MFBOWSBTMT Chapter 18

As soon as Qiao Ruifeng and the others carried Qiao Chengfu through the door, Qiao Suiman was hit by a foul stench. Fortunately, they boiled plenty of mugwort leaves, which helped mask the smell to some extent.

 

Qiao Chengfu’s death was truly gruesome. Cleaning up the blood alone was a massive task. Qiao Ruifeng has no intention of letting Qin Yu or Qiao Suiman handle it. After getting help to carry the body into Qiao Chengfu’s room, he had Qiao Suiman bring in water and stayed behind to clean up himself.

 

Qin Yu and Qiao Suiman paced anxiously in the yard, forcing themselves to calm down as they served tea and water to those who had helped. Among the men who had carried the body were Butcher Wang, Old Liu’s son, and Lu Dongqing.

 

Old Liu’s family had suffered an unexpected misfortune today. Their original plan to go to town for supplies had been disrupted, and after this incident, they didn’t dare leave the village lightly, fearing they might meet with similar misfortune.

 

Butcher Wang, who rarely got a day off, had left the family business to Wang Qi and wandered around the village when he heard someone shouting about a death. He had gone to see what the commotion was about.

 

As for Lu Dongqing, Qiao Suiman was a little confused and couldn’t understand why he came with the village chief.

 

But there was no time to dwell on it. He brought water to Butcher Wang and the Liu family’s father and son. The two women of the Liu family had already gone home and didn’t come with them. Qiao Suiman picked up another bowl of water. It was boiled and left to cool so it’s still slightly warm. He handed it to Lu Dongqing, who had been silent the whole time.

 

Lu Dongqing looked down. Qiao Suiman seemed so small in front of him, and for some reason, his heart clenched. He took the bowl and said in a low voice, “My condolences.”

 

The deep voice reached Qiao Suiman’s ears, and for a moment, he was stunned. He blinked up at Lu Dongqing and replied, “Mn, thank you for your help.”

 

Lu Dongqing’s heart itched as he watched Qiao Suiman’s long, fluttering lashes. He came to his senses and felt that he really shouldn’t have other thoughts in such an occasion. He quickly took a sip of water to suppress the stirring in his chest.

 

Qin Yu wasn’t idle either. He handed out mugwort leaves tied with red string to the men and lightly sprinkled them with mugwort-infused water before seeing them off.

 

The village chief sat at the stone table, deep in thought, before finally saying, “Yu-ge’r, I know your family’s situation. In my opinion, there’s no need for a lavish funeral. Letting him rest in peace is enough.”

 

“Thank you for your advice, Village Chief,” Qin Yu sighed. Even if they wanted a grand funeral, they couldn’t afford it. A proper send-off would cost at least three to five taels of silver, and given how disgracefully his father-in-law had died, they’d be lucky to find a carpenter willing to hastily make a thin coffin at this point.

 

“Village Chief, we found this on my father.” Qiao Ruifeng came out holding a crumpled piece of paper that had fallen out while changing Qiao Chengfu’s clothes.

 

The village chief took it, unfolded it, and found the writing nearly illegible. Though he was literate, he could barely make it out. “Lu-xiaozi, come take a look at this. What does it say?”

 

“Mn.” Lu Dongqing took the paper, studied it for a moment, and his expression darkened. Qiao Ruifeng asked, “Is something wrong?”

 

“He… he owes the gambling den three taels of silver. Tomorrow is the final deadline.”

 

The words struck the Qiao family like thunder. Qiao Suiman’s eyes burned with fury. He had actually gotten involved with a gambling den!

 

“That bastard!” Butcher Wang cursed. He despised gamblers more than anything. Qiao Chengfu had pushed his children to the brink.

 

Qiao Ruifeng gritted his teeth so hard they creaked. He shot a hateful glance at the woodshed, and for a moment, a blasphemous thought crossed his mind. He almost felt that heaven had been merciful to let Qiao Chengfu die now. Otherwise, who knew how much more he would have tormented them in the future?

 

The village chief sighed deeply. Qiao Chengfu was truly despicable, leaving such a mess for his children even in death. “Rui-xiaozi, the gambling den will likely come knocking tomorrow. Try to scrape together some money to pay them off. There’s nothing you can do about it. As for him… just gather some men to help bury him.”

 

He had originally thought they could at least afford a thin coffin, but now, even repaying the debt would be a struggle. What a curse, to be saddled with such a father.

 

“If you don’t mind, you can gather wood from the mountain. I’ll help nail it together.” There was no need to spend money, Lu Dongqing thought. He’d heard about the Qiao family’s situation, and with Qiao Chengfu leaving them in debt, it made no sense to waste more on the funeral.

 

Qiao Suiman knew this was the best option. He only had a little over one tael of silver on hand. Combined with whatever his brother and Qin Yu could scrape together, they might barely manage three taels. But spending this money felt unbearably unjust.

 

They had scrimped and saved for so long, only to have it all wasted on a dead man. Qiao Suiman refused to spare another thought for someone who had only ever beaten and scolded them.

 

Thinking of this, Qiao Suiman responded without waiting for his brother to speak: “Then we’ll trouble you. We’ll compensate you for your work.”

 

They wouldn’t let him labor for free.

 

Lu Dongqing, having received Qiao Suiman’s approval, glanced at Qiao Ruifeng, who nodded and bowed slightly in thanks. That was as good as agreement.

 

“Let’s settle it like this for now, Rui-xiaozi. Deal with the gambling den first. Their debt collectors are no joke. Discuss the rest among yourselves and let me know.”

 

The village chief slowly stood, shaking his head as he ushered the others out. The rest… was up to fate.

 

Once they were gone, Qiao Suiman rushed to his room and pulled out his money box. Inside was a total of one tael, six mace, and forty-nine wen, of which nine mace were in broken silver, the rest in copper coins.

 

He counted it again to confirm the amount before returning to the yard. “Ge, I have one tael and six mace here.”

 

Back when the tavern’s debt collectors smashed many things in the house, Li Hua had sold their land to repay them. Now, they couldn’t afford to sell any more land. Qiao Suiman felt both furious and faintly relieved. It was as if the heavens had intervened, ensuring Qiao Chengfu could never torment them again.

 

Forget it, forget it. Consider it money spent to ward off disaster, he consoled himself.

 

Qiao Ruifeng shook his head. “A-Yu and I have about two taels and eight mace between us. You only need to contribute two mace.”

 

“Ge, no. You two need to keep some money for yourselves. How about we each put in one tael?” Qiao Suiman refused to let them shoulder the burden alone. He wasn’t a child anymore. He has to share the family’s hardships.

 

Qin Yu knew Qiao Suiman’s stubbornness well. “Fine, let’s do that for now. We’ll earn it back eventually.”

 

“Mn, we’ll definitely earn it back.” Qiao Suiman nodded firmly. With the family’s spendthrift gone, they no longer had to hide their earnings out of fear. Given their diligence, it was only a matter of time before they made the money back.

 

With that thought, the three of them felt a little lighter. Once the funeral is over, a new life will begin.

 

——

 

In the afternoon, Qin Yu went to the village to find women and fulang who could help. Lu Dongqing would need at least two days to prepare the wood for the coffin. Qiao Ruifeng went up the mountain with him to find wood, while Qiao Suiman went to dig some wild vegetables and bamboo shoots.

 

Qin Yu was too busy to join Qiao Suiman in the mountains, so he told him to take Heijin along and warned him not to wander into secluded areas.

 

Once the coffin was ready, they would need to bury Qiao Chengfu quickly. The burial required villagers to help carry the coffin, dig the grave, and lay him to rest. Afterward, it was customary to host a meal for the helpers. Aside from the three taels owed to the gambling den, they had little money left. Other than the meat they needed to buy, everything else would have to be foraged from the mountains.

 

Fortunately, they still had the loaches and eels they’d caught earlier. Along with the meat, that made three meat dishes. If they gathered enough wild vegetables and bamboo shoots, they could probably scrape together six dishes in total. But their rice and flour stores were running low. With all the aunties and a-mo who would come to help, there will be no rice and flour left after the funeral.

 

The wheat from their dry field wouldn’t be ready until after the fifth month, which is nearly two months away. The more Qiao Suiman thought about it, the more anxious he became. If only we had a bit more money… But then again, any extra would just be wasted on Qiao Chengfu. Better to endure a little hardship now.

 

The Qiao brothers and Lu Dongqing headed for the mountains together. Lu Dongqing’s offer to help had come at a critical time, and Qiao Ruifeng thanked him repeatedly along the way. Qiao Suiman, growing increasingly awkward, tugged at his brother’s sleeve to signal that he had thanked him enough.

 

Then, softly, he asked Lu Dongqing, “Last time, buying a coffin from Shanghe Village cost four mace. For your work…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “We can’t let you do it for free. How much would be appropriate?”

 

Lu Dongqing stiffened. He never made a coffin before, but their requirements were simple: just nailing the wood together. The tables and chairs in his home were made from lumber and bamboo he and Lu Xuesong had gathered from the mountains. It wasn’t difficult, which was why he offered.

 

His intention had only been to help the Qiao family save money. Qiao Suiman had painstakingly saved up his earnings from selling drinks, two wen at a time. Losing three taels in one go would set him back who knew how long. Now, with Qiao Suiman insisting on payment, Lu Dongqing felt increasingly uncomfortable.

 

“Thirty wen is enough. I was the one who suggested it,” he said, looking down at Qiao Suiman with a steady gaze. In a low voice, he added, “Don’t feel burdened. We’re from the same village. Helping out is nothing.”

 

Qiao Suiman sensed that the man before him seemed… upset? There was even a hint of something like grievance in his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way, but his instincts told him not to push further. “Alright. You… you’re so kind.”

 

Heijin trotted up to Lu Dongqing, rubbing against his legs and circling him playfully. Qiao Suiman thought, What’s wrong with you?!

 

A faint smile appeared in Lu Dongqing’s eyes. “You can call me to help carry the coffin, too,” he said, then seemed to search for an excuse. “My family is new to the village. It’d be good to meet more people.”

 

Qiao Suiman was momentarily stunned by his sudden smile. Lu Dongqing’s features were sharp and cold, but when he smiled, his whole face brightened. Xuesheng wasn’t wrong. He is really quite good-looking.

 

Qiao Suiman blinked, then glanced at his brother, remembering something. In Xiahe Village’s customs, only men could carry the coffin and dig the grave. This was his brother’s decision to make.

 

Qiao Ruifeng nodded in agreement. Though he suspected Lu Dongqing had ulterior motives, the man had offered to help willingly, and from their previous interactions, he seemed reliable enough. “Then we’ll trouble you again.”

 

The three reached the foot of the mountain. Qiao Ruifeng and Lu Dongqing went deeper into the forest to cut wood, while Qiao Suiman turned toward the bamboo grove. While bamboo shoots were still available, he needed to gather as many as possible for the post-funeral meal. They were easy to find, and before long, he had dug up four decent-sized ones, which should be enough for several dishes.

 

He also checked the spot where he’d previously found bamboo fungus, but it hadn’t grown back yet. After searching elsewhere for a while, he only managed to gather half a basket of Chinese toon, dandelion greens, and slightly more shepherd’s purse.

 

Thankfully, their yard was full of vegetables, and the long beans in the front garden had just begun to bear fruit, so they had enough for several vegetarian dishes. For meat, aside from the loaches and eels, they could buy some pork to make three meat dishes. When Li Hua had passed years ago, they only set up two small tables. This would have to suffice.

 

 

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