"Elder Uncle, we can't bury Granny in the old fire pit..."
The four Cui brothers had persuaded the old clan leader to step outside, finding a secluded spot.
Several elders from the village also gathered around.
Facing the furious old clan leader, the eldest Cui brother furrowed his brows and spoke, "The Hu family isn't originally from our village. They've been here for twenty years but haven't married into our village. Old Hu Shan married an outsider back then, and she even ran away later."
"We know Granny was a good person, but do you think it's appropriate to bury her in the old fire pit?"
"In the past hundred years, who has been buried in the old fire pit if they weren't related by blood or marriage?"
These words made the clan leader pause for a moment, but then his anger flared even more.
"The Hu family's situation is indeed special, but how can you say such nonsense? Over the past twenty years, hasn't Granny helped our village enough?"
"Didn't Granny help your grandmother when she had a stroke?"
He then glared at the others gathered around.
"Didn't Granny cure your grandson when he had night terrors?"
"And your family, during the famine, when you ate that black fungus and almost died, who saved your lives?"
"It was Granny who exorcised the evil for your family, and it was Hu Shan who went out of the village to bring back food from the city!"
The group was left red-faced by the old clan leader's words, and they all lowered their heads.
But the eldest Cui brother, lowering his voice, tugged at the old clan leader's sleeve.
"Elder Uncle, don't shout."
"We all know what you're saying, but have you thought about this? Granny was too powerful when she was alive. What if, after she's buried in the old fire pit, she bullies our ancestors?"
"Our ancestors never acknowledged that little Hu Ma, and Granny must have been unhappy about it. With her abilities, what if she doesn't get along with our ancestors in the old fire pit? What then?"
Such mystical reasoning made the old clan leader hesitate unexpectedly.
He had never heard such logic before, but it seemed to make some sense.
He opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but instead asked, "Then what should we do?"
"We can't forget Granny's kindness," someone nearby said.
"So, let's prepare a good coffin for her and bury her outside the village. We can just remember to burn paper offerings and incense for her during festivals."
"But burying her in the old fire pit is absolutely out of the question..."
"Who has been buried outside the village in recent years?" The old clan leader shook his head repeatedly, his face full of worry.
"This isn't right. Granny's grandson won't agree to this either."
The most cunning of the Cui brothers, the third one, sneered, "That little Hu Ma, what does he know?"
"He's always been a troublemaker. Everyone just tolerated him because of Granny. Now that Granny's gone, if he doesn't listen, we'll just kick him out of the village!"
Inside the house, Hu Ma, who was keeping vigil over Granny, felt a surge of anger as he listened to Xiao Hongtang's relay of the conversation.
Having lived two lives, how could he not understand the underlying meaning?
Those people, especially the Cui family, weren't considering anything else.
They were just worried that if Granny was buried in the old fire pit, it would affect the blessings the fire pit bestowed upon them.
Having been here for some time, he had come to understand some of the world's common knowledge.
Even though it was just a village, with ancestors buried together, the four major families in the village were constantly competing and arguing behind the scenes.
Many believed that the old fire pit had a spirit.
Not only did it protect descendants from evil and illness, but it also ensured the family's stability and prosperity.
The more ancestors a family had buried in the old fire pit, the more blessings their descendants would receive.
For example, the Cui family, with five brothers and many other Cui relatives, was a prominent family in the village.
But the Zhou family, to which the old clan leader belonged, had lived in the village longer and had more ancestors buried in the fire pit, so the clan leader came from the Zhou family.
Logically, burying Granny, who was alone, in the fire pit wouldn't matter much.
It would just mean Hu Ma would receive some blessings.
But the Cui family was worried that Granny, being so powerful, could overshadow their ancestors and take away the village's blessings for Hu Ma.
Hu Ma had no interest in these matters and knew Granny wasn't really here.
He was just following her instructions.
But even so, hearing these people's scheming made his anger boil over.
"Kick him out of the village?"
Just as Hu Ma was pondering his next move, a loud, angry shout came from outside.
"Who dares to do that?"
Everyone inside and outside the mourning hall turned to see Second Uncle.
He had just returned with a bundle of firewood for the cremation.
Despite his age, his hearing and sight were sharp.
Hearing Cui's third brother's loud voice from afar, he had become furious.
Without even unloading the firewood, he shouted, "The Cui family has become so domineering. Come on, let me see what you Cui brothers are capable of!"
At the sight of Second Uncle, the group immediately felt uneasy.
Especially the Cui brothers, who usually relied on their large family to act arrogantly.
Not only did their family always take the lead in village matters, but even Cui Xie'er, among the children, had a following.
If it were anyone else, they would have slapped them already.
But facing Second Uncle, they felt weak.
This old man not only had high seniority but was also renowned for his martial arts skills across ten villages.
The five Cui brothers together weren't confident they could take on Second Uncle.
Moreover, Second Uncle had spent his life cutting taisui and knew the managers of the Blood Food Gang, making him someone the village couldn't afford to offend.
The Cui family fell silent, not daring to respond, while Second Uncle strode forward and shouted at the old clan leader, "Brother, have you gone senile, letting them spout such nonsense!"
"Do you think our Great Sheep Village has survived in the Old Yin Mountains just by relying on our ancestors' blessings?"
"Do the living only need to worship the ancestors and not accumulate their own virtue?"
As he spoke, he scanned the others, his eyes blazing like a furnace.
"How many families in our Great Sheep Village have received Granny's help? And how many in the surrounding villages have also benefited from her kindness?"
"If you really do something so heartless, how will other villages see us?"
"Will our Great Sheep Village still have the face to stand in the Old Yin Mountains? Will we still dare to leave the village?"
These words struck a chord with the old clan leader, who had been swayed earlier.
The old clan leader glanced at the Cui brothers and shook his head, sighing, "What you say makes sense. No matter what, Granny must be buried in our old fire pit. It has nothing to do with marriage. The Hu family is part of our Great Sheep Village!"
The other elders nodded in agreement.
The Cui brothers were clearly dissatisfied, but seeing Second Uncle's genuine anger, they didn't dare to say more.
They quietly went to speak with the Cui family's matriarch, who was then helped back, her face dark.
The funeral continued as if the whispered discussion had never happened.
That night, Second Uncle and a group of young villagers kept vigil with Hu Ma for Granny.
Early the next morning, someone hurried over from outside the village, saying, "People from Python Village, Raccoon Village, and Old Liu's family from Eight Mile Village have heard about Granny's passing and are coming to pay their respects..."
The old clan leader, startled, quickly dressed and went to greet them, recalling Second Uncle's words from the day before and breaking into a cold sweat.
Thankfully, they hadn't listened to the Cui family yesterday, or today would have been a disaster for Great Sheep Village!
Throughout the entire process, Hu Ma remained a silent observer, not needing to speak or act.
But through this incident, he came to understand the fickleness of human relationships in the village.
In their eyes, Granny was truly gone.
And yet, just after her passing, some people showed her disrespect and even thought of bullying her young grandson?
How simple and honest they were...
The attitude displayed by the Cui family and others made Hu Ma think of Granny's past kindness to him, and his grief gradually became genuine.
During the funeral, since the villagers thought Hu Ma had just recovered from a serious illness and didn't know many people outside the village, and because he was young and unfamiliar with the customs, after scolding the Cui family, Second Uncle and the old clan leader took charge.
Neighbors helped with the vigil, preparing meals, and setting up the mourning hall, bustling all day.
That night, Hu Ma personally carried Granny and placed her in the old fire pit.
The firewood was lit, and flames rose, smoke billowing.
Hu Ma knelt before the old fire pit.
His inner furnace was now strong, making it harder for him to see ghosts.
But in a daze, he looked up and vaguely saw Granny's figure appear in the black smoke, smiling gently at him.
Behind her, a group of shadowy ancestors from Great Sheep Village huddled together, trembling.
Even though he knew Granny was only temporarily away, handling some matters related to her remains, watching her body burn still inexplicably pained his heart.
The smoke stung his eyes, and they turned slightly red.
Those nearby saw this and nodded silently, sighing, "The Hu family boy has grown up."
"He's learned to care for Granny. It seems Granny didn't dote on him in vain..."
The new book is so fragile, dear readers, please take care of it and give some votes for support!
(End of Chapter)