Font Size:
After returning from Liushu Village, life finally quieted down. With the arrival of the Qingming Festival, every household prepared to visit the ancestral tombs. In Liang Dynasty, tomb sweeping was a tradition observed by all, regardless of age or gender. It wasn’t mandatory to go together, but usually, families did, to show unity even among those who were separated.
Su Zhi, having newly married into the Shen family, was attending the ancestral tomb visit for the first time. Because Shen Zi’an’s biological mother was buried there, Su Zhi regarded it with great importance, preparing early for the occasion.
She packed eight pastries, two small jars of wine, and two plates of dumplings as offerings. These were divided into two sets—one to be placed at Shen Zi’an’s mother’s tomb and the other to accompany Shen Youfu’s offerings.
“Siniang, how will you go back from Liushu Village? Do you need me to accompany you on the way back?”
Su Zhi and Liu Siniang sat together, cutting white paper into shapes of paper money, known as “spirit money,” to be burned as offerings for deceased loved ones. The more paper money burned, the wealthier the departed were believed to be in the afterlife, symbolizing filial piety from the living descendants. They had already amassed a pile of neatly folded paper money, arranged neatly beside them.
Su Zhi felt fortunate to have Liu Siniang by her side. While she had lived in the countryside before, she was inexperienced in this particular task. Without Liu Siniang’s help, she would have had to seek out Li Qing’s Wife and the others to learn.
Liu Siniang said, “You’ve been busy these days, no need to accompany me. I know you don’t want to go there anyway. Fortunately, some folks from our village are heading back, so I’ll just tag along with them.”
During this era, married women were expected to accompany their husbands’ families to sweep tombs in the morning. Visiting their natal families’ tombs was reserved for the afternoon, and they only paid respects to their parents or close relatives from the previous generation. For instance, they didn’t visit the graves of their paternal grandparents. Since Su Zhi’s parents were alive, she didn’t need to return to Liushu Village, and she was happy not to. However, Liu Siniang had lost both parents and needed to go back.
Su Zhi asked, “Is there anyone from our village who married into our village? Who is it?”
Liu Siniang replied, “It’s Wang Xiuyun, the wife of Liu who lives at the western end of the village. I’ll go with her.”
Su Zhi recalled Wang Xiuyun, a tall and sturdy woman, whose husband Liu Laoshi was noticeably shorter, making an impression with their height difference. She remembered Wang Xiuyun as cheerful and outgoing. True to his name, Liu Laoshi was honest and obedient to his wife. While not unpleasant, Su Zhi didn’t interact much with them due to the distance between their homes. Su Zhi usually visited the households near the riverside, and apart from visiting her in-laws, she rarely ventured to the western part of the village. She had hardly visited the old Shen residence, let alone met Wang Xiuyun often.
“In that case, you go with her and come back early,” Su Zhi said.
Su Zhi felt that Liu Siniang’s willingness to accompany Wang Xiuyun indicated that Wang Xiuyun was probably a decent person. So she let Liu Siniang go with her. After all, Liu Siniang needed her own space and life. While Su Zhi sympathized with Liu Siniang and considered her a friend, she couldn’t accompany her all the time. They both had their own lives.
Watching Liu Siniang carefully cut the paper money, Su Zhi thought it was time to let her and Brother Shitou get closer. She wanted Liu Siniang to live with them, but the situation was tricky. Since Liu Siniang moved in, Li Qing’s Wife and others had come to talk to her. Rumors started spreading, saying that Liu Siniang was living with the Shen family without being a relative or a servant—people couldn’t believe she was being supported for free.
Initially, rumors spread because Aunt Li said Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi were supporting Liu Siniang for Li Shi. Once people saw Liu Siniang separated from her husband, they believed it. To them, Liu Siniang, who had always endured hardships without complaint, now daring to initiate a divorce and leaving with nothing indicated she must have a plan. And that plan must involve Li Shitou. They thought that if Liu Siniang didn’t have a plan, she would be too scared to leave the Zhao family, even if she had to become a concubine there.
Later, things became even more bizarre. Some started saying that Shen Zi’an had taken a liking to Liu Siniang. They even suggested that Su Zhi was being kind to Liu Siniang because she wanted to bring her back home as a concubine.
Su Zhi’s face darkened upon hearing these rumors, wondering how these villagers could entertain such thoughts. She could easily guess that the source of these rumors was probably the Zhao family.
Considering how shameless Zhao Daliang was, openly remarrying and even boasting about throwing a lively wedding banquet, why couldn’t Liu Siniang remarry too? Since many villagers now speculated about Li Shitou’s involvement with Liu Siniang, why not let them marry? The current situation was such that even if they didn’t meet, they would still be slandered. It might be better for them to marry and claim they were forced together. Let the rumors circulate for a while longer, then they would fade away. If they didn’t act on this momentum, those people would be even happier. Even if the rumors eventually ceased, any encounter between Liu Siniang and Li Shitou in the streets would inevitably revive them. Then people might even accuse them of being guilty!
People were like that. Sometimes, rumors were like floods—they couldn’t be stopped, nor could they be ignored. They had to be diverted elsewhere.
“Liu Siniang, do you have feelings for Brother Shitou?” Su Zhi asked straightforwardly.
Su Zhi asked Liu Siniang directly, knowing that Liu Siniang and Li Shitou clearly had feelings for each other. They had heard Li Shitou express his willingness to marry Liu Siniang, but whether Liu Siniang was willing to marry Li Shitou remained uncertain.
Liu Siniang paused her hand cutting the paper and lowered her head even further. After a while, she said, “My reputation is tarnished. I don’t want to burden him. He could marry someone better.”
Upon hearing this, Su Zhi understood that Liu Siniang also desired marriage. She was just afraid of tarnishing Li Shitou’s reputation. This made things easier. Su Zhi shared her thoughts with Liu Siniang, implying that if they didn’t take advantage of this opportunity to be together, they might not get another chance.
“Think about it carefully. Brother Shitou has already said he’s willing to marry you. Your reputations are already linked because of these rumors. What are you afraid of? If you’re not afraid of divorce, why fear remarriage? Especially when it’s to someone you like? I know you have feelings for Brother Shitou. Wasn’t it you who made the red waistband for him?” Su Zhi reassured her.
“You… let me think about it some more,” Liu Siniang responded.
Upon hearing that Su Zhi knew about the waistband she made for Li Shitou, a hint of discomfort flashed across Liu Siniang’s face. She thought about Li Shitou, a good man who, despite his few words, always lent a helping hand when she was in distress. When she had given him the waistband, she hadn’t harbored any improper thoughts about Li Shitou. She had resigned herself to enduring a lifetime at the Zhao family. Making the waistband was simply a gesture of gratitude to ensure Li Shitou had a smooth year. She hadn’t expected him to be willing to marry her. Hearing this brought her joy.
“Then take your time to think it over. When you’re ready, you can get married. In this life, as long as you have a clear conscience before heaven and earth, you should live happily and contentedly,” Su Zhi encouraged.
Su Zhi didn’t pressure Liu Siniang further. She sensed that Liu Siniang wasn’t ready to make a decision yet, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed. Su Zhi decided to wait a few days and let Li Shitou personally approach Liu Siniang. They would surely come together eventually. Even if Liu Siniang lacked the courage, as long as Li Shitou had it, things would work out. Liu Siniang just needed to wait for better days ahead.
On Qingming Festival, the entire Riverside Village dressed modestly as they prepared to visit the graves. Wearing vibrant colors would be considered disrespectful to their ancestors.
There was a designated area for graves not too far from the village. On Qingming Day, many people could be seen heading in that direction in groups, carrying baskets filled with paper money and offerings.
Shen Zi’an, Su Zhi, and their three children went to the Shen family’s ancestral gravesite. Since the children were registered under Shen Zi’an’s household, bearing the Shen surname, they were considered part of the Shen family and thus needed to pay their respects. The family of five first visited the old Shen residence before proceeding together to the gravesite.
Upon arrival at the gravesite, they saw that many others had already arrived. White papers fluttered above many tombstones. Some people were clearing away the grass around the graves, others were arranging offerings, some knelt on the ground in tears, and others were burning paper offerings.
Su Zhi walked with one child holding each hand, while Shen Zi’an carried a basket and led little Xiaori ahead. She observed the scene around her with curiosity, seeing adults crying while some children, oblivious to the sadness, made faces or laughed behind their parents’ backs. Life and death, she thought, truly evoked mixed emotions. Having experienced death once already, Su Zhi wasn’t afraid, but she still felt somewhat uneasy.
Upon reaching the Shen family gravesite, the family first paid their respects to several graves alongside Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang shi. Then Shen Zi’an went to honor his mother’s grave.
Shen Youfu also visited his deceased wife’s grave, accompanied by Shen Zhang shi, their children, and grandchildren. After burning paper offerings and paying respects, Shen Zhang shi comfortingly patted Shen Zi’an’s hand before leaving with Shen Youfu and the others.
Su Zhi noticed that Shen Zhang shi, as Shen Youfu’s secondary wife, showed great respect to the deceased primary wife. Although she didn’t have to come to pay respects, nobody would have criticized her for not doing so. Yet, her caring demeanor towards Shen Zi’an was undeniable. Su Zhi couldn’t find any fault in her actions and realized that Shen Zhang shi was quite skilled. No wonder people in the village praised her so much. Despite her position, she behaved much better than those stepmothers who mistreated their stepchildren.
However, Su Zhi didn’t have time to dwell on Shen Zhang shi’s cunning nature. She and Shen Zi’an respectfully paid their respects to her mother-in-law and burned paper offerings. Listening to Shen Zi’an praise his mother, Su Zhi couldn’t help but wonder about her feelings towards this mother-in-law. She only felt pity for the woman; despite being able to conceive, she had given birth to a son only after her husband took a secondary wife, and then she passed away prematurely. However, Su Zhi felt grateful to this mother-in-law for arranging her marriage to Shen Zi’an, a good husband, after Zhao Xiaomei was initially chosen. She harbored a sense of gratitude towards her.
As Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi left with their children, they noticed a crowd gathered not far away at another gravesite, accompanied by surprised voices.