Chapter 33
Lin Qingyu thought that Lu Wancheng was just talking casually, but unexpectedly he was actually concerned about his funeral. He thought the clothes and quilts worn by the murderer were ugly, and said that he wanted to wear his own clothes when he was buried in the coffin. He also thought the white clothes and slings were too monotonous, and asked if they could be changed into colorful ones. When he learned that the epitaph he wanted could not be engraved on the tombstone, he argued with Lin Qingyu for a long time.
"Why not?" Lu Wancheng said angrily, "It's my own epitaph, and I don't have the right to decide?"
Lin Qingyu mocked, "'This is a salted fish lying down, and you will finally be able to sleep after death'. Thousands of years later, how do you think people in the future will look at you?"
Lu Wancheng smiled leisurely and said, "They will probably think that I am an advanced talent, and then list me as the first of the 'Eight Great Masters of Dayu'..."
Lin Qingyu interrupted mercilessly: "Even when you dream, you have to be sensible."
Lu Wancheng was very disappointed that the carefully crafted limerick could not be engraved on the tombstone. He sat in the wheelchair and sighed with his head down, which made Hua Lu's maternal love overflow. Lin Qingyu ignored him and went to the study to do his own thing.
Not long after, Hualu came to him with a plate of fresh dates, and hesitated to speak: "Shaojun, do you want to eat dates?"
"Just say what you want to say."
Hua Lu hesitated for a long time and said, "The young master only has one month left. I think you should be nicer to him and be more accommodating to him."
Lin Qingyu smiled faintly: "But he doesn't want to be accommodated."
Hualu was surprised: "Huh?"
"He tried every means to make us relax, so how can we let him down?" Lin Qingyu's voice was filled with a subtle tenderness, "Tell everyone in Lanfeng Pavilion that during the last period of time, we should just do what we have to do, just like usual."
Hua Lu seemed to understand what he said, but she believed Shao Jun. She had served the eldest young master for such a long time, but she didn't dare to say that she understood him. It had been less than a year since the young master got married, but she had already seen through him.
This is probably what literati and poets call a confidant.
The coffin is the place where the deceased rests forever and is the most important thing in funeral ceremonies. Lin Qingyu remembered what Lu Wancheng said, and really took him with him when choosing the coffin. Xiongsi couldn't move the coffin into the mansion for them to choose, so he had to trouble them to make a trip.
Special shops like Xiongsi are usually opened in hidden and dark corners on the street. This entire street is almost entirely lined with shops dealing in the death of human beings. The largest of them is called Wuwangtang, which is the murder shop commissioned by Lin Qingyu.
Lin Qingyu pushed Lu Wancheng in front, while Huantong followed timidly behind, rubbing her arms together. She felt that this street was much colder than outside, with a chilly wind howling. Every now and then, they passed by a shop with paper figurines displayed in front of the door, which gave people goosebumps.
When the waiters at Wuwang Hall learned that the young master of the Marquis' Mansion was coming, they waited at the door early in the morning. "I respectfully greet you, young master." The waiter saw Lu Wancheng in the wheelchair and asked in surprise, "Could this person be..."
Huan Tong said: "It's my young marquis."
Lu Wancheng greeted the waiter with a smile, which stunned the waiter. He has been in this business for so long, but he has never seen anyone go to a murder shop to choose a coffin for himself.
Lin Qingyu asked: "Where are the things?"
The waiter was smart and quick to react, and said with a smile: "Everything is ready, Master Hou, please come this way."
Although Wuwang Hall has a small facade, there is a whole new world behind it. The newly made coffins were neatly arranged in the backyard. There were different types. The waiter introduced them one by one: "This one is made of zelkova, and that one is made of nanmu. zelkova is not easy to rot and is resistant to moisture and humidity; nanmu has fine texture and is not easy to deform..."
Lu Wancheng discovered a blind spot: "Why are all the coffins here double-person coffins?"
The waiter said, "Since the young marquis is married, it is natural to use a double coffin. As the saying goes, a married couple sleeps together in life and dies together. A hundred years later, the young marquis and the young master will be buried together in the same bed, so that they can continue their relationship in the next life."
For a moment, Lin Qingyu and Lu Wancheng fell silent.
Lin Qingyu had never thought about being buried together with Lu Wancheng. Only after being reminded by the waiter did he realize the meaning of "married couple".
Even though he and Lu Wancheng were reluctant and unaware of the marriage at first, their marriage was still arranged according to the rules of three matchmakers and six betrothals, and they bowed to heaven and earth and their parents, which was completely different from Xiao Cheng and Lu Niantao.
They are married and love each other deeply.
If I live, I will return to you. If I die, I will miss you forever. ①
The words "married couple" are too heavy.
Lu Wancheng smiled and said to Lin Qingyu: "Let's use a single coffin. I'm used to sleeping alone. I have no objection to joint burial, but it would be too unfair to you to be buried in the Lu family's ancestral tomb." If it was the Jiang family's ancestral tomb, he could still consider it.
The waiter looked at Lin Qingyu in embarrassment: "Young Master, this..."
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "Just listen to the young marquis."
The waiter dared not say anything: "The single coffin is in the back, young marquis, please follow me."
Suddenly, a woman's whispering was faintly heard. Huan Tong was so scared that she leaned against Lin Qingyu: "Master, did you hear the crying?"
The waiter explained: "Don't be afraid, little brother, that's another guest who is looking after the coffin."
A few people followed the waiter through the rows of coffins and indeed saw a woman. The woman was dressed in mourning, her eyes were unfocused, she looked haggard and as weak as a willow branch. Even so, it is not difficult to see that she once had a beautiful face.
The waiter whispered, "This is Mrs. Huo. Her husband contracted tuberculosis three years ago and died at home yesterday."
Mrs. Huo was originally a talented actress in the Music Bureau. By chance, she met a scholar and they fell in love with each other and decided to spend their lives together. The scholar spent all his family wealth to redeem her, and thought that they would grow old together. However, after only a few years of living in harmony, they were separated forever and would never see each other again.
The waiter sighed: "Mrs. Huo is a weak woman who was born in the dust. She has no father and no mother. Her husband died at an early age. She is so beautiful. I am afraid that her future life will not be easy."
Several people were standing not far from Mrs. Huo, but Mrs. Huo seemed unable to see them or hear them talking. She gently stroked the golden nanmu coffin and murmured, "I wish I could be the southwest wind and die in your arms..."
After saying that, a line of tears slowly slid down from the corner of her eyes, falling and shattering.
Lin Qingyu retracted his gaze and said, "Let's go."
Lu Wancheng was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I think the golden nanmu coffin is pretty good. Is there a single-person version?"
Wuwangtang is indeed a time-honored brand in Beijing, and it gets things done quickly and well. After a few days, except for the golden nanmu coffin, everything else was prepared. In Lu Wancheng's own words, he can say goodbye to everyone at any time.
After everything was ready, the waiter went to the marquis's house to settle the bill. Lin Qingyu personally rewarded him for the good job he did. The waiter accepted the reward and said with a smile, "I have something else to do in the hall, so I won't bother the young marquis anymore."
Lu Wancheng asked casually, "Will your Wuwang Hall be busier in winter?"
"Who says it's not true?" said the waiter, "There are many old people who can't make it through the winter every year. But today, it was a young lady who passed away... The young marquis and the young master should still remember that it was Madam Huo whom we met in Wuwang Hall that day."
Lu Wancheng was stunned: "She was fine the day before yesterday, why did it happen so suddenly?"
The waiter sighed, "Mrs. Huo couldn't bear the pain of losing her husband. After she finished her husband's funeral, she drowned herself in the lake at night."
Hearing this, Hua Lu covered her mouth with red eyes, and Huan Tong was also quite moved. Lin Qingyu glanced at Lu Wancheng and said to the waiter, "Thank you for your hard work. Go ahead."
After the guy left, Lu Wancheng became noticeably quieter. Lin Qingyu could probably guess why he was like this, and it must have something to do with Mrs. Huo's matter.
Sure enough, after Lu Wancheng finished drinking the medicine, he suddenly asked him: "Qingyu, you probably haven't considered me as your husband yet, right?"
Lin Qingyu said: "I said, I regard you as a friend and a confidant."
Fortunately, fortunately, we are just close friends.
But if your confidant is gone, you will feel sad and upset.
"Don't even bother being my confidant." Lu Wancheng was a little anxious, "Just treat me... as a tool."
Tools… tools that can be thrown away after use, without any emotional investment?
Lu Wancheng hopes he will do so?
Lin Qingyu sneered: "Lu Wancheng, who do you think I am?"
Lu Wancheng was stunned: "...Qingyu?"
"Do you think that after you die, I will be like other widows, crying all day and looking for death?" Lin Qingyu's voice was slightly cold, like the snow in winter. "Do you think I will give up on myself, stagnate, and live in the memory of you? You are wrong, Lu Wancheng. If I were so vulnerable and indecisive, I would have died on the wedding bed when I married you." Lin Qingyu looked at Lu Wancheng, his Adam's apple rolling up and down, and said calmly, "Don't worry, I will watch you go, and then... live well."
Lu Wancheng stared at him for a long time, his eyes seemed to be filled with deep emotion, and he said almost with a sigh: "What should I do, Qingyu, you really...are completely born with my sexual quirks."
The author has something to say: There is a second update! The second update is very late, please come back tomorrow morning~
①Su Shi's "Farewell to My Wife"
②Cao Zhi's "Seven Sad Poems"
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