“Going to prepare for clothing now would be a waste of time,” Du Lai patiently persuaded her, “Miaoxue, what you can do is quite simple. Just remember every single thing you see as hard as you can, then come out and recount it to us. That would be enough.”
“No! I won’t go in alone!” Fu Miaoxue insisted, “How much time can preparing clothes waste? Can’t you just steal a few black outfits from the nearby area? After all, everyone from the village has come to the funeral, so no one should be home!”
Oddly enough, what she said made sense…
Bai Youwei pondered for a moment, took off her camel-coloured shawl and said, “I’ll go with her. You guys can check nearby, if you can find clothes to change into and join us in paying respects, that would be best.”
“So be it.” Shen Mo took her shawl, turned around, and left with Du Lai.
Without the shawl, Bai Youwei instantly felt the chill of autumn. However, when she looked at the two gentlemen walking away bear-armed and bare-legged, she felt she needed to improve her physical constitution.
Fu Miaoxue and Bai Youwei entered with trepidation.
The crying inside was even louder.
Lizheng’s home was much simpler than the academic’s residence. It was just a plain courtyard, with a square yard right after the entrance, followed by three large brick-and-tile houses at the front, left, and right. The sons and their wives lived on the sides, while Lizheng and his wife lived in the main house.
The coffin was placed in the hall directly in front of them.
There were some crying, some singing, some burning paper, and some offering incense. It was extremely lively.
The woman known as the lady of Ma family who appeared to be in her fifties or sixties, sat beside the coffin wearing mourning clothes, appearing foolishly lost. The entire room was filled with wailing, but only the old lady hadn’t cried. It seemed as if she had lost her senses due to the sudden shock.
Bai Youwei and Fu Miaoxue overheard some mourners whispering to each other:
“Looking at Lady Ma in this state, I’m afraid she won’t live much longer.”
“Yeah, Mrs. Li was the same way. First her husband was decapitated, and not long after, she also passed away.”
The first sentence Inspector gave as a clue was: A female, Mrs. Li…
Bai Youwei pounced on this information, almost immediately asking: “Was Mrs. Li also decapitated?”
The mourner replied, “How could it be? It was her husband, Leper Li, who was decapitated. Mrs. Li had dementia. After her husband’s death, she stopped eating or drinking and naturally passed away shortly after. Just like Lady Ma now.”
As they spoke, they saw Mrs. Ma’s daughter-in-law trying to feed her some water. Mrs. Ma couldn’t even open her mouth and stared blankly at the coffin in a daze.
The mourners sighed and shook their heads at this sight.
“Mrs. Ma won’t live much longer…” many echoed this sentiment.
At this time, Lizheng’s son asked: “Is father’s last meal ready?”
The woman who was feeding Mrs. Ma put down the bowl and said, “It’s ready.”
In ancient times, something was usually put in the mouth of the deceased, known as “the last meal” or “subduing the tongue”. Rich people would use gold beads or jade. Poor families used food, implying that the deceased would not suffer hunger or hardship on the road to the underworld.
The daughter-in-law scooped up a half-spoonful of white rice, about a mouthful, compacting it in the spoon, handed it to her husband who then respectfully said to the corpse in the coffin, “Father, your son has prepared a meal for you.”
Having said this, he reached out and pinched Lizheng’s chin, trying to put the white rice in his mouth.
However, the old man’s mouth remained tightly closed. No matter how hard he tried, he could not open it.
The son cried out, “Dad! Please open your mouth, so you won’t go hungry or cold on your journey in the afterlife!”
The force he applied increased, as he tried to pry open his father’s mouth with the spoon of rice. Unexpectedly, he applied too much force. The old man’s head rolled over, was pried right out of the coffin, and flew out!
It landed right in front of Mrs. Ma!