I pulled the village chief back into the courtyard and asked him how to handle the local funeral in a dignified manner.

Grandma was still sitting on the doorstep.

"If you want it to be grand, you need to use Liu Zhou's cedar coffins and Qinzhou's silk shrouds and bedding. In terms of the process, it's definitely a three-day banquet. All the villagers who can come should come. On the day of the funeral, not only should we perform Nuo opera, but we should also invite a Lu sheng ensemble to perform Lu sheng dance. After the dance and performance are finished, we will bury him in the farthest mountains, as far as possible."

I remember, especially the last point.

One year when I came back for Qingming Festival, I followed the Luo family to worship our ancestors in the mountains, crossing mountains and wading through rivers. That's when I truly saw how far the people of Guangxi would choose their gravesites.

But this time, I didn't have as much time.

"I can only stay for two or three days before I have to go back to Beijing. So let's choose a gravesite near the house. After all, where he lived during his lifetime was already deep in the mountains."

"You can choose the best funeral supplies, but it has to be fast. It would be best if we can buy everything today. I think we should go to the county town to pick ready-made ones."

"As for the process, the banquet will be set up tomorrow at noon. We don't need everyone to come. You know the situation with my younger uncle and grandma. It's up to the villagers who are willing to come."

The goal is dignity, not grandeur.

Grandeur is what others see, dignity is what my younger uncle sees.

Given my younger uncle's life, it's too difficult for him to become grand after his death in the village.

"And the Nuo opera and Lu sheng dance, right? I think..."

Meow, meow, meow, meow.

Before I could finish, I was interrupted by a chorus of meows.

A group of cats came running down the mountain, about six or seven of them, jostling each other as they gathered in front of Grandma.

Finally, she came to life from her motionless state as a stone statue, her eyes filled with love.

She patted this one and then that one, then stood up and entered the nearby dark and low kitchen.

Before long, she brought out a basin of rice with vegetable soup, and the cats gathered around.

"Grandma, I'm Tianqing, Luo Xiangcai's son."

I called out to her, looking at her face, but there was no recognition.

I should have seen her before, but I no longer recognized her. I suppose she felt the same way.

She just glanced at me, didn't say anything, and turned back into the kitchen.

When she came out again, she was holding two bowls of yellow corn porridge, which she handed to the two of us.

Looking at my watch, I realized it was already twelve noon.

The village chief said he wasn't hungry and smiled, "Sister-in-law, I'm not hungry, how can you feed people food worse than cats!"

As someone who had been driving for a long time, I was actually famished. I took the bowl and put it in my mouth, but immediately spat it out.

It was scalding hot, as if it had just been scooped out of the pot.

"Woman, the Japanese water they filled you with is still no good to this day!

"Tianqing, come with me to have a meal, and let's discuss the details of the funeral. I'll also show you what our Miao people's hospitality is like!"

The village chief pulled me down the mountain.