There used to be a cemetery in my hometown village. Because my father died, my parents sent him to the "mountain" ten miles away from home according to local customs and the "will" of Taoist priests. Although it is called "mountain", it is actually a hill.
I am the eldest son of a man. When my father died, I was still young, as if I was the one who "made a mistake". I remember three years after my grandfather died, my father and I went to visit the grave together. After the New Year's Eve, my father and I will walk back and forth for more than ten kilometers to visit my father's grave, saying that we will give him some money and take the old man home for the New Year. In my hometown, this is an important ceremony during the Spring Festival. Three years later, on New Year's Eve and Lantern Festival, I will send "lanterns" to my dead relatives to express my grief for them.
Later, due to going to school, taking part in work, and writing Spring Festival couplets and posting couplets on New Year's Eve to prepare for the "Year of the League Festival", I seldom went to visit my father's grave with my father, and this task fell on the shoulders of my third brother.
My father is 80 years old this year. For many years, he has insisted on visiting my father's mother-in-law's grave twice a year. One is New Year's Eve, the other is Tomb-Sweeping Day, and the thunder cannot move.
My father has been tired all his life and his health is not as good as before. In order to show my respect to my father, my father wanted to buy an electric tricycle the year before last. When discussing with my sister, my sister resolutely opposed it, but my father insisted on buying it. When my sister couldn't persuade her, she called me and asked me to persuade my father.
In fact, it is not reluctant to spend money not to buy an electric car for my father. I am mainly afraid that my father will have an accident because of driving. Because my father is old, his ears are a little "closed" and his left leg has been "numb", and repeated medication has not improved. Please have a look at the famous Chinese medicine practitioners in the county. Chinese medicine told me privately that it is impossible to recover after taking some medicine. What if there is an accident?
One weekend, I went back to my hometown and had lunch with my parents to discuss buying a tricycle with my father. Father said, I don't want to ride anywhere, mainly because it's too difficult to go to the grave. Father says I'm in poor health now. I sweat when I move. When I sweat, I catch a cold. I can't walk or ride a bike.
My father's words made me feel very uncomfortable and helpless! When Tomb-Sweeping Day came home this time, his father said that his left leg and knee also hurt. I said to check the county seat, and he said to wait a few days, even if it was the weather. Alas, in fact, I am afraid of spending money!
"Well, I'll buy a car. If you want to go anywhere and need to buy anything, I will come back at the weekend to deliver and prepare for you. " In this way, I raised money to buy a compact family car, of course, not all to see my parents off. But for me, buying a car was of little use at that time, and the funds were under pressure. In addition, the daughter who works in Wuhan also has a car.
After I came into the room and put down the fish and snacks, my mother took out the paper money and flowers I bought for my father. On the first day, I called my mother and told her that I would come back to visit my parents' graves the next day, fearing that my parents would try to go by themselves. Sure enough, my mother told me not to go home. She took someone else's car to Nanshan in the afternoon. No, my mother still walked to the cemetery three miles away in the afternoon to arrange flowers and burn paper money for her mother-in-law.
Because it rained a few days ago, the road was not easy to walk, so I had to park my car about two kilometers away from my grandfather's grave and get off and walk with my father. About a third of the way, I saw that my father was struggling to walk, so I asked him to wait in the car and walk alone on the muddy path that was "destroyed" by the walking tractor.
My father readily agreed to my proposal. From this point of view, my father's health is really failing. Otherwise, he will be in front of his grandfather's grave at hand. How could he give up halfway?
Along the way, the mood became very dignified. The golden rape blossoms on both sides of the road exude a faint fragrance, the spring breeze gently blows my cheeks, and the spring day shines on me warmly, but I have no intention to appreciate the beauty of nature and indulge in the infinite spring.
Dad's grave lies quietly at the foot of the mountain, where a tombstone stands alone. Fortunately, the tomb is surrounded by unfinished rape flowers and green wheat. I think dad sleeps here, although lonely, but also very quiet. According to my father, my father died of "eating disorder" in his fifties. There seemed to be no such thing as esophageal cancer at that time. Later, I thought it must be esophageal cancer. When he died, his father couldn't even swallow water, and he was skinny.
I stood in front of the grave and choked up and said, "I'm your great-grandson. I came to see you on behalf of my sister, brother and sister." Then I simply cleaned some hay branches on my father's grave, inserted red, yellow and white flowers, and lit money paper in front of the grave. Actually, I don't approve of burning paper, but if my parents want to do so, I have to follow their wishes.
Looking at the drifting fire and the curling smoke, I made three deep bows to my grandfather's tombstone.
Paying homage to relatives is actually educating future generations; Be careful to pursue the distance, but be kind to the living! On the way back, I silently prayed for the health of my parents!