When it was getting dark, Uncle Wu and I went out, walked around the door of his house, and took out a wooden box as big as a small suitcase.
The wide strap was stretched across my shoulders, and it seemed to be quite heavy. I wanted to show my kindness, so I said attentively, "Uncle Wu, is it heavy? How about I help you carry it?"
"Gungungun, you dare to say anything, you are not heavy, you float lightly in the wind, don't talk to me today, and you will break it when you come up!"
My good intentions were not rewarded, and I even made some nonsense, so I could only keep my mouth shut. Later I realized that whether it was carrying a coffin or carrying a box, if you are going for a frivolous thing, you should not say heavy things when you bring them.
There is only one reason why it is heavy, and that is because something bad has caught up with it and fallen on it, making the person carrying it feel unusually heavy, exceeding its original weight.
Grandma Cai's home is in the village. As big as a village is, it only takes more than 20 minutes to walk from east to west.
I have the impression that the mother-in-law is like a mascot in our village. The old people all talk about her with envy.
If you want to ask why, the reason for the 80% success rate is because people become more and more afraid of death as they get older. Grandma Cai is a famous longevity person in the village. Not only did she live to be almost a hundred years old, but she also has a straight head and a straight back.
, just like old man Rui.
A few years ago, before I went to school, I did hear that the old man might be old and seemed to be paralyzed on the kang. I didn't expect that he was gone now...
When I was thinking wildly, I thought of my grandfather. Life is unpredictable, and a hundred years can really disappear in a blink of an eye.
I felt a little uncomfortable in my heart and my nose was a little sore. Unknowingly, Uncle Wu had stopped in front of me. I was stunned and didn't know what was happening to Uncle Wu and how he could stop himself.
When I looked up, I realized that I was already in front of the bereaved house decorated with white cloth, white paper and white lanterns.
Uncle Wu didn't turn around and said in a dull voice, "Don't think blindly. Wipe your tears clean. We are makeup craftsmen now, and we are here to handle business. These tears are also part of the body's hair and skin, so we can't let them fall casually."
I had only heard the saying that a drop of a tear from a filial daughter and a great grandson would fall on a nail on the corpse. I didn't expect that I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, so I quickly wiped away the tears that flowed down my cheeks due to the air infection.
Groups of men and women wearing mourning robes came out to welcome them, and they knelt down in obeisance. This is the rule. When guests arrive, the bereaved family must kneel down to express their respect and gratitude.
What's more, since Uncle Wu is a senior, the make-up artist, the whiteboard manager, and the tomb-finder here are all treated with great respect.
Otherwise, don't invite me, and if you do, treat me well and politely.
Uncle Wu stretched out his hand to help an elderly man in the front, who quickly stood up and greeted us into the hospital. He looked at me, the little girl who was following Uncle Wu, but no one asked.
After entering the hospital, the deceased should first be offered incense, greet the deceased, and tell the deceased that the make-up artist has arrived.
Accompanied by their family members, they would drink a cup of hot tea, eat two snacks, and chat a few words. After clearing the tomb, the grandson, the granddaughter, and the granddaughter began to prepare for work.
I didn't understand anything. When Uncle Wu asked me to sit down, I sat down. When someone mentioned me, I nodded. When I was given tea, I drank it. When I was given snacks, I ate them.
As honest as a string shadow puppet, it's not that I'm a good boy, it's just that I'm too nervous and don't know where to place my hands and feet.
"Sanman, hold the guy we are eating with both hands, Jiren put on makeup!"
Uncle Wu said these words out of the blue. Seeing my stupid lack of reaction, he gestured with his eyes towards the large makeup box he had been carrying all the way. Then I woke up and held it with both hands, and followed Uncle Wu into the tomb.
, placed on a table specially prepared for us.
Next to it is a dark coffin, a gold and silver mattress, a mandala quilt from the past life, black square-mouthed toad shoes, and a shroud with torn trouser legs.
Grandma Cai was lying in the coffin. The only skin she could see was her pale hands. Her skin was covered with a layer of bluish-yellow color, exuding gray air, and her dark brown age spots were very conspicuous.
His face could not be seen at all now, with a piece of yellow straw paper covering his face and a hat on his head.
The paper did not rise and fall, proving that the person below had indeed expired.
There was a basin of purified water next to the table. Uncle Wu put his hands in it, and at most he rinsed it. After taking it out, he held his hands up and wiped them dry with paper money, just like a surgeon preparing for an operation.
He signaled to me, and I followed suit and completed the procedure.
"Open the makeup box and remove the facial tissue."
These words were obviously meant for me. After all, in this mourning shed, except for the two of us, there are only Grandma Cai’s eldest son and daughter-in-law who are quite old. No one else can watch at this time.
That's the rule!
I reached out and touched the makeup box, which was already coated with pulp. The first thing I felt was that it was cold, like touching ice cubes. After opening the lid, the contents inside did not refresh my understanding.
In rural areas, this kind of old makeup box is not uncommon. Uncle Wu's is just bigger than the others, and it is divided into several layers. Moreover, there is no mirror on the lid of the makeup box.
Inside are rouge gouache, glycerin pomade, comb powder brush, eyebrow pencil and blush, etc.
There is also a round exquisite bronze mirror on the side. There is a grid full of copper coins. There are quite a lot of them. This is everything on the first floor.
Uncle Wu stood aside and watched my movements quietly. Grandma Cai's two sons and daughter-in-law, who were both quite young, were also looking at me with cloudy eyes. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
The mournful music was still playing outside the mourning shed, and the overbearing sound of the suona penetrated the sky, but now it was as if there was an unknown boundary between it and the inside of the mourning shed, becoming less harsh.
I stood next to the coffin, facing Grandma Cai's head. Not far from my hand was the piece of facial tissue. It was the first time I was so close to a dead person, and I even had to touch it. It was inevitable that my heart was tingling, and I could see it with my fingers.
Trembling.
"Get rid of the tissue paper!" Uncle Wu's voice sounded nearby, as if announcing the beginning of some kind of ceremony, more like urging me to move faster.
Thinking to himself, I have seen ghosts and spirits, and even fought hand-to-hand. How could a dead person lying in a coffin be so scary? I just pinched the two corners near the chin with both hands and pulled down.
The fluffy face covering paper came into my hands.
Grandma Cai's face in the coffin also appeared in front of me. I was so frightened that I took a few steps back. It was only Uncle Wu who pressed his body against my back that made me steady!
only because……
The old face of Grandma Cai, whose face was sallow and lifeless in the coffin, had her eyes strangely wide open...
The pupils were dilated and cloudy, without focus, and the mouth was wide open, just frozen in front of my eyes. This scene really made me prepare to see a face that was as peaceful as sleeping, and the defenses in my heart were shattered into pieces.
Could this be the one Uncle Wu mentioned that he would never kill someone who would never die with his eyes in peace...
What should we do? Can we just turn around and leave?