Chapter 673: Grandfather’s Final Arrangements
"That’s great." Jiang Yuxiu said with a smile. Anyway, they were not short of money now. The money Xu Minghui earned every month hardly went to household expenses and was mostly saved.
The money for the house had long been made up, and now the family had some savings.
Little Yunqiu’s one-month banquet went very smoothly and was quite lively, though it wasn’t a grand affair.
With the addition of a little one in the Xu Family, Doudou liked to come over even more.
Xu Mumu didn’t restrict him, and the little girl grew little by little, fair and tender, a look that Doudou and Fengfeng both adored.
"Mumu, when are you going to have another one? We’ll help you raise the child." Professor Song looked at Xu Mumu expectantly. He was envious seeing the Old Xu Family welcome another child.
"Grandpa, having a child isn’t something you can just decide to do." Xu Mumu said helplessly. She desired a fair, tender little daughter herself, but unfortunately, her belly had shown no signs so far.
Regarding having children, Xu Mumu took it completely as fate. She already had Doudou, so if she had another, she would certainly be joyous; if not, she just viewed it as a lack of destiny.
"So, you need to work harder." Professor Song said earnestly.
Xu Mumu’s mouth twitched; she didn’t want to speak anymore.
When Yin Yang returned at noon, Xu Mumu mentioned this to him, who simply smiled it off. If his little wife liked children, then maybe they’d have another one; preferably a daughter.
The matter of having more children was temporarily set aside for now, as Doudou was studying daily with Professors Song and Jian, leaving Xu Mumu with free time to visit the lab.
Recently, she had undertaken a new project on her own, without any collaborators, experimenting alone, feeling very fulfilled daily.
She was inspired by the books from Dean Duan, which gave her the idea, wanting to see if it could be realized.
Xu Mumu leisurely worked on her experimental project, completing it within half a month; the experiment wasn’t difficult.
Looking at her finished product, Xu Mumu squinted her eyes slightly, then sent out the papers.
Having finally completed the experiment, Xu Mumu planned to rest for a couple of days when bad news arrived at home; her grandfather had passed away.
Xu Mumu pursed her lips slightly, feeling somewhat saddened, yet she and Yin Yang packed their things together and went to the Li Family’s place.
"Mom, don’t be sad." The little one sat in his mother’s arms. He knew his mom was upset and he was aware of her grandfather too. Having seen him, he knew grandpa wasn’t well. Now grandpa was gone; although still young, he understood what passing away meant.
"Hmm, Doudou was really good today." Xu Mumu rested her face on the little one’s shoulder, hugging him, grieving deeply over the loss of a loved one.
"Mom, dad said you still have us." The little guy said earnestly.
"Yes, I still have you all."
Driving into the village, the Li Family already had white silk hung outside.
As Xu Mumu and her company entered, Li Caixia and others were already there, with Xu Hai and Xu Minghui helping out with the Li Family’s affairs, while Li Caixia sat by Mr. Li’s bedside crying.
Beside Li Caixia was Xu Mumu’s aunt, Li Caiyun.
The room was filled with mournful cries, weighing heavily on Xu Mumu’s emotions.
Xu Mumu followed along to the altar, knelt before the elderly, sincerely kowtowing.
Xu Mumu thought she might not cry, but being there made her heart ache, bringing forth fuzzy childhood memories, remembering her grandfather’s kindness. Every visit to the Li Family, her grandfather would sneak her snacks, despite not being wealthy.
Li Caixia always said the grandfather had good things, yet back then, those items held little value, couldn’t even fetch a grain sack in the black market.
What her grandfather gave were his own savings.
Yin Yang said nothing, merely knelt beside Xu Mumu, entrusting the little one temporarily to Xu Minghui.
Yin Yang accompanied his little wife, understanding her mood.
Xu Mumu knelt for a long time, until Li Caixia came out with swollen eyes, seeing how sad Xu Mumu was, she pulled her away to rest.
"Child, why be so foolish? It’s uncomfortable kneeling outside; are your knees hurting?" Li Caixia asked, concerned for her daughter.
"Mom, I’m fine." Xu Mumu shook her head. Her knees did ache, but her body had excellent recovery, with no marks left on her knees after a while.
"Your grandfather treated you well; these days, burn some paper money for him." Li Caixia said, pursing her lips, continuing her lament.
Despite often complaining about the old man’s favoritism, she now cherished his kindness after his departure.
As for Mr. Li’s secret savings, she no longer cared, leaving things to whoever he wanted.
"Mom, I understand." Xu Mumu nodded.
"Mom, is grandfather’s cemetery prepared?" Xu Mumu asked about her grandfather’s affairs.
"It’s all prepared, don’t worry, even the coffin was made in advance." Li Caixia reassured, patting her daughter’s hand gently.
Xu Mumu nodded, knowing her uncles cared deeply about her grandfather’s affairs, so she refrained from intervening, instead following Li Caixia to burn paper, accompany her grandfather by the coffin and speak with him.
As the Li Family house couldn’t accommodate everyone overnight, Xu Mumu and her family returned to the old house, which the four-room had already tidied.
Upon returning late to the old house, the little one was already asleep.
The burial date, determined by the uncles, was set for a week later, halting the wake at home for a few days.
Xu Mumu visited daily, and her grandfather’s arrangements proceeded methodically.
Finally, the day of the funeral arrived, bringing together the villagers and Li Family’s friends and relatives. Mr. Li passed away in his seventies, which was considered a solemn yet celebratory funeral.
Her eldest aunt specifically invited the village’s top chef to cook; the funeral proceeded smoothly, with Xu Mumu and others attending the procession. The cemetery was located on Daqing Mountain behind the brigade, where many villagers were laid to rest, as cremation was not common in this era.
Watching the coffin slowly lowered into the cemetery, sealed afterwards, Xu Mumu’s uncles were shedding tears.
Holding Doudou, Xu Mumu noticed the sky turning grey, seemingly on the brink of rain.
Comments