Chapter 240 Death is not the loss of life, but the exit from time (Illusion of Life and Death, Part 2)
[The sky is still gloomy, but the heavy rain has stopped at some point.]
[You walk on the muddy mountain road with one foot light and one foot heavy, your thoughts are complicated. ]
[In the past, you thought death was a lively event.]
[Because whenever someone dies, it means that your family will have new business, and your father, who has made money, will take you to the town to buy candied haws.]
[In addition, at the funeral, there was a lot of noise and gongs and drums, and at midnight, there was a special chef who cooked a few bowls of hot tofu noodles, which was your favorite.]
【Therefore, your view of death is never a bad thing. 】
[It was not until today that you felt a lump in your chest and a sore nose that you truly understood that death is a very sad thing.]
【At this moment, you really want to explore what the true meaning of death is. 】
[You ask the old man carrying the coffin beside you, what is death? ]
[The old master was holding a paint-less pipe in his mouth. He shook the pipe in his hand, then took another puff of smoke. He then said with a smile: "Hey, boy? Why are you asking this? Dead is dead, what else can it be?"]
[You hold your head with your hands when you hear that, and have no choice but to ask another old man who carries the coffin, what is death? ]
[The old master was stunned for a moment, then smiled and showed his yellow teeth and said: "Dead means there is nothing left, everything is gone?"]
[After saying that, the old master glanced at you and felt that you seemed dissatisfied with the answer, so he scratched his head and said, "Look, isn't the rain heavy? When the sun comes out tomorrow, the rain, including the rain stains on the ground, will all be gone. There will be no trace of rain anymore. Isn't it like a person has died?"]
[Hearing this, you can't help but be slightly stunned. ]
[Is death just like a rain? When the rain stops and the sky clears up and the rain stains disappear, is that death? ]
[You don’t know whether this statement is right or wrong, but you keep it in mind.]
[After returning home, you asked your father again, what is death? ]
[Your father was startled and looked at you with some surprise. He seemed a little surprised, but how could a teenager like you ask such a question?]
He did not answer immediately, but thought for a moment and said, "Xing'er, actually, what is death? There is no single correct answer. It is whatever you think it is.
Over the years, I have traveled all over the country and handled many funerals. Everyone's behavior before death is different.
Some people feel fear about death. I once saw a prisoner in the government office in Huangqiao Town. After learning that he was about to die, he knelt on the ground and cried bitterly. His face was full of fear and he begged to the sky not to die.
I have also seen some people who are unusually calm and free and easy when facing death. To them, death is just a journey back home, and then they start again at a different destination.
I have also seen someone smiling when facing death, and I still remember what that person said to me: Death is not the loss of life, but the departure from time. 】
At this moment.
Chen Zhixing, whose thoughts had long been in chaos, suddenly woke up for a short while.
"die."
"It's not about losing life, but about walking out of time?" Chen Zhixing murmured to himself, thoughtfully.
Vaguely, he seemed to have grasped something.
The next moment.
His thoughts fell into chaos again and merged into the picture.
[Hearing your father's words, you can't help but be a little distracted. ]
[You never thought that your father, who couldn't even write a single word, could say such a profound thing.]
[Then, your father looked up at the sky, sighed, and continued:
“Death is never scary. If you think positively, it is like a butterfly shedding its cocoon and returning to the sky; it is like snow melting into water and returning to the earth; it is like a drop of water sinking into rivers and oceans, and from then on it merges with the whole world.
When people are alive, they worry about gain and loss and suffer endless torture, but once they die, they will never lose anything, which is also good. ”】
[After your father finished speaking, you nodded as if you understood.]
【Spring goes and autumn comes, time flies by. 】
[In the blink of an eye, several years have passed. ]
[After several years, you have gradually become calmer from the passionate young man you were at the beginning, and now you are content to be a coffin bearer.]
[You have been on your own over the years and have shouldered a lot of responsibilities for your father.]
【Over the years, you have seen off many people. 】
[There are young boys and girls who are clearly in their prime and have just started their lives, there are old people who have worked hard all their lives and died of old age, there are rich officials who hold power and wealth, there are too many. ]
[Among them, there are many people who have made you feel regretful. Obviously, that person is so kind and full of vitality, but he left without saying goodbye. ]
[One of your childhood friends also passed away due to a serious illness. You cried so hard that your eyes were swollen.]
【Time passes slowly, and you gradually grow up. 】
[Perhaps because you have seen so many separations and deaths, you have gradually become calm and indifferent to death.]
[Your understanding of death is becoming deeper and deeper.]
[In your opinion, in fact, most people, while they are still alive, are already dead day by day. ]
[So-called death is just the cessation of the days that preceded it. 】
【Death is never a constant word. 】
[It's like a person who passed by you. Maybe that passing by was the last time you met him in this life.]
[You think that perhaps true death is to disappear forever in the hearts of those you truly care about. ]
【Spring goes and autumn comes, time goes by. 】
[It is the dead of winter again. Your father suddenly falls ill and his health deteriorates rapidly. In just a few days, he looks dozens of years older. His hair is gray, his body is thin, and his eye sockets are sunken.]
[A sense of death permeates his body.]
[That day, you knelt in front of his bed.]
[You have seen too many people before they die. You know that your father is about to pass away and leave this world forever.]
[At that moment, you, who thought you had seen through life and death, wept uncontrollably.]
[Your father trembled as he stretched out his old, skinny hand, and gently wiped away the tears on your face with his rough fingers, then smiled and said: "Hey, boy, don't cry. Do you remember what your father told you before? Death is not scary, nor is it the opposite of life, but it exists forever as a part of life!"]
[Instantly, you were startled.]
【Death is not the opposite of life, but exists forever as a part of life! 】
[It turns out that life and death have never been separated! ]
(Friendly reminder: For the following content, friends who are convenient can open the music software in their mobile phones, and then search for the song "There are So Many People in This World", and read the book silently while adding BGM, the effect will be even better~~~)
[Your father didn't make it through this severe winter.]
【The New Year’s Eve is really a hurdle. 】
[According to your father's last wish, he said that he had handled too many funerals for other people in his life. To sum it up, it can be summed up in one word: tired.]
[If he's dead, just carry him to a better place and bury him, and don't bother with all that crap.]
[Not only will you waste your life and money, but you won’t even have peace after death.]
[You followed his wishes and did not hold a grand funeral. Instead, you found a sunny spot and buried him there.]
[That day, heavy snow fell, and the sky and earth were covered in silver. ]
[You are dressed in mourning, carrying the coffin, and walking towards the mountain.]
[The cold wind was biting, and the chill was piercing. You carried the coffin and walked on the snow-covered mountain road, leaving behind deep and shallow footprints.]
[You have carried many people's coffins in your life, but you never thought that you would carry your father's coffin yourself in the end.]
[Then, you dug the snow and the ground with your hoe, and then, breathlessly, you carried his coffin inside.]
[My father lay quietly in the coffin, just like he was sleeping every day, but his face was pale and a little creepy.]
[A trace of frost and snow fell on his body, forming crystal ice flowers on his eyebrows and eyelids.]
[In his entire life, he has never praised you much. Even the two of you rarely communicate with each other. Even if you do talk, he would scold you for being careless and unable to do anything well. You will definitely have no future.]
[When you were young, you would always quarrel with him when you heard him say these things, and you were angry. Why couldn't you, his father, say a few nice words?]
[But now, as you look at your father lying quietly in the coffin, you hope that he can stand up and scold you like he used to. Even if he scolds you to bits, you will definitely accept it with a smile and will not argue with him again.]
【But, there is no such opportunity anymore. 】
[The old master beside you wiped the mouth of the pipe, then threw the pipe and the pipe to you.]
[You squatted on the grave, puffing on your cigarette.]
The old master said, "Good boy, don't blame your father for being so strict with you. People of our generation didn't receive much education, and we don't know how to talk about big principles. We are all first-time human beings and first-time fathers. Who knows how to teach children? But we all know that we will be gone before you. Shouldn't we take care of you more and teach you everything we know while we are still here? Otherwise, we won't be at ease even when we die."
[You smoked your cigarette in silence without saying anything.]
[Later, you took one last look at your father, then sealed the coffin and covered it with shovels of soil.]
[When you go down the mountain, the footprints you left in the snow have been covered by the white snow, leaving no trace.]
【Everything seems like it has never been there before. 】
[You can't help but be lost in thought, and gain a new understanding of death. ]
[What is death? It is the end, it is a farewell, it is irreversible, it is a hand that can never be held again, it is a warmth that can never be felt again, it is the words "Dad, I'm back" that can never be said again. ]
【Death is like an eternal lighthouse. No matter where you are heading, you will eventually turn towards it.】
[In a trance, you look back at the sunny slope. ]
[Heavy snow fell, lonely graves stood, white soul flags fluttered in the cold wind, and yellow paper was picked up by the wind and floated away.]
[When the spring comes next year, this hillside will be full of flowers and sunshine, and endless new life will emerge from the ground. ]
[Only those who sleep in the land will never wake up again and are truly gone. ]
[After returning home, you, with a blank expression, looked at the room where no one was lighting the lamp anymore, your father's clothes, even the bowl he used to eat in, and the cabbage he had stored in the cellar during the first month of the lunar year.]
[For some reason, you couldn't help but burst into tears. ]
[At this time, you finally understood that your father was really dead! ]
【Time passes slowly.】
[Without your father, you become extremely lonely. ]
[Although you didn’t communicate with him much before, now that there is no communication, as long as he is there, everything is fine. ]
[Now that he is gone, there is no one left to light a light and heat a bowl of rice for you when you return home.]
[You feel like you have become a child completely abandoned by the world, transformed into a tiny flower in the vast universe. ]
[You can't help but have a new understanding. It turns out that once parents die, life becomes a journey home. ]
[You even wonder in your heart, could it be that the end of death is not nothingness, but a reunion after a long separation? ]
【Time passes slowly.】
[After your father passed away, you took over his funeral business. It was not until you really supported your family that you could not help but feel fortunate that your father had been so strict with you.]
[It is precisely because of the strictness in the beginning that you are able to deal with things calmly now. ]
[However, although you have a good family background, your industry is still too taboo, so even though you have been an adult for several years, no matchmaker has come to propose marriage to you.]
[When you were in your twenties, the village lady Wang found you and asked if you would consider marrying the girl Xiulian from the next village.]
[You have been lonely for too long. Whenever you see other people's homes lit up and couples in love, don't you envy them? ]
[You didn’t nod in agreement, nor did you shake your head in refusal. You just whispered two words: “Let’s see.”]
[Wang Po left with a smile. A few days later, one morning, she came back with two people.]
[The person walking in front is a middle-aged peasant woman with a big body, dark complexion, and a vigorous gait. She is obviously an expert in farm work.]
[Following behind was a girl with fair skin, delicate features, thin figure, lowered eyebrows, and a timid look.]
[The peasant woman in front of her pulled her and complained impatiently: "You sickly woman, please move faster. If you can't get married today, you can pack up and leave. Your brother and I don't have time to take care of you."]
[The girl responded timidly and walked forward, but she had to gasp for breath from time to time, and it was obvious that she was not in good health.]
【She is Xiulian. 】
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
[My parents passed away early, and I lived with my cousin on my father's side.]
[She was born weak, and during her childhood, she had always lived in a woodshed, which caused her to catch a cold and lung disease. Not only was she unable to work, but she also coughed badly when the weather got cold.]
[In this village where the population is the labor force, Xiulian is not valued at all by her family. Her cousin and his wife have long wanted to throw this burden out.]
[But in every household, women hold up half the sky. Who would want to find such a sick seedling to cause trouble for their family? ]
[So, the two of you, both abandoned by the world and full of insecurity, met each other just like that.]
[She raised her head timidly and looked into your eyes.]
[The next moment, both of you feel a little relieved.]
[Although the two of them had already made a plan in their minds from the beginning, as long as the opponent was not too bad, there was nothing to pick. ]
[But to some extent, I still feel a little worried. ]
[Xiu Lian heard that people working in the funeral industry often have physical defects. As she was walking on the road, she couldn't help but imagine whether the person she was meeting today would be an old bald man with a lifeless face and acne all over his face.]
[But when I see you, you are tall and handsome. Although you are not handsome, you are handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.]
[Almost instantly, her face turned red and she lowered her head. She couldn't help but think to herself, would such a person really like such a sickly person? ]
[She couldn't help but feel uneasy.]
[As for you, the moment you saw this girl, you knew in your heart that she was the only one for you! ]
[Whether it was love at first sight or lust at first sight, I have to say that this woman in front of me, whose skin is so white that it glows, and whose appearance is delicate and gentle, is unmatched in this area.]
[For other families, marrying a daughter-in-law is about finding a laborer. They want someone who is strong and capable of doing farm work.]
【As for you, all you want is a woman who is at least pleasing to your eyes. 】
[As for whether this woman can do farm work? ]
[To be honest, the wealth accumulated by your three generations of ancestors, plus your own efforts over the years, is second to none in the entire Huangqiao Town.]
[So, while the matchmaker and the peasant woman were still chattering, spit flying everywhere, you simply took out ten taels of silver from your sleeve and put it on the table with a "pa" sound.]
[“Oh my god, ten taels of silver?” The peasant woman’s eyes widened, a look of disbelief on her face.]
[This is ten taels of silver. If it were converted into food, it would be enough for their family to eat for a whole year.]
[So, without any regrets, the peasant woman left happily with the matchmaker.]
[You and Xiulian exchanged glances, and both of you laughed at the same time.]
[Because you both know it.]
[You now have your own home in this world of brightly lit homes. ]
【You and Xiulian got married. 】
[I didn’t inform anyone, nor did I make a big show of it.]
[They pasted a bright red "囍" character on the window, changed the bed and quilt, went to town to buy new clothes, and then they lived together. ]
[That night, the red candles flickered, and you two sat at the head of the bed, eating wedding candy together. As you ate, you couldn't help but giggle at each other.]
[You all know that outsiders are discussing you in secret, saying that one of you is a dead man's food and the other is a tuberculosis patient. There are many rumors.]
【But you don’t care at all.】
【Life is for yourself, not for others to see.】
[Only when you are really tired of me, you can say: "I will ask my friends from the charity cemetery to go and play with you tonight."]
[As soon as these words were spoken, those people were immediately frightened to the point of pissing and shitting, and their souls were about to die.]
【And you can't help but laugh. 】
[Life after marriage was very ordinary, without all the romance and excitement described in novels and biographies.]
[However, those plain days were the greatest happiness for the two of you.]
【You have a home now.】
【You are no longer alone in this world. 】
[When you get up every morning, someone will prepare breakfast for you and help you put on your clothes. ]
[Every night when you come home, no matter how late you come back, there is always a light on at home, there is always a bowl of hot rice in the pot, heated over and over again, and there is always someone, no matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, waiting for you to come back by the door.]
[She will bring you hot water and gently scrub the dirt and mud off your body with a towel.]
[The bed is no longer cold, and I no longer have to worry about not having time to wash my clothes. I even opened a small yard in front of my house, raised a flock of chickens, and planted a vegetable patch.]
[Xiu Lian was weak and sickly, and was unable to do farm work, but she also tried every way to help you. Not only did she keep the house tidy and clean, but when you were out at work, she would help you make paper figures, paste paper horses, and weave clothes at home.]
【At this moment, you finally understand, what is life? This is life! 】
[Of course, people are mutual. ]
[You were also very good to Xiulian. Even though she was frugal by nature and was afraid that you would spend too much money on food and clothing, you still gave her the best of everything.]
[All of a sudden, the women in the village went from being jealous at first to being silent, and finally to having unconcealed envy on their faces.]
[Everyone is saying that Xiulian, a poor person, never expected that she could turn from a sparrow into a phoenix and find such a good family.]
[During this time, Xiulian's cousin-in-law saw that Xiulian's life was getting better, and she felt uncomfortable and wanted to come over to cause trouble.]
[You directly called the other coffin bearers, paper makers, horse pasters, suona players, etc. in the charity cemetery, and went to the cousin's wife's house overnight, hung paper figures at the door, beat gongs and drums, played funeral music, and held a grand ceremony.]
[The cousin's family was shocked and terrified. Holding a funeral for a living person, wouldn't that mean they were cursed to die early?]
[Looking at the eight coffin bearers who followed you, holding shoulder poles and strong waists, and the cousin's husband who rushed out with a hatchet ready to fight to the death, he silently put the knife back, sealed a red envelope for you, and sent you back with a smile. ]
[For a while, no one dared to disturb your life. ]
[A few years later, Xiulian gave birth to a child for you.]
[The child is born with a chubby face, skin color, eyebrows and eyes like her, and facial shape and features like you. ]
【Watching the birth of a new life, you can't help but sigh, how wonderful it is. 】
[You have already gone through half of your life, and this new life has just begun. ]
[In this world, some people keep dying, and some people keep being born. ]
[Between life and death, you seem to have grasped something vaguely. ]
[Life and death are uncontrollable, but the life in between can be controlled. 】
【The best taste in the world is pure joy. 】
【Time flies like an arrow. 】
【Time never spares anyone. 】
[In the blink of an eye, spring goes and autumn comes, and twenty years have passed. ]
[Twenty years later, you have grown old, your body is no longer as good as before, your hair has turned mostly white, and you can’t even carry a coffin.]
[Your child went to Beijing to take the imperial examination a long time ago, and has not returned for many years.]
[Your life is almost the same as your father's, but the biggest difference is that you did not kill your children's dreams.]
[He wants to study and get a good reputation. Even though you know the possibility is slim, you still support him to do it without hesitation.]
[Not for anything else, just so that he can live his own life. ]
[You rarely get involved in funeral matters, so naturally someone will take care of it.]
[Most of your time was given to Xiulian.]
[It is only at this moment that you understand that in one’s life, parents and children are just passers-by, and only the person beside you is the one who supports you through your life.]
[In fact, you never knew whether you had ever loved Xiulian. ]
[But all this is no longer important, because Xiulian has long become the water you drink and the food you eat in your life, and has become a habit that has been integrated into your daily life.]
[However, her lung disease is getting worse. ]
[When you are young, you can still use your body to bear the brunt of the burden. But when you get older, all the functions of your body begin to decline rapidly, and you naturally can no longer bear the brunt of the burden.]
[At first, she just coughed violently, but later, she was already gasping for breath, and every time she coughed, she coughed up a lot of blood.]
[You spent a lot of money on her, but later on, she cried and begged you to stop spending money on her.]
[Because if she died, there would always be someone alive who would continue to live.]
[But if the money is all gone and she is gone, what should the survivors do? ]
[It’s late autumn again. ]
[She couldn't hold on any longer and fell on the sickbed.]
[She is suffering from illness and pain, and it is no longer possible to find the shadow of Bai Yueguang in her. 】
[On the contrary, every breath she took was torture, every word she spoke was torture. ]
[Every day I spend in this world is extremely painful.]
[On a late autumn morning, the weather finally cleared up after being cloudy for many days. ]
[A warm morning sun rises from the horizon. ]
[However, the sun rises and a new day arrives, but Xiulian's life stops yesterday.]
【She is dead.】
I feel like I'm a bit of a literary person lately, um, I need to change it!!
Then, there are only 20 minutes left until September, everyone, please vote for your monthly tickets, and let's make another push! (End of this chapter)
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