The large blood stains in the open space in front of the tomb were covered up by the ashes dug by the craftsmen who built the tomb, and the smell of blood dispersed with the mountain wind.
The funeral is over.
The sky lit up the next day, and everyone in Lone Bamboo Manor ushered in a new morning again.
The Zhuangzhong gathering, which was previously banned, was finally announced to be reopened.
It's just that it was different from the previous one. The rally was designated in one location, one in the east and one in the west, and the two cities were held at the same time.
A beautiful but very thin girl was walking on the ridges of the fields, holding a food box in her hand.
She will go to Dongshi to deliver food to her father.
His father was in the newly opened Dongshi today to maintain order and avoid chaos.
This kind of work of delivering food in the fields used to be done by my younger brother A Chong. Before that, there was no peace in the village.
Due to the lack of control, some evil people have taken over the Xishan camp to do evil and have become a tyrant in the village.
Rapes, kidnappings, burnings and killings often occurred, almost the same as bandits outside.
But on the night when the owner of the manor, Mrs. Yan, came, those evil people gathered in the Xishan camp to do evil things, but they were suppressed without any effort.
Since then, the village has become much more peaceful and safe.
Then rumors spread, which led to some unpleasant things.
Thinking of this moment, the girl's expression darkened, and the original joy on her face also faded away.
Suddenly, I saw a group of carriages and horses approaching from the front, with a dozen carriages pulling various wooden objects.
The girl knew that it was a new farm tool called a curved shaft plow. It was said that one person could pull it easily, and it also had an iron plow shovel.
Seeing the carriage and horse approaching, the girl immediately jumped into the field stalks and got out of the way.
She recognized the elderly man with a clear appearance and a peaceful and upright temperament sitting on the frame of the first carriage.
That was none other than Mr. Zhao, the newly appointed chief steward.
Her exaggerated behavior was not out of fear of Mr. Zhao's authority, but out of respect.
Since spring plowing, Mr. Zhao has been running among the fields, ridges, and ponds every day, guiding farming, coordinating the deployment of farm tools and cattle.
Occasionally, when it gets too dark to return to the main house, I sleep on a simple and dilapidated farmhouse and don't complain at all. I also guide the young children to write their names.
As long as you have questions, Mr. Zhao will answer patiently, whether it is the elderly or children.
The girl has never seen any scholars. She has never left Lone Bamboo Manor until she has grown up.
But she knew that there had never been a master as kind as Lady Yan, nor a steward as worthy of respect as Mr. Zhao.
The girl got out of the way and stood in the field, the soft mud sticking to her black Gebu shoes.
She blinked her black and white eyes, bowed timidly, looked up secretly, and saw Mr. Zhao twirling his beard on his chin, nodding to her and saying, "Thank you, little lady."
The girl's heart suddenly jumped up. No one had ever said thank you to her with such respect.
She watched the carriage drive away and couldn't help but smile on her face.
With such joy, she walked along the road until she came to the East Market.
A simple low fence surrounded the field. There was someone patrolling at the door with a knife. There was a red cloth wrapped around his right arm with three large black characters written on it.
The girl didn't recognize the words, but she recognized the patrolling person.
"Uncle Feng." The girl waved and called. This man was her father's old comrade-in-arms and an uncle she was familiar with.
The middle-aged man wandering in front of the market was stunned for a moment, then smiled at the girl and said, "Ah Tang, are you here to deliver food to your father?"
"Yes." The girl Ah Tang nodded.
"Your father is inside."
The girl Ah Tang looked in the direction he pointed. People were coming and going in the market, but she couldn't see where her father was, so she had to look for him.
After thanking Uncle Feng, the girl Ah Tang walked into the market with a bit of curiosity on her face.
In the past, there were similar gatherings in Lone Bamboo Manor every month during the thirties, but there were never such a large number of people.
I don't know whether it was because there was no meeting for more than a month, or because there were construction projects all over the village, Lady Yan gave generous rewards, so that the villagers had idle savings in their hands that they could exchange for.
The girl Ah Tang looked around with interest and listened to the shouts.
The bankers are almost illiterate, no one knows how to write and read, and all transactions are based on shouting.
Someone on the left shouted that twenty eggs should be exchanged for two clay pots for water storage.
There are also people who want to exchange crudely painted lacquer boxes for five-end Gebu to make clothes for their families.
Another person was holding a large bamboo basket with five black and yellow puppies in it, wanting to exchange for two piglets.
However, Ah Tang felt that this person was a bit greedy. How could he exchange five puppies for two little piglets? Even tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to get what he wanted in exchange.
Ah Tang kept counting in his mind as he walked and looked, until he came to a shack built with erected logs.
There are few transactions in the village that are as grand as a shed.
People were coming and going in front of the shed, and some people gathered to watch.
Ah Tang was curious and squeezed in to take a look.
I saw a high cabinet separating the inside and outside of the shop. A man and a woman were standing behind the counter, constantly answering questions from the dealers.
Ah Tang took a closer look and was shocked by the goods in the shanty.
At a glance, there were various small sacks of grain, millet, beans, and wheat. She even saw a bag of rice that had been pounded for shelling.
The rice was packed in yellow linen bags, and the white flowers were so bright that it made people dizzy.
When Ah Tang's eldest sister got married, she ate steamed dry rice with white rice mixed with beans and wild fruits. The taste made her salivate when she recalled it.
But she also knew how much effort her parents put into preparing such a meal for guests. Her younger brother even went to the mountains day and night to hunt wild animals in exchange for rice.
Except for white rice and a bag of yellow grains.
Ah Tang also saw dried fish and preserved preserved fish, which are more valuable.
When his eyes swept over a place, Ah Tang couldn't help but exclaimed, "Salt!"
Snow-white salt particles pile up on the leaves to form a pointed hill, which looks crystal clear, like snow.
Next to this small pile of salt mountains, there is another small pile of larger and more shiny things.
Ah Tang couldn't help but move closer, wanting to see more clearly.
When she came here, she squeezed in a woman with a thin face and a narrow mouth.
He stepped on the bottom of this woman's Gebu shoes.
There was a slight stabbing sound, and the woman screamed in surprise, and pushed Ah Tang hard until she staggered. She took off her shoes distressedly and held them in her hands to check, for fear of stepping on them.
Before Ah Tang could react, he was pushed by her and lost his balance. He staggered backwards with the bamboo basket in hand.
"Ouch."
The back of his head hit his hard chest, and Ah Tang realized that he didn't fall, but bumped into someone.
As soon as I stood up straight, I heard the person behind me curse: "Don't you have eyes?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." The girl Ah Tang stood up straight quickly and looked back.
Then he saw a tall young man with dark skin standing behind him. Ah Tang was so petite that he only reached his chest.
The young man stared blankly at Ah Tang who turned around, and his cursing stopped abruptly.
In the front is a cursing and sarcastic woman, and in the back is a tall young man cursing.
Ah Tang nervously clenched the bamboo basket in his hand.
But the dark-skinned young man's expression changed, he pointed at the young man passing by and cursed: "Don't you have eyes?"