This is human nature. Really asking the filial children to stay awake all night is probably unbearable for anyone.

Lian Shouxin sent a servant to let Wu Yuchang rest for a while. Soon after, Wu Jiaxing came over and called Wu Lang away. At the same time, Lian Shouxin also sent Liulang to rest. He himself kept vigil until the latter half of the night. When he couldn’t hold on any longer, he went to the West Wing Room.

Seeing Lian Shouxin leave, Lian Shouyi glanced at Lian Shouren. Just now, when Lian Shouxin proposed taking shifts, they all agreed but no one was willing to rest. Now that Lian Shouxin had gone to rest...

"Let me rest first, and then I’ll take over your shift later," said Lian Shouyi, lying down on the kang (a traditional heated bed) afterwards. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Uncle, big brother, you all go rest, I’ll keep watch," Erlang said.

...

The day after Old Master Lian’s spirit was placed, indeed, aside from villagers who had dealings with the old residence, more people heard the news and came to pay their respects. Most of them were families who had relations with Lian Shouxin. By evening, the Shen family from Prefecture City and several official households also sent people to pay respects and offered mourning gifts.

The third day was the day of Old Master Lian’s funeral.

In these times, especially in Liaodong Prefecture, funerals are generally kept simple. For those without official titles, it is common to bury after three days of placing the spirit, especially among farmstead families.

Old Master Lian’s coffin had been prepared in advance, and early in the morning, it was placed in the middle of the courtyard. Before dawn, the inside and outside of the old residence were already crowded with people. Lian Manman, Lady Zhang, Lian Yeye, Lady Zhao, and others had already donned mourning clothes and laid Old Master Lian’s burial quilt inside the coffin. Then they solemnly stood in front of the coffin.

Soon after, Lian Shouxin, Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, and the other grandchildren carried Old Master Lian’s body out from the spirit hall.

Beside the coffin, they worked together to gently place Old Master Lian’s body into the coffin. Then, Wu Lang and Erlang took the quilt covering Old Master Lian from Lady Zhang and Lady Zhao and handed it to Lian Shouxin and Lian Shouren. Lian Shouren, Lian Shouyi, Lian Shouli, and Lian Shouxin then covered Old Master Lian’s body with the quilt together.

The cloth covering Old Master Lian’s face was removed, allowing family members to see the elder one last time.

As soon as the cloth was lifted, everyone began to cry, especially the loud cries from the children and grandchildren.

Wu Yuchang led people to comfort all the children and grandchildren, then covered Old Master Lian’s face with the cloth again. The children and grandchildren knelt in front of Old Master Lian’s coffin, weeping loudly.

Amidst the cries, Wu Yuchang and his helpers placed the coffin lid on, and immediately, someone nailed the coffin shut with long nails.

After crying, Lian Manman and the others kowtowed in front of Old Master Lian’s coffin before slowly stepping back. The time for the funeral procession arrived.

Because once carried out from here, it would directly be buried in the Nanshan cemetery, the coffin could not be carried by a vehicle. It had to be carried up the mountain by people. According to the customs of farmstead families, family members cannot carry the coffin, so all of Lian Manman’s family’s employees stepped back.

Such a massive solid wooden coffin requires considerable physical effort to carry up the mountain. This task can’t be assigned; it requires volunteers. The more people fighting to carry the coffin, the better the master’s relations, and the more honorable the family is. Hence, there’s a common curse: "Die with no one to carry."

As Lian Manman and the others backed away from the coffin, Wu Yuchang, Wu Yugui, and Wu Jiaxing brought out the prepared wooden poles and shoulder poles. Then several people rushed up to bind the wooden and shoulder poles. This task requires skill, and those who stepped up were confident from experience.

Once the wooden poles and shoulder poles were securely bound, Wu Yuchang glanced at the horizon. Burial requires observing the Chinese hour, and from here to the burial site was not a short distance, so Wu Yuchang had to estimate the time to commence the carrying.

When Wu Yuchang raised his hand to signal the carrying, about ten young men rushed up to take their positions. Then, under Wu Yuchang’s command, Old Master Lian’s coffin was slowly lifted.

The sound of drums and music began, with Lian Shouren at the front holding the Spirit Banner, followed by Lian Shouli carrying the mourning pot. Xiao Qi and Liulang each held strings of paper money to scatter. The filial children followed closely behind. Another twenty young men carried wreaths, paper mules, herdsmen effigies, and other paper offerings. Accompanied by the sound of cries and drums, they escorted Old Master Lian’s coffin out the door, directly towards the Nanshan cemetery.

Lian Manman, Lian Yeye, Lady Zhang, and Lady Zhao walked together. Lady Zhang and Lady Zhao covered their faces, weeping, while Lian Yeye and Lian Manman supported them.

The crying at the funeral is more a form of etiquette than an expression of sorrow. Therefore, funeral crying differs from ordinary cries, requiring inflection and modulation. The more it resembles a tune, the more it is praised by others.

"Why are they walking so fast?" Lian Manman asked softly while holding Lady Zhang, quickening her step to keep up, speaking quietly to Lian Yeye beside her.

"Indeed, as soon as we stepped out, they quickened the pace," Lian Yeye replied, hurrying along.

"It’s not that fast now; later they might start running," Lady Wu Wang chimed in.

"Are they rushing for the Chinese hour?" Lian Yeye asked.

"There’s enough time... The coffin is getting heavier, so we’ll need to run," Lady Wu Wang whispered.

Hearing why the coffin gets heavier, Lian Manman felt a shiver. Looking at Lady Wu Wang’s mysterious tone, the surrounding atmosphere felt eerily ghostly.

"How, why is it so scary!" Lian Yeye exclaimed, clutching Lady Zhao’s arm.

...

End of the month, friends, please support with the accumulated pink tickets. If we reach the tenth, there will be two updates tomorrow O(∩_∩)O (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read at m.qidian.com.)