Chapter 78 Shoes
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Yunqi got up at 6:30.

There was nothing he could do as there were too many things to do at home. After washing his face and rinsing his mouth, he set off a packet of 10,000 firecrackers at the gate of the yard. Then he ran to the kitchen and steamed the leftover dishes from New Year's Eve. The family gathered in the main room to eat the first meal of the new year.

There is a rule for this, which states that the stove should not be set on the first day of the New Year.

The leftover dishes from the New Year’s Eve dinner were re-steamed. Zhang Yunqi remembered that it was called "Zheluo" in the north, but it had no name in Fengyang area. He just felt that eating it this way seemed frugal and delicious.

After breakfast, the brothers Zhang Yunqi and Zhang Yunfeng took incense, paper and candles to Jiangjunling behind the village to sweep the graves of the Zhang family’s ancestors.

This is the custom of Fengyang, which is to worship ancestors on the first day of the first lunar month.

The Zhang family had few descendants in the previous generation. Zhang Yunqi's grandparents gave birth to four children in succession. The first three died before they grew up, and only the last son grew up successfully, that is, Zhang Yunqi's father, Zhang Liushun.

It was for this reason that in the 1980s, when family planning was at its craziest, Zhang Liushun had to endure fines, house smashing and searches, and fleeing everywhere in order to have more children. It was hard for his family to avoid poverty. However, it was indeed not easy for him to raise five children under such difficult circumstances.

The ancestral tomb of the old Zhang family is in the jungle at the entrance of the Jiangjunling Mountain Road. There are four mounds protruding from the weeds. Lying in them are Zhang Yunqi's great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and grandparents. There are no tombstones on them. Each grave is covered with an ordinary stone covered with moss. There are no names or surnames. It is very desolate, like a mass grave.

The Zhang Yunqi brothers were silently pulling weeds and repairing the grave circle. It was already the beginning of spring, and the weather was sunny on the first day of the first lunar month. They were working and basking in the sun, feeling warm.

There were villagers walking in groups of three or four on the road, carrying baskets filled with incense, paper, and candles and bringing their children to sweep the graves. They were all from the same village, and their ancestral graves were not far from each other. Above the old Zhang's grave was the ancestral grave of Zhang Guorui, the secretary of Yunxi Village.

Compared with the shabby ancestral tomb of Zhang Yunqi's family, the ancestral tomb of Zhang Guorui's family is much more grand and upscale. The tomb circle is made of blue bricks, the tomb mound is cast with cement, and the tombstone is carved from marble.

If it were placed in later times, such a grave circle structure would be very common, but in Yunxi Village at that time, it was unique and extremely noble. Zhang Yunqi heard from his eldest brother that this was built with money from Zhang Guorui's second brother Zhang Guoxiang, who was a leader in the Education Bureau.

When the Zhang Yunqi brothers were almost done repairing their own grave circle, Zhang Guorui appeared at his family's ancestral grave with his hands behind his back and a basket in his hand. His daughter Zhang Xiaonan also came with him.

When Zhang Xiaonan saw Zhang Yunqi and his brother, he just nodded and took the broom he brought to clean the dirt around the grave. Zhang Guorui smiled and greeted Zhang Yunqi and his brother, saying, "I'm here to visit your grandparents' graves on behalf of your father."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and nodded without saying much.

Although Zhang Guorui was only a rural branch secretary, he had gone through various social storms in different eras and was rich in experience. He was different from ordinary farmers. When Zhang Yunqi was a child, he was quite afraid of him.

"His father, Guoxiang is here to pay New Year's greetings. Have you finished visiting the graves? Guoxiang has been waiting for you at home for a while."

After working for a while, a woman's voice suddenly came from the mountain road of Jiangjunling. Zhang Yunqi turned his head and took a glance, recognizing that it was Zhang Xiaonan's mother. Zhang Guorui, who had just finished burning paper money, replied: "Okay, I'll go back right away."

Putting away the incense, paper and candles, Zhang Guorui said to Zhang Xiaonan who was still cleaning the grave circle: "Your second uncle is here, Xiaonan, let's go back first."

Zhang Xiaonan said, "Dad, go back and greet my second uncle first. I'll be back after I finish cleaning the graveyard."

Zhang Guorui did not think much about it. Entertaining his younger brother Guoxiang was a big deal. He also wanted to ask Guoxiang to find a date for his daughter Xiaonan in the city's education system. It would be more convenient to chat with his daughter if she didn't go.

In fact, at his age, he no longer has to worry about food, clothing and expenses, and he can take most things in a positive light. His only worry is his daughter's marriage. She will be 22 this year, but she still hasn't found a suitable partner, and he is anxious.

After instructing his daughter, Zhang Guorui left with the basket. Zhang Yunqi saw him disappear on the mountain path, and immediately smiled and said to his elder brother: "I have a stomachache, I'm going to go to the toilet first."

Zhang Yunfeng let out an "eh" and wanted to call his younger brother Zhang Yunqi, but Zhang Yunqi seemed not to hear him and left the grave and went down the mountain.

But he and Zhang Guorui are not on the same path.

After Zhang Yunqi left, there were only Zhang Yunfeng and Zhang Xiaonan in that place. The atmosphere suddenly became a strange one. Zhang Yunfeng felt a little flustered. After a while, he scratched his head awkwardly and said to Zhang Xiaonan: "Yunqi is a little kid with a big heart."

Zhang Xiaonan blushed and smiled: "No, I think Yunqi is smart and quick-witted, unlike you who are always stubborn."

Zhang Yunfeng laughed foolishly and said that it was enough for the Zhang family to have only one smart person like him.

"That's not the way to say it. You should also learn more from your brother." Zhang Xiaonan came over, sat down on a round stone next to Zhang Yunfeng, patted the place next to him, and said with a red face: "Brother Yunfeng, come and sit here."

Zhang Yunfeng sat over a little awkwardly. The two of them were not too far away from each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense again, but there seemed to be a vague feeling floating in the air.

Zhang Xiaonan's personality was obviously more outgoing. She kept finding topics to talk to Zhang Yunfeng about. As they talked, the atmosphere gradually became relaxed. After all, the two of them had been friends since childhood, and as long as they opened up the conversation, they would have endless interesting topics to talk about.

It was mid-morning and the weather was getting hotter. Zhang Xiaonan saw sweat on Zhang Yunfeng's forehead and suddenly said, "Don't move." Then, with a red face, she reached out and wiped the sweat off his face with her sleeve.

"Xiao Nan, haven't you finished sweeping yet?"

At this time, Zhang Guorui's drawn-out voice suddenly came from the mountain road of Jiangjunling. Zhang Yunfeng and Zhang Xiaonan were startled and turned their heads to see Zhang Guorui standing on the edge of the mountain road not far away.

Zhang Guorui looked unhappy, but he did not come over. Seeing that Zhang Xiaonan did not respond, he called out in a calm voice, "Xiaonan, your second uncle and his family are here, waiting for you to eat..."

Zhang Xiaonan bit her lip and didn't respond.

Zhang Yunfeng was a little at a loss, and quickly said to Zhang Xiaonan: "You go back."

Zhang Xiaonan opened her mouth, and finally stood up and walked along the mountain road towards the village. She felt inexplicably upset, and she kicked the mud on the mountain road to vent her anger. The two brand new leather shoes on her feet were covered with mud due to her torture.

Zhang Guorui saw his daughter coming and turned away.

After returning home, Zhang Guorui did not mention the scene he saw at Jiangjunling, but Zhang Xiaonan, feeling guilty, immediately explained to his father: "I just finished sweeping the grave circle and it was still early, so I chatted with Yunfeng who was still weeding. The grass on his family's grave was thick and messy, and it was difficult to deal with."

"Haha, you must be tired of sweeping the graves. You only go once or twice a year. There are a lot of dead leaves, so it must be difficult to clean up... Now let's go eat. Your second aunt brought you your favorite crabs from the city."

When he entered the room, Zhang Guorui was smiling all the time, as if he didn't hear what his daughter said at all. He just glanced at the pair of muddy shoes that she had just taken off at the door with complicated eyes when his daughter wasn't paying attention...

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(End of this chapter)