country bumpkin

Rainwater soaked the withered grass on both sides of the road, and there was also a pool of rainwater nearby, murky and deep.

Walking on the muddy path caused the donkey cart wheels to get stuck in the mud.

Kong Tongming gently patted the donkey's rump with a leather whip, and the donkey understood and immediately pulled the cart with all its might.

Kong Tongming and Mu Shuyun also got off to help push the cart. With a gentle push, the wheels came up.

It was because they were walking too fast that they got stuck in the mud.

After the wheels came up, Mu Shuyun and Kong Tongming also got on the donkey cart. Yunya didn't get off, and Mu Shuyun wouldn't let her, afraid of getting her shoes wet.

We drove straight ahead and arrived at Mu Family Village. As soon as we entered the village, we could hear crying coming from the Mu family's house from a distance.

Mu Shuyun's face remained as pale as paper, her eyes devoid of their former hope. She numbly moved her feet as she walked home.

Before even entering the house, tears had already blurred her vision. Kong Tongming quickly helped Mu Shuyun into the courtyard.

In the courtyard, there was a coffin, and the people around were all dressed in mourning clothes.

When Mu Shuyun saw her mother lying in the middle of the main room, her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, murmuring, "Mother... I'm too late, I couldn't see you one last time."

With red eyes, Kong Tongming comforted his wife while leading Yunya toward his "mother-in-law".

Yunya looked at everything in a daze, not understanding why everyone was crying.

At this moment, an old man came over and said to Mu Shuyun, "My dear daughter, your mother kept talking about you before she passed away, saying that she regretted not being able to see you one last time. But she knew that your journey was long and difficult, so she asked us not to blame you."

Upon hearing this, Mu Shuyun cried even more heartbrokenly. Kong Tongming put Yunya down, walked to the corpse, knelt down, and kowtowed three times.

He thought to himself, "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I will definitely take good care of Shuyun."

Then, one after another, many members of the clan arrived from outside.

Mu Shuyun cried for a whole afternoon until her voice became hoarse, before she remembered her father, who must be even more heartbroken than she was.

Only then did she go to her father's room. Seeing her father lying on the bed, looking weak, she felt an unbearable pain in her heart.

She cried anxiously, "Dad, what's wrong? You can't let anything else happen to you."

Grandpa Mu opened his cloudy eyes, his hands trembling as he grasped his youngest daughter, saying, "Xiaoyun, you...you're here! Don't worry, Dad's fine. It's just that I can't bear to leave your mother. She just left like that...how am I supposed to live alone..."

Mu Shuyun cried even harder, her voice hoarse as she said, "Father, you still have us, you still have my eldest brother, my second brother, my eldest sister, and me."

Grandpa Mu waved his hand: "You all have your own lives. I just can't accept the sudden loss of your mother and am having a moment of despair. Don't worry, I'll be fine after a while."

Mu Shuyun wanted to say a few more words of comfort, but her father had already closed his eyes, perhaps from exhaustion from staying up all night.

Mu Shuyun stopped disturbing him and let him rest. She then came out and knelt before the mourning hall to keep vigil for her mother.

The elder sister-in-law brought over a bowl of porridge for Mu Shuyun to eat first, otherwise she would faint from hunger and cause trouble.

She didn't refuse; she had to keep vigil both afternoon and evening, and her body had to endure it. Although she was too heartbroken to eat, she forced herself to swallow her food with difficulty.

Yunya knew that her great-grandmother was lying there, meaning she would never wake up again.

She wasn't very sad; she was too young to understand the pain of losing a loved one. But she obediently followed behind her grandfather.

Seeing her grandmother crying so sadly, she also cried a few times. She felt that since everyone else was crying, she should do the same, otherwise she would look out of place.

At night, Mu Shuyun and Mu Shufeng knelt to keep watch for the first half of the night, while Mu Zhijie and Mu Zhiyong knelt to keep watch for the second half.

The two daughters-in-law did not keep vigil; they found a place to sleep in the west room. The eldest son-in-law went home to rest because it was nearby.

The second son-in-law, Kong Tongming, did not go home; he simply found a corner in the east room to make do for the night.

Yunya went to sleep on the other side of the bed with her great-grandfather.

The night was eerily quiet, with the occasional crow flying by, leaving a trail of cawing that sent chills down one's spine.

At two o'clock in the morning, a stray cat darted across the threshold with a "whoosh," startling the two sons who were keeping vigil.

They've all regained a lot of energy.

The eldest brother, Mu Zhijie, quickly got up, grabbed a broom, and waved it around, blocking the doorway.

The second son also became alert, realizing that they had to keep a close eye on the carcass, as any animal that passed by it could cause serious trouble.

This is still an old legend, passed down from generation to generation.

The story goes that long ago, a family lost a member. On the first night of the spirit's return, a cat pounced on the corpse.

The corpse absorbed the cat's vital energy and came back to life. The cat immediately died.

The corpses became living dead, wreaking havoc on a village, ultimately leading to the complete annihilation of the village, leaving not a single living soul alive.

This is just a legend, and nobody believes it. But it's a taboo passed down from our ancestors, and it still needs to be followed.

The two brothers were so frightened that they lost all sleepiness and sat on either side of the door, guarding it like door gods.

As we waited, dawn gradually broke.

The mourning tent was only set up today, and a tall square table was placed in the center of the main hall entrance.

On the table stood a portrait of the deceased, and in front of it was an incense burner, the burning incense sticks glowing red.

Behind the tall table is a "winnowing board" made of sorghum stalks, used to create a three-dimensional wall surface.

They used to be used as bedding. Now they're used for walls.

Those who came to pay their respects all entered the house from the left side, kowtowing and weeping.

The coffin is still in the yard; the body will be carried inside just before the funeral procession.

Today is the third day, and the funeral is being held today. All relatives, friends, and members of the clan have come.

The old lady is getting on in years, and her grandchildren all have children of their own, so there's a whole bunch of people, including adults, children, and great-grandchildren.

The funeral procession stretched for more than 30 meters.

Some villagers came to watch the spectacle. Seeing the long queue, they exclaimed in admiration, "The Mu family is so prosperous! What a large family!"

Today, at the funeral, the four sisters Kong Xiujuan, who are granddaughters and grandsons, as well as the three brothers Kong Xiangguang, all came.

All of Mu Shufeng's family members, including her sons, daughters, granddaughters, and grandsons, were present.

The sheer scale of it was unmatched by any ordinary family.

No wonder the elderly were so happy when a new member was born into their family; large families always started with a large and prosperous family.

The villagers who had been watching the commotion whispered among themselves as they watched the old woman's children cry their hearts out.

A gossipy old woman pointed at Mu Shuyun and said, "Old Mrs. Mu didn't live a wasted life. Her children are filial, and her grandchildren are thriving. Look, that's her youngest daughter. She's crying so sadly; her voice is hoarse..."

The onlookers around her immediately looked in the direction she was pointing, staring wide-eyed.

"Who's that? And why is there a little boy, no, a little girl? What's she doing?"

Beside Mu Shuyun, Yun Ya pulled a long white cap, tore it in half, and tied it around her waist like the men, wearing mourning clothes.

Customs, concerns, and equipment vary from place to place.

This white cloth draped from the left shoulder to the right waist is the attire of the son-in-law and grandson-in-law.

There are even subtle changes, with each identity having a different outfit.

This girl just likes to imitate others; she'll learn whatever interests her.

The adults were all crying so hard that no one noticed her. Only the onlookers saw her and said that this little girl was a real rascal.

Yunya didn't care that so many people were watching her. All she knew was to follow her grandmother and not fall behind. She even thought the ceremony was quite fun and lively.

After the funeral, it was already 5 p.m. When we got back, some people went home, and others stayed.

Mu Shuyun and her sister didn't leave; they were going to pay respects at the grave tomorrow, and their son-in-law also stayed. Yunya naturally stayed as well.

They returned to Kongjia Village only after the grave-filling ceremony was completed the next day.

In the days that followed, Mu Shuyun was deeply saddened, but with the support of her husband and Xiaoyunya, she gradually recovered and knew that she still had to live on.

She also has other tasks: her youngest son is unmarried, and her grandson needs her help to take care of him.

Only by living a good life can we comfort our mother's spirit in heaven.