Rebirth: The Comeback of the Girl-Chapter 748 - 747: Being a Child

"What are you doing here! The Zhen Family does not welcome you! Take your bastard child and get out!"

Third Aunt Zhen saw that Mrs. Zhen had actually brought a child, and immediately shouted angrily with her eyebrows inverted!

Upon hearing her shouting, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu both stopped in their tracks.

Previously, they had been solely focused on rushing back for the mourning, and truly, both had forgotten about this part...

Right at this moment, upon reflection, it indeed seemed somewhat improper for Mrs. Zhen to bring her young son to her former husband’s home at this particular time.

Therefore, after turning around, Zhen Yu directly persuaded, "Why don’t you take him to a friend’s house to sit for a while! You can come over on the day of the funeral."

Initially, Mrs. Zhen hadn’t planned, nor wanted, to enter and pay respects to Zhen Halong with the child!

Because even if the Zhen Family people didn’t mind, she was worried that the mourning hall scene would frighten her little son!

Thus, her reason for following now was entirely to give the condolence money as early as possible.

However, now it turned out to be a mess, as soon as she entered the yard, she had faced scolding from Third Son Zhen!

Mrs. Zhen was furious! But the Zhen Family was handling a funeral! It wasn’t appropriate for her to make a scene with her former younger sister-in-law at this critical juncture...

Hence, she could only forcefully swallow her anger!

Even so! She still pulled out a stack of hundred-dollar bills, which she had prepared early on, from her pocket and forcefully stuffed them into the hands of Zhen Yu, who was standing close to her!

"Help Mom with the condolence money! I’m heading to Grandpa Fu’s place now! Let me know in advance when the date is decided!"

"Okay! Then you go ahead!" Zhen Yu hastily agreed without any objection.

However, Third Aunt Zhen was about to scold her again!

"You damn stop this,"

Zhen Yu turned her head swiftly upon hearing that and glared fiercely at her!

That glare, sharp as a knife, frightened Third Aunt Zhen so much that she immediately fell silent.

After unnaturally pursing her lips, she lowered her head.

Still, she couldn’t help but mutter a few words, "Pah! If it weren’t for big brother’s sake..."

—

After Mrs. Zhen left, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu hurriedly entered the mourning hall to kowtow and bow to their deceased father.

Meanwhile, Han Youliang, after offering incense and bowing, hurriedly left to look for the elderly man who often handled ceremonial matters.

After finishing their bows, and kneeling a little longer inside the mourning hall, the bewildered siblings then stood up one after another.

No sooner had they just stepped out the door than they were swiftly confronted by Second Aunt Zhen, who had been waiting outside, and she swiftly tied mourning bands on them!

Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu let her do as she pleased with crossed arms, but after she finished tying, she pushed them back into the mourning hall!

While pushing, she loudly instructed, "You two stay here and keep watch over your father! Remember to burn the paper money! And, when the guests who come to express condolences arrive, remember to return their gestures; these are all duties you should perform as children."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu exchanged glances, then resignedly both knelt down again towards the head of Zhen Halong.

So, for the entire afternoon that followed, the two of them kept burning paper money in the muddy basin, and they also had to continuously greet waves of people coming at intervals to offer condolences.

It wasn’t until Han Youliang returned with the chief mourner he had invited, and after discussing the arrangements before and after the funeral with the five Aunt Zhens, that he re-entered the mourning hall to pay respects to his good brother, before thinking of finding a place to grab something to eat.

—

Upon entering, he was startled at first!

"You two! Have you been kneeling here all afternoon?! Did you eat lunch?"

Zhen Yan kept his head down without a word, but Zhen Yu straightforwardly said: "No."

Hearing this, Han Youliang’s eyebrows nearly twisted into a "chuan" character, and he was truly annoyed!

Although he had long known that none of Zhen Halong’s sisters were reliable!

However, he had not expected that they would torture and mistreat the children to such an extent!

This, this is simply not taking these two alive seriously at all!!!

It’s now bitterly cold winter days! In the northeast, during this freezing winter, making children kneel for half the day in a warehouse without heating, and only providing a worn thin mat under their knees... such cruelty is indeed the worst from a woman’s heart!

"Get up! Apologize to your father! Then, Uncle will take you two to eat dinner! Tonight, we need to keep vigil."

Although it wasn’t the siblings’ first time attending a funeral, neither Zhen Yan nor Zhen Yu had yet fully understood the old generation’s funeral customs, or knew about the intricacies involved.

Thus, they just followed Aunt Zhen’s arrangements obediently.

Since Uncle Han had now said they could temporarily leave, Zhen Yan agreed and stood up.

—

The hall was bustling, so the cold wind outside kept gusting in! Although Zhen Yan was dressed warmly, he still felt his nose a bit stuffed.

So, he simply uttered a "Oh!" as a response to Mr. Han.

Seeing her brother’s actions, Zhen Yu also tried to stand up in the same manner, but as she pushed herself up with one hand, she suddenly fell back onto the mat!

"Little sister! Are you alright?!" Zhen Yan hurriedly took two steps forward, vigorously supporting Zhen Yu’s arm.

Han Youliang also rushed forward with concern, asking, "Xiao Yu, how are you doing? Did your legs go numb from kneeling?"

"Yes!" Zhen Yu first nodded to Mr. Han and then called out to her brother, "Brother, pull me up first! I’ll feel better after moving my legs a bit!"

Zhen Yan obediently helped his sister up, but he didn’t let her go immediately; instead, he first supported his sister in giving their deceased father a deep bow! Then, following Mr. Han, they walked out of the mourning hall.

As they exited the hall, Mr. Han sighed, "Ah! As children, fulfilling filial duties of caring for and sending off a parent is your rightful responsibility! Strictly speaking, this afternoon wasn’t the official ceremony; you, ah! Never mind!"

With a mentality of ’less is more’, Mr. Han eventually concealed the fact that ’kneeling wasn’t necessary this afternoon’.

And then he added, "However, we do need to keep vigil tonight! After dinner, I’ll discuss with your aunts whether everyone will take turns or how..."

"No need! I’ll just keep the vigil myself! Who else if not the son! But after dinner, I need to find a place for my sister to stay!" Zhen Yan suddenly interrupted what Mr. Han was about to say next.

Zhen Yu hadn’t even had the chance to object! Mr. Han, without even pondering, directly nodded in agreement.