Cheng Guangen jumped off a cliff and died. How to bury him smoothly is the main problem Cheng Desheng is currently facing. His eldest brother is semi-psychotic, and his second brother has lost contact with his family. The only person who can negotiate with him is his sister Cheng Hua, who married to Tongshugou.
Tongshugou is not far from Chengjiawa, only five miles away. Cheng Hua received a message from others and cried all the way back to her parents' home. After seeing his father's condition, he discussed with his younger brother that he should go to Cheng Fushan to sort out his father's funeral arrangements.
Cheng Fushan took the lead in handling the death of other elderly people in the village.
Letting Cheng Fushan take the lead in handling funeral arrangements requires the victim to ask for it. Just like a doctor cannot rush to take the initiative to treat people, and the court cannot mobilize others to file lawsuits in court, Cheng Fushan cannot take the initiative to handle funeral arrangements for others. , this is also an unwritten rule.
If someone else went to invite Cheng Fushan, they would call him Shan Ye, saying that my father or mother is old, and ask Shan Ye to help with the funeral arrangements, and then make a kneeling gesture. Kneel down and kowtow before anyone else, Shan Ye. Just pull him and say Wen Yan, you go back first, I will gather the people and they will be there in a moment.
Handling funeral arrangements cannot be completed by one or two people. Mr. Shan also has a relatively fixed work team.
Chengjiawa, where the ancient customs still exist, has a team of at least ten people to handle funeral arrangements. For example, there is a general coordinator, this is called the general manager, usually Cheng Fushan, who is responsible for monitoring the overall progress, coordinating and arranging affairs; one is responsible for accounting, this is called Li Xian; one is responsible for tobacco, alcohol, towels, filial piety and other supplies Custody, this is called a cabinet; a buyer who buys shrouds and food is called purchasing; three to five people who go to relatives' homes to report funerals and deliver letters, look for Mr. Yin and Yang, chefs, grave diggers, and coffin bearers are called whirlwinds; Three to five people who are responsible for doing miscellaneous things are called miscellaneous offices, etc. They are all indispensable. When these people hear Shan Ye's call, they will quickly arrive and start work. Apart from providing funds, the filial son does not need to worry about anything, Shan Ye will arrange everything properly.
But when Cheng Desheng went to invite Shan Ye, he ran into trouble.
When Cheng Desheng went to Shanye's house and knelt at the door to invite Shanye, Shanye was sitting under the doorstep of his house, smoking his cigarette unhurriedly, saying nothing, not looking at Cheng Desheng, neither saying to go nor saying anything. Don't say no.
Cheng Desheng knelt for half an hour, the anger in his heart was like a fire, and he could no longer suppress it. He knew that this old man was trying to embarrass him and punish him for abusing his father and being unfilial to his father, but there was nothing he could do. He heard from the neighbors Pointing and talking, all I could do was bite the bullet and continue to kneel down.
Cheng Hua couldn't wait for her brother to come back at home, so she was anxious. According to custom, after a person dies, the exit papers must be burned before relatives are notified. However, this step cannot be carried out until the younger brother comes back. When
inquired and learned about the situation, he hurriedly took his sister-in-law Wang Feng and rushed to the door of Shan Ye's house. Cheng Hua and Wang Feng both knelt on the ground. Cheng Hua cried: "Shan Ye, for my father's sake , Sorry for bothering you!"
Cheng Fushan then said, "Get up, you go back and burn the door paper, I will be there in a moment."
Cheng Desheng, Cheng Hua, and Wang Feng then got up dejectedly and went home.
In the afternoon of that day, uncle Cheng Desheng’s family received news of his funeral and were coming to visit him.
Uncle Cheng Desheng has a large family, including more than twenty cousins, and seven or eight cousins and two uncles came to visit in the afternoon.
My uncle's family is my mother's family, and they have a lot of say in handling their parents' funeral affairs. They can put forward their own funeral requirements, and the nephew will comply with them, but usually they will not make any special requests or embarrass the nephew. of.
When an uncle comes to visit, his son or daughter should kneel on the roadside wearing mourning clothes and mourning to greet him. Usually, before the nephew can kneel down, his cousin will stop him. But Cheng Desheng and Cheng Hua Wangfeng were kneeling on the side of the road. Their two uncles had no intention of pulling them, and their cousins also looked on coldly and did not say a word.
When the two uncles came to Cheng Desheng, Cheng Desheng shouted: "Uncle!" The two uncles looked at Cheng Desheng, and the second uncle suddenly reached out and slapped Cheng Desheng twice. Cheng Desheng burst into tears and knelt straight on the ground, not daring to move.
Cheng Fushan quickly pulled Cheng Desheng's two uncles to give way to the house.
Cheng Desheng's two uncles sat down, while their cousins stood. Cheng Desheng, Cheng Hua and Wang Feng all knelt in front of their uncles. Uncle Cheng Desheng said to Cheng Hua, "Get up and go do your work. Let's talk to the three of them." What should you do after your father's death?" Cheng Hua didn't dare to say anything, so she got up and went out.
Uncle Cheng Desheng said to Cheng Fushan: "My brother-in-law's funeral requires two shifts of ringers!"
Cheng Fushan said: "This is not enough, what else do you want?"
Uncle Cheng Desheng continued: "The coffin must be made of cypress wood. "It's four boards, five inches thick; the shroud requires eight pieces, and it's buried with 20 silver coins."
Cheng Fushan said: "It's hard to find four boards of cypress wood. Can I use Paulownia ? I can't exchange them for silver coins now." What do you think we should do?"
Uncle Cheng Desheng discussed it with the others and said, "Forget the silver coins, but the coffin must be made of four cypress boards. The coffin must be kept for three days and buried on the fourth day."
Cheng Fushan said to Cheng Desheng: "Three, what do you think?"
Cheng Desheng said: "Master, I will listen to you, you make the decision."
So Cheng Guangen's funeral was decided.
The fourth day is the day when Cheng Guangen is buried. It ends early, and two teams of ringers blow loudly. First, the natal family pays homage, while Cheng Desheng and Wang Feng offer sacrifices at the side. Suddenly, several of Cheng Desheng's cousins-in-law came forward and held Cheng Desheng and Wang Feng down, saying repeatedly, "Take it out, take it out, and let him carry it on his back."
The cousins next to him took out two bags, One had a pig's head wrapped up, and the other had a dog's head wrapped up. The hair on their heads had not faded, and their hands and feet were tied to Cheng Desheng and Wang Feng. This meant that they were no better than a pig or a dog.
Cheng Desheng felt blood welling up, but being held down by several cousins, he could not resist and did not dare to resist. Amidst the sound of buzzers, Cheng Desheng and Wang Feng completed the funeral carrying pig and dog heads on their backs.
On the night after Cheng Guangen's funeral, Cheng Desheng said to Cheng Hua: "Sister, I have no shame in living in the village. I have no choice but to go out on the road."
Cheng Hua said: "Where can you go? Today's matter, just be patient." "
Cheng Desheng said: "Sister, if I continue to live in the village, will my daughter find a wife in the future? If I have a son in the future, how can I find a wife with parents with such a bad reputation?"
That night, Cheng Desheng and his wife Wang Feng left his home to his crazy eldest brother and ran away from home. No one knows where his family has gone.
