The Old Zhou family had begun arranging the funeral. Whenever there was a white happy event in the village, everyone would come help of their own accord. With everyone working together, the mourning hall was quickly set up, only the person lying inside was not the aged Old Lady Zhou, but the Old Zhou family’s eldest, Zhou Xuennian.

Though people didn’t know exactly how Zhou Xuennian had lost his life, they vaguely knew he’d been beaten to death in prison.

It was said he had only gone to be an official for about half a year. Back then everyone said the Old Zhou family was finally going to have a real future, yet this happened instead.

What puzzled people most was that not a single child from the Old Zhou family’s main branch was present, and Madam Lu was not there either, which was very thought‑provoking.

In the main room, quite a few elderly folk were sitting with Old Lady Zhou, comforting her. When she woke up, she went to take one look at Zhou Xuennian, then wailed to heaven and beat her chest, crying and cursing—cursing him for being unfilial, for abandoning such a big family and leaving with clean hands, and for going ahead of his own mother.

Busy to the point of heaven and earth spinning, Zhou Xueli had no time to tend to his old mother’s crying and cursing, and only asked neighborly aunties to keep her company. With not a single person from the main branch here, as the younger brother he could only take charge of handling Zhou Xuennian’s posthumous affairs and go notify all those who ought to come to offer condolences.

The Lu Family received the news and hurried over. Seeing that Madam Lu was not there, they asked the reason, and on learning that she had taken Zhou Xiuer and Yongyong to the Capital, seemingly to seek Zhou Meiniang’s help to save a life, they all fell silent.

Amid the noise and commotion, the matter of Zhou Xuennian’s burial was brought up as well. Once a person dies, it is proper to be laid to rest in the earth. Though it was winter now and the body could be kept for a while, it wouldn’t do to leave it there indefinitely; the burial should be sooner rather than later.

But about the burial—none of Zhou Xuennian’s household, that is Madam Lu and the children, were here. To bury him without them having seen him one last time seemed hard to justify. Besides, he had a son; shouldn’t they wait for the son to return and smash the funeral pot?

Yet if they waited, how long were they to wait? Who knew whether the mother and children had really gone to the Capital, and if they had, whether they had actually managed to find the person?

Only now did everyone learn that Zhou Meiniang had taken her daughter to the Capital to acknowledge kin. It was said the other side was also of official status, so they said someone ought to be sent to that household to inform them.

Zhou Xueli hesitated a little.

It wasn’t that he did not want to say anything, but that after Zhou Meiniang went to Changan, not a single message had come back. They did not even know whether she and Wufu had already been taken into the Wu Family’s genealogy.

Even if she had been, as a concubine, could she possibly come back to attend a funeral? At most she would send the funeral money that an auntie ought to send.

And Changan was far from Wozi Village; no way could they make it here in less than a month, and by then the body would have rotted.

For a moment, Zhou Xueli was at a loss, until Lady Liang reminded him to ask Old Lady Zhou. Having no choice, he could only brace himself and go ask his mother. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Old Lady Zhou was leaning against the bed, her features withered. A plain white headband was tied around her forehead, and at some point, all the hair on her head had turned completely gray.

The early death of her eldest son was like having a piece of her soul pulled out; her whole person seemed dull and spiritless, aged beyond her years.

Listening to the chanting of the soul‑summoning liturgy from the ritual in the next room, her tears fell one by one, a sight that made one’s heart ache.

"Mother." Zhou Xueli wiped the corner of his eye and sat down beside her.

Old Lady Zhou turned her head, looked at her youngest son, and reached out her hand, saying, "Lier, your mother has only you now."

Zhou Xueli nodded and said, "Mother still has me, don’t be afraid."

Old Lady Zhou sniffed, had the people keeping her company in the room all go out, and then asked Zhou Xueli, "Your elder brother’s death—what on earth happened?"