Chapter 16 Funeral (1/2)

Chapter 16 Funeral

That evening, Shi Yitong and I changed clothes for the deceased old man and laid his body in the coffin. Mr. Wen stayed by the distraught Grandmother Shi’s side all this time as they planned the funeral together.

Shi Yitong had been quiet the whole time, he neither spoke nor cried. The fine Chinese cedar nested coffin unexpectedly suited grandfather well.

“One, two, three!” The strong men counted in unison as they lifted the coffin up. Actually, the coffin should not be very heavy for eight people to carry together, but even if so, they still wanted to do it for the sake of appearances.

On the day of the funeral, all of us wore entirely black clothes, but Mr. Wen was still in his black Daoist robe with its flowing sleeves fluttering in the wind. A lot of villagers came, just like what Shi Yitong had said, his grandfather was quite famous in the village.

“What a misfortune!” I heard a villager on the side say as he shook his head. “Old Grandfather Shi has seen off numerous people in his life, but unexpectedly now it’s our turn to see him off.”

Shi Yitong stood on one side of the coffin. I didn’t know whether it was some sort of a social custom at a funeral, but he just stood there motionlessly, simply staring blankly at the nested coffin.

Then Mr. Wen walked up, clad in his black robe. Facing the mourning hall, he held a match in his hand and lit it with a ‘swish’. Amidst the flickering flame, I saw him lighting a sedan chair made of paper. The burning flame shot high up in the air. Grandmother Shi tottered to the front of the coffin and lit up an oil lamp placed before the feet of grandfather’s remains and another one above his head. Then she offered a bowl of rice in front of the light and lit an incense stick.

Mr. Wen was mumbling with his palms together.

“The empty dream of life.

What can you do with an empty dream?

In this world,

You may take nothing with you.

A pair of arms.

Empty handed.

And you see the face of Yama.

From here you must go,

And waste not life anymore.

Recite Buddha’s name,

Cross that river of desire.

This world has endless pains,

And samsara goes on forever.

Toss you into the waves,

Trap you in cages,

Listen, wandering soul,

Why not turn back,

To leave is to return.”

Mr. Wen’s voice was light yet powerful, speaking at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, with each word reverberating in my heart. No one spoke in front of the mourning hall, and only the scripture Mr. Wen recited echoed in the room.

Grandfather Shi’s funeral lasted the entire day. Afterwards, headed by the ‘Eight Immortals’ who were carrying the coffin, the long line of people attending the burial extended all the way to the entrance of the village. Shi Yitong and I didn’t go, Grandmother Shi didn’t let us, repeating that it would bring us bad luck if us children followed the burial team. Even though I really wanted to explain that both Shi Yitong and I had reached the age of eighteen a long time ago, I couldn’t reject the special care and concern of this old woman.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Shi Yitong scratched his nose. “Well… This is the sort of thing we can’t do anything about. I’m sorry, I was too emotional yesterday and said some unreasonable words.”

I shook my head, indicating that I didn’t mind. It was hard for someone like me with that kind of a family to understand Shi Yitong’s feelings for his grandfather. But even so, I still clearly knew what an important position his grandfather occupied in Shi Yitong’s life.

Being separated by death from someone you love, that must be a pain that can tear you apart.

“I always thought there was some evil thing that tried to kill grandpa.” Shi Yitong slowly opened his mouth, “After suspecting this and that, I didn’t expect to be told in the end that this was fate, something unchangeable.”

I could only try and comfort him, “Mortality is the fate of humankind. Every one of us will eventually come to this. Besides, I believe your grandfather will do just fine on ‘that side’.”

Shi Yitong sniffed a couple times, then forced out a smile. “Yeah, you’re right.”

The funeral ended that night. Shi Yitong’s grandfather was buried in the village cemetery. It was not far from Shi Yitong’s home, and he could visit his grandfather whenever he wanted. After a tiring day, everyone was exhausted and slept early, especially Shi Yitong. It seemed like the weight on his shoulders was finally lifted, as he snored loudly next to me, which actually left me unable to fall asleep.

In the moonlight outside the window, I saw a figure standing under the willow tree in the yard.

I threw a jacket over my shoulder and walked out. As I expected, it was Mr. Wen.

Mr. Wen had already taken off the Daoist robe he was wearing during the funeral and changed into a casual hoodie and jeans, instead of the dark robe he had on when we first met. He was leaning against the tree, his arms crossed. One of his feet was even kicking backward at the tree trunk — an action that made him seem like a little kid.

“You… Why haven’t you left yet?” I asked, rubbing my drowsy eyes. “Isn’t the funeral already over?”

“Who do you think I am for you to discard right after using me?” Mr. Wen raised his eyebrows. “Of course I came for you.”

“Ah, that.” I scratched my head, feeling embarrassed. “Well, thanks a lot this time. I apologize that I once thought you were a swindler… ”