A century of poverty

Chapter 29 Death

On a busy autumn morning, Mom was making breakfast when she looked up and saw her uncle walking in with his head down. She quickly went up to him and said, "Brother-in-law, you're here early!"

"Hmm, you've arrived early!" Uncle replied and walked inside.

Just then, Grandma finished dressing and stood by the wash water that Mom had just brought, rolling up her sleeves to prepare to wash her face.

"Mom—" Uncle called as he came in.

Grandma agreed and gestured to her uncle, "You sit down first, I'll wash my face."

My uncle's voice trembled: "Mom, Xiaodie is gone."

"What should we do now!" Grandma exclaimed anxiously.

By this time, Dad had gotten up and dressed. "Don't rush, let me help you get dressed."

Grandma came to her senses, opened the cupboard, and took out a new pair of trousers, a new pair of shoes, and a nearly new overcoat. Uncle followed Dad outside to prepare the donkey.

Grandma got dressed, and Mom helped her to the yard to mount the donkey, which headed straight for Mutai Camp. The journey of three or four li was completed in no time because they were in a hurry.

Upon reaching the aisle, she saw the packaged item already parked on the ground. Grandma burst into tears, crying, "My daughter—you left without even looking at your mother! How can I bear this…!"

At this moment, the mother-in-law and the second daughter came up to comfort her: "Mother-in-law, don't cry. You'll hurt yourself by crying. Come and rest on the kang (heated brick bed) for a while."

The poor children. Grandma hugged the eldest child and started crying again, and all the children cried along with her.

The father came over and comforted her, saying, "Don't cry, if you cry, the children will cry too."

The mother-in-law chimed in, "Yes, don't cry. Let's eat first, and then we'll see what to do next!"

As she spoke, she placed a table on the kang (a heated brick bed), took out bowls and chopsticks, and someone brought over a bowl of thick soup with noodles. She led her grandmother onto the kang, sat on the edge of the kang herself, ladled a bowl, and handed it to her grandmother. Several children went onto the kang, and her father sat on this side, taking bowls and serving each of his daughters and nephews, while he ladled a bowl for himself.

After burying her aunt, when Grandma and Dad returned home, Grandma's mother-in-law took a large bundle of cotton and said to Grandma, "Thank you for your trouble, Mother-in-law. Please spin this cotton, ask your child's aunt to help you weave it into cloth, and then bring it back. I have too many things to do, so I can only give you what I can carry."

Grandma said, "Of course, there's nothing to say. I'll hurry, it won't delay the children getting dressed." Grandma continued, "Let Er Yatou and Dai Tou stay with me for a while, and have their uncle bring them back when they've had enough."

"Then I'll have to trouble you," the mother-in-law agreed.

Grandma, her niece, nephew, and father ate at the same table. They had a bowl of good rice porridge and fried eggs with toon leaves.

At another table, Mom was with her eldest sister. They were eating dark, greasy vegetable porridge, sweet potatoes, and salted dumplings. The second sister, who was only a few months older than Da Tou, was staring intently at that table. Mom stopped them, saying, "The older sister and younger brother at that table are guests. They should have the good food."

"Brother, are you eating, Aunt?" came Uncle Zhang Xifeng's voice from outside.

"Yes, it's Brother Copperhead, come here quickly," Dad called out. The whole family looked towards the hallway as Uncle entered.

"Sit there and wait, are you eating too?" Mom and Uncle greeted each other.

"Here you go," the uncle replied.

"Is something the matter?" Dad asked while eating. For so many years, the two families had never visited each other, so he must have something to say today, Dad thought to himself.

"No rush, brother, I'll tell you after you finish eating," the uncle said.

Dad put down his rice bowl and asked, "What is it? Tell me."

Uncle: "My mom said to ask my brother to come over, because our old uncle is gone."

Grandma chimed in, "Your uncle's passing is your business. Why are you bothering your brother?"

The uncle stood up: "Second Aunt is right. The matter of raising and burying one's father is our family's business. That's what was agreed upon when we divided the family property a long time ago, and we know that. In the past, it was always my mother who wronged Second Aunt. Second Aunt, brother, please don't hold it against us; it was our fault. Now that my uncle has passed away, it's our responsibility to give him a proper burial, but I've walked around the village, and no one is available. My uncle is lying on the ground, and no one is willing to help carry him out! I had no other choice but to come and ask my brother for help." As the uncle spoke, his face turned red and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Grandma: "Then just leave it there!"

Uncle: "Second Aunt was just saying that out of anger. Today, no matter what, we have to ask my brother to go over and find someone to help send my uncle out."

Seeing the uncle's distressed expression, Dad felt sorry for him. He would help even a stranger who came to him for help, let alone someone who had passed away. "Let's go," he said, and together with the uncle, they went to the old man's courtyard.

Although the old man was lying on the ground with a lamp burning overhead and a sparsely lit funeral basin at his feet, the room was deserted and the atmosphere was very desolate. The father knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times to his uncle, burned some paper money, got up, and asked his uncle, aunt, and third aunt about the situation before going out to look for people.

The first group to arrive were carpenters, who carried out planks prepared in advance from the east wing to assemble the coffin. Then, the people they had found arrived one after another, some to dig the grave, some to tie the coffin, and some to carry the heavy loads—all were arranged properly. They sent Tie Tou's younger brother to Zhao Zhuangtuo to fetch their great-aunt.

At this time, Mom also finished tidying up the house and came over to help.

People coming and going in and out of the courtyard and house make it seem like something is being done.

When it was time to eat, Aunt Gao Shuzhi filled a large bowl with sorghum rice and dried tofu, and a bowl with cabbage and tofu stew, and put them in a basket, asking her mother-in-law to take it to Second Aunt in the East Courtyard. At first, Third Grandma was reluctant, but Aunt Gao Shuzhi said frankly, "This time, we relied heavily on the help of the brother in the East Courtyard, and my sister-in-law also came to help with the work. Second Aunt and her children can't cook, so we should take it to them. Besides, it can ease the tension between us." Third Grandma thought her daughter-in-law's words made perfect sense, so she couldn't refuse. She covered the basket with a handkerchief, took it, and went out of her own courtyard to the old East Courtyard.

He called out loudly at the door, "Is Second Sister-in-law home? I've brought you some dry rice."

Grandma answered, "I'm inside. What kind of dry rice did you bring me?"

Third Grandma entered the room: "Second Sister-in-law, please don't be angry with me. It was all my fault before. Please be magnanimous and don't dwell on the past. Let's get along well from now on. If anything happens, we'll still be family."

Grandma: "Oh my! Are you related to me?"

Grandma San said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes, thanks to Hope for stepping in today, I know about it. You and the children eat while it's hot. Let's put the past behind us and be closer in the future." As she spoke, she lifted the towel and placed the food on the cabinet lid.

Grandma: "I can afford to eat dry food. Whether you're close to someone or not, you have to act with a clear conscience."

At this moment, Third Grandma had no intention of staying any longer, and said, "Yes, yes, I'm still busy at home, I'll be going now."

Grandma: "I won't see you off."

From then on, Mom and Auntie, Dad and Uncle, and Uncle-in-law had normal interactions. The two sisters-in-law also let go of their past grievances.