Looking at the people who came to offer condolences, Xu Qing felt a strange sensation in his heart.
It was as if a character from a book he had heard, who had nothing to do with him, suddenly appeared in reality, standing right in front of him, talking to him.
Though Xu Qing knew the person had ulterior motives, he still pretended to be unaware, lit an incense stick, wanting to see what tricks the person was up to.
"Brother Li! My dear Brother Li!
How could you leave without a word..."
A sudden howl shook the ground, making Xu Qing's eardrums tremble.
"Are you crying over your father here!"
"Brother Li, we were like brothers, I truly can't bear to see you go. If I had known it would be like this, I might as well die too, so I don't have to endure this heart-wrenching pain, which is tearing me apart!"
As the wails intensified, a group of ten or so people came to offer their condolences.
The leading man hurriedly helped Liao An up, sighing, "Brother Liao, don't be too sad. If Brother Li was alive, he wouldn't want to see you like this."
Others also came forward to console and offer condolences.
Seeing this, Xu Qing felt bewildered. He grabbed a person who had just finished lighting incense and asked, "It's not time for the memorial rites yet, don't you all know to follow the procedure? I just finished preparing the body, haven't even dressed him yet..."
The young man wearing a quilted jacket and a felt hat had red-rimmed eyes. Though Xu Qing grabbed his arm, he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he tilted his head to look at the beams, trying hard not to let the tears fall, and said, "It's not our fault, Brother Liao was deeply concerned about Brother Li. He didn't even eat lunch, came here ahead of us, saying he wanted to see Brother Li so he wouldn't be lonely without familiar faces around."
"So we all decided to come together."
Xu Qing instantly understood. It seemed that this Liao was trying to put on a show of deep brotherly affection to reduce his own suspicion.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask, "If you fear loneliness, why haven't the family and relatives come over?"
With a sniffle, the young man couldn't hold back anymore and tears started to fall. Xu Qing could see that he was genuinely grieving, unlike Liao An, who merely wailed.
"Sister-in-law was supposed to come along, and Brother Liao agreed. But I persuaded her to stay back," the young man sighed, his throat sore like it was stuffed with alum, with a bitter and astringent voice, "This morning, I saw Brother Li's wounds clearly. If sister-in-law saw them, she would be even more heartbroken. And his young nephew and niece, they lost their father at such a young age..."
Xu Qing didn't know what to say, so he patted his shoulder and said, "The deceased is gone, the living must move on. If your Brother Li were alive, he wouldn't want to see you mourn for him."
This phrase was familiar, but indeed a universal consolation.
Hearing this, the young man wiped his tears swiftly and, pretending nothing happened, stood tall and said, "You're right. Brother Li previously taught me that a real man shouldn't cry like a coward every day!"
...
As he said this, Liao An's cry reached its peak, loud enough to shake the heavens!
...
After the commotion died down, the Funeral Shop was quiet again. Xu Qing went next door, saying he had a big business, with seven or eight dead bodies needing burial, including funeral clothes, coffins, incense, and candles to be supplied.
Wu Yaohua was overjoyed to hear this!
He called the neighbors and assigned tasks individually. Within the time it took for one incense stick to burn, all the arrangements were made meticulously!
The next day, Li Fan's parents, wife, and children, led by Liao An, came to the Funeral Shop.
The elderly couldn't bear to see their young ones go before them and stood at the door, refusing to enter.
Trembling, the old man muttered, "You've made a mistake, it's definitely a mistake, that's not my son. My son is skilled in martial arts; how could this happen…"
He reached out to Xu Qing, as if seeking confirmation, asking, "Young sir, that can't be my son, right?"
Xu Qing was about to respond when he vaguely heard a voice from inside the shop—
"Sister-in-law, don't be too upset. Today, in front of Brother Li's spirit, I, Liao An, swear to find a good match for you so you and your children won't be bullied..."
Xu Qing frowned; he thought, what nonsense!
Knowing this era and the harsh reality, if the Li family's wife and kids were truly sold off under the guise of "for their own good", what would happen to the elderly of the Li family then?
What would happen to the two young children of the Li family?
Before his accident, Li Fan received a settlement of two hundred taels. With this money, his wife could live well even if she didn't remarry.
Xu Qing's suspicion was not out of place, considering Liao An's despicable behavior of betraying his brother, his character could be easily guessed. He might already be coveting the Li family's property!
After sending off the Li family's relatives, Xu Qing resumed his Corpse Driver skills at night.
In front of him, there was a broker's assistant leading the way, and he had to transport these bodies one by one to each family's mourning hall before dawn.
With the outsiders present, he couldn't use the Corpse-Driving Technique but had to use the simplest and most basic Corpse Carrying Technique.
On the fifth day, after each family had kept a three-day vigil, Xu Qing donned the ceremonial robe for presiding over funerals and, along with experienced neighbors, began conducting the funerals and burials for Li Fan and the others.
After completing the rituals in the day, Xu Qing sat alone in the backyard under the pomegranate tree, haunted by the image of the Li family being exploited by Liao An.
"Beasts are easy to rescue, humans are hard. Li Fan, oh Li Fan, even in death, you bring no peace to your family..."
With a sigh, Xu Qing stopped absorbing moonlight, donned his finger tiger and Dharma Artifact, and headed towards the Li family's residence under the cover of darkness.
Having visited during the funeral during the day, he was already familiar with the route.
Reaching the room where Li Fan's wife and children were, Xu Qing peered through a crack in the door and saw Li's wife sitting by the bed, lost in thought.
She had just finished crying during the day and put her two children to sleep.
In the quiet of the night, she sighed softly and walked to the window.
Under the slanted moon and scattered stars, Li's wife's nose tingled with sadness, and all the emotions she couldn't show in front of her in-laws and children surged up.
Her husband had died mysteriously.
Her children were fatherless at such a young age.
As a widow, who knows when the neighbors might start spreading rumors about her.
Claiming she was the reason her husband died would be considered somewhat kind!
Recalling Liao An's sickening words about helping her find a new match, she realized what it feels like when the world collapses.
As she sat by the window wallowing in sorrow, a rough, husky male voice suddenly came from outside the window!
Alarmed, Li's wife thought it must be some rogue who heard about her husband's death and came to bully the widow and orphan.
She quickly grabbed scissors from the sewing basket, planning to call for help from her in-laws and neighbors, but the voice hushed—
"Madam, don't be alarmed. I came to inform you of the real reason for Li Fan's death so that you know who was deceitful!"
Words ready to spill were swallowed back, and upon hearing the real cause of her husband's death, her eyes widened in shock, trembling all over.
Liao An, the man who often drank and played with her husband and bought candy toys for her children, was the true culprit behind her husband's death!
"Madam, go to the broker's house and find Uncle Chang Wu tomorrow. Do not make it obvious, and when you meet him, reveal everything. He will ensure justice is served for you."
With that, silence returned outside.
Li's wife quickly opened the door and looked around. The empty courtyard was silent, no one around to share her burdens!
...
Early the next morning, Xu Qing chatted briefly with Wu Yaohua and Old Hu from the coffin shop.
At noon, when the yang energy was at its peak, he returned to the Funeral Shop and found a cool spot to sleep comfortably.
As the evening approached and the yang energy dissipated, Xu Qing closed the shop door, planning to work out his muscles with a Tiger Seal Dragon Form Fist in the backyard when someone called out from the shop first.
Again, it's the broker's assistant, with the same corpse cart.
The assistant spoke with immense hatred, "Shopkeeper Xu, this corpse is to be handled by you for free, as ordered by Grandpa Chang. But know this, whether to be sent to the mines or elsewhere, he must not receive a decent end! Make sure that he's reborn as a beast, never as a human again!"
Xu Qing wondered who had angered Grandpa Chang now.
Thinking aloud, he lifted the corpse cloth, and seeing the disfigured body made him laugh!
Isn't this Liao An, who tried to exploit the Li family!
Only a day has passed, and look at him now!