182 The Meadow “Min is helping your father prepare for the ceremony to move your dage’s bones into the new tomb. Taotao is sleeping in the car and your sister is with her.” Mother explained. They walked towards the tomb. Surrounded by litchi trees there stood a white cuboid stone house. Dark blue tiles covered the roof with two slopes that formed a triangle at each side. The tiles looked like fish scales. Beside the tomb there was a path made of the same stones as the white house. Ye and Mother walked down the steps. Ye saw a concrete rectangle floor in front of the stone house where a row of bright red flowers grew. The fiery red seemed like fire under the sunshine, burning up life. The contrast of colors gave Ye a sense of vertigo and unreality. Min and Father burned paper money in a grate before the stone house. “Dajie, good to see you,” Min greeted her. Dajie, big sister. Ye turned to look at the house. It had two rooms, each with a hollowed-out iron door. Father said, “Pottery vessels with a dozen of your ancestors’ bones were placed in the left tomb. We put the vessel with your dage’s bones in the right side.” Ye tried to say something in reply, yet she could only force a smile. She stood in the sun, stupefied, her cheeks burning. In the southern China’s winter, it was hot. Ye felt herself sweating slightly. She heard footsteps, and then she saw her younger sister, Hua. Hua had a beautiful oval face, large and remarkably beautiful eyes, a thin nose, and a small plump mouth. Her skin was fair. She had bangs at the front of her forehead, part of her hair was braided, and the rest pulled down naturally. She wore a white shirt with lace sleeves, light yellow jacket, and camel pleated skirt. It showed her slender straight legs. She did not look like in mid-twenties, but more like a teenager. “Where is your daughter?” Ye asked. “Sleeping in the car. Mother said the ceremony will end soon, so I’d better come down.” She took the incense Mother gave her.
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