Iron Bull Legend

Grandma Chu's health has improved over the years because she has been taken care of by most people in the small mountain village and has been able to get enough nutrition. She has quickly recovered from her previous malnutrition. She has lived a carefree life in the small mountain village over the years and is in unusually good health.

This time when Aunt Jin came back, she seemed to have found someone to confide in. She chatted with Aunt Jin about things in the village. The two of them talked until almost one in the morning before they reluctantly fell asleep.

When the first ray of sunlight in the early morning shone on the small mountain village, Tie Niu opened his sleepy eyes at the timely crowing of the big rooster. After a night's rest, his blood and energy slowly came back to life. He got up, dressed, and went directly to the toilet outside the house. He released the liquid that had been stored in his body all night, then shivered twice with contentment and fastened his pants.

"Tie Niu, you got up so early?" Commander Zhang stood at the door of a room not far away, twisting his old waist, stretching his arms and legs to do stretching exercises. It was probably the first time he got up so early in all these years. He breathed in the sweet air of this small mountain village greedily.

"Well, I want to go to the mountain to see my parents as soon as possible," Tie Niu said softly, and he found that the door of his house was open. His aunt Chu Miaomiao had already put on her clothes and walked out. She smiled at Commander Zhang, and then looked at Tie Niu who was walking over.

"Aunt, you didn't get enough rest. Look at your eyes, there are still red bloodshot." Tie Niu held his aunt Chu Miaomiao's hand with heartache. He passed a wisp of spiritual energy over to her and gave her a sweet and sunny smile, which made Chu Miaomiao stunned. This child knew how to feel sorry for him, and it was really not in vain that he loved her.

"Is everything ready? When are we going up the mountain?"

"Wait a minute, Xiaocao hasn't gotten up yet, right? I was thinking of taking her with me to pay homage to my parents? Let them also see this daughter-in-law, so that they can finally feel at ease." Tie Niu sighed bitterly. He came back this time just to talk to his parents about his true feelings.

"She's awake. I guess she'll get up soon." Aunt Chu Miaomiao used her hands to straighten Tie Niu's collar, just like a mother packing her son's travel luggage, so seriously.

At the time when several people were talking in the yard, people in other rooms also opened their doors and got up. The old man was always the first to get up. This was a habit he had developed over the years. He would never make an exception even when he was not feeling well. Perhaps, he knew from his begging days that only the early worms get food.

Tie Niu prepared the shovel and the basket, and tiptoed back to the middle room of his house. He took out all the incense, candles, and paper money used for visiting the grave and put them in the basket. He also took out some and put them in another basket. That was prepared for Aunt Jin, and he was helping Aunt Jin prepare the items to commemorate her man.

Mr. Guo put on his clothes and opened the door of the west room. He took his time to fetch water and wash himself. He was still his calm personality and his leisurely lifestyle. When he saw Tie Niu, he just nodded as a greeting to him.

Li Xiaocao had also gotten dressed at this time. Seeing Tieniu sorting the offerings and paper money in the basket, she squatted down to help. The two of them did not speak, but just smiled at each other. It was a tacit understanding between the two of them. After all, they were already engaged and could be considered a family.

When everyone walked out of the room and stood in the yard, the group went straight out of the yard.

There were only a few destitute old dogs on the empty country streets looking at the group of people. They seemed to know that although these people were strangers, they should be relatives from the small mountain village. So, when they passed by them, they wagged their dirty tails full of firewood and grass and grinned in a friendly manner.

No one spoke as they walked silently towards the cemetery in the village to the west. The air in the early morning was indeed much better than the air in the compound in the capital, but because the atmosphere was a bit depressing, no one spoke.

Li Xiaocao supported her aunt Chu Miaomiao, just like a daughter-in-law supporting her mother-in-law, taking care of her meticulously. Tie Niu grabbed the wooden handle of the shovel with one hand, carried baskets on both ends, and followed steadily behind, his eyes looking firmly into the distance.

When we walked out of the small mountain village, smoke was already rising from the chimneys on the roofs behind us. Many hardworking women in the house had already gotten up to make fire and cook, because they were the first to get up and the last to go to bed every day. This was a habit developed in the countryside and also a custom.

If a man gets up in the morning to cook, he will be laughed at and said to have bronchitis. However, such things are not uncommon in small mountain villages in the north, because men in the north love their wives. That is not bronchitis, but love for their wives.

Soon everyone arrived at the village cemetery, where all the earth mounds had been cleaned up. In the north, if a family's cemetery was overgrown with weeds, it meant that the family had fallen into decline or had no descendants, so no family would let their deceased ancestors see such a scene.

The grave of Aunt Jin's husband is also very clean. Even though she has not been back for so many years, the villagers still remember her kindness and have arranged for the younger generations to clean the grave. In addition, there are a lot of burnt paper ashes in front of the grave, indicating that people often come here to pay their respects.

There is no tombstone in front of each mound, because there is no such custom in the north. However, the descendants of each family clearly remember the burial location of each family's deceased, and which mound is the place of their ancestors, and they are arranged from top to bottom according to seniority.

Before visiting a grave, a piece of neatly folded yellow paper is pressed on the grave with soil or stones. One piece of yellow paper is pressed on the grave every time. The more yellow paper is pressed on the grave, the more descendants of the family will be numerous, with many children and grandchildren, and the family will be prosperous.

Aunt Jin held a piece of yellow paper and pressed it on the grave. Tie Niu had already placed the offerings for the grave under the grave and took out the paper money from the basket. Looking at Aunt Jin standing on the grave, his eyes were already filled with tears. Over the years, she had raised two children with great difficulty. Her temples were already covered with white frost. Only she knew the hardships she had endured.

She just stood quietly in front of her ex-husband's grave without saying anything, but she was mumbling in her heart, telling her husband about her experiences over the years, her longing for him, and the growth experiences of her two children over the years.

Then, she squatted down and lit the yellow paper that had been prepared long ago with a match. The moment the yellow paper was lit, a breeze blew over, causing the yellow paper to burn faster and almost burned Aunt Jin's hand. She put the yellow paper on the ground and added another small handful.

Then, he grabbed a handful of yellow paper, lit it, and placed it on the ground to let it burn. This was a way of giving those wandering ghosts without descendants a little money to stay alone so that they would not be disturbed. This was also the custom here.

Not far away, Tie Niu, his aunt Chu Miaomiao and Li Xiaocao were also standing in front of several grave mounds. This was the old grave of Tie Niu's family. The one at the top was the burial place of Tie Niu's grandfather, the grandfather he had never met, the old hero who fought against the Japanese invaders.

Tie Niu also pressed the yellow paper on top of the grave mound like Aunt Jin did, and then he respectfully lit the first piece of yellow paper under his grandfather's grave mound. After the flame was lit, he added another stack of yellow paper and waited silently for the yellow paper to burn. Only after all the yellow paper was burned did he return to his parents' grave.

"Sister, Miaomiao came to see you. I didn't expect that we would be separated forever after our first meeting. Mom and the others have already met Tie Niu and know about you. And grandpa and grandma, they are all fine. I didn't tell them about coming here this time. After all, I was afraid that grandpa and grandma's health could not withstand the pain. Please don't blame them. Also, Tie Niu is a very hardworking child. He has grown up and also attended..." Chu Miaomiao's eyes were filled with tears, and she murmured to herself in front of the graves of her sister Chu Xiuxiu and brother-in-law Tie Honggang.

Li Xiaocao stood beside her aunt Chu Miaomiao like a fool, crying silently. She also knew the situation of Tie Niu's parents and felt sad in her heart. She was sad for her future lover and for the untimely death of her mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Tie Niu came to the grave and lit the yellow paper again, carefully and patiently letting them burn out one by one, then adding another one. He did not speak, but prayed silently in his inner monologue. He did not do anything to bless, but just comforted his parents' souls to be freed soon.

Although he missed his parents, he had now faced the reality. Moreover, he turned his longing for his parents into motivation. He did not want his parents to worry about him or be concerned about him, so he did not shed tears and just knelt in front of the grave and burned yellow paper.

The sunlight from the east brought warmth and peace to the small hillside. Everyone's shadows were stretched out by the sunlight, and each shadow was so bleak, as if everyone also felt the sadness of Tie Niu and the others.

"Sister, brother-in-law, your little Tieniu is now an official of our country. In your words, he is eating the emperor's food. This little bastard is amazing. Although he is only 18 years old, he is already the mayor. He is a high-ranking official and a good official who loves the people like his own children. Moreover, today, he came here with your future daughter-in-law. You see, your daughter-in-law is very pretty. Director, don't worry, I will help you take care of the two children..."

Originally, Tie Niu wanted to spend more time with his parents and even chat with them in private, but his aunt had been crying for such a long time, so he had to go down the mountain with everyone. He took the opportunity to support his aunt and pass some spiritual energy to her to ensure that her physical condition was fine.

On their way back, Lao Huazi and Mr. Guo were also filled with sorrow, especially Mr. Guo. He remembered that when he came to the small mountain village, he was taken care of by the couple who had passed away early. If it weren't for the care of this kind couple, he didn't know what would have happened to him.

After all, it was because of his life-saving grace that he stayed. At the same time, it was because of Tie Niu's birth that he could not understand Tie Niu's future, so he simply put the rest of his life on a mysterious child.