Chapter 1: The Silence of Mourning

Chapter 1: The Silence of Mourning

The white pennant stands tall and straight, the eaves adorned with spirit flowers.

In Xuanzhou, Anhui, the third branch of the Chen family quietly conducts a funeral.

Quietly, "quiet" in the few people, "quietly" in the lack of bold announcement.

Naturally, there were few people.

Most of the Chen family had gone to the front courtyard to mourn—the only elder of the first branch who held an official post in the government had also passed away.

"He Xiaoniang couldn't even die at a convenient time!"

In the outer corridor of the third branch's rear courtyard, the old woman pinched a handful of pumpkin seeds she had taken from the front courtyard, cracking them as she chattered on, "The elder took his last breath the night before, He Xiaoniang closed her eyes yesterday, and the oak coffin that Mr. Chen had prepared early in the morning wasn't used at all..."

The old woman pursed her lips, gesturing towards the southeast corner, "She was forcefully restrained by the Third Madam, saying that burying a concubine with more pomp than a man who served in the court would be something only a fool would do!"

The old woman spoke with animated expressions.

Under the clear glow, several long arcs of water mist shot out in all directions.

Xianjin He, standing behind the arched pillar of the outer corridor, silently turned her face away, avoiding this indiscriminate physical attack.

"If you say so, if He Xiaoniang had died at a different time, wouldn't she have been buried with great pomp?"

"More than just a grand burial! I heard that Mr. Chen even engraved his own name on the tombstone, planning to be buried together with He Xiaoniang after a hundred years!"

The twin maidservants under the corridor also cracked their melon seeds in agreement, "It has to be Mama Zhang! She knows everything!"

The old woman was flattered, feeling comfortable all over, as if she had opened a floodgate of words, "Let me tell you, in that coffin, the Hetian jade in He Xiaoniang's hand is worth this much!"

She held up a palm.

"Five taels of silver?" the girl guessed.

The old woman slapped the girl's head, "Ignorant! Fifty taels! Mr. Chen's monthly expenses!"

"Wow! He Xiaoniang really had good fortune!"

Would you want this early death's fortune?

Xianjin He gently turned her head, moving the box in her hands, the four dishes inside clinking together with a crisp sound.

The old woman turned her head, seeing Xianjin He, her hand holding the melon seeds paused, then smoothly put on a smile, "Poor Jin'er, go see your mother quickly!"

After thinking for a moment, she added, "It's just right that Mr. Chen is also there, take advantage of the fact that he's grieving to settle your own affairs!"

Mama Zhang looked around again, seeing no one, and said, "Some things don't wait—those four maids serving you asked me to find them other jobs early in the morning!"

Xianjin He tidied up the box, looking down, and when she raised her head, her face wore a proper expression of grief and respect, "Thank you for caring about me, Mama Zhang."

With that, she lifted the box and walked away without looking back.

A mourning maiden is most charming, the white hemp gauze, the small white flowers, the red nose from crying, the slightly swollen eyes, plus the slender and weak figure worn out from months of tending to illness.

Mama Zhang looked at Xianjin He's back, squinting her eyes, her gaze murky, "You can't blame her, Jin'er is more enchanting than her mother."

Mama Zhang muttered these words, which the little maid didn't hear clearly, puzzled by an "ah".

Mama Zhang came back to her senses and shook her head with a smile, "I mean, your Sister Xianjin might have even better fortune."

Being married off to any family by the Third Madam, becoming a more fortunate concubine.

That's all she could do.

What can a woman do?

Especially this Xianjin He, neither master nor servant.

She's not even as good as they are.

They may be servants, but they are properly married, with formal engagements, and if they get angry, they can scold the head of the household.

Can these concubines dare to do that?

Xianjin He carried the box into the mourning hall and immediately saw Mr. Chen of the third branch, kneeling listlessly in front of the coffin.

"You should get up and sit down."

Xianjin He calmly opened the box, taking out four dishes of pastries in turn and placing them on the square table, "You've been kneeling for two days, haven't eaten or slept, the Madam is worried about you, she specifically asked me to take some pastries from her courtyard."

When Mr. Chen heard this, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot with anger, "Why did she ask you to do anything! Ainiang is dead! Dead! What does she want to do now!"

Mr. Chen's face was flushed red, he pushed himself up with his hands on his knees, and swept the plates off the table!

"Tell her to stop meddling in the affairs of the Yi Garden!"

"Ping-pong-ping-ping" the plates hit the ground, they didn't break, but the pastries were smashed to pieces, definitely not edible anymore.

What a pity.

Xianjin He remembered what the Third Madam had said—

"The elder in the front is being mourned, who in the entire household dares not to go?"

"Is he the only one who is a romantic? Is he the only one who is a Liang Shanbo?"

"Your mother's death wasn't something that happened overnight, she had been sick for a year or two, everyone was prepared."

"If you're a good child and truly grieve for Third Master, ask him to change his clothes, wash his face, and hurry to the front courtyard to kneel and weep for his prematurely deceased elder brother!"

He Xianjin takes another look at Mr. Chen, whose eyes are bloodshot.

His voice is strong, his spirit unbroken.

He can still cry.

He Xianjin evaluates the situation in her heart and casually hands a small stool to Mr. Chen behind him, "Third Madam had no intention of doing anything, nor did she do anything to me."

"Please sit down."

The young girl's expression is calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, only her red nose betrays her sorrow over her mother's death.

If he is in pain, Xianjin feels it even more deeply.

He lost a woman, but Xianjin lost her mother.

In this world, now only he and Xianjin genuinely mourn.

Mr. Chen pouts, tears welling up in his eyes, and he collapses onto the stool He Xianjin prepared for him.

"Your mother... she's dead..."

He Xianjin nods, "When Mother died, I was by her side."

"She'll never come back..."

He Xianjin nods, "Every Qingming Festival, you can burn incense for her. If you miss her, you can visit her grave and talk to her."

"I can never hold her hand again..."

He Xianjin nods, "When someone dies, the worlds of the living and the dead are separated. They rest in peace, and we should not disturb their tranquility."

Mr. Chen hesitates, then suddenly breaks into loud sobs, "But I miss her! I miss her so much! No one truly believes I'm alright anymore!"

The longing for the departed is always hard to dissipate easily.

Deep love leads to intense longing.

When time has passed long enough for you to think you've forgotten her, forgotten the sorrow her passing brought you, suddenly appearing flowers she loved, foods she enjoyed, books she often read, will pierce your chest like a sharp sword once again.

This is what makes your heart ache.

He Xianjin waits for Mr. Chen to gradually calm down.

As the incense before the coffin burns out, the wailing in the mourning hall finally begins to fade.

"Compared to seeing you in unbearable pain, Mother might prefer to see you live a good life."

He Xianjin speaks softly.

"To see you eat well, sleep soundly, able to weep for her, but only for three days. After three days, pack away Mother's belongings. If you wish, preserve them well; if not, bury them in the earth to accompany her in the next life."

"To see you with no worries about food or clothing, with joys and loves to rely on."

"To see you lead a carefree life, unbound by hardships."

"Even to see you surrounded by children, with adorable grandchildren at your feet, enjoying the bliss of family."

Mr. Chen cries until his eyes are squeezed shut, "Did your mother tell you all this?"

He Xianjin purses her lips and nods gently.

These were not instructions He Xiaoniang gave her.

They were her final wishes to those closest and dearest to her, by her bedside as she lay dying.