Chapter 32 (1/2)
Chapter 32 – A Fool
“Don’t eat food from strangers, otherwise you’ll end up like grandpa. He ate something that a stranger gave him and then he died…”
That was what Tang Can had translated for her. It was what the little girl had said to her little brother when she had knocked the egg out of his hands.
Shen Yu suddenly felt like she couldn’t catch her breath anymore, as if there was something strangling her. Tang Can’s face was also pale. When they tried to get closer to the two children, the older girl ran off, towing her little brother behind her. They escaped so quickly that the girl even left the harvesting basket behind.
However, Shen Yu had acute vision. She could see that they didn’t run off far and were hiding behind a nearby haystack. It was likely that they were waiting for a chance to pick up the basket again.
Shen Yu and Tang Can looked at each other and communicated silently through their eyes. It was as if their hearts were on the same page. Apparently, there was something fishy about the way Song Geng died. But it was too late. The body had already been buried. The testimony of that little girl would not be enough to exhume his corpse and conduct an autopsy. If they tried to, the consequences would be too high for them. Furthermore, if they started pursuing this lead, it was likely the two siblings would get dragged into this.
Tang Can’s expression looked ugly. The space between eyebrows were furrowed deeply, as if he was under a great amount of stress. Despite his heavy thoughts, he kept silent as they walked back to the village.
Shen Yu’s thoughts were bleak. The recent events had tossed her into a quagmire and it made it difficult for her to find a direction to go. Why does it feel like everything on this trip has to become complicated?
Her mind turned to funeral customs. In her hometown, it was customary for family members to surround a fresh grave three days after the initial rites. The purpose was to add dirt to the burial site, burn more paper money, and make more offerings to the deceased. For the following three years, no new dirt could be added to the grave. However, she wasn’t sure if the villages here followed the same traditions. She truly suspected that she was related to Song Geng in some way, so she wanted to stay in the village until the full funeral rites were finished. It would be her way of paying her respects properly to him. When they got back to the branch secretary’s office, Shen Yu decided to ask the man. However, it turns out that Tang Can was a step ahead of her. He had already posed that question.
The branch secretary nodded and said that they did have this custom. However, times had changed. Most of the younger generation had moved out of the village to find work. Keeping a custom like this wasn’t practical as most people couldn’t take off work for that long. With fewer and fewer people able to keep the tradition alive, the village adapted by having it all done on the same day.
“Then I will have to bother you again, sir,” said Tang Can after the branch secretary explained the village’s customs. “Please accompany us as we properly finish sending Song Geng off the afterlife!”
The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his hand and said, “Not a bother, not a bother at all!”
Shen Yu watched Tang Can calmly from the side. A faint smile appeared on her face. Her previous grudge against him regarding her disappearing map had dissipated after she saw his thoughtful actions today. As someone who considered herself to be honest and good-natured, it was important for her to keep an open mind, especially since she didn’t have any concrete proof that Tang Can stole it. Furthermore, could she guarantee that the laundry attendant hadn’t nicked it? It was possible that the girl working there was just feigning innocence and had lied to her.
After they completed the funeral rites, Shen Yu started interacting with Tang Can more. Most of the day had passed and it was now early evening. It was too late for their group to set out, so they all had to spend an extra night in town.