Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 867 - 864: The Wind Rises

Huang Lancai was very sad.

Ever since she was young, she grew up by Lady Huang’s side. Although they were grandmother and granddaughter, they were essentially like mother and daughter, which made Huang Lancai rely on Lady Huang for everything. She never had to worry about anything as Lady Huang would arrange everything for her.

Unlike other girls, she wasn’t rebellious, having a gentle and agreeable nature. Thus, she didn’t resent Lady Huang’s care and accepted it wholeheartedly.

Therefore, Lady Huang’s death made her feel as if she lost her backbone, leaving her at a loss, not knowing what to do.

The Li Clan’s funerals are quite complex. Although Huang Lancai had followed Lady Huang for many years and attended many funerals, knowing the process is one thing, doing it is another.

Fortunately, the village elders, upon hearing the news, came early in the morning with people to help, easing Huang Lancai’s burden.

As for Huang Lancai’s parents, they were not in Qiong Province, and their relationship with Lady Huang had always been strained.

The reasons were complex, but the fundamental issue lay in Lady Huang’s identity. Respectfully, they called her Lady Mother; disrespectfully, they called her an old witch.

The Huang Family bloodline is matrilineal, so even Huang Lancai’s father, Lady Huang’s biological son, did not inherit her ability to communicate with the ghost gods.

As an ordinary person, he naturally thought of Lady Huang as merely a charlatan.

He faced discrimination in school from a young age, so he harbored resentment toward Lady Huang. When Huang Lancai was born, she was "taken" by Lady Huang using her authority, naturally souring the relationship even further, with both sides almost severing contact.

With the village elders’ help, things went much smoother.

According to Li Clan customs, before the body is placed in the coffin, the deceased’s face, body, and hands should be washed, hair combed, and clothes changed.

When placing the body in the coffin, a grass mat or white paper is typically used as the base, followed by the body.

For someone of Lady Huang’s standing, the body should be wrapped in a white cloth soaked in rice wine, then covered with newly woven black Li textiles. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

In Li Village funerals, black represents the deepest respect for the deceased.

This entire process occurs in Lady Huang’s home. Once complete, the strong youths from the village will carry the coffin out of the house.

Traditionally, the coffin should be carried back to the village on the shoulders, but with societal changes, some customs have naturally evolved as well.

Now, the coffin is placed on a hearse, driven to the village entrance, and then carried into the village by the youths, saving much time and effort.

Before this, each household in the village had hung mourning curtains made of straw at their entrances. The curtains are adorned with red, white, and black ribbons. Red signifies the vibrant life the deceased led, white is for mourning, and black is the hope for the deceased to find peace among their ancestors.

At this time, Huang Lancai had a bit of free time, feeling both tired and hungry, extremely exhausted. Then, unable to hold back, she began to sob quietly.

"Here, wipe your tears."

At that moment, a small hand next to her handed over a tissue.

Huang Lancai, without thinking much, accepted it, wiped her tears, and thanked the giver, only to realize something was off.

"Dou Dou?" She turned back in surprise.

"Hey~"

Dou Dou grinned, giving a goofy smile at her.

Dou Dou knew Huang Lancai because she had previously "followed" Sister Xiao Yue, thus meeting Grandpa Liu and Lady Huang.

Grandpa Liu also recognized Dou Dou as the little girl who had once been engulfed in blue fire and breathed fire at him.

Having met them, she naturally also got to know Huang Lancai.

"Why are you here?" Huang Lancai asked in surprise.

"I followed you here." Dou Dou replied.

She then tilted her head curiously, asking, "Why are you crying?"

"Did your mom and dad hit you?"

A saddened Huang Lancai was somewhat amused by her.

She shook her head and said, "No, it’s because Granny passed away."

"Passed away?"

Fearing she might not understand, Huang Lancai explained, "It means she died."

"Why cry about death? Being dead must be so free and easy."

Dou Dou said as she swung her arms, taking a couple of steps in front of Huang Lancai.

Huang Lancai finally couldn’t hold back and broke into a smile.

Seeing this, Dou Dou let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, you finally smiled. When I died, my mom and dad cried a lot too, and I was very sad..."

Hearing this, Huang Lancai was dumbfounded. What does that mean? Were you just trying to cheer me up?

"Yes, I heard Granny passed away, so I came to comfort you." Dou Dou stood with arms akimbo, slightly proud.

"Thank you, I... I thought Mr. Shen sent you." Hearing this, Huang Lancai was very touched, pulling Dou Dou into her embrace.

"Haha, I heard Potato say Aunt asked him to check on you, to tell you not to be sad. Even though Granny is gone, she’s with Grandpa and she’s very happy..."

Hearing this, Huang Lancai felt slightly comforted.

At this moment, Dou Dou looked around.

"Where’s Granny? Where is she hiding?"

Huang Lancai: ...

Just then, someone called for Huang Lancai, saying there were guests and she needed to go greet them.

Huang Lancai quickly released Dou Dou and headed toward the door.

"Be good and wait here, don’t run around, I’ll come back to talk to you later." Huang Lancai instructed.

"Okay."

Dou Dou nodded obediently.

But as soon as Huang Lancai left, Dou Dou followed her.

She saw many people coming to greet Huang Lancai, including Taozi.

Though she didn’t know what they said, someone started crying, and Huang Lancai joined in, sobbing softly, then increasingly louder, her cries becoming more mournful.

The weeping seemed contagious. Dou Dou, as if affected, felt tears welling in her eyes, her lips quivering into a wavering line, struggling to hold back from crying.

She felt a bit homesick for Great Grandmother.

Thinking so, she transformed into a gust of Yin Wind, whisked off into the sky, heading toward Great Grandmother’s home.

When she arrived, Great Grandmother was sitting in the yard.

Dou Dou looked around but didn’t see Big Aunt, so she descended from the air.

Great Grandmother, sitting in the shade, felt a breeze and immediately asked, "Is that you, Dou Dou?"

Dou Dou revealed herself, happily saying, "Great Grandmother, how did you know it was me?"

"Because every time the wind blows, I ask." Great Grandmother chuckled warmly.

"Wow, Great Grandmother, you’re so clever."

Despite that, Dou Dou wasn’t disappointed and instead praised Great Grandmother’s intelligence.

Great Grandmother couldn’t help but laugh, quickly lowering her laughter to prevent the Big Aunt inside the house from hearing.

She then moved her chair, back facing the house, and embraced Dou Dou.

"Why did you think of coming to see Great Grandmother today?"

"Because I missed you." Dou Dou said sweetly.

"I missed our little Dou Dou too, let Great Grandmother take a good look at you..."

Great Grandmother held her little face, feeling like she couldn’t get enough of looking at her.

In reality, they’d only been apart for a few days, but it didn’t lessen their longing for each other.