The east side of the mourning hall is quiet, and the west side is also extremely quiet. Compared with the dozen or so people scattered on the east side, the female family members' place on the west side is a little deserted.
Zhang Lao'an had never burned a stick of incense before his death, so naturally he would not come over to "stay with" his daughter-in-law. He excused himself from not showing up because he was feeling unwell. In addition to the visiting family members Guo, Xie and Shen Pingniang, there were three and four bedrooms. Only Aunt Zheng came out. However, she was an aunt and was not qualified to greet guests. She was seen by everyone, so she sat quietly in the corner. She was not attentive to everyone, and she did not show any grief towards Sun's coffin. state.
Although the Guo family are all easy-going people, they have no reason to put down their status and chat with concubines. Therefore, the west side is quiet, even quieter than the east side.
It's just that the Guo family couldn't help but look at Zheng family with a glance. Apart from anything else, just because of Sun's reputation, Zheng family doesn't listen to bad behavior and can teach Shen Jin to become a talented person. This is She is not a confused person. She looks good, looks weak, but is humble in words and deeds, and has her own character.
The Guo family are all the matrons of the house, so they know that if the Zheng family is really a doting and arrogant foolish concubine, it will not be terrible. Now this virtuous and flawless appearance is the most difficult to deal with. This kind of behavior, coupled with the seriousness With a son like Jin standing next to him, and a woman like this standing upright, there would be no room for Shen Rui to stand in the fourth house.
Mrs. Guo and Shen Pingniang looked at each other, both secretly worried.
Ms. Xie curled her lips and had a plan in mind. It wasn't that she was ungrateful and cold-hearted, but she felt a little sad to see her husband paying more attention to Shen Rui than her own children these days. For this reason, she was better than all the others. Everyone hopes that Shen Rui's situation will get better and that everyone will be less worried.
As for Mrs. Zheng, since she is a virtuous concubine, she must be virtuous to the end.
There was nothing to say all night, and soon it was the fourth watch, and the mourning hall began to get busy.
As for the specific time and route of today's launch, as early as yesterday, it was written on a whole set of yellow paper with eye-catching characters and posted outside the mourning hall. There was also a "Route Map of Launch" drawn on it, indicating that the cover should be changed and the pole should be changed. The location, streets, intersections, city gates where the funeral will take place, as well as the road memorial tents, road memorial tables, tea tables, etc. that have been finalized.
From this "Fa Yin Tu Shu", we can see the importance of the four houses of the Shen family. The magistrates and general magistrates all set up road sacrificial sheds, and the co-prefects, who recommended officials to set up road sacrificial tables, followed the example. Other county magistrates and county magistrates, Experience, the governor is also a sacrificial table, not a tea table. All the officials in Songjiang Prefecture's officialdom are on the list. Not to mention a mere member of the family, it is just the patriarch of the clan who encounters something unexpected. That's it.
This is not only the reputation of the four families, but also the reputation of the Shen family. Each head of the Shen family has an honor. Of course, young and old are involved, for fear that the noise will be reduced and the Shen family will lose its weight in front of the officials. On the four-mile long road from Shenjiafang to the west gate of the county town, in addition to the officials' sacrificial tents and sacrificial tables, there were also countless sacrificial tables for relatives, in-laws and friends of the Shen family.
Regardless of whether they were related to the Sun family or not, when the family members who came to see the Sun family for the funeral mentioned the Sun family, they would burst into tears with "aunt and uncle", as if they were mourning for their heirs, and they wished they could pull Shen Rui aside and step forward to be a dutiful son. Those eyes The angry tribesmen only complained about the Sun family's wealth, money, and even the officialdom. They also envied Shen Rui, feeling that he was under the shadow of the Sun family and was treated differently by the officials.
Only Shen Rui is bright and happy. Let alone the Sun family, which is a womanly family, they only have some friendship with a few official family members. Even though he is a man and a member of the officialdom, the tea will be cold when he leaves. The Sun family is a womanly family, and Songjiang is good at funerals. In the final analysis, the reason why the official boss is so praised is because he is a kind person and has left a lasting impression. There are many soft-hearted women, but not everyone can be lucky enough to support a top scholar. Songjiang officialdom is in full swing, and what is being sold is not the fourth generation of the Shen family. The face of Fang and Sun is the face of Shen Li, the number one scholar.
If Shen Li were the number one scholar, Songjiang officials might not be able to do this, but there is an old father-in-law behind him. If they really get involved, a bright future is in front of him. Songjiang is far away from the capital, and he can't curry favor even if he wants to. It is rare for Shen Li to return to his hometown to observe his filial piety, so everyone who is close to the water tower gets the moon first. Now that they know that Sun is a close relative of Shen Li, of course they all come forward to please him. If they can take this opportunity to hook up with Shen Li, it will be a great thing; even if they do, If not, if you sell well in front of Mr. Shen, you can have more opportunities to talk to him if you have the opportunity to meet him in the future.
Shen Rui can think of this, but those knowledgeable masters of the Shen family may not think of this. Just think of it, those officials can see the weight of Shen Li, there is no reason that their relatives can't. Those officials can put down their bodies and flatter Shen Reason, if people like them continue to act like their elders, they will be the only ones who suffer.
Everyone is a sensible person, but they are just using the stage of Sun's funeral to sing their own drama.
It started at 10 o'clock in the morning, but just after the beginning of the morning (7 o'clock in the morning), there was already a crowd of people outside Shen Ju's house. Family members, relatives, family friends, and neighbors from the same year came to the door one after another.
The visitors who came later had to sweat all over before they could squeeze in.
As the saying goes, "You can't go to a funeral on an empty stomach." The mourning family must prepare food and drinks for relatives and friends. The Shen family is a wealthy family, so naturally they can't just prepare cold meat and wine for a poor family. They all have a neat banquet. It's only the coldest month of winter. , the dishes cooled down quickly, and although they looked bright in color, they were actually no longer hot.
It's just that except for those poor family members who don't care about their dignity, and poor relatives who can't afford to eat, no one really eats and drinks. Most of them come here after eating breakfast at home, sit down and walk around before leaving the table.
Just now, Shen Rui and Shen Quan were invited back to the guest house by Dong Xi. Guo was watching over them and served a plate of rice cakes. Although this food is not easy to digest, it can withstand hunger.
Shen Rui and Shen Shen also put on new cotton robes and trousers, which were sent in advance by Guo's messenger just for today's funeral. They had to spend most of the day outside, and it was the coldest month of winter again, and the temperature was damp and cold. Even adults can't stand it if they're not careful, let alone two and a half-year-old children.
The new cotton-padded coat was pressed firmly with stitches, but it was not light in weight. It weighed several kilograms. It made me feel warm while wearing it, but there was no chill at all.
Although Mrs. Guo wanted to go with her during the funeral, she was still worried. She pulled Shen Rui aside and whispered: "Good boy, there are many people here today. Just remember to cry. If you are tired of crying, your eyes will After it was dry, I rubbed my eyes with the cuffs of my new coat and rubbed ginger juice in them. Auntie did this not because she thought you were unfilial and to make you cheat, but because she knew that filial piety does not depend on how many tears you shed. Sometimes this The pain in my heart is severe, but my tears are few. My aunt has seen you these days, you are a sensible and filial child who doesn't like to show sadness or joy in front of others. But outsiders don't know, and they only judge you by how hard you cry. Filial piety or not. Don't hold back any longer and cry out."
Even his own son Shen Rui avoided saying this. It was obvious that Mrs. Guo was sincerely planning for Shen Rui, but also wanted to avoid the suspicion of his character and filial piety being questioned.
Shen Rui was moved in his heart and nodded in agreement. Although he did not say the words of gratitude, he remembered Guo's kindness in his heart. Even though he knew that Guo's behavior was out of love for the house and the bird, he still respected her more sincerely.
Shen Quan was pushed to the door and could not hear what was said inside. From the loving look on Mrs. Guo's face, she could tell that she must be giving some private instructions. She was just avoiding others, even her own son. This made Shen Quan dumbfounded. He clearly felt that in his mother's heart, not to mention his youngest son, even Fu Niang might have to take a step back. But thinking that Sun was the benefactor who saved his mother, the four-bedroom Lao An and Yuan It's not like the uncle can be counted on, and Shen Quan can't be jealous or unfair.
To be honest, it is true that Mrs. Sun is kind to Shen Li, but the kindness of supporting her is not greater than the life-saving kindness that Mrs. Sun showed to Mrs. Guo and her daughter. Shen Li could not support Mrs. Sun, but it was just a few years of delay in his studies. Maybe he won't get the top prize; if Guo didn't get the half of the old ginseng, the only ones who lost their mother would be the Shen Quan brothers.
Young Master Shen Quan must feel guilty like Mr. Guo. If that half of the old ginseng had been there, would Mr. Sun have escaped? Thinking of this, all his previous petty thoughts immediately disappeared, and he only regretted his young age. I can't repay him a few points. Although it's not yet the start time, almost all the relatives are here, and it's hard for Shen Rui, a filial son, to hide behind others. After giving instructions to Shen Rui, Mrs. Guo straightened his clothes and called Shen Rui. Everyone took Shen Rui to the mourning hall.
There is still an hour left before the ceremony is officially launched. All the distinguished elders from each house have come over. In addition to Shen Rui's grandfather's elders, there are also several great-grandfathers. They are the patriarchs who have not paid much attention to the affairs of the clan in recent years. He also sat in the hall with a cane.
The ages of these old men range from their forties to their eighties. They fill half the room, which shows that Ding Zhisheng, a member of the Shen clan. Not to mention Shen Li's generation, they are also the same generation of Shen Juren. Except for the head room manager, there are not many people who can take their turn to sit.
No matter how noble Shen Li's status is, uncles from all clans occupy the seats. Even if someone offers him a seat, he will not be rude and sit down.
Even he was standing, and the other descendants of the Shen family who were descendants of the king had no choice but to stand. When the next generation was younger, they wouldn't even have a place to stand in the mourning hall, so they could only line up in the courtyard to mourn.
Shen Rui doesn't have trypophobia, but seeing all kinds of relatives, old, middle-aged and young, he can't help but feel a little dizzy. Some people have vague memories, while many others have vague memories.
Shen Juren had dark circles under his eyes and a haggard look on his face. He stood talking to several old ladies. Shen Jin stood aside, supporting Shen Juren and looking towards the door from time to time.
Seeing Shen Rui and Shen Quan coming over, Shen Jin hurriedly waved to the two of them to come up.
Shen Juren noticed it and turned around to see the two of them. He immediately got angry and ignored Shen Quan. He snorted coldly at Shen Rui: "You bastard, everyone is busy. Why are you hiding away? I haven't come to see you parents yet." !”
In front of everyone, how could Shen Rui admit the crime of "dodging"? He rubbed his eyes with his sleeves as if to cover up, lowered his head and said: "Son... son... returned to the room..."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Rui's eyes seemed to have opened floodgates, gushing out.