Chapter 791

Zhou Andong told Seeing Jian Qiu about his thoughts, and Seeing Jian Qiu nodded in agreement: "Actually, this is something we should do for Su Su."

"Alright!" Zhou Andong walked into the courtyard and found the old branch secretary, "Old Uncle Guan, I've adopted the child, so I'll be responsible for her mother's funeral."

"How can that be." The old branch secretary shook his head and refused, "You are good people for taking in the poor child; I can't let you spend money on the funeral too."

"Old Uncle Guan!" Zhou Andong said: "This isn't about spending money; as the child's adoptive parents, this is what we should do, and what we must do for her."

The old branch secretary was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Then I'll trouble you."

"It's no trouble!" Seeing Jian Qiu spoke up, took out ten thousand yuan from her bag, "Take this money and have someone buy vegetables and meat; we can't let the neighbors who come to help go hungry. Please help find a cook, and help count how many tables are needed."

"We don't need this much money." The old branch secretary declined, "One thousand yuan is enough."

"Take it first!" Seeing Jian Qiu said: "We'll talk about the rest later."

The old branch secretary had no choice but to find the militia leader and explain the situation: "You arrange these things, and make sure to keep good accounts when buying vegetables."

The militia leader held the ten thousand yuan; it was really too much, but he didn't say anything: "Boss Zhou, are there any requirements for the banquet?"

Zhou Andong said: "Discuss it with the cook; mainly, make sure there's plenty of food and meat."

"Alright!" The militia leader nodded, "I understand."

Then he had people go find a cook specializing in funerals and arranged for young people to go door-to-door to borrow tables, benches, bowls, and chopsticks.

The news that Zhou Andong had taken ten thousand yuan to hold Su Yuling's funeral spread throughout the entire village.

"Yuling can rest in peace in heaven now."

"Exactly, the child has a good home, and her funeral can be held with dignity; she has no regrets."

"Mom suffered for a lifetime, but the child can be considered to be enjoying blessings now."

"That's for sure, living in luxury from now on; Yuling will definitely be happy."

The crowd discussed it, all saying that Zhou Andong and Seeing Jian Qiu were kind-hearted, and the Yuan family was righteous.

The night grew deeper, there were more mosquitoes, and the crowd gradually dispersed, but many stayed behind, not intending to go back, planning to keep vigil through the night.

Zhou Andong and a few others lit a bonfire in the courtyard to drive away mosquitoes. Just then, Wu Chao and the others returned in two vans, followed by a truck.

It turned out the wreaths were too big for the vans, so the funeral shop owner had hired a truck to deliver them.

Without needing anyone to call, everyone took the initiative to unload the wreaths and paper crafts and place them at the gate.

Because there was a bonfire in the courtyard, what if a gust of wind blew it over?

Zhou Andong looked at the dozen or so people who had stayed behind and said to Wu Chao: "Drive to town and see if you can buy some food—stir-fried dishes, stewed dishes, or deli food. If you really can't buy any, just buy some ham sausages or something at the small shop, and move a few cases of beer."

"Alright!" Wu Chao called out to Zhao Hong, and the two drove off in a van.

Zhou Andong sighed, really missing the mobile phone era. If there were mobile phones, he could have asked them to buy it in the county and bring it back.

But no need to rush; the Nokia 2110 would be on the market next year, and the country would launch GSM digital phones. By early 1995, the network would spread to Guangdong Province, followed by coastal areas like Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangsu.

By mid-1995, the Motorola 8900 and Ericsson GH337 would be on the market, costing less than ten thousand. By early 1996, network signals would cover medium and large cities across the country.

Before, it wasn't that he thought the big brother phones were too expensive to buy, but that the technology was analog. Making calls within the same city was fine, but once you left the city, even if you were calling in surrounding counties and towns, there wasn't necessarily a signal.

Especially when going on business trips to other places, you could only leave them at home; they were useless even if you took them out, only good for showing off.

Zhou Andong looked at his watch; it was already past nine: "Brother Hai, it's past nine, Uncle should be here by now."

Yuan Hai nodded: "About time."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two people enter the gate. Yuan Hai said with a smile: "Uncle is here."

Zhou Andong also saw them and walked up quickly to greet them, with Seeing Jian Qiu following behind.

"Uncle!" Zhou Andong shouted.

Yuan Hongzhan looked Zhou Andong up and down, then patted him heavily on the shoulder and said with a smile: "When your dad had his accident and was hospitalized, when I went to your house, your little frame was as thin as a chick; I could have picked you up with one hand. Now you look pretty good, much sturdier."

Zhou Andong said with a smile: "Now I eat well and drink well, and I exercise when I have time, so I'll definitely get fatter."

After finishing, Zhou Andong introduced Seeing Jian Qiu to Yuan Hongzhan: "Uncle, this is my wife, Seeing Jian Qiu!"

Seeing Jian Qiu said generously: "Uncle, hello!"

"Hello, hello!" Yuan Hongzhan looked at Seeing Jian Qiu, quite satisfied with this niece-in-law, and then pulled a young man beside him, "This is Yuan Mei's partner, named Yao Peng."

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law!" Yao Peng was young, only twenty-one or twenty-two. Facing Zhou Andong and Seeing Jian Qiu, he looked a bit nervous.

Zhou Andong shook hands with Yao Peng: "This is our first meeting; let's have a drink in a while."

Yao Peng was big and burly, but looked very honest. Hearing Zhou Andong's words, he grinned.

Yuan Hongzhan pulled Yao Peng: "Let's go, go in and bow!"

Yuan Hongzhan knew Su Yuling, but that was from when he was small; he hadn't seen her since he joined the army.

So, he didn't have any friendship with Su Yuling. The reason he came was also because of the child.

Since she had been adopted by Zhou Andong, they were family. He, as the child's great-uncle, had to come to the funeral of the child's biological mother.

As for Yao Peng, it went without saying; he didn't know Su Yuling at all. He was able to come also because of Zhou Andong and the child.

The two went into the room, bowed to Su Yuling, and burned some paper.

When they came out of the room, Wu Chao had returned, carrying a lot of deli food, ham sausages, canned food, and peanuts into the courtyard.

"Brother Hai, set the tables!" Zhou Andong said, then greeted the old branch secretary: "Old Uncle Guan, call everyone over to have a drink."

It was almost ten o'clock, and everyone was indeed a bit hungry. More than twenty people sat at two tables.

Wu Chao divided the food into two portions. Everyone took beer, bit off the caps, didn't even take chopsticks, and grabbed it with their hands.

Zhou Andong raised his beer bottle: "Neighbors, thank you for your hard work helping out. I thank you on behalf of the child."

"Boss Zhou, you're too polite."

Hua Zhuazi, over fifty years old, was a celebrity in the village. No matter whose funeral it was, he had to help organize it. As for why he was called Hua Zhuazi, it was because he had vitiligo, and both his hands were covered in patches.

"The one who should be thanking is us. Yuling, this child, had a bitter life. You adopted her daughter, and all of us are grateful to you."