In the days that followed, life fell back into its rhythm. The kids went to school, the adults went to work. Modern society didn't really require traditional mourning periods anymore, but Li Xiu and Zhou Lian still conscientiously observed the one-hundred-day mourning period. Of course, the practice was much simpler now. It wasn't like the old days of abstaining from meat and alcohol. It just meant they didn't pay social visits, drink, or share a bed. As for food, they ate whatever they wanted; there were no real taboos. As the eldest grandson and granddaughter, the two children also mourned their grandfather alongside their parents.
Time slipped by unhurriedly, and in the blink of an eye, it was nearly the twelfth lunar month. That day, Li Xiu was up early as usual. He had just washed up and was walking into the yard when he heard a noise at the front gate. He went to the outer courtyard, opened the gate, and saw Ping'an leaning against the wall outside.
