Chapter 373 Chen He's Picture
In the next two days, everyone in the village was busy preparing for the burial of Ma Dao.
He Shu basically stayed in the bamboo house, and occasionally walked around the village with Panda or his uncle.
Everything was calm, but He Shu had a feeling that this village seemed to attach great importance to Ma Dao's funeral.
Normally, Ma Dao left the village when he was in his teens. Considering the living standards in this village, he did not give back to his relatives after he became rich.
Then why do these people still care so much and make it so grand?
When the chosen day arrived, even Qi Zhijun, He Shu and Panda changed into Lisu ethnic costumes and followed the team to their burial place.
Sabre's ashes were placed in a small coffin, which seemed to be the size for a child.
Looking at the coffin, He Shu had a feeling that what was buried in the coffin was the saber he used before leaving his hometown.
Before the funeral, an old man was chanting sutras in front of Ma Dao's ashes. He Shu heard others calling him "Bi Ba", which roughly means priest.
As for the Lisu funerals, He Shu had specifically looked up the customs when he was learning the Lisu language.
But the funeral of Ma Dao at this time was somewhat different from what was recorded in the historical records.
Several tribesmen carried the coffin in front and behind, and the blind old woman followed. With the help of young men they climbed over a hill step by step.
The mountain road was very steep, but the people carrying the coffin walked steadily. Even the old lady with the saber did not fall behind. However, He Shu was already out of breath.
Panda supported He Shu and followed behind the old lady, and Qi Zhijun followed behind them.
Listening to He Shu's heavy breathing and the clothes on his back gradually soaked with sweat, his face looked very ugly.
Ever since Ma Anqi performed some hypnosis on He Shu, he always had nightmares at night.
Although everything is normal during the day, how can one be energetic ?
Qi Zhijun decided to wait until he returned to Dadu and then find another psychologist for He Shu to see, as he did not trust Ma Anqi.
The panda didn't know what was going on, but as they lived in the same bamboo house at night, he was awakened by the noise of He Shu's dreams more than once.
He even asked Qi Zhijun privately whether He Shu had encountered something that frightened him to death.
Should we wait until we get out of the mountain to find a spirit lady to take a look? Qi Zhijun almost laughed out of anger.
You are a special operations soldier, why do you believe in a spirit girl? Why not just give you a magic trick?
Everyone had their own thoughts along the way, except He Shu, who was too tired to have the energy to think about anything else.
Finally, we arrived at the burial place of the clan for generations, located on the hillside behind the village.
The people here don't build tombs or erect tombstones. They bury Ma Dao's coffin in a chosen place, burying only half of it and pressing the exposed half with stones.
Make it into the shape of a small stone pestle, and then erect a bamboo pole next to it.
The old lady with Ma Dao hung some wooden bowls, wooden barrels, hatchets and other daily necessities on bamboo poles, and the tribesmen who were attending the funeral came forward one by one and recited some incomprehensible words.
Although He Shu and the others came along, they did not participate and just watched quietly from the side.
Before leaving, the old woman with the saber fell on the stone pestle, whimpering, and two young men from the tribe helped her up.
He Shu was the last to leave. He looked at the small pile of stones, which was the final resting place of the saber.
He looked around and saw mountains and lush forests surrounding him. Looking up, he could see the blue sky.
This place is really well chosen, quiet and comfortable.
At this moment, He Shu suddenly had a deeper understanding of the traditions of the Lisu people: born from nature, return to nature...
After returning to the village, He Shu found the old lady. Because communication was a little difficult, he asked the boy who had been with the old lady to help translate.
"Grandma, I promised Saber that I would take care of your life."
After the young man translated, He Shu continued, "But I can't stay here forever, so are you willing to go to Dadu with me?"
He Shu had already made up his mind. When he arrived in Dadu, he would find a better nursing home for his grandmother that was close by so he could visit her often.
This is how we fulfill our promise to the saber.
After listening to the boy's translation, the old lady just shook her head and said something.
He Shu looked at the boy, and the boy said, "Grandma said she won't leave here."
Then, the old lady took off a necklace from her neck. It was made of small stones with holes drilled in them and strung together .
The shapes of the small stones are very unique, and I don’t know how long it will take to search for all the small stones with natural shapes.
Because of years of wearing, each small stone has been polished very smooth.
The old lady put the necklace on He Shu's head, and the boy beside her explained, "This is Tianxin Stone, a natural hollow stone. It took several generations to put together this string. The old lady wants to give the necklace to you."
As he spoke, the boy pulled out a necklace from his arms. His necklace only had six small stones, while the one the old lady gave him had 18.
He Shu quickly refused after hearing this: "This is too precious, I can't take it, and grandma has already given me a pair of bracelets."
The young man talked to the old lady for a few words, and let He Shu accept it: "The old lady said that you need this. The bracelet will protect your soul, and this necklace can keep your heart pure and unpolluted. You must always wear these two things."
The old lady stretched out her hand to stop He Shu from taking off the necklace. She pressed the necklace against He Shu's heart with her palm, and her sunken blind eyes looked towards He Shu's heart, as if she was really looking at him.
The lips, which were also sunken due to the lack of teeth, moved slightly and uttered strange syllables.
He Shu didn't dare to move. After the old lady finished reading, the young man next to her said that the old lady had bestowed the blessing of the god of nature on He Shu.
He Shu didn't understand these, but he felt awe instinctively.
But what he wanted to do was not to receive blessings or necklaces. He had promised Ma Dao that he would take care of his grandmother.
So He Shu continued to persuade her: "Grandma, I promised Ma Dao...Shu Long that I would take good care of you. This is my promise to him."
"If you don't want to go to the distant capital with me, then I can take you to another city? The medical conditions there are better, and I can find someone to take care of your food and daily life?"
Without the old lady's refusal, the boy replied directly: "We will take care of your daily life . Our tribe can only live in the embrace of nature. Grandma will not go to the city with you."
He Shu sighed, not knowing what to do.
However, Ma Dao should have thought of this, right? He Shu would not stay here, so why did he do this?
The old lady said a few words to the boy, and the way he looked at He Shu changed, as if he was not very willing.
But he still listened to the old lady and took out an envelope made of thick kraft paper from his arms.
"This is for you."
"Who gave it to me?"
The young man said, "A month before you came here, a man in blue cloth came over and said he was a friend of the tree dragon."
"This letter should be given to the person who will collect Shulong's body, send him back to his hometown, and support Grandma in the future."
A month ago? He Shu curiously took the envelope and tore it open in front of the old lady and the boy.
There were only two pieces of paper inside. After reading one of them, He Shu was stunned for a long while.
This is a picture, with mountains, rivers, and a woman's limbs and organs, which is very similar to the one that Brother Zhao Yan drew for him.
He Shu immediately understood that this was the one drawn by Chen He himself, and he didn't know how it was sent outside.
But Chen He had died a long time ago, so who was the person who delivered the letter?
