Northeast: My Absurd Woman

Chapter 136 Wiping shit

Guan Dou tugged at Zhang Shuhua's hand, pleading with her to let him call his mother and younger brother into the house.

"Little Douzi, your mother and little brother are going to live somewhere else tomorrow."

They need time to adjust; you'll understand when you grow up.

You'll stay with Grandma from now on. Your mom and little brother can only come back after you've grown up.

Zhang Shuhua held Xiao Douzi tightly in her arms, not daring to let go.

"Grandma, Mom and my brother are wet, I want to get them a towel to wipe them."

My mom said that if you don't dry yourself off when you're wet, the wind will cause your skin to chapped.

Guan Dou blinked, listening to the "drip-drip" sound of water falling on the ground outside the house.

"Little Douzi, your mom is giving your little brother a bath, don't talk."

Zhang Shuhua carried Guan Dou onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and covered his ears with a quilt.

Guan Shu squatted in a corner on the ground floor of the outer room, covering his head and not daring to speak.

He now knew he had made a terrible mistake, and timidly glanced at Guan Lin in the yard out of the corner of his eye.

Guan Lin and Zhang Changyao sat at the entrance of the mourning tent, burning paper money in a washbasin.

The small red clay basin was already filled with the ashes from burning paper money, which Zhang Changyao wrapped into small packets.

It was meant to be kept in the purse of the deceased when she passed away.

"Should we make one large and one small piece of fabric, or bury the mother and child together?"

The local carpenter, a tall, lean middle-aged man, came over and asked Guan Lin a question.

Guan Lin did not answer, but turned to look at Zhang Changyao.

"Brother Zhang, the mother and daughter are still hugging each other, don't let them separate."

Without hesitation, Zhang Changyao answered Zhang the carpenter directly.

"Changyao, you're right. Separating the mother and son will bring them no peace."

"Ah! It's better to be buried together; at least we can look after each other on our journey to the underworld."

Carpenter Zhang glanced at the mourning hall, shook his head, sighed, and went back to his work.

The coffin was made of natural wood, and the material was prepared by Zhang Shuhua for herself, but now it has been given to Liu Guimei and her son.

"Dodge... the nails..."

With a choked cry from Zhang the carpenter, the coffins of the mother and daughter were sealed to the heavens.

The coffin was carried by Wang Fugui and his son, Zhang Changyao, and Guan Yutian.

Despite several attempts to move it, the coffin remained motionless, as if it were welded to the stool.

"Hey! Someone tell her she doesn't want to leave!"

Carpenter Zhang touched the coffin, looking at Guan Dou, who had just finished smashing the funeral basin, and Zhang Shuhua, who was holding him.

"Guimei, I will take good care of Xiaodouzi, so you can go in peace!"

"Little Douzi, come here, kneel down and kowtow to your mother."

Zhang Shuhua placed the small bucket on the ground, pressed its head down, and kowtowed to Liu Guimei in the coffin to send her off.

"Let's try again." Carpenter Zhang gestured as he stood in front of the group.

Even with several people pulling together, the coffin remained completely still.

"Boss, you bastard, come over here and apologize to Guimei."

Zhang Shuhua, carrying a shovel handle, chased Guan Shu to the coffin.

"Mom, why should I apologize? Which man doesn't do that? She's just making a fuss."

She jumped into the river with her child in her arms, and she even had the nerve to say it was justified? What kind of heartless mother is she?

If you don't want to live, then go die yourself. Why drag your child into this?

If you don't want to leave, then don't. Get up, all of you, and I'll burn the coffin to the ground.

"He could cause trouble while he was alive, and he won't let us have peace even after he's dead."

Guan Shu went inside, grabbed a handful of firewood, and picked up a match to set the coffin on fire.

Guan Lin put down the paper money in his hand, walked around, and took the shovel handle from Zhang Shuhua's hand.

Taking advantage of the fact that Guan Shu was striking a match and hadn't seen him, they seized the opportunity.

He suddenly raised the thick iron shovel above his head and swung it down forcefully.

With a crisp "crack," Guan Shu screamed and threw away the matchbox in his hand.

Clutching the leg that Guan Lin had just broken, he rolled around on the ground.

"Sister-in-law, let's go! I've avenged you."

From now on, if he dares to cheat on his wife again, I'll break his leg too.

Guan Lin shouted loudly, tears streaming down his face.

With a wave of his hand, Zhang the carpenter had the four men lift the coffin effortlessly.

"Second brother, bury him in the open space next to the Chinese tallow tree."

Your sister-in-law loves the flowers of the Chinese tallow tree; she says they smell nice.

Guan Lin nodded and walked at the front, waving the paper money.

Guan Shu's wailing echoed throughout half the village. People felt a sense of satisfaction in their hearts, but no one sympathized with him.

"Second brother, you went too far. Look how heartbroken my aunt is."

On the way back, Zhang Changyao pointed to Zhang Shuhua, who was crying, and showed her to Guan Lin.

"Changyao, it's not that my second brother is ruthless, it's that my sister-in-law died with her eyes wide open in anger."

"Among these people, I'm the only one who dares to take action. If I don't, my sister-in-law can't leave."

Guan Lin tried to take over Guan Dou, but Zhang Shuhua pushed him aside.

"Aunt, you can't blame my second brother. My eldest brother went too far."

His sister-in-law and child, two lives—he gave up one leg to earn her forgiveness, and it wasn't a loss.

We cannot pity our elder brother and forget the deaths of our sister-in-law and child.

"If it's a life for a life, he'd have to die twice," Zhang Changyao went to persuade Zhang Shuhua.

"Changyao, your sister-in-law and child are dead. Who knows whether you can forgive them or not?"

Your second brother is ruthless; he doesn't care about brotherhood at all.

He's even using your sister-in-law as an excuse; I think he's just making a mistake and trying to justify himself.

Zhang Shuhua persisted, glaring at Guan Lin with heartache for Guan Shu.

The weather, which had been perfectly calm just moments before, suddenly turned into a fierce gale.

Leaves and rotten grass on the ground swirled in the wind, circling around the group of people.

"Grandma, my mom is holding my little brother and watching us from heaven."

Grandma, look! My mom's angry. She's yelling at people with her mouth open.

"Grandma, look! My little brother has wet his pants again!"

Guan Dou pointed to the tops of several people's heads, stretching out his arms as if he wanted his mother to hug him.

Zhang Shuhua was so frightened that her face turned ashen, and she shut her mouth, not daring to say another word.

"Sister-in-law, don't blame my aunt. No matter what, what mother doesn't love her son?"

She was just confused for a moment and couldn't tell the difference between good and bad people.

She always cared for you and treated you well; you haven't forgotten that, have you?

Xiao Douzi is still young and needs her care, so please don't hold it against her." Zhang Changyao bowed repeatedly to Xuanfeng.

The wind stopped, the whirlwind slowly receded, and Guan Lin and the others slowly straightened up.

Zhang Changyao didn't go to Zhang Shuhua's house; instead, he bought five cents worth of candy for Yang Wuni at the convenience store.

"Zhang Changyao, someone's already dead, how come you still have the leisure to buy candy to eat?"

Yang Wuni took the candy, broke one open, and stuffed it into Liao Zhi's mouth.

Liao Zhi resisted and refused to open his mouth, but Yang Wuni wouldn't tolerate it. She pinched his chin and made Liao Zhi obediently open his mouth.

"Wu Ni, you can't go straight home after coming back from the cemetery, that's bad luck."

Zhang Changyao climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and used the warm water that Yang Wuni brought to wipe Liao Zhi's body.

"Zhang Changyao, you don't need to wipe it every day. This body isn't mine anyway, so why bother with it?"

Liao Zhi was disgusted by the smell of the toilet paper Zhang Changyao was using to wipe his feces.

I accidentally swallowed the candy.

He looked at Zhang Changyao, who didn't mind his presence, with a grateful expression in his eyes.

"Liao Zhi, tell me, how did you become like this?"