Chapter 1 Old Huotangzi

"Old Clan Uncle, Grandma can't be buried in the old huotangzi (fire pit) ah..."

The four Cui brothers persuaded the old clan leader to go outside, found a secluded place, and several elders from the village followed and surrounded them.

Facing the enraged old clan leader, the eldest of the Cui family frowned and said, "The Hu family wasn't originally from our village. They've only been here for twenty years, and they haven't married anyone from our village. Old Hu Shan even married a woman from outside back then, and then ran off."

"We know Grandma is a good person, but do you really think it's appropriate to send her into the old huotangzi?"

"In the past hundred years or so, who hasn't been related by blood or marriage to those buried in our old huotangzi?"

"..."

These words caused the clan leader to pause slightly. Immediately, the anger on his face grew even stronger. He said, "The Hu family's situation is indeed a bit special, but how can you say such nonsense? Has Grandma's help to our village been little these twenty years?"

"Wasn't it Grandma who helped regulate your wife's stroke?"

Speaking, he glared at the others who had gathered around, "Wasn't it Grandma who cured your little grandson of night terrors?"

"And you, during the famine, you couldn't control your mouth and ate the Black Taishui (flesh fungus). Who saved your whole family's lives?"

"It was Grandma who exorcised the evil for your family, and Hu Shan brought back the grain from the city back then!"

"..."

The old clan leader's words made a group of people blush, and they all lowered their heads.

But the eldest of the Cui family lowered his voice and tugged at the old clan leader's sleeve, saying, "Old Clan Uncle, don't shout so loud."

"We all know what you're saying, but have you thought about it? Grandma was too capable when she was alive. What if she enters the old huotangzi? Won't our ancestors be bullied by her?"

"The ancestors didn't recognize that little Huma (orphan) before, and Grandma definitely wasn't happy about it. Plus, with all her skills, what if she enters the old huotangzi and doesn't get along with our families' ancestors? What will we do?"

"..."

Such words were mysterious and profound, and the old clan leader was unexpectedly hesitant.

He hadn't heard similar reasoning from others, but thinking about it vaguely, it seemed to be true.

He opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but unexpectedly asked, "Then what should we do?"

"We can't forget Grandma's kindness."

Someone next to him said, "So, let's prepare a good coffin for her and bury her outside the village. At most, we'll remember to burn some paper money and incense for her during festivals in the future."

"Entering the old huotangzi is absolutely impossible..."

"..."

"What kind of people have been buried outside these years?"

Upon hearing this, the old clan leader's face was full of worry, and he shook his head repeatedly, "That's not appropriate. Grandma's grandson won't agree."

The most capable of the Cui brothers, the third brother, sneered upon hearing this, "What does that little Huma know?"

"He wasn't an easygoing kid before. Everyone just didn't bother with him for Grandma's sake. But now Grandma is gone."

"If he doesn't listen, kick him out of the village!"

"..."

"..."

Inside the house, Huma, who was guarding Grandma, became enraged after hearing Xiao Hongtang's relayed account.

Having lived two lives, how could he not understand the hidden meaning?

Those people, especially the Cui family, weren't considering anything else. They were worried that Grandma entering the old huotangzi would affect the old huotangzi's protection of them?

Having been here for a while, he also understood some of the common knowledge of this world. Although they were just people from a village, and their ancestors were buried in the same place, the four surnames in the village secretly competed and argued quite a bit!

Many people believed that the old huotangzi had a spirit.

Not only did it help descendants ward off evil and cure diseases, but it also protected their families' peace, prosperity, and many children. The more ancestors of a certain surname were buried in the old huotangzi, the more blessings the old huotangzi would bestow upon that family's descendants.

Like the five Cui brothers, plus many Cui family relatives, they could be considered a large household in the village.

But the Zhou family, where the old clan leader was from, had lived in the village for a longer time and had more ancestors buried there, so the clan leader was from the Zhou family.

Logically speaking, the Hu family only had one Grandma, and burying her wouldn't matter much. At most, Huma would receive some protection.

But the Cui family was worried that Grandma was too capable, one person being worth ten or a hundred, fearing that she would help Huma snatch the blessings of the village.

He had no interest in these things, and he knew that Grandma wasn't really here, just acting according to her instructions.

But even so, after hearing these people's calculations, the fire in his heart was somewhat hard to suppress.

"Kick him out of the village?"

Just as Huma was secretly thinking of a countermeasure, he suddenly heard a loud angry shout outside, "I want to see who dares?"

Inside and outside the mourning hall, everyone looked over, and they saw Second Grandpa.

He had just chopped a bundle of shaoshi mu (corpse-burning wood) and carried it back. He was already old, but he was still sharp-eared and clear-eyed. Plus, the third Cui brother had just raised his voice, and Second Grandpa heard it from afar and was already furious.

Without even unloading the firewood, he shouted loudly, "The Cui family is extremely overbearing now. Come, come, let me see the skills of the Cui family brothers."

"Ah?"

Seeing Second Grandpa come, a group of people were immediately troubled.

Especially the Cui brothers, who usually relied on their large family and relatives to be quite unreasonable. Not only was their family always the best in the village, but even Cui Xie'er was a leader among the children. If it were anyone else, they would have slapped them long ago.

But seeing Second Grandpa, they felt weak. This old man was not only of high seniority, but he also had martial arts skills that were famous in the surrounding villages.

Even if the five Cui brothers added up, they wouldn't be confident enough to beat Second Grandpa.

Moreover, Second Grandpa had been cutting Taishui (flesh fungus) his whole life and knew the managers of the Blood Food Gang, making him the most unprovocable type in the village.

The Cui family was silent for a moment, not daring to respond. Second Grandpa had already strode forward and shouted at the old clan leader:

"Brother, you're getting old and confused, letting them say such nonsense!"

"Our Da Yang Village, can we survive in the Lao Yin Mountains just by relying on the blessings of our ancestors?"

"Then the living only need to worship the ancestors and don't need to accumulate yinde (good karma) themselves?"

"..."

As he spoke, he swept his gaze over the others. His eyes were bright, like a burning stove, "How many families in our Da Yang Village have received Grandma's kindness? There are many people in the surrounding villages who have also received her kindness."

"If you really do such a wicked thing, what will other villages think of us?"

"Will our Da Yang Village still have the face to stand in these Lao Yin Mountains in the future? Will we still have the face to leave the village?"

"..."

These words shook the old clan leader, who had been quite active just now and whose mind had been wavering.

The old clan leader also glanced at the Cui brothers and shook his head, sighing, "What you said makes sense. No matter what, Grandma must be invited into our old huotangzi. It has nothing to do with whether she married into the village or not. The Hu family is part of our Da Yang Village!"

The other elders also nodded in agreement.

The Cui brothers were clearly not convinced, but seeing that Second Grandpa was truly angry, they didn't dare to say anything more.

They quietly went over and said some words to Cui's Great-Grandmother. The Great-Grandmother also went back with a sullen face.

The funeral continued as if this quiet discussion had never happened. In the evening, Second Grandpa and a group of young people from the village accompanied Huma to keep vigil for Grandma.

The old clan leader was startled and quickly put on his clothes to greet them, recalling Second Grandpa's words from yesterday, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

Fortunately, he didn't listen to the Cui family yesterday, otherwise, Da Yang Village would have a hard time dealing with the aftermath today!

...

...

Throughout this whole process, Huma had just watched coldly, and it hadn't been his turn to say or do anything.

But through this incident, he also understood the warmth and coldness of the people in this village.

In those people's eyes, Grandma was really gone.

And facing such an old person who had helped so many people in the village, someone was disrespecting her just after she died, and even thinking of bullying the little grandson she left behind?

How simple and honest... and hateful...

It was also because of the attitude shown by those people, represented by the Cui family, that he thought of Grandma's kindness to him before, and the grief in his heart gradually became real.

And throughout the funeral, because the villagers felt that Huma had just recovered from a serious illness and didn't recognize people very well, and he wasn't familiar with the people from outside the village.

Plus, he was young and didn't understand these rules, so after scolding the Cui family, Second Grandpa and the old clan leader took the lead, and a group of neighbors helped with keeping vigil, preparing meals, and arranging the mourning hall, bustling all day long.

In the evening, Huma personally carried Grandma and sent her into the old huotangzi.

The shaoshi mu was lit, flames rose everywhere, and smoke and dust billowed.

Huma knelt in front of the old huotangzi. His furnace fire was now strong, and it was no longer so easy for him to see ghosts.

But in a trance, he looked up and vaguely saw Grandma's figure faintly appearing in the black smoke, smiling warmly at him.

Behind her, a group of illusory Da Yang Village ancestors huddled together, trembling.

Knowing that Grandma was only temporarily leaving to take care of something and that it involved the relic and other matters, but watching her body being cremated, he felt a inexplicable pain in his heart. For a moment, the smoke stung his eyes, and his eyes were slightly red.

The people next to him saw this and nodded secretly, sighing, "This Huma kid has grown up."

"He knows how to feel sorry for Grandma. Grandma didn't pamper him for nothing..."