She nodded in response, and then Shumei stood up and walked out.
Lying in the warm bed, looking at the empty ceiling, a smile appeared on her face. She seemed to see the King of Hell waving to her, and the other world was full of flowers and the sky was blue. It was so beautiful that she wanted to walk into the other world right now.
With a smile, she closed her eyes.
After Shumei finished her work in the chicken coop, she went to the fields to pick a few radishes and busied herself preparing ingredients for Zhang Xiaoqin to make roasted radish and pork ribs.
This cured pork ribs was prepared for the Chinese New Year, and she would not eat it normally. She would only serve it to guests when they came to her house. From this, it can be seen that Shumei really did not hold a grudge against Zhang Xiaoqin.
She prepared everything and put it all on the table before going into the house to call Zhang Xiaoqin.
"Sister, the roasted radish and pork ribs are ready, hurry up and eat! People are like iron and steel, and they will be hungry if they don't eat. If you are really tired, get up and eat before going to sleep."
Shumei sat on the edge of the bed and said to Zhang Xiaoqin who was sleeping with a smile on her face.
She talked a lot, but Zhang Xiaoqin didn't respond. She tried to gently push Zhang Xiaoqin's shoulder, "Sister, sister, wake up! It's time for dinner..."
Even so, Zhang Xiaoqin didn't react at all.
Shumei increased her strength and volume again, but Zhang Xiaoqin still showed no reaction. She realized something was wrong and reached out to Zhang Xiaoqin's face, trying to pinch her philtrum.
Only then did she realize that Zhang Xiaoqin's face had lost its temperature and was cold to the bone.
She instinctively pulled her hand away, her heartbeat accelerating. Her body jerked back, and she stumbled a few steps.
After a moment's pause, she slowly approached the bed and used her trembling hands to check Zhang Xiaoqin's breath.
Zhang Xiaoqin was indeed dead, but since she was mentally prepared this time, she didn't feel that surprised.
She was still chatting with him this morning, but now he was a cold corpse. Even though she had prepared herself mentally, the discomfort was unavoidable.
She once again realized the fragility of life and the impermanence of the world.
She kept her promise and used the money left by Zhang Xiaoqin to arrange her funeral arrangements conscientiously.
He squeezed out time from his busy schedule to buy a coffin for her, make her burial clothes, and choose a grave for her. In short, he did his best in every aspect without any perfunctory effort.
Although she was unable to hold a grand funeral for Zhang Xiaoqin, she did not neglect any of the necessary customs.
Although there was no wedding banquet, Shumei still asked a feng shui master to choose a suitable date for her burial. Before the burial, Zhang Xiaoqin's body was left in her yard.
In the evening, Xiao Shuangning returned home from school earlier than Xiao Youchen. As soon as she entered the yard, she saw Zhang Xiaoqin parked there.
A brazier, half filled with ashes, sat before the coffin. Incense and candles were placed on two halves of sweet potato. Zhang Xiaoqin's body was covered with a white cloth, her face pale as a dead person should be.
Little Shuangning was not a three-year-old child anymore, and she had seen many scenes like this. Without anyone telling her, she knew that this was a funeral and that Zhang Xiaoqin lying there was dead.
Her face turned pale with fear. She had always been deeply afraid of Zhang Xiaoqin. Last night she had clearly seen Zhang Xiaoqin walking past her alive, but today she saw Zhang Xiaoqin's body parked in her own yard. If she wasn't afraid, she would be dead.
She stared at the corpse not far away for a while, then ran into the house screaming.
"ah……"
She panicked and ran into Shumei's arms as she came out of the house carrying a large bundle of toilet paper.
She screamed even louder as if she had seen a ghost.
"Ningning, what's wrong with you?"
Shumei took her in her arms and asked her with concern.
"Mom...Mom...Aunt...Aunt..."
Ningning hugged Shumei tightly, turned her head and secretly glanced at Zhang Xiaoqin's body in the yard, stammering and unable to say a complete sentence.
Shumei sighed deeply and stroked Xiaoshuang's black hair. "Silly child, everyone will die one day, what's there to be afraid of? Besides, that's your aunt. She had a serious illness and unfortunately passed away. She didn't have many relatives in the village, so we are the only ones who can take care of her funeral."
"Mom, she...how long will she stay here?" Xiao Shuangning looked at Shumei with fear in her eyes. Her eyes kept avoiding Zhang Xiaoqin's body and she didn't dare to look at it any more.
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