novelraw Chapter 203 Funeral
Chapter 203 Funeral
Chapter 203 Funeral
Gu Lianshan, who was driving an oxcart to Beian City, never dreamed that not long after he left, the quiet and uneventful little mountain village, which was deserted due to the cold weather, would be completely stirred up because of the news of Old Master Gu's visit to announce the death.
Logically speaking, when Wei died, the person announcing the death should either be her husband or her son; there's never been a case of her father-in-law coming to announce the death.
Old Master Gu knew that it was inappropriate for him to come to their door like this, so he explained to everyone that Gu Liansheng had gone to the Wei family to report the death and was not at home at the moment.
As for Gu Tianbao, Old Master Gu said that he fell ill after learning of his mother's death and couldn't bear the shock. He is now bedridden and seriously ill.
My husband is also bedridden due to illness and can't walk. My two remaining granddaughters are useless; one is sick with grief, and the other just cries and has no idea what to do.
After much deliberation, only his old bones were still able to move, so he had no choice but to cover his face and deliver the news of the death.
The villagers were heartbroken to hear these words. No matter how bad Grandpa Gu had been in the past, his sadness at this moment was genuine.
But he didn't seem to be grieving the death of his daughter-in-law; rather, he seemed to be grieving for his own situation.
Some of the kind-hearted people couldn't bear to see Old Master Gu like this, so they gave him an idea: to ask Third Uncle for help.
“You two are brothers, blood is thicker than water. Now that he’s supporting the Lian Shan family, you should be even closer!”
Organizing a funeral is no easy task; the various trivial matters and rules involved are extremely complicated.
If no one comes to lend a hand and the old man has to do everything himself, he'll probably fall ill in less than half a day.
Grandpa Gu knew this too, and he forced himself to keep his dignity intact, originally not planning to go.
After visiting four or five stores, he couldn't hold on any longer and leaned against the wall, seeing stars.
This is something that really can't be done by one person alone.
After hesitating for a long time, Old Master Gu finally gave in and walked step by step to the door of his third uncle's house to knock on the door, hoping to ask his second son to help deal with the matter.
Gu Ping'an opened the door, and upon seeing Old Master Gu, he made no attempt to hide his surprise.
Grandpa Gu was the same; to be honest, he didn't recognize the young man in front of him as Ping An at first glance.
He only recognized it on his second or third glance.
Looking at the young man in front of him, Old Master Gu's eyes were filled with complex emotions, a mixture of good and bad.
After not seeing him for many days, Gu Ping'an's appearance has changed a lot.
In the past, he looked gaunt and was shrouded in an inescapable shadow.
Now, however, he has full cheeks and a vibrant appearance.
His clothes were all new, made of the finest fine cloth, something he would never have dared to dream of before, yet now he wore them casually.
Grandpa Gu also had a few clothes made of fine cloth, but they were all kept at the bottom of a trunk for visiting relatives during festivals, or for wearing when guests came to the house, to make Gu Liansheng look good.
I still remember when the adoption took place, Grandpa Gu said that the second son's family would not have a smooth and prosperous life.
But after only a short separation, the second son's family not only looked smartly dressed, but their appearance also became rosy and vibrant.
It's like a withered tree coming back to life.
Grandpa Gu couldn't quite describe his feelings, but overall, he still didn't like his second son's family!
The second child's family, in particular, is even more annoying than before!
"Where's your dad? Call your dad out here!"
He suddenly took a few steps forward, shoving Gu Ping'an aside, and swaggered into the courtyard.
Old Master Gu did this on purpose.
According to the local custom, when the family announces a death, the deceased cannot enter the courtyard of a relative's house.
When announcing a death, one would kowtow outside the courtyard, inform them of the date and time of the burial, and then leave. They were not allowed to enter the courtyard for pleasantries.
But today, Old Master Gu deliberately entered the courtyard.
Gu Ping'an was unaware that Old Master Gu had been announcing the death. He closed the courtyard gate and followed him into the main room.
Inside the main room, the third uncle was unaware of the news of the death, and was quite surprised to see Old Master Gu arrive.
Old Master Gu didn't beat around the bush and said that Madam Wei had died and the family was preparing for the funeral. He wanted Gu Lianshan to go back with him to help with the arrangements.
Upon hearing this, both Gu Ping'an and his third uncle's expressions changed.
That damned, despicable bastard!
Since there is a funeral in your family, why did you still step into the yard?
He's in his fifties, practically buried in the ground, yet he still acts so clueless!
Third Uncle took a deep breath and looked at Old Master Gu with icy eyes, seeing a hint of smugness in his gaze.
Now there's nothing you don't understand.
He deliberately came in during the announcement of the death!
good good!
Since you don't care about appearances, then he doesn't need to show any leniency either!
"Go back! Lianshan isn't home; he can't attend your family's funeral!"
"Wasn't he supposed to be coming back from outside? Why isn't he home?"
Grandpa Gu didn't believe this, and suddenly stood up and started shouting randomly in all directions.
"Second brother! Second brother! What? You're rich now! Life's better for you! So you've started to look down on the family?!"
"What are you shouting about!" Uncle San slammed his hand on the table, his face impatient. "Lian Shan is no longer your second son; he is now my eldest son!"
The sudden outburst from the third uncle startled Old Master Gu.
Third Uncle pointed at him and cursed: "You shameless bastard! When my wife and son passed away one after another, what did you do? You didn't even show your face once, let alone come to help with the funeral arrangements! It was all Lianshan's fault for keeping things afloat!"
Now look what you've done! You shamelessly come here, wanting my son to help you with the funeral arrangements? Ha! Not even a second thought!
These words made Old Master Gu both ashamed and angry, yet he couldn't defend himself.
Back then, he only cared about his own pleasure and didn't care about anything else.
And what was the result? He didn't vent his anger much, but instead lost his reputation.
The third uncle calmed himself down, but his tone remained harsh: "There's no room for discussion! If you're not going, you're not going! You know perfectly well whether Madam Wei is dead or alive! You're not breaking any taboos by holding a funeral for a living person!"
Grandpa Gu's expression changed drastically: "Who told you that! Did Lian Shan tell you?"
"Does he even need to say that? Anyone with eyes can see that the Wei family's funeral was handled very suspiciously."
"What's strange about this?!" Old Master Gu forced a smile and denied that anything was amiss.
"Wei has been missing for so long, and he disappeared in the mountains. He was bound to die sooner or later! It's perfectly normal!"
"Ha!" Third Uncle sneered, "You say Wei is dead, but have you seen her body?"
The corpse... Old Master Gu's eyes darkened: "Tigers and leopards often roam those mountains, how could there be any corpse? It was probably eaten long ago."
Third Uncle's expression turned ugly for a moment.
If Wei is truly detained and not released, it would be fine if he couldn't return. But if he does return, his second brother might cause him to die of illness.
At this point, even Grandpa Gu realized that the second son was indeed not there.
He glanced at Gu Ping'an, a thought suddenly occurring to him: "Since the father isn't here, let our daughter and son take his place. Where's Siya? Call her out, I'll take her and Ping'an back together. They're all grown up now, they should be helping out!"
"Why are you staring at them all day long! If you want to order people around, go back and find your own grandchildren! We, the distant relatives, are no match for you! We love our own children, and I would never treat someone else's children like they're not human!"
These words were clearly a veiled insult, and Old Master Gu understood it.
Even with his thick skin, he no longer had the nerve to stay there.
After a brief standoff, Old Master Gu gave in and left with a gloomy face. Once they were out of the courtyard, Third Uncle instructed Gu Ping'an to stay home and watch the house, as he also needed to go out for a bit.
He wanted to go to the clan chief to ask what was going on with Wei's funeral.
Previously, when Tang Yatou and her father were buying cattle in Bei'an City, they saw a strange man wearing Wei's trousers.
After the father and daughter subtly probed the information, they realized that Wei was likely imprisoned in a village called "Shanyao Village".
Uncle San had heard of this village before. He heard it was a village made up of mountain people, and that there was a madman who drowned his daughters!
Every family wants to keep only male fetuses, not female fetuses.
In just a few decades, not a single baby girl survived in Shanyao Village.
This trend continued to grow, and surrounding villages also began to learn to drown female infants in order to save food for their families.
Seeing that things were about to get out of control, the government requested the imperial court to send troops to suppress the unrest, which temporarily put an end to the situation.
I've heard things have gotten better in recent years. Although the practice of drowning female infants still exists, families who can afford to feed themselves no longer drown their babies.
If Wei is truly trapped in such a village, and no one comes to her rescue, she may never return in this lifetime.
Lian Shan said he would tell the Gu family about this. Judging from the situation, they must have told them this morning, otherwise his good second brother wouldn't have suddenly said he wanted to hold a funeral for Wei Shi.
Once the funeral was held, it meant that the Wei family had been abandoned.
A woman who has been abducted and imprisoned for so many days must have lost her virginity long ago.
His second brother always valued his reputation, and so did his nephew. The father and son hit it off and decided to hold a funeral for Wei, just to let everyone know that Wei was dead.
If anyone claims to be from the Wei family in the future, please do not believe them; they are definitely fake!
……
At 2:45 AM, Gu Lianshan finally arrived at Bei'an City in his oxcart.
After entering the city, he did not linger and went straight to the courtyard.
Upon arriving at the courtyard gate, I noticed an extra rope under the porch.
Gu Lianshan didn't know what it was. He grabbed it and pulled it, and vaguely heard a bell ringing in his ear.
It seems... it's coming from this rope?
Gu Lianshan was curious, so he pulled it again. This time he listened carefully and confirmed that it was indeed the rope making the sound.
Just as he was about to pull the door shut again, Gu Tang's voice came from behind the door: "Who's outside?"
Hearing his daughter's voice, Gu Lianshan finally felt relieved, but then his face darkened and his temper flared up!
"Open the door! It's Dad!"
Gu Tang, standing behind the door, was stunned for a moment. Her father?
How did her father know she was here?
Gu Tang gently removed the latch, opened the door a crack, and peeked outside. Yes, it was indeed her father.
She quickly opened the door and walked out with a beaming smile: "Dad! When did you get back? It feels like ages since I last saw you, I missed you so much!"
Gu Lianshan ignored her and led the oxcart into the yard, treating her as if she didn't exist.
Gu Tang scratched his head, as if he had angered someone.
After closing the courtyard gate, she dared not smile anymore and readily admitted her mistake.
"Dad, please don't be angry! I was wrong this time! I promise I won't do it again!"
"I don't believe you for a second! How many times have you apologized like this! You're quick to admit your mistakes, but then you just ignore them!"
Gu Lianshan was furious, but he couldn't do anything about it.
Gu Tang pointed to the sky and swore, "I swear, there really won't be a next time!"
Gu Lianshan glanced at her without saying a word, snorted coldly, tied up the ox, and entered the second courtyard with his chin raised.
Upon arriving at the main room of the second courtyard, Gu Lianshan sat in the head seat, and Gu Tang hurriedly poured a bowl of hot tea and handed it to him.
After drinking a bowl of hot tea, I felt warm all over.
"Tell me, why did you stay here all alone?"
Feeling warm all over, Gu Lianshan's tone softened a bit, but he was still charging forward fiercely.
Gu Tang noticed this change and knew that her father's anger had subsided somewhat.
"To be honest, I stayed here to figure out how to promote our backflow incense."
"What the heck? Creating hype? Creating what kind of hype?" Gu Lianshan didn't understand what this meant for a moment.
"This matter can't be explained in a short time. I'm going out for a while, and you'll understand when you come with me."
"What? Still keeping your dad in suspense?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm keeping you in suspense. Are you coming with me later?"
"Go! Why wouldn't you go!"
"Okay! Then it's settled."
Gu Lianshan gave a light snort, which was taken as an agreement, and his anger subsided.
Seeing this, Gu Tang started to take advantage of the situation: "Dad, go cook! I just woke up and haven't eaten yet!"
Gu Lianshan paused, thinking of letting her go hungry for a while.
But then I thought about it and felt reluctant to part with it. After hesitating for a while, I finally resigned myself to getting up and going to the kitchen.
There wasn't much time left until the end of the 9-11 PM hour, and Gu Tang was worried about being late for her appointment, so she asked her father to steam a bowl of egg custard for her.
Gu Lianshan knew she hadn't eaten much that morning, so he went along with her wishes and steamed a bowl of egg custard for her and brought it to her.
After finishing her meal, Gu Tang glanced at the water clock and realized it was almost time. She urged her father to lead the oxcart out. She locked the courtyard gate, climbed onto the oxcart, and urged her father to set off quickly.
"Where are we going?" Gu Lianshan was still clueless and hadn't asked anything clearly.
Gu Tang pointed ahead: "Go west, to the Chang'an Teahouse!"
Chang'an Teahouse?
Do you want some tea?
Gu Lianshan muttered to himself, his curiosity growing stronger.
The Chang'an Teahouse was quite a distance away; the oxcart took a leisurely fifteen minutes to reach it.
Gu Lianshan thought they were going to stop and go inside for tea, but to his surprise, Gu Tang told him to stop and stand on the car, looking towards the teahouse entrance.
"What are you looking at?" Gu Lianshan followed her gaze and saw nothing particularly eye-catching except for the people coming and going.
Gu Tang pointed to the west side of the teahouse entrance: "Father, hurry over there, the person I arranged to meet has arrived."
Gu Lianshan looked in the direction she pointed and saw three men with mobility issues and ugly appearances.
"This is the person you invited!" Gu Lianshan raised his voice.