country bumpkin

Life continues its repetitive cycle. The only difference is that the events that happen each day have changed.

Perhaps today you're beaming with good fortune, but tomorrow you might face a tragic and unlucky day.

Kong Tongyuan's house in Kongjia Village is now crowded with people, filling the house and courtyard. A sense of sadness still lingers in the air.

The reason is that Kong Tongyuan's elderly mother passed away. The old lady was 80 years old this year, and we just celebrated her 80th birthday on National Day. Now, only two months later, she has left this world forever.

Today is the 14th day of the 11th lunar month, December 30th in the Gregorian calendar. New Year's Day is just around the corner. This kind old man passed away peacefully, without any regrets.

The funeral was held at the home of the eldest son, Kong Tongyuan. His eldest son, Kong Xiangzhuang, second son, Kong Xiangjian, and third son, Kong Xiangwei, all knelt behind him and wept before the bed.

The second son, Kong Tongcang, brought his family, his eldest son Kong Xiangyue, and his second son Kong Xiangling, who also knelt down and wept.

The third son, Kong Tongming, and his sons also knelt and wept. The eldest son, Kong Xiangguang, and the second son, Kong Xiangdong, had both come, while the youngest son, Kong Xiangyao, was still on a train heading home from another city.

The old lady passed away peacefully, with a smile on her face. Compared to the average elderly woman in the countryside, her later years were happy.

Her sons were all filial and never let her go hungry. She passed away peacefully without pain or illness; she simply suffocated.

The nearby villagers were whispering among themselves, saying that it was a birthday celebration, a wedding to ward off bad luck, and that the person couldn't withstand the influence and died.

Several village women whispered among themselves, "In my hometown village, there's a case like that. The person celebrated their birthday one day and died the next. It seems we should think twice before celebrating an elder's birthday in the future."

These were just wild guesses from the villagers, something to gossip about. Everyone's fate is predetermined; how could someone die just because of a birthday celebration?

The eldest daughter-in-law, Xie Wenli, the second daughter-in-law, Tan Jiangshui, and the third daughter-in-law, Mu Shuyun, also lowered their heads and wept.

All their children and grandchildren who could come came, and those who couldn't come were notified.

The old lady had two daughters who had married far away. Kong Tongyuan also contacted them, and was waiting for them to come back so that they could see their mother one last time.

Kong Xiangzhuang asked several uncles and elders from his clan to help with the funeral arrangements. His father had to keep vigil and couldn't go around directing or worrying about things.

Several uncles and elders arrived quickly. They were experienced and immediately began to arrange various tasks in an orderly manner.

At 5 p.m., the sound of running footsteps came from outside. It turned out that the youngest son, Kong Xiangyao, had arrived.

He rushed into the room and saw his grandmother lying there quietly. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he knelt down by the bed with a thud.

Amidst everyone's busy preparations, the two daughters, who had married far away, also rushed over with their families. The sound of weeping filled the house again as everyone expressed their longing for the elderly woman.

Amidst this sorrow, Xie Wenli suppressed his grief and began to greet the relatives who had come to offer their condolences.

Thinking of all the good things her mother-in-law had done, she was determined to make sure the funeral was conducted in a dignified and thoughtful manner.

As time went on, the funeral procession proceeded step by step.

On the day of the funeral, almost everyone in the village came.

In front of them were the old lady's three sons, eight grandsons, and more than ten great-grandsons. There were also her sons-in-law, grandsons, great-grandsons, and grandsons-in-law.

Behind her were her daughters-in-law, daughters-in-law, granddaughters, great-granddaughters, and other relatives. They all accompanied her on her final journey to the funeral.

There were over a hundred people in the procession, making it quite a sight. At the very back were villagers who had come to watch the spectacle, following the procession.

The funeral procession moved slowly forward, and upon arriving at the cemetery, the burial ceremony was held according to custom.

As the earth slowly covered the coffin, the relatives wept even more bitterly. After the funeral, the family gathered together to sort through the deceased's belongings.

Kong Tongyuan picked up the reading glasses his mother used to wear and his eyes welled up with tears again.

At this moment, Xie Wenli, the eldest daughter-in-law, discovered an old photo album containing group photos of the old lady celebrating her birthday with her children and grandchildren.

As everyone sat together and flipped through the photo album, memories flooded back, and the originally oppressive atmosphere gradually warmed up.

In the days that followed, the Kong family would prepare a sumptuous meal to honor the old lady on holidays, festivals, or the anniversary of her death.

After experiencing this incident, the children of the Kong family cherished their relationship even more, and the family became more united and harmonious.

The gossip about the old lady's cause of death gradually disappeared, and all that people remembered was her kindness and compassion. It was as if she was still alive in this family and in the hearts of everyone's relatives.

After the funeral, all the daughters, sons-in-law, and children from each family returned to their own homes. The old lady's daughters, sons-in-law, and children all left.

They lived quite far away, and since their mother was no longer there, staying would only cause them more grief. So they all left around 4 p.m.

Kong Xiangyao stayed at home for one night and left the next day. Kong Xiujuan, Kong Xiuzhen, and Kong Xiufen all went home, and their husbands went back with them.

The children were all at school and didn't come; only a few little ones who weren't in school came along.

Kong Xiufang didn't come either; Lin Junhui came in her place because she was pregnant and couldn't attend the funeral.

Mu Shuyun originally wanted to leave her daughters at home for a few days, but they couldn't leave.

Those who run businesses do their business, those who take care of children take care of children, and those who have students leaving school need to cook lunch, so they simply don't have time to stay and accompany their mothers.

When Kong Xiujuan returned home that evening, she talked about her trip back to Kongjia Village that day. Yunya was very disappointed; her mother had gone back to her maternal grandmother's house without taking her. She missed her grandmother.

For lunch, she and her sister ate lard pancakes and leftover shredded potatoes from their mother.

They made do with a simple meal; the two girls weren't picky eaters, as long as they were full.

Kong Xiujuan came back very tired in the evening, so she didn't cook anything complicated. She simply boiled noodles, added an egg to each person's plate, and stir-fried some shredded potatoes.

Although the meal was simple, it included soup and other broth, making it a very satisfying meal. The whole family was full.

After dinner, Yunya and Sun Limei went to do their homework, while Sun Zitao played with his son, Sun Guoqiang. Kong Xiujuan cleared the table and washed the dishes.

After finishing their homework, Yunya and Sun Limei went to watch TV. An animated cartoon was playing on TV, and when Sun Guoqiang heard the sound of the cartoon, he ran over to watch TV with his sisters.

Suddenly, Sun Fei's voice came from outside, "Yun Ya, come out and play."

Yunya quickly ran out and went to Gu Yu's house with Sun Fei to play with Gu Yu.

There was a large red lantern at the entrance of Gu Yu's house. Pull down the pull tab and the lantern lit up brightly red.

Three little girls were playing jump rope under the gate. A large red lantern illuminated their way, and the friends were having so much fun together, just like the bright red lantern symbolizing prosperity and family reunion.