Chapter 148: Rest in Peace (Part 1)
Once the team for Xiaohewan Village was fully prepared, Hou Weidong, Su Yajun, and others boarded the vehicle from the Family Planning Office to serve as the vanguard. The rest of the group, led by Tang Shugang, followed on foot to provide backup for Hou Weidong.
The vehicles from the funeral home had already started their engines and were heading toward Qinglin Town.
Xiao Guocai and several village cadres sat in the courtyard, waiting for the town government officials with the anxious anticipation of a young wife longing for her husband who has traveled far. Only when they heard the sound of the approaching car did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Township Leader Hou," Xiao Guocai said, "the body has already been taken up the mountain."
"The deceased is Huang Peiying, in her forties. She has a son and a daughter. The son is working away from home and hasn't returned yet. The daughter is only sixteen and helps with farm chores at home. The husband is an honest man, but the family is poor and cannot afford the land compensation fee. I have already spoken with him." Xiao Guocai habitually rubbed his bald head and continued, "There is a special circumstance with this family. Although the man is poor, the Huang family is a prominent household in Xiaohewan Village. At least dozens of families in the village share the surname Huang."
Hearing Xiao Guocai’s briefing, Hou Weidong said, "We cannot delay. Let’s go directly to the Huang household and explain the policy to him face-to-face."
The walk from Xiao Guocai’s house to Huang Peiying’s home took only a few minutes. As they walked along the field ridges, they frequently saw slogans painted on walls: "Implement cremation; it benefits the present generation and future generations." Hou Weidong thought to himself, These slogans are too abstract. It would be more effective to write that cremation is free and even provides a cash subsidy.
Liu Kun had been responsible for the preliminary publicity campaign, which had spread widely and achieved decent results.
When they arrived at Huang Peiying’s house, only a timid young girl was home. Xiao Guocai asked, "Where is your father? Tell him to come back and say the town government wants to see him." The girl said "Oh" and went out with her head down. Unsatisfied, Xiao Guocai rubbed his bald scalp again and said, "Accountant Wen, please go over there and bring Li Mudun back."
Just as Accountant Wen reached the door, Hou Weidong called him back. "Wait. Go scout the situation first. Check what is happening over there."
After waiting for a while, Accountant Wen returned, followed by a dull-looking middle-aged man. Xiao Guocai introduced him: "This is Li Mudun, Huang Peiying’s husband. This is Township Leader Hou."
The highest-ranking official Li Mudun had ever seen in his home was the village party secretary. Suddenly finding the township leader standing in his living room, he didn’t know where to put his hands or feet. By nature, he would have wanted to offer his best peanuts to entertain these officials. However, remembering the instructions from his brothers-in-law, he quickly suppressed his smile and sat silently on a small stool.
Su Yajun, the director of the Social Affairs Office, began to fulfill his duties, explaining the requirements of the funeral reform and doing ideological work with Li Mudun. Su Yajun had been immersed in funeral reform materials every day for a period, so he was very familiar with the policies and spoke fluently, almost drooling with enthusiasm. Li Mudun, however, kept his head down and remained silent.
Hou Weidong spoke directly: "Li Mudun, let me be clear. If you insist on burial, you must pay a land occupation fee of 5,000 yuan. If you can afford it, we won’t interfere. If you cannot afford it, cremation is mandatory. You will not pay a single penny for the cremation, and the Social Affairs Office will even subsidize you with 200 yuan for funeral expenses."
Li Mudun kept his head down. Thinking that cremation was free and came with a 200-yuan bonus, his heart wavered slightly. But then the disdainful looks of his three brothers-in-law flashed in his mind, and he buried his head even lower, almost touching his knees.
After talking for a while, Li Mudun lived up to his name—wooden and silent. Hou Weidong and the others felt helpless.
Tang Shugang arrived at Xiao Guocai’s house with the main force. More than thirty town government officials had arrived, and the police station had mobilized all its personnel. Director Qin, wearing his police uniform with the insignia of Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang, entered the house with a serious expression.
Seeing that the timing was right, Hou Weidong asked Accountant Wen beside him, "Have you found the location?" Accountant Wen nodded quickly. "I found it. The grave pit has already been dug. There are more than twenty people over there, all from the Huang household. They are likely waiting for the auspicious time before burying her."
Hou Weidong consulted with Tang Shugang: "Township Leader Tang, it seems we have to take a hard line. Before the body is buried, we should carry the deceased to the road. Once the funeral home vehicle arrives, we will take her directly for cremation."
Tang Shugang smiled. "I am here to support you. You make the final decision."
Hou Weidong did not decline. He called Qin, Su Yajun, Ouyang Lin, and other secondary leadership team members into the room. "We cannot be soft today. We must resolve this matter. The male comrades will follow me to the front line. The female comrades will handle persuasion work on the periphery. Director Qin is responsible for maintaining public order. If anyone tries to use violence, they must be stopped immediately."
Xiao Guocai, being most familiar with village conditions, said, "Huang Peiying’s family is poor, and her relationship with her sisters-in-law is average. If we can persuade those women, the three Huang brothers won’t be able to cause trouble."
Hou Weidong immediately adopted this suggestion. "Leave this to the Women’s Director. We must do this work well."
Su Yajun suggested, "We need to decide in advance who will carry the body. The path from there to the hillside is long. My health is poor, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to carry it. It would be best to find some young people to do the lifting."
There were many young people in the town government, but hearing Su Yajun’s suggestion, they all pursed their lips and no one volunteered. Seeing everyone’s hesitation, Hou Weidong grew anxious and scolded, "You all brag so much usually, but when it comes to action, you are all cowards. I’ll count as one. Is there anyone else who dares to join?"
Seeing Hou Weidong step forward, Ouyang Lin thought for a moment and said, "I’ll count as one."
They finally gathered four people. Hou Weidong said to Tang Shugang, "While we are carrying the body, Township Leader Tang, you will be responsible for coordination and command." He did not speak in a consultative tone but with an unquestionable authority. Tang Shugang did not say much and simply nodded.
He then instructed Xiao Guocai: "When we go in to carry the body, you and the village cadres will act as mediators. Since you are all from this village, you must have acquaintances among them. Your task is to pull the Huang family members you know to the side. Especially those three sisters-in-law—they are the key focus."
Li Mudun remained seated, acting as if nothing were happening. He listened to the town government officials discussing their strategy and even chuckled foolishly. The officials ignored Li Mudun as if he were nothing and moved toward their target according to the plan.
Seeing that the town government officials had left, Li Mudun stood up from his home. A Social Affairs Office official who had been left behind grabbed him and said, "Your wife will definitely be cremated. The town will subsidize you 200 yuan. You need to write a receipt." Li Mudun said, "I heard the urn costs 50 yuan."
The Social Affairs Office official smiled. "Fine. I’ll give you 250." Watching Li Mudun write the receipt with a beaming smile, the official felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. He thought to himself, He really is a fool. No wonder the Huang family looks down on him. They must have been blind to marry their daughter to such a man.
Hou Weidong and his team arrived at the destination. There were already more than twenty people on the small hillside—men and women, old and young—all wearing mourning cloth. They looked at the town government officials with hostile eyes.
Through the gaps in the crowd, a wooden board could be seen on the ground, with a person lying on it, covered by cloth, so the details were not clear. There was a large amount of fresh soil on the hillside, and a simple coffin was placed nearby.
It was said that Huang Peiying had died suddenly of illness, so the Huang family had hastily dug the pit. Several fire basins were burning paper money, and there were incense sticks and candles.
Su Yajun from the Social Affairs Office went to explain the policy. During the explanation, old women shouted curses continuously, while several strong men held hoes and looked darkly at the Qinglin Town government officials. Nearby villagers gradually gathered around, standing on the periphery, pointing and cursing. People naturally sympathize with the weak, and Huang Peiying was naturally the weak party, so the villagers’ bias was obvious.
Su Yajun shouted himself hoarse for several minutes, but the crowd only grew larger.
Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, Hou Weidong made a hand signal. Xiao Guocai, Ouyang Lin, and six or seven others followed him into the crowd. Xiao Guocai did not introduce Hou Weidong’s identity; he simply took out cigarettes and moved through the crowd, handing them out. As the village party secretary, everyone gave him some respect. After smoking, the atmosphere eased slightly.
Hou Weidong addressed a middle-aged man: "Qinglin Town is a cremation zone. Earth burial is not allowed. Everyone needs to understand and cooperate with our work."
A man wearing white mourning cloth rushed aggressively toward Hou Weidong. "This is my sister’s private mountain. It doesn’t bother anyone. Chinese people believe in resting in peace after death. My sister suffered all her life; this is her last wish. Are you officials even human? How can your hearts be so hard?"
Everyone has compassion. Seeing the family’s situation, Hou Weidong’s heart softened. However, he was not an ordinary man at this moment; he was the divisional leader of the Qinglin Town Government in charge of civil affairs. He had to lead the town’s funeral reform. Therefore, his heart could not soften. If he yielded this time, future work would be impossible to carry out.
He continued patiently: "I understand your feelings, but this is national policy. We can only enforce it. Please understand."
Another man in white mourning cloth rushed forward. "You speak so nicely, but if you pay 5,000 yuan, you are allowed to bury her. Isn’t that still occupying arable land? You are making money from the dead."
Hou Weidong didn’t know how to answer this accusation. He explained the policy a few more times. Suddenly, the man who had arrived later reached out and grabbed Hou Weidong by the neck.
Hou Weidong immediately felt his throat tighten. Without hesitation, he grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted it backward, and made the man cry out in pain. The man had assumed that town government officials were useless drunkards, but he hadn’t expected this young man to have such great strength and speed, causing him to suffer a loss.
Director Qin had been observing all around. Seeing Hou Weidong get into a scuffle, he squeezed in. Wearing his police uniform and shaking his handcuffs, he shouted sternly, "I am from the Qinglin Town police station. Whoever dares to use violence will be arrested." Zhou Qiang and Wang Yibing, also in police uniforms, stepped forward.
The police uniforms had a strong deterrent effect. The Huang brothers who had started the fight retreated. His hand hurt from the twist, so he kept shaking it.
Hou Weidong turned his head and exchanged a glance with Xiao Guocai behind him. As planned, Xiao Guocai, Accountant Wen, and five or six other village cadres quietly squeezed into the crowd. During the standoff, they slowly pulled their acquaintances to the side. The female comrades from the Social Affairs Office persuaded the old women nearby. Su Yajun continued to explain the funeral reform policy.
After a standoff, it seemed the auspicious time had arrived. The Huang brothers turned to lift the coffin, appearing ready to bury her.
Seeing this, Hou Weidong shouted loudly, "Ouyang, come with me." He pushed aside the person in front of him and squeezed forward. Ouyang Lin followed closely behind him.
The men carrying the coffin did not expect the town government officials to actually charge forward. They were momentarily stunned. In that split second, Hou Weidong and Ouyang Lin reached the wooden board. Su Yajun and others also rushed over, pushing the Huang family members aside and forming a line to protect Hou Weidong and his team.
Director Qin, Zhou Qiang, and others watched like tigers nearby, shouting to stop anyone who tried to come help.
Huang Peiying’s direct relatives were only four or five people. Although others in the family shared the surname Huang, most were distant relatives beyond the five degrees of mourning. Seeing that the town government was serious, and the actual party concerned, Li Mudun, had not yet appeared, they slipped away one by one, cursing the government officials as bandits but not daring to attack.
The three Huang brothers were squeezed aside by seven or eight town officials. They wanted to pick up their hoes to fight but dared not really strike. Village cadres had signaled the brothers’ wives, and the three women came over to restrain their respective husbands.
Amidst the shouting and cursing, Hou Weidong and his team carried Huang Peiying out. Hou Weidong was at the rear, so he could see the body. She was covered entirely by a sheet, with only her hair exposed. The wind blew, and her black hair swayed, looking strangely lively. Although Hou Weidong did not believe in ghosts or gods, he felt a moment of unease.
The body was not heavy, but the distance was long. They carried it in one breath to the road. Hou Weidong was drenched in sweat. Ouyang Lin in front could no longer walk, but no one was willing to switch places. He had to force himself to walk to the side of the road. By this time, the Huang family members had stopped following. Only some ignorant children trailed behind the large group.
Seeing that the funeral home vehicle had not yet arrived, Su Yajun ordered, "Call Li Mudun. Let him come with us to the cremation."