616. Daily Life
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Grandpa was still standing outside the mourning hall, while that group of monks kept chanting scriptures without a single break in their chatter.
Great-Grandma was a Buddhist, or at least the older generation mostly believed in Buddha.
The number of people in the courtyard was dwindling. Relatives with children had already headed to Uncle’s house for makeshift sleeping arrangements, leaving only Lin Nan, Chen Yao, Grandpa, and the brawny Uncle, totaling five.
A few elderly folks of Grandpa’s age were crying so dramatically that they had to be forcibly dragged away.
As late night crept in, the surroundings became increasingly silent. Occasionally, the croaks of frogs and the yowls of cats could be heard from the fields outside the small courtyard, while the mosquitoes seemed to have exhausted themselves, thinning out from their buzzing above the heads of the few remaining watchers.
By morning, those on night watch could barely keep their eyes open, while Grandpa, the oldest among them, still seemed quite lively. When the relatives came for the next shift around six in the morning, he was still energetically directing everyone like a seasoned commander.
Mom showed up early too, bringing breakfast, including soy milk and such.
“Eat up! After you finish, go take a nap,” she said, setting down a chair to use as a makeshift table for the breakfast spread.
Half-asleep and propped against the wall, Chen Yao and Wu Jiaming were jolted awake, while Lin Nan, despite her tiredness, managed to hold it together until daylight.
Mom looked a bit rough around the edges, likely because she hadn’t slept well the night before. With her eyes still slightly red, it was hard to tell how long she’d been crying.
Not wanting to appear too weak in front of her daughter, she mustered a bit of a smile and handed Lin Nan a pastry, “Oyster pancakes—your favorite! Eat up and then go sleep.”
“Okay.” Lin Nan yawned and took the pastry, curiously asking her mother, “What about during the day…?”
“Just get a good nap in, and then in the afternoon, go have fun with your cousin Jiaming,” Mom replied with a forced smile.
She had returned yesterday afternoon, initially hoping to see Great-Grandma, but due to her needing a nap, she missed the chance and regretted not saying goodbye one last time.
That regret was weighing heavily on her heart…
Lin Nan hesitated for a long while, worried about her mom but unable to find the right comforting words to say.
It wasn’t until Mom turned to head back into the mourning hall to continue the vigil that Lin Nan finally managed to ask, “Mom, are you okay?”
Mom shook her head and silently walked away.
After all, there had been a lack of communication between mother and daughter for a long time, and even though their relationship had warmed up recently, there was still a bit of an awkward distance.
After finishing the breakfast Mom brought, the three of them hopped into Chen Yao’s car and returned to Grandpa’s little villa.
The door to Grandpa’s place was wide open, with Grandma chatting with a chubby relative of the same age. Upon seeing them return, she got up hurriedly, asking, “Did you all eat breakfast? If not, I can go buy some for you.”
“Already ate,” Wu Jiaming replied, maintaining his typical nonchalant demeanor with his hands dug deep in his pockets. “We’re heading to sleep now.”
“Alright, just remember to take a shower first.”
The funeral, to Lin Nan, wasn’t all that personally relevant. The elders would handle all the arrangements, and she just had to show up for the procession. In fact, given the elders’ sympathy, it was better if she did participate, but if she didn’t, no one would really mind either.
But Wu Jiaming was in a different position; he was Grandpa’s eldest grandson and Great-Grandma’s great-grandson. His participation was required for many rituals, and he had to be present for the night watch.
He had claimed Uncle’s room on the second floor, and skipping the shower, he rubbed his eyes and dashed off to bed.
Lin Nan and Chen Yao, however, weren’t as unhygienic. Mainly, Lin Nan suspected that if Chen Yao didn’t shower, she’d be tossing him on the floor.
Having suffered through a night with no air conditioning, Lin Nan had quite a few mosquito bites to show for it, while Chen Yao, drenched in sweat, seemed to escape the flying pests’ wrath.
She found some floral water in the third-floor bathroom to apply on herself and stood glumly by the window, waiting for Chen Yao to finish his shower.
The atmosphere had been quite heavy these past couple of days, and Lin Nan’s mood reflected that gloom.
After witnessing some relatives crying their hearts out, it was tough to feel cheerful.
After an entire night of vigil, Chen Yao had managed to nap against the wall for a moment, but Lin Nan, having caught a decent afternoon nap, was wide awake.
Surely, if she was going to sleep sitting on a stool, they could at least provide her with a desk, right?
Maybe even throw in a teacher for good measure.
“Time to wash up and sleep,” Chen Yao called out, emerging from the bedroom in his boxers, striding directly towards his suitcase in the corner. He rummaged through it, found a short-sleeve shirt and shorts, then plopped down on the bed, yawning non-stop while fiddling with his phone.
“Not tired?” Lin Nan turned her head, leaning against the windowsill.
“I was sleepy, but after eating breakfast and having a shower, suddenly I can’t sleep,” he replied, lying sideways on the bed, probably half in another world of gaming.
Just then, there was a sound of a door opening downstairs.
Lin Nan tiptoed to the staircase and peeked down to see Grandpa looking up at her from the first floor.
“Looking for Chen Yao to drink?” she asked.
Grandpa’s face darkened, ignoring her altogether and walking away. Moments later, Grandma emerged with a bottle of alcohol, making a beeline for where Grandpa had just been standing, glaring at Lin Nan, “Who brought your Grandpa alcohol? Can’t you at least try to stop him from drinking?”
“I had no idea!” Lin Nan turned her head away sheepishly, “Maybe it was one of his friends? Great-Grandma passed away yesterday. A little drinking’s not too bad, right?”
“He has gout! He shouldn’t be drinking, no matter the situation! I’m tossing this out,” Grandma declared, gripping the bottle tight and ready to make a run for it.
But Lin Nan shot back, raising her voice, “That bottle costs thousands!”
She had no clue about the price, but since it was something Chen Yao’s dad had treasured for ages, it was safe to assume it was valuable, right? After all, inexpensive alcohol wouldn’t need to be treasured.
Perhaps Lin Nan’s materialistic tendencies came from Grandma since the moment she said that, Grandma’s feet came to a halt. She dashed over to the utility room, grabbed a foam box, and carefully stashed the bottle inside.
Meanwhile, Grandpa had made his way to the third floor, still sporting that poker face, reminding Lin Nan, “Go get some sleep. You stayed up all night yesterday.”
“Got it,” she yawned, wanting nothing more than to shower.
“Your uncle will be back at five this afternoon, so have Chen Yao pick him up.”
“When the time comes, just bow to your Great-Grandma, don’t bother with the vigil. Prolonged sitting is bad for your health.”
Grandpa was unusually chatty, delivering a series of reminders without waiting for a response from Lin Nan. He turned and headed back downstairs.
Lin Nan was left wondering what was going on in his head. Stretching her arms, she opened the bathroom door to peek inside, and noticed that Chen Yao had even washed his clothes, now hanging in the bathroom.
“Chen Yao, take the clean clothes down to the yard to dry.”
No response. She checked back into the bedroom and saw that while his phone was still playing a video, Chen Yao had already drifted off to sleep.
Wasn’t he just saying he wasn’t tired?
