CHAPTER 309: CHAPTER 309: DISCUSSING THE FUNERAL AFFAIRS

"..." Xu Xiuxiu stared blankly for a moment, "Where’s elder sister?" With such a big incident happening at home, she should have known, and it’s impossible for her to not show up.

"She went to contact our uncles to discuss funeral arrangements and talk about the shroud," Xu Qingqing explained, seemingly exhausted from crying so much.

"Then I’ll go check on our dad." Xu Xiuxiu, holding Little Baby, turned her head to look at Xu Jingjing, who was kneeling in front of the white cloth holding Little Moon, "Second sister, please watch over Si Ya for me, and also keep an eye on Little Moon and Cheng Guang." Xu Xiuxiu found herself stretched too thin at the moment. Xu Jingjing was too emotionally unstable, and Xu Xiuxiu didn’t trust her to hold Little Baby. Xu Qingqing was pregnant which also worried her, but she herself couldn’t manage three children alone, and with Mrs. Xu’s passing, as a daughter, she had a lot to handle.

"You should leave the kids at Second Aunt’s next door! My Cai Tou and elder sister’s Doudou are both there; you can leave the kids there for Second Aunt to help watch over them!" Xu Qingqing wiped her tears and reminded Xu Xiuxiu.

"Alright!" Xu Xiuxiu nodded, secured Little Baby in her arms, then walked over to Xu Jingjing and carefully took Little Moon from her arms. Fortunately, Little Baby and Little Moon weren’t too small, and although holding both was a bit difficult for Xu Xiuxiu, she managed, and the siblings quietly let her hold them.

"Third sister, be careful," Xu Jingjing, though still sobbing, was emotionally attached to Little Moon and Little Baby, so she was somewhat worried about Xu Xiuxiu holding both.

"Mmm, it’s okay," Xu Xiuxiu responded. She looked at Song Chengguang, "Cheng Guang, follow Mom quickly," Xu Xiuxiu called to Song Chengguang.

"Got it, Mom," Song Chengguang obediently nodded and then grasped Xu Xiuxiu’s sleeve with his little hands.

Second Aunt’s house was very close. As soon as Xu Xiuxiu approached her door, she heard the noise of several children. Aside from Cai Tou, there was also Doudou’s voice and, of course, Second Aunt’s own two boisterous children. All four kids were gathered together, creating a noise loud enough to deafen someone. Xu Xiuxiu frowned, feeling uneasy about leaving the children at Second Aunt’s, as there were so many of them and she feared one person wouldn’t be able to manage. If the children bumped into each other, she would be heartbroken. Yet, she had no option other than to stiffen her resolve and enter the house.

"Xiuxiu, oh! You’re back." Second Aunt, from a nearby village with surname Wu and named Wu Kai Mei, had a good disposition and had watched the Xu sisters grow up. Upon seeing Xu Xiuxiu enter with a child in each arm, she immediately reached out to take one, "Just leave the kids with me! I’ll take good care of them!" Second Aunt cheerfully said, without even needing Xu Xiuxiu to explain her reason.

"Okay, then I’ll have to trouble you, Aunt," Xu Xiuxiu said politely.

"No trouble at all! I’m more than happy to help. Ah, it’s really unfortunate for the Xu sisters, just when you were starting to succeed. Si Ya hasn’t even found someone yet, and now she’s gone. What’s going to happen to Si Ya? Will she have to mourn for three years? That would make her an old maid, alas! I don’t know what happened; she looked fine just before, and then suddenly this happened. It’s all too sudden!" Second Aunt spoke with emotion, then her eyes reddened and she dabbed at her tears.

Despite not being particularly close with the neighbors, there was still interaction in daily life, and Second Aunt was around Mrs. Xu’s age, often chatting together. This sudden passing was indeed somewhat moving.

"Yes, it’s very sudden. We sisters couldn’t even make it home in time to see her one last time, and that’s a regret that remains." Xu Xiuxiu echoed with a sigh, "Aunt, please take care of the children for now. My father is grieving alone inside. I need to go see him, and soon there will be funeral preparations. These next few days, there will be no shortage of troubling matters, so I hope you’ll bear with it." This was another neighborly interaction, and rural funerals lasted seven days and nights—plenty of trouble indeed!

"Rest assured! In this life, everyone must go through this, and we old folks never know when our turn will come. I understand," Second Aunt hastened to offer comforting words, "You mustn’t be too upset. Your mom didn’t suffer much in her passing."

"Okay, good," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, watching Second Aunt meticulously settle the boy and girl twins, before turning to Cheng Guang, "Cheng Guang, you need to be good, you know? You’re the big brother, so you must help mom take care of your little brother and sister." Xu Xiuxiu gently rubbed the little guy’s head.

"Mom, I will take care of my little brother and sister," Song Chengguang promised earnestly, patting his chest.

"Auntie, Cai Tou will also help watch over the little brother and sister." Little Cai Tou, who had been playing outside in the yard with some kids, rushed over upon seeing Xu Xiuxiu. The little one could recognize people now and knew that this beautiful auntie was the one who would send him pretty clothes. Therefore, he was very grateful and hurried over to assure Xu Xiuxiu.

"Okay, then Cai Tou and Cheng Guang brother will both look after the little brother and sister together. You two must be good, understand?"

"Yes, we are being good!" Cai Tou replied with a lively spirit.

When Xu Xiuxiu stepped out of Second Aunt’s main house, her mood had calmed somewhat. She saw Doudou playing with some children outside and Second Aunt’s. He probably recognized her, but for some reason, he just stood in the corner of the yard, looked at Xu Xiuxiu, then turned his head and continued playing on his own.

Xu Xiuxiu didn’t take it to heart, gave a casual glance, and then hurried back to her own home. Many people had already gathered at the entrance of the Xu family home by then. The elder brother-in-law and Second brother-in-law were arranging for a makeshift frame, probably fearing that the dew would be heavy at night and that Mrs. Xu’s body would be damp.

"Third sister, here are clothes, you all change into them first! We need to prepare for the mourning and kneeling ceremony tonight," Second brother-in-law Cai Senlin brought a few sets of funeral clothes made in the village, made of pure white linen, his face looking like he had been too busy these past days because of Mrs. Xu’s passing.

"Okay, thank you and the elder brother-in-law for these past few days," Xu Xiuxiu said sincerely, taking the clothes.

The funeral rituals in the village are quite traditional and simple, so there are many things to be done such as contacting the funeral master, preparing the funeral attire, finding the burial site. Unlike in later times where there are public cemeteries, in the past, people would look for an auspicious site recommended by a Yin Yang Master based on the calculations of the deceased’s birth chart, among others.

Just finding the burial site and the coffin would take immense effort, especially finding the burial site, which literally involves climbing up the mountains.

"It’s the least we could do," Cai Senlin responded candidly.

As sons-in-law, they indeed did what was expected; however, since the Xu family had no sons, naturally the responsibility of caring for the elderly and arranging funerals fell to them.

"Right," Xu Xiuxiu nodded, tears falling, "I will go see my dad first." Mrs. Xu had passed, but it wasn’t right for Mr. Xu to stay hidden in the room.