FMT 28

Chapter 28 Funeral Affairs

About the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, Liandan had just put on his outer robe and was about to go to the village chief’s house to call people when he heard the courtyard gate outside move.

Before his hand could release the latch of the outer room door, the door was suddenly pulled open, almost pulling him off balance.

At that moment, Liandan came face to face with the man he had decided never to see again.

Liandan froze, but Chen Shuangning’s face was calm as usual. He raised his hand to steady Liandan’s arm, and once he saw him standing firm, he naturally let go and asked, “Are the clothes ready?”

Liandan realized he was asking whether Old Madam Chen’s burial clothes had been put on. He instinctively nodded and gave a soft “Mm.”

His eyes quietly glanced down at the ground outside the door but saw no trace of the bracelet he had left there. The man’s hands were empty.

Lowering his head, Liandan wondered whether the bracelet had been taken and if he should say something now.

Just then, the courtyard gate clanged again.

Liandan looked up and saw the village head leading several people in, among them Zhang Xing and his younger brother Zhang Li.

“I called everyone,” Chen Shuangning said.

Seeing the others about to cross the courtyard, Liandan pressed his lips together, turned, and went back inside to leave the doorway clear.

Chen Shuangning looked at him and entered the outer room with the others.

….

In wealthy families, when an elder died, there were endless rituals: the greater and lesser burial rites, divination to pick an auspicious date, choosing the burial site, and so on, taking at least ten days to half a month.

Ordinary farmers had no such elaborate practices.

That very day, Old Madam Chen’s clothes and belongings were packed away. Once the coffin arrived, her body was placed inside, and those items were placed along with it.

They held the vigil that night, and the next morning at dawn the funeral procession set out.

All day, Liandan barely had a moment’s rest. At daybreak, the whole village already knew, and from morning to night there was a constant stream of people in the house.

Liandan busied himself serving tea and water, cooking at noon and in the evening, and from time to time checking on Xiaodan, whom Sister Ting helped look after.

Fortunately, there were many people in the house and many hands to help, so the work could be managed.

Every now and then, Liandan secretly glanced at Chen Shuangning. He too was busy, looking very much like the true son of this family.

Liandan also paid special attention to Zhang Xing. The man spoke and acted as usual, showing no sign of the strange state Old Madam Chen had been in before. He even seemed to have no more objections toward Chen Shuangning, working alongside him and discussing matters like they had a good relationship.

That evening, fewer people remained in the house for the vigil.

Sister Ting looked at Liandan, then softly said to Chen Shuangning, “Liandan has been worn out the whole day. Now that no outsiders are here, you should help him lie down and rest.”

Chen Shuangning looked at Liandan and said, “I’m here. Your face doesn’t look good. Go rest inside.”

With others watching, Liandan could not show much, so he nodded and let himself be supported inside.

Xiaodan was sleeping soundly on the bed. Chen Shuangning moved the quilt pile that blocked the side of the bed further in so Liandan could lie down.

After Liandan got on the bed, Chen Shuangning pulled the quilt over him. Liandan turned his back on him, silent, eyes shut.

He felt the man stand behind him for a while, then heard light footsteps leave.

The door opened, then shut again. Lying in bed, Liandan bit his lips, his heart sour and heavy.

….

Before dawn the next day, the funeral procession left the village.

The Chen family’s ancestral graves lay on a nearby hillside. After the last spade of earth covered the mound, the three members of the Chen family were finally reunited beneath the ground.

After returning, Chen Shuangning saw the guests off. The house quieted, leaving only Liandan and the child.

Liandan tidied up the house, fed Xiaodan, and coaxed him to nap.

When the child was asleep, Liandan lay down for a while as well.

That evening, as Liandan was starting the fire to cook, Chen Shuangning came back and entered to help.

Liandan’s movement halted for a moment, but he acted as if he hadn’t seen him and kept on with his work.

Liandan had little appetite. He cooked sorghum porridge, and with pickles only drank half a bowl.

Chen Shuangning did not eat with him, and he did not ask. Before bedtime, Chen Shuangning sat down by the window again. When Liandan came before him, Chen Shuangning lifted his head to look at him.

Liandan asked, “Did you see the bracelet at the door?”

Chen Shuangning did not speak. He lowered his eyes, lifted his hand, and took from his chest the bracelet wrapped in a cloth.

When Liandan saw it, his eyelids turned red. He asked again, “Do you not understand my meaning? Why did you still come back?”

Chen Shuangning’s gaze sank. “When the time comes, I will naturally leave.”

Liandan’s chest rose and fell. He stayed silent for a while, then turned back to the bed, pulled the quilt over himself, and shut his eyes.

As for the pillow he had deliberately taken out earlier, at some point it had already been put away.

Chen Shuangning stood by the window, eyes lowered. After a long time, he began to meditate, but no matter how he tried, he could not enter stillness.

The breathing of the person on the bed slowly grew even. Chen Shuangning opened his eyes, got up, came to the bedside, and silently watched the man.

After a moment, the one thought to be asleep moved faintly.

Chen Shuangning’s pupils contracted. He bent down, reaching out to pull up the slipping quilt.

Just then, Liandan suddenly sat up. Something clattered to the edge of the bed. The thin young man looked at him in terror in the dark. “You… what are you going to do to me?”

Chen Shuangning did not reply. His eyes narrowed slightly, looking at the object that had fallen from Liandan’s bedding.

Liandan followed his gaze.

Almost at the same time, both reached out for it, but Liandan was not as quick. In the next moment, it was already in Chen Shuangning’s hand.

He lowered his head and looked closely at the dark spirit tablet, at the words carved on it: Memorial Tablet of the Deceased Chen Hanwen.

Liandan bit his lip and stared at him, not making a sound. The two stayed silent for a long time. The room was deathly quiet.

Without Liandan asking, Chen Shuangning gently placed the tablet back on the bed edge. He said nothing more, did not look at him again, and turned to leave.

Liandan watched his figure disappear behind the door.

After a while, Liandan suddenly threw off the quilt, barefoot, and ran to the doorway. He pushed the door open. The outer room was already empty.

….

That day was overcast. Heavy clouds filled the sky, and daylight came later than in the past few days.

In the dim morning light, a young man in a white robe soaked red with blood, long hair loose down his back, moved swiftly through the forest. When he reached the mountain gate of Lingyun Temple, he finally stopped.

There, the long blade in his hand clattered to the ground. His body swayed like a drunk, and with a heavy noise, he collapsed outside the gate.

The door opened. Someone saw what lay outside, cried out in shock, and ran back inside.

Half an hour later, Chen Shuangning slowly opened his eyes and woke from unconsciousness. He quickly scanned his surroundings.

Someone said, “This is a meditation room of Lingyun Temple.”

Chen Shuangning looked over, lips moving to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, a violent fit of coughing overtook him, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

“Pu!” A mouthful of blood sprayed onto the ground.

Liu Shuqi frowned, steadying his back, while Xue Ming hurried forward, opened a small porcelain bottle, and fed all the little pills inside into his mouth. She used a cloth to gently wipe the blood from his lips.

The pills dissolved instantly. Chen Shuangning closed his eyes, his state finally easing, only the occasional light cough remaining.

Liu Shuqi helped him lie back on the pillow.

Xueming quietly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She asked, “Does anything else hurt?”

The man on the bed shook his head with eyes closed.

Tears rolled down Xue Ming’s pale cheeks. Liu Shuqi patted her shoulder and said, “Let him rest for now.”

The two left the room one after the other.

In the courtyard, beneath the locust tree stripped nearly bare, Liu Shuqi looked up at the bleak branches and sighed. “Just now, word came from the spies. Last night, he ran for dozens of li alone and fought over a hundred bandits of Black Tiger Camp.”

Xue Ming covered her mouth to stifle her cries.

“People like us can hardly ever live as ordinary folk again,” Liu Shuqi said, handing her a cloth. “When he wakes, persuade him well.”

….

By evening, Chen Shuangning awoke. After bathing and changing clothes, he sat by the window and pushed it open.

Winter was nearly here. Cold wind poured in through the window, stirring his half-dry hair. Someone knocked on the door. Then, careful footsteps entered.

When the tray was set on the table, it made a faint sound. The footsteps drew closer, and a slender pale hand reached out to close the open window again.

Chen Shuangning turned his head in displeasure. Xue Ming stepped back a few paces, bent slightly in a bow, and said, “The medicine is ready. Please drink it while it is hot, Sect Master.”

Chen Shuangning looked at her. The hem of his white robe brushed over his feet as he rose, went to the table, and drank the bowl of medicine in one gulp.

Xue Ming lifted her eyes to look at him, then lowered them again, her lips pressed together.

“Say whatever you want to say,” the hoarse strange voice said slowly.

Xue Ming glanced at him again, hesitated, and asked, “Will you… return tonight?”

Crash. The bowl, teapot, and cups on the table were swept to the ground, shattering.

Xue Ming’s shoulders shook, but she forced herself not to retreat. She drew a small wooden box from her sleeve and said, “That night, Yuanjing’s substitute used a cunning poison. It took me great effort to figure out how to counter it.”

Facing away, Chen Shuangning’s body stiffened. After a moment, he asked, “This is the antidote?”

Xue Ming shook her head. “This is half the antidote. It will ease some of the poison. With the next dose, it can be fully cured, but it still needs some time.”

She looked at his back, paused, and added, “It shouldn’t be long.”

Chen Shuangning stayed silent for a while before answering with a soft “Mm.”

The matter was said, yet Xue Ming did not leave.

Chen Shuangning turned to her and asked, “Anything else?”

Xue Ming inhaled a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, “I’ve seen the way Liandan looks at you.”

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

Xue Ming hurriedly said, “He just couldn’t accept it for a moment. He surely likes you. The look in his eyes cannot be faked!”

Chen Shuangning froze. Xue Ming had never before seen hesitation and doubt in his eyes. But it lasted only an instant. Immediately, everything in his gaze changed.

He stared at a point in the void, eyes filled with hatred, gritting his teeth as he said, “He never liked me. What he liked was the identity of ‘Chen Hanwen’!”

For so many years, the Bai family’s mother had taught her children: once married, follow your husband, be faithful to the end.