The Day
"If you keep brooding, i will get scared, hey... Hey!!!" Shan Yu said loudly right behind him.
Wu Liang was suddenly startled as if he woke up.
"ah y-yes?, what's wrong sister?" he asked in confusion.
Shan Yu was only astonished by her brother, while unconsciously scrunching up her left eye while pulling her left lip corner up as well.
Shan Yu could only shake his head at Wu Liang who was acting strange, then left Wu Liang alone on the terrace of her house, because the loneliness accompanied Wu Liang again, finally he returned to staring at the sky while enjoying the passing time.
From inside the house Shan Yu returned with a plate with a piece of warmed bear meat, the smell of the meat spread in all directions around Shan Yu, the warm steam was so tantalizing, "Here eat, are you hungry? Just eat, even if you are not hungry, it is not good to be alone and staring with flat face, just eat to fill your emptiness".
Wu Liang turned to his sister who was still holding the plate, responded with a slow but sure nod and accepted the plate of bear meat from his sister, because of that, Shan Yu came to sit beside Wu Liang, trying to understand her brother's current condition.
Seeing her brother who also ate slowly with almost no expression at all Shan Yu felt worried about her younger brother, how could her role and position as an older sister be so ignored she thought, but she realized that she should not be like that, instead as a good older sister she should be able to understand her brother and be able to help him solve the problems that came to Wu Liang.
"Come on..., just tell your brother, what's going on..." she said while shifting, glancing and raising her eyebrows at Wu Liang.
Wu Liang took one chew and then swallowed, "No big deal..."
"It's not a big deal but why do you look like you've lost your mind? You shouldn't hide anything from big brother, because we are family" she said with a smile seducing Wu Liang to smile too.
Wu Liang remained silent and continued to eat his food.
His sister could only surrender and exhale, she also tried to understand what her brother saw, the sky is it? Is it clouds? Is it blue color? Or something behind the veil of the mighty sky? Shan Yu thought, but whatever it was and all her efforts seemed to be in vain.
Shan Yu smiled faintly at Wu Liang who had almost eaten the entire piece of meat and left a pale white bone with some bits of dark red meat attached to it.
"Here, let i take it."
Leaving Wu Liang alone, Wu Liang once again remained silent without saying a word, while cleaning his teeth with a tongue that licked all corners of his teeth.
Not long after, Uncle Cang Wuan came passing in front of Wu Liang's house, behind him was also Uncle Cang Yan who was smiling ironically, as if to force the atmosphere and expression of his soul towards his current condition.
"Nephew Wu Liang, Good afternoon..."
Uncle Cang Yan just smiled at Wu Liang's slight expression when responding to the two, he smiled slightly while nodding his head slightly.
"Ah Uncle Cang Wuan right?, wait a minute!" Shan Yu shouted from inside the house.
Uncle Cang Wuan then silently responded to Shan Yu who looked hurried, he then came out with a basket of bread.
"For uncle, Huang Xie's aunt asked me to give it to uncle when uncle comes out."
His hand stretched out and accepted it, staring at the oblong basket of light brown bread.
"Thank you very much, Uncle will definitely return it later..."
"uh no need, I told you this was a gift from Aunt Huang Xie, so just thank her, not me" Shan Yu argued.
Uncle Cang Wuan and uncle Cang Yan just smiled as they signaled their thanks to Shan Yu behind them, he walked leisurely but very strong and sturdy as he carried uncle Cang Yan on his back.
Shan Yu glanced at his sister and he saw a glimmer of a change in expression, unconsciously Shan Yu smiled at him too.
***
"Thank you Cang Wuan, if it wasn't for you... Ahh I wouldn't know what my fate would be..."
"yeah, just relax here"
Uncle Cang Wuan just silently lamented, he then turned around after putting uncle Cang Yan on his bed, he went out of the house to get Cang Yan's small belongings in his old house, now uncle Cang Yan's house is officially empty without an owner, leaving only meaningless memories in it.
Uncle Cang Yan just stayed on his bed, he himself was now very confused about what to do, just turning his head he was afraid he would roll over and tilt, let alone scratch his stomach that itched from the wound there.
While enduring all the pain, suffering, and limitations of his current state, Uncle Cang Yan could only remain silent and lay down, not doing anything at all, he just tried to remember the words that were sung when he heard the singing of the other families when welcoming Wu Jin Fei.
~
On the way home, step back,
Wu Jin Fei, come here,
Our village longs, your gallant heart,
Come home, oh hero, to us all.
Wu Jin Fei, Wu Jin Fei,
Come home, oh our pride,
Here is love, here is brother,
Back, back, we celebrate this day.
Mountain breezes welcome, in a village full of laughter,
Under the blue sky, with us all,
Bring back hope, and new stories,
Today the village shines, because you came home.
Wu Jin Fei, Wu Jin Fei,
Come home, oh our pride,
Here is love, here is brother,
Back, back, we celebrate today.
We welcome thee, with open hearts,
Wu Jin Fei, Wu Jin Fei, welcome home family...
~
"its right, is it?" he muttered with a bitter laugh.
Happy but sad, healthy but sick, irony to him.
The tribe he had lived in all his life now acted as if he was an outsider who did not deserve the slightest to live, but what else could it be, rules are rules and customs are things that must be preserved, however and whatever happens, every ordinary person without authority can only follow words and orders based on the perspective of others above him.
Once again he felt the irony, his old age was nothing but pure just a miserable.
But in that silence he thought of his friend's younger sister, his other family, Hong Xiao, Cang Yan may indeed be unable to do anything now, but try to compare it with Hong Xiao who has been unable to do anything since childhood, just to stand up he has difficulty, "how can I think that I am equal to her, I am now even better than her, our differences are only time and place, but we both have something in common which is that we are both a disabled chair thrown over the edge", he thought, he knew firmly that it was a thing worth fighting for.
But then again, he didn't dare to go against the principles of his village.
Without contribution and inheritance, you are not a person of honor.
Even so he had also indirectly contributed so much for saving uncle Ge Wuan's life, on this side it was indeed very beneficial for him, being able to live under the care of others without paying a single penny, but on the side of his conscience, he didn't even dare to haughtily take all of uncle Cang Wuan's good deeds and think that it was the result of his good deeds.
Uncle Cang Wuan might be a coward, but that's how he learned that it's better to be a coward who can teach people.
In the silence of this quiet house, passing through the river of time that has unknowingly brought this day, making the afternoon that was originally full of joy change into an afternoon full of thoughts.
***
"Come on, come back quickly, Ge Wuan, ah I mean Cang Wuan will not be present today, this feels even more troublesome" said uncle Jin Hao as he put the cows into his barn, while the sheep had been put in earlier.
"Tch you guys... Arghhh" a cow suddenly broke through the herd of cows that were about to be brought in, but he suddenly got out of uncle Jin Hao's drive and hit uncle Jin Hao with his shoulder, which made him fall down without being able to respond in a few seconds later.
Uncle Jin Hao gritted his teeth in annoyance, "argghh you guys are really getting on my nerves!!!..." he said and took out a whip strap from the right side of his waist.
Tash, Tash...!!!
Uncle Jin Hao didn't expect that using this was so easy but also looked so scary, how could he use this 'weapon' to the animals that he had taken care of for tens of full moon, although these animals refused to get along with Uncle Jin Hao, but they were still animals that should be taken care of and nurtured properly.
Therefore, Uncle Jin Hao rolled up his whipping rope and put it away.
"If you don't want me to hit you, its better come in now" he shouted to the cows as he pointed and waved his hand, signaling them to come in.
I don't know how they immediately understood and followed Uncle Jin Hao's direction, maybe it was their natural instinct when they just got a new and more terrifying threat.
Even his every whip could send shivers down the cows' spines, perhaps this was the interpretation of the cows.
"Finally... Huftt... it doesn't happen to be too late, I'd better hurry back before night... Ahh I can't wait to hear more things from her hahahah" he muttered to himself after locking the door of the barn of the cows' sleeping house then went to the end of the side of the farm fence and locked it.
Walking leisurely on the path leading up to the village, while looking at the side of the farm, there was Lin Wen's uncle who was also alone but seemed to be struggling while arranging each pile of hay.
Therefore, uncle Jin Fei took the initiative to go back down this uphill path and approached uncle Lin Wen, together, they finished and tidied up the piles of dried straw and put them in a hut where uncle Lin Wen usually stored his harvest.