[Mo Dao Zu Shi Fanfiction] I Raise A Ying in Yiling

As soon as the sky began to lighten, the village's spirited roosters eagerly blew their horns to herald the new day.

Amidst the increasingly loud crowing of roosters, Grandma Wei, along with her eldest aunt, second aunt, several cousins, and a few of their close female friends, arrived at Wei Chaoyan's house.

Seeing Wei Chaoyan still kneeling in the mourning hall, Grandma Wei sighed and said, "What a tragedy! Yan'er, today you should take Qingyan to send the third brother and the others off properly. As for everything else, your grandpa will take care of it!" Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Grandma Wei led the group of people behind her out of the mourning hall and began to get busy.

Wei Chaoyan knew this meant her grandfather had already planned everything out, so she didn't need to worry about it anymore. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, stood up unsteadily, rubbed her numb knees, and after a while, washed her face, rinsed her mouth, and tidied herself up.

After cleaning herself up, Wei Chaoyan brought a basin of warm water and two towels to her younger brother's room. Reaching the door, she softly called to the sleeping child as she pushed it open. Seeing the two little bundles of joy still struggling in bed, she couldn't help but smile; the lingering pain in her heart seemed to pause.

With a smile, Wei Chaoyan placed the basin of water she was carrying on the table in the room, turned around and handed Qi Ye a set of mourning clothes, indicating that he should wear them himself (well, don't underestimate Qi Ye just because he is only four years old now, he can already dress and eat by himself), and she also took a small set of mourning clothes to prepare to change Qingyan into.

After dressing them properly, I carefully combed their hair, wiped their faces and mouths with clean towels, and then carried Qingyan in one arm and held Qiye's hand in the other as we walked out of the room.

After Wei Chaoyan led them to a quiet breakfast, she silently followed Grandma Wei's instructions and went straight to the mourning hall to kneel and burn paper money. As for other matters such as greeting guests who came to pay their respects and handling things in the kitchen, Grandma Wei took care of them.

Wei Chaoyan carried Qingyan and pulled Qiye to the mourning hall. Grandpa Wei knelt down when he said to kneel, and bowed when he said to bow. He followed all the instructions.

After all that commotion, it was noon when everything finally came to a close. Grandma Wei quickly pulled the three exhausted people into the inner room to rest, then brought them some simple food to eat, as there was still much to do after lunch. After giving them these instructions, Grandma Wei hurried back to the front hall to greet the guests and help Grandpa Wei and the others with their meal.

After lunch, Grandma Wei and the others quickly cleaned up the table, dishes, and kitchen. Then, with solemn expressions, they tied a white cloth around their arms and hurried to the mourning hall. Under the direction of the village elders, they began to mourn in waves.

After completing these procedures, amidst mournful music, Wei Chaoyan, holding Qingyan who was carrying a memorial tablet in her arms and holding Qiye's hand in the other, walked towards the ancestral cemetery behind the village under the instructions of her elders, wailing loudly. Four coffin bearers followed behind her carrying the coffin.

Wei Chaoyan didn't remember much after that. She only remembered the glaring yellow ash of the earth where her parents' coffins were buried, and the enormous tombstones bearing their names that obscured her entire world. At that moment, she realized with a profound understanding that she truly had no parents left, leaving her alone with her younger brother to face the storms to come with uncertainty!

At that moment, she didn't want to think about anything but to burst into tears, to cry out the sorrow of "wanting to care for one's parents but finding them gone" in this life, to cry out the pain of her parents burying their child in her past life, and to cry out the difficulties she would face in surviving after losing their protection!

By the time everything was over, it was already late afternoon. Grandma Wei saw off the last guest, closed the door, and led her eldest daughter-in-law to the main hall, where the entire Wei family was waiting.

Upon seeing Grandma Wei arrive, Grandpa Wei, who was sitting in the seat of honor, coughed lightly and said, "The funeral for the third son and his wife cost a total of twenty-three taels and one mace. After deducting these expenses, the third son only had about seven taels left. The remaining money will be entrusted to Yan Yatou for safekeeping."

When she heard Grandpa Wei's words, her uncles in the main hall had different expressions, but none of them objected and they intended to listen to the next arrangements.

Grandpa Wei continued, “Although the third son’s brick house is ten years old, it’s spacious, bright, and sturdy. It’s practically 80% new, so I’ll give it to him for 100 taels. The tables, chairs, beds, cabinets, pots and pans, and the chickens, ducks, geese, and vegetables in the yard will be worth 20 taels. If you want it, give Yan’er 120 taels in cash. As for the three mu of land under the third son’s name, it will remain under Qingyan’s name. If you want to cultivate it, you’ll have to give Yan’er 40% of the new grain every year. I have my own arrangements for Yan’er and the others, and I won’t cause any trouble for either of you. So, what’s the plan between the two of you?”

Grandpa Wei's words made them feel uneasy. Second Aunt couldn't hold back and shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Dad, what do you mean..." First Aunt interrupted her with an elbow, putting on a loving face, "We're all family, why make such distinctions? Third Brother and the others have left, and it's our duty as elders to take care of Yan'er and Qingyan."

The tug-of-war between the two women revealed to the eldest and second eldest Wei families that they both had the same plan: keeping Yan Yatou and Qingyan in their homes was just a matter of two pairs of chopsticks, which would not only allow them to legitimately inherit the things left by the third eldest Wei, but also earn them a good reputation in the village; Yan Yatou was not young, she could work and take care of the younger children in the family, and she was also good at embroidery, which she could sell or teach the maids in the family; Yan Yatou was pretty, and when she grew older, she could marry into a good family and receive a large dowry; as for Qingyan, with Yan Yatou looking after him, it wouldn't cost much.

Little did they know that their carefully laid plans were completely ruined by Grandpa Wei's actions. Even the most composed eldest uncle voiced his opposition, while the second uncle and other cousins, for various reasons, also tried to dissuade Grandpa Wei and Wei Chaoyan.

The cacophony of noise made Grandpa Wei frown. He slammed his hand on the table in a fit of anger, making a loud "bang." Instantly, the main hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Alright, I've already arranged where Yan'er and the others will go," Grandpa Wei stood up, glancing at the people with their own thoughts with an attitude that said, "I'm not here to discuss this with you, I'm just informing you of my decision." "Don't worry about things that aren't your concern! Now, I'm asking you guys if you still want your houses. If you do, agree to my arrangements and give the money to Yan'er. If not, I'll sell them to someone else in the village tomorrow!"

Suppressed by Grandpa Wei, the crowd could only open their mouths in silence, reluctantly suppressing their thoughts. They gathered together and discussed for a short while before deciding that each family would contribute half the money, and that the distribution of the goods would be discussed privately later.

"Yan girl," Grandpa Wei said to Wei Chaoyan after receiving a response, while gesturing for everyone else to go home. "After you've packed your family's clothes and your parents' personal belongings, then get some rest. Remember to keep an eye on Yan boy so he doesn't get scared in the middle of the night. I'll go to your two uncles' houses to get the money after breakfast tomorrow morning, and then I'll come find you. Don't worry, I won't forget what I promised you."

After the Wei family members left one by one, Wei Chaoyan, holding her two tired and sad children, watched the figures gradually disappear outside the door, her heart filled with melancholy. She didn't know what the future held, but as long as her younger brother Qingyan, Qiye, and the young Wei Ying, who was still wandering in Yiling, were by her side, she thought she could fearlessly rush forward. If there was no road, she would dig one out with her bare hands!