Chapter 2 first funeral

So, time swept us, and began to flow backwards irretrievably.The boat of time that goes against the current keeps regressing and entering the past, and finally stops at the third year of the first year of Emperor Ping of the Western Han Dynasty.It was an early autumn morning in Chongling Township, Caiyang County, Nanyang County.Everything has happened, we are here to witness. What came from afar was the desolate elegy "Artemisia Li", which was sung repeatedly in the morning mist: "Whoever lives in Haoli, there is no virtuous and foolish soul to gather. If the ghost uncle urges you, human life will not be less hesitant." The swaying funeral procession walked slowly up the mountain through the mist.

The singing stopped, the funeral procession also stopped, and the cemetery arrived.The little boy holding the rope stepped aside, out of the way.After a short period of silence, the eight big men walked towards the carriage where the coffin was placed with the belief that the mission would be fulfilled.As professional coffin bearers, they have elevated coffin carrying to an art. Even if a bowl full of water is placed on the coffin, they will never spill a drop along the way.The men raised the coffin, and amidst the sobbing of the relatives and friends of the deceased, and under the dragging of the crying women, they stepped firmly into the dug tomb and sent the deceased to another world.

After the inner and outer coffins were placed, the crowd got busy, filling the tomb with burial objects such as gold and silver treasures, printed and ribboned musical instruments, chariots, horses and raw poultry.Then, the dirt fell like raindrops.A mound was piled up on the grave.The crowd filed forward, trampling the new soil firmly. It was already noon, and the funeral procession returned slowly. Different from the solemnity and solemnity when they came, the atmosphere was much more relaxed now, and the formation became loose and casual, and laughter sounded from time to time.For most people who attend a funeral, the funeral is over, it means that one thing is over, and they will go back to their old life without any changes due to the death of the deceased.But for the sons of the deceased, the meaning of the father's death was particularly profound.

The eldest son of the deceased, Liu Yan, was very tall and tall in the crowd.The death of his father not only brought him sadness, but also woke him up.The death of his father meant that he lost one of the most important barriers in front of the god of death. Sooner or later, he would die like his father, buried in the ground, and lose his breath forever.Since death is inescapable, where is the meaning and motivation of living? Liu Yan mourned his father's life. In his opinion, it was a life of mediocrity. He had been a county magistrate all his life without merit or reputation. Once you close your eyes and open them, one day will pass; if you close your eyes and keep them open, a lifetime will pass.What's even more frightening is that his future is likely to be the same as his father's.

Thinking of this, Liu Yan was terrified and unwilling.He didn't want to repeat his father's fate, and he didn't want to be like his father, who was content to be a county magistrate, splashing in a small puddle with little movement during his lifetime, and sleeping in a small earth pit with no movement after death.In his opinion, such a life is not only sad, but shameful!Since the entire universe is a free lunch, no, more precisely, a free buffet, once you come to this world, it means you already have a ticket for admission.The significance of the buffet is that it is not only important to manage your satiety, but also to get more than others, to possess more, whether you can eat or not is another matter, in short, it must be worth the fare.Thinking back in the past, his ancestor Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, rose up by beheading the snake, defeated Qin, punished Xiang Yu, unified the world, ruled Kyushu, and under the sky, could it be my land, the shore of the land, could it be my minister, what is that like? Style, what kind of flair?From eating a buffet to eating a king's meal, it's true for a man!

Just as Liu Yan was thinking wildly, a small figure followed him, raised his hand and grabbed Liu Yan's sleeve, without saying a word, just followed him silently.That was his youngest brother, Liu Xiu, who was only nine years old. On his childish face, there were wet tears and inexplicable fear.Liu Yan patted Liu Xiu's head, forced a smile and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm still here." Liu Xiu nodded, "I'm not afraid." After a pause, she raised her head and said to Liu Yan, "Don't be afraid either." There was warmth in Yan's heart, and he was speechless for a moment.

The two brothers walked hand in hand. From a distance, one was short and the other was long, forming a herringbone shape supporting each other.At some point, the sky began to rain.Mother called Liu Xiu from behind: "Get in the carriage." Liu Xiu obediently climbed into the carriage and leaned into her mother's arms.Through the car window, I can still see my father's new grave, but in Liu Xiu's eyes, there is clearly more sadness that does not match his age.He seemed to know that on this drizzle evening, his childhood was over forever.