Atop the humble hill, the earthen grave wasn't large. Children crying and wailing scattered bunches of pure white wildflowers that lifted in the wind, strikingly vivid as if tears were drifting.
The entire village had come, standing before the grave. This death parted them forever; they'd never see him again. Thinking of the Little Tot with his unsteady steps, thinking of the youth with his bright and optimistic nature, everyone's eyes blurred.
Great sobs surged, ripping through hearts and lungs, startling many birds into flight from the surrounding forests.
"Child, why did you leave us like this?" Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng was in tears, for Shi Hao had been raised by him, yet now he faced the grievous role of an elder burying his junior.
Everyone was weeping, mourning for Shi Hao, who was an orphaned child without father or mother, seemingly alone despite the villagers' care.
