But at this moment, he had already stopped breathing, his face was bluish-purple, and there was blood-red ice on the corners of his mouth, eyes, and ears—that was the blood that had been frozen.
The snow around Little Stone's body was a mess, clearly indicating that it was caused by his struggle and rolling before he died.
"He must have eaten rat poison." Sheng Xiping stepped forward to take a look and sighed.
In his past life, this guy blew himself up with explosives. I heard that when people found his body in the mountains, it was a horrific sight.
The person who saw it was so frightened that they went home and developed a high fever and started talking nonsense. They were hospitalized for more than half a month and still had nightmares after being discharged.
Little Stone probably never got his hands on any explosives in his life, so he just ate rat poison instead.
That's why the surrounding snow was so messy; it must have been because he was writhing in discomfort when the poison took effect.
Wang Jiansheng, Sun Shaoqing, and several others shed tears and wanted to step forward, but Sheng Xiping stopped them.
"Wait a minute, let's go chop some wood first, make a stretcher or a sled, and drag the person back."
Also, whoever is fastest on their feet, go back and give a heads-up so the He family can make preparations.
People who die a violent death cannot enter the village. Where the funeral is held and how it is arranged are all matters that the He family must arrange.
So they sent the two men back to report the news, while the others cut down some trees and made a makeshift stretcher. They carefully placed the person on the stretcher, and the group took turns carrying the small stone back home.
Hua Hua was only responsible for leading the way to find people. Once it found them, it would leap away and disappear without a trace.
Leopard and Fat Tiger were left alone, so the dog ran back the way it came.
Everyone says this person is incredibly heavy, and that's absolutely true.
Four strong men were carrying a person, but at that moment they felt as if the person weighed more than a thousand pounds.
Fortunately, there were many people who came, and they changed people every now and then, and they managed to get out of the woods.
The forest farm had already received the news. When Old He heard that his son had committed suicide by poisoning himself, he almost fainted.
Xiao Shanzi was stunned on the spot and cried out in regret.
It was Zheng Xianyong, who had just returned from Songjianghe, who learned of the news and immediately arranged for people to set up a mourning shed in an open space north of the village.
He then ordered someone to quickly go to the sawmill to get a coffin and find a carpenter to assemble it as soon as possible.
Sheng Xiping and the others carried Xiao Shitou's body out of the woods, just as the people at the forest farm were setting up a mourning tent in an open space.
Old He rushed forward crying, and when he saw Xiao Shitou's miserable state, he swayed and almost fell.
"Uncle, please accept my condolences. Little Stone is gone. How will we handle the funeral arrangements? You'll have to take charge. No matter what, you have to stay strong."
Sheng Xiping helped Lao He up and gently comforted him.
"Xiping, Jiansheng, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you organizing the search in the mountains, the stone's remains would probably have been eaten by wild animals in a few days."
Old He suppressed his grief and bowed deeply to Sheng Xiping and the others.
"Oh, Uncle, please don't do this. We're neighbors here. Stone grew up with us. How can we not help him?"
It's too late to talk about anything else now. What about Stone's funeral? You, sir, just say the word, and we'll help with the arrangements."
Wang Jiansheng helped Lao He up, wiping away tears as he spoke.
He Lei was only twenty-four years old this year, which is considered a young death. Moreover, he committed suicide by poisoning, which is a violent death.
Logically, the body should not be kept in state or placed in a third position; it should simply be carried up the mountain and buried.
However, He Lei's two older sisters are both married and live far away. They have just been notified by phone and are on their way back.
So Lao He discussed with everyone that the body should be kept in state for a day, and He Lei's two older sisters should return this afternoon so they can at least see their brother one last time. The funeral will be held early tomorrow morning.
There's nothing we can do about it; we haven't prepared anything, like a coffin, so we need time to prepare.
The old clothes were borrowed from an elderly family in the forest farm. Little Stone's body was already stiff and he couldn't wear them at all, so he had no choice but to cover himself with them.
The carpenter quickly assembled the coffin, applied a simple base coat, and that was it.
Xiao Shitou wasn't married yet, so naturally he didn't have any children, and no one was wearing mourning clothes. That night, Wang Jiansheng and a group of his classmates came to keep vigil.
At eight o'clock in the morning on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, with the help of the forestry workers, Xiao Shitou's coffin was carried up the mountain.
At this point, the soil was frozen solid and impossible to dig.
There was no other way but to clear the snow, spread wood on the ground, and set it on fire. It burned all morning, and thankfully, nearly two feet of wood had melted underneath.
The coffin was buried, covered with a thin layer of soil, and that was it. They would add more soil next year when the weather was warmer.
After handling Xiao Shitou's funeral, the He family arranged a meal to thank everyone who had helped.
Everyone was feeling unwell, so they ate a few bites as a formality and then said goodbye and went home to rest.
On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Sheng Xikang rushed back from the capital. He did not go home for the Spring Festival last year, but he took leave to come back this year.
Sheng Liancheng and his wife were overjoyed to see their third son. That evening, Zhang Shuzhen cooked dumplings for Sheng Xikang.
Because of the passing of the Sheng family patriarch, the Sheng family did not put up couplets or the character "福" (fortune) during the Spring Festival that year, nor did they hang red lanterns at night; they only hung a light bulb outside.
As for other aspects, it's pretty much the same as in previous years. Everyone eats and drinks as usual. During the New Year, nobody wants to bring up sad things.
Perhaps because it was a rare occasion for the Sheng family to gather together, Hua Hua surprisingly did not return to the mountain, but stayed at the Sheng family home for the New Year.
Sheng Xinhua and the others were overjoyed and played with the little tiger, forgetting all about helping to make dumplings.
The three tiger cubs were playing with Sheng Xinhua and Sheng Xinyu in the outer room, while Hua Hua jumped onto the north kang in the east room to coax the two girls, Xin Yue and Xin Qi.
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