CHAPTER 284: CHAPTER 281: UNBELIEVABLY SMOOTH PROCEEDINGS

Xiao Chong raised an eyebrow when he heard that Lin Wanwan was going to live in her own residence: "Is the courtyard over there finished? Such a large house, and you haven’t bought many servants, right? With you moving in now, the house is big and has few people, it might not be appropriate."

Lin Wanwan shrugged and said, "I’m not afraid."

Seeing Lin Wanwan’s persistence, Xiao Chong said, "Well then, I’ll send a guard to watch over you at night."

Lin Wanwan thought this was a good idea. Though it might be a misuse of resources, this is the Great Tang, after all, so she put aside her pretense and thanked him immediately.

The new residence was still quite empty. Furniture and the like had not been moved in yet. There were only a few beds left by the former owner, and the bedding was carried over from Xiao Chong’s County Government.

Xiao Chong himself naturally didn’t worry about these things, but he had many attendants, and the steward woman had arranged everything properly.

After putting little Qingyu to sleep, Lin Wanwan traveled through time back to the present.

In the present, she had something very important to do — the burial of her parents’ remains was scheduled for today.

As soon as she returned to the present, Lin Wanwan changed into a white cotton and linen dress and grabbed the cigarettes, alcohol, phone, and car keys she had prepared earlier, ready to set off.

At this time in the present, it was already two in the morning. With four hours of driving, she’d arrive in Mian City by six, just in time to handle things.

Although it was her first time driving on the highway, Lin Wanwan wasn’t nervous at all. She called a driver with more than three years of experience on a ride-hailing app to accompany her.

Courage-wise, Lin Wanwan was not lacking.

She waited by the roadside for a while, and then the hired driver arrived on a folding electric bike. It was a rare sight to see a woman in her thirties doing this job.

Someone doing ride-hailing at this hour, particularly a woman, probably had a tough life at home.

The two of them didn’t exchange pleasantries. After greeting each other, they got into the car.

"I’m an intern driver, and I need a licensed driver with over three years of experience to accompany me on the highway. Are you okay with that?" Lin Wanwan asked from the driver’s seat, fastening her seatbelt, as she turned to the hired driver in the passenger seat.

"I’m fine with that. Actually, it’s better if I drive on the highway for you, so you can rest in the car."

"No worries, I just want to practice. Don’t worry, I’ll drive very steadily."

The hired driver seemed a bit nervous but yielded for the money: "Alright, but if you feel tired, just find a service area midway and we can switch. Don’t push yourself."

"Sure, no problem."

Without further conversation, Lin Wanwan focused on driving.

Even though it was dark in the early morning, making visibility poor, the light traffic on the highway made it easier for a novice like Lin Wanwan to drive.

At first, the hired driver was worried that Lin Wanwan might get drowsy or tired, and tried to chat to keep her awake. But Lin Wanwan told her that talking would distract her, so the driver immediately stopped talking.

They smoothly reached the Mian City East highway exit, and they agreed to contact each other for the return journey before parting ways.

Lin Wanwan turned the car and drove toward Huiping Village.

Regarding the burial, Lin Wanwan had commissioned a Daoist from the local Daoist Temple to handle everything. She had been informed via WeChat about what needed to be prepared and what procedures to follow the day before.

Now, she was heading to Village Chief Wu’s house to ask him to open the cemetery gate.

Ideally, all blood relatives would be present at the ceremony, but Lin Wanwan didn’t want to notify the Gong family and Lin Zhantian. Everything should be kept simple.

It was just after six in the morning, but people in the countryside rise early, and every household was already bustling. It was just that the big stoves were no longer popular; otherwise, there would have been smoke curling from them.

As the car drove on the village road, the courtyard of Village Chief Wu’s house came into view. Lin Wanwan carefully drove onto the small concrete road by the river and turned into Village Chief Wu’s courtyard.

Village Chief Wu’s elderly mother was up early, feeding the sheep with fresh grass she had picked, and she curiously stood watching as a white car drove into their courtyard, muttering in dialect, "Who is this?"

After parking the car in the courtyard, Lin Wanwan reached over for the bottle of Maotai liquor from the passenger seat, opened the car door, and got out.

At this moment, Village Chief Wu’s wife, who was having breakfast in the small kitchen behind the house, heard the car and came out. She smiled when she saw Lin Wanwan with the bottle of liquor: "Oh, De Yan’s daughter, I guessed it was you. You haven’t had breakfast, right? Come on in, and let’s eat together."

Lin Wanwan quickly declined: "No, no, I’ve already eaten."

Saying this, she placed the two bottles of Maotai liquor by the wall.

Village Chief Wu’s wife saw this and quickly said politely, "Oh, there’s no need to bring things. Take them back and return the money. There’s no need to bring anything for such a small matter. You’re always so polite, just like your dad used to be."

After exchanging pleasantries with a smile, Lin Wanwan asked, "Where’s Village Chief Wu?"

"He’s already with the Daoist you invited, preparing at the cemetery site."

"Are they busy already? I’ll go too."

"Oh, De Yan’s daughter, at least have some breakfast before you go?"

"No, no, I really have eaten," Lin Wanwan said as she walked quickly to the north.

"Hey, take the liquor!" Village Chief Wu’s wife called after her.

"It’s inconvenient."

Lin Wanwan waved her hand and walked along the path by the fields until she could see the people at the cemetery from a distance.

There were two Daoists in robes, along with Village Chief Wu and some other people. Why did they seem like members of the Gong family?

Were they here to cause trouble?

Lin Wanwan’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected them to be so brazen; she thought they might have some scruples.

She was determined that if they really disrupted her parents’ burial ceremony, she would pay any price to ensure this family never knew peace!

If they did not let her parents rest peacefully in the afterlife, she would make sure they never found peace in this world!

As she walked forward with anger, she was met not with unreasonable accusations from old Gong, but rather a simple statement: "You’re here? Great, come on and start burning the yellow paper to warm the grave."

Lin Wanwan only had a partial understanding of these rules. She walked forward to look at everyone and noticed they were all dressed in white today. It didn’t seem like they were here to cause trouble, but rather... to escort the funeral?

Impossible, she just heard from Lawyer Tan that they had successfully been "evicted" from the house in Hai City. How were their faces now completely lacking hostility? It didn’t make sense!

But it wasn’t the time to concern herself with their thoughts. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, that was the best scenario — her parents’ rest wouldn’t be disturbed.

Under the direction of the Daoist, Lin Wanwan began to burn paper and then sprinkled the blessed soil she had prepared into the already-dug grave.

Following the two Daoists, Lin Wanwan led the procession, with members of the Gong family following in turn.

The Daoist rang bells as they proceeded, Lin Wanwan tossed paper, occasionally knelt and bowed. The entire burial process was lengthy and solemn. The Gong family members, from young to old, were extremely cooperative, and the ceremony was conducted perfectly.

Even after sealing the tomb, offering sacrifices, and completing the formal ceremony with four bows, Lin Wanwan still found it hard to believe.

The Gong family actually behaved and didn’t cause any trouble!