Liu Mingzhi looked at the emotional look on the old man's face and nodded without hesitation.
"I know that even if you don't say it, I still plan to act like this."
Liu Zhi'an nodded slightly, turned his head and gestured in the direction of the bed in the inner room.
"How do you plan to handle your mother-in-law's funeral? Should you make a grand ceremony? Or should you handle it according to the standards of ordinary people's homes?"
"I plan to wait for Lian'er's mood to calm down a bit before making a decision on this matter after discussing it with her.
My grandma is a Miao people, and this is the border of Miao territory.
The customs and habits of Miao Xinjiang are different from ours.
No matter how much I am my grandma’s son-in-law, I can’t break their customs and rules.
Therefore, after Lian'er's mood improved a little, I asked her to take me to visit the elders in the village.
Ask the old Miao people in the village what they think.
If the funeral arrangements can be arranged according to our customs, that would be the best. If not, then it should be arranged according to the rules of Miao territory.
Old man, you have traveled all over the country for so many years, and you should know that the customs, habits and concepts of some places are difficult to be changed by outsiders."
Liu Zhi'an squinted his eyes and pondered for a while, then looked at Liu Mingzhi and nodded gently.
"That's fine, just act according to your own ideas."
Qi Yun walked to Young Master Liu's side with light steps, looked at Young Master Liu with red eyes and gently shook his head.
"Husband, I really can't persuade my sister Lian'er. No matter what we say, she won't listen."
Liu Mingzhi looked at Qi Yun's pretty face full of helplessness, turned to look at Qinglian who was still lying on his mother's body and cried bitterly, raised his hand to rub his forehead and let out a long sigh.
"Lian'er is my mother's daughter. How can she not be sad when my mother passed away in the west of Hexi?
As long as Lian'er doesn't do anything extreme, let her cry if she wants to.
Just let her cry happily."
"Okay, I understand."
Qi Yunfu saluted and was about to start walking towards the inner room when Liu Mingzhi spoke again.
"Yun'er, wait a moment."
"Huh? Husband, please tell me."
"Later, quietly tell Sister Ya and ask her to cook some thin porridge that nourishes yin and qi and prepare it for Lian'er.
My grandma has just left. Lian'er will definitely not be able to eat now.
No, it should be said that she may not be able to eat in the past few days.
Not only Lian'er, but also Yiyi, Feifei, Chengfeng and their three siblings.
You sisters, please work hard these days and take turns preparing some thin porridge for them and their children to nourish their vitality and blood.
We can’t just watch their bodies collapse from hunger!”
"Yes, I know it. I will explain it to you sisters later."
"Okay, you go and take care of Lian'er first."
Liu Mingzhi watched Qi Yun walk into the inner room, took out the tobacco bag from his waist and started walking towards the outside of the bamboo house.
Liu Zhi'an gently narrowed his eyes and looked at the people with sad expressions for a long time.
He didn't know what he thought of, but he suddenly let out a faint sigh.
Like Liu Mingzhi, he took out the tobacco bag from his waist and walked out of the bamboo house.
Liu Zhi'an saw the eldest son squatting on a stone outside the bamboo house and smoking quietly, filled the tobacco in his hand, and walked straight over.
Liu Zhi'an lifted up the hem of his clothes and sat directly on the ground next to Young Master Liu.
Liu Mingzhi turned to look at his old man, blew out the fire stick in his hand again and leaned over.
Liu Zhi'an leaned over, lit the tobacco and took a long puff.
"Would you like to replace it with my cut tobacco? Your cut tobacco is too spicy for your throat."
"No, I'm not a big smoker."
"Come on, aren't you a big smoker?
You are much more addicted to smoking now than when I was young, but you just haven't noticed it yourself.
I said you are now a dignified king of a country, can't you buy some good tobacco for smoking?
How much money can you spend just eating the best cut tobacco?"
"I'm not that particular. I just buy whatever tobacco I find, and I smoke whatever tobacco I buy.
The left and right are just things used to refresh and meditate, there is no difference between good and bad.
It doesn't matter how much it costs.
What matters is just taking things as they come and muddle along."
Liu Zhi'an blew out a puff of smoke and looked up at the sun that was already setting in the sky.
"Life is actually just like that.
Laughter lasts a lifetime, suffering lasts a lifetime.
Wealth lasts a lifetime, poverty lasts a lifetime.
Being free and unrestrained lasts a lifetime, and being depressed lasts a lifetime.
Sobriety lasts a lifetime, and Hutu lasts a lifetime.
Since it's a lifetime choice, why not choose the former?
Life is like the sun above our heads.
When the sun is scorching in the summer, people can't help but like it.
However, once winter comes, you will not feel it is dazzling and hot, but you hope it will be as warm as possible.
But what?
Whether you like it or not, it will rise and fall as usual.
There will never be a slight change because of whether you like it or not."
Liu Mingzhi pursed his lips and laughed a few times as he listened to his old man's emotional words like a wise man.
"Hehehe, old man, you were not like this before. When did you become so open-minded?"
"As you get older, you naturally start to look away from things you should look away from.
The generation that belongs to me has gradually passed away.
The next era is your generation, and the era of young people like Chengfeng, Chengzhi, Chengqian, Yiyi, Yueer and their brothers and sisters."
"Yes, the next era is the era of my young master's generation, as well as young people like Chengfeng, Chengzhi, and Yue'er.
Alas! What a pity”
"What's the pity?"
"Unfortunately, my young master's era is about to pass.
Decades passed in the blink of an eye.
In the blink of an eye, will this young master still be alive in this world?
Business is still a matter of two things!”
"Damn it, I didn't even say this, but you were the first to sigh."
"Hey, isn't this a matter of time?"
Liu Zhi'an paused slightly while smoking, then lowered his head to look at the pot. He saw that the shredded tobacco in the pot had turned into a pile of remnants at some point.
Liu Zhi'an knocked out the ashes from his cigarette, turned his head to the side and spit out the ashes on the tip of his tongue.
"You are right, it will happen sooner or later."
Liu Mingzhi's body trembled and he hurriedly looked towards Liu Zhi'an.
"Old man, what I just said was just casually following your previous words.
I don’t mean anything else, so please don’t think nonsense.”
"Fuck you, you bastard, you're thinking so wildly, I won't even let you think wildly."
Liu Zhi'an cursed casually, stood up and walked out of the courtyard.
Liu Mingzhi looked at the back of his old man striding away, shrugged his shoulders casually, rolled up his tobacco pipe and raised it in his hand. He looked up at the cloudless nostrils and was stunned.
Liu Zhi'an walked outside the courtyard gate, looked back at Young Master Liu who was squatting on the stone and was in a daze, and sighed with a complicated expression.
Withdrawing his gaze, Liu Zhi'an put his hands inside his sleeves and wandered around the village in a lonely manner.
The mountains are high and the roads are far away, how difficult it is to meet!
I am already in my sixties before my eyes.
From now on, I'm afraid I won't be able to meet him more than once.
Some people, once separated, may not see each other again for three to five years, or more than ten years.
Some people, once separated, may never see each other again, and there will never be a chance to meet again in their lifetime.
Compared to those people, I am lucky enough.
So, what else is there to be dissatisfied with?
Those who are content will always be happy!
Life, in fact, is just that!
Liu Zhi'an softly murmured what was in his heart, sometimes frowning and sighing, sometimes raising the corners of his mouth slightly.
Under the smiling gestures of many Miao people in the village.
His figure gradually blended into the beautiful scenery of the Shiwan Mountains in Miao territory.
About half an hour passed.
Liu Xuan walked out of the bamboo hut softly, and with a gentle step, she stopped in front of her brother who was still wandering in the sky and coughed twice.
"Ahem."
"Um?"
Liu Mingzhi suddenly came to his senses and looked up at Liu Xuan.
"Xuan'er, you're out."
Liu Xuan nodded silently, held up her dress and squatted down next to Liu Mingzhi.
"Brother, my condolences and my understanding."
Liu Mingzhi sighed silently when he heard his little sister's words of comfort to him.
"Well, what can I do if I don't express my condolences?
I have tried my best to fulfill my filial piety towards my mother, my elder brother, and my eldest brother.
To put it bluntly, this is her fate.
Brother, no matter how hard I try, it still doesn't help."
"Yeah, brother, it's good if you can look away. In that case, Xuan'er will feel relieved."
"How is your sister-in-law Lian'er doing now? Is she feeling better?"
"Sister-in-law Lian'er has stopped crying now. I think she has cried all her tears today.
When Xuan'er came out, she was sitting by the bed, dumbfounded and not saying a word."
"I know, just wait.
That’s right Xuan’er.”
"Huh? Brother, tell me."
"Weren't you in Qinzhou Prefecture or the surrounding prefectures?
If you are in these state capitals, you should have arrived in Miao territory a few days ago after receiving the letter from my eldest brother.
Why did you come a few days later than my brother?
Moreover, how did you come here with the old man and my mother?"
Liu Mingzhi did not hide anything from his younger sister and told her straightforwardly that he knew her whereabouts around Qinzhou.
He knew in his heart that Liu Xuan would not care about these things for him.
As expected, after listening to her elder brother's explanation, Liu Xuan just nodded her head a few times, with no trace of surprise on her pretty face.
"Well, as soon as my little sister received the letter from you, big brother, she rushed to Miaojiang without stopping.
On the way, while taking a break, my little sister sent a letter to our father.
At that time, my little sister didn’t know that your elder brother had already written a letter to our father.
I sent him a letter just because I thought he could send Mr. Sai here."
"Well, what happened next?"
"Later, when my little sister arrived all the way to Bazhong, she suddenly received a letter from our father asking me to wait for him and my mother.
My little sister thought that our father must have his own plan, so after weighing it up, he stopped."
"So that's it."
While the brother and sister were talking, Qi Ya came towards the brother and sister with a tray in her hand.
"Husband, little sister, is it convenient for me to come here?"
"It's convenient, of course it's convenient. I just had a casual chat with my little sister and didn't say anything important. Sister Ya, please come over."
Liu Xuan went straight towards Qi Ya and reached out to take the tray from Qi Ya's hand.
"Sister-in-law, let me hold it."
"good."
"Husband, I have already cooked the porridge.
Should the porridge and water be sent to Sister Lian'er and Yiyi now? Or should we drink it after they come out?"
Liu Mingzhi raised his head and glanced at the sky, stood up and patted the dust on his clothes.
"Let's send them there together. With their current condition, how can they be in the mood to go out for dinner!"
"Okay, I listen to you."
"correct."
"Husband?"
"After Lian'er and the others have finished their porridge, Sister Ya and you sisters, please don't forget to prepare another table of food and wine.
The old man, his mother, Ming Li, Mingjie, and Xuan'er all came all the way, but they hadn't had time to eat yet.
My grandma has gone to Hexi, and we all feel bad.
But no matter how uncomfortable I feel, I have to eat, even if I eat less.
One code equals one code, don't neglect the old man and the others."
"Yes, I know it. I will prepare it immediately after I come out."
"Xuan'er."
"Brother?"
"Here, give me the porridge and water."
"good."
The next day.
Under the comfort of everyone, Qinglian's sadness at losing her mother barely eased a little.
The sadness in my heart is no longer as painful as it was yesterday.
After Liu Mingzhi washed up, he walked directly towards the bamboo house where Qinglian lived.
Liu Xuan, who was waiting silently outside the bamboo house, immediately moved to greet her elder brother when she saw him approaching.
"Brother, my sister-in-law has changed into mourning clothes and is now wearing mourning ornaments!
These are the mourning clothes prepared for you, go ahead and put them on too."
Liu Mingzhi looked at the mourning clothes in Liu Xuan's hand, nodded blankly, and took it directly into his hand.
"okay, I get it."
After Liu Mingzhi walked into the bamboo house, he immediately saw Qinglian sitting in front of the dressing table, silently looking at Qinglian wearing a funeral ornament on her bun.
"Lian'er."
When Qinglian heard her husband's words, her delicate body trembled slightly, and she silently turned around and looked at Liu Mingzhi.
Qinglian's eyes were red, and her pretty face looked haggard.
At first glance, it seemed that he had not slept all night, or that he had only slept for a short time.
"Husband, you are here."
Liu Mingzhi walked towards Qinglian with his eyes filled with distress, stopped in front of the beauty, and wiped her bloodshot eyes behind him.
"Didn't sleep all night?"
"I slept, but I didn't sleep for too long."
"Oh, you, what should your husband say to you?
My grandma has passed away. My husband knows that you must be very sad.
But no matter how sad you are, you can't help but cherish your body."
"Husband, I am fine. Husband, you don't have to worry about me.
Husband, the time is almost up. I will help you change into mourning clothes first.
It’s time for us to report the funeral to the clan leader and the elders.”