CHAPTER 1299: CHAPTER 663: MATTERS BEFORE AND AFTER DEATH

The first watch, asking for pink.

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When Lian Shouxin entered the room from outside, Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Lady Zhang couldn’t help but take stock of his expression. Seeing no change on Lian Shouxin’s face, the three seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I heard from Manman, you sent the board there. What did the old lady say? Anyone else at the old house say anything?" Lady Zhang had Lian Shouxin sit on the kang, and then asked with concern.

"The Old Master told them all, the board was bought by me, and the money for the coffin was also covered by me. The old lady said nothing, and the others had even less to say." Lian Shouxin replied.

"Why is everyone so quiet this time?" Lady Zhang remarked softly.

Lian Manman was also somewhat surprised. Whenever Lian Shouxin sent Old Master Lian back, nearly everyone at the old house, facing Lian Shouxin alone, would be unrestrained in expressing their true emotions. But this time, no one picked faults, not even Lady Zhou, which was indeed unusual.

Could it be that those in the old house finally changed their ways? Did Lady Zhou finally find no value in wounding others with words?

No, no, certainly not.

Lian Manman had a change of thought and understood the situation clearly.

This attitude of the old house people was still rooted in the Great Ming Dynasty people’s special regard for death and matters after death. Crafting a good coffin for Old Master Lian was more meaningful than giving him silver many times its value or other possessions. For an ordinary farmer, spending over ten taels of silver just on the coffin boards was unimaginable extravagance and honor.

Moreover, the board was personally selected by Old Master Lian, no one could criticize it, and no one dared to, not even Lady Zhou.

Perhaps today’s actions by their family carried more weight than any past deeds they performed, including enduring humiliation before the family split, and their patience, filial piety, offerings, and cleaning up messes after the division. At least in the eyes of Old Master Lian and those in the old house. Certainly, many others may think the same.

This is the power of culture and customs, whether reasonable or not.

Meanwhile, Lian Shouxin noticed the fabric placed on the kang.

"Is this prepared for Old Master?" Lian Shouxin asked Lady Zhang.

"Yes." Lady Zhang nodded, "These few pieces of fabric are for making burial clothes, I’ll send them over to the old house later. As for the bedding for wrapping, I plan to use other cloth and cotton to make them myself here."

"You really think things through." Lian Shouxin smiled at Lady Zhang, his face slightly flushed with genuine gratitude.

Lady Zhou’s habit, or rather her set rule, was that each person’s husband and children are taken care of individually. For years, the clothes, shoes, and bedding of Old Master Lian were all sewn by Lady Zhou herself. Similarly, for her own and everything for Lian Xiuxiu before she married, she did it all herself.

Lady Zhou prided herself on her sewing skills, which carried a sense of superiority that looked down on others. Though she let her daughters-in-law be filial, she didn’t allow them to make anything for herself through sewing. Even now, everything on the bodies of Old Master Lian and herself was her handiwork. In her view, this was her pride, her domain of power, with no one else allowed to intrude.

Lady Zhang’s awareness of Lady Zhou’s temperament led her not to take the initiative to arrange for making the burial clothes for Old Master Lian. She let Lady Zhou handle the personal clothing, while the bedding was her bit of filial piety as a daughter-in-law.

"Dad, now that the board is bought, when will the coffin be made?" Wu Lang asked Lian Shouxin.

"Soon." Lian Shouxin replied almost without thinking, "I reckon the Old Master means it too."

Not only at Thirty Mile Camp, not only within farm families, but all Great Ming Dynasty people hold this idea—to prepare in advance, and to personally see things like their coffins and burial clothes, quilts ahead of time. Many farm women, even when perfectly healthy, would sew those burial clothes for themselves.

Of course, those who would do this typically regarded themselves to be celebrating a lucky death, having lived to a considerably advanced age and dying of natural causes.

After discussing a few more things, Wu Lang and Lian Shouxin stood up, stating that they were going to find a suitable carpenter.

"Isn’t his third uncle suitable?" Lady Zhang asked.

"Third uncle makes a living from this skill; I know he’s taken a lot of jobs these days. The Old Master is a bit anxious, so we better not ask him." Wu Lang replied.