Lin Lan, “Sigh, as I get older, I really can’t avoid this. Look at this meaty waist— I should definitely exercise a little more. Do you think I should exercise with you and the boys in the morning?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she was pressed onto the quilt.
“We can start exercising now,” His voice was hoarse and his dark eyes were burning with passion.
Lin Lan, “…” I think I’m quite thin now, thank you!
On the Qingming Festival the next day, Han Qingsong got up early and took the children to exercise. Then Erwang and Maisui cooked as Dawang took the two younger ones out to break willow branches, cypresses and peach branches before coming back.
They first beat around both of their houses, saying that they were beating geckos and poisonous insects to drive away evil spirits. Then, they cut off pine and cypress trees and wore them on their hair, saying that they could prevent centipedes and other insects from boring into their ears to make sure they stayed safe the entire year. After cleaning up, they placed the willow branches and peach branches on the door and made a wreath for Wangwang to wear.
Sanwang had a serious look on his face and his tone was like an old man’s, “Hmph, if you don’t plant willows during the Qingming Festival, you will turn into a yellow dog(2) after death.”
(T/N: A way to call someone who is worthless or useless)
Lin Lan, “…” She didn’t really understand the idealism behind all this either, so she couldn’t teach them otherwise.
Xiaowang immediately shouted, “I don’t want to die and become a yellow dog.”
Maisui hurriedly coaxed him, “You are only so young, you’ve got at least a hundred years more to live.”
Children didn’t understand the meaning of a hundred years. All they knew was the fact that everyone was going to die. To them, there was no difference between decades, centuries and a couple of days, so it was a pretty scary concept for them.
He hugged Lin Lan’s legs and said, “Mother, I don’t want you to die.”
Lin Lan knelt down and pinched his chubby cheeks, “Mother won’t die. I have to wait until you grow up to be as tall as dad…”
“Even then, I don’t want my mother to die,” Xiaowang frowned.
“That won’t happen. Mother is just like the pomegranate tree— I will never die,” Lin Lan coaxed him.
Xiaowang took a look at the vigorously growing pomegranate tree at home. Although it had not yet produced pomegranates, it was growing well. With that, he felt relieved.
Lin Lan made a few single rolls with eggs, tied them with a piece of white thread and wrapped them in a clean bag. She then placed the food in the kids’ school bag, asking them to eat the food when playing later.
Outside, Sanwang led Xiaowang to the bottom of the gatehouse, avoiding adults who wanted to talk to them when all he wanted was to talk about the impermanence of life and death.
Sanwang was lively, running around here and there as he was knowledgeable about many things. There was nothing in the village that he didn’t know. Whose family gave birth to a child? Whose child was gone within a few days after birth? Whose child died at the age of three or four? Whose…
He pulled Xiaowang aside and was thinking about what to say, but his ear was grabbed by Dawang who was following him.
Sanwang, “Eldest Brother, even without pulling onto my ears, you are still my Eldest Brother.”