In Yangjia Bay, all residents shared the surna Yang, tracing back to the sa ancestor. Despite occasional disputes and conflicts, it was undeniable that they were all family, bound by blood.
Yang Haoran's third uncle on his father's side was a brother to his grandfather and ranked third among siblings.
When he noticed that the funeral arrangents seed to be at his third uncle's house, his first thought was whether sothing had happened to this third uncle of his, given his age.
In many rural areas, there was a saying that if an elderly person remained bedridden but could hold on until the Chinese New Year, they might still have so ti left, but often many couldn't endure that long.
In Yang Haoran's mory, although his third uncle was elderly, he seed robust, and his parents hadn't ntioned anything about him being bedridden. So why did sothing suddenly happen?
With these doubts in mind, Yang Haoran quickened his pace. The closer he got to his third uncle's house, the louder the sounds of mourning and chanting for the deceased beca, amidst the drumming and gongs.
As he stepped into the courtyard of his third uncle's house, Yang Haoran spotted a coffin placed in the middle.
Indeed, soone had passed away at his third uncle's house, he hadn't guessed wrong about that. But it wasn't his third uncle who had passed, which was his mistake, for there sat his third uncle beside the coffin, wiping tears from his wrinkled face filled with sorrow.
Aside from seeing his third uncle, Yang Haoran also spotted a familiar face, a middle-aged man next to his third uncle, puffing on a cigarette and occasionally consoling him.
Yang Haoran hastened over, and the middle-aged smoker noticed him, nodding in acknowledgnt as he spoke, "You're back."
Yang Haoran also nodded in response, saying, "Yes, I'm back."
The middle-aged smoker was Yang Haoran's father, not tall or muscular, with dark skin and a sowhat frail appearance. However, he seed spirited.
In Yang Haoran's impression, although his father was a serious person, he would usually express his inner joy upon his return. But today was an exception; he wore a troubled expression, puffing away on his cigarette with no hint of a smile.
"Third Uncle!" Yang Haoran redirected his attention from his father to the teary-eyed third uncle beside him, greeting him.
Third Uncle nodded in response to Yang Haoran's greeting, his face filled with sorrow, continuously wiping away the tears.
"Your mother's helping in the kitchen. Go find her there," Father Yang said.
Although Yang Haoran had many doubts, he knew he couldn't inquire about them at this mont. Doing so would only add salt to the wound of the deceased's family. So he simply responded and went to find his mother in the kitchen.
Inside the kitchen, Mother Yang was delighted to see Yang Haoran return. Unlike Father Yang, she didn't have as many reservations and was purely happy to see her son back.
Yang Haoran knew it wasn't appropriate for his mother to be overly joyous in a house of mourning, showing disrespect to...
the deceased and their family. So he quickly pulled his mother out of the kitchen and out into the courtyard.
"Mom, what's going on?" Yang Haoran whispered to his mother as they stood outside.
"Your second uncle is dead!" Mother Yang's voice was loud, not intentionally so, but she naturally spoke with volu.
"Mom, keep your voice down. It's not good if others hear," Yang Haoran hurriedly lowered his voice, advising his mother.
Mother Yang gave him a glare, complaining, "What's wrong with that? Once people are dead, they're dead. They can't co back to life. Besides, everyone in Yangjia Bay already knows about it. What's the harm in ntioning it?"
Since marrying Father Yang, Mother Yang hadn't left Yangjia Bay, had little contact with outsiders, and hadn't faced repercussions for her blunt speech. So she spoke her mind without much consideration, saying whatever ca to her without thinking about how it might offend others.
Yang Haoran didn't think his mother's approach was right, but he knew she didn't an to insult or ridicule anyone. However, he felt it necessary to advise her, as conflicts arising from careless remarks could damage relationships and invite ridicule.
"Mom, trust , it's better to keep your voice down. Avoid causing unnecessary offense," Yang Haoran earnestly advised.
"Hey! Are you trying to lecture your mom now?" Mother Yang poked Yang Haoran's head with her finger, discontent evident in her tone.
Yang Haoran felt helpless inside, forcing a strained smile on his face, and said, "I dare not lecture you. I just... sigh, forget it, let's not talk about this. Can you tell what happened? Why did second uncle, who was perfectly fine, suddenly pass away?"
"Sigh, your second uncle went up the mountain to chop firewood this morning. Usually, he'd be back within a couple of hours, but today, not only did he not return on ti, he didn't even co back for lunch. When we tried calling him, there was no answer. Eventually, the whole family went out searching in the area where he usually went to chop wood. We found him there, and by the ti we found him, he was already dead. I heard his death was quite grueso, bitten by a poisonous snake."
Yang Haoran furrowed his brows. He sensed a crucial issue from his mother's words.
"A poisonous snake? Mom, it's winter. Snakes should be hibernating, right? How could second uncle have been bitten by a poisonous snake?" Yang Haoran looked puzzled.
Mother Yang poked his head again, annoyed. "You know nothing. Everyone says he was bitten by a snake, so he must have been. I heard there were bite marks on your second uncle's body. If it wasn't a poisonous snake, what else could have killed him with just one bite? Snakes do hibernate, but everything has exceptions, right? What if this poisonous snake had so special abilities? It's not that strange."
Yang Haoran shook his head, not entirely agreeing with his mother's explanation. He felt there was sothing off about his second uncle's death, but he couldn't grasp the key at the mont.
"Don't overthink it. With Master Zhou here, everything should be fine. Although Master Zhou isn't from our Yangjia Bay, he's respected around here. He'll handle things properly. Your second uncle has passed away, that's a fact. But we, the living, still have our own lives to live. You're not a child anymore. Focus on your own affairs. Getting married and having children are the most important things!"
Yang Haoran had walked this path himself, so he didn't look down upon these masters without real abilities.
Mother Yang ntioned Master Zhou, who had been in this profession for many years. Yang Haoran had known him since he was a child, and even his na was given by Master Zhou's master. However, whether Master Zhou truly had special abilities, Yang Haoran wasn't certain. But one thing was clear: he had been doing this for so many years without incidents and had persisted, indicating he must have his unique strengths.
Seeing Yang Haoran frowning in thought, Mother Yang scolded again, "You rascal, pretending to be deep when marriage is ntioned?"
Yang Haoran snapped out of his reverie with Mother Yang's scolding, smiling wryly. "Mom, you're overthinking."
"Overthinking? Nonsense! You're thirty already. If you don't get married now, you'll never get married. You're the only one left in our family. If you don't get married soon, your father will beat you for being unfilial!"
"But..."
"No buts! Mom has found you a blind date. The girl is good. You'll have to go yourself. Don't ruin it for ! You're thirty already. Do you want your mother to worry about this matter? It's embarrassing. I was supposed to go with you tomorrow to boost your confidence, but with this incident at your third uncle's house, I need to stay and help. You'll have to go alone. If you can't even handle a girl, I'll break your legs when you co back!"
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