My 1995 Small Farm.

Actually, many of the graves on the mountain now were moved here in the last two years.

Two years ago, when the flood came, it destroyed many new graves.

The mass grave and cemetery in front of Chen Ling's farm.

I won't go into detail about the mass graves. Many of the new and old graves have been moved here. As long as you can identify whose grave it is, not one of them has been left behind.

In the past two years, people have been planting various kinds of saplings on their own graves from time to time.

Mostly pine and cypress trees, but there are other tree species as well.

At this time of year, other tree species are not very noticeable, but the pines and cypresses are growing well. Their trunks are not thick, but their crowns have spread out.

very beautiful.

"Fugui, let's plant a tree on your grave next year, it will look beautiful when it grows."

The trees on the grave mound grow tall and vibrant, which is better than a bare mound or one overgrown with weeds and inhabited by all sorts of rats and civets.

"Yeah, I'd like to too. Let's wait until spring."

Chen Ling nodded with a smile. He actually wanted to change the tombstones for his father and grandparents and do some simple repairs to the graves.

I hadn't thought much about planting trees beforehand.

This can be considered a unique sentiment among Chinese people.

"Anyway, I always feel that our village is a treasure land. When spring comes, I will find a geomancer to take a look, and when my wife and I pass away, we will find a good place to be buried."

Wang Laiyun said this with certainty and anticipation in his voice.

The village has changed so much in the last two years.

Even characters like the Turtle King have appeared.

They gradually came to believe some things more.

"Uncle, why are you saying that? You're only in your early fifties, why are you thinking so far ahead? Let's talk about something good during the New Year. My brother is successful, and you'll be holding your great-grandson soon."

Despite their foolishness, Wang Juying still felt sorry for her uncle and hurriedly said...

"Great-grandchildren, you two are as rich as a little finger. Hurry up and find wives, and your uncle will be satisfied."

Wang Laiyun spoke sternly, but his expression clearly showed satisfaction.

My two nephews weren't spoiled for nothing.

I know he's nervous and I care about him.

Then he turned around and said to Chen Ling and the others, "Fugui, Yongsheng, we're going up now!"

The graves of the Wang family and the Chen family are not in the same place.

Although there are no major or minor branches within the Chen and Wang families now, the relationships between them have been chaotic since they sought refuge before the founding of the People's Republic of China.

But compared to the messy relationships between the two families, the surnames Chen and Wang are much easier to distinguish.

The two families' graves are on the mountain, one to the south and one to the north, one above and one below.

Although they are said to be in one place, the Wang family's graves are actually in much more distant locations.

They're about a mile apart.

When the brothers Chen Yongsheng and Chen Yonggang arrived at the grave, they stopped arguing and bickering.

Once they all dispersed, each going about their own business.

Chen Ling carried the two babies, while Wang Susu led Rui Rui by the hand, following behind the packhorse, walking step by step toward the grave of their father, Chen Juncai.

Upon arriving at the grave, Chen Ling handed the two children to Wang Susu and took out a shovel and hoe from the packhorse to clear away the weeds and other debris around the grave.

The stone tablet in front of the father's grave was revealed.

Chen Ling then took out a broom and swept away the dust from the tombstone.

The family was very poor before, and the tombstone they erected for Chen Juncai was made of very simple, ordinary stone. Now, more than four years have passed...

The inscriptions on the stele are somewhat blurred and illegible.

It shouldn't be like this, as the inscriptions on the stone tablets from the old days are still clearly visible even after hundreds of years.

The only explanation is that the stone material is of very poor quality.

After sweeping his father's grave, Chen Ling went to his grandparents' grave.

My grandparents are buried together in a tomb.

There were other ancestors around, and Chen Ling thought that since they were already there, they should clear out a space for worship and offerings later.

Of course, the father's grave is still the one that receives special attention.

Chen Ling is someone who is never troubled by negative emotions.

But when I arrived at my father's grave, I thought about how he had been both my father and mother since I was a child.

When he was sick, he stayed by his bedside all night, unable to sleep.

When he misses his mother, he will take him around to play, try all sorts of ways to make him happy, and make him wooden toys with focused attention.

As I grow up, my rebellious phase begins. My understanding of the world becomes naive, I'm impatient for quick success and instant benefits, I lack ambition, and I gradually fall into a state of decline...

His eyes held a complex and disappointed look.

Chen Ling suddenly felt a lump in her throat, and her nose stung with tears.

"Dad, I've brought Susu and the baby to see you."

Wang Susu was much more emotional than Chen Ling. When she heard her husband's slightly choked voice, she burst into tears.

She hurried forward, carrying her two children.

After Chen Ling took it, she pulled Rui Rui, and the whole family knelt in front of the grave, burning incense and paper money.

While setting out offerings, they recounted their recent situation.

Chen Juncai rarely drank alcohol. He liked to bring eggs when he delivered messages so he could eat them if he got hungry along the way.

When they get old and sick, they refuse to eat too much good food.

I just wanted to save Chen Ling money. Back then, the best we could eat was eggs.

Every year when Chen Ling visits her father's grave, the thing she brings most often is eggs.

But in reality, Chen Ling knew that his father loved to eat fatty meat. Others would find it greasy and feel full, but he was fine with it. He could eat half a pot of meat at a time, and he would eat meat without steamed buns.

"Dad, things are much better at home now. Susu and the children are doing well too. We can eat meat every day now, and life is much easier."

"It's almost Chinese New Year, please visit me in a dream. I haven't dreamt of you even once since you left..."

"I know you're afraid I'll dream about you and that will scare you. I used to be afraid, but I'm not anymore."

When Chen Ling was a child, her grandparents passed away.

He was terrified that his grandparents would come back as ghosts, and he didn't dare go to the house where they lived.

He felt that the two black lacquered wooden doors of the old house had become evil, like the gates of hell, which terrified him. He never dared to go near them. After dinner, when he helped his father feed the pigs, he would deliberately avoid the old house.

After learning what Xiao Chenling was thinking, Chen Juncai asked him with a smile if he was afraid of his grandparents.

Xiao Chenling shook his head and said he wasn't afraid, but he was afraid of ghosts.

Chen Juncai kept that in mind from then on. Chen Ling wasn't a superstitious person, but he always felt that it must be because of him that his father never appeared in his dreams.

He was afraid of scaring himself.

"Daddy, don't cry."

Rui Rui had never seen Chen Ling shed tears before. The little rascal stared in surprise, his chubby face showing obvious pity and heartache. He hurriedly stood up and stretched out his dirty little hands to wipe Chen Ling's tears.

Chen Ling's tears, which were already difficult to control, flowed even more uncontrollably.

She burst into tears.

……

The family lingered at the grave for a long time, until four o'clock in the afternoon when the temperature had clearly cooled down, before they came down the mountain with their packhorses and two dogs.

Back at the farm, the Liang Yuemin and Zhao Dahai families, young and old, were all preparing ingredients inside and outside the kitchen.

After the temperature dropped, they lit the fire pit outside the kitchen.

It was bustling with activity, everyone busy with their own tasks.

Seeing Chen Ling's obviously red and swollen eyes, no one said anything. They just helped the young couple pack their things, put the child away, and then prepared the most important New Year's Eve dinner.

The New Year's Eve dinner is ingrained in the bones and blood of Chinese people; it is an essential meal regardless of wealth.

The most important thing is for the whole family to gather together for a New Year's Eve dinner.

Needless to say, the New Year's Eve dinner at Chen Ling's family was undoubtedly very lavish.

There is a wide variety of meats and vegetables, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

This year, there will also be horse meat and muntjac meat.

"I'm so happy!"

Qin Yueru shouted like a young girl, cupping her hands like a megaphone.

Their family has never had such a lively and joyful time during the Spring Festival before.

Before Liang Hongyu retired, she had many things to manage at home, and apart from Qin Rongxian, no one else in the family could take care of her and Liang Yuemin.

After retiring, I had conflicts with my family, and there was never a peaceful time during the Chinese New Year.

Unlike Chen Ling's place, where they're busy with this and that, preparing for the New Year together, full of rituals.

The whole village was filled with a joyous and festive atmosphere, and even the dogs running around seemed to be brimming with the joy of the New Year.

The air was filled with the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.

"I'm so happy!"

Little Chestnut shouted along with her mother.

"Oh, it's so lively."

Professor Zhong returned with the lynx and immediately smiled upon seeing the scene at Chen Ling's house.

In the new year, his family welcomed a new member, and he couldn't stop smiling.

"The aroma is wafting out again, and it's even stronger than it was a couple of days ago..."

The lynx twitched its nose, shook its head, and looked completely absorbed.

Chen Ling asked, "Forget about eating. Have you asked the doctor if Du Juan will be back today?"

"We're back now. My dad and I came back because we wanted you to come pick us up."

"The lynx said happily."

After he finished speaking, Professor Zhong quickly added, "However, it's Chinese New Year, isn't it inappropriate for a new mother to come home? Are there any customs or traditions associated with this?"

"What's the big deal? The New Year is all about family reunion! Everyone being together brings good fortune! Uncle, don't overthink it!"

Chen Ling stepped forward to go get the car and pick them up.

Wang Susu also said, "Let's bring Sister Dujuan back. Otherwise, I can't stay idle in the house. It would be good for her to hold the baby and keep an eye on Kang Kang and Le Le in the room."

"Hahaha, let her come back and be left standing there, unable to sit at the table. If Dujuan knows this, she definitely won't want to come back."

The lynx burst into laughter.

"Stop grinning like an idiot. You'll be in for a world of hurt once Dujuan finishes her postpartum confinement."

Chen Ling pouted, pulled him along, and followed him out to pick up the person in the car.

This year there's no snow, no rain, and no freezing temperatures.

The road was easy to travel, and we brought Dujuan back without any problems.

It got dark.

It's Lunar New Year's Eve now, and this year, no one in the village is talking about being frugal.

Lights were on in every household.

The booming and banging of cannons almost never stopped.

After bringing Dujuan back, they temporarily settled her and the child in the living room.

There's a heated kang bed here, though it's not as hot as the wooden cabin. But if you close the door and let the cotton curtains hang down to block the cold wind, it's still quite warm.

Then they started to put out the dishes one by one.

Chicken, duck, fish, meat, goose, pigeon soup, and all kinds of dishes, from large dishes to small stir-fries, are available.

This year there are many people; four families are celebrating the New Year together.

Chen Ling simply moved the sofa and coffee table from the living room and brought over two large round tables.

The table was laden with dishes, and the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the television.

Du Juan and her child were settled in the corner of the living room on a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) next to the warm wall.

The small bed next to it is for Kang Kang and Lele.

It was the first time the two little ones had seen so many people and such a lively scene outside their bedroom. They didn't cry or fuss; they just opened their little mouths and looked around with their heads turned.

"Ah Ling, the New Year's Eve dinner is on the table. It's time to set off fireworks. We bought so many fireworks this year."

On New Year's Eve, firecrackers and fireworks are set off before dinner, and then again at midnight when we enter the new year.

"Come on, Xiaoming, Xiaolizi, Yaya, Ruirui, come out, let's set off fireworks!"

Chen Ling waved, and the children slid off the chairs by the table, shouting happily as they ran outside.

Although fireworks in those days didn't have as many varieties as in later generations, they were still enough to make children happy.

Various fireworks and firecrackers, accompanied by dazzling flames, shot into the night sky from the farmyard and exploded.

Back in the living room, Chen Ling raised his glass and smiled at everyone, saying, "Thank you all for coming to celebrate the New Year and have a reunion dinner together. Happy New Year's Eve!"

"Happy New Year's Eve!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

The purpose of New Year's Eve dinner is family reunion, so there aren't many requirements for alcohol. Even the kids, including Rui Rui, raised their glasses and substituted yogurt, shouting "Cheers!" (End of Chapter)