Math professor returns to routine

Chapter 516 Public Cemetery

The cemetery was neither too big nor too small, with a small mound of earth rising in the middle.

Because no cement was laid to harden the ground and no herbicides were applied, the cemetery was overgrown with weeds and shrubs.

The men who brought hoes put on gloves, rolled up their sleeves, jumped down into the graveyard, and began to work.

Apart from Lu You, he put the bag on the ground, leaned on his hoe, and stood by and watched.

Tang Wan came to Lu You's side, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand, her breathing heavy.

"Your village's ancestral graves are really far away. If I hadn't been exercising lately, I probably would be lying on the ground."

Lu You looked at a small open space next door.

Lu Jingshu and the two children formed a circle and pushed the two small pine trees to the ground, subjecting them to inhumane trampling.

Laughter and Xiu Gou's miserable wails rose and fell in waves.

"To be honest, this is my first time here too."

Tang Wan unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle, tilted her head back and took a sip. Upon hearing this, she was immediately surprised, "First time? You've never been back to the village to sweep the tombs before?"

“Our village’s tomb sweeping is done over two days. On the first day, we sweep the public cemetery together, which is the cemetery at the very top where our ancestors are buried. Because there are many ancestors and the graves are scattered, we have to split into several teams to sweep the tombs.”

"I see." Tang Wan nodded in realization. "The reason the villagers were arguing so loudly earlier was because they were arguing about how to divide the teams?"

"almost."

Lu You took the bottle of mineral water from Tang Wan's hand and drank from the bottle.

We've been married for so long, we're used to a little drooling.

"Actually, the main issue is which grave to go to. Some people are superstitious and believe that this grave has the God of Wealth, and that worshipping at it will ensure wealth this year, while that grave has the God of Literature, which can improve their children's grades."

"Isn't this obviously feudal superstition? How long has compulsory education been implemented? Are there still people who believe in this?" Tang Wan said incredulously.

"Newton was great enough, wasn't he? But in his old age, he still spent his time studying God."

Tang Wan was speechless.

At this moment, a plump woman working on the gravesite stopped what she was doing, took a few breaths, and glanced at Lu You's position out of the corner of her eye, immediately frowning.

"That young man over there, leaning on a hoe but not doing any work, just chasing girls, huh?"

Lu You looked around and saw that he was the only one left who had a hoe but wasn't working.

"are you talking about me?"

"if not?"

"I just finished weeding, so I'm taking a break now. I'm not kidding you," Lu You said seriously.

"At least try to cover it up before you lie! The hoe isn't even covered in mud, it's brand new, and you dare to say you've hoeed weeds? Do you think I'm blind?"

Lu You chuckled awkwardly, returned the bottled water to Tang Wan, and, under Tang Wan's suppressed laughter, jumped into the graveyard to join the work team.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work.

The group worked together, those with hoes wielding them and diligently tilling the land, while those without hoes used their bare hands to throw away the weeds and branches.

Gradually, the original cemetery, which was previously covered by vegetation, was revealed.

More than twenty minutes later.

A brand new and complete cemetery has appeared.

Looking at the masterpiece before them, everyone was gratified and began to discuss it animatedly.

"Shoveling mountains only has meaning if there's a process of shoveling!"

"Indeed! Graves that have been hardened are too formulaic. You come over, burn some paper money, light a couple of incense sticks, set off a firecracker, and then you can just leave. There's no sense of participation or ritual."

“We only come to the cemetery once or twice a year. No matter how well we do it, it’s just for show. We might as well save the money and let the younger generation do the work.”

"That's right. Young people these days either sit in the office or lie in bed all day. Their physical fitness is very poor. They get out of breath after walking just a few steps. They should exercise more."

Lu You sat on the side, using a hoe as a stool, listening to the village elders criticizing the young people, but remained calm.

"Honey, you've worked so hard!"

Tang Wan's voice came from behind.

Lu You turned her head, and a brand new bottle of mineral water with the cap unscrewed was in front of her, less than a centimeter from the tip of her nose.

"Would you like some water?"

"Thanks."

Lu You took the bottled water and drank it down.

The water level in the bottle dropped rapidly, and a large amount of cool water flowed over the dry, itchy throat, with a small amount spilling from the corners of the mouth and wetting the clothes.

Lu You stopped when only half the water remained in the bottle, letting out a long breath.

Tang Wan sat down next to Lu You, and the iron pole bent slightly under their weight.

"husband."

"Ok?"

Tang Wan pointed to the small mound of earth in the center of the graveyard and asked in a low voice, "Who is buried here?"

"Do I look like someone who knows about this kind of thing?"

"You don't even recognize your own ancestors?"

“I’ve never lived in the village for long, and I’ve never been involved in village affairs, so it would be strange if I knew anything about it! If you’re really curious and want to learn more,” Lu You raised her chin slightly and pointed to the old man leading the group, “go ask that old man, he can tell you.”

"You know him?"

“I don’t know him,” Lu You shook her head. “But he should know me.”

"Never mind then. Dealing with strangers isn't my forte, and it would be too presumptuous to start by insulting their ancestors."

After resting for a while, the elderly team leader called everyone back and assigned tasks.

Some people set out offerings, while others lit incense.

Lu You's task was simple: burn paper money.

Playing with fire is something anyone can do.

Lu You carried an iron bucket to the grave.

The iron bucket was about the same size as a common household bucket, gleaming with a golden light. It was decorated with openwork patterns resembling ingots and coins, and was carried up the mountain by an older man who was traveling with him.

Lu You borrowed a lighter from an uncle who was smoking lotus flowers, then took out two sheets of yellow paper money printed with coins from a stack of paper money, folded them in half twice, lit the lighter, and brought it close to the edges and corners of the paper money.

Before long, a faint flame appeared and quickly consumed the fuel to grow stronger.

When the flames were about the size of a palm, Lu You threw them into the bucket. Then he took the rest of the paper money, ghost money, and other items, broke them into small portions, and threw one portion in every ten seconds or so.

A horse won't get fat without grass, and a fire won't get strong without fuel.

Feeding the flames with handfuls of paper, the fire roared and expanded rapidly, soon surpassing the height of the iron bucket.

The scorching heat hit him, and Lu You wisely took a half step back.

Fire is indeed fun, but playing with fire and getting burned is not so interesting.

Seeing Lu You having so much fun, Tang Wan was also itching to try it herself.

"Honey, I want to burn some too."

"There are some in the bags on the ground, take them yourself."

With many hands making light work, Tang Wan's addition significantly accelerated the consumption of paper money. However, the height of the flames did not continue to rise, remaining just above the edge of the iron bucket.

Lu You guessed that the insufficient oxygen concentration was restricting the further growth of the flames.

Once the paper money was used up, the offerings and incense were all arranged properly.

The elderly leader called for everyone to gather and begin worshipping their ancestors.

It started with the elderly leader himself, plus another elderly person.

The two put their hands together, bowed three times solemnly, and then knelt down and kowtowed three times, while the elderly leader kept muttering to himself.

The elderly leader's voice was mumbled indistinct, and Lu You could only barely make out the gist of it.

The general meaning is that the village is doing well, the population is growing steadily, every family has surplus grain, and they pray to their ancestors for good weather, prosperous business, and good health in the coming year.

After the elderly finished their prayers and left, it was Lu Jianyan's turn to greet the middle-aged group.

Several people bowed earnestly a few times, but their movements were not very coordinated.

Finally, it was the young people's turn to take the stage.

Lu Jingshu, who was playing with her dog in the grass by the grave, and the two children were called over to join Lu You in paying their respects.

Lu You doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, and he would never make a wish to them, but he respects traditional culture and admires the predecessors who lived on this land in the past.

Therefore, Lu You solemnly bowed three times, without any ulterior motives.

This was Lu Jingshu's first time participating in the village's ancestral worship ceremony. She didn't understand many things and simply imitated Lu You, clasping her two small hands together and waving them up and down.

After the worship ceremony, the elderly leader immediately instructed everyone to finish up and prepare to head to the next cemetery.

Tang Wan also lent a hand, helping to tidy up the offerings.

There were plenty of things: candy, fruit, bread, zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), longevity peach-shaped rice cakes, fresh flowers, and more.

Suddenly, two consecutive explosions startled Tang Wan, who was engrossed in her work, and she instinctively looked up.

Two middle-aged men each held a long tube, and colorful ribbons rained down from the sky.

"Is that... a salute?"

“That’s right, it’s a salute.” Shen Yuyin, standing to the side, confirmed Tang Wan’s guess.

"Shouldn't the final step of shoveling the mountain be setting off firecrackers?" Tang Wan was a little confused. She hadn't been back to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors for a long time, but she hadn't forgotten the continuous booming sounds during those two days. "Could it be that setting off firecrackers is more popular in our village?"

"No, that's not it. We were planning to set off firecrackers, but the weather has been too dry lately, so the authorities don't allow it. Even the firecracker factories are prohibited from opening."

"I see."

After the offerings were arranged, the elderly leader instructed everyone to extinguish the incense and paper money, ensuring that not a single spark remained.

After inspecting the site several times to confirm that everything was in order, the group set off for the next cemetery.

……

Towards the afternoon.

After walking out of the narrow mountain path, several hours later, the group once again stepped onto a relatively flat, shady path.

During this time, the group visited four graves and left their footprints across several mountains.

Even though they had rested and replenished their energy on the mountain, everyone still felt exhausted.

Lu Jingshu leaned directly on Lu You's back, her eyes red-rimmed, clearly having cried.

"Brother, can we go home now?"

Lu You didn't know how to answer, so she turned her gaze to Lu Jianyan.

Lu Jianyan patted Lu Jingshu's head and said softly, "Little Shu, be good. There's still one grave left for Grandpa. Let's go over and help him clear it, then we can go home together."

"Waaaaah... My legs hurt so much, I want to go home, I want to eat, waaaaah..." Tears welled up in Lu Jingshu's eyes and quickly slid down her cheeks.

Lu Jianyan quickly picked up Lu Jingshu and comforted her while they were on their way, with Shen Yuyin assisting from the side.

Lu You wanted to say something to comfort her, but she was too tired and powerless.

The mountain path was narrow, sometimes going up and sometimes down, and the surface was uneven, making it very difficult to walk. Moreover, he had helped dig up three of the four graves, one of which was done by Tang Wan, and he had also carried Lu Jingshu all the way down the mountain. He was really exhausted.

Tang Wan grabbed Lu You's arm with one hand and held a hoe in the other, asking, "Honey, are you tired?"

"What do you say?"

Tang Wan glanced at Lu You's face. Her brows were relaxed, her eyelids droopy, and her eyes were lifeless. Her whole face was full of fatigue.

"Then when we get to Grandpa's, I'll help you dig up the grave. I'll give you the night off too, no more juicing."

Lu You's eyes widened as she looked at Tang Wan in disbelief. "I have reached the pinnacle of self-improvement, defying nature, leaving only a broken body. Even at this point, you still want to extract my last essence. Truly, the most poisonous heart is that of a woman!"

"I gave you time off, and instead of being grateful, you turned around and cursed at me? Then I'll take the time off back."

"No, I know I was wrong!"

(End of this chapter)