617. Funeral
==============================
A few days later, Great-Grandmother was laid to rest on the hillside behind Grandfather’s house.
The neatly prepared grave wasn’t too big, conveniently located near the mountain path for worship purposes.
Lin Nan, however, felt rather detached from it all. Meanwhile, a crowd of middle-aged and elderly folks erupted into a symphony of sobs as Great-Grandmother was buried. Grandfather, on the other hand, didn’t shed a tear, and his face bore a remarkable absence of expression. He hadn’t slept much these past few days, steadfastly keeping a late-night vigil at the funeral home.
Yet, he still stood tall beside the mound, directing people to lower the coffin with the utmost care. One might wonder, though, if it contained anything more than just an urn.
These days, Lin Nan had almost flipped her sleep schedule upside down, joining the night watch until the wee hours. During the day, she struggled to keep her eyes open, yawning uncontrollably, while beside her, Wu Jiaming was quite the night owl, trading in his nighttime vigils for bar-hopping and internet café escapades.
Earlier this year, Uncle had plans to send Wu Jiaming abroad, but as it stood now, both Uncle and Wu Jiaming were still holed up at home, ultimately dissuaded from making that leap.
Initially, they had hoped the pandemic would be over in a few months, leaving time to eat, drink, and be merry. But now, they found the domestic situation stabilizing while conditions abroad grew increasingly dire. Wu was now considering delivering takeout in the county town, as he couldn’t see any other way forward.
Chen Yao had opted out of attending Great-Grandmother’s burial, staying at the foot of the mountain.
From a distance, he watched the grave being covered with dirt, the surrounding wails intensifying. Lin Nan glanced at her mother, who had red eyes, while Aunt stood nearby with her arms crossed, seemingly offering some comforting words.
Any lingering annoyance Lin Nan felt towards her aunt for her past attitude towards females dissipated.
“How about we hit the internet café after lunch to adjust our sleep schedules?” Wu Jiaming suggested with a grin. “Otherwise, I’ll be out cold as soon as we get back.”
Lin Nan noticed his smile was a bit forced.
“Alright, let’s drag Chen Yao along and hit the games together.”
With two more funerals to attend in the afternoon, it was imperative for both of them to show up, lest even Grandfather’s favoritism towards Lin Nan resulted in a scolding.
Before long, the grave was filled, and following the regular proceedings, a quiet group made their way down the hill.
Her mother quickened her pace to walk beside Lin Nan and asked, “How long do you plan to stay at Grandfather’s?”
“Maybe three to five more days, just to keep him company?” Lin Nan turned to study her mother’s weary face.
Almost everyone present looked equally haggard, except for a few kids who were still giggling and joking around.
“Hmm…” Her mother paused before adding, “In a couple of days, I’ll bring your class teacher over.”
“Ah?” Lin Nan was taken aback. “Why would you bring him?”
Judging by the fact that her mother had taken the class teacher’s truck to get there, Lin Nan suspected there may be something brewing between them—it just hadn’t expected to happen so quickly.
If you didn’t count their prior acquaintance, they had only been in contact for about half a month.
Lin Nan’s expression was one of confusion as she asked, “Are you two… in a relationship?”
Half a month? Was that considered a whirlwind romance?
Her mother shook her head. “We’re just seeing where it goes. If things go well, we might think about it next year.”
So, it’s in the dating stage then?
That made sense; after all, dating is usually about attraction. Sometimes, it only takes one hour of meeting to spark something.
Plus, as long as there’s no physical contact involved, what’s the harm?
“What does his son think?”
The class teacher had a child who’d just graduated high school this year.
Her mother nodded, looking a bit worried as she glanced at Grandfather walking ahead.
Although Grandfather had always seemed strong, after the burial of Great-Grandmother, his vitality seemed to drain away in an instant. He looked older than he had the last time he battled appendicitis, with shaky steps that required Wu Jiaming’s steadying hand.
Great-Grandmother’s d*ath had hit him hard. While he didn’t show it on the surface, who knew how many tears he’d shed in private?
With Great-Grandfather passing earlier in the year and Great-Grandmother following suit, while they were both natural deaths, one would typically categorize that as a good, albeit bittersweet, deal.
The repeated losses had visibly worn down Grandfather’s spirit.
“I want your grandfather to be at ease regarding me, and it is a happy occasion. Let’s brighten his mood,” her mother said, linking arms with Lin Nan and letting out a sigh. “I’m already forty and still making him worry.”
Lin Nan figured that with her mother settling down, Grandfather would indeed feel a bit happier, though some skepticism nagged at her. “What if the class teacher doesn’t impress Grandfather…?”
“No worries! He tested the waters a few days ago when he visited.” Her mother managed a small smile. “They both enjoy drinking baijiu—common ground galore! Plus, your class teacher is quite the charmer.”
After all, he’d once been a homeroom teacher; if a mischievous student like Chen Yao could be made to listen, he must have some emotional intelligence. Currently, he was even a clothes vendor, and it wasn’t like he was silently plotting to take over the world.
As they reached the bottom of the hill, Chen Yao hurried over, taking his place at Lin Nan’s side.
Having heard how Chen had brought wine for Grandfather and even shared a drink with him in secret, her mother couldn’t help but remind him, “No drinking with him now! It’s not good for his health, and if he gets drunk, we might end up in the hospital.”
Given Grandfather’s current sadness, it wouldn’t take much for him to forget his limits, plus he already had a history of gout.
“I know.” Chen Yao nodded earnestly. “I promise I won’t let Lin Nan’s grandfather drink!”
The procession of mourners made their way back to Uncle’s home, where today was both the funeral reception and burial. Having given ample notice a few days prior, Lin Nan’s relatives gathered in unprecedented numbers. Groups formed, ranging from standing to lounging, chatting and munching on seeds outside Uncle’s house, turning the funeral into a family reunion extravaganza.
Lin Nan had developed quite a reputation among these relatives; as she returned with the funeral procession, she quickly became the topic of conversation.
“Is that Lin Nan? She’s quite the pretty lady.”
“I heard she was a boy until last year?”
“They say she had some illness when she was younger and was raised as a boy for eighteen years.”
Their discussions weren’t outright harsh; some possibly conservative relatives who didn’t like Lin Nan refrained from openly confronting her in public. Though these were distant relatives that they barely saw all year, a bit of courtesy was still required.
After all, Lin Nan’s Grandfather was held in high regard among them.
“Lin Nan, go take a nap for an hour. I’ll call you when lunch is ready,” Grandfather said, settling himself into a chair and looking up at Lin Nan, who was walking alongside her mother.
“I’m adjusting to a new sleep schedule, so I’ll skip napping today.”
Grandfather nodded. “There’s a computer upstairs if you want. If you’re not tired, go play on it. Chen Yao, stay and keep me company for a drink.”
Previously, the Maotai liquor had put Chen Yao in Grandfather’s good graces, even putting Wu Jiaming, his own grandson, under a bit of pressure.
