light, short, scattered

Chapter 24 "Safe Life and Death" Part Two

(twelve)
In the conference room on the second floor.

This is usually where my father invites key members to hold annual meetings.

Grandma and mother were also startled by the sudden arrival of grandpa.

Grandpa closed the door of the conference room, and the sound of chanting and hymns outside became much quieter.

I also sat quietly in my seat.

Grandpa slowly sat on the main seat and said, "Do you want to be cremated?"

Mom nodded.

"Want to be buried directly?" Grandpa said again.

Grandma also nodded her head.

"These methods of yours are too popular, but I want to be buried in the sky." Grandpa said.

Grandma and mother looked wrong.

"I am the oldest here and have the most seniority. I think everyone has no objections, right?" Grandpa said.

Mom stood up but didn't dare to speak.

Grandma also stood up, as if she wanted to see what you brought.

But neither of them spoke.

At this time, Grandpa also realized that he seemed to have no absolute initiative in this matter.

Grandpa's original toughness softened a little, and he said slowly: "How long has it been since An Sheng died?"

Mom said: "Six days, the first seven days tomorrow."

(thirteen)
"Tomorrow, right, it's just right. I'll call my brother now, and you can contact me on the air transport side. Nine hours should be enough to go to Tibet, and everything is almost arranged when you get there. I'll go to the sky burial when I get down, the time is just right. ." Grandpa said.

Mom immediately shouted: "No."

"Why not?" Grandpa said.

Grandma stood up at the side and said: "It really can't be done. I just want to remember it when I'm buried. I can pay my respects every year. If you are buried in the sky, doesn't it mean that you are completely gone?"

"How do you say it? The core of sky burial is the immortality of the soul and reincarnation. Death is just the separation of the immortal soul and the old body. The vulture will send the body to the Buddha. This is Buddhism, why is it gone?" Grandpa said Here he looked quietly into the distance.

Grandma was stunned and said: "Wait a minute, I'll call and ask a great god. The burial of shadows on this day will not affect the feng shui of our family."

After speaking, grandma took out her mobile phone and made a call in front of everyone.

Mom's face changed slightly when she saw this scene, and she sat on a stool nearby.

She knew she was the one with the least right to speak here.

So she called me and grandpa.

I hope three people can help her and cancel the idea of ​​​​grandma.

But she seemed to have forgotten that I had no rights in this family.

Otherwise, how could I be thrown to the other side of the earth by my father and not be able to resist at all.

And grandpa is probably the last person that mother should call back.

(fourteen)
My father has been unable to do anything to his grandfather since he was a child.

Grandpa is a very free-spirited person, and no one can control him in this regard.

According to him, the prairie of Tibet is his best destination.

Maybe it was because he saw a different butterfly in the prairie.

He went to catch it, and the pursuit lasted 40 years.

Later, my father got money.

And grandpa had his own fun.

I just keep searching for grasslands all over the world.

But he never dared to go back to his own home.

Because so much has changed in 40 years.

People, things, scenery.

Of course, the reason why I don’t want to go back is not because I have never been there before.

But grandpa’s father, grandpa’s mother, grandpa’s grandpa, and grandpa’s grandma are all gone.

Grandpa’s brother took them away one by one.

Grandpa’s brother watched them die one by one.

Then wash them away on the cliff that has been chosen.

chanting sutras and waiting for the vultures to take them to their paradise.

This is sky burial.

But at that time, my grandfather’s brother had no money.

Because my grandfather used all the money to study.

Grandpa also went to college very confidently, but he went to chase butterflies. . .

(fifteen)
Because there is no money.

Grandpa's brother could only chant sutras by himself, sitting down.

Three days without eating or drinking.

Every time the prayer bucket turns, my grandfather’s brother reads a verse.

Until ninety-nine and eighty-one times.

That is to say, for three whole days, what Grandpa's brother disliked the most was sky burial.

But that's it, he completed it four times by himself.

At that time, grandpa left grandpa's brother.

It had been 40 years since the butterfly chaser left. When grandpa turned around and had money, everything changed.

Grandpa gave grandpa's brother a lot of money, but grandpa's brother never forgave grandpa.

Grandpa's brother said: "I will help you with a sky burial after you die. On the other hand, on the day of my death, I hope you will be the one who helps me with a sky burial."

This is Grandpa's story.

The butterfly wears flowers and flies in front of you. If you don't chase it, the butterfly won't fly.

When you chase after you, you will leave a pile of them, wear flowers and butterflies, and make mistakes.

(sixteen)
After finishing the call, grandma nodded and said to grandpa: "It's okay, the master said. Sky burial is not among the five elements and will not change Feng Shui. With the blessing of the Buddha, sky burial is also a good thing."

Grandpa took out his cell phone and pressed a familiar number.

Grandpa never saved numbers, and he was always very confident in his memory.

But this time.

. . .After a long time, there was a busy tone.

Grandpa was stunned and looked at the eleventh number carefully.

Grandpa dialed again. . . .After another long time, a voice in Tibetan came out.

None of us understood it, but Grandpa cried.

howling.

Grandma said comfortingly: "What's the matter, old man?"

Grandpa said aggrievedly like a child: "My brother has been dead for half a year."

Everyone was silent, and grandma shook her head helplessly: "You were probably flying around the world half a year ago. Those weird itineraries you arranged for yourself, you spent more time flying than playing. I didn't make any calls at that time. Come in, it’s normal. If you don’t believe me, ask your daughter-in-law how many calls she made to ask you to come this time. She probably didn’t worry too much, right?”

Mom nodded and said, "I've been calling you for a whole long time, but all the signals are busy. It's better than Luqiao's, but his phone is turned off. If it weren't for my letter, I don't think everyone would be here today."

After hearing this, grandpa hung up the phone and rushed out of the door.

Everyone was left at a loss.

"Then let's bury him, no matter what. We just can't burn him. Just wait while I make arrangements for the old man." Grandma chased after her.

([-])
Mom sat there and lowered her head helplessly.

I stood up and said, "Mom, I'll go back first. Shall I hold dad's portrait up tomorrow?"

Mom didn't raise her head and waved her hand.

I turned around and was about to leave when my mother said: "By the way, your father seems to have known that he was in poor health, so he made a will. The will says that your grandma and I will share [-]% of the money. And the rest belongs to you. Your grandma said that she will give you all her share, and my share is also yours. But you are still young, so I will give it to you after you graduate."

I nodded my head.

Mom said again: "The last sentence in the will said that there is a letter in the document that you should open in person, but we haven't touched it. You can go and see it yourself, I will put it on your desk."

I nodded my head again.

Mom wasn't talking either.

I found the letter on the table in the room and slowly opened it.

I took a breath and read it carefully.

After reading the first sentence, I was helpless.

Not because it's too touching, but because it's only one sentence.

At six o'clock the next morning, I was woken up by my mother.

The family went to Fenghuang Mountain Cemetery in a hurry.

Everyone is here, and Grandpa looks much better.

Grandpa said with a wry smile: "It has been arranged. After your father is buried, grandpa will go to Tibet."

Grandma smiled and said nothing.

Mom's expression was a little strange but she still had a smile.

Arrive at Phoenix Mountain Cemetery.

The coffin has been placed there obediently.

My mother came over and handed my father's portrait, and finally said in my ear: "Son, wait until you are buried. I'll get rid of your grandma and grandpa, and you can find an excuse to put this bunch of things in the coffin and bury them together." .”

(Eighteen)
What my mother thrust into my hand was a cold tube of pottery.

Cylindrical shape, sealed with ceramic plugs at both ends.

I stuffed it into my down jacket pocket. It was thick but not awkward.

"Mom? Did you turn into Dad? You..." I said softly.

Mom reached over and covered my mouth and said, "Be good, listen to me."

I nodded my head.

Mom smiled and said nothing.

I held up the portrait along the way, but the thing in my pocket was my father’s ashes.

Arrive at the entrance to the cemetery.

Sure enough, my mother pulled my grandparents and whispered something, and my grandparents' attention was distracted.

The mournful music of the funeral was played, but there were no hymns, only Buddhist scriptures.

I said to the staff: "Wait a minute, I have something I want to put in."

The staff stopped what they were doing, and those who were planning to seal the coffin also stopped.

I gently opened a gap and put my necklace in.

This necklace was given to me by my mother when I was a child.

Of course, I know.

It was my mother who panicked and said it was a gift from my father.

Because that's not dad's style at all.

What was buried inside, I thought, was an empty coffin.

You have to leave some thoughts behind, then let your mother worship what she thinks is a gift from her father.

. . . . . .

(postscript)
Hangzhou West Lake.

It's three-thirty at night.

I slowly moved out of the car.

I have been observing this place for a long time. It has the least number of passers-by and is the safest.

Winter is so cold.

I gently unscrewed the ceramic nozzle.

The white, gray powder does look like ashes.

I took out my gloves and started throwing them into the lake one by one.

He also looked around at the patrolling policemen.

Dad, you have hurt me.

The ashes cannot be checked in, and I don’t have the magical powers like my mother and grandparents.

I told my mother that I was traveling and there were countless stops along the way.

It took two days to arrive in Hangzhou from Beijing.

When I got down to the last bit of it, I threw the entire tube into the lake.

He shouted to the lake: "Dad, you are satisfied."

"What is that noise? What are you doing?"

I heard voices in the distance, and a policeman with a flashlight shining over here.

I covered my head with the hat of my parka and ran in the opposite direction.

"Chen Ansheng, Chen Ansheng. I've heard of people who cheated on their fathers. Are you the first to cheat on your son?" I shouted helplessly.

There was only one paragraph written in the letter.

(Son, if you can, cremate me and throw my ashes into the West Lake.)
(End of this chapter)