He clutched a half-worn ceramic jar tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, his fingertips tracing the blurred intertwined patterns on the jar's surface.
He stood there like a frozen statue, his gaze fixed on the coffin, as if trying to see every detail of the dark wood grain, or as if he saw nothing at all, simply waiting instinctively for the final step of sealing the coffin.
"Thump—"
The first hammer blow, accompanied by a dull tremor, exploded in the silent ancestral hall.
A thick, long wooden nail was precisely hammered into the gap between the coffin lid and the coffin body, and wood chips fell down like shattered time.
"Thump—thump—"
One after another.
The sound of the hammer striking the wooden nail didn't seem like it was hitting into the wood; instead, it sounded like a dull knife chiseling into Cheng Muyun's heart.
Each sound carried the force of a heavy hammer, making his internal organs ache.
He suddenly clutched his chest, a sharp pain coursing through his veins.
He clenched his teeth so tightly that his jawline was stretched into a stiff arc, as if afraid that if he loosened his grip, the surging sobs would burst out of his throat.
Tears welled up in my eyes and could no longer be held back; they filled my eyes and blurred everything in front of me with a layer of mist.
He saw the paint on the coffin blurring through his tear-filled eyes, and he saw the blurry figures of the people around him swaying.
Young couples should have been enjoying a life of happiness and companionship, like candles burning brightly and the everyday joys of life. How did they end up facing separation and death?
The one who survives will carry the memories of both of them and walk alone through the long years to come.
Spring goes and autumn comes, flowers bloom and wither. Those landscapes we once saw side by side are now reduced to just one person's footprints. How difficult must that be?
No one knew; all people knew was that the person who survived was destined for a difficult life.
The dampness seeped into his bones, gnawing at him again and again through countless long nights and damp mornings, forcing him to endure the torment of the rest of his life without her, year after year, day after day.
"Lift the coffin!"
The aged yet powerful voice of the Cheng family elder resounded in front of the Cheng family ancestral hall, like a thunderclap splitting the stagnant air.
Before he finished speaking, the firecrackers that had been prepared suddenly went off in unison.
The crackling sounds were deafening. Red paper scraps rose into the air with the smoke and then fell back down, like a hasty memorial service trying to dispel the overwhelming sorrow with noise, but instead making the surrounding silence even more chilling.
Smoke curled up from the embers of firecrackers, mingling with the morning mist and swirling into a hazy white haze in front of the ancestral hall.
Eight strong men gave a low shout and steadily lifted the dark coffin off the ground.
The moment the coffin was lifted off the ground, it felt as if something had fallen heavily into Cheng Muyun's heart with that slight undulation, leaving no trace.
Xu Jixin, Xu Jiyi, Liang Shaozun, and Xiao Wuxin stepped forward and stood on either side of the coffin.
Their faces were solemn as they gently placed their hands on the cold coffin lid, feeling the weight of the wood under their fingertips, and sensing an indescribable weight in it.
Fu Ling's hand tightened slightly, as if trying to grasp something, but only grasped nothingness.
In a corner on the outskirts of the crowd, Chen Hede stood alone.
A white jasmine flower was pinned to his chest. As he watched the coffin slowly move, his eyes instantly filled with tears. Without warning, the tears rolled down his cheeks, dripping onto his clothes and leaving a small, dark, damp stain.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and in the end, it only turned into a barely audible sob.
Hu Moli, may you rest in peace.
Just then, the sound of a suona suddenly rang out.
The sound was sharp and shrill, like a razor-sharp knife that cut through all pretense of calm and reached the softest part of the human heart.
The somber melody intertwined with the mournful sound of the suona, like an invisible net that ensnared everyone present.
Amidst the mournful music, someone's eyes welled up with tears, and then, low sobs rose and fell.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
