Jiang Grandma’s grave was at Babaoshan in Beijing.

During Qingming, it was always rainy.

When Chu Xia woke up this morning, it had been drizzling continuously.

She knew that today, Cen Huai’an would also be going with his school to sweep the tombs of martyrs, so she reminded him to wear his raincoat.

She and Cen Zhengnian took the bus first to Jiang Grandpa’s house.

By this time, most of the Jiang family had already arrived.

However, some couldn’t make it due to work commitments that couldn’t be postponed, such as Aunt Yang Mei, whose job required urgent attention even on rest days.

The children hadn’t come either; they had been sent to school.

The fine drizzle continued, and since Jiang Grandpa was the oldest and couldn’t get wet, Jiang Zhishu drove him, along with Jiang Second Uncle and Second Aunt, while the rest of the family took the bus.

When they arrived, the rain hadn’t stopped, though it had lightened a bit.

Cen Zhengnian held a large black umbrella over Chu Xia as they walked to the cemetery with everyone else.

Jiang Uncle led the way with a more solemn expression than usual.

Everyone’s demeanor was heavy; even the usually lively Jiang Zhida was dressed in a formal black Zhongshan suit, lacking his usual playful demeanor.

Babaoshan Cemetery is the final resting place for many people, and today, it wasn’t just the Jiang family who were there to pay their respects.

Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, people only nodded to each other without engaging in conversation.

Jiang Grandpa and Jiang Zhishu had already arrived.

Jiang Zhishu was clearing the weeds around the grave, while Jiang Grandpa sat in front of the grave, tossing gold ingots into the fire pit and speaking to the gravestone.

Jiang Second Uncle stood nearby, handing paper money to Jiang Grandpa with red-rimmed eyes.

Second Aunt stood beside him, staring blankly at the inscription on the gravestone, seemingly lost in thought.

Around the gravestone were several pots of blooming flowers, including chrysanthemums, gardenias, forsythias, and lilacs.

Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian approached and placed the flowers they had brought in front of the gravestone.

Chu Xia had prepared these flowers herself.

Since there were no flower shops open, they had bought yellow and white chrysanthemums from a market selling potted plants.

She had wrapped them in newspaper and colorful cloth, adding some small flowers and leaves.

The bouquet looked very pretty.

Seeing the bouquet prepared by Chu Xia, Cen Zhengnian seemed to recall something and smiled slightly. “Grandma will surely like these. She loved flowers.”

Jiang Grandpa’s fondness for plants was something Jiang Grandma had instilled in him.

To Cen Zhengnian, Jiang Grandma was a person of refined taste, and Chu Xia pictured an elegant elder in her mind.

Others started burning incense and arranging offerings.

Cen Zhengnian quietly took a small broom from the basket and began sweeping around the gravestone.

After everyone had finished their offerings and Jiang Grandpa had said his words to Jiang Grandma, Cen Zhengnian knelt in front of her grave, and Chu Xia knelt beside him.

“Grandma, I brought Chu Xia to see you.”

Chu Xia said, “Grandma, I’m your granddaughter-in-law Chu Xia. I’m sorry we’re visiting you so late.”

She solemnly offered incense and continued, “You have a great-grandson, but he had to go to pay respects to the martyrs today and couldn’t come to see you. I’ll bring him next time.”

After a brief and respectful offering, Chu Xia held the umbrella and stood to the side, shielding Cen Zhengnian from the rain.

Cen Zhengnian, already quiet by nature, remained kneeling, gazing at the name engraved on the gravestone with a look of longing.

He then lowered his head and burned paper money and other paper-made items that Jiang Grandma liked in life.

The rain continued, casting a watery, gloomy veil over the entire cemetery, as if the heavens themselves were mourning the family’s sorrow.

Chu Xia looked at Cen Zhengnian, noticing that the rain had wet the stone slab in front of the grave and dampened his trousers. He didn’t seem to mind, focusing intently on the offerings.

When he had finished, he stood up and looked at the gravestone. “Grandma, we’ll come to see you again in the future.”

Chu Xia, surprised by his swift departure, asked, “We’re leaving already? Have you said everything you wanted to Grandma?”

“Mm.” Cen Zhengnian looked at Chu Xia’s knees, noticing a wet patch from the rain-soaked stone slab.

“I spoke to Grandma in my heart. She can hear me.”

Cen Zhengnian crouched down and wiped the wet spot with a handkerchief. “Are you cold?”

Chu Xia glanced at Jiang Grandma’s gravestone, her face slightly reddening.

She quickly reached out to pull him up. “This is Grandma’s grave. What are you doing?”

Cen Zhengnian looked up with a smile. “Grandma would be happier seeing how well we get along.”

He complied with Chu Xia’s wishes and stood up.

Since the handkerchief couldn’t completely dry the spot, they needed to go home and change clothes.

After they had finished at the grave, Jiang Grandpa, feeling a bit worn out, asked the younger family members to return home, except for Jiang Zhishu, who would drive him back.

The rest of them didn’t need to visit him again.

Cen Zhengnian and Chu Xia took the bus home. On the bus, Chu Xia looked out at the drizzling rain with a heavy heart.

She missed her grandfather but couldn’t visit him openly.

Thinking she was just tired, Cen Zhengnian suggested, “Rest for a while.”

Chu Xia nodded, leaning on his shoulder while continuing to gaze out, her mood still low.

When they got home, Cen Zhengnian urged Chu Xia to change clothes quickly and went to the kitchen himself.

After Chu Xia changed, Cen Zhengnian went to change his clothes, and she played with the puppies in the living room.

Huang Zi and Hei Zi still didn’t have their own dog beds and had been sleeping in a box in the living room.

Chu Xia played with them using a small ball, thinking about making them a proper bed.

But she wasn’t sure how to make one and considered asking a carpenter for help.

As she pondered this, Cen Zhengnian came in with two bowls of ginger tea.

She smelled the rich ginger aroma before he even arrived.

Looking up with a smile, Chu Xia said, “I wondered why you went to the kitchen. It’s not mealtime; you were making this.”

Cen Zhengnian placed the bowl on the table and turned to Chuxia, speaking gently, “Drink it while it’s still hot.”

Chuxia went to wash her hands, then approached and leaned over the bowl to sniff it.

Teasingly, she looked at Cen Zhengnian. “This ginger flavor is quite strong. How much ginger did you put in?”

Cen Zhengnian, sipping the ginger tea, was not embarrassed by her jest. Smiling, he replied calmly, “Ginger keeps you warm.”

He glanced at Chuxia’s knee. “Your pants got wet earlier. Drink more.”

In Cen Zhengnian’s eyes, Chuxia was delicate and fragile, prone to illness from even the slightest wind or rain, and needed careful protection.

Chuxia picked up the bowl and took a sip of the ginger tea.

The spicy ginger flavor overwhelmed the sweetness of the brown sugar, making it hard to taste.

She finished the tea and said, “I guess you’ve used up all our ginger.”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “It’s effective.”

Despite the strong taste, Chuxia drank the entire bowl.

The spiciness lingered in her mouth, but the warmth from the tea spread through her body, unlike when she returned from outside with cold hands and feet.

Although she wasn’t extremely warm, she felt better.

Chuxia mentioned the dog houses for Huangzi and Heizi. “The two puppies are growing up and can’t stay in that cardboard box anymore.”

Cen Zhengnian looked at the diminishing rain outside. “I’ll be back at the unit tomorrow. I have time to handle it today.”

He stood up, intending to step into the rain directly, but Chuxia stopped him. “Your clothes will get wet again! Take an umbrella.”

Cen Zhengnian went out with an umbrella. He returned shortly, and Chuxia didn’t ask what he was doing; she could guess it was about the dog houses.

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Martyrs’ Cemetery

Students from Experimental Primary School came to pay respects at the Martyrs’ Cemetery today.

Some students held umbrellas, others wore raincoats, and they formed lines led by their teachers into the cemetery.

Along the way, the teachers led them in singing revolutionary songs.

Although Cen Huai’an hadn’t learned these songs, he had heard them frequently on the textile factory’s loudspeakers.

At first, he didn’t want to sing, but gradually, he was influenced by his classmates and joined in.

Afterwards, Cen Huai’an regretted singing loudly.

His throat was dry and sore.

Fortunately, he had brought a small water bottle; otherwise, he would have been very thirsty.

As a preschooler, Cen Huai’an didn’t understand much and had no special tasks.

He simply followed the older students, doing whatever they did.

At the cemetery, the teacher organized the students, telling those with umbrellas to put them away and those in raincoats to display the white paper flowers on their chests.

They were then instructed to walk in with their heads held high and serious expressions.

They began with laying wreaths, one class at a time, at each martyr’s grave, followed by a moment of silence.

After the silence, the teacher told the students stories about the martyrs.

Older students could endure standing for a long time, but younger ones struggled to stay still, with some wanting to move.

“An’an, my legs hurt. I can’t stand anymore.”

Kong Yilin whispered to Cen Huai’an, who had been standing still for a long time.

He had been enduring, but now he couldn’t anymore.

Cen Huai’an wasn’t tired because he had been specially escorted by Teacher Fang on a bicycle due to his foot injury.

He quietly supported Kong Yilin with his arm.

Soon, Cen Huai’an heard another student crying quietly.

He couldn’t see who was crying because all he could see were other students’ heads.

When the teacher finished the stories, Cen Huai’an realized it was one of his classmates, even shorter than Kong Yilin, who had wet his pants.

Teacher Fang was both anxious and angry. “Why didn’t you tell me you needed to go?”

The short student wiped his tears and stammered, “I… I was scared.”

Teacher Fang quickly asked the students if anyone else needed to go to the restroom. Many hands went up.

Cen Huai’an raised his hand as well.

They were then taken in groups to the grassy area outside the cemetery. The teacher turned her back and told them to hurry.

Cen Huai’an had urinated outside before, but never with others around.

He closed his eyes, tried to ignore his classmates, and used the makeshift “restroom.”

Kong Yilin told Cen Huai’an, “I wanted to go earlier too, but I was too scared to tell the teacher.”

He was no longer afraid of wetting his pants.

On the way back, nothing else happened, but Cen Huai’an felt the rain sliding down his face and into his collar.

After the cemetery visit, everyone went home.

Teacher Fang brought Cen Huai’an to his doorstep, where Cen Zhengnian opened the door.

“Dad!”

Seeing Cen Zhengnian, Cen Huai’an immediately pulled away from Teacher Fang’s hand and looked at his father, waiting for him to come and get him.

Cen Zhengnian, seeing his son’s eager expression, walked over, lifted him under the eaves, and turned to thank Teacher Fang.

It was the first time Teacher Fang had met Cen Zhengnian.

She hadn’t expected him to be such a young and impressive person.

But then she thought, Cen Huai’an’s mother was also very capable and beautiful, so it was natural for her to marry someone like this.

Smiling, she waved her hand. “It was on my way, and I’m An’an’s homeroom teacher. It’s what I should do. An’an, goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Teacher.”

Teacher Fang nodded to Cen Zhengnian and left. Although she remained calm outwardly, once home, she excitedly called her mother.

“Mom, you wouldn’t believe it. I met Chuxia’s husband today. He’s so good-looking. No wonder An’an is such a good-looking child.”

Fang Mama showed no surprise and said, “I’ve already seen it. Forget about how someone looks. Your aunt mentioned a young man to me. You should meet him.”

Teacher Fang instantly displayed a headache expression. “Mom, can you not interfere in my matters? I don’t want to get married so soon.”

Fang Mama replied, “How old are you now…”

The two began to argue again about this issue.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Chu Xia and her family were enjoying a harmonious lunch, with Jiang Zhida also stopping by to deliver wood scraps and bricks.

It was at this moment that Chu Xia learned what Cen Zhengnian had been up to earlier in the day. He had asked Jiang Zhida to find materials for building a doghouse.

When Cen Huai’an heard that his father and cousin were making a doghouse, he immediately wanted to get involved. Unfortunately, he had to go to school in the afternoon and couldn’t participate.