Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in hlnovel.com -> Prose -> Tears

272 The beauty of customs

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    ?

    ? When returning home from the fields, we still have to walk over the fire and drink tofu soup.  Although my wife and I did not "take off our filial piety on the spot", we still accompanied them until the end before returning.  Therefore, when we got home, all the relatives and friends had almost left.  Of course, these relatives and friends will never blame me for being rude.  Under normal circumstances, as the head of the family, when a group of relatives and friends leave, I should go out to see them off.  However, the situation was special at that time, so I think my relatives and friends will be able to give me some understanding and support.

    Back home, those relatives who were closer to the father who "dismissed their filial piety on the spot" will also go back to their respective homes.  However, before they go home, the promise made during the "jump pit" must be fulfilled first.  Therefore, after crossing the fire pit and drinking tofu soup, the eight people who carried the coffin gathered all those who "jumped the pit" together with me.

    "I know that each of you still has your own things to do, so I don't make it difficult for you to buy cigarettes. At the beginning, you all agreed to two cigarettes each, and the worst was Yuxi. As for  Zhonghua, Suyan (much more expensive than Yuxi) and so on. I don¡¯t care. One piece of Yuxi is 200 yuan, and two are 400 yuan. That¡¯s it, you can give me 400 yuan each.  " said the leader among the coffin bearers.

    My cousins, cousins ??and god-brothers heard the words and thought it made sense.  If they go to buy it themselves, it is impossible for a piece of Yuxi to be less than two hundred yuan, and it will take time and effort, so it is better to just give four hundred yuan directly.  So, after everyone looked at each other, they expressed no objection.

    After a group of cousins, cousins ??and god-brothers paid the fee for "jumping the pit", they left one after another.  Of course, my two cousins ??don't need to go home, because their home is just across the road from mine.  It was getting late then, so my cousins ??and godbrothers had to hurry.  Otherwise, they may not be able to return home before dark.

    I wanted to get up and give everyone a ride, but I was stopped by a group of coffin bearers.  I thought they still had something important for me to do, so I sat quietly aside.

    From the conversations of the people who carried the coffin, I heard that they were actually more willing to get cash.  Because, if the "Yuekeng" people really give them cigarettes, then they will also find a way to exchange these cigarettes into cash.  At that time, they will not only be a troublesome problem, because the exchange will also suffer some unnecessary economic losses.  Because when merchants recycle cigarettes, their prices are much lower than retail prices.  It is not difficult to see the wit of the people who carried the coffin. It is precisely because they put on a look of being completely considerate of others that the people who "jumped the pit" would gratefully offer cash.  For both payers and payers, "give cash" is definitely a "win-win", but the coffin bearer gets more benefits.  But under the sincere performance of the people who carried the coffin, it seemed that the people who "jumped into the pit" took advantage of it.

    After listening for a long time, I finally realized that these coffin bearers asked me to wait here, not because they had something to do, but because they wanted me to be a witness here, so as to prove that they did not  The selfish idea of ??swallowing the "Yuekeng" money just collected.

    They first reported the total amount of money they received, which was 2,400 yuan in total.  There are eight of them in total, and if it is all distributed to themselves, then each will get three hundred yuan.  Only, they didn't do it.  They first counted the number of people who helped with odd jobs at my house this time.  Mainly a few female comrades from the neighbors, helping to wash vegetables, wash dishes, serve dishes and so on.  They unanimously decided to give fifty dollars to each of those who helped.  If they don't pay this part of the money, then the labor costs of these helpers will be paid by the host family, that is, I will pay.  This piece cost them hundreds of dollars.

    Just when they were about to distribute the balance to themselves, the cousin who stood aside interjected: "Anyway, this 'under (coffin) material' (that is, the 'entrance' mentioned earlier, has  It is also called "encoffining" in the place where it is called) finally helped you. So, I think at least two people who helped "under the (coffin)" have to express it. Don't forget, one of them is so-and-so  Uncle (my nickname). People in our village don¡¯t care, but people from other villages, if they talk about the matter of ¡°helping to recruit talents but not getting any benefits¡±, this person will be embarrassed, and  What was lost was the face of our whole village."

    "Oh, it's not that I haven't thought about it, but this time the income is really less." After the leader sighed, he continued, "Okay, let's divide them fifty yuan each. This matter is really difficult.  , if you want points, you get full points. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t the people in our village also scold you! Oh, why do the people in your own village have no money for doing the same thing?¡±

    I saw that the faces of all the coffin-bearers were displeased.?There was a bit of heartache, but there was nothing they could do.  After all, what my cousin said was reasonable.

    After deducting the necessary expenses, the eight people who carried the coffin were less than 200 yuan each.  In the end, the leader, who claimed to be the organizer, took an extra 100 yuan, while the other seven received less than 200 yuan.  Of course, in addition to the income from the "jump pit", they can also get a pack of cigarettes from the owner's house.  It's just that this cigarette is not as expensive as Yuxi's.

    Thinking about it now, the custom of "jumping into the pit" was largely to save the host family a lot of expenses.  Originally, when a loved one passed away, the head of the family was already devastated.  But in addition to the grief, the head of the family has to make arrangements for the funeral of the deceased relatives.  No matter in the past or now, the expenses of this funeral are not a small fee.  Therefore, the plot of "selling one's body to bury one's father" often appears in some film and television works.

    When a loved one passes away, the person in charge of the family not only has to bear a huge mental blow, but also bears a heavy financial burden.  People's hearts are fleshy, who can not have sympathy.  Therefore, a gimmick of "jumping the pit" was created.  In this way, on the one hand, it can alleviate the sad atmosphere, and on the other hand, it can also give the host family a certain amount of financial support, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.  What's more, the "Yuekeng" are all the descendants who had the closest relationship with the deceased besides the filial son. It is reasonable to pay some filial money for one's uncle (aunt) or uncle (aunt) or uncle (aunt).  From an emotional point of view, the person who "jumped into the pit" had no reason to refuse at all.

    There is a saying that "existence is reasonable", which is not false at all.  From the little custom of "jumping the pit", it is not difficult for us to see the "humanity" and "wisdom" contained in Chinese culture.  Therefore, we must not underestimate the various customs and habits around us.  It is no exaggeration to say that all of these are the most precious wealth of our Chinese nation.  (Remember the site URL: www.hlnovel.com
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report