Zhulan enjoyed interacting with the Li family; it didn’t tire her out. She smiled and said, “Qīnjiā is already feeling sad; there’s no need to talk too much with us. Besides, we are relatives by marriage, and there’s no need for qīnjiā to speak politely with us.”

Li Xu Shi had little contact with Zhou Yang Shi in the past, but only in the past year did she have frequent contact. She knew that Yang Shi was powerful, “Qīnjiā is right, we are one family and speak the same language.”

Zhulan asked, “We have been in for a while, why haven’t I seen Li Shi?”

Li Xu Shi explained, “She has been closest to her nainai since she was a child. She cried all night last night and cooked dinner again in the morning. I asked her to rest. Qīnjiā wants to see her, so I sent someone to call her.”

Zhulan hurriedly stopped Li Xu Shi who was about to get up, “Let her rest. I just miss her. She has a sincere heart. She cried so sadly yesterday, and I won’t feel at ease if I don’t ask how she’s doing.”

Li Xu Shi carefully tasted the words and smiled more. Her daughter did not report good news or bad news. Zhou Yang Shi was indeed very kind to her daughter. “She, stupid people have stupid blessings. This girl can meet a good mother-in-law like her mother-in-law, it is a blessing she has cultivated in several lifetimes.”

Her daughter was fortunate to have such good luck; she encountered a good mother-in-law. Thinking about it this way, her daughter’s good fortune wasn’t solely due to the Li family.

Since Zhulan came to ancient times, she became a mother-in-law for the first time, but she dared to stand upright. She was indeed a rare and good mother-in-law.

Soon the time came. Zhulan and others went to the front yard with Li Xu Shi. This was Lijia Village. There were the most people with the surname Li. Li Shi’s nainai had four sons. Had Grandpa Li not left early, Li Shi might have had more than three uncles in her family. With sons having grandsons and grandsons having great-grandsons, the number of male family members alone was considerable. Not to mention the relatives within five degrees, the courtyard was already crowded with people coming to help with the funeral, and there was no space for non-relatives to carry the coffin.

The women didn’t go to the burial, so they all stayed behind. Zhulan witnessed an ancient funeral for the first time, and the customs were much more elaborate than in modern times. Posthumous glory was crucial for the elderly, and a grand funeral with numerous descendants was considered magnificent. It’s understandable why ancient societies were concerned about the family line ending, not only for the lack of someone to break the pot after death but also as a sign of disrespect to ancestors and family heritage.

The Li family cooked a meal yesterday, and today they had to cook another meal for the people returning from the funeral. Zhulan wanted to help, but Li Xu Shi refused, “There are many people in the family, so qīnjiā can rest.”

Zhulan was silent for a moment. In addition to being straight-tempered, the Li family also had children. There were six brothers in Li Shi’s family, not counting the two married sisters. There were also many sons from several uncles, and there were so many daughters-in-law.

With this in mind, the Li family’s village was also large and influential in the vicinity, a presence not to be trifled with. The Li family had many sons, making the daughters from the Li family quite sought after. The original owner had seen the potential of marrying into the Li family for this reason as well. After all, which family wouldn’t appreciate a daughter-in-law capable of bearing sons?

The mourners came back and had a meal. Zhulan and Zhou Shuren did not come empty-handed. They came with money, one tael of silver.

The Li family spent a lot and gained a lot.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren should have gone back after dinner, but the Li family was about to be separated. Yes, the Li family had never been separated before. Although the old lady passed away in a hurry, she also understood what should be divided. The separation was just going through the motions.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were kept by the Li Xu Shi to help the Eldest room control the situation. In the past, the Li family was united under the control of the old lady. The old lady passed away, and the daughters-in-law of several families had their own shrewdness. Naturally, they worked for all parties. Fortunately, the old lady had just passed away, so no one dared to cause trouble.

The family division was carried out smoothly. Benefiting from Li Shi’s reputation, the Li family borrowed money, but Old Lady Li only left behind twenty-two taels of silver. With an additional four taels as the family’s foundation, totaling twenty-four taels, they had long planned to split the family. Using the other funds, they bought five mu of land and three plots for building, and the boys of the family did the work of making adobe, chopping wood, and constructing houses themselves, saving a considerable amount of money. All three houses were now built, and except for Li Shi’s father, who was the eldest son and hence stayed in the old house, the other brothers had their own places.

The Li family had a total of thirty-two mu of land. When Old Lady Li initially bought five mu of land, it was just to round up the numbers for a fair family division. Each family got eight mu of land and six taels of silver. As for the rest, it was considered a fair distribution. However, the eldest son still got the advantage, of having a continuous row of houses in the old family compound!

Zhulan witnessed the Li family’s division, and her admiration for Old Lady Li grew even stronger. Providing dowries for sons, grandsons, and even accompanying gifts for daughters—all in silver! Old Lady Li had truly been through a lot and had not had it easy at all.

Zhulan thought to herself that she was indeed lucky to have traveled to the Zhou family. The Zhou family’s wealth was rare in rural areas, which directly gave her and Zhou Shuren the capital to start a business.

After coming back from the Li family, Li Shi was wilting, which made the Zhou family very uncomfortable. They were used to Li Shi being cheerful every day.

Zhulan specially asked Second Zhou to go to the county and buy the pig’s trotters that Li Shi loved to eat. Zhao Shi endured the pain and gave Li Shi the handkerchief that she liked.

Zhou Changlian was the person who disliked his Eldest dasao the most. He also expressed his condolences in a dry and indifferent manner.

Li Shi felt the warmth of her husband’s family and finally decided to cheer up.

In the end, Zhou Changzhi, the slowest to react in the Zhou family, took out a pen and ink and handed it to Li Shi. “Eldest Dasao, I know you’re sad, so transcribe Buddhist scriptures. Burn them for Grandma Li on the seventh day. If you still find it difficult, then copy the scriptures for a year. If one year is not enough, then three years. Eldest dasao, I believe you can do it.”

Li Shi, “.”

She was sad, but copying scriptures would kill her. She listened to her xiǎodì ’s wishes. Why did he think she could copy scriptures for the rest of her life? She didn’t particularly want this warmth.

Zhulan, “.”

Zhou Shuren, “.”

Li Shi was finally alive again, although her expression was a bit hard to describe!

The other three sons of the Zhou family were all astonished; it turns out Changzhi was such a brother—someone they couldn’t afford to offend!

(End of this chapter)

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T/N I find the funerals described in Chinese historical novels to be very similar to Hindu funeral we still practice today. Except we cremate instead of bury. For example, anyone attending the funeral wears white, and the sons are expected to wear clothes made of jute or hemp that are unstitched from the day of cremation to the funeral, which is held 7 to 14 days after the cremation. They will eat only boiled grains and vegetables with ghee but no oil. And no non-veg food as well. They can’t shave, trim nails or wash their hair during this period. Not only sons and daughters-in-law, in cases of a male relative passing away, all paternal family members, especially males, can’t trim their nails or shave. Married daughters don’t have to do this.

Relatives and friends who visit will give them vegetables, grains (rice and lentils) and fruits to eat during this period. And we also offer incense to the deceased as well as flower garland. And family members are supposed to pick up the stretcher (traditionally made of bamboo which the male members should make themselves). A pot is carried by the eldest grandson or son and generally the eldest son or son (or husband if he is alive) is the one to light the pyre. Then he could go around the fire with that pot and break it. In our traditional way, women are not supposed to go to crematorium grounds, but this is not followed now. Now a days even daughters, if the family didn’t have any son or if the daughter wishes to, light the funeral pyre. However, now we have mostly electrical pyres so this ritual is not followed in most urban areas.

Hope I didn’t bore you with these information!!