Seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Zhu Residence in Yihai Prefecture finally received the corpse of Zhu Shou Rang, enclosed in a coffin.
Lao Ou, despondent and shell-shocked, traveled upstream along the Black Water River from the ferry in Wagang Village.
After disembarking, the Zhu Family dispatched two workers who hired an ox cart to haul it back, transporting it through the back gate to the side courtyard.
The funeral hall's long canopy had already been set up, and the musicians led by the Tea Master were in place, only waiting for this coffin.
The sound of drums and gongs mingling with cries and wails rushed into the ears.
This scene left Lao Ou somewhat startled, as if everything had been prepared in advance.
Like actors ready on a theatrical stage, with the audience seated and the roles in place.
Once the gongs sounded, the performance could begin.
After three quarters past noon, the main household of the Zhu Family gradually arrived.
