"Xiaochun~"

"Xiaochun~"

Mo Jingchun, still distressed about the tuft of hair on the little one's forehead, heard the call of his granduncle Mo Changyou and quickly stood up to respond by the window.

"Hey, granduncle."

Mo Changyou, smoking a cigarette, coughed a couple of times, spitting out a thick glob of phlegm over two meters away in one breath.

"Up already, huh? It's getting late. You should get ready to head out, or we'll miss the first meal."

Mo Jingchun loudly responded, "I'm up already. I'll be right down."

Back at the bedside, Mo Jingchun looked at Candy, who was sprawled out on the bed, smiling innocently at him. Mo Jingchun thought silently to himself, "My sister's still young, so if there's a tuft of hair, let there be. It looks kind of cute anyway."

Look, the little one is smiling so happily.

Besides, as long as she wears the pink fuzzy rabbit ear hat, who would know there's a stubborn tuft of hair on her head?

Mo Jingchun picked up the cute pink fuzzy rabbit ear hat from the bedside and put it on the little one, grabbed the canvas bag prepared the night before, and carried the little one downstairs.

After checking that the kitchen back door was locked, Mo Jingchun locked the front door and walked with the little one along the cement road towards his granduncle's house.

Walking on the cement road, Mo Jingchun hadn't noticed much before, but the road his father had someone repair a few years ago had developed a lot of cracks and peeled away in many places, especially on the side by the river, where it was particularly serious.

The already cracked cement road had, under the tension of rain and river water, developed cracks as wide as two to three centimeters in the worst spots.

If it's not manually repaired soon, the cement road might face the risk of being washed away during this summer's rainy season.

Mo Jingchun tried kicking one of the cracks, but it didn't budge.

Yet, the frown on Mo Jingchun's face didn't ease one bit.

"I'll find someone to fix it after the New Year. Can't have the road gone when I come home in future."

The little one in Mo Jingchun's arms showed no interest in the cracked cement road, but the sound of the river stream caught her attention, making her bob her head around, trying to find where the sound came from.

"Granduncle."

"Here you are." Mo Jingchun nodded.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll change into some clean shoes."

Today, Mo Changyou changed into a set of clean, neat clothes. Although they weren't particularly nice, they were very clean and tidy, which made people feel pleasant.

The clean shoes Mo Changyou mentioned weren't shiny leather shoes, but a pair of old-style liberation shoes that cost only eighteen yuan a pair and had barely been worn.

"Let's go, we'll swing by and call your second aunt and them."

On the road, more and more people gathered. Mo Jingchun counted, including him and his sister Candy, there were a total of 19 people.

Nobody seemed in a rush to leave, as if they were waiting for someone.

Ten minutes later, Mo Jingchun finally understood who and what they were waiting for.

A wreath, along with gongs and drums from the ancestral hall.

The house of the deceased Old Liu wasn't far away, just over two miles, and while waiting for people on the road, Mo Jingchun could hear the sound of firecrackers coming from that direction.

Twenty-three people walked for more than ten minutes. As they neared the head family's house, Mo Jingchun's third uncle, carrying the wreath, walked to the front of the procession, while the granduncle and others picked up the gongs and drums and began beating them rhythmically.

Crackling sounds of firecrackers exploded, and Mo Jingchun sheltered his sister Candy's face with his hand to prevent any firecracker from hitting her face.

Candy wasn't happy with Mo Jingchun's protective gesture, as her view was blocked by just one hand.

When the firecrackers were finished, Mo Jingchun removed his protective hand and saw the granduncle and others beating the gongs and drums, and the little one opened her mouth wide, showing a look of being awed.

The granduncle and others, beating the gongs and drums, walked into the living room of the head family, circled the elder's coffin a few times, and then came out.

Mo Jingchun, holding his sister Candy, stood in the courtyard and did not go in.

In the courtyard, the living room was visible, but the big red coffin wasn't because the front of the coffin was covered with a particularly large white cloth by the head family, like curtains.

After the granduncle came out, he reached out and took Candy.

"Go, pay your respects, and when you come out, I'll take you to the accountant to pay your respects."

"Okay."

For guests to kneel on, the host had deliberately placed two old quilts on the floor.

Mo Jingchun walked into the living room alone, made the sign of the cross, and knelt on the quilt, and at once, the elders and young ones in mourning outfits around him knelt one after another.

After paying respects, Mo Jingchun got up and immediately helped everyone else up.

Mo Jingchun knew deeply how painful it was to kneel on the ground for a long time. After three days, the knees were all bruised black.

In the courtyard, when Mo Changyou saw Mo Jingchun come out, he nodded at Mo Jingchun.

"Come with me to the accountant to pay the respects money."

Mo Jingchun, carrying the little one back in his arms, followed closely in his granduncle's steps.

"Xiaochun, you need to remember that whether it's a joyful or a mournful event, when paying, you must double-check the accountant's name and the amount before handing over the money."

"Sometimes mistakes are bound to happen, and when that happens, it'll be up to you."

In front of the shabby table sat two accountants, one responsible for keeping records, the other counting and taking money.

"Mo Changyou, two hundred."

Seeing that there were no issues in the ledger, Mo Changyou nodded and made way for Mo Jingchun to pay the respects money.

Without thinking, Mo Jingchun blurted out, "Mo Chang'an, 500."

Five hundred yuan, exchanged from the granduncle.

Before the accountant could record it, a rough big hand slapped the back of Mo Jingchun's head, leaving him dumbfounded.

Mo Jingchun turned his head with a face full of confusion, looking at his granduncle, wondering why he hit him out of the blue.

Mo Changyou glared hard at Mo Jingchun, wanting to say, "Where is the rationale for recording dead names."

But as he spoke, he swallowed the words back.

"Remember next time, you are the head of the family, record your name."

Mo Jingchun opened his mouth, feeling a piercing ache in his heart as if pricked by a needle.

The accountant, wearing reading glasses, glanced at Mo Jingchun and asked Mo Changyou, "Is he your fourth son, Mo Chang'an's child?"

Mo Changyou chuckled and said, "Excuse the laugh, he's a Jing University student and doesn't understand a bit, just put his name, Mo Jingchun."

The accountant shook his head, recording as he replied, "That's normal. If no one teaches them, young people wouldn't know."

After paying the respects money, Mo Jingchun looked a bit silent, feeling not too good.

"Xiaochun, sit with us at our table. Your granduncle and the others want to drink; you better not join the fuss." Mo Jingchun's second aunt pulled Mo Jingchun by the arm and seated him at the same table with her.

At the dining table, everyone chatted and laughed, while in the host's living room, there was crying and wailing.

PS: Thanks to Smoke Locks Yunlou Yun Lock Smoke, Initial Talk, and First Earn Ten. ♪(^∇^*)

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