Chapter 136 Village Chief Wu's House Arrives with News of Death
Bai Zilin didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the wailing outside. Liu Ye, however, couldn't resist her curiosity and muttered in confusion, "Someone must have died. Why are they crying so loudly? We can hear it even here. We don't have any connections with people who die in the village. Should we not go?"
Bai Zilin swallowed the food in his mouth: "No need, but if someone dies in the village chief's family, I'd better go there..."
Liu Ye didn't think much of it after hearing this and continued eating her rice. A little while later, there was a knock on the door. She looked out the window in confusion: "Who could it be so early in the morning? I get scared whenever there's a knock on our door. My heart skips a beat."
Bai Zilin finished the last bit of rice in his bowl in one gulp, put down his chopsticks, and went to open the door: "I'll go open the door, you can eat."
Liu Ye nodded and continued eating. Bai Zilin went to the front door, opened it, and saw a man in his twenties standing there whom he did not recognize: "Who are you looking for?"
The man said with a simple smile, "I'm Zhao Hanzi, the neighbor of Village Chief Zhao. Village Chief Wu's son, Wu Changgui, died. He asked me to call you over to help. Have you finished eating? Come with me now."
Bai Zilin was shocked upon hearing this: "What did you say! Village Chief Wu's son is dead? How did he die? Wasn't he perfectly fine yesterday?"
Zhao Hanzi sighed and said, "I heard he died this morning, apparently from illness. I just went into the house to see him after he came back from breaking his leg. Oh my, he's so thin, he looks like a ghost. I guess he didn't die from illness, but rather from his own pathetic state. It's really pitiful."
Bai Zilin frowned and nodded: "Brother Zhao, wait for me for a moment. I'll go back inside and tell my fiancée."
Zhao Hanzi nodded with a simple, honest smile: "Go ahead."
Bai Zilin returned to the house, where Liu Ye was picking up the bowls and chopsticks: "Who was it?"
Bai Zilin said with a complicated expression, "It was a neighbor of Village Chief Wu who came to deliver a message saying that Wu Changgui has died. Village Chief Wu asked me to go and help. I came back to tell you, so you don't need to go. Let's go to town to look at houses tomorrow."
Liu Ye was truly shocked after hearing this: "Wu Changgui is dead. Didn't you see him yesterday? How could he be dead? How did he die?"
Bai Zilin pursed his lips and said, "His neighbor said he died suddenly. No one knows whether he died of illness or anger. I'm going first. That person is still waiting."
"Oh, then go ahead. Be careful, I'm afraid this is another scheme set up by Village Chief Wu."
Bai Zilin smiled and nodded. He came out of the house and left with Zhao Laohan. Liu Ye took the bowls and basins to the kitchen, still wondering how Wu Changgui could have died. Could he have died of anger? That's possible. Fifty taels of silver is a lot of money. In an ordinary family in the village, they might not be able to save up fifty taels in their entire lives. Moreover, he was trying to harm someone. He tried to steal a chicken but ended up losing the rice instead. He deserved to lose his money and his life. Wu Changgui got his just desserts.
She really wanted to go to Village Chief Wu's house to see how miserable he was, but Brother Wu wouldn't let her go. Fine, she could imagine how heartbroken Village Chief Wu must be. He deserved it!
Bai Zilin followed Zhao Laohan to Village Chief Wu's house. A mourning tent had been set up in the courtyard of Village Chief Wu's house, and there were people inside and outside the courtyard. At this time, Village Chief Wu and his family of three were kneeling in front of the coffin in the center of the courtyard, crying uncontrollably. Aunt Wu had already fainted several times from crying.
Although Village Chief Wu didn't faint from crying, his eyes were swollen like toad eyes, the size of walnuts. He trembled all over, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, his voice hoarse: "Ah, my son, how could you leave like this? Do you know that your departure has taken half of your father's life? Waaah, God, you have no eyes! Waaah, my son, Changgui, waaah..."
Wu Xincao knelt to the side, burning paper money and crying, her eyes reduced to slits: "Waaah, big brother, big brother, you've taken the money, don't be reluctant to spend it over there, big brother, waaah, big brother, you've taken the money, waaah..."
The village official in charge of the funeral handed Bai Zilin three lit incense sticks. Bai Zilin calmly accepted the incense, bowed three times to Wu Changgui's coffin, and then placed them in the incense burner beside him, saying, "Brother Changgui, may you rest in peace."
Upon hearing Bai Zilin's voice, Village Chief Wu forced open his swollen eyes and glared at Bai Zilin with hatred in them: "Zilin is here. If Changgui knew you came to see him off, he would be very pleased. There aren't enough people at home, so stay and help your uncle out!"
Bai Zilin nodded indifferently: "Of course, Uncle, please accept my condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life. I'm sure Brother Changgui wouldn't want to see you so sad for him. Uncle and Aunt, you should take care of yourselves."
Wu Xincao raised her tear-filled face, biting her lip as she looked at Bai Zilin. It is said that women in mourning are the most beautiful, and their delicate appearance can capture a man's heart. She must be very beautiful now, with tears streaming down her face.
Bai Zilin glanced at Wu Xincao with disdain before looking away. It was truly an eyesore; snot was dripping from her mouth.
Village Chief Wu nodded through gritted teeth: "Zilin is right, the dead cannot be brought back to life, but how can I not be sad? Changgui is gone just like that, he died a pathetic death, waaaaah, my Changgui, my son, if you have a spirit in heaven and know you died unjustly, then take the person who harmed you away, make him pay with his life, make him suffer a terrible death, waaaaah, my son…!"
Bai Zilin walked to the side expressionlessly, thinking to himself, "Go ahead and curse me if you want. Anyway, your son is dead. It won't hurt me to curse you."
In fact, many people came to help at Village Chief Wu's house, so Bai Zilin could hardly get involved. According to local custom, people are buried on the same day they die. Those who die in the morning are buried in the morning, those who die in the afternoon are buried in the afternoon, and those who die at night are buried in the morning. Wu Changgui was no exception.
After the three rounds of crying had ended, Village Chief Wu handed Bai Zilin a shovel: "Zilin, you and your uncle will go up the mountain to bury the person later. The soil on the mountain is frozen now, and it's really hard to dig if you're not a big guy."
Bai Zilin took the shovel: "Oh."
Bai Zilin, along with Village Chief Wu and a dozen others, came to the mountain. The feng shui master found the burial site, and Bai Zilin followed them to dig the grave. After the grave was dug, the funeral procession also came to the mountain, placed Wu Changgui's coffin in the grave, and then filled it with soil.
The three members of the Wu family knelt in front of the grave and cried for a long time. After they had cried enough, the funeral procession returned to the village chief's home and began to eat a feast. The feast was nothing special; each table had a bowl of plain cabbage without any oil or grease, and a large bowl of mixed grain porridge.
Bai Zilin and Village Chief Wu sat at the same table. Their table was the only one with wine, and all the people sitting there were respected elders in the village. Village Chief Wu carried a large wine jar and poured a full bowl of wine for Bai Zilin: "Zilin, thanks to you today, I have to keep you company. Come on, let's have a drink."
Without hesitation, Bai Zilin picked up a large bowl of wine, clinked it against Village Chief Wu's, and downed it in one gulp. Village Chief Wu also drank a large bowl, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and then poured another bowl for Bai Zilin. Bai Zilin drank that one without hesitation as well. The old man was trying to get him drunk.
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