Chapter 20 Chapter Eight Twenty

Sure enough, it rained heavily at night, accompanied by frightening thunder.When the lightning flashed across the roof, it was followed by an explosion of electricity from Hong.Cuicui trembled in the dark.Grandfather also woke up, knowing that she was afraid and worried that she would catch a cold, so he got up and put a sheet on her body.grandfather said: "Cui Cui, don't be afraid!" Cuicui said: "I'm not afraid!" After saying that, she wanted to say: "Grandpa, I'm not afraid if you are here!" There was a loud thunder, followed by a loud, muffled sound of falling that surpassed the sound of rain.Both of them thought that the cliff on the bank of the stream must have collapsed, and they were worried that the ferry boat would be crushed under the cliff.

The grandparents and grandchildren lay silently on the bed listening to the sound of rain and thunder. But no matter how heavy the rain was, after a while, Cui Cui still fell asleep.It was already dawn when I woke up, and the rain had stopped at some point. I could only hear the sound of water pouring into the stream from the ravines on both sides of the stream.Cui Cui got up, saw that her grandfather seemed to be sleeping soundly, opened the door and went out.The front of the gate has become a ditch, and a gust of water rushes from the back of the tower and falls straight down from the cliff in front.And there are such temporary waterways everywhere.The vegetable garden beside the house has been washed away by the mountains and rivers, and the vegetable seedlings are covered in coarse sand and mud.Then I walked to the front to look at the stream, only to realize that the stream had also flooded, and had already overflowed the pier, and the water was almost reaching the teapot.The road going down to the pier is just like a small river, gushing yellow muddy water.The cable tied by the crossing stream was also submerged, and the ferry boat moored at the bottom of the cliff was gone.

Cui Cui saw that the cliff in front of the house did not collapse, so she did not pay attention to the loss of the ferry boat at that time.But after a while, she couldn't find this thing after searching up and down, and looked back by accident, and the white tower behind the house was gone.Surprised, he hurried to the back of the house, only to realize that the White Pagoda had collapsed, and piles of bricks and stones were scattered there in a mess.Cui Cui was so frightened that she was at a loss and could only call her grandfather sharply.The grandfather didn't get up, and he didn't agree, so he rushed home, and when he reached the bedside of the grandfather, he shook him for a long time, but the grandfather didn't make a sound.It turned out that the old man had died when the thunderstorm was about to pass.

Cui Cui burst into tears. After a while, some people who ran errands from Chadong to the east of Sichuan came to the stream and shouted across the stream. Cui Cui was crying by the stove while boiling water to bathe her dead grandfather. The man thought that the old boatman and his family were still awake and were in a hurry to cross the river, so he yelled no answer, so he threw small stones across the stream and hit the roof.Cuicui came out with snot and tears in one piece, and ran to stand in front of the high cliff by the stream. "Hey, it's getting late! Row the boat over!"

"The boat is gone!" "What did your grandfather do? He is in charge of the boat, so he is responsible!" "He's in charge of the ship, the ship for fifty years—he's dead!" Cuicui burst into tears while talking to the Gexi people.The man knew that the old boatman was dead and he had to go to the city to report, so he said: "Is it really dead? Don't cry, I'll go back and inform them, and ask them to get a boat and bring something!" When the man returned to the edge of Chadong City, he reported the incident as soon as he saw acquaintances. It didn't take long for the whole Chadong City to know the news.Shun Shun, the boat manager on Hejie, sent someone to find an empty boat, brought a pair of white wooden boxes, and immediately went to Bixiyu.In the city, Yang Mabing and an old soldier rushed to Bixiyu, cut down dozens of large moso bamboos, and made rafts out of kudzu vines as a temporary ferry for the transition.After weaving the raft, I propped it up and went down to the bank on the other side of Cuicui's house, leaving veterans guarding the bamboo raft to ferry people back and forth. The old friend who was stiff on the bed hurriedly did some things that should be done.Later, helpers came, and so did the coffins brought from the big river boats. The old Taoist living in the city also brought a lot of magic tools, an old linen robe, and a big rooster to fulfill his duty. After chanting scriptures and raising water, I also crossed over from the raft.The family members came and went, Cui Cui just sat on the low stool by the stove and cried.

At noon, Shun Shun, the captain of the ship, also came, carrying a sack of rice, a jug of wine, and a leg of pork with him.When I saw Cui Cui, I said: "Cui Cui, I know that grandpa is dead, the elderly must die, don't worry, everything is up to me!" After looking around, she went back. In the afternoon when he was buried, some helpers went back home. In the evening, only the old Taoist priest, Yang Mabing and the two young men sent by Shun Shun's family were left.Before dusk, the old Taoist cut some flowers out of red and green paper, and made some candlesticks out of yellow clay.After dark, yellow nine-grade wax was lit on the small table in front of the coffin, incense was lit, and small candles were lit around the coffin. The old Taoist priest put on the blue linen sermon robe and began the coffin winding ceremony in the funeral.The old Taoist priest led the way with a small paper banner, and the dutiful second son, the horse soldier, walked slowly around the lonely coffin in the back.The two Chang Nian stood in the empty space by the stove, playing gongs and cymbals indiscriminately.The old Taoist closed his eyes and walked away, singing and humming to comfort the dead.When it comes to the four seasons of flower fragrance in the Western Paradise where the souls of the dead go, the old horse soldiers scattered the paper flowers in the wooden tray on the coffin, symbolizing the situation in the Western Paradise.

In the middle of the night, when the work was done, the firecrackers were let off, and the candles were about to go out. Cui Cui, with tears in her eyes, hurriedly went to the stove to light the fire again, and made supper for the helpers.After supper, the old Taoist lay on the dead man's bed and fell asleep.The few remaining people had to watch the coffin in front of the coffin according to the rules, and the old horse soldiers sang the funeral song for everyone, using an empty measuring stick as a small drum, beating the stripped side of their hands while singing—— Sing about "Wang Xiang Lying on the Ice" and "Huangxiang Fan Pillow".

Cui Cui cried all day and was busy all day at the same time, by this time she was extremely tired, leaning her head against the front of the coffin and squinting.After eating supper with the horse soldiers and drinking two glasses of wine, the two Changnian were still in good spirits, so they took turns singing in the funeral hall.But after a while, Cui Cui woke up again, as if she had dreamed of something. After waking up, she realized that her grandfather was dead, so she began to cry faintly again. "Cui Cui, Cui Cui, don't cry, you can't come back when you die!" The bald-headed Chen Sisi then told a joke about a newlywed crying, with three or five rough words mixed in, which caused the two of them to giggle for a long time.The yellow dog was barking outside the house, Cui Cui opened the door, and stood outside for a while, hearing the sound of insects everywhere, the moonlight in the sky was excellent, the big stars embedded in the blue sky, very quiet and gentle.Cui Cui thought:

"Is this true? Is grandpa really dead?" The old horse soldier originally followed her, because he knew that girls are narrow-minded, maybe a fire is stuffed in the ashes, and the traces will not be exposed. Seeing his grandfather gone, he has no hope, jumps off the cliff, and wants to follow his grandfather Go together, maybe!Therefore, be careful to monitor Cui Cui at any time. The old horse soldier saw Cui Cui standing there stupidly, and didn't turn back after a long time, so he coughed and called Cui Cui to say: "Cui Cui, the dew has fallen, isn't it cold?"

"not cold." "The weather is wonderful!" "Ah..." A big meteor made Cui Cui softly shout. Then another meteor streaked down the sky from the south.There are owls hooting to the stream. "Cui Cui," the old horse soldier had already stood side by side with Cui Cui, and said very gently, "Go into the room and sleep, don't think about it!" Cui Cui silently returned to her grandfather's coffin, sat on the ground and sobbed again.The two who stayed in the house have been asleep for many years. Yang Mabing then said quietly: "Don't cry! Don't cry! Your grandpa is also sad. What good is it if your eyes are swollen and your throat is crying. Listen to me, I know everything about grandpa. I have everything. I will Arrange everything well, I am sorry for your grandpa. I will arrange everything. I want someone who is happy with grandpa and you are also happy to take over the ferry! It cannot be as we wish, I am old, but I can still hold a sickle They are desperate. Cui Cui, don't worry, everything is up to me!..."

A rooster crowed somewhere in the distance, and the old Taoist muttered to himself in a daze on the bed: "Is it dawn? Good morning!"