Dreaming of Lion Rock: Recipe in Hand

Chapter 142 Memorial

Chunni bought some incense, candles, and paper money, put them in the bicycle basket, and came to Tuo County Middle School. She calculated the time to arrive at school, and after waiting for ten minutes, she heard the ding-dong bell for the end of get out of class. Soon, students arrived at the school gate one after another.

"Sister, sister!" Dong Lin's eyesight improved. As soon as he left the school gate, he saw Chun Ni and ran over. Xia Xiangdong was also with him. The two of them had played in the mud together in open-crotch pants, and now they were admitted to Tuo County Middle School together. Their relationship was extraordinary and they were inseparable!

"Sister, why did you come to pick me up!" Dong Lin's tone was filled with joy.

"I happened to come to the county town, so I came to see if you have adapted to school!" Chunni couldn't help but pat Donglin's shoulder.

Dong Lin lowered his shoulders very tactfully, like a lackey.

"Adapt, of course I can! The teacher gave us a composition topic called Unforgettable Memories, and I wrote about my trip to the imperial capital. Teacher Zhang was very satisfied and even asked me to read it aloud in class!" Dong Lin looked up at Chun Ni, his eyes full of desire.

"Yes, Teacher Zhang said that Dong Lin's composition is very attractive and fascinating." Xia Xiangdong was particularly envious of Dong Lin for having such an open-minded sister who asked for leave immediately and was very straightforward. If he asked for leave to go out and play, his grandfather would definitely break his legs!

"Don't be arrogant when you win, and don't be discouraged when you lose. Don't be complacent because of a small progress." Chunni had the illusion of raising a son for Donglin. There are many ways to raise a son, but the attitude towards learning must be correct! Seeing Donglin's eyes darken, Chunni felt a little reluctant.

"Hurry home! We'll have Shaoguoyuan tonight."

Donglin's eyes lit up instantly. He knew that his elder sister was praising him! After all, everyone in Lion Rock knew that he, Yang Donglin, loved to eat Shaoguoyuan!

Seeing his good brother so excited that he wanted to jump three feet high, Xia Xiangdong put away the smile on his face.

"Xiangdong, hurry up and go home with the teacher. I have something for you!" Chunni waved to Xia Xiangdong.

"Okay!" A smile instantly appeared on Xia Xiangdong's face.

It’s great that the teacher still remembers me.

Chunni fried a pot of shaoguoyuan and gave a bowl to Xia Xiangdong.

"Xiangdong, take the dumplings back and eat with your grandfather. Here are some of Donglin's old clothes. You can take them back too. Don't despise them."

"Thank you, teacher." Xia Xiangdong took the things happily.

Donglin grew up fast, and was almost half a head taller than him. When he grew up fast, his clothes became worn out. Chunni's family opened a clothing store, and the clothes were naturally distributed to the family members, so Donglin's clothes were never worn out.

Even these few clothes that Dong Lin didn't wear were still about 70% new. How could he dislike them! If it weren't for the teacher's family, how could he still be studying? How could he have enough food and warm clothes?

Xia Xiangdong politely greeted the old couple of the Chu family and hurried home. He wanted to take the dumplings back to his grandfather to taste while they were still hot.

The next day, at daybreak, Mrs. Chu urged her husband to get up, "Hurry up, old man, we have to go see Big Girl today."

After saying that, the old lady began to search through the luggage. "This is strange. Where did Chunni put the new clothes she gave me last time?"

Old Man Chu was a little grumpy when he woke up, but thinking of his eldest daughter who died young, he sat up unwillingly, "You are getting old and confused, aren't you putting your clothes in that closet? Find my new clothes for me, too."

The two old people packed up neatly and went out, and found that Chu Hua and Chunni sisters were waiting for them.

"Let's go, let's go." Old Master Chu raised his arm and called out. He led his family out. Of course, he couldn't find the place, and in the end, Chunni walked ahead.

The grave of Chu Ying and his wife is on the edge of the bamboo forest in Lion Mountain. This is the ancestral grave of the Yang family. The graves stand there solemnly, and with the wisp of mist that has not dissipated in the early morning, it makes the place seem a bit mysterious and spooky.

Qiu Guo's hand that was supporting the old lady was shaking a little. The old lady had been to the battlefield and had seen many dead people. Seeing this, she patted her granddaughter's hand and said, "Don't be afraid. They are all dead and have long turned into a pile of yellow earth. Besides, these are your ancestors and elders. They won't harm you."

Seeing his granddaughter was timid, Old Master Chu laughed, "Guo'er, don't be afraid. Your grandpa killed so many people when he was young. I have a murderous aura, and other demons and monsters dare not approach me. Come to grandpa, I will protect you."

"Go away, don't come and scare my granddaughter." Old Mrs. Chu said unhappily. "Besides, Yingzi and her son-in-law are here. They may not be able to protect Guo'er. You are just talking nonsense."

Walking on this gloomy path, Chunni was not afraid at all as she could hear the bickering between the two elders of the Chu family from time to time.

"Yes, these are the ancestors of the Yang family. How could they harm their own descendants?"

Since Chunni's parents were younger generations, they could only be buried next to the ancestral tomb.

When they saw the two graves, one in front and one behind, the old couple of the Chu family no longer had the heart to laugh.

Chu Hua took off the backpack behind him and took out the incense, candles and paper money that he had prepared long ago. Chunni took out the roast chicken and cooked pork belly that she had prepared last night.

Mrs. Chu's tears had already flowed down, one by one, falling on Chu Ying's grave. Mr. Chu was no longer as playful and carefree as usual. He looked serious and slowly and carefully cleared the weeds on the grave.

"Hey, big girl was cute and clean when she was little."

Seeing this, Chunni and her sister also started to clean up the grass on their father's grave. In fact, Chunni would visit the grave every year during the Chinese New Year, Qingming Festival, or the anniversary of her parents' death, and she would clean up the grass several times a year. Therefore, there was really not much grass.

After cleaning the two graves, Old Master Chu lit the paper money, and took out a bottle of Maotai from somewhere, pouring it in front of the two graves without hesitation. He muttered, "Second brother, big girl, come over and drink some wine and eat some meat! This wine is what I saved with great difficulty, and I brought it all the way from the imperial capital. You can enjoy it slowly, hey!"

Chu Hua, with red eyes, pulled Chunni and Qiuguo to a place not far away, "Let your grandparents have a good chat with your parents..."

Chunni also knew the knot in her grandparents' heart and nodded.

I don’t know how long it took, one hour, two hours, or even longer, before the old couple of the Chu family came over, supporting each other.

"Chun Ni, Qiu Guo, Dong Lin, let's go, let's go back."

Everyone returned home in silence.

Chunni thought of a poem by Tagore that she had read before, in which there was a line: The furthest distance in the world is not the distance between life and death, but when I stand in front of you and you don’t know that I love you. After experiencing this grave-visiting incident, Chunni suddenly realized that the furthest distance in the world is really the distance between life and death. Apart from life and death, all those emotions and love are trivial matters!