Parents are busy farming

The person in charge was the first to arrive at the old patriarch’s house and found that he had been carried onto the funeral bed and covered with a paper quilt.

He quickly stopped their crying and took them to the Tutu Temple to worship.

When everyone arrived, they had already returned. The person in charge said in a hoarse voice: "Things have been a bit tight these days, and everyone has worked hard. But everyone cheers up. The old patriarch passed away today, and we hurriedly went to various places to report the funeral." "

The crowd nodded.

He went on to say: "Those who have ox carts or donkey carts at home go to distant places to report funerals."

Ye Yongwang immediately stood up and said: "My three bullock carts can move, but it is inconvenient for a donkey to pull a cart with its calf!"

Everyone didn't expect him to be so honest. It stands to reason that his coming would be a great favor to the Lu family.

What's more, he can be so generous.

The person in charge nodded, "In this way, you, Zili and Zimeng will be divided into three groups, and each of you will find one person to follow you."

Lu Zili hasn't arrived yet, but Ye Zimeng has already arrived.

He quickly agreed.

The person in charge appointed three people and told them the address, and the three groups set off immediately.

The man following Lu Zili led the ox cart to pick up Lu Zili.

This time Lu Yongfu thought for a while and said: "My ox cart can also be used. I have to find someone who can drive the cart to follow me. I can't drive the cart."

Everyone didn't expect him to be so active, and their impression of him improved a lot.

The general person in charge nodded, then pointed to a person and asked him to follow Lu Yongfu, told them the address and asked them to set off.

Then two more people came forward.

At this point, the elder clan leader has already made arrangements for his distant relatives.

The person in charge breathed a sigh of relief and said: "The rest are the relatives nearby. You also work in pairs and make your own arrangements. Come and ask me for my address and name."

These addresses and names were given by the children of the old patriarch.

After the tasks were arranged, the general manager asked the men who had not received the tasks to go home and call their female relatives to come over and prepare the filial piety hats for men and women.

It will be used by guests later.

Also prepare a gate valve and place it at the entrance of the courtyard.

Everyone was busy, and half an hour later, they heard crying.

This means there are guests coming to your door.

They usually start crying from the entrance of the courtyard.

Only close relatives such as the nephew, daughter, and niece of the deceased would start crying as soon as they enter the village.

Those who stayed behind quickly lit the brazier next to the funeral bed, and the filial sons cried together.

At this time, the mourning hat should be prepared according to the distance between the guest and the deceased, and put on it when he stops crying.

Distant relatives often wear triangular hats, while close relatives wear square hats.

The control here is usually confirmed by the eldest daughter-in-law.

Because the elders are older, many people, whether they are at home or among guests, have obvious red threads sewn on their heads.

This is a filial piety hat for great-grandchildren and those below.

This is one of the reasons why the old patriarch is said to be in mourning.

The patriarch is over eighty years old and has many children and grandchildren. Even his great-grandchildren are married and have children.

So he was happy and sad.

The guests and the filial sons in the family were very careful about how they cried, and it would be nice if they just meant it.

This is also a special feature of celebrations and funerals. In some places, celebrations even involve singing and dancing.

Before noon, all the relatives arrived.

There is a local custom that a person cannot be buried the next day after death.

Because there is a saying that "on the second day, you will be in the coffin and take care of your neighbors."

It means that a person is buried on the second day after death, which is a way of cursing the neighbors. One of the surrounding neighbors will die within a year. (This is purely feudal superstition, don’t believe it.)

The old patriarch has persisted for so long, and the family has long been mentally prepared. In addition, he has become so thin that only skin and bones are left.

Therefore, everyone chose to be buried in the afternoon of the first day and did not wait for the third day.

In this way, guests who are far away don’t have to rush to make another trip.

At noon, everyone had a big pot of rice. The things lent to Lu Lizheng's family were not taken home, but moved directly to the old patriarch's house.

Everyone seems to have gained experience and is preparing calmly.

Halfway through the afternoon, the old patriarch was laid to rest.

The old man's coffin has been prepared for thirty or forty years, and it is brushed with tung oil every year for maintenance.

When everyone carried the coffin out, the light was reflected.

"The longevity wood of the old patriarch is so good that it will probably not rot for decades!" People around him exclaimed in admiration.

The lucky people in the clan put a lot of copper plates on the corners of the coffin, and the children come over one by one to touch one, which can bless the children's health and at the same time make them rich.

They call this behavior making money.

When all the children have made money, add copper coins to the places where they have made money.

Then the young man moved the coffin into the main house.

A layer of paper mattress was laid on the bottom of the coffin, with a mattress used by the old patriarch on top, and then everyone put the old patriarch into the coffin.

The old patriarch's cotton-padded clothes and trousers were cut with seams everywhere, rolled into a cylindrical shape, and stuffed on both sides of the old patriarch's legs.

Cover with a thin quilt.

The person in charge reminded aloud: "Did the old patriarch have anything he liked when he was alive, such as a pot, pipe, etc. If so, please put it in for the old patriarch."

His children shook their heads.

"Then hurry up and put the Dawn Chicken (a big doll-like rooster, sewn from cloth. It looks like a big rooster, but much smaller) in it!" said the person in charge.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the old patriarch quickly placed the dawn chicken on the left side of the old patriarch's head.

"All the relatives come here to pay their last respects to the old patriarch. We will close the coffin soon."

After the general manager finished speaking, he went to the yard and found a few experienced people to carry the coffin lid into the house.

Although they were mourning, the children and grandchildren of the old patriarch knew that this was the last time they would see the old patriarch, and they all wanted to see him for a while longer.

Even if his vision is blurred by tears, he doesn't want to blink.

Let the tears fall.

The person in charge always tries to be a ‘villain’ at this time, “Okay, it’s almost done, everyone, give way, the coffin lid is coming in!”

After saying that, he waved his arms and several people carried the coffin lid through the door. After entering, they directly placed the lid on the coffin.

Then he took out the ax on his belt, took the long nail from the hands of the general manager, and knocked the long nail in with a few "bang bang bang" sounds.

I don’t know who in the room cried first, leading everyone to cry.

The general manager also had a sore nose, but he still quickly called on a few young men to come in and ask them to clean up the coffin and carry the coffin to the bench.

After the relatives left, the old patriarch's youngest son took out tung oil and began to oil the coffin for the last time.

He used to help maintain his father's coffin, now let him help his father maintain his coffin for the last time!

A grown man in his forties shed tears while painting the coffin with tung oil.

After a while, I wiped away the tears left with my sleeves.

"Dad! I'll do it!" his son said.

But he shook his head firmly. This might be the only chance he had left to fulfill his filial piety.

Seeing his persistence, the eldest son of the old clan leader told everyone: "Forget it! If he wants to do it, let him do it! Let's discuss the next thing quickly while everyone in the clan is here."

Everyone left, leaving him alone.