sbdcsierra Chapter 438 Body Perishes, Soul Returns Home
Chapter 438 Body Perishes, Soul Returns Home
Spring plowing is in full swing, a busy time for farmers.
Gao Mengli was very busy in the Shenji Camp, so Lin Xi took over her responsibilities and went to other prefectures to cultivate rice seedlings and help farmers complete spring plowing.
They also brought high-yield methods for rice and winter wheat to one prefecture after another.
At night, Gao Mengli tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
"Xixi..."
She called out and peered down from the edge of the bed.
However, apart from the neatly folded bedding, there was nothing else on the lower bunk.
Gao Mengli sighed softly, sat up, put on her clothes, got out of bed, and opened the window.
The moon outside the window was round and big, but the moonlight was a little cold.
As she gazed at the moonlight, lost in thought, she suddenly heard a faint, tinkling sound coming from afar.
"Ring, ring..."
Its sound is clear and chilling, clearly not an ordinary street instrument.
The bell rang slowly and steadily, accompanied by faint footsteps, gradually approaching on the night breeze.
At that moment, the sound of a metal plate being struck—a sound usually reserved for important events—rang out from the village's watchtower.
As the sound of the metal plate rang out, the once peaceful Wangyue Village lit up one by one.
Everyone quickly put on their clothes and ran out.
"What's going on? Why is the metal plate on the watchtower rattling?"
"Let's go, let's go to the village entrance and see what's going on."
The village of Wangyue was bustling with activity in the night, with footsteps and inquiries rising and falling.
"mother!"
Da Niu also heard the noise and ran out of the house with Zhou Miao.
"Wait for me, I'll go with you to take a look."
Upon seeing the two of them, Gao Mengli quickly closed the window and came out of the house.
The three of them ran hurriedly towards the village entrance.
The closer you get to the village entrance, the clearer the "ding-a-ling" sound becomes.
At that moment, something was drifting freely in the dark night sky.
Gao Mengli reached out and grabbed a bill. She took it closer and examined it by the moonlight; it turned out to be ghost money.
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
The area ahead was bustling with noise, yet there was an oppressive silence. She strode forward and saw a scene she never wanted to see.
At the village entrance stood a line of corpse-driving teams from Xiangzhou Prefecture, and the "ding-ling" sound came from the soul-guiding spirits in their hands.
Behind them stood a densely packed, stiff "person".
As Gao Mengli saw the corpse driver hand the memorial tablet to the villager, the soul-guiding bell in his hand rang, and two people "stiffly" stepped out from the procession.
The two men were wearing faded gray military uniforms, with wet mud and dark red bloodstains on their shoulders.
With a stiff posture, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and moved step by step toward the crowd.
The corpse driver spoke in a low voice: "Li Erdan and Wang Shuanzhu died in battle on the border of Xiangzhou Prefecture and their souls have returned to their hometown, Wangyue Village. They have come to return home."
As soon as the words were spoken, four hunched figures suddenly rushed out from the crowd.
It was their family members who rushed forward and grabbed their child's cold hand tightly, their cries instantly shattering the silence of the night.
"My son! My son!"
Their hands trembled as they stroked the child's sunken cheeks.
That was the child they had doted on since childhood, but now his eyes were closed, a yellow talisman was pasted on his forehead, and he was no longer as lively as he used to be.
The group choked up, unable to utter complete words, only repeating over and over, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
The corpse driver remained expressionless and handed over three more wooden plaques.
The soul-summoning bell rang again, and three more corpses in military uniforms slowly walked out.
"These three were outlaws who said they were orphans in life, and that Wangyue Village was their home. After they died, they wanted to return to their hometown and be buried in Wangyue."
Gao Mengli quickly stepped forward, extending her trembling hands to take the wooden plaque.
Her fingertips trembled, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
They have no parents, yet they regard Wangyue Village as their final resting place; this sentiment truly touches the heart.
Although the villagers were grieving, they were all moved by the scene.
Several older uncles stepped forward and said in deep voices, "Good children, since you have taken Wangyue Village as your home, you are sons of our village. We will make sure you are laid to rest in peace!"
With red eyes, someone brought a clean white cloth and carefully draped it over the shoulders of the corpses, brushing away the mud and dust from their military uniforms.
The corpse driver nodded to Gao Mengli and turned to leave.
Gao Mengli quickly took out a silver pouch and handed it over.
To their surprise, the corpse driver gently pushed them back.
"My lord, there's no need for that."
The corpse driver's voice remained low as his gaze swept over the stiff, uniformed corpses.
His tone became unusually solemn: "These young men are all loyal souls who have served the country. Protecting them to return home is a virtuous act. How can we accept this money?"
He raised his hand and shook the soul-guiding bell again. With a tinkling sound, the remaining corpses all stepped forward, and none of them looked at anything else, only heading towards their hometown.
The corpse driver continued, "They guard their homeland and territory. I'm sending them back to their roots, without taking a single penny. This is my way of showing respect for their loyalty."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen led the villagers in bowing respectfully, saying, "Sir, your kindness is truly admirable!"
"Wangyue Village is deeply grateful for your great kindness. If you ever pass through this place in the future, the entire village will surely welcome you with open arms!"
The corpse driver nodded slightly, saying nothing more.
His long blue cloth robe fluttered in the night wind as he led the group toward other villages, the sound of bells fading into the distance.
After the corpse-driver left, the villagers immediately went home to retrieve the planks and timber.
They needed to prepare coffins for the three orphaned outlaws.
The women then boiled hot water and carefully wiped the bloodstains off their bodies.
Several elderly people went from house to house searching for cloth, piecing together fabric from hundreds of households to make shrouds.
They kept saying, "Good children, we've wronged you."
Gao Mengli held the three wooden plaques and solemnly invited them into the village's ancestral hall.
When the heroes return, they should worship them for all eternity.
Zhao Chen arranged the manpower, his eyes red as he gave instructions: "Choose a sunny slope for the burial site, the best place for these loyal souls."
In the future, on Qingming Festival, Double Ninth Festival, the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the whole village will come to pay their respects, so that they will never become wandering ghosts.
The moonlight shone on the busy figures of the crowd, and the crying gradually subsided, replaced by a heavy solemnity.
By the time everyone finished their work, it was already broad daylight.
Gao Mengli led the villagers to bring stone tables and benches and place them in the open space in front of the grave.
Behind him followed women and children carrying incense, candles, rice wine, and vegetarian food; they had all come spontaneously.
"Heroes, from this day forward, Wangyue Village will be your root, and from now on, incense will burn continuously throughout the four seasons and eight festivals."
She led the way in bowing in worship, and the villagers followed closely behind.
At breakfast time, the villagers unanimously carried hot porridge and dry food towards the cemetery.
Some people added new soil to the graves, while others wiped the dust off the wooden tombstones. Several skillful women even scraped together cloth to make plain-colored banners, which they then placed in front of each grave.
A gust of wind blows, and the banners flutter lightly, adding to the solemnity.
Gao Mengli looked up at the banners, her heart heavy.
This is just the beginning...
She whispered to Zhao Chen beside her, "Go and have someone erect a monument at the entrance of the village to commemorate this merit."
The heroes who return in the future will all have their names engraved so that their descendants can recognize them.
Let our descendants never forget who sheltered them from the storms of life so that they could enjoy a peaceful and stable existence.
Zhao Chen's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded emphatically, "Yes, Your Excellency."