Ancestral Rites (Jì sǎo)
祭扫(Jì sǎo) refers to the traditional Chinese practice of paying respects to deceased ancestors by visiting their gravesites, tidying up the area, and offering sacrifices or other offerings.
In the end, I did not send Wei An back.
Of course, it wasn't that I didn't want Guo Furen to know about the gold in that room. It's just that after hearing what Wei An said, my right eye twitched. My wet nurse had told me that a twitching left eye foretells bad luck while a twitching right eye foretells wealth. So I decided to keep Wei An with me.
I wrote a letter to Guo Furen, informing her of Wei An's decision to follow me to Huainan. It was a white lie, and in the letter, I explained that Wei An was missing his older brother and had run away. I happened to encounter him on the road, but by then, we had already left the boundaries of Yongzhou. Since there were only a few guards accompanying us, I was worried about their ability to protect us on both sides of the journey. Therefore, I decided to take Wei An with me to Huainan to jizu first, and then we would return together.
This matter could not be delayed. After finishing the letter, I immediately had a guard send it back to Yongdu.
The carriage continued on its journey, and there were no spare horses, so Wei An sat on the ox cart arrogantly, playing with a small wooden object he had brought with him all the way.
********
The Fu family originated from Huainan, but two hundred years ago, some members of the family moved to Chang'an. The old ancestral home and tombs in Huainan remained as ancestral halls. When we lived in Chang'an, my father would bring us and our relatives back to Huainan every year to pay respects(jizu) to our ancestors. Incense smoke filled the air, music blared, and each family's offerings(jipin) could be seen all the way from inside the hall to outside the front gate.
Huainan was a rich and prosperous land, and in times of turmoil, it became the target of various warlords. When He Kui took the young emperor to Luoyang, he allowed his soldiers to plunder in Huainan. Later, Tan Xi and Dong Kuang fought a major battle here, and with the continued harassment of other bandits, the cities in this area were destroyed over the course of several years.
Last year, Wei Jue fought and defeated Dong Kuang, and took control of Huainan. However, this area borders Huaiyang, which is under the control of Wu Zhang, and is also covered by dense forests and marshes, where many scattered brave warriors roam.
The ancestral home of the Fu family was in Ruiyi, a small town, which also became a ruin in the midst of war and turmoil.
When I returned here, it was overgrown with weeds and completely silent.
To my surprise, amidst the ruins, the old house of the Fu family stood alone. I walked over in amazement and saw that the original white walls had traces of fire damage but had clearly been repaired. The roof and beams of the house were all new.
Walking into the main hall, there were dozens of memorial tablets lined up, with the front row being newly made ones, each one inscribed with the names of my father and older brothers.
I stared at the familiar names on the plaque, and suddenly, without any warning, my tears blurred everything.
Those closest to me, the ones who cherished me like a precious gem, have always lived in my heart.
The past few years, I deliberately tried to forget those days that made me gasp in pain, as if they had only gone to a distant place and as if they would come back.
But when their names were truly engraved on the memorial tablets, my heart felt like a piece had been cut out with a knife. I understood then that they would never come back.
I took a deep breath from the bottom of my heart, and I burst into tears.
*******
Amidst natural disasters and human calamities, the once bustling city has turned into a wasteland, with wind sweeping across from the horizon, only a few crows perched on the trees.
The guards were busy with various tasks, some were tidying up the offerings after the ceremony, others were cleaning the entrance, and the team leader was loudly calling for people to check nearby ruins for firewood and stoves.
I sat on a pile of ruins, gazing at the distant setting sun, unable to describe whether I was feeling desolate or sad in my heart.
I remembered the scene when I bid farewell to my father and brothers.
At that time, I was still proud, even if the building collapsed, I refused to admit defeat. It was very cold that day. I wore mourning clothes and cried while singing a song that is only sung during funeral processions. When we reached the end, Father suddenly laughed.
"Ah Jin!" he shouted loudly at me, "Don't cry! Live on!"
“Furen….” As I sat there, I heard Ah Yuan's choked voice near my ear. I turned around and saw her wiping her eyes and asked me, "Would you like to stay here tonight?"
"En." I answered. What else could I do? When I arrived, I had already seen that there was no one within a hundred miles.
Ah Yuan nodded and walked away.
I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes. After crying, the pent-up emotions in my heart were somewhat relieved, but there was still one thing that puzzled me.
I am the only one left from the Fu family, but this ancestral house is newly renovated.
Who did it?
******
Since Wei An arrived here, he had been quietly sitting aside and I had almost forgotten about him.
When I found him, he was sitting in a pile of rubbles, searching through it.
"What is Si Shu looking for?" I asked.
He looked up and replied, "Looking for some broken pieces of wood."
I caught sight of a heavy cloth bag hanging from his waist, revealing several uneven wooden handles, probably tools like small hammers and chisels.
He didn't forget to take these with him when he ran away from home, Wei An is indeed a weird person.
"Is this ZhangSao’s ancestral home?" Wei An suddenly asked.
"Exactly." I said, pretending to be relaxed. “What does Si Shu think?”
Wei An looked at my face and his eyes lingered for a moment, perhaps because I had been crying and my eyes were swollen.
"Not bad," said Wei An, his words somewhat insincere. After a while, he added, "FuQin also has an ancestral home in Hexi, but it's more lively than this one."
I remained silent for a moment before saying, "This place used to be lively too." Continuing on would only bring back sad feelings, so I told him, "We'll need food later, so don't wander too far, Si Shu." With that, I turned and walked away.
******
Before returning to my old house, the sergeant came to find me.
He looked somewhat worried and said, “Furen, I'm afraid you need to be more careful if you stay here tonight."
“Why?” I asked in surprise.
"Strong men often appear in this area. When I came just now, I saw someone peeking out from the woods. It's probably a spy for the bad guys."
I pondered for a moment and felt worried after hearing what he said. However, looking at these soldiers, they were all trained by Wei Tan and wore official military uniforms. It was clear they were part of the imperial army. Even if a bunch of ruffians came to rob, they would have to think twice.
"I got it," I said to the Sergeant.
******
Perhaps we were too worried, as nothing happened overnight.
Although the old house has been destroyed before, it has been repaired fairly well. At least the front hall and the two study rooms on the left and right have roofs and doors. Ah Yuan and I live in the left study rooms, Wei An lives in the right study rooms, and the front hall is used as a resting place for the soldiers.
When we got up in the morning, we fetched water from the well to wash, and after eating something, we set off on our journey back to Yongzhou.
“We had to leave after just a few days. Does Si Shu feel bored?" I asked Wei An before getting in the carriage.
He was silent for a moment, then said, “I heard that XiongZhang is in Yuzhou.'
I was taken aback, realising that he was referring to Wei Tan.
“Does Si Shu want to go to Yuzhou?' I asked.
“Yes,” Wei An nodded.
“It's too far away, let's not go there,” I said with a smile, turning around and walking away.
*****
The road on our journey back was quiet. I looked at the lonely fields by the roadside, remembering the pastoral scenery where the sound of chickens and dogs used to be heard. I didn't speak for a long time.
Although the countryside was barren, the trees here were even more lush, with streams flowing around and under the blue sky, it is still beautiful in its own way.
As we gradually approached a dense forest, the sergeant suddenly ordered the carriage to stop.
"What's wrong?" I felt something was unusual and asked through the curtain.
The sergeant didn't answer but stared intently ahead, his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Suddenly, an arrow "whooshed" out of the woods. It was too far away to hit anyone, but it immediately startled everyone.
"Protect Furen and Gongzi!" The sergeant shouted and drew his sword.
The guards were well-trained and immediately formed a defensive formation. The carriage turned around and retreated.
Arrows kept flying out of the woods, and I heard the rough and noisy sounds. I also saw shadows of people rushing onto the road through the bamboo curtains. However, it was clear that these were all bandits. Although the guards were outnumbered, they held their ground and retreated in an orderly manner.
Ah Yuan held me tightly, her face full of fear.
I was about to comfort her not to be afraid when I heard the sound of shouting and drumming from the roadside. I looked up and exclaimed in my heart. Suddenly, a group of people rushed out of the tall grass on the roadside, each wielding a shining blade.
Seeing the impending massacre, the sergeant shouted, "Furen, Gongzi, run!"
It was easier said than done. The coachman pulled hard, and the two horses in front of the carriage bolted, flipping me and Ah Yuan backwards.
"Si Shu!" I didn't know if Wei An's ox cart could keep up, and I shouted anxiously.
No one answered, but the sounds of shouting and clanging blades kept coming from behind. Suddenly, the horse neighed, and the world turned upside down. Ah Yuan and I were thrown violently against the carriage wall and tumbled around.
The cries and killings outside were overwhelming. It seemed that another group of people had come to attack, as the screams were endless. Ah Yuan held me, trembling constantly, while I curled up, my mind blank.
"....JiangJun!" I heard someone shout.
"Go and see how many casualties there are ahead. Don't pursue the defeated enemy!" A voice said.
It wasn't too loud, but it entered my ears, and I was shocked, as if I had been struck by lightning.
The curtain was lifted, and a figure appeared before my eyes along with the light, dazzling yet still graceful and refined.
"Ah Jin! Is everything all right?" Pei Qian supported me, looking nervous and concerned.