CHAPTER 378: CHAPTER 378: WELCOMING NEW YEAR’S EVE

"I’m going with you," Song Yuantao, being the eldest son in the family, was affirmed in Song Family Village regardless of his ability. Moreover, for the past three generations in Song Family Village, every death required the help of relatives and acquaintances, and thus he quickly put down his cutlery and stepped out with Song Yuanhuan.

Just as Song Yuanhuan and Song Yuantao were leaving, the boy and girl twins who had been sleeping soundly in the house suddenly started crying. The twins were usually well-behaved, quietly chewing on their fingers and talking to each other in baby speak, but instances of loud crying like today were rare, presumably startled by the recent firecrackers.

Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t digest the news of the firecrackers in time and instinctively ran to the bedroom, then gently soothed the frightened twins, holding them close. Both siblings, with tears rolling down their cheeks, pitifully clung to Xu Xiuxiu, and then their sobs gradually stopped.

"Don’t cry, little brother and sister, don’t be afraid, brother will protect you," Song Chengguang also hurriedly finished his rice porridge, wiped his mouth, and ran into the room to comfort the twins, his considerate brotherly demeanor fully evident.

Perhaps because of the genuinely close relationship with Song Chengguang, the twins stopped sobbing upon seeing him and even showed him smiles.

"Good kids, brother loves you!" Song Chengguang was pleased and lovingly kissed the cheeks of his little brother and sister.

Seeing the children stop crying, Xu Xiuxiu simply dressed them up. Mrs. Song had already prepared food for the twins early, and when Xu Xiuxiu came out holding the children, she helped at the table to feed them, with the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each taking responsibility for feeding one child.

Song Yuanhuan and Song Yuantao returned home not long after stepping out. It turned out that the deceased was the village’s Granny San, who lived not too far from the Song family. The old woman had not been well for some time, and her family was worried she might not survive the year. Unexpectedly, she truly had passed away early this morning.

The family, after a brief period of grief, quickly began to prepare mourning clothes and other items, with many villagers already there to help. As Song Yuantao was the eldest son of the Song family, he had a significant responsibility and was thus assigned by Granny San’s family to follow the Yin Yang Master to find a feng shui site in the mountains. Song Yuanhuan, being relatively educated and trusted by everyone, was tasked with handling purchases and accounts at home, but concerned about Song Yuantao’s previous back injury, Song Yuanhuan decided to swap tasks with him and had returned home to change into clothes appropriate for finding the burial site on the mountain.

"Going up the mountain," Xu Xiuxiu said, her heart aching.

This harsh winter, built upon with yesterday’s snowfall and today’s gloomy weather—which might bring more snow by noon—made venturing up the mountain difficult, especially as the mountain paths could be blocked. After all, the courtyard was already covered with nearly an inch of snow, the most she had ever seen, making their task to find a feng shui site on the mountain not an easy feat.

"The auspicious day for Granny San’s funeral is the day after tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve, so there’s no delaying it. Don’t worry, six or seven of us are going up together! I’m in good health, and this bit of hardship is nothing," Song Yuanhuan calmly reassured Xu Xiuxiu.

"Then dress warmly, and change into that waterproof cotton coat!" Xu Xiuxiu could only insist, expressing her concern to Song Yuanhuan.

"Mountain climbing is physically demanding. If it’s too warm, I’ll definitely need to take off layers. This jacket will be fine," Yuanhuan, who exercised regularly and knew from experience, said, ignoring Xiuxiu’s suggestion to wear a waterproof cotton jacket and choosing a less substantial cotton garment instead.

"Wet clothes could make you sick," Xiuxiu voiced her concerns uneasily.

"Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself." Yuanhuan patted Xiuxiu’s head twice before hurriedly turning around and rushing out the door.

Holding the Little Baby and watching Yuanhuan leave, Xiuxiu felt uneasy. As it turned out, her concerns were not misplaced. By noon, the people who had gone up the mountain to find the appropriate spots had not returned home yet, and the dark, heavy sky began to let down thick snowflakes once again.

Around one or two in the afternoon, Yuanhuan returned home, his clothes completely drenched as Xiuxiu had predicted, looking as if he had been fished out from the water. Frightened, Xiuxiu quickly handed the child over to Yuanyao and went to the kitchen to boil hot water for Yuanhuan to wash with Mrs. Song, hoping that a hot shower would refresh him.

While Yuanhuan was busy outside, Xiuxiu was at home taking care of the children. Since they needed to finish the funeral before New Year’s Eve, everything was simplified. The usual seven days and nights of basic mourning rituals were compressed into three days. The sound of gongs and drums could be heard at night, and Yuanhuan was responsible for staying overnight with the family, which made Xiuxiu too anxious to sleep until dawn approached. Only when Yuanhuan came back from his vigil to catch up on sleep did Xiuxiu slowly fall asleep leaning on him.

When Xiuxiu woke up, Yuanhuan had already left the house again. After asking Mrs. Song, Xiuxiu learned that those assigned to go up the mountain had to continue today to prepare for things like moving stones and selecting spots. Tomorrow morning, they would send off the deceased, and tonight they would cremate the body, which required burning throughout the entire night, undoubtedly robbing Yuanhuan of sleep again.

It had to be said, handling a death in the countryside right before the New Year was a truly troublesome matter, especially with all the taboos and considerations. After three busy days, everything was nearly concluded, simplifying the complex. The old woman was successfully buried, and Song Family Village once again resumed its New Year’s festive atmosphere.

After several exhausting days, Yuanhuan finally allowed himself to sleep in, not waking up until after eight o’clock in the morning. Yet, he was full of energy, swiftly helping Mrs. Song with chopping firewood and preparing vegetarian dumplings for the first day of the New Year.

Children are actually the most receptive to the festive atmosphere, especially children like Chengguang, who was innocent and naive. With many peers living nearby, Xiuxiu, wanting to encourage Chengguang’s independence, no longer kept him homebound and let him out. He quickly became entangled in play with several neighboring children of similar age. After seeing them build a snowman at their homes, he came back and eagerly told Yuanhuan that he too wanted to build a snowman.

Thanks to the snow that had fallen over the past few days which hadn’t melted yet, despite it being New Year’s Eve, there was a slight chill in the village. Chengguang, unusually lively and noisy, was indulged by Yuanhuan. Father and son, one with a large hoe and the other with a small one, scooped up the snow, laughing merrily as they built a snowman of quite considerable size, several times taller than Chengguang himself.

Chengguang was very excited, showing off to the neighboring children, puffing out his little chest, reveling in their envious gazes with a proud expression he couldn’t hide.

As the firecrackers of New Year’s Eve began to sound, 1986 finally arrived.