Secretary Shen signed the note and issued a letter of introduction. He also helped to call two people and an electric cart.
It was somewhat taboo to be involved in such a funeral, so Chen Chunhua gave them enough money and asked them to help take the body to the crematorium. She and Lin Guoqing also went with them.
As for Chen Xiasheng, after the two old people were carried out, no one cared whether he lived or died, and he could go wherever he wanted.
It was almost evening when we arrived at the crematorium, but we were still at get off work.
As soon as the electric cart entered the crematorium, two people came up to ask about the situation. The note, letter of introduction and money were all clearly there, and the crematorium quickly took the person in.
"Do you want to use a small furnace or a large furnace?"
"What are small furnaces and large furnaces?" Lin Guoqing asked.
"A small furnace is used by one person, and after a furnace is burned, the ashes are individually boxed. A large furnace is used by eight people together, and when the ashes are finished, they are divided equally among the eight boxes. Of course, a large furnace is much cheaper."
This was Lin Guoqing's first time in a crematorium. When his father and grandmother were buried, his family had buried them in the ground. So, this was the first time he'd heard of cremation. Could the ashes from these huge furnaces still be his family's?
But he has no say in this matter and it all depends on Chunhua.
"Hurry up and make a decision. There are already five people working in the big furnace. It's already this late, and there probably won't be anyone left behind. The two of you together will be enough to start the fire." The staff urged.
Chen Chunhua calmly chose the large incense burner and also bought the cheapest and largest urn, saying that the couple could just put the ashes in one. The staff who saw this all curled their lips in silence, but Chen Chunhua didn't care about his opinion and just did it.
"I've helped them deal with their funeral affairs, and our friendship in this life has truly come to an end. It's impossible for me to take them back."
Opposite the crematorium was a mountain, still lush and green in this season. While waiting outside for the urn to come out, she watched the sun setting outside, shining its golden light on the wooded mountain, and spoke softly to Lin Guoqing,
"If we burn them together, people might take them home and offer them a proper incense stick. If they burn them alone in a small incense burner and take them home, Chen Xiasheng will just dump the ashes and take the box out to exchange for money."
Lin Guoqing was choked and speechless, but he had to admit that what Chen Chunhua said made sense.
“Now that we’ve taken this big box back, Shen Xiasheng…it won’t sell for much, right?”
Chen Chunhua's eyes were still fixed on the forest outside. After a moment's thought, she said, "Why don't we scatter them on the mountain after we take them out? Or maybe dig a hole and bury them. It's better than just scattering them in a random stinky ditch."
This is what Shen Xiasheng did in his previous life. When Shen Qiusheng found it, he couldn't find it even if he wanted to. It had melted as soon as it came into contact with water.
Lin Guoqing was relatively traditional and couldn't quite accept the idea of "scattering the body on the mountain." What was the difference between that and being buried without a burial place? Although his father-in-law and mother-in-law hadn't done anything wrong, when a person dies, their debts are settled, and they're gone. So, they, the younger generation, shouldn't engage in such detrimental acts.
"Let's dig a hole and bury it. Or I can go over now and find a flat place to start digging."
Chen Chunhua nodded, and Lin Guoqing left. There were hoes and shovels stored under the electric cart, so he borrowed them and took the cart owner with him to the opposite mountain. He didn't go too far up, but found a relatively flat spot and started digging.
Lin Guoqing was quite experienced at digging holes, and since it was just a burial urn, a large area wasn't needed. The two of them dug diligently for over half an hour before Chen Chunhua came over, holding the urn.
In order to prevent the box from being washed out by rain, the pit was about one meter deep. Lin Guoqing lay on the ground and put the urn in, and then he and his brother buried the soil until a small mound of soil appeared. They found a large stone on the side and erected it there as a monument. Today's matter was over.
They took a cart directly back to Sihe Village. When they stuffed the money into the cart owner's pocket, Chen Chunhua said, "We're not going back. Please tell Secretary Shen thank you for me... And Chen Xiasheng's affairs have nothing to do with me from now on."
The cart owner was from the same village as the Shen family, and he knew everything about Chen Chunhua's family, so he didn't say much when he helped dig the hole to bury the ashes.
He felt that Shen Chunhua had done her utmost. If it were him, the Shen family would have had nothing to do with him long ago, and he wouldn't have come back to take care of his affairs. As for Shen Xiasheng, no one wanted to get involved in his affairs.
The brother stuffed the money into his pocket and smiled innocently, "I know, I will tell Secretary Shen. As for Shen Xiasheng, he is your brother, not your father. You are married, so of course it has nothing to do with you."
Lin Guoqing got out of the car and went into the house. He took out a steamed bun and stuffed it into his hand. "Thank you for your hard work today. I wanted to keep you for dinner, but you said your wife and children were waiting for you to come home for dinner, so we couldn't force you to stay. Just take this steamed bun to fill your stomach on the way."
The two watched the electric cart leave the village before going back into the house together.
In fact, it was already past dinner time. The children in the room had already eaten and were writing on the table.
When Lin Guoqing came in to get the steamed buns, Lin Shuchao had already been unable to sit still, but his father was in a hurry to go in and out and ignored him. Now he suddenly jumped up and rushed over to hug his father's legs.
"Mom and Dad, where did you go today?"
Lin Shumei also rushed over and hugged Chen Chunhua's legs, "Mom, have you eaten yet? Grandma made steamed buns and left a few for you. I'll go get them for you!"
Before she could finish her words, Lin Shuying came out from the kitchen carrying a plate of white steamed buns. Lin Shu quickly cleared away the textbooks and homework on the table to make room for her parents to eat.
Liang Shengdi also opened her door and came out, shouting,
"You two have been gone all day without even telling me when you'll be back. If you don't come back soon, I'm going to eat this plate of steamed buns for a midnight snack!"
Chen Chunhua's soul, which had been wandering all day, finally settled down at this moment. She smiled and pulled Lin Shumei away from her legs, and took her to sit at the table.
"Mom, don't you have a big appetite? There are five steamed buns on this plate. If you eat them all at once as a midnight snack, you won't be able to sleep again."
"I can eat one before going to bed, one when I get up at night, and one when I wake up..." Liang Shengdi curled her lips, still a little unconvinced, but pointed to the kitchen and said to Lin Shuying, "I put the plate of fermented bean curd in the cupboard. Take it out and feed them steamed buns."
"Oh, okay!"
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