Chapter 289 What is coming will come back
Courtyard No. 95, Nanluogu Lane.

Jia Zhang and several other aunts were washing clothes in the yard. Looking at their laughter and joy, it seemed as if they had returned to the old days.

Several middle-aged women were washing clothes while chatting about family matters.

Jia Zhang's behavior has changed a lot in the past few months. In the past, her daughter-in-law Qin Huairu was responsible for all the housework such as washing clothes and cooking, and she never had to do anything.

Now, she is much more diligent than before. Not only does she take the initiative to do housework, but she also cares for Qin Huairu, the pregnant woman, from time to time.

Neighbors were surprised by Jia Zhang's change and discussed privately: "This forced labor camp may not be a bad thing for Jia Zhang."

"At least, she has corrected many of her bad habits."

Qin Huairu held four-month-old Huaihua in her arms and watched Xiaodang running around in the yard. Although life was still a bit hard, she finally saw hope.

Xiaodang is almost four years old. Children of this age are innocent and lively, adding a lot of fun to their family life.

Huaihua in Qin Huairu's arms looked a little listless. Born in November last year, she still weighs less than 11 kilograms and is as thin as a monkey. It's really heartbreaking to see her.

This is because Qin Huairu lacked good care during her pregnancy and often went hungry.

The nutrition after giving birth was not enough, so her big breasts had no milk. This made the newborn Huaihua suffer, and she often cried in the middle of the night because of hunger.

Otherwise, it is said that people in those days were kind and simple-minded. Even though they had a bad relationship with the Jia family, there were still a few capable neighbors who chose to lend a helping hand.

Liu's mother Deng Ru believed that adult affairs should not involve children. She could not bear to see Huaihua suffer, and she could not bear to watch her newborn baby starve to death because of lack of milk.

So, she decided to take out a bucket of Bright Brand milk powder that was originally given to her granddaughter Xiaoxian and give it to Qin Huairu, asking her to make milk for Huaihua.

Speaking of milk powder, it is not something that ordinary families can have. At that time, people's lives were not well-off, and drinking milk and milk powder was a luxury.

Especially in recent years, when supplies are in short supply, nutritional supplements such as milk powder are undoubtedly a luxury for people. Even rich people may not have this at home, and being able to drink a glass of milk is a luxury.

What if ordinary people don’t have milk or milk powder at home and want to supplement their children’s nutrition?

Working people are wise, and a food called "milk substitute" that can replace milk powder has quietly become popular.

"Milk powder substitute" is generally made of soybean powder, rice powder, millet powder, etc. with a small amount of white sugar and milk powder.

"Milk powder" and "sugar" were also supplied with tickets. Every month, one had to go to a designated store to buy 1 jin of milk powder and 2 liang of sugar (commonly known as Cuban sugar).

Although the taste of milk substitute powder is acceptable, its nutrition is far different from that of milk. In order to fill the stomachs of their children, parents will not consider these.

Even for such things, many families still cannot afford them, as is the case with Qin Huairu's family.

The reason why Qin Huairu has no milk is because of malnutrition. If she can see a doctor for treatment and eat more nutritious food, I believe she will be able to resume milk supply soon.

Jia Dongxu was a selfish man. How could he be willing to spend his hard-earned salary on providing nutrition for his wife and children? He was already dissatisfied with Qin Huairu for giving birth to another girl, and now he was even more unwilling to take care of her and her daughter.

The neighbors in the yard couldn't bear to see this, and they accused Jia Dongxu of having no conscience. He would rather let his wife and children suffer than be like a miser and not spend a penny.

Deng Ru was willing to take out such expensive milk powder to help her, which was much better than her partner Jia Dongxu.

She has no relatives or friends, but she is willing to donate generously. Her kindness and generosity are admirable.

This touched Qin Huairu deeply, although the relationship between their two families had not been good in recent years. But at the critical moment, they were able to help them, this was a favor, and they had to pay it back in the long run.

Although Wang Qiuju didn't like Qin Huairu very much, she was kind-hearted and took the initiative to help feed the child.

She had plenty of milk, and she often held Huaihua and her son He Qiu together to feed them. This action made people feel the simple relationship of mutual respect and mutual assistance between neighbors, and also made people feel warm.

After Jia Zhang came back and heard about this, she didn't say much, but her attitude towards the Liu family, except for Liu Zhiye, was much better.

As for He Yuzhu and Wang Qiuju's family, they get along pretty well because of their children, and she would visit them from time to time.

This is a long story, so let’s get back to the point.

By the way, Yi Zhonghai received a task from the factory to come back and guarantee the Jia family's trust.

He did not dare to delay at all, and suppressed the grief in his heart, and rode his bicycle back without stopping.

After all, he was Jia Dongxu's apprentice. They had been close friends for several years and had lived next door to each other for more than 20 years.

There were conflicts between them before, but with the passing of Jia Dongxu, these conflicts disappeared.

The moment Yi Zhonghai stepped through the door, he felt as if his heels were filled with lead.

"What should I say?" He sighed, took a deep breath, and stepped into the hanging flower gate with gritted teeth.

As soon as he entered the middle courtyard, Yi Zhonghai saw Jia Zhang and others. He then called out sadly, "Sister-in-law Jia, Huairu!"

"Dongxu, Dongxu, something happened!"

Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu, who were chatting and laughing with their neighbors, were struck by the words as if a bolt from the blue had suddenly exploded in their ears.

Qin Huairu stared at Yi Zhonghai in astonishment and asked in disbelief: "Uncle Yi, what did you just say? I didn't hear it clearly!"

Yi Zhonghai said sadly: "Huai Ru! I told you to hold on. Dong Xu is in trouble. He is dead."

When Jia Zhang heard this, she cried "Gah!", her eyes became dizzy, and she fell to the ground.

"What? Jia Dongxu is dead?"

"How is this possible?"

"Yeah! Didn't he seem sick?"

"I saw him this morning and he was fine. Could it be a mistake?"

The aunts were also shocked and stood there in a daze, until Jia Zhang fainted on the ground, then they hurried forward to help her. Their movements seemed flustered and panic-stricken.

Hearing this, Qin Huairu's face turned pale and her body swayed. The third aunt ran over and took the child from her arms, and persuaded her: "Huairu, you have to hold on!"

Qin Huairu was trembling all over. She looked at Yi Zhonghai in despair and said, "How is this possible? Dongxu was fine when he went to work this morning. How come he is gone in the blink of an eye?"

"I don't believe it, you must be lying to me, right?"

"Tell me, are you lying to me?"

"Oh...you must be lying to me..." Qin Huairu looked at Yi Zhonghai, who had a heavy face and was silent, and finally expressed her pain.

"Huai Ru, I also think this is not true, but, but he really got into trouble..." Yi Zhonghai explained to her what happened to Jia Dongxu.

Qin Huairu completely collapsed after hearing this, "Dongxu...why did you leave like this..."

Yi Zhonghai felt sad watching Qin Huairu crying. He thought, "Oh, their family is so miserable. They finally had some hope for the future, but now the pillar of the family is gone."

"Two widows in a family and three hungry children. How are they going to live in the future?" Yi Zhonghai shook his head and sighed.

On the other side, the aunts were also busy and calling out to Jia Zhang: "Sister Jia, Sister Jia, wake up!" Their voices were full of anxiety and worry.

"No, just pinch her philtrum..." Seeing that she couldn't be woken up, an old lady suggested.

"Yes, yes, yes, hurry up and pinch it..." The other aunts seconded.

After some fiddling, they succeeded in waking Jia Zhang up. She opened her eyes with a cry of "Ouch!" and looked at the group of people surrounding her in confusion.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Hey, wake up, wake up!"

"Sister Jia, are you feeling better?"

"Ouch! I was so scared just now. I thought you were just..."

Jia Zhang was bewildered as she saw Qin Huairu crying bitterly, and she finally remembered what had happened just now.

She sat up and wailed loudly: "Dongxu, Dongxu, how could you just disappear like this!" "Yi Zhonghai, you heartless bastard, give me back my son!"

"Wu...Give me back my son..."

"Dongxu, if you leave, how will mom live..."

"Old Jia, please take me away too... I don't want to live anymore..."

Qin Huairu stumbled over and hugged Jia Zhang tightly, and the two of them burst into tears. Their cries echoed in the air, and it was heartbreaking to hear.

"Mom, Dongxu is really gone..."

"Ah... We are an orphan and a widow, what are we going to do in the future..."

"The child is still so young, and he has lost his father... Our lives are so miserable..."

Seeing this, everyone was heartbroken and wiped their tears to comfort the mother and daughter. Although Xiaodang was young and ignorant, he could feel the grief of his grandmother and mother and started crying.

With the third aunt holding Huaihua in her arms and crying heartbreakingly, the whole family, young and old, cried very miserably.

………………

After everyone consoled them for a long time, the cries of Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu gradually subsided.

Since Jia Dongxu's death was so tragic, he could not be taken back home to rest in peace, and had to be sent directly to the crematorium for cremation.

So, Yi Zhonghai quickly persuaded them to go to the factory together to see Jia Dongxu for the last time.

When Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu arrived at the Red Star Factory, they saw Jia Dongxu's body, which was horrible to look at. They fainted on the spot.

When they woke up, they felt dizzy and vomited violently. Then, they became heartbroken, as if they had lost all hope.

Comrades from the factory women's federation quickly took them away from the scene and brought them to a reception room to comfort and enlighten them.

Director Yang and other factory committee leaders also came forward to comfort and console them.

On behalf of the factory, Director Yang solemnly promised that the factory would reimburse all expenses during Comrade Jia Dongxu's funeral.

As for the subsequent compensation for casualties, the factory will give their family an explanation after all the causes of the accident are investigated clearly.

Jia Zhang listened to the leaders' speeches in a daze, muttering, "Dongxu is dead, my son is dead..." She was really a widow for many years and her son had died - there was no hope.

Qin Huairu resisted despair and helped Jia Zhang back home. She couldn't collapse because she still had three children waiting for her.

She knew that she had to cheer herself up, because from now on she would be the one to shoulder the responsibilities of the family.

Jia Dongxu is dead.

The news quickly spread like a gust of wind to the ears of neighbors throughout the compound.

After Yan Bugui learned the news, he immediately asked for leave from school because someone in the courtyard was going to hold a funeral and needed him, the head of the school, to take the lead in handling the funeral arrangements.

There were no relatives left in the old Jia family, and Jia Zhang was in a daze and had a mental breakdown.

Qin Huairu was a woman and it was not convenient for her to take charge of Jia Dongxu's funeral, so she had to entrust her third uncle Yan Bugui and a group of neighbors to help deal with it.

It costs money to hold a funeral, and although the factory promised to reimburse it, you still have to wait until later to get the money.

Qin Huairu's family couldn't come up with the money, so Yan Bugui had no choice but to call the neighbors to hold an emergency meeting to discuss raising funds to hold Jia Dongxu's funeral first, and then return the money to everyone after her family was reimbursed.

Sha Zhu was the first person to raise his hand in agreement. He said sincerely: "This is a special case for the Jia family. I support the Third Uncle's proposal. Our family will contribute two pieces.

Besides, who can prove that they have never encountered trouble? So, we should help those who need help. "Sha Zhu's words were unanimously agreed by everyone.

The Liu family has always been behind others. When the neighbors in the courtyard encounter difficulties, the Liu family will never stand idly by. Liu Jingzhai, on behalf of the Liu family, said: "Zhu Zi is right. Our Liu family is much better off than you. Just give ten yuan!"

Seeing this, Xu Damao immediately said, "Let's take two pieces too!"

Yan Bugui glanced at Yan Jiecheng and said, "Jiecheng, you should pay for ours, too!" Yan Jiecheng was helpless. His father was also plotting against him in such a matter. "Okay! Let's pay two dollars too!"

"Okay, my family will..."

"Hey, my family is in a difficult situation too, so I'll just give you 50 cents..."

After the meeting, everyone expressed their support. Everyone contributed generously, some contributed fifty cents, and everyone worked together to raise the cost of Jia Dongxu's funeral.

Qin Huairu bowed repeatedly to express her gratitude to everyone. She promised sincerely: "Thank you for your help, and after the reimbursement is completed, our family will definitely pay you back in full." Her tone was firm and her attitude was sincere.

With the money, Yan Bugui arranged for people to buy incense, paper money, clay basins, white cloth, firecrackers, eternal lamps, tributes and other things.

Then, he sent Xu Damao to Qin Huairu's mother's home to report the death.

Then, he began to direct the construction of the mourning hall.

The funeral rituals in the old capital city mainly include the following processes: changing the coffin, turning the head, receiving the third, sending the body to the warehouse, becoming the master, and sending the funeral procession.

Yi Xi: It is a ceremony to move the deceased from his original bed to a wooden bed called "Xi".

This custom originated in ancient times and is intended to indicate that the deceased has left this world and entered another world.

Since Jia Dongxu died outside and was no longer in human form, he was directly cremated and this step was omitted.

Daotou: refers to the mourning ceremony performed by the family members immediately after the death of the deceased, usually kneeling and crying, to express their grief and reluctance to the deceased.

Jiesan: This is a ceremony held on the third day after the death of the deceased, when family members and relatives will gather together to hold memorial services and mourn.

At the third hour, the bereaved family will place a big drum, a pair of gong stands and a pair of trumpets outside the gate, which is called "door blowing".

Three days after a person dies, no matter the rich or poor, there is a ritual of "Jie San". According to folklore, three days after a person dies, the soul will go to the underworld or ascend to heaven. In order to pray for the deceased to achieve enlightenment or be reborn in a good family in the future, the living will invite monks and Taoists to chant sutras for the deceased on the third day after death to help the deceased's soul to be reborn. The children and younger generations of the deceased will prepare paper carriages and silver boxes to see him off.

The door blowing ceremony is performed in the morning and at noon. In the morning, things are arranged at eight or nine o'clock in the morning, and music is played according to the pipes. At noon, music is played after twelve o'clock to show condolences.

There are many things to pay attention to in the capital city. For example, the process of carrying the coffin from home or to the cemetery for burial also involves many steps, including saying goodbye to the spirit, leaving the hall, lifting the bier, breaking the basin, throwing paper money, arranging the funeral procession, the funeral procession, and the final rites after the burial, before the coffin can be "put to rest in peace".

People who attend funerals or condolences must dress seriously, not speak casually, not leave in the middle of the event, etc.

During the worship, even peers had to kneel down and worship. I heard that they also had to kneel down and worship Jia Dongxu, the dead ghost, which made Liu Zhiye feel very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the leaders of the factory came to pay their respects, and Yan Bugui proposed that in the new society, everyone just needed to bow.

This was strongly supported by Liu Zhiye, Sha Zhu, Xu Damao, Yan Jiesheng and others. Only if kneeling could be avoided would the grandson be willing to kneel down to others.

In addition, funerals also require donations based on the number of donors, just like weddings. The donations should be based on the relationship between the two parties, but they should be given in odd numbers.

The Jia family's funeral lasted three days, and finally Jia Dongxu was buried. After the funeral, the people who attended the funeral had to go back to attend the thank-you banquet.

Sha Zhu was in charge of the cooking for today's banquet, and Yan Bugui was in charge of purchasing the ingredients. He calculated carefully and managed to make the money raised by everyone just enough to cover the expenses.

When everything was arranged, Yan Bugui breathed a sigh of relief. After dinner, he took the account book and went straight to the Jia family.

He had to check the accounts with Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu, and verify the income and expenditure of the past few days item by item.

When Qin Huairu saw the third uncle Yan Bugui coming to visit, she immediately stood up and greeted him, "Third uncle is here, please sit down, I'll go get you a cup of hot water." Then she turned and walked into the kitchen and prepared a glass of boiled water.

"Mrs. Jia, this is the account book for the past few days. Please take a look at it first." Yan Bugui took out the account book and wanted to hand it to Jia Zhang.

Jia Zhang sat on the kang, leaning against the quilt, and said expressionlessly, "Old Yan, you have worked hard these past few days. I won't read it anymore, and I can't understand it."

Seeing this, Qin Huairu took the account book and started looking at it.

Yan Bugui explained to her the income and expenditure of these funds, including the money spent on handling affairs, the money raised by the neighbors in the courtyard, and the money given as gifts.

(End of this chapter)