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Chapter 66: Grandfather's Funeral
The coffin used for my grandfather, the specially made one from the dark room, was brought out. His body, of course, was filled with stuffing inside that empty shell, including the head. The mouth, which could not be closed, was also stuffed full, and then I used a thick thread and a crochet hook to pull his upper and lower jaws together, placing a coin in his mouth before sealing it shut. The legs were reduced to just two thigh bones and leg bones, which I wrapped in cotton and then put on a pair of pants; it actually looked quite convincing.
If—just if—my grandfather had calculated before his death that he would be buried with such honor, he would surely regret his previous actions.
Two of my grandfather's good friends arrived: Ouyang Mingfa and Zhao Shuli. They were a few years younger than him and appeared particularly spirited. They were well aware of my grandfather's situation and praised everything I had done.
I was overseeing my grandfather's funeral arrangements. Peng Hai, Peng Yan, and Fatty all knelt down as a show of filial piety. One reached out to take the spirit tablet while the other held the incense burner. Peng Yan was being supported by someone, crying and putting on a sorrowful face as if heartbroken.
Even the woman from Bridgehead Car Shop rolled her eyes at their hypocrisy; she was quite the actress.
"Filial Piety! Kneel!"
When I shouted for filial piety, my grandfather's two friends pushed through the crowd and came forward, scolding me harshly: "What are you doing? Why aren't you kneeling here instead of babbling? Aren't you afraid your grandfather will come to haunt you tonight?" Fatty exchanged glances with Peng Yan and Peng Hai. Under Peng Yan's encouragement, Fatty mustered up the courage to stand up and said in front of everyone to Ouyang and Zhao Shuli: "You two elders don’t need to worry about this; I've already discussed everything with Brother Qi."
Ouyang and Zhao Shuli didn’t even look at Fatty but sternly shouted at me: "Kneel down and apologize to your grandfather."
Fatty felt embarrassed but complied and knelt down properly.
I also knelt down.
Ouyang and Zhao Shuli shot a glare at Peng Hai and angrily asked, "Who are you? Why are you kneeling?"
"Hey, I'm the boss's uncle, also a relative. His grandfather is my grandfather too, so I'm kneeling."
Ouyang and Zhao Shuli glanced at me and sneered: "I’ve never heard of the Ma Wu Funeral Home boss having an uncle still alive, especially not someone as young as you. Are you trying to impersonate someone to get a free meal?"
Perhaps Peng Hai didn’t realize how influential these two were in our area; they ranked just below the director of the Street Office in terms of authority. The reason I hadn’t mentioned them before was that they preferred to keep a low profile and avoid trouble.
Now, as Grandpa's final matters were at hand, they had to show up in person.
Peng Hai, hearing their conversation, stood up in a fit of rage and said to the two elderly seniors, "What are you two old geezers doing here? My boss is naturally my brother-in-law. You know him, it's him..." He pushed Fat forward.
The arrogant gaze of his own family and the disdainful laughter from others made Fat feel incredibly embarrassed, as if a giant pill was lodged in his throat, making it impossible for him to either spit it out or swallow it down. His face turned extremely ugly as he stumbled forward, stuttering and mumbling incoherently. In the end, he was glared back into silence by Ouyang Senior, swallowing the words in his mouth.
Zhao Shuli Senior seemed to have something to say; he waved his hand to call for silence, announcing that there was something important to declare, just in time for the funeral.
Ouyang Senior, who had somehow acquired a leather envelope, opened it and took out a piece of paper in front of everyone. He called over a few people familiar with Grandpa's handwriting to verify its authenticity. Once confirmed, he spoke loudly: "Today we are here for no trivial matter. There is a will left by Ma Wu before his passing. He feared that after a hundred years there might be unforeseen circumstances. Although this possibility is slim—he was indeed very strong-willed—he was also kind-hearted and would never bully the weak. This will might seem unnecessary to us at first glance, but today we must bring it forth to announce something."
"The Ma Wu Funeral Home will ultimately belong to Ma Qi. Zhu Dachang has been Ma Qi's companion since childhood; therefore, all his living expenses will be covered by Ma Qi. If there comes a time when Fat establishes his own family and career, he can move out of the Funeral Home and fend for himself or continue being Ma Qi's subordinate without any further financial burden on Ma Qi."
"How could this be possible! No way! Grandpa was also my grandpa; how could he be so biased?" Fat's face turned pale.
Peng Hai and Peng Yan both looked extremely grim. The female clerk at Bridgehead covered her mouth and giggled, occasionally throwing sly glances at me.
Grandpa had long made arrangements in his will; perhaps he knew this outcome would come to pass. Having seen countless dead bodies throughout his life and served them for decades, he did not wish to become a meal for snakes and insects nor dissolve into the earth as nourishment for the grass. Instead, he sought to use the flowers of the underworld to revive himself but ended up being manipulated by Li Gui, who planted Evil Arts curses that consumed his body and transformed him into a Bat.
"Grandpa..." I knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Qin Jian squeezed through the crowd, unable to bear witnessing my misery; overwhelmed with sorrow, he quietly slipped away.
"Why is it you?" Fat's eyes brimmed with tears as he looked at me with disbelief, his fierce gaze piercing through the blurry tears.
I returned his gaze defiantly; "Because I am stronger than you."
As Grandpa's funeral proceeded, I held the incense burner while Fat's hand held the Spirit Tablet, dejectedly trailing behind me. I didn't know when it started to rain lightly.
Zhao Shuli Senior shouted, "Filial Piety!" as I knelt down with Fatty at the Bridgehead. A stack of Joss Paper swirled and floated down, finally landing on the ground. The cleaning lady muttered curses under her breath while vigorously sweeping up the Joss Paper we had discarded.
The coffin, seemingly light, had been lifted to the cemetery by the Eight Great Warriors after numerous changes. This was not just about Grandpa's body; the coffin had several layers and was made of high-quality wood, making it several times heavier than an ordinary coffin.
I had secretly purchased this plot of land to bury Mi, but Mi Mother did not agree. Now it had become Grandpa's burial site. Upon entering the cemetery, someone had already heated the grave with bean stalks. As the coffin was lowered amidst swirling smoke, Zhao Shuli Senior recited, "Borrowing light, borrowing light, may you be well and everyone be well; scatter wealth for peace." A large amount of scattered Joss Paper fell gracefully to the ground, and Fatty and I knelt down.
I listened as Zhao Shuli Senior continued to chant: "Filial Piety! Kneel! Upon entering someone's grave, one knows their family. The eldest son is prosperous, and so is the second door. Scatter gold into the fight, receive it well." After scattering the rice, neither Fatty nor I ran away; there was no need to. We deeply bowed to Grandpa, our tears swirling in our eyes but not spilling over.
Zhao Shuli Senior and Ouyang Senior did not return to Ma Wu Funeral Home. I had someone seal two large Red Envelopes and handed them over to them.
They accepted without any need for politeness and walked away.
On our way back with Fatty, neither of us spoke first. Just as we were nearing the Funeral Home, Fatty stopped in his tracks and pitifully asked me, "Brother Qi, are you really going to kick me out?"
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