Editor: Atlas Studios
The mourning attire was just an outer robe and Xiaoguo helped Zhuang Zhuang to put it on. The size was just right on him.
After dressing Zhuang Zhuang, she told him to go out and look for his uncle. Xiaoguo picked up another piece of mourning robe from the bed and put it on herself.
Qin Anming opened the main door after he was done eating. Someone should arrive in the village soon. They had to gather at Xiaoguo’s place first, then bring the firecrackers and joss paper to the grave.
Xiaoguo took out their baggage and Qin Anming brought out the firecrackers and joss paper.
At this moment, the old village chief walked over with a group of people.
"Xiaoguo, it’s almost time to set off."
The old village chief stood outside the door and shouted into the house. He was followed by a group of men, who were all holding shovels in their hands.
Among them was Mrs. Yang’s man, Yang Feng. There were also a few other burly men from the same village.
When Qin Anming heard the chief’s voice, he came out and handed the joss paper and firecrackers to some of the men. At this moment, Xiaoguo came out with Zhuang Zhuang in their mourning clothes.
"Let’s go!"
After ensuring that she had not missed out anything, Xiaoguo left with the rest of the group. Qin Anming followed behind after locking up.
The group of them walked along the road and headed for their destination, which was on a high slope in front of the mountains. Along the way, there were some onlookers standing on their tiptoes and looking out from above the walls. There were also some villagers who were tagging along just to check things out.
As the Jiang family did not originate from Peach Blossom Village, they could not be buried in the village cemetery after their deaths. Therefore, when Mr. Jiang died, Jiang Danhe and Mrs. Jiang chose a quiet burial spot for him. After Mrs. Jiang’s death, the previous owner buried her at the same spot with Mr. Jiang.
In the distance, there was only one big grave on the hillside. The surrounding scenery was beautiful. There were mountains, rivers, and big trees, hence, the grave did not look too desolate.
Xiaoguo led Zhuang Zhuang to the front of the group. She was carrying a bundle of joss paper and a torch. When they arrived at the grave, there were already a few carriages parked there. There was also a group of soldiers with swords standing guard at the side. They were sent by the county magistrate to fetch Xiaoguo and transport the coffin.
"Xiaoguo, let’s begin."
The village chief looked up at the sun and said to Xiaoguo.
Xiaoguo nodded and knelt in front of the grave with Zhuang Zhuang. The boy stuck closely by Xiaoguo’s side and followed whatever she did.
"It is the auspicious hour now! It’s time to exhume the grave!"
Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang kowtowed three times before making way for the villagers behind them to start digging.
The villagers did not start digging immediately. Instead, they lit three incense sticks beside the grave and then lit a string of firecrackers on a nearby tree.
Xiaoguo covered Zhuang Zhuang’s ears to protect him from the loud noise.
Zhuang Zhuang also huddled in Xiaoguo’s arms and waited quietly for the firecrackers to stop.
At this moment, Qin Anming walked over and said softly to Xiaoguo, "When the coffin is out, burn the joss paper with Zhuang Zhuang."
"Yes, yes."
Xiaoguo nodded in acknowledgment.
After saying that, Qin Anming stood behind Xiaoguo. This was a good position for him to remind her if she were to miss out anything. If Xiaoguo had any questions, it was also convenient for her to ask him.
Knowing that Qin Anming was by her side, Xiaoguo felt a little more at ease.
When the noise finally stopped, the group of men started digging with their shovels. While they were digging, Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang knelt down beside the spot and waited. They had the fire torch and joss paper in hand. Once the coffin was dug up from the grave, they would start burning the offerings.
The weather was good today. The sky was clear and there was no wind. They should have no problems lighting the incense later.
As it was a manual excavation, it took about three quarters of an hour before the surface of the coffin was revealed. Qin Anming was standing and saw it immediately. Xiaoguo was kneeling and could not see anything. So Qin Anming quickly leaned closer to Xiaoguo and informed her to start burning.
When Xiaoguo heard this, she quickly picked up the torch, blew on it, and started burning the joss paper.
As soon as the torch touched the paper, it started burning immediately. Xiaoguo picked up a small wooden stick and poked at the paper to encourage the flames. Zhuang Zhuang also took the joss paper and threw them into the flames piece by piece according to Xiaoguo’s instructions.
The old village chief was keeping watch by Xiaoguo’s side. Just as the joss paper had finished burning, the coffin was successfully hoisted up.
It was a large coffin for two. Several years had passed, but the coffin was still in good shape. It had not rotted away in the soil over the years.
When Mrs. Jiang buried Mr. Jiang, she had specially bought a top-end quality coffin. Even though he couldn’t be buried in the ancestral grave, he should be sent off properly on his last journey. Therefore, Mrs. Jiang spent all the money she had on the coffin.
The old village chief instructed the men to move the coffin to the carriage.
Qin Anming helped Xiaoguo up and instructed her to scatter some joss paper along the way. There was no need to overdo it. She just had to toss the paper at regular intervals during the journey.
Xiaoguo took his words to heart and nodded at him. She then got into the carriage together with Zhuang Zhuang.
Zhuang Zhuang looked at Qin Anming reluctantly, he was feeling a little uneasy.
Qin Anming looked at the boy and comforted him. "Zhuang Zhuang, follow your mother closely. Don’t run around, you understand?"
"Got it." Zhuang Zhuang nodded at Qin Anming.
Qin Anming nodded in relief and stepped aside. Xiaoguo lifted the curtain and looked at Qin Anming.
"Brother, we’ll be leaving now. Take care of yourself at home. Eat whatever you want. There’s a lot of grains, vegetables and meat. The shoes and clothes I made for you are on the bed in my house. Remember to wear them."
Xiaoguo finished speaking in one breath. Qin Anming gave her a reassuring look. "Okay! Take good care of yourself and Zhuang Zhuang!"
Xiaoguo took a deep breath, held back her tears, and nodded. When she heard the village chief say that they were ready to set off, she lowered the curtain.
Qin Anming watched as the curtain was lowered. He quietly rubbed the corners of his eyes. It was said that a mother would constantly worry when her child is not by her side. Now that Xiaoguo had left, he really empathized with those words.
Xiaoguo had always been staying in Peach Blossom Village. It felt a little strange to be away from home for a month.
The carriage began to move steadily. Xiaoguo lifted the curtain and looked out. The soldiers around them had been sent by the county magistrate to escort them. When they arrived at the county city, County Magistrate Liu would travel along with them.
Xiaoguo was surprised by the scale of this burial. For most ordinary people, they would move graves by finding their own vehicles and transporting the coffins themselves. Who would be entitled to such privileges like the Jiang family? Everything was planned to a tee for them. Xiaoguo’s imagination was running wild. She wondered what these people were up to.
Xiaoguo sat in the carriage, feeling the seat beneath her buttocks. She couldn’t help but think that a carriage was indeed more comfortable than a donkey cart.
When she couldn’t see Qin Anming and the rest of the crowd anymore, Xiaoguo lifted the curtain for Zhuang Zhuang to scatter the joss paper.
The joss papers were taken from her house. Qin Anming had helped to place them on the carriage.
Zhuang Zhuang obediently picked up two pieces of joss paper and threw them outside.
The corners of Xiaoguo’s eyes twitched. The boy had really heard Qin Anming’s words about rationing the paper. Zhuang Zhuang was really pinching two pieces of paper at a time and tossing them out.
"Son, not to this extent please..."
But Xiaoguo swallowed her words. Forget it. I’ll just throw more from my side.
Xiaoguo lifted the curtain and threw some paper out.
The carriage traveled slowly as it was difficult to move too quickly with the weight of the coffin at the back. It was close to noon when they reached the county gate.
County Magistrate Liu was already waiting at the entrance. When he saw Xiaoguo’s convoy, he quickly greeted her and joined the entourage.