The following days were perhaps the most festive for all Chinese people. Every household was bustling with activity—busy buying new clothes, visiting friends and neighbors, and exchanging New Year’s greetings. He Chengyan had many relatives; she had two older brothers and a younger sister, and except for her, all her siblings had several children. Her parents had long since passed away, but her eldest brother, He Chenggang, had held an important position in a government department in his early years. Though he had since retired, his voice and manner remained forceful and authoritative within the family. Every New Year’s Eve, everyone gathered at his home for the reunion dinner. Initially, they only needed one table, but in the last couple of years, as the cousins of Liang He’s generation had children of their own, the group—young and old—required two tables. The atmosphere at the table was naturally lively, revolving around the usual questions: How is your health? How is your career? How are your studies? How is your family? Every year, Liang He was asked about his marriage prospects. At these moments, He Chengyan would always smile and remain silent. Out of politeness, Liang He could only reply with a smile, "Not yet," or "I will, thank you."
He Kai’s daughter, He Lei, who had just started kindergarten this year, joined in the adults' gossip. She asked with a grin, "Uncle Xiao He, why didn't Sister Xialan come?" Before Liang He could answer, his sister-in-law quickly pulled the child close and stuffed a spoonful of white rice into her mouth, saying, "Eat your food and stop running around." Liang He wasn't angry; he answered calmly, "She’s having a reunion dinner at her own home." The little girl looked at her mother, clearly wanting to ask something else, but she was forced to take another mouthful of rice.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Liang He’s cousin, He Kai, carried the television downstairs and placed it in an empty room in the courtyard. This was an old building from the production team era, now primarily used as an activity room for the elderly in the government compound. As soon as they stepped out, several children followed behind, shouting excitedly, "Oh! Grandpa He’s TV is here! We’re watching TV!"
This shout was like a signal; doors opened in every household. First the children ran out, then the adults, and finally the nannies who hadn't even taken off their aprons. Everyone flocked to the activity room. Indeed, in this era, owning a television was a novelty, and a color television was enough to cause a sensation in the neighborhood, drawing everyone out of their homes. Especially on New Year’s Eve, in that time, Ni Ping and Zhao Zhongxiang were the idols of many, and the Spring Festival Gala was as indispensable as the festival itself.
He Lei was young and couldn't outrun the older children. She came over to grab Liang He’s hand, asking her Uncle Xiao He to lift her up. Liang He liked the child; he picked her up and walked outside. "Let’s go watch the Spring Festival Gala."
She repeated softly, "Watch the Spring Festival Gala."
"Do you know what the Spring Festival Gala is?" Liang He teased her.
"I know."
"What is it?"
"It’s pretty sisters and handsome brothers."
"Haha," Liang He couldn't help but laugh. "Who told you that?"
"Sister Xialan."
Liang He paused for a moment and asked, "Do you like her very much?"
"Mhm."
"Why?"
"She’s pretty, and she gives me candy."
Liang He took a couple of steps while holding her.
"But Mama says she’s not good," He Lei added.
Liang He said nothing. He Lei looked up and asked, "Uncle Xiao He, do you like her?"
Liang He looked into her eyes. A child’s eyes were bright and clear, black and white without a hint of impurity, reflecting his own face. There was a touch of reluctance in them, yet also a sense of openness.
Suddenly, the lively opening tune of the Spring Festival Gala drifted over. He Lei turned her head instantly and urged him anxiously, "It’s starting! Uncle Xiao He, hurry! It’s starting!"
Liang He followed her gaze. Sure enough, on the small television screen, the 1988 Spring Festival Gala began amidst a chorus of celebration.
It was only many years later that Qiu Yun learned that the veteran artist Zhao Lirong had made her first appearance on the Spring Festival Gala stage in 1988, making the little old lady a household name. The then-wildly popular singer Mao Amin also made her debut on the gala that year, performing her classic signature song, "Yearning."
He Chengyan couldn't stay up late. Around eleven o'clock, seeing that she was getting drowsy, Liang He suggested going home. He Chenggang said the gala would be over soon and told them to leave after it finished or just rest there. Liang He actually wanted to see the end before leaving, but He Chengyan was particular about her own bed and refused to stay. Knowing his mother’s temperament—it was the same every year, and leaving late was worse than leaving early—Liang He said his goodbyes to the numerous relatives and accompanied He Chengyan home. On New Year’s Eve, there wasn't a single car on the road, but there were plenty of people. As midnight approached, people came outside to set off fireworks and firecrackers. Children ran around with sparklers, and the air was thick with the scent of sulfur.
Liang He thought back to his own childhood. Fireworks were rarer then; people mostly set off firecrackers during the New Year. His first impression of them came from a poem by Wang Anshi: "Amidst the sound of firecrackers, a year passes away; the spring breeze brings warmth into the Tusu wine. On a bright day at thousands of doors, the old peachwood charms are always replaced with new ones." Back then, He Chengyan and Liang Kun hadn't divorced yet. For the New Year, Liang Kun had used darts, charcoal, and match heads to make a homemade string of flying firecrackers. Liang He remembered clearly that after the string was lit, it "whooshed" into the air and then exploded with a loud bang. At that time, everyone else set off the kind that stayed on the ground—leaning over to light a fuse and then running away quickly to wait for the "crackle and pop." It was the first time he had seen firecrackers that could fly into the sky. Not just him, but all the other playmates in the compound—Lu Xialan, Lu Qiuming, Cheng Dakuan, Cheng Dashu, Liu Chuang, He Ling... and others whose names he could no longer recall—were as excited as if they had discovered a new continent. They cheered and jumped with joy, shouting, "Uncle Liang is amazing! Do another one! Do another one!"
"Wake up early tomorrow morning. There will be many people visiting the graves," He Chengyan suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh..." Liang He collected himself. "Six o'clock then. Should I wake you?"
"No need. I wake up naturally around five every day. You’re the one who needs waking."
"I don't need it either. I'll just set an alarm."
"What time do you usually get up at school?"
"I wake up naturally at seven."
"Oh..." He Chengyan seemed to remember something and smiled. "The child who could never get up back then can now wake up naturally this early..."
"Should we buy the incense and candles on the way tomorrow?" Liang He asked.
"...Alright." He Chengyan’s smile slowly faded.
The custom in City A was to visit the graves of deceased loved ones from the first to the third day of the lunar New Year. Early on the morning of the first day, He Chengyan and Liang He caught the earliest bus toward the outskirts of the city. Although it was the first bus, it wasn't the starting station, so there were no seats left when they boarded. Someone who looked like a student saw He Chengyan with her cane and kindly gave up their seat, sparing her some physical hardship. The bus moved extremely slowly, stopping whenever someone waved from the roadside. Liang He stood for two hours until they reached the final stop.
In the fields of Qingshan, Liang He took a deep breath, letting the crisp, fresh air of the New Year morning fill his lungs.
By the roadside, farmers were carrying poles with baskets, selling red candles and spirit money. Liang He chose a vendor and bought a stack of spirit money, two red candles, and a bundle of incense. The first day of the New Year was a time when everyone rested, and almost every shop in the city was closed. Only here in the countryside were people seizing the business opportunity to sell ancestral offerings—at prices twice as high as usual, of course. The paved road ended and turned into a mountain path. The two of them walked up the mountain for about half an hour until they reached a relatively flat plateau. Liang He pushed aside some waist-high plants and jumped down without a word.
He placed the incense and candles on the ground, then turned to help He Chengyan down.
This was a burial plot with a mounded grave. In front of it stood a dark green headstone, engraved with powerful strokes in regular script:
*Devoted to the last breath, giving his all until the very end.*
The Tomb of Liang Kun.
