"You want to buy insurance for so many of us? You are spending money indiscriminately! Why did you buy that thing? With that money, you can buy more gifts for your grandma, aunt, and uncle during the Chinese New Year. They will definitely be happier.
Yes, you kid!"
Ge Xiaozhu expressed doubts and objections.
Insurance is too unfamiliar to her.
Ever since she was a child, she had never heard of anyone around her buying one.
Comrade Xu smiled bitterly.
I had no choice but to patiently analyze and explain to her, and by the way, give her an example of Ge Zhiping's stomach cancer.
Ge Xiaozhu was shocked when he heard this.
"Zhiping got stomach cancer? When did it happen? I didn't even hear about it..."
Of course she hadn't heard of it. She now lives in the county town and basically doesn't go back to Xujia Village. No one from Xujia Village comes here to look for her. How could she know what happened in the village?
These days, she doesn’t have a circle of friends to keep her posted.
Ge Zhiping's example had some effect on her.
Xu Tongdao answered her many questions before she nodded and agreed to him buying insurance for them elders.
Seeing that she agreed, Comrade Xu was happy and mentioned another thing.
He persuaded his mother to go with him to the city hospital for a full-body check-up in the near future.
Before going home today, he had already thought about giving his mother a full-body check-up every year. He had no intention of convincing his grandmother, aunt, and uncle to go together.
It's not a matter of money, it's mainly because older people are stubborn and generally don't like going to the hospital. He has to convince so many elders, which makes his scalp numb just thinking about it.
In comparison, it would definitely be much easier to convince the mother alone.
No, it took him more than an hour to convince his mother Ge Xiaozhu alone. During this period, his sister Ge Yuzhu also helped with his mother's ideological work, and finally he reluctantly got his mother to agree to go to the market with him in two days.
Go to the hospital for a checkup.
Even though she had no choice but to agree, she still said that he was spending money indiscriminately and would not be able to live well.
Fortunately...two days later, he took his mother to the city hospital for a physical examination and the result was fine.
My blood pressure and blood sugar are a bit high, and the other problems are just minor problems. I just need to pay more attention to taking care of myself.
"I'll just tell you that you spend your money randomly! How about it? You'll feel better after wasting your money, right?"
When he came out of the hospital, his mother, Ge Xiaozhu, took the opportunity to teach Comrade Xu how to behave again.
What else could Tongdao Xu say?
I can only smile with her and don't argue with her.
For him, it is necessary to give his mother a full body check-up every year, which can at least give him peace of mind.
No serious disease was found, which is naturally the best result.
…
Time flies, day and night are gone.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed, and it is mid-December.
It was around 9 o'clock in the evening on December 17th.
Comrade Xu was reading a book on the balcony chair when he suddenly received a call from Ge Xiaoyu.
"Xiaodao...my dad is gone..."
As soon as the phone call came through, Ge Xiaoyu's choking voice reached Xu Tongdao's ears, which made Xu Tongdao's heart sink. Although when Ge Zhiping was discharged from the hospital, he expected that this day would come soon.
But when he heard the news of Ge Zhiping's death, he still felt heavy in his heart.
Ge Zhiping, who was still in his prime and in his forties, just passed away.
Some things cannot be dwelled on.
It's scary to think about it.
Who can guarantee that he will always be the lucky one? That he will not be diagnosed with any terminal disease early in his life?
Once you think too much, you may lose your passion for life, pursuit of career, etc.
It's easy to fall into a depressed mood.
"Do you need my help?"
After being silent for a while, Comrade Xu broke the silence and asked.
Ge Xiaoyu: "No, there are people in the village who have already come to help. Some of my relatives will also come to help. You are so busy, so there is no need."
Comrade Xu was silent for a moment, and then asked: "When will he be buried? I will come back when I have time to see it off for your father."
Ge Xiaoyu: "This, this hasn't been decided yet, and I don't know yet. I may not know until my mother and others discuss it."
Comrade Xu said, "Now that the burial time has been decided, please remember to send me a text message to tell me, by the way, does your family have the money for the funeral? If you have any difficulties, please tell me."
During the more than a month when her father was ill and hospitalized for chemotherapy, he and Ge Xiaoyu came into contact more often, and some of the previous barriers and prejudices between them were eliminated.
They should be considered friends with each other.
Moreover, they had grown up together, and she was the girl he had a crush on when he was young, so Comrade Xu would not hesitate to help if he could.
Ge Xiaoyu: "Thank you, Xiaodao, but I don't think it's necessary. My family had some savings before, and you borrowed all the expenses for my father's illness and hospitalization. The family's savings have not been touched. If you really need help, I will
I will talk to you, anyway, thank you."
Xu Tongdao: "Don't be so polite to me."
After a pause, he said two more words: "My condolences!"
…
Two days later, in the afternoon.
When Xu Tongdao took the car back to Shazhou County, the driver was still Xi Dongyang.
The day Ge Zhiping was buried, Ge Xiaoyu had already sent him a text message yesterday to tell him that it was tomorrow.
According to their burial rules, the funeral and burial must take place at dawn. After burying the deceased, everyone comes back to have breakfast.
Therefore, since Comrade Xu planned to attend the funeral and burial, he had to go back one day in advance, otherwise he would be late.
You can't let Ge Xiaoyu delay her father's burial just to wait for him to catch up, right?
On the afternoon of the day he returned to Shazhou, Comrade Xu asked Xi Dongyang to drive directly to Ge Xiaoyu's house in Xujia Village.
Dressed in black, accompanied by Xi Dongyang, he walked into the mourning hall of Ge Xiaoyu's family under the different looks of the villagers, old and young.
The mourning hall was built in the main room of her home.
A pergola was set up outside the door, and inside the door was decorated as a mourning hall according to local customs. There were Taoist priests singing something that no one could understand.
There are various traditional musical instruments, and the players perform sad music.
"The trail is back?"
"Is this the eldest son of the Weixi family?"
"Where is Xiaozhu? Why is her son back but not her?"
"Is Xiaodao's family related to Xiaoyu's family? Why is he here?"
…
The young and old who participated and watched saw Comrade Xu coming over, whispering to each other, looking at Comrade Xu with surprise, suspicion... and other emotions.
Comrade Xu turned a deaf ear. Wearing a black suit and a white shirt, he walked into the mourning hall solemnly. Xi Dongyang, who followed him in, handed a package of space bags prepared in advance to the recipient according to local customs. This gift
, a mark will be affixed and hung above the mourning hall.
Above the mourning hall, many space quilts, blankets, etc. have been hung.
Xu Tongdao looked at the memorial tablets and the portrait of Ge Zhiping on the table of the Eight Immortals. He sighed softly, knelt down on the futon on the ground according to the rules, took a stick of incense handed to him by the person next to him, bowed, stood up and inserted it in front of the portrait.