family of three. What about you, Xiao Chen?" Boss Zhang was very proud.
"I've been studying." Chen Weizheng didn't want to talk about this anymore and changed the topic.
"When did Uncle Fifteen pass?"
"Last year."
"Last year?"
"How did you pass?"
"In Southern City. He came to visit me. He was not acclimatized and fell ill. I couldn't save him, so he passed."
"Why did you only start working now?"
"At that time, he was cremated there. I was studying and couldn't come back. Now that I've finished my studies, I came back to work."
As Boss Zhang asked, he took out a notebook and wrote something in it. It was probably first-hand information. It seemed like he was a serious person.
"What do you want to do?"
"The villagers don't allow people to enter the village, so we don't plan to do a big ceremony. Anyway, the burial site has been decided long ago. It's right next to my grandmother. Tomorrow, we'll invite a few Soviets to bring a few hundred bricks, cement, and mortar. After a few days, when the tombstone is carved, we'll install the tombstone and set off the cannons. "Chen Weizheng said very simply. Soviets was the local name for the farmers and temporary workers. It had no political meaning. No one knew when this name became popular, but there was no evidence.
"You don't want the villagers to help?" Boss Zhang felt that this method was a little different and didn't quite understand.
"No. Since they don't allow people to enter the village, we won't trouble them."
"Okay. Then what do you want me to do? "
"Invite people, work, buy materials, incense and candles. Lay the bricks, fill the soil, carve the tombstone, and a dragon. I only need to pay. "
"Haha." Seeing that Chen Weizheng said very simply, Boss Zhang asked, "The villagers won't be long-winded, right?"
"If they come to pay their respects, we'll welcome them. If they come to make trouble, we'll invite them to be buried with us." Chen Weizheng said even more simply. It seemed that not allowing him to enter the village was a big blow to him.
"Haha. It's not that scary. Don't you need to inform other people in the family?"
"No need. My father is my grandfather's only son. My father also has only one son. When my grandfather passed away last year, only Uncle Baoqing, who works in Nancheng, went. No one else in the village went. You don't need to care about what others think." Recalling the scene when his grandfather passed away last year, Chen Weizheng couldn't help but feel sour in his heart. His grandfather was absolutely angered to death when he saw his appearance at that time. Chen Weizheng couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his heart.
"Okay, the payment will be based on the actual amount." Boss Zhang was also very straightforward.
"I'll pay two thousand yuan for the materials first. Uncle Zhang, you go and make the preparations. I'll stay at the water and electricity hotel across the street. We'll go down together tomorrow." After Chen Weizheng finished speaking, he took out twenty yuan and handed it to Boss Zhang. He turned around and walked towards the water and electricity hotel.
Boss Zhang looked at the back of the departing figure. He held a thin stack of yuan and patted his palm lightly. He felt that something was wrong. This Xiao Chen paid quite quickly. He didn't think much of two thousand yuan at all. He should be rich. The problem was that this little guy had a lot of opinions about the villagers. If he had any conflicts with the villagers tomorrow, it would delay things! Thinking of this, he took out his phone and found the phone of the village committee director of Longshan Chen Village, Chen Baoliang. He called.
Soon, the call went through.
The person who answered the phone was Chen Baoliang himself. He was very familiar with Boss Zhang. They often chatted and bragged together. "Bai Sizhang, what's the good news for you to call at this time?"
"Brother Baoliang, I have something to ask you. The head of your Longshan Chen Village is still your family's old man, right?"
"Yes!"
"Grandpa Fifteen, is Chen Chuanxi close to you all?"
"Close. Shiwu Earl and my old man are blood brothers. They share the same paternal grandparents. "
"Then when he passed away in Nancheng last year, no one went?"
"No, the sky is so far away. How could we have so much money to go? We just set up a memorial tablet in the ancestral hall and asked someone to summon his soul. He has no descendants again. His grandson is crazy."
"Crazy?" Boss Zhang was puzzled. "No way, his grandson was at my place just now. He's very normal!"
"At your place? What is he doing at your place? "
"Sending his grandfather back to be buried."
"Buried? Why didn't he return to the village after being buried? Why did he come to your place? He's really crazy! "
"He returned to the village. Your villagers didn't allow him to bring the urn into the village."
"How could there be such a thing? If he's not allowed to enter the village, how is he going to carry out the funeral? How is he going to enter the ancestral hall? Nonsense! There is a rule that forbids him from entering the house. He's afraid that he'll bring trouble to the family. You know the rules! "Chen Baoliang was a little angry when he heard this.
"Maybe someone wants to bully the younger generation for being insensible and wants to extort some benefits!" Boss Zhang understood and said what he wanted to say. "Then tomorrow when we go to Burial Mountain, there will probably be people causing trouble. You better tell them not to cause trouble. I heard from Weizheng today that whoever dares to cause trouble tomorrow will be beaten to death and buried with them. If Weizheng is really crazy like you said and has a history of mental illness, then being beaten to death by him would be a waste of time. Even if no one causes trouble, this time, your villagers will block the road and not let anyone enter the village. They won't even help you. After this matter is settled, they will probably cut off all ties with you. It's best to discuss this matter with Uncle Patriarch and see what to do. "
After making this call, Chen Baoliang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Shiwu Earl had turned a page in the past in Chen Village. Chen Baoqing, who came back during the New Year, said that his only remaining grandson was completely useless. He only knew how to smile at people all day long and didn't know how to say a word. Who knew that after only half a year, he would recover and even return to his hometown to bury his ancestors.
He didn't know which bully the weak and fear the strong. He blocked people outside the village and didn't let them enter. This was indeed a little too much and offended them a lot. He had to find this person and scold him first. If he really angered that crazy person and went crazy, not to mention killing one or two people, even if he injured one or two people, it would be troublesome.
As for cutting off ties with them, it didn't matter. The Shiwu Earl's family was quite weak. The only one left was a crazy person. This was probably the end of this family.
The Shiwu Earl had always been very popular. Last year, he passed away in Nancheng and couldn't go there because it was far away. However, there were still many people who came to help when he was buried in the village. If the clan didn't ask about it, it would be gossiped about by others.
Thinking of this, he walked out of the village office and went home to find his old father to discuss what to do tomorrow.
The village office was located at the entrance of Chen Village. It was a corner of the Chen Clan's ancestral hall and was equivalent to the gatehouse. Outside the main entrance of the ancestral hall was the Chen Village's Feng Shui pond. It was a large pond about two acres in size. On the right side of the pond, there was a thousand-year-old camphor tree. The tree crown was very large. Not only did it cover one-third of the pond, but it also covered a large square on the other side. This square was the natural square for the people of Chen Village to relax. In summer nights, the moonlight scattered through the gaps of the camphor tree. The mottled moonlight scattered through the gaps of the camphor tree. The noise of children, the cigarettes of the elderly, and a large group of women of childbearing age formed the vitality of this square. When important events were held in the village, this square was, of course, the meeting hall and dining hall. The square extended all the way to the innermost wall of the ancestral hall. It was square and was about three acres in size. A few years ago, a child from an unknown family brought back a football. This square became the football field for the children of Chen Village. The people of Chen Village never dared to occupy this piece of land to build houses or grow vegetables. They didn't even dare to pile up construction materials. The ancestral hall, pond, old tree, and square were sacred in the eyes of the Chen Clan.
A small path was built around the pond with bluestones. In the past few years, Chen Baoliang used the village office's money to cast some small cement blocks and tied them with iron chains to make a fence. He also made some cement tables and stools in the fence for people to rest. This move was very popular, especially the older generation. They played cards and chatted on the cement table under the big banyan tree by the pond every day. They were very satisfied. The leader of the group was Chen Baoliang's father, Lord Eighteen Chen Chuanping.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
