Chapter 489: Chapter 254 Visiting the Grave_1
Second watch + Third watch, seeking pink support.
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In the past, Lady Zhou would either scold or command, and to add to her deterrence, she always glared at the person involved. But this time, while scolding, Lady Zhou didn’t even glance at Lian Manman and Lian Yeye.
Lian Manman didn’t take Lady Zhou’s words to heart, merely observing Lady Zhou’s expression with some curiosity.
Lady Zhou, with droopy eyelids, had a face filled with certainty and—disdain.
None of the women had the right to offer sacrifices at the ancestral graves. It wasn’t a rule set by Lady Zhou, nor was it unique to the Lian Family; it was a societal norm. Even if Lady Zhou didn’t prevent Lian Manman and Lian Yeye from going to the graves, they still wouldn’t be entitled to do so.
Once all the paper money was folded and packed into the basket, Old Master Lian stood up.
"Let’s go!" Old Master Lian said, being the first to walk out.
Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu, each carrying a basket of paper money, followed closely behind Old Master Lian. As the eldest son and eldest grandson of the Lian Family, both men were dressed in freshly laundered traditional robes today; Lian Shouren even wore the square cap he didn’t normally put on at home. Following Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu were Lian Shouyi, Erlang, Sanlang, Si Lang, and Liulang, and finally Lian Shouxin, accompanied by Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, and one Lian Shouli.
Wu Lang separately carried a basket that contained the paper money they had prepared themselves.
Lian Manman didn’t immediately follow but silently watched as the men of the Lian Family passed by her with puffed chests and swollen bellies.
This was a society that prioritized passing on the family line and male superiority over female; nearly every detail in life reiterated and deepened the imprint of male superiority. It allowed even the shabbiest of men to walk tall and proud, while even the most outstanding of women had to automatically bow their heads and step back. Its greatest success lay in subtly making those women also loyally uphold it.
Because he had fathered the most grandsons for the Lian Family, Lian Shouyi could make a grave mistake and still remain an essential son of the family, while Lady He, with a brother like He Laoliu, didn’t have to worry about being dismissed. But Lian Shouli and Lady Zhao, despite their tireless efforts and complete obedience, were still not valued. Whether it was Old Master Lian or Lian Shouli giving assurances, the fear of being discarded was always a source of anxiety for Lady Zhao.
"Elder sister!" Xiao Qi walked to the doorway, saw that Lian Manman hadn’t followed, and stopped in his tracks, turning back to call out to Lian Manman.
This call brought Lian Manman back to her senses, and she took Lian Yeye by the hand to head outside.
"What are you doing?" Lady Zhou asked sharply.
"Going out to play!" Lian Manman crisply replied and then ran out the door with Lian Yeye, disregarding the scolding and mad ravings of Lady Zhou back in the house as mere wind past her ears.
Nanshan was the communal burial ground for the tenant farmers of Thirty Mile Camp. When Lian Manman and the others arrived at the foot of the hill, they saw groups of people coming and going on the mountain path, with those who had arrived early already descending.
Lian Manman, Lian Yeye, and Xiao Qi had taken a shortcut and came running and jumping along their way, having long left Old Master Lian and his entourage far behind.
Nanshan wasn’t very tall. The ascent was a gentle slope all the way up, with locust trees and willow trees predominating and dry withered grass everywhere.
"It’s over there," Xiao Qi pointed at a mound gathering a crowd of people.
"Ha, I know where you guys are going!" Just as the three kids were about to head that way, Si Lang suddenly appeared with Liulang from behind a thicket of grass, joining them.
It turned out they had seen Lian Manman and the others running ahead and had followed behind, taking a different shortcut before running to a spot ahead of Lian Manman.
"Xiao Liu, hurry up," Si Lang said with a hint of pride, shaking his head at Lian Manman’s group before beckoning to Liulang and quickly running toward the crowd of people.
Xiao Qi stomped his foot in agitation, seeing that Si Lang had gotten there first.
"Don’t worry, even if they get there first, it’s pointless; the crowd hasn’t dispersed yet," Lian Manman reassured.
"Right, Xiao Qi, just watch, they won’t be able to snatch from us three," Lian Yeye added.
"Exactly," Lian Manman smiled.
Lian Manman and Lian Yeye weren’t running up the hill to challenge the rule that women couldn’t attend grave visits; they were there to snatch flowers.
For Qingming grave visits, ordinary old graves, meaning those of ancestors who had died many years ago, only required burning paper money. But for new graves, referring to the seniors who had passed away last year or this year, it wasn’t sufficient to just burn paper money; burning Gold and Silver Ingots and wreaths was also necessary.
Xiao Qi had learned from friends that a wealthy family had recently been buried on Nanshan, and on the day of Qingming, the family would come to pay respects and had bought wreaths from the Paper Craft Shop.
