"Ani is so good. What is she complaining about?" Zhu Shunyao looked displeased.
"There is nothing to complain about. She just doesn't like it. Besides, they are your parents. You can't argue with them," Xie Xinlian said, then smiled. "Alright, stop worrying. Let's go. If we leave early, your uncle won't have to wait."
The Qi family lived in a village at the foot of Sicheng Mountain. Since they had no bicycles, they had to walk. The walk took forty minutes. On the way, they also needed to visit the ancestral graves on the mountain to pay respects for the New Year. Zhu Yanyi remembered that in her past life, they stopped visiting the oldest ancestors' graves after her great-grandfather died. She heard the graves had been moved, but she didn't remember where. After that, they only visited her maternal and paternal grandfathers' graves. Now, since the elders were still alive, they only burned a stick of incense for the oldest ancestor. This was the only ancestor Zhu Shunyao remembered. She was Zhu Shunyao's grandfather.
Unlike modern cemeteries, graves back then were simple mud mounds buried on the mountains. So, they had to climb up.
At the foot of the mountain, Zhu Shunyao said to Xie Xinlian, "You three wait here. I will go burn incense. You are pregnant, so it is not convenient for you to go. I will be quick."
"Okay. Be careful. The mountain path is slippery," Xie Xinlian replied. It was the first day of the New Year. It hadn't snowed, but many people were climbing the mountain. The path was worn smooth and very slippery.
"Don't worry," she said. Then she turned to Zhu Yanli. "Take care of your mother and sister."
"Okay." Zhu Yanli did not ask to go up the mountain. She saw the path and knew it was hard to climb. Asking her father to carry her was also difficult. So, the sensible Zhu Yanli stayed behind.
Zhu Yanyi definitely did not want to go up the mountain. If it were spring, climbing could be a fun outing. But going to burn incense at graves in winter was boring. She would not go where there was no fun.
Zhu Shunyao took about twenty minutes to go up and come down. This was despite the bad road conditions. It showed the ancestor's grave was not far.
"Okay, let's go to Uncle's house," Zhu Shunyao said. He picked up Zhu Yanyi. Xie Xinlian held Zhu Yanli's hand. The family of four walked toward the Qi family.
Zhu Yanyi did not know who the Qi family's oldest ancestor was. She knew that the current head of the Qi family was her uncle's father-in-law, who was her grandmother's younger brother.
The Qi family used to be poor. Relatives died in a plague. Only Qi Qiao'er and her brother survived. To survive, Qi Qiao'er became a child bride for Xie Zhong. At that time, the Xie family was one of the best families in Sicheng Town. Qi Qiao'er did this so her brother could live better. Her brother was named Qi Jizong. Because Qi Qiao'er married into the Xie family, Qi Jizong's life improved. But Qi Jizong was strong-willed. Later, when war broke out, she joined the army. She was injured and retired. Otherwise, she might have become an officer. After returning, her treatment was good. The production team gave her five acres of good land. With state subsidies, her life was much better.