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Chapter 145: Paying Respects to a Deceased Wife
Chapter 145: Paying Respects to a Deceased Wife
The first Saturday after the Spring Equinox, the Deng family began their annual tomb sweeping.
Early in the morning, Deng Shirong was already bustling about with his children.
In some places, tomb sweeping involves offering chickens, ducks, fish, and meat, and the same offerings can be used to honor multiple ancestors. However, in Deng Shirong’s village, they only needed a piece of pork for each grave. For the number of graves they had, they prepared the corresponding amount of pork.
Besides the pork, there were also tea, wine, and the essential rice balls.
At this moment, Deng Yunzhen was boiling the pork, while Zhang Xiuping and Deng Yunzhu were shaping the rice balls. In some parts of Bobai County, the rice balls were made with glutinous rice, but in Naye Village, there was no such requirement. They simply used regular rice to form balls the size of a child’s fist.
Deng Shirong wasn’t idle either. He was weaving a long “rice straw snake” from rice stalks. This snake would be lit at the first grave they visited and kept burning until they returned home, symbolizing the bringing of good fortune and feng shui.
Deng Yuntao and his brothers were preparing the tools, gold and silver paper, and fireworks.
Once everything was ready, the family set out, each carrying their respective items: some shouldering the loads, others holding the rice straw snake, and some carrying the tools.
Zhang Xiuping, who was pregnant, stayed behind. The journey to the graves involved a long walk and climbing several hills, which would be too strenuous for her.
In this era, tomb sweeping followed a strict order based on seniority, starting from the oldest ancestors. In later times, people found this method too tiring and instead swept graves based on proximity, regardless of seniority. To save time, they often split into two or three groups, each following a pre-planned route to maximize efficiency.
Since Deng Shirong was of a high seniority, his family had only a few ancestral graves, primarily those of his grandfather and father. His great-grandfather’s grave was already a communal one.
“Uncle Jiu!”
“Grandpa Jiu!”
At this time, everyone in Shuangwang was busy with tomb sweeping, so they often encountered other families on the road. They would exchange greetings but continue on their way without stopping to chat.
After about half an hour, Deng Shirong and his children arrived at the first grave they would sweep that day, which belonged to his grandfather.
While they were preparing, Deng Shirong looked at his second son and said, “Yunheng, you have only three months left until the college entrance exams. Your great-grandfather was a teacher and a man of learning. Today, you should pray to him for his blessing to help you get into your ideal university.”
Deng Shirong, born in 1936, was already quite superstitious compared to his peers. Being reborn had only deepened his beliefs.
Deng Yunheng didn’t quite believe in these things, but since his father had spoken, he didn’t object. Instead, he smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll make a hat for Great-Grandpa.”
With that, Deng Yunheng walked to the nearby grass and used a spade to shape a hat, which he then placed on top of the earthen grave, pressing a yellow paper vertically into the soil.
After completing this, he clasped his hands together, bowed, and prayed, “Great-Grandpa, if you are watching over us from above, please bless me to perform exceptionally well on my college entrance exams this year and get into the best university. If I do, I’ll bring plenty of money and good wine and food to honor you next year.”
Deng Shirong watched with a warm smile. After his second son finished his prayer, he turned to the younger children and said, “You all come over and pay your respects too. Ask Great-Grandpa to bless you with good health and academic progress.”
The younger ones obediently came forward to pay their respects.
Deng Yuntao and Deng Yunzhen also approached to bow.
Deng Shirong, in his heart, whispered, "Grandfather, I’m back. From now on, I will do my best to be a good patriarch. I will make our lineage flourish and prosper, fulfilling the expectations of our ancestors."
...
After paying respects to the ancestors, Deng Shirong took his children and daughter-in-law to the hill opposite their home in the afternoon to visit his late wife’s grave.
For Deng Shirong, his wife had been gone for nearly fifty years, but for his children, their mother had only passed a few years ago. Except for the youngest, Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng, the others still vividly remembered their mother’s gentle voice and warm smile.
This time, Deng Shirong didn’t need to remind them; they all knelt down to speak to their mother.
Deng Yuntao, supporting his wife, said, "Mom, the woman kneeling next to me is Zhang Xiuping. Dad found her for me, and she is both beautiful and hardworking. She is also gentle and kind. Please watch over her and the child in her womb."
Zhang Xiuping had been married to the Deng family for a few months. After experiencing the intimacy of marriage, she was no longer as shy as she used to be. Hearing her husband’s introduction, she added, "Mom, I am your eldest daughter-in-law. Marrying Yuntao is the greatest fortune of my life. Please rest assured, I will fulfill my duties as a good daughter-in-law and work hard to ensure the prosperity of the Deng family."
Deng Shirong looked at the earthen grave and murmured to himself, "Old lady, I was supposed to join you soon, but for some reason, one of our ancestors sent me back to 1980. It seems we won’t meet for at least another forty years, maybe even longer.
So much time has passed, I almost forget what you look like. I wonder how you are doing in the other world?"
Deng Shirong still had feelings for his late wife. Although their marriage was arranged by their parents, she always adhered to the principle of obedience to her husband, never once contradicting him in the sixteen years they were married. She thought of him in everything she did and always respected him.
What man wouldn’t love such a woman?
After burning the paper money and setting off firecrackers, and saying all that needed to be said, Deng Shirong noticed the sky was getting dark. He told his children and daughter-in-law, "It’s getting late. Let’s pack up and head back."
Hearing this, they all came to the grave one last time to kneel and pay their respects:
"Mom, we’re heading back now. We’ll come to see you again next year."
"Mom, we’ve burned a lot of money for you. Use it freely, don’t be frugal."
"Mom, if you need anything, let us know in our dreams."
...
After dinner, Deng Shirong saw his children and daughter-in-law picking up their books to study. He felt a sense of relief and couldn’t help but think about families in the future with better economic conditions who would hire tutors for their children.
Though he didn’t understand much about education, he knew that having a tutor was far more effective than self-study.
Since he wasn’t short on money, he decided to hire a tutor for his children and daughter-in-law!
He had considered a few book titles but found they weren’t as good as the original ones. He decided to stick with what he knew and not complicate things further.
(End of Chapter)
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