Lian’er slowly put down her brother’s body, turned around, and kowtowed to everyone: “All kind-hearted uncles and aunties, please help me bury my mother and brother. I will repay you by working as a cow or a horse in my next life.”

Gu Zhang sighed: “Girl, please get up and stop kneeling. We should help each other.”

He turned around and shouted: “Dalang, Erlang, help carry people.”

“Xiao Fei, go get the shovel from home.”

Gu Fei quickly ran to the inn, took the shovel from the mule carriage, and ran back. Gu Zhang hurriedly took it.

Gu Qing and Gu Erlang carried the woman, and Lian’er carried her brother on her back. The group turned the corner and arrived outside the town.

Gu Zhang found a flat piece of land and asked Gu Sanlang to dig a hole.

Gu Sanlang dug for a while, sweating profusely, and then Gu Erlang continued digging.

In a short time, a pit was dug one meter deep and as wide as one person.

Gu Erlang and Gu Sanlang put the woman down. Gu Fei took out the tattered cotton jacket from the woman’s bag and covered her face, and Lian’er put her brother next to her mother.

She took the other tattered cotton-padded jacket left in the bag and covered it with her brother, staring blankly at the two people lying together in the pit.

Gu Erlang went up with the shovel, shoveled the soil, and sprinkled it.

The soil on the ground was getting more and more less. Gradually, people could only see the piece of clothing, and then nothing could be seen.

A few people built a grave together, and Gu Zhang found a wooden board and planned to insert it into it.

Gu Fei suddenly said: “Dad, I have a knife here.”

She took out a dagger. Gu Zhang nodded, took it, and asked Lian’er, “What are your mother and brother’s names? At least make a monument. Maybe you can find them later.”

Lian’er shook her head numbly: “I don’t know, I just know that my mother’s surname is Zhang, my grandma calls her Erya, and my aunt calls her Erjie.”

“My brother’s name is Liu Song.”

Gu Fei felt pity in her heart. In this era, women were a kind of existence without names. They can be called whatever they want.

Gu Zhang took the dagger and reluctantly carved a few words on the wooden board, the tomb of Zhang’s second sister Liu Song.

Gu Zhang inserted the wooden plank in front of the grave, and Lian’er knelt and kowtowed several times.

Aunt Liu pulled her up and said, “Girl, let’s go. It’s not a bad thing to leave this world, so as not to suffer anymore. They are going to enjoy the blessings.”

Lian’er was pulled by Aunt Liu in a daze, and the group of people circled back to the inn.

As soon as they entered the backyard, Mrs. Qian pointed at Lian’er and screamed: “You damn girl, where have you been? You just ran away while I was cooking. Do you think I won’t beat you to death?”

Gu Zhang shouted sharply: “Sister-in-law, please calm down!”

“Lian’er’s mother and brother are gone, so we have to collect their bodies!”

Mrs. Qian was startled for a moment and then stopped talking.

Lian’er walked over numbly, mechanically picked up the firewood, and stuffed it into the stove hole.

The backyard was quiet, and everyone looked sympathetically at the thin girl squatting in front of the stove to light the fire.

*

After having breakfast and filling the tanks with water, everyone drove the mules out and put them in harnesses.

At this time, the black-clothed guards from the inn came out. Those who led the horses led the horses, and those who harnessed the carts were in good order. After a while, they were all sorted.

The beautiful middle-aged woman came out of the inn and was helped by several maidservants into the carriage. The young man also came out, changed into a light blue brocade robe, with a black jade hairpin on his head, and got into another green carriage.

Their carriage moved slowly.

The young man suddenly opened the curtain and took a look at the girl wearing a blue floral jacket and skirt.

Gu Fei looked over accidentally and met the young man’s eyes.

The clear and cold gaze was like a mountain stream, clear and clear.